Solidarity with Barnet Library Workers starting a 3 day strike today

UNISON members working in Barnet Libraries are taking industrial action today. tomorrow and Wednesday  in opposition to the Council’s plan to outsource the Library Service.

What Barnet Council intends for Barnet Libraries

▪   Library posts will be cut by 46%, a loss of 52 full time equivalent posts

▪   Staffed hours will be reduced by 70% (despite overwhelming opposition to this from respondents to the Council’s Library consultations)

▪   Under 15 year olds unaccompanied by an adult will not be able to use libraries during unstaffed hours, which will be for most of the time libraries are open

▪   Library space to be reduced, thus cutting study space and book stock

▪   Four libraries to be run by “community groups”

▪   Phase 3 alternative delivery model to be identified for this section.

More detailed analysis of the destruction of the Library service can be found in Barnet Unison's report entitled “Directand Collateral Damage to the Future of Barnet Libraries” 

UNISON Picket Lines will be at the following Barnet Libraries:

▪   Monday 13th June – Mill Hill Library (Hartley Avenue, Mill Hill, London NW7 2HX) from 8.30 am

▪   Tuesday 14th June – North Finchley(Ravensdale Ave, North Finchley N12 9HP) from 8.30 am followed by a demonstration outside Barnet House 12-1 pm

▪   Wednesday 15th June – Chipping Barnet Library (3 Stapylton Road, Barnet, EN5 4QT) from 8.30 am

UNISON Library Convenor, Hugh Jordan said:

 Barnet UNISON calls for the current plan to decimate our Library Service to be stopped now before further damage is done. Our members are angry at proposals which look to sack half of them and then outsource them to another employer. Every day we hear of another Library closing due to cuts, handing over the service to volunteers or outsourcing. Enough is enough, there needs to be a national response to the systemic destruction of the national library service. Our Borough needs real libraries and real library professionals and para-professional, only this year our service was given a 96% customer satisfaction rating. If theLibrary staff less plan is implemented and staff sacked their absence will see Barnet pay a heavy price in the coming years as literacy levels fall, accessibility to information is reduced, and social mobility is further curtailed. Lastly, whilst we appreciate the current support from Library volunteers we are asking volunteers not to take our jobs away which is the part of the Barnet Libraries Plan

Remain for change: Building European solidarity for a democratic alternative - June 15th

I, like I am sure many readers, have felt manipulated by the EU Referendum debate: manipulated into taking sides into what is basically a dispute within the Conservative Party (and a leadership contest), and within British neoliberalism.  The manipulation of the media by the two main camps has meant that the left alternatives for Remain and for Exit have been scarcely heard. In the process the debate has licensed the expression of openly racist views seldom heard since the 60s and 70s - albeit directed against Eastern Europeans rather than East African Asians or people from the Caribbean.

Economists for Rational Economic Policies sum up the problem in the introduction to their new report due to be discussed at a launch on June 15th.   I think the report makes an important contribution to the debate so have posted it at the end of the article.

The economic arguments over the UK’s EU Referendum have generally followed the Conservative government’s own philosophical lines of deregulation and freedom for globalised finance, in which the only true imperatives are the removal of all barriers to trade and capital flows, and the weakening of social and employment protection. This has been the main thrust of the economic arguments put forward by the Conservative “Remain” campaign, in particular the Treasury’s two reports on the long-term and immediate impacts of Brexit

Since much of the leadership of the “Leave” campaign shares the same economic philosophy, but wishes to deregulate still further (save on the issue of immigration), the choice often resembles that between tweedledum and tweedledee. In consequence, many who believe in a more managed economy which looks after the interests of working people and offers decent social protection, and who instinctively consider themselves to be European and internationalist, have felt excluded from the debate.

And alas, the European Union itself has in recent years adopted disastrous economic policies, in particular in relation to the single currency and Eurozone, which have severely damaged working people across much of the continent. Unemployment in the Eurozone has been above 10% since mid-2009, save for one solitary month. Worse, these policies are legally embedded in the EU’s Treaties, making democratic choice for change extremely difficult.

So the natural supporters of the European Union from a politically progressive perspective find themselves faced with a difficult dilemma, notably in relation to economic policy.

Economists for Rational Economic Policies (EREP) has therefore put together this series of articles which, in different ways and from differing perspectives, unite in arguing that for the UK to vote to leave the EU would be a serious mistake – both in economic and political terms. It would tend strengthen right-wing forces both in the UK and across Europe, and weaken the rights of working people. It risks a fragmentation of Europe along nationalist grounds which could even ultimately threaten the peaceful cooperation we have enjoyed across most of our continent for 70 years.

We need a strong EU for the future on a wide range of issues – not least climate change. But we also need to work in solidarity with all those across Europe who can see that Europe has to change the basis of its economic ideology and strategy if it is to fulfil its Treaty commitment to the peoples of Europe to work for “full employment and social progress.. a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment”.

I have posted the full report below:

The free launch event takes place at the University of Greenwich on June 15th. Follow this LINK for speaker details and to book your free tickets.

Would you like to sign Brent councillors' and educationalists' joint letter opposing the goverment's forced academies policy?

Having appealed on Wembley Matters LINK for Brent Council to take a stand on the government's policy on forcing all schools to become academies I welcomed Cllr Jun Bo Chan's initiative in organising a letter to the Guardian on the issue and readily agreed to sign.  The letter was published last week in the newspaper with, as is the custom, only the first signatories included. I publish the full list here so that readers can see which of their councillors supported the letter.

Since tihs article was published some people have indicated that they would have liked the opportunity to sign it. Please feel free to add your name/organisation as a comment.

We recognise, support and celebrate the hard work of students, parents, teachers and educational professionals in all schools. We therefore object to the government’s latest education for all bill, which aims to force all state schools in England to become academies, even those that are good or outstanding. The education secretary’s decision to back down last month from the imposition of blanket academisation represented a victory for campaigners from a wide array of organisations. Nevertheless, this was merely a tactical retreat, and the government’s reaffirmation of “a system where all schools are academies” highlights plainly their continued stubbornness and zealousness. Although the headlines conveyed a ‘U-turn’ on forced academisation, the education for all bill proposes that local authorities are now coerced one at a time rather than all at once.

The government’s top-down plans, which are predicated upon no clear evidence, are a blatant disregard for local autonomy. The undermining of local government oversight of education, the demand that all new academies be subsumed into multi-academy trusts, as well as the forcing of good and outstanding schools to become academies, constitute a centralising tendency which is wholly unnecessary, unpopular and uncalled for. The only certainty is that such actions severely weaken the government’s ostensible localism, continuing a troubling trend towards centralisation in the government’s overall legislative programme.

Moreover, we are concerned that other government proposals as outlined in its earlier educational excellence everywhere white paper, such as the abolition of the national system for teachers’ pay and conditions, the scrapping of the requirement for elected parent governors, and the removal of qualified teacher status, will only impede the urgent business of improving our schools. Popular pressure compelled the government to retreat last month. We will therefore continue to work alongside parents, teachers and other educational professionals, non-teaching staff, politicians, trade unions, governing bodies and other organisations to oppose the plans as outlined in the education for all bill thus far, and work towards persuading the government to channel its energies towards properly addressing the more pressing issues affecting state education: teacher shortage and retention; chaos and confusion in the assessment system; and cuts to education funding.

Cllr Jun Bo Chan Brent, teacher
Dawn Butler MP Brent Central
Melissa Benn Author and journalist
Tulip Siddiq MP Hampstead and Kilburn
Mary Glindon MP North Tyneside
Ian Mearns MP Gateshead
Kevin Courtney Acting general secretary, NUT
Hank Roberts Secretary of Brent Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and past national president of ATL
Lesley Gouldbourne Secretary of Brent NUT
Shyam Gorsia Secretary of Brent NASUWT
Andrew Baisley Secretary of Camden NUT
Cllr Nick Forbes Newcastle City, Leader of Newcastle city council and Leader of LGA Labour group
Cllr Margaret McLennan Brent, Deputy leader at Brent council
Cllr Mikey Pavey Brent, Lead member for stronger communities at Brent council, and Director of Labour Friends of Sure Start
Cllr Matt Bradley Brent, teacher
Colin Adams Retired teacher
Cllr Shama Tatler Brent, teacher
Cllr Pat Harrison Brent, retired teacher
John Bolt General secretary of the Socialist Educational Association
Prof Tim Brighouse Honorary Norham fellow at the Department of Education, University of Oxford
Prof Stephen Ball Distinguished service professor of sociology of education at the UCL Institute of Education
Dr Martin Dewey Senior lecturer at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London
Prof Ben Rampton Professor of applied and sociolinguistics at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London
Dr Alan Fortune Retired senior lecturer at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London
Dr Nick Andon Lecturer at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London
Dr Melanie Cooke Teaching fellow at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London, and executive committee member of King’s College London UCU
Dr Ursula Wingate Senior lecturer at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London
Dr Roxy Harris Visiting senior research fellow at the department of education and professional studies, King’s College London
Prof Diane Reay Professor of education at the faculty of education, University of Cambridge
Prof Keith Taber Professor of science education at the faculty of education, University of Cambridge
Dr Michael Evans Reader in education at the at the faculty of education, University of Cambridge
Dr Christine Doddington University senior lecturer at the faculty of education, University of Cambridge
Dr George Anderson Retired lecturer at the school of physics and astronomy, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Karen Forbes Teacher and researcher
Dr Henry Tam Director of Question the Powerful
Dr Michael Calderbank Co-editor of Red Pepper and Co-convener of Brent Momentum
Sam Sampson Teacher
Mike Phipps Lecturer
Caroline Hill Teacher and Chair of Young Labour
Adam Klug Teacher and National organiser of Momentum
Emma Rees Teacher and National organiser of Momentum
Faduma Hassan Teacher and National committee member of Momentum
Ben Ackland Teacher
Kenichi Udagawa Teacher
Bob Sellers School technician
Jeremy Silk Teacher and NUT representative
Eddie Crust Teacher
Robert Young Teacher
Andrew Duncan Teacher
David Lee Teacher
David Dixon Teacher
Robert Pepper Teacher
Samia El-Ali Teacher
Vivien Sproule Retired teacher
Martin Francis Retired headteacher and governor
Anne Perez Retired teacher
Sarah Sharkey Retired teacher
Karin Barrett Retired teacher
Dr Jayne Lim Geriatric registrar and executive committee member of Chinese for Labour
Dr Tom Dolphin Consultant anaesthetist
Ria Bernard Speech and language therapist, and Vice-chair of the Young Fabians
Dr Martin Edobor Junior doctor and Chair of the Young Fabians
Dr Harriet Nerva Junior doctor
Cllr Wilhelmina Mitchell Murray Lead member for children and young people
Cllr Ruth Moher Brent, Former lead member for children and young people at Brent council
Mary Arnold Former lead member for children and families at Brent council, and school governing board chair
David Lister Chair of the Brent Labour local campaign forum and retired teacher
Cllr Matt Kelcher Brent
Cllr Sam Stopp Brent, Chair of the Labour campaign to end homelessness
Cllr Tom Miller Brent, Hendon GMB political officer and founding member of Open Labour
Cllr James Denselow Brent, Former lead member for stronger communities at Brent council
Cllr Eleanor Southwood Brent, Lead member for environment at Brent council
Cllr Lesley Jones Brent Former mayor of Brent and retired teacher
Cllr Kana Naheerathan Brent, former mayor of Brent
Cllr Sandra Kabir Brent
Cllr Neil Nerva Brent
Cllr Roxanne Mashari Brent Lead member for regeneration, growth, employment and skills at Brent council
Cllr Krupesh Hirani Brent, Lead member for community wellbeing at Brent council
Cllr Harbi Farah Brent, Lead member for housing at Brent council
Cllr Mary Daly Brent
Cllr Amer Agha Brent
Cllr Keith Perrin Brent
Cllr John Duffy Brent
Cllr Jean Hossain Brent
Cllr Ernest Ezeajughi Brent
Cllr Liz Dixon Brent
Cllr George Crane Brent
Cllr Janice Long Brent
Cllr Bernard Collier Brent
Cllr George Crane Brent
Cllr Arshad Mahmood Brent
Cllr Sarah Marquis Brent
Cllr Barbara Pitruzzella Brent
Cllr Aslam Choudry Brent
Cllr Lloyd Duddridge Redbridge
Cllr Naomi Fearon Fleetwood, teacher

 

£80 spot fines for littering in Brent start on Monday

The 12 month experiment in the use of private contractor wardens to issue fixed penalty fines for littering in Brent will start on Monday.  The scheme came under scrutiny when first suggested earlier this year  LINK    LINK

This is the Council's official press release:

 Litter bugs beware, because as of Monday (13 June 2016), uniformed patrol officers will be on hand to issue £80 on-the-spot fines for waste offences in Brent.

Private security firm, Kingdom, have been chosen to run an innovative 12 month pilot to help keep Brent's streets clean and litter-free.

Dedicated patrol officers will be deployed to hot spot areas in the borough with the purpose of issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to anyone caught in the act of committing a waste offence, including littering, paan spitting and not cleaning up after their dogs.

This scheme will support the efforts of our existing Waste Enforcement Team, who work tirelessly to investigate littering and illegally dumped rubbish offences and prosecute offenders.

We have been working closely with Veolia, our waste and recycling contractor, and both residents and Councillors, to identify particular areas for enforcement activity, known for littering and dog fouling.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Brent Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment, said:

"The vast majority of residents here in Brent love where they live and take great care of our streets and parks. More and more residents are working with us to keep the borough clean by reporting illegally dumped rubbish via the Cleaner Brent app and organising their own clean up days. So it's really frustrating that there are still a minority of people whose actions are spoiling Brent for the rest of us.

"We're determined to take action against this anti-social behaviour. I hope that the possibility of getting a fine will make people think twice before dropping litter or allowing dogs to foul our pavements.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone in Brent to get rid of their waste legally, to recycle more and take greater care and pride in the local area. This pilot scheme is part of our Love Where you Live campaign and sends a clear message that choosing to drop chewing gum or flicking a cigarette butt instead of disposing of it properly will have very real consequences."

Renu Kaul, Vice-Chairman of Sudbury Town Residents Association (STRA), an organisation committed to keeping Brent's streets clean and green, is full of praise for the initiative and said:

"I am over the moon to learn that Brent Council has appointed patrol officers to enforce action amongst litter offenders. I believe that this will make a dramatic difference in Sudbury and the rest of Brent.

"We need to continue to advocate a zero tolerance policy to littering, dog fouling and paan spitting and I really feel that the presence of enforcement officers will send out a positive message to the community that we need to take responsibility for disposing of litter and recycling properly."

Petitions started to ban use of glyphosate pesticides in Brent and Harrow

Further to my article LINK on potential health dangers of the pesticide glyphosate marked under various names, including Roundup, by Monsanto petitions have been launched calling for its banning by Brent and Harrow Councils.

Brent petition HERE
Harrow petition HERE

UPDATE: Planning Committee refuses controversial Co-op store application

Brent Planning Committee has turned down the planning application for a Co-operative store to replace a car repair workshop on Burnley Road, opposite the north entrance to Dollis Hill station.

The application had split the local community with the majority of those who submitted an opinion against. LINK

Gladstone Free School throws in the towel having spent thousands without educating a single pupil

Gladstone School, initially a secondary free school planned for the Gladstone Park area in Brent, has thrown in the towel having again failing to find a site and having to tell children expecting to attend in September that they will have to find another school.

On the 'school's' website today (I put 'school' in quotation marks because it has never educated a single child)

It is with great regret that we must announce the end of the Gladstone School project, due entirely to a failure to find a suitable site.

As many of Brent’s parents already know, a change in government policy in 2014 blocked the school’s plans to open in a temporary site at the last minute, forcing us to defer opening. A site was identified for a 2015 opening, but in February last year negotiations with the site owner collapsed, along with our chances of opening that year. Since then, no further site has been found, despite the full support of Brent Council who have long recognised the need for more secondary school places.

Since we first floated the vision of a parent and community led school, we have been met with enthusiasm, interest and support – locally, nationally and indeed internationally. The depth of that support has kept us fighting for a new school for so long. However, faced with the continued absence of a possible site, the decision has been made to cancel the project altogether.

We are very sad that we will be disappointing the many parents and young people who responded so warmly to our ideas, and would like to thank you for all your support over the last four years.  

Maria Evans 

Chair of Governors

Putting aside the issue of the plans for the school, which have not been put to the test, questions have to be asked about government  free school policy when the Education Funding Agency and DfE are unable to find a site for a school but continue funding it.

Brent schools could have used the money well for actual children rather than the cash going down the drain on something that is not much more than a website, illustrated with stock photos of uniformed child models, and a salaried Principal who has no building, no staff and no pupils.

Background from a previous blog HERE

Warning notices installed at Fulton Road/Olympic Way crossing after accident fears

Olympic Way southbound

Fulton Road westbound

Fulton Road westbound

Additional warning signs for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians have been installed on the Fulton Road, Olympic Way junction which was scene of a serious cycling accident last week.

Tony Kennedy, Head of Brent Highways and Infrastructure, had said that they had commissioned a consultants report on the junction to improve accessibility for all road users which should eb with the council by late July.

I suggested to Cllr Margaret McLennan that, meanwhile, before the summer peak, short-term measures needed to be taken so it was good to see the new notices today.

Anne Clements, Planning director, Quintain, told Cllr McLennan, 'We are committed to improving the junctions around our estate and we will be pleased to work with your officers, particularly reviewing Olympic Way / Fulton Road.'


 Brent Cyclcists have a letter in today's Kilburn Times calling for action.