All parties in Brent: We will not tolerate hate crime or any kind of attack based on ethnic origin

Brent Council tonight unanimously passed an all-party motion (from London Councils) in the names of Cllrs Butt, Warren, A, Choudhary, Maurice, Tatler, Kelcher, Shahzad, Carr, Mahmood, and Hoda-Ben:

We will not tolerate hate crime or any kind of attack against people because of their ethnic origin. We are proud to be a diverse city and we will stay that way. We will continue to work together for the security and prosperity of all Londoners.

The movers made heart-felt speeches often based on their own and their family's experience. Cllr Mashari struck a practical note when she said it was clear that in Brent the majority of the victims of hate crime were Eastern Europeans. She said that the Council and councillors had to reach out beyond their comfort zone to make contact with the Eastern European community and should ensure that it did not take as long to provide services for them as it had for the Somalian community.

Cllr Carr, Lib Dem, supported the motion but warned that at the saem time we should protect free speech and  'the right to offend.'

Cllr Butt said that he wanted to send a positive message to those who were worried about their status after Brexit: 'Everyone is welcome in Brent, we value your contribution and will stand side by side with you.'

A rare and welcome show of unity.

Labour abstentions on Tory Davani motion

Cllrs Duffy, Long, Crane, Eniola and Dixon abstained tonight on the Brent Conservative Motion (see posting below) on the Davani racial discrimination, victimisation and constructive dismissal case.

Moving the motion Cllr Warren said that Cara Davani should have been subject to disciplinary action rather than walk off with £157,610.   Residents would have backed the Council if, after the Employment Tribunal judgment, they had told her to 'go whistle' and taken on any resuting action.

Deputy Council leader Cllr Margaret McLennan, stating that this was part of her Cabinet brief, said that the Council had taken legal advice on the matter.  Legal advice had been that if the Council took discplinary action Davani could have claimed constructive dismissal and was likely to have been successful.  The settlement was in line with other redundancy payments and her contractual entitlement as a salaried employee of the Council.

McLennan went on to claim that  Cllr Pavey had undertaken a thorough review of HR and the result was that the Council had received an award for its Human Resources achievements.

The Council had made numerous press statements stating that the Council would not tolerate such behaviour and its position was clear and well known.

Brent Council tonight debates Oladapo Report, Davani pay-off, Chancellor's local government cuts and (of course) parking

As well as an expected  Mayoral statement on Hate Crime, Brent Council will tonight (7pm Civic Centre) be considering the Independent Investigator's report on the Tayo Oladapo case.

Cllr John Duffy is due to ask a question about removal of tree stumps LINK and there are three group motions down for debate.

What a waste  of money.

This Council regrets  making the exit payment of £157,610 to the former director of human resources,Cara Davani.We agree that this payment is  a reward for failure.

We also agree that Cllr.Butt should apologise to the residents of Brent ,and explain  to them why the Council has spent in excess of £1m. in connection with the entire " Rosemarie Clarke Employment Tribunal case."

We further agree that Cllr.Butt should explain to residents how he reconciles the payment of these monies to M/ s Davani with his persistent claim that Brent has no money.

Councillors Warren, Shaw and Davidson

Parking charges

That the Cabinet reconsiders and revokes the change to the parking permit charges agreed in which, in 2018, owners of diesel vehicles will have to pay more for their permits.

Councillors Colwill, Kansagra and Maurice

Government budget

Brent Council welcomes the decision by the Chancellor to abandon his budget surplus target for 2020.

However, Brent Council regrets the suffering that has had to be endured by citizens of this country for six wasted years, including the residents of Brent, in pursuit of this goal by the inappropriate means of squeezing some of the most vulnerable, and passing responsibility for cuts onto local government.

Brent council regrets all those who cannot access affordable accommodation because the government refuses to let councils invest in housing, for the sake of this abandoned goal. Brent Council regrets the extra strain out on the NHS, due to the squeeze on adult social care budgets that was caused for the sake of this abandoned goal. Brent Council regrets the stress pushed onto some of the most vulnerable residents as the social security budget was cut for the sake of this abandoned goal.

Brent Council hopes that the government now realises that you cannot cut your way to growth, and will invest in services, infrastructure and people properly through local councils such as Brent, who understand what the real needs are and how to respond to them.

Councillor Miller

Shahrar Ali calls for Green Party internal referendum on party's Progressive Alliance positions

Shahrar Ali, a contender for deputy leadership of the Green Party, a post he currently holds, has called for a possible internal referendum on the negotiating position the party should hold in an discussion on a Progressive Alliance with other parties.

In a Facebook posting over the weekend Ali wrote:

I've been on two leadership hustings this weekend and I must say one of the most controversial topics of engagement was on Progressive Alliances. I believe there's been a mismatch between our public pronouncements on the matter and member expectation. It's imperative we don't get the cart before the horse.

He followed up this somewhat opaque statement stating:

It does frustrate me sometimes when we [the Green Party] appear to cut corners. Engagement and consultation were never meant to be easy, but it's a mistake to think of due process as an encumbrance. To the contrary, those of us in position of responsibility have obligation to engage and not circumvent. Better decisions will result.

Other posters express concern that the party is moving towards a top-down model where leaders make policy rather than members, The Progressive Alliance idea was strongly backed by Green MP Caroline Lucas LINK who is a candidate for the leadership position on a job share basis with Jonathan Bartley.

Green Left, the eco-socialist grouping within the Green Party of England and Wales,  adopted the following position on the Progressive Alliance at its last General Meeting:

 Green Left welcomes the move to discuss campaigning and electoral alliances leading up to the next General Election.

Green Left has always promoted the idea of working together with the left, where we share values, and that, as much as possible, the Green Party should be included in this, lending support to and endorsing Eco-socialists who are members of other parties. We did this by supporting Salma Yaqoob in parliamentary elections.

This needs further discussion with members and we welcome consultations, about it, taking place.

Green Left members with our positive standing amongst others on the Left are able to positively engage people outside the GPEW who share our values and therefore should take the initiative locally in promoting discussions with individuals, progressive groups and other left parties, such as the Jeremy Corbyn led Labour Party.

Any left alliance must be committed to introducing PR for all future elections and the 'Best Placed Left Candidate’ should be a consideration in marginal seats.

Grunwick & Lucas Aerospace 40 years on: what can they teach us?

 1976 was quite a year for Brent with the ground-breaking Grunwick dispute and a Willesden outpost of Lucas Aerospace when workers were developing their own plans for socially useful production under workers control.  This upcoming event will enable us to reflect on both events and what we can learn from them.


 Useful background on this video - this is not the film that will be screened on July 22nd

Screening of The Year of the Beaver and The Lucas Plan LINK, with discussion and brief talks by Kerria Box (Grunwick 40) and Solfed.

22^nd July 7pm at LARC, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1 (nearest tubes Whitechapel, Aldgate East.)

Organised by Breaking the Frame, Grunwick 40 and North London Solidarity Federation. FREE/donation.

1976 was a high tide of workers’ struggle and the year it all began to change. Giving the lie to racist and sexist myths that Asian women were submissive and would work for a pittance, workers at the Grunwick plant in Willesden rallied the left behind their struggle for the right to join the union. At the Lucas Aerospace arms company, the Shops Stewards’ Combine Committee took the fight to the bosses, with their workers’ Alternative Plan for socially useful production.

In 2016 we are still facing the fiction of  ‘foreigners taking our jobs.’ In the face of climate change and militarism, we again need industrial conversion, from fossil fuels and Trident to renewables, and to stop the bosses replacing our jobs with robots. Join us for 2 films and discussion, showing how workers’ rights and ideas are crucial to facing those challenges.

Refreshments will be available for a donation. Contact info@breakingtheframe.org.uk for more information. Venue is wheelchair accessible.

BOOK NOW-LAST CHANCE! Support Palestine Solidarity and Stop the War - fundraising Garden Party tomorrow

FUNDRAISING GARDEN PARTY SUNDAY 10TH JULY

From 4pm to 9.30pm 

https://www.facebook.com/BrentStoptheWar  http://brentpsc.blogspot.co.uk/

Supporters are invited to a fundraising party in a beautiful Willesden Garden. Ticket price includes all entertainment and a deliciously varied buffet with plenty of vegetarian options as well as meat, fish, salads and desserts. Plenty of liquid refreshment will also be available at an additional charge.

Performers include:

MC and Socialist Magician Ian Saville www.redmagic.co.uk

From the Lyrical to the Satirical with singer-songwriter Leon Rosselson www.leonrosselson.co.uk

Soula Ensemble performing Arabic music of many kinds:

Muwashah from the Arabic-Andalusian tradition, modern songs (Fairouz, Marcel Khalife) and Palestinian songs https://m.facebook.com/SoulaEnsemble/

Drinks, raffle and stall with Palestinian goods extra

TICKETS

From:

Brent Stop the War email brentstopthewar@gmail.com or ring Sarah on 07951 084 101

Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign email brent2harrowpsc@outlook.com or ring Martin on 0208 908 3913

OR BUY TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE HERE

Where?

A beautiful garden in Willesden Green - Address will be disclosed on payment, London, NW2
Contact Martin on mafran@globalnet.co.uk if you would like to help organise the event, provide some home cooked food or help on the day.

More from Brent and Harrow PSC  www.brentpsc.blogspot.co.uk

Natalie Bennett calls for arms ban and end to the siege of Gaza

Brent Council hails commercialisation and technological innovation as its potholes multiply

Sometimes we humble residents are unaware of how Brent Council is promoting itself outside the borough. Perhaps our experience of broken pavements, unfilled potholes, flytips, uncollected waste bins, unanswered telephone calls to the council, trouble free approval for nasty new developments and dodgy decision making blinds us to the shiny new world that the Council is busily building in public relations land.

Stephen Hughes gave delegates to the Local Government Association Conference a glimpse of that brave  new world when he spoke on a panel on 'commercialisation' LINK

Stephen Hughes, interim director of resources at Brent Council in London, said that IT had the capacity to transform services “in lots of different ways”.

However, he said that, although it was better to improve IT, “you can do an awful lot even if yours is not the best”. Councils could still get a lot out of commercialisation by rethinking their approach to services, he said, even if their IT offering could be improved.

Hughes said that his council was using shared services as a route to commercialisation. He noted that Brent are running the IT for the London General Assembly and Lewisham, as well as running the registration and nationalisation for Barnet and were in discussions for doing the same with Harrow.

All the speakers at the event stressed that, although commercialisation had been driven by increased austerity, it was something that councils would be working on anyway.

Advice for councils on how to increase revenue in this way included exploiting their brand and public trust - which Hughes said was important when getting involved in commercial enterprises – and focusing on customer needs.

Over at Community Care Magazine Brent Council extolls the range of gizmos that Brent Coucil offer in an advertorial LINK I hope sharp-eyed readers can spot the typo which exposes a deeper truth about the borough (and why is the borough referred to as 'Wembley' - rebranding?  That will get Kilburnite gnashing their teeth!):

iPhones, iPads and Zipcars, typically once-in-a-blue-moon luxuries, are the norm for their social workers. They enable them to work more flexibly and recently revamped their work environment into a high-tech Civic Centre. Which of course are much-deserved conveniences for social workers and signs that Brent care about their employees. It’s why they are one of the country’s 5% of employers to be awarded a Silver level Investors n People accreditation.

But crucially, these tools also unlock a better quality of care. They mean that social workers can spend less time in the office and more with the children and families that need their help. The iPad even provides a useful engagement tool, with games that can, for example, help a troubled child to open up. To serve Wembley, one of Britain’s most ethically, economically and socially diverse boroughs, arming social workers with a suite of such exercises is a major boost.

Thanks to Alan of Kilburn Unemloyed Workers Group  for drawing this item to my attention.