Knitters needed to help dementia patients

Goverment must act after ClientEarth's air pollution victory

Responding to the news that the courts have ruled against the government in a vital legal challenge on air pollution, Keith Taylor, Green Party MEP, said:

The government has been exposed, yet again, as failing in its duty to take even the most basic action to combat an air pollution crisis that needlessly claims the lives of more than 50,000 people in Britain every year."

The failure highlighted by the judge today is as much moral as it is legal; Ministers have displayed an extremely concerning attitude of indifference towards their duty to safeguard the health of British citizens."

ClientEarth has worked tirelessly to hold to account this government for it's irresponsible and deadly apathy in the face of a public health crisis that costs the British public more than £20bn a year.

Theresa May's administration is failing to do even the bare minimum, as required by EU laws the UK itself helped to set, to improve the quality of the air we all breathe. The bare minimum.

Where embraced and enforced, EU air pollution limits are helping to prevent thousands of deaths every year. In fact, this government readily acknowledges that it is EU law that has been the driver of any positive air quality action in the UK. For the sake of the health and prosperity of the British people, we cannot risk scrapping these safeguards.

The government must finally face up to its moral and legal responsibility for tackling Britain’s air quality crisis. Ministers must now be forced to make a firm commitment to maintaining and strengthening vital EU air quality laws.

Cycling UK today, celebrated ClientEarth’s victory and called on government to rebalance its investment in roads towards cycling and walking.

The presiding judge, Mr Justice Garnham, ruled this morning that the government’s 2015 Air Quality Plan failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling or relevant EU Directives.

ClientEarth’s legal challenge followed their previous 2015 victory in the Supreme Court, which ordered ministers to devise a plan to bring air pollution down within legal limits as soon as possible. ClientEarth took the government back to the High Court in a Judicial Review this November, deeming their plans as “poor”.

With road traffic widely recognised as one of the largest contributors to air pollution, Cycling UK wants the Government to rebalance its £15bn Road Investment Strategy towards non-polluting forms of transport such as cycling and walking, which are set to receive only £300m up till 2021 through the forthcoming Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Cycling UK has calculated this to mean that by 2020/21 the government’s investment in cycling and walking will have declined to just 72 pence per person (outside of London), compared to £84 per head for trunk roads and motorways.

Policy Director, Roger Geffen said:

Cycling UK hopes ClientEarth’s victory will act as a wake-up call to Government that it needs to stop dithering on dirty air, and address its root causes, such as motor traffic.

Government should rebalance its spending on roads towards its long awaited Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which will fulfil its ambition to normalise cycling for shorter day to day journeys.

London parents overwhelmingly support councils' role in school standards and provision

From London Councils

Parents across the capital believe that a joint effort from headteachers, governors, central government and London boroughs is essential to keeping standards high at London schools, according to an exclusive YouGov poll commissioned by London Councils.

YouGov’s Ask The Parents survey questioned London parents about how important various players in the educational landscape are. The poll revealed that the majority of parents believe that headteachers, governors, London boroughs and central government all have an important role.

Cllr Peter John OBE, Deputy Chair of London Councils and Executive member with responsibility for education, said:

Understandably, the vast majority of parents see headteachers as being the most important players in ensuring the quality of education remains high. But a large proportion of mums and dads in London also see the government, boroughs and governors as having a vital role. 

In particular it is positive that 79 per cent of parents surveyed believe that London boroughs help to drive up standards in local schools. This number has risen by 5 per cent since last year’s poll. 

This suggests that parents across the capital believe that the success of the London model of education is linked to headteachers, boroughs, central government and school governors working together to ensure children gain the skills to excel in adult life. This model has delivered enormous improvements in London’s schools over the last 20 years.

The challenge for everyone with a stake in London’s education system is to drive further improvements. This is vitally important given the competitive London jobs market, which demands more and more from school leavers. This will involve working together to mitigate the impact of expected reductions to school budgets in London as a result of the new National Funding Formula.

YouGov’s poll for London Councils also found that:

• The majority of parents think London boroughs should have the power to influence and intervene in underperforming state, academy and free schools.
• 82 per cent of parents surveyed agree that London boroughs should be able to influence schools in their area to find more places or expand.
• The vast majority of parents (75 per cent) agree that London boroughs should have the final say in the location of new schools within their authority boundary. Only 11 per cent disagree with this.
• Most parents think London boroughs should scrutinise school accounts, with 79 per cent of those surveyed saying that boroughs should oversee the accounts of maintained schools. 72 per cent of parents polled felt boroughs should scrutinise academy accounts and 73 per cent said boroughs should have a role in overseeing free school accounts.
• 71 per cent of parents asked feel that the UK government should increase the amount of money it spends on education and schools.
• Almost two thirds of parents (65 per cent) agree that free schools should be set up in areas of basic need (i.e. looking at shortfalls between future demand for school places compared with existing capacity). 

 

Sadiq Khan at People's Question Time tomorrow at Brent Civic Centre

Navin Shah, London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow will chair a session of People's Question Time tomorrow, Thursday 3rd November at Brent Civic Centre.

Sadiq Khan, London Mayor, and assembly members will speak.

The meeting will start at 7pm and finish at 9pm.  No tickets are left for the event but there will be live streaming HERE 

Topics include:

• Transport
• Safety
• Air quality & Environment
• Housing
• Growing London's economy
• Other (e.g Culture, Education

Brent Council takes another step towards becoming a business

 Brent residents have got used to being called ‘customers’ by our council but a new report on 'Income generation' going before Scrutiny Commitee LINK shows how Brent Council is becoming a business as a way to generate income to counteract government cuts to its funding.

The market advertised below  is just one of its initiatives. The annual Brent Fireworks Display has this year been  moved from Roundwood Park in the south of the borough.  The report makes clear that this is partly because of the income generation opportunity offered by a move to Wembley Park:

We aim to use our facilities in the Civic Centre on Event Days to generate income for the Council. This could be from holding corporate hospitality to having market stalls in the foyer. There is also an opportunity to partner with Quintain to have markets on their land on some kind of profit share basis. We would seek to charge stall holders a fee and there is an option to receive a percentage of any income generated. 


For example, the Civic Enterprise Team are currently implementing ways to generate income at the Council’s annual fireworks celebration, to be held on 6 November 2016. The event is moving from Roundwood Park to the Wembley Park area and the event is expecting up to 25k people to attend. We will be holding a Christmas market in the Civic Centre, with stall holders selling food, drink and crafts in the Grand Hall and Boardrooms. There will also be cultural and children’s activities.

The council also has its eye on generating income through letting out our parks  and open spaces for income generating events:

We are also exploring the potential to hold large scale events in parks aiming for audiences at a minimum level of 2000 people. Brent have a lot of beautiful parks and the most appropriate park to the type of event would be chosen. For example Roundwood and Gladstone parks have capacity to hold events and good transportation links. Income would be generated from selling of tickets, sponsorship of goods, advertising and stall holder fees. Corporate hospitality packages would also be offered to appeal to different markets and offer differential pricing. 


These events should also attract visitors from outside of Brent enabling us to showcase our vibrant mix of cultures and enhance our promotion of community cohesion. Should we be able to generate income from initiatives such as green gyms and exercise classes in parks we will also help to deliver improved health outcomes by keeping residents fit, healthy and active. This will contribute towards lowering the pressure on demand-led budgets. A key priority for Brent 2020. 


An additional plan is to hire out Brent parks for weddings and the report notes:

There is a lucrative market in weddings. There is a great opportunity to offer weddings in parks and there are no competitors offering this in West London. We will also offer packages including wedding planning services and registration.

Most of our primary schools come under Brent Council oversight and currently they ‘buy into’ council services.  Now it is not just a matter of the income paying for the service but also perhaps making a profit from them:

As part of income generating activity and adding value to Brent schools we are working closely with schools to develop a new product portfolio based on their needs and requirements. This project will enable us to contribute to raising educational standards in Brent and generate income at the same time. 


The council is also keen to sell advertising space on its building and other assets.  Extending advertising on 7 new sites could make a significant aesthetic impact on the borough.

The council’s plan to turn itself into a lender for small business is likely to raise a few eyebrows, not least because of the interest rates it envisages:

This idea is for the Council to provide financial investment to support Small, Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The model proposed provides a safe way to receive return on investment and seek to develop one of Brent 2020 priorities for business growth. This initiative supports the economy and employment opportunities in Brent by lending SMEs finance through a crowdfunding organisation on a fixed interest rate (currently at 7.2%) return to Brent Council. The model provides a guaranteed return which covers the risk of bad debt. An approximate fee of 3% is incurred annually to the Council with the model. Initially the proposal is to have up to £200k available for business to apply for an amount. A benefit of this initiative is that the Council would receive a better rate of interest than a saving account but also by supporting business growth we can support regeneration of the borough by seeking to increase employment opportunities thereby helping to reduce the number of businesses failing, reducing unemployment rates and a reliance  on benefits.

There are a host of other proposals in the document that includes raising the cost of  parking in the Civic Centre's underground car park and letting out more office space within the building to other bodies as well as hiring out space in the library and foyer.

The Council is already committed to setting up a Housing Management Agency and its own Bailiff  force now it appears it will be an advertising agency, events organiser, markets organiser and bank!

"We are the Lions" has opened to much praise and is stimulating solidarity with Deliveroo, Uber drivers and Durham teaching assistants

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 From Grunwick 40

 "We Are The Lions", the exhibition about the Grunwick strike is open and it's getting a fantastic reception! 

"History pulsating from the walls"

"A wonderful display of such an important, inspiring and pivotal moment in history"

You can read some of the press coverage here, here and here. What's more, you can also watch curator  Poulomi Desai talk about the exhibition on London Live here and listen to her too on the Robert Elms show (39 mins in).

We're really delighted at the feedback so don't forget to visit yourself! Click here for opening times and details.

Some upcoming events

This Weds 2nd November, we meet at SOAS for a screening of the "The Great Grunwick Strike" film. Directed by Chris Thomas in 2007 and featuring original footage and interviews, the film tells the inspiring story of the strike and the people behind it. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Amrit Wilson (writer and activist), Conseulo Moreno (SOAS Justice for Cleaners Campaign) and Sujata Aurora (chair of Grunwick 40). The discussion will be chaired by Parvathi Raman of the SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies who have co-organised the event. Admission is free and there's no need to book, just turn up at 7pm to the Khalili Lecture Theatre at SOAS (Click here for details and a map).

The legal ruling last week on Uber drivers' employment rights has brought into sharp focus the issues of the so-called "gig economy" where many migrant workers are now concentrated. On 26th November we'll be bringing together activists, trade unionists, campaigners and thinkers, to discuss the legacy of the Grunwick strike and the new terrains for resistance. We'll be tracing the thread of what links Grunwick to current struggles for justice and participants will include the Durham teaching assistants and others currently in dispute. "From Grunwick to Deliveroo: getting organised, getting unionised" takes place from 10am-4.30pm in Willesden. Admission is free but registration is essential. Click here to book.

Finally, we are still working on the permissions and the paperwork for the unveiling of the mural and hope to make an announcement soon. In the meantime you can get a sneak preview of some of the work that went into the mural at the "We Are The Lions exhibition".

We look forward to seeing you either at the exhibition or at one of our November events.

Yours 

The Grunwick 40 team

Does Fairtrade have a future? Public debate November 17th

PUBLIC DEBATE ON FAIRTRADE

KENSAL GREEN ON THURS 17 NOV

Brent Fairtrade Network is joining with Fairtrade groups in Harrow, Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond and Kingston to host a debate on the future of Fairtrade on

Thursday 17 November 7-9 pm at St Martin’s Church, Kensal Green,

Mortimer Road, NW10 5SN.

All are welcome and entry is free. We shall be discussing topics such as the following:

•   Is the Fairtrade model still a good one?

•   Why not a Fairtrade label for manufactured goods?

•   Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade: are two labels needed?

•   Why do we need the Fairtrade Sourcing Programme?

•   Workers’ wages and rights raised by the critical SOAS report in 2014 “Fairtrade, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia and Uganda”

•   What is the future of ethical certification?

•   How should Fairtrade respond to the proliferation of schemes?

We have a great line up of speakers to discuss these topics with:

•   Anne Cooper, Oxfam

•   Barbara Crowther, Fairtrade Foundation

•   Stuart Singleton-White, Rainforest Alliance

•   Vidya Rangan, ISEAL: global movement of sustainability standards

The event starts at 7 pm with Fairtrade refreshments and stall: bring cash or cheques for early Christmas shopping. From 7.30 pm we shall hear briefly from the speakers on the topics above before opening up discussion, ending by 9 pm. 

If you plan to attend please register: www.eventbrite.com/e/does-fairtrade-have-a-future-tickets-28817702524  This helps us with the planning – but you are welcome to come even without registering.

The Autumn glory of a Brent council estate

There are many stereotypes surrounding council estates and impressed by the beauty of the King's Drive/Pilgrims Way estate in Wembley I thought I would share some pictures with you that will perhaps challenge the stereotype and show that social housing estates can be beautiful.

The estate is in a corner of what is now Fryent Country park and is built on part of a larger site on which prefabs (temporary housing for bombed out families) were built by German prisoners of war in 1946-7.  The majority of the housing is still rented or lease holder with some private after the council right-to-buy of the Thatcher era.

A claim to fame is that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts lived on the estate and was expelled from his home to practise his drumming in the surrounding fields. Follow these links for more LINK LINK LINK

Accounts of the time speak of the 200 or so prefab children who used to play in what seemed like countryside surrounding the prefabs and today it is still a wonderful rare place for children to be able to play out safely with their friends.  They can have adventures, play hide and seek and pick blackberries just 15 minutes walk from Wembley Stadium.

Built on a gentle slope which goes down to Fryent Way with Barn Hill to the north the estate benefits from the retention of many mature trees when the prefabs were replaced with blocks of flats and staggered terraced housing in the 80s.

The trees enhance the estate not just with their beauty but as a habitat for birds and mopping up air pollution, screening traffic noise and providing cool in the hottest of summers. I always notice a difference when I get home after a hot and dusty day in Central London.

Some of the trees, particularly the flowering cherries, are at the end of their lifetime and I do hope that Brent Housing Partnership will replace them to preserve the estate's beauty. Another problem is that Veolia, the council's Public Realm contractor, has a habit of taking a chainsaw to shrubs and,  irrespective of their natural shape, reducing them to cuboids or spheres sheering off buds or berries.

I have posted a gallery of pictures below which I hope illustrate the power of trees to enhance a semi-urban landscape: