Brent Council to decide on 3.99% Council Tax rise and £2.3m cuts tonight

Brent Council will vote on the 2017-18 budget tonight.  The proposal is for a rise in council tax of 3.99% (2% adult social care and 1.99% general increase) along with cuts of £2.3m in 2017-18 and another £2.1m in 2018-19.

Full details on Council agenda HERE

The meeting is at 7pm at Brent Civic Centre

Brent Council to debate US travel ban this evening

A cross party motion on the US travel ban is to be debated at tonight's meeting of full Council. The motion reads:

FULL COUNCIL – 27 FEBRUARY 2017 CROSS-PARTY MOTION
BRENT COUNCIL CONDEMNS US TRAVEL BAN 

This Council unanimously condemns recent unjustified and inhumane efforts by President Donald Trump to ban the men, women and children of predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, and objects in the strongest terms to the principle of any nation imposing arbitrary, discriminatory travel bans. 

This Council holds that racism and xenophobia, for which there can be no place in civilised society, be challenged at every turn, and that the politics of hate and fear must always be robustly confronted and comprehensively rejected. 

This Council draws attention to the recent commemoration of Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Day and implores President Trump to heed urgent warnings against allowing the catastrophic mistakes of our collective past to be repeated. 

This Council celebrates our borough’s proud diversity and is testament to the immense and invaluable contribution afforded by the universal human right of global migration. 

While recognising the need to prioritise national security, this Council calls on the UK government to continuing setting an international example of enlightened compassion, ensuring that our words are more than matched by our actions via a guarantee that this country will always be as much a place of sanctuary as it is a land of opportunity.

Stanmore meeting on air quality with Caroline Russell

West London stands up to racism - Tuesday 28th February

From West London Stand Up to Racism

West London Stand Up to Racism have organised a Public Meeting in Ealing on Tuesday 28 February at 7.30pm with a fantastic line up of speakers.

We have a stall at this meeting.

PUBLIC MEETING TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY, 7.30pm

WEST LONDON STANDS UP TO RACISM

Speakers:

Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton

Sabby Dhalu, Co-convenor Stand Up to Racism

Mohammed Kozbar, Vice President Muslim Association of Britain

David Rosenberg, Jewish Socialist Group

Dr Shahrar Ali, Home Affairs Spokesperson, Green Party

Venue:
Ealing Town Hall (Liz Cantell Hall), New Broadway, W5 2HL

Brent group launched to promote a London National Park City

A North Brent Residents Assocation and Parks  Group Forum was set up this week to further cause of making London a National Park City. The move has been supported by ward councllors in Barnhill, Northwick Park, Kenton and Kensal Green with John Billam Tenterden Parks and Neighbourhood Group taking the lead.  The initiative has been supported by Cllr Southwood, lead member for the environment. More endorsements by wards councillors are required to set up London as a National Park City.  It requires all councillors in a ward to support the application.

National Parks are special places where people work together to protect natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage. As well as looking after these things, National Parks promote the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities by both residents and visitors. They also create new business opportunities in hospitality, travel and other sectors. Making London a National Park City would be to apply these same principles to all communities and areas in London.

A declaration to make London a National Park City is a belief in Londoners working together to:

1.      Make London greener 

✔ Improving the richness, connective and biodiversity of London’s habitats 

✔ Improving London’s air and water quality, year on year

2.      Make more of London’s outdoor heritage 

✔ Improving health and connecting 100% of London’s children to nature 

✔ Ensuring 100% of Londoners have free and easy access to high quality green space

3.      Make a new National Park City identity for London 

✔ Inspiring new business activities 

✔ Promoting London as a Green World City

Sir Terry Farrell has described the idea as being “one vision to inspire a million projects”. It is a large-scale and long-term vision that is achievable through lots of small and everyday actions. Many of these things are already happening, but there is the potential for so much more. What makes a National Park City very different from a rural National Park is the number of people who live in the capital. Every Londoner has the potential not only to enjoy London as a National Park City, but actually contribute to making it a success.

A National Park City would be privately and commercially funded. No public sector funding is needed. It will not cost the council anything, but the council will be able to leverage the National Park City to attract new investment. A National Park City status would not mean restrictions for planning permissions. A National Park City would want to conserve London’s ability to grow, develop and remain the dynamic city it is.

London can become a National Park City once two-thirds of councillor teams (436 of 654) have declared their support. So far 218 teams have already declared their support.

You can add your indidivual support HERE

Greens: Cressida Dick appointment will erode trust between communities and police

The Green Party has criticised the appointment of Cressida Dick as the next Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Shahrar Ali, Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson, said:

The appointment of the new commissioner by Amber Rudd is an insult to the memory of de Jean Charles de Menezes and adds further injury to the still grieving family.

It’s vital that the officer heading up the Met is trusted by Londoners – and we’re deeply concerned that Cressida Dick’s role in the shooting of De Menezes will further erode trust between local communities and the police.

Far from exonerating her the IPCC report of 2007 criticised her actions in failing to clarify the meaning of her STOP order to armed police. Dick will struggle to command the confidence of the citizens she would serve whilst the campaign for her accountability remains unaddressed.

Sian Berry, Green London Assembly member, said:

This is a very controversial choice. Assembly members will want questions answered about the lessons the new Commissioner learned after the Jean Charles De Menezes shooting.

This was the most serious and shocking single mistake the Met has made in the last 20 years. For the Mayor to appoint the officer in charge on that day to run the whole of the Met when community cohesion is his priority for London does potentially put this at risk.

Londoners must have complete confidence in their police force and its leaders – I will be questioning the Mayor about this appointment.

I, Daniel Blake, Community showing, Saturday 25th February

Community screening of Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake in Kilburn 2pm Sat 25 February

Kingsgate Community Centre, 107 Kingsgate Rd, London NW6 2JH

Fully wheelchair accessible Entry by donation, no one turned away for lack of funds.   All welcome. Refreshments available.

Please arrive early if possible to make sure you get a seat.

Camden Momentum is organising this community screening, which follows the vigil on 25th January for Lawrence Bond. LINK

Disabled People Against Cuts, Gill Thompson and WinVisible will be speaking, followed by discussion.

CNWL lecturers threaten action to achieve an independent investigation into college fraud

University and College Union (UCU) members at the College of North West London are calling on the college's Governing Body to put into abeyance public consultation on the possible merger with Westminster College, pending an independent inquiry into a fraud carried out at the college by a subcontractor and the publication of its findings. LINK

The union has given notice that if guarantees are not forthcoming by Thursday March 2nd they will seek Regional Office support for the declaration of a trade dispute with the college.  The branch express the hope that if a trade dispute is declared that it could be resolved through negotiations without having to resort to lawful indistrial action.

Backing the unanimous decision of his branch members for an independent inquiry, Indro Sen, suspended Branch Secretary, said.

When students are 10 minutes late, managers instruct the class teachers to monitor their attendance. When teachers do not dot the "t) and "i" in their marked work, they are monitored by their managers and some end up under capability procedures, but when a fraud as large as £356K can take place under the very nose of SFA auditors, borough police chief, Governors and senior management teams, who monitors their performance?

Only an independent public enquiry can get to the bottom of this. Can any students' life chances be said to be in safe hands unless each and every sub-contractor is thoroughly checked out on the Government declared Sub contractor list and those checks are made public for students to see what they are getting into. Until such time, Mr. Boles should consider putting the levy scheme into abeyance.

Sen, a popular maths teacher awaits a decision of the dismissal panel into his fate. Two of his students had this to say about him and are  attending the Public meeting on Friday 24 February 2017 at Willesden Library at 6pm. Speakers include Hank Roberts the Copland High School whistleblower:

Hello Sen,

I am sorry to hear that you have suspended for helping others. You are great teacher and we are with you on this difficult moment. I will be coming to the meeting on Friday and also my colleagues are coming as well. I will see there .
With kind regards
FH

Hi Sen,

You probably dont remember me, your classes were always so rammed with students! But I certainly remember you and your teaching style, you helped me make sense of so many concepts that surpassed my understanding in school. I was in your weekly evening adult maths classes almost 4 years ago, you gave me a chance to retake my maths GCSE when most other collages turned me away. I passed because of your teaching. And due to that; I'm now a specials needs teacher in Harrow. I love what I do, and I'm eternally grateful to those that helped me get here - you being one of them.

I'll be there to support you on Friday, I stand by what your doing and respect the fact that you refuse to back down. It must feel like it'd be so easy to give up the fight - but don't. The world needs teachers like you.

My thoughts are with you

NN

I can reveal that the sub contractor concerned. Keyrail,  also had contracts with Focus Training and Development of over £100K  but my enquiries came to dead end when it turned out they had gone into voluntary liquidation on November 29th 2016.  It appears that there is no way to find out if a similar fraud was perpetrated on them. This puts the spotlight on the SFA, who holds all records, and could investigate any potential fraud.