Labour Council votes to close top perfoming local authority school

Speaker after speaker, parents, teachers, other staff and supporters passionately made the case for Brent Labour Council not to close Strathcona School at tonight's meeting of the Labour Council's Cabinet. They pointed out flaws in the officer's report: incorrect data, the failure to consider the school's case for additional provision at the school and pointed out Brent's failure to market the school to address spare spaces. The Council itself had asked Roe Green Infants to operate on two sites with additional classes at Strathcona and the staff had fought hard to meet the challenge to make the two-sites operate efficiently despite them between 10 minutes drive apart. Now the Council was citing the expense of maintaining two sites, and the additional funding needed, as the reason for closing one of them.

The crowded public gallery at the Cabinet meeting

The Strathcona school is in the top 3% of schools for pupil progress and speakers read out heart-rending messages from pupils expressing what the school means to them. Mary Adossides, speaking on behalf of Brent Trades Council, challenged the Council, asking why a Labour Council was ignoring Labour's manifesto commitment to supporting state schools. Cllr Daniel Kennelly (Preston) attacked the poor report being presented to the Cabinet raising Council leader Muhammed Butt's ire and also asked what a Labour Council was doing closing its own schools.


Apologies for the shaky video at times - there was standing room only at this point in the meeting!

In a closing statement Butt made a speech that became a rant citing the leadership's responsibility to make 'hard decisions' and voice rising began to throw everything into the pot including the proroguing of Parliament in an increasingly incoherent justification for the closure. The headteacher of the school rose from her seat in the public gallery to inform him that as a school leader she knew what leadership really was and that it was not leadership that she has seen from Cllr Butt this evening.

The Cabinet voted unanimously for closure but with determined parents, staff and union we may not have heard the end of it yet.

Brent Green Party backs striking Strathcona School staff

Peter Murry, Trade Union Liasion Officer for Brent Green Party and the London Federation of Green Parties has issued the following statement about today's strike:

Brent Green Party and London Federation of Green Parties send support and solidarity to the staff of Strathcona School  who will be going on strike today with the support of the NEU to oppose the closure of the school.

This closure which damages the education of students at Strathcona and the communities which it serves, is happening in spite of numerous objections from students' parents and other members of the public. Brent council should be acting to defend local authority education and not diminish it. 

A fascinating lady from history – with a local connection

Guest blog by Philip Grant

Almost everyone living in England 125 years ago would have heard of the Duchess of Sutherland. Anyone interested in social history, or who just likes a great story, should know more about her, and her times. You have the chance to do that, with an illustrated talk at Wembley History Society on Friday 20^th September.

Mary Michell was born in 1848, the daughter of an Oxford don, and grew into a striking woman (reputedly six feet tall). She could have married an Egyptian prince, but her first husband (of three – she was widowed twice), Arthur Blair, was a former army officer. He was shot with his own gun on a Scottish grouse moor – the inquest verdict was accidental death, but some doubted that.

She was the mistress of the 3^rd Duke of Sutherland (who was 20 years older!), and he married her in Florida not long after the original Duchess died. The relationship may have begun as “a bit of sport” on his part (like his close friend, the Prince of Wales, he had a long history of affairs), but it developed as a deep love on both sides, which only ended with his death in 1892.

The Duchess in her diamonds, probably
 at their London home c. 1890.
[Photo courtesy of Bruno Bubna-Kasteliz]

  
 Although the Duke’s will left his title and huge estates to his heir, he left all of his money to the Duchess! The will was, understandably, challenged by the 4^th Duke of Sutherland, and it was this case which led to the most famous, or notorious, time in the life of the Duchess, including being jailed for contempt of court. 

 

The court settlement left her a very wealthy Dowager Duchess, but in 1896 she married the M.P. for Islington South, Sir Albert Rollit. Mary may have been attracted by some of his ideas – although a Conservative, he had put forward a private member’s Bill in 1892 to give (limited) votes for women! Around the same time, while married to the Duke, she held “open house” at their London mansion for 600 shop girls from West End stores, to highlight their poor working conditions.

And her local connection? In 1898/99, she had a country house, in 10 acres of grounds, built in Kingsbury. It was named “The Cottage”, but is now called Kingsbury Manor, in Roe Green Park. Although the house is not open to the public, its award-winning community Walled Garden, with exhibits commemorating the Duchess, has an open day on Saturday 14^th September (11am to 4pm).

“The Cottage”, as drawn by the architect, W. West Neve, in 1899.
[Brent Archives online image 0386]

There is no evidence that the Duchess ever lived in Kingsbury, and she may have intended “The Cottage” as a potential home for her daughter, Irene. Ms Blair did live there, after her marriage to an Austrian Count, Johann Bubna, in 1901. They had two daughters, the youngest of whom, the Countess Ina Bubna, was the mother of the History Society’s guest speaker.

Irene Mary Blair, aged 18, in 1894.
[Photo courtesy of Bruno Bubna-Kasteliz]

When I first saw this photo of Irene, the name that sprang to my mind was Oscar Wilde! He was then writing successful comedy plays, satirising the English Upper Class, and some of his characters have stories which could be based on incidents from the Duchess of Sutherland’s life. Was she “a woman of no importance”? Decide for yourself, when you have enjoyed “a tale of Victorian values”!

Philip Grant

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Strathcona staff will strike on Monday as Brent Labour Cabinet meet to approve the school's closure

Extract from Cabinet Agenda LINK

From Brent National Education Union (NEU)

Roe Green Strathcona School will be closed by strike action on Monday 9^th September.  NEU members are on strike in an attempt to save their school from closure. Despite giving the go-ahead to several new free schools in the borough, Brent Council wish to close this successful local authority run school. 

Teachers and parents will protest outside Brent  Civic Centre from 3pm Monday and following this will lobby the Cabinet meeting which begins at 4pm in a bid to save the school. 

A handful of councillors support the action being taken by staff. Labour Councillor Jumbo Chan said today:

Under the current context of a decade-long assault on public education, Labour councils should be doing everything possible to retain and strengthen their local authority schools. It would be most unfortunate if the opposite approach were taken here in Brent. 

The council should listen to the 99.8% of teachers, parents and other members of the public who have formally expressed their opposition to the council’s proposals to abandon Roe Green Strathcona, and shelve their plans. A Labour Council should be supporting hardworking and loyal teachers, parents and students- including working with them properly to explore all alternatives- not casting them away. 

Mary Addosides, Chair of Brent Trades Council, representing the unions taking action, called on Brent Council to ‘Save Strathcona for the children of Brent; no job cuts or redundancies.’   

Wembley  Matters note:

In its report on the formal consultation Brent Council admit they received only one response that agreed with the closure proposal:

542 written responses were received by e-mail or post. The majority of respondents only indicated that they objected or disagreed with the proposals put forward by the council for the school organisation arrangements of Roe Green Infant School. One response indicated agreement with the proposals but gave no further comment. 

The Council’s response to those opposing the closure and to alternative proposals can be found HERE

'Don't Attack Iran' Public Meeting Monday 9th September Brent Trades Hall

Low paid migrant workers at Park Royal food manufacturer need your support in upcoming strike ballot

The Cumberland Avenue site

Following their rejection of two pay offers from Bakkavor, a major food manufacturer based in  Park Royal, workers are taking part in an indicative ballot for  future industrial action. It is the first time they have been asked to take strike action.

The mainly Gujerati, Sri Lankan and Goan work force, many of whom are women who have worked at the plants for many years, only earn around the minimum wage. 

Bakkovar is a major employer in the area working from three sites, plus a warehouse  and employ almost 4,000 workers. They make houmous and ready meals for the major supermarkets.

In the tradition of the Grunwick strikers this is an important struggle for  migrant and female workers. The workers are unsure of their next steps and will be encouraged to vote for industrial action if  local trade unionists and activists boost their confidence, telling them,  'You can do this!' Please support them if you can.  

Their union, the GMB say:

A fight here would send an important signal to all the 

low-waged migrant workers in London! 

Enough of poverty wages!

Show your support and solidarity at these events:

FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 3.15pm - 5.15pm (shift leaves 3.30pm and 5pm)
BAKKAVOR, 40 CUMBERLAND AVENUE, NW10 7RQ

MONDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 2.15pm-5pm
BAKKAVOR, 304-306 ELVEDEN PLACE, NW10 7SY 

WEDNESDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 4.15pm-5.15pm 
BAKKAVOR 269 ABBEYDALE ROAD, HA0 1T

'Green Jobs for Now and Tomorrow' with John McDonnell MP September 11th Bridge Park

Wednesday September 11th 7.30pm

Bridge Park Complex

Harrow Road, NW10 ORG

(close to junction with North Circular Road)

Stonebridge Park Station Bakerloo & London Overground  

- cross the North Circular via Harrow Road, buses 18, 404, 112

Creating a sustainable, prosperous and
green economy that benefits us all

Speakers:
• John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor
• Aaron Kiely, Friends of the Earth
• Sarah Woolley, Bakers Union (Greener Futures)
• Cat Cray, RMT Union
• Roxanne Mashari, Brent Councillor
• and contributions from the floor

ALL WELCOME

Doors open 7pm

REGISTER HERE Admission free with collection at end of meeting.

 
NOTE:

In the event of a snap General Election the format of this meeting may change to conform with electoral law.

James Corbett, 450 mile walker for the NHS, talks to Wembley Matters as he sets out for the last 10 miles to Westminster