Harrow Law Centre will speak on Police Bill plus update on Harrow Unemployed Workers Centre at Brent TUC April 28th 7pm

 

From Brent Trades Council

 

REMINDER 

ONLINE TRADES COUNCIL MEETING (Open to non-delegates but you will not have voting rights)

Wednesday 28th April at 7pm.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/s/83837305555?pwd=Ykx0WlJpTVk5OWxMMnpHQVlaejlGQT09#success

Meeting ID: 838 3730 5555

Passcode: 182387

BTUC has invited two speakers.

Pamela Fitzpatrick - Director of Harrow Law Centre and delegate to Harrow TUC Speaking on the Police Bill

It is quite clear the Tory government's intention is to curtail any protest, including pickets, strikes and other protests that workers take in pursuit of their interests, as well as social movements like BLM.  The ongoing brutal assault on the working class and the major unrest following months of restrictions due to lockdow is resulting in a legal crackdown of immeasurable proportion. BLM has forced a reckoning over this country's colonial and slave-owning past, as it calls into question the entire legitimacy of the ruling class.

 

May 1st is a national day of action over the police bill.  Lets try and mobilise as many people as possible for the demo on the day.

Anthony O'Hara (Anti-Racist Alliance and delegate to Harrow TUC)

speaking on the developing Unemployed Workers Centre

As the furlough scheme comes to an end unemployment levels will go through the roofand the further rise in poverty is a consequence of Tory failure to provide an  economywhich provides jobs to ensure working class people can provide for themselves and their families.

The meeting's Agenda includes

Reports from our delegates:

 

Gerry Downing on the Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group;

Jonathan Fluxman on the campaign against Centene/Operose;

Sonia Morgan on the Metroline Travel and Metroline West bus dispute

protesting at employers proposal to introduce remote sign on; our online

petition has 1026 signatories

Report from our Secretary (Nick Jones)

Report and vote on our audited 2020 accounts (Padraic Finn)

Brief update on the Willesden Trades and Labour Hall

A cultural intervention from Debbie Allen who has offered to read a short poem to commemorate the Amritsar Massacre (13 April 1919) when British troops fired on a large crowd of  10 000 unarmed Indian women, men and children in an open space known as the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.

Delegates only will be entitled to vote.

PS 1026 signatories have been added to our open letter to Sadiq Khan opposing remote sign on.

 

A press release has been circulated and with delegates agreement the letter will be sent to the Mayor following our trades council meeting.

PLEASE KEEP SIGNING AND SHARING THE OPEN LETTER TO SADIQ KHAN No to REMOTE SIGN ON

https://www.megaphone.org.uk/p/BrentTradesCouncil

NO TO REMOTE SIGN ON, DEFEND BUS DRIVERS TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Metropolitan Housing to make changes in shared ownership conditions

 From Inside Housing

Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), which owns and manages around 57,000 homes including much of the Chalkhill Estate in Wembley, has committed to offering all new shared owners 990-year leases following a policy review.

Existing shared owners, of which MTVH has around 8,700 through its SO Resi brand, will be offered the chance to extend their lease to 990 years from June 2021 for a cost based on the size of their equity share.

The changes will only apply to schemes where MTVH is the freeholder.

It will also scrap ground rents for all new sales on schemes where MTVH is the freeholder, effective immediately.

Marriage value – the property value increase following the lease extension – will no longer be considered when calculating extension costs.

From April 2022, all 6,500 MTVH leaseholders will see ground rents phased out on properties where the association is the freeholder, as well as being given the option to buy a 990-year lease extension without marriage value costs.

MTVH said the changes are intended to improve security and cut costs for its shared owner

The NEU combats fake vaccine news by backing learning materials based on solid science

 From the National Education Union - a brilliant initiative

 Today, the National Education Union formally endorses Are Vaccines Safe? and will promote the tools to its membership. As the largest education union in Europe, this is a major next step. 

The Runnymede Trust, a leading independent think tank on issues of race equality, is also supporting the materials.

• The Stephen Hawking Foundation has launched free critical-thinking learning tools for schools to support discussion around the topic of vaccinations.
• This school assembly and lesson plan has been developed in collaboration with schools, leading research institutions and community representatives.
• As a critical thinking teaching aid, the tools focus on the COVID vaccine and tackle head on conspiracy theories that have led to limited uptake in some communities.
• Today, the National Education Union adds its support to these vital materials. The NEU will be promoting them directly to its 450,000 members. Think-tank the Runnymede Trust is also supporting the teaching aid.

Available here as a PowerPoint, and over the course of 46 slides, Are Vaccines Safe? provides teachers and school leaders with accurate, up-to-date scientific information on a range of frequently asked questions about the vaccination programme. It has been structured to allow school age students to engage fully in a conversation about any uncertainties or concerns they may have. Staff who lead the assembly or class are provided with additional notes and references.

The Stephen Hawking Foundation is named after one of the most respected thinkers in modern science, who died in 2018. The Foundation has worked with staff at Morpeth School, London, who initially devised these materials for assemblies and classrooms, as a continuation of Hawking’s belief in critical thinking and public engagement with science.

The tools have now been further developed with Queen Mary University of London and the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with the help of school-age students, teachers, scientists, science communicators and community representatives. The resources will continue to be subject to regular revision over the coming months, in order to keep pace with the science, the news agenda and the public conversation.

Are Vaccines Safe? was the brainchild of Ed Stubbs, a secondary school teacher at Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets, East London. He told us: “As a teacher previously working in inner-city Liverpool, and now in London, I have noticed students becoming increasingly fearful of vaccination. Some of my students and their families refuse their school vaccinations. I hear incorrect, and 'conspiracy' information shared in my classroom. I fear that students' real and fictional concerns increase UK vaccine hesitancy. The charged and often accusatory debate about vaccination choices can make young people feel hesitant about voicing their concerns and seeking help in debunking false information. They fear critical judgement over their doubts. I decided to create a set of unbiased resources for use in schools.”

The learning materials (PowerPoint file, Teacher's notes and PDF) can be downloaded free from the Stephen Hawking Foundation website. The public-facing link is www.stephenhawkingfoundation.org/vaccines. 

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“As a former science teacher myself, I know that school is absolutely the right place for this conversation to be held. Young people have many questions about COVID and the vaccine, and this is not surprising when they themselves have been so frequently at the centre of its news coverage. These brilliant tools are accessible and robust, tackling many of the myths which can build so easily online and within communities. We are sure that our members will find them a fantastic resource.”

Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, said:

“Young people are faced with conflicting information about vaccines at a time when we are all trying to cope with and manage a public health crisis like never before. Enabling young people to ask questions about vaccines and their efficacy, as well as build good public health and science understanding, will help with building their confidence in taking the vaccine and making an informed decision, supported by teachers.

"This will have a particularly positive effect on young people from BME groups who are often in households where their grandparents and parents rely on good advice from their children, as a result of various cultural barriers in accessing community health support.”

Lucy Hawking, chair of the Stephen Hawking Foundation's Trustees, said:

"We are delighted to have the endorsement of two organisations with such strong dedication to schools and their communities. Working on these tools has been one of the most timely and impactful projects the Stephen Hawking Foundation has ever run. This is essential educational outreach at a critical time, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of everyone involved throughout its development.

"Initial feedback shows a warm reception by educators in the UK and as we hoped, is a useful and productive resource for schools to give students a chance to explore issues around vaccination through asking questions and providing accurate, scientific answers. We hope more schools, families and students will have the chance to access this resource.” 

Professor Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, said: 

"I feel teachers are ideally placed to combat the UK’s falling vaccination rates. This programme has been carefully calibrated to include the insights of some of the leading scientists in this field but to make the information accessible to people of all ages and communities.”

The tools have also been developed with and supported by science communicator Dr Emily Grossman, who said:

“In a world full of fake news and dangerous misinformation, it’s so important that the young people of today can find out the truth about the COVID vaccine.

"This set of resources is so valuable, not only because it communicates simply and effectively the science behind how vaccines work, how effective they are and how safe they are; but also because it allows young people to ask questions and it allays concerns they might have from reading confusing, conflicting and at times frightening reports on the internet. The more widely this resource pack is distributed, the better informed this generation will be. Not only will that allow them to make better decisions based on solid science, it will also give them the tools they need in order to analyse information more critically in the future.”

Increased powers for Brent Cabinet and Officers

The Brent Council AGM was moved from May 19th to April 29th without any explanation. This moved the largely ceremonial meeting into the pre-election period (purdah) when contentious policy decisions or initiatives that could be of advantage to a political party are banned.   Councillors will be reminded of this requirement before the meeting

However, today's Labour Group AGM, might want to discuss an item that is on the Council AGM Agenda. This is one that involves increased delegated powers for Cabinet members and the CEO following advice from Luke Hall MP, Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government that once the Covid regulations expire that they use existing power to delegate decision making to reduce the number of meetings required.  

Brent Council Leader Muhammed Butt has agreed to such action.  This raises the issue for me that a mainly one party council with power already concentrated by the Cabinet model, will have even less scrutiny from backbench councillors and the public.

The extent of these delegated powers can be seen in the document below (click bottom right for full page view):

 

 

 

Wembley Stadium Test Event on Sunday April 25th

 From Brent Council

 

On Sunday 25 April, the Carabao Cup Final will be held at Wembley Stadium (kick-off 16.30pm). This is the second of three pilot events at the Stadium, which are part of the Government’s Events Research Programme.

 

We have been working closely with the Football Association, as well as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in preparation for bringing spectators safely back to the Stadium.

 

There will be 8,800 fans in attendance – the majority being local key workers and residents. Everybody in attendance will be asked to show evidence of a negative Covid-19 test taken 24 hours prior to the event.

 

We will be carefully reviewing the data that the government collects as part of their Research Programme and this will inform planning for the Euro football tournament in June and July.

 

We are expecting the testing centre at Brent Civic Centre to be busy on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April with ticket-holders, and ask that anyone who is not attending the event to use alternative testing sites nearby. For alternative sites and to book, go to:brent.gov.uk/covidtesting  

 

We would also ask those not attending the event on Sunday to be mindful of the fact the area around Wembley Stadium will be busy.

 

Event Day Parking rules will not apply, but residents in the event zone should ensure their permits are up-to-date in time for the next Event Day on 15 May.

 

For information on other testing sites, please visit: brent.gov.uk/covidtesting

Ask Mayoral and GLA candidates to support the 'More Natural Capital' proposals - details in this post

 From CPRE London on behalf of the More Natural Capital coalition

In the run up to the elections on 6 May we urge you to ask all the candidates for Mayor of London and the London Assembly to support the More Natural Capital proposals and encourage your family and friends to do likewise. Details of the election candidates can be found here: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/candidates

More information about all the issues in the More Natural Capital manifesto and the groups involved can be found on the Wildlife and Countryside Link website here: https://www.wcl.org.uk/london-mayoral-election-blogs.asp

You can find out more about CPRE London's Ten New Parks campaign here https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/news/lets-create-ten-major-new-parks-for-london-now/

You can find out more about Ramblers initiative to promote six new green walking routes in London here: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/news/latest-news/2021/april/london-ramblers-launch-greenways-map-in-bid-for-six-new-green-walking-routes.aspx

UPDATE Has Brent Council learnt nothing from the Grenfell Inquiry and are they putting their disabled residents in peril as a result?

Lawyers involved in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry into the 2017 fire which killed 72 people have described it “as a landmark act of discrimination against disabled and vulnerable people”.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council knew about the conditions of Disabled people living in Grenfell Tower but refused to provide them with evacuation plans, and housed some on the upper floors with a ‘stay put’ fire policy, the Inquiry into the Tower fire has heard.

Source Disability Rights UK  

 

UPDATE - Today, the day after this article was published Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt has written to John Healy acknowledging his enquiry of April 21st and stating that it has been forwarded to the respective department who will look into the issue and make every effort to resolve it. He said the Council aimed to respond withing 10 working days.

Readers may recall several articles Wembley Matters has published about the plight of disabled pensioner John Healy who lives in a Brent Council block on the  South Kilburn Estate.

John wrote a personal blog on March 12th  about the issues he was facing and Brent Council made the following statement in response:

"Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) are essential for anyone who may need assistance in the unlikely event of being advised to leave a building because of fire. We're concerned that something seems to have gone wrong here and have contacted Mr Healy to put it right."

John Healy contacted the Council and the Council could not find the PEEP request he had made and asked him to resubmit. He resubmitted and has heard nothing further. John says that officers have stopped replying to his emails.

In their evidence LINK  to the Grenfell Inquiry Bindmans pointed out the failure of the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) to assess residents' needs:

 Dr Lane finds no evidence that TMO assessed the needs of any vulnerable person in GT in the event of a fire3. This failure resulted in TMO not being appraised of the fire precautions required by RRO in order to protect residents, including vulnerable residents, and failing to advise LFB of the need to assist the vulnerable. The lack of appropriate precautions is reflected in the deaths: a quarter of the 67 child residents present on the night died and 41% of the 37 vulnerable adult residents died.These groups suffered higher death rates than any other category on the night. Yet TMO's spreadsheet emailed during the fire showed only 10 out of 225 residents listed with disabilities5

 Mr Healy is rightly concerned that Brent Council has also failed to adequately assess the needs of its vulnerable residents, putting them at considerable risk.  I would go further and say that they are repeating what Kensington and Chelsea did in ignoring the pleas of their tenants when they draw attention to deficiencies in safety precautions in their blocks. Brent Council brought council housing back in house instead of having the arms length organisation ,Brent Housing Partnership - Brent Housing has direct control and thus direct responsibility for the welbeing and safety of its tenants.

It even appears the Mr Healy is seen as a nuisance who can be ignored.  Today he wrote to his housing officer:

Good afternoon, you may be aware that the Grenfell Inquiry heard today from an officer of Kensington & Chelsea council, as he responded about why he failed to issue PEEPs to several disabled residents in the block, including many who tragically died on the night.

I myself have been asking for a PEEP since last September and I still have not been sent one.

I also need to see the evacuation policy for everyone at William Dunbar House.

And finally can you send me a copy of the latest Fire Risk Assesssment for William Dunbar House please?

Cllr Janice Long has submitted a generic  question to the Council  about PEEPs. according to Mr Healy, which gave him some hopes, but the Council has 14 days to reply, prolonging the uncertainty and anxiety.

John told Wembley Matters he had  contacted a senior officer who deals with Council policy:

 I asked him what did he mean when he said in a debate on Fire Safety in Brent's tower blocks:-

"In terms of people with special needs, we will try and relocate the residents if necessary".

The cabinet said they would review their position on retrofitting sprinklers in the 8 South Kilburn tower blocks (including William Dunbar House), once the result of the South Kilburn resident's ballot is known but they seem to have forgotten to have the review.

I have to remain in my block for several years without any sprinklers, even after the London Fire Brigade  said they could only say a high rise is safe, if they have sprinklers installed in them.

I also checked my most recent Fire Risk Assessment for my block---William Dunbar House over evacuation which says:-

"Physically disabled people should be relatively safe in their own abode should a fire occur elsewhere in the building".

Our rating is 'moderate' which says "in a serious fire there are llikely to be some deaths but not too many".

So if some will die in a serious fire, I have a feeling it is most likely to be me, or another disabled person living in my block.

Just to add, the Brent Housing officers who were dealing with me through email have stopped replying to me.  They have not responded to my Stage 1 complaint either, even though it has gone past their 20 days waiting time before they are supposed to respond.

 So this pensioner with very limited mobility and extreme deafness is left without a Personal Emergency Plan, that is required by law, on the 5th floor of a block without sprinklers or an alarm system that he can hear and with his request for relocation refused. On top of that his Stage 1 complaint made in order to get some sort of hearing has not been responded to within the required 5 days and a further 20 to find a solution. The complaint was made 38 days ago.

Is it any surprise that he feels desperate, ignored and sick with worry?

 

Brent demonstrators outside Burnley GP Practice condemn US takeover - it's OUR NHS!

Photo: Amanda Rose

 

Photo: Martin Francis

 

Photo: Amanda Rose

Photo: Martin Francis

 

There was a good turnout today outside the Burnley GP Practice in the Willesden Centre.  The practice has recently been taken over by US private health conglomerate Centene along with two others in Brent and many in the rest of London.

The protesters were cross party and no party and included Cllr Janice Long an oustanding champion of the NHS.  The protest was part of national action by campaign group WeOwnIt  and organised as a local alternative for those who could not make it to Centene's national HQ in Central London. 

 

PETITIONING IN GLADSTONE PARK

 

 NHS Banner Photo: Anna Delazol

A demonstration and petitioning was also held in Gladstone Park for those unable to attend the event in Willesden.  One of the organisers said:

In one hour we met around 60 people. Some wondered why so little or nothing is in the news about the takeovers of GP practices by Operose and Centene. Others promised to sign the petition on ‘We Own It’ website. Some signed up to offer help in campaigning in the future. People were worried about the Integrating Care Systems proposals by the Tory Government to restructure the NHS in England. We should all be worried.

The protestors were joined by Cllr Shafique Choudhary.

                                                                                Cllr Choudhary Photo: Anna Delazol

Brent Trades Council organised a group to join the Central London demonstration outside Centene HQ.

 

Photo: Pete Firmin

Ken Livingstone added his name to the petition againstCentene takeovers of GP practices: