Wednesday, 22 November 2023

Autumn Statement fail: 92% of mainstream schools will be unable to cope with cost increases in 2024/25. For 99% of secondary schools and 91% of primary schools, cuts to education provision are now inevitable.

 The Lyon Park Primary School strike is only the most visible sign of the funding crisis in our schools -  more problems will follow in other schools as governing bodies try to balance their budgets.

There was hope that the Autumn Statement might provide cash to help remedy the problem of underfunding  - but no!

Commenting on the Chancellor’s speech, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:   

“The economy is struggling to achieve growth, and the Government has downgraded its own growth forecasts in today’s statement. Investing properly in education is an urgent and overriding economic priority, yet what we have seen today is nothing of the sort.

“Just 3.9% of UK GDP is spent on education, compared to the OECD average of 5%. This was highlighted to Jeremy Hunt in a letter earlier this month from the leaders of four education unions, including the NEU. The Chancellor’s response is completely inadequate and makes a mockery of the Prime Minister’s repeated claim that education is at the heart of this Government’s priorities. 

“It should be of great concern to Jeremy Hunt that 92% of mainstream schools will be unable to cope with cost increases in 2024/25. For 99% of secondary schools and 91% of primary schools, cuts to education provision are now inevitable.

“These schools have already seen years of under-investment, and in far too many cases school buildings have drifted into serious disrepair. The Chancellor couldn’t even bring himself to fund urgent work on the school estate, following the RAAC scandal which has brought such embarrassment to this Government. This would require at least £4.4bn per year.

“With underfunded and understaffed schools and colleges, and school buildings crumbling, the Government must prioritise investment in schools and colleges and fund a fair pay rise for staff next year. Teachers and support staff have seen their living standards hammered since 2010. Our member surveys show that a majority are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ worried about keeping up with household bills. They have been hit even harder by pay cuts against inflation than other workers, creating major recruitment and retention problems.  

“More of the same is not good enough – and it certainly fails parents and young people, too. In order to recruit and retain the teachers that we so clearly need, the Government must demonstrate they value them. That means an urgent, properly funded and major correction in pay, alongside the investment needed to reduce sky-high workload and to make school and college buildings fit for purpose. The Chancellor’s statement does nothing to repair the damage caused by 13 years of Conservative cuts. The Government will pay a heavy political price for continuing to ignore the problems it has created for educators, parents and young people.” 

Morland Gardens – Brent Council reviews its development plans

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

1 Morland Gardens, entrance seen from the Community Garden, 30 October 2023.

 

My guest post on 31 October, Brent’s Halloween Nightmare – its Morland Gardens planning consent has expired!, had an Open Letter to Brent’s Chief Executive attached at the end. I promised to share the Council’s reply to that letter with you, and will ask Martin to attach it at the end of this post (the first of two documents).

 

Although the letter, from Brent’s Director of Property and Assets, is dated 10 November, it mysteriously never got delivered to me, until the Chief Executive sent me a copy on 17 November. The letter is quite brief, but it did include the following important sentence: ‘We agree that the planning application as described below expired on 29th October 2023.

 

So what happens next? The letter says: ‘Following the expiration of the planning permission, the Council is reviewing its options for the Morland Gardens site, including the Altamira building.’

 

“Altamira” is the locally listed heritage Victorian villa (pictured above), so after campaigning since the Council’s planning application, including its demolition, was submitted in February 2020, there is now a second chance to save it. I understand that the review aims to put forward recommendations to the Cabinet meeting in December (perhaps as part of the Affordable Housing Update which is due to be on the agenda?).

 

The third ‘key issue’ from my Open Letter which the Director of Property and Assets identified was not allowing the condition of the empty property to deteriorate further. His reply about the security of the site missed the point. My response reminded him that it was missing slates from the roof (and possibly more of them missing following recent strong winds) which needed the Council’s early attention.

 

Although we will have to wait and see what Officers recommend to Cabinet over the future of 1 Morland Gardens, I do not want that to be a repeat of the 2020 proposals, which have already caused a long delay and wasted several million pounds. When I replied on 20 November, I included my own contribution to the review, as a genuine attempt to help the Council “get it right” this time. I will ask Martin to attach a copy of that document below, so that anyone can read it if they wish to. 

 

Philip Grant

 

Brent Council's reply to Philip Grant's letter of 31st October on 1 Morland Gardens


 

  

Review of Options for Morland Gardens – getting it right this time

 

 

 

Tuesday, 21 November 2023

ACE environmental coalition challenge Brent Council to work more ambitiously and effectively to reach Net Zero in 2030


 

 Video of ACE deputation and response (BrentCouncil)

 
ACE Brent (Action on the Climate and Ecological Emergency Brent), a new coalition of Brent environment groups, challenged Brent Council to step up its climate action at the full Brent council meeting yesterday.
 

 ACE supporters assemble ahead of the Council meeting

 
ACE Brent does not believe that Brent is working effectively to reach Net Zero in 2030. Through their deputation to the council they requested :

 *   A clearer, more measurable, accountable and ambitious Climate Action Plan
 *   Prioritisation of actions that reduce emissions most and that protect the most vulnerable residents
 *   Annual monitoring and reporting
 *   A new Climate and Ecological Emergency Scrutiny Committee
 *   A new Brent Climate Assembly and regular reports to open meetings

They outlined their specific demands covering cycling and transport, insulation and retrofitting, divestment, planning, renewable energy, food, trees and green space.
 
Following the meeting Elaine Sheppard, ACE Brent representative said : 
 
Our approach to the council was welcomed by Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for the Environment, and other councillors. Whether this results in increased urgency and a new more accountable climate plan waits to be seen.
 
We will be following this up and we encourage any other organisations in Brent who are concerned about the climate and implications for our community to get in touch with us at Ace@Brentfoe.com

 
 
Current members of ACE Brent are Brent Cycling Campaign, Brent Friends of the Earth, Brent Parks Forum, Brent Pure Energy, Brent XR and Divest Brent.

Community gathering for a ceasefire joined by councillors outside Brent Civic Centre

 

A number of Brent councillors last night  joined the gathering outside Brent Civic Centre in Wembley to call for an immediate ceasefire in the current conflict.

Afterwards a candlelit vigil was held for the child victims outside Wembley Park Station. 

 




Third day of strike at Lyon Park School to save support staff jobs and pay. Supporting strikers petition launched.

 From Brent National Education Union

 

This morning's picket line


NEU members at Lyon Park Primary School are to strike in a fight to save support staff jobs which are proposed to go in a huge restructure. PICKET LINE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY THIS WEEK 7.45-9.30am!

 

Staff at Lyon Park Primary School will be on strike to save the jobs and pay of their hardworking support staff. Many of these long-serving staff served the school’s community throughout the pandemic and face their jobs either being axed or a situation of “fire and rehire” to drop their pay. Teachers face a loss of support in the classroom and children will lose out on the vital support they need. The school has cited budget difficulties as the reason for the cuts.

 

100% OF NEU MEMBERS WHO VOTED IN THE BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION AT THE SCHOOL VOTED TO STRIKE OVER MULTIPLE DATES THIS MONTH WITH TWO MORE DAYS ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK AND THREE THE WEEK AFTER!

 

Staff and their supporters will protest at a picket line outside the school from 7.45am Tuesday and will continue to try to negotiate with the governors in a bid to reach an agreement. The union has twice attended extra talks with the school management but this has so far failed to address the huge proposed loss in pay for staff. The Executive Headteacher has only recently joined the restructuring talks.

 

Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive has stated:

 

This isn’t rocket science- if the school agrees to protect staff pay in the restructure, the strikes will be called off. Staff do not enjoy striking- teachers enjoy teaching and support staff enjoy supporting children. If they didn’t they could all get better paid jobs elsewhere!!! Our members should be valued for the highly specialised jobs they do.

 

In the video below the staff explain their contribution to the school and children's education. Outside the school yesterday many parents agreed that the staff were essential to enable their children to make good progess.


 

SIGN A PETITION TO SUPPORT THE STRIKERS HERE

 

Monday, 20 November 2023

'Solidarity with the Palestinians' Brent Trades Council zoom meeting Wednesday 7pm

 



WEDNESDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2023
7pm
Solidarity with the Palestinians

SPEAKER

MARTIAL KURTZ

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Join Zoom Meeting

 

Ceasefire gathering at Brent Civic Centre this evening from 5pm


 From Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Supporters of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza will gather in front of Brent Civic Centre this evening between 5pm and 6pm to give local people a chance to come together to demonstrate what an urgent and important issue this is for Brent’s diverse citizens.

 

Brent councillors arriving at the Civic Centre for the 6pm Council meeting will be invited to join the gathering in solidarity with their community.

 

The gathering will be followed by a candlelit vigil nearby to remember the Israeli and Palestinian children who have been killed in the current conflict. Their names and ages will be read out so that they are remembered as real human beings, robbed of their future - not just another number added to the mounting casualty list. The naming will be interspersed with poetry readings and will finish with a minute’s reflection.