Kilburn Katz - Labour's fresh faced candidate

Mike Katz has circulated the following message to Brent Central Labour Party members in his bid to become the party's candidate for Brent Central. He was deselected from his current ward councillor candidate list earlier this year.

I'm emailing to tell you why I want to be your Labour candidate for Brent Central.When you decide who to support in this selection one question is more important than any other: who can beat the Lib Dems?I know that I can. I won my council ward back from the Lib Dems in 2010, and successfully defended two other Labour seats against an aggressive Lib Dem campaign in 2006.To win in 2015 we need a candidate who will campaign in every ward, take the fight to the Lib Dems and make them account for their party’s awful record in Government.A candidate who is no stranger to Brent, but who is a fresh face for Brent Labour.I’m that candidate.I was born and raised in North West London; I live right next door to the constituency and I’m currently a councillor for Kilburn, one of the most deprived wards in Camden.  Find out more about me hereBrent Central is at the frontline of our struggle to preserve the promise that we would have a better life than our parents, and our children better than us.We need to campaign for jobs, education and housing; and for the unity we gain from diversity.That’s why I want to be your next Labour MP.  I have the experience and determination to win Brent Central back for Labour and to fight for a fairer and better future for our community.I want to hear your views about the issues that matter and the sort of MP you want.  I'll be in touch soon, but please feel free to get in contact by calling me any time on (withheld for privacy reasons) or emailing me at mike@mikekatz.org

No Jubilee or Metropolitan Lines this weekend

GRRRR!

Saturday and Sunday:  No Jubilee service between Waterloo and Stanmore. No Metropolitan service between Aldgate and Harrow-on-the-Hill.

Brent Budget gap points to more cuts unless Councillors say enough is enough

The Brent Executive on Monday will receive the latest 3 year budget forecast which has been revised from that presented in February. The figures assume the Council Tax freeze will continue and a pay inflation of 1% in 2013-14 and 2% thereafter. Allowance is made for restructuring and redundancy costs of £2.6m.

The basic figures:

	2014/15	2015/16	2016/17
	£m	£m	£m
Budget Gap at Council Feb 2013	20.4	17.1	17.3
Reductions in Revenue Support Grant	2.0	13.0	1.0
Business Rate Top-Up	-0.1	-0.4	-0.2
Additional Council Tax Freeze Grants	-1.0	-1.1	2.1
Business Rates - share of growth from baseline	-1.9	-0.7	-0.6
New Homes Bonus	0.5	2.7	-0.1
Collection Fund Surplus	-2.4	2.4
Council Tax Base	-1.3	-0.2	-0.3
Other Grants	-1.1	0.8
Capital Financing	-2.0
Latest Budget Gap	13.1	33.6	19.2

Clearly more cuts are looming and just in case Councillors get any ideas about refusing to set a budget or raiding the reserves, Mick Bowden, Deputy Director of Finance warns in his report:

A local authority must budget so as to give a reasonable degree of certainty as to the maintenance of its services. In particular, local authorities are required by the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to calculate as part of their overall budget what amounts are appropriate for contingencies and reserves. The Council must ensure sufficient flexibility to avoid going into deficit at any point during the financial year. The Chief Financial Officer is required to report on the robustness of the proposed financial reserves.

 Under the Brent Member Code of Conduct members are required when reaching decisions to have regard to relevant advice from the Chief Finance Officer and the Monitoring Officer. If the Council should fail to set a budget at all or fail to set a lawful budget,contrary to the advice of these two officers there may be a breach of the Code by individual members if it can be demonstrated that they have not had proper regard to the advice given.

I would argue that Labour councillors must consider whether committing a  'a breach of the Code' is more of a crime than implementing cuts that will damage services to the most vulnerable.

Cheer up teachers! Watch this

Those pesky Preston people won't give up - get behind them!

All hands on deck to save Sulivan Primary School from academy and free school pirates

Sulivan children deliver the school's response to the consultation

The consultation on the future of Sulivan Primary School, Fulham, closes today. Earlier children from the school delivered their responses to Hammersmith Town Hall.

The Council proposes to close Sulivan and send its pupils to King's Primary which is keen to become an academy. Fulham Boys' Free School would take over the Sulivan site.

There is still time to make a submission. Follow this LINK

Save Our Sulivan Campaign website is HERE

Unite and LRC back anti-cuts candidate for Brent Central

Unite the Union yesterday endorsed Kingsley Abrams as their preferred Labour candidate for Brent Central. Brent Labour Representation Committee also endorsed him.

Unite member and Brent Labour Party and LRC activist Graham Durham said 

It will be a hard battle to get Kingsley endorsed as candidate. However with his  record of trade union activity and his role as a Lambeth Labour councillor opposed to cuts, Kingsley will strike a chord with Brent voters feeling the savage attacks of the Bedroom Tax, welfare cuts, privatisation of the NHS and Royal Mail. Many supporters and members will see Kingsley as the ideal candidate to replace the supporter of Tory cuts, Sarah Teather, as MP for Brent Central.

The Brixton councillor was suspended by the Lambeth  Labour Group in 2012  when he opposed cuts to youth services and job cuts. LINK

Contact Graham on 07866-616492 and Kingsley on 07932-447793

'Benefit thieves' ex-Labour MP launches his campaign for Brent Central nomination

Veteran Labour politician and former government minister Tony McNulty has launched his campaign for  nomination as Labour candidate for the Brent Central seat.

McNulty was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform before having to resign over an expenses claim. He was asked to apologise to the House of Commons and repay £13,837.  The press drew attention to his perceived hypocrisy over his attack on benefit 'cheats' when he had said:

Benefit thieves have to understand that they will not get away with it. Working together with local authorities and the police we have a range of powers to investigate and with the support of the public we bring benefit thieves to justice.

 He lost his Harrow East seat to Bob Blackman at the 2010 General Election.

He is married to Christine Gilbert, Acting Chief Executive of Brent Council,  who was herself embroiled in controversy when it was revealed that her Council salary was paid to her own private company.  The Council recently extended her position until after the 2014 local election.

McNulty has been out regularly on the 'Labour doorstep' with other Brent Labour Party activists and has now sent this message to Labour Party members:

Dear Member,

Brent Central is about to embark on its selection of a parliamentary candidate and I have already written to you explaining why I am seeking the privilege of representing you in 2015. You should receive my leaflet in the next day or so. This is a hugely important selection in a seat that is crucial to the return of a Labour government. Brent Central deserves so much more than another Liberal Democrat MP propping up another disastrous Tory-led coalition.
 

My passion for the Labour Party is supported by my passion for Brent. I know Brent well with roots in the area that go back many years. Brent Central needs a candidate with the knowledge, experience and skill to be both a local champion and a national voice for our communities. I believe I have this knowledge, experience and skill. I know I have the passion, drive and commitment to build a strong and united constituency team that will defeat the Liberal Democrats. United we can win and make Brent Central the safe Labour seat it should be.
 

To find out more about me and my ideas, please visit www.tonymcnulty.com. If you want to read more about my promises to you, then go to www.tonymcnulty.com/my-pledges.
 

I will be in touch soon to find out more about the issues that matter most to you and the kind of MP needed to ensure a better future for Brent Central.
 

My leaflet should be with you by tomorrow or Wednesday and I would be delighted if you would respond by contacting me for a personal chat either by phone or in person. In the meantime, please feel free to email me at tonyjmcnulty@gmail.com or call me at any time on (number withheld for privacy by Wembley Matters).
 

I look forward to speaking to you over the next few weeks.

With thanks and best wishes

Meanwhile Lembit Öpik has just confirmed to the Kilburn Times  LINK that he intends to seek the Liberal Democrat nomination for Brent Central. Öpik versus McNulty - does this cheer or chill you?