Determined and defiant Kensal Rise clears mess left by All Souls College

My National Libraries Day visit to the three events organised by campaigners fighting to reopen libraries closed by Brent Council turned out to be an emotional roller coaster. Common to all of them was determination to carry on the struggle and the immense value they place on books and community.

The wind and rain did not deter early arrivals at Kensal Rise intent on clearing up the mess left by All Souls College

Kensal Rise after the events of this week deserves a posting of its own. I arrived in the rain  this morning  to find people already working at clearing up the mess left by security guards hired by All Souls College.  They were under orders to clear the pop up library so that that All Souls could hand over the site to developer Andrew Gillick on the completion of the sale. The sale went through despite the on/off police investigation into fraudulent emails that supported Gillick's planning application for the site..

A large number of books ruined by exposure to the rain were being thrown into a skip bag while volunteers were sorting through others. The pop up's piano was also ruined beyond repair. Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt has arranged with the Campaign to get the books removed to a safe and dry place this coming Monday. Unfortunately too late for some of the books.

The ruined books and pianos ended up in a skip

By the late afternoon the surviving books and shelves had been neatly packaged ready for transfer

Campaigners remain defiant as sun replaces the rain

Brent Council sacks sustainability worker as climate change intensifies

The country may be experiencing the worse floods for decades and chaotic weather conditions becoming the rule rather than the exception but Brent Council seem to have barely noticed. As it becomes evident that we need to prepare for climate change they are moving in the opposite direction as this guest blog by Sussed Green shows.

Brent Council are again restructuring their departments. One recent example of the re-structure of the Environmental Projects & Policy team is a typical example of how Brent Council wastes money. The restructure included 4 staff. The 2 staff leading on Carbon Reduction - where we are miserably failing with having only reached 11% instead of 25% promised - were not affected and assimilated.

Of the other two, one took voluntary redundancy because of the evening and weekend work involved. The other person, who only last year achieved a personal staff achievement award, was incremental in achieving the long awaited Fairtrade Borough status, led on outreach work with residents via the Brent Sustainability Forum and achieved  69% of positive biodiversity management was let go because she didn’t ‘pass’ the interview that was set for her, even though she is  a model for effective cooperation between the Council and civil society in Brent. The Council will now have to pay two sets of redundancy and pay to recruit a new member of staff at extra expense. The decision raises serious questions about the Council’s commitment to Fairtrade, sustainability and value for money.

Green MEP: Coalition must enact EU Green 'Youth Guarantee'

LONDON'S Green MEP Jean Lambert has called on the Government to enact a Green plan to guarantee a job, training place or education for every young person.

Speaking at a debate on the effects of austerity measures on young people tonight, she will call for a 'Youth Guarantee' - already agreed at EU level- to be implemented in the UK.

Ms Lambert, who serves as a member of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee and is a member of the cross-party Intergroup on Youth Issues, said youth unemployment threatened to ensure that any austerity-led economic recovery was short-lived.She said: 

"Tackling unemployment sustainably, and reducing the welfare and social costs associated with it, mean stepping up our efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

"Youth unemployment can result in permanent 'scars', such as increased risk of future unemployment and permanent social exclusion.

"Last year the European Commission and European Council agreed to Green proposals that all young people should be offered work or a training place after four months on the dole - and that cash from the European Social Fund should help put the guarantee in place for countries that can't afford it.*

"The 'Youth Guarantee' would build on Green proposals and successful schemes already running in Finland, Sweden and Austria - but not England."

Figures show the problem is getting worse due to the economic crises currently affecting the EU, with insecure forms of employment, short-term and part-time contracts and unpaid work placement schemes often replacing existing jobs.

Ms Lambert will make her comments at a debate examining the impacts of austerity measures on young people - particularly youth unemployment - and xenophobia.

Entitled 'Is Europe's Youth Being Thrown on the Bonfire of Austerity?', other speakers include Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Shahrar Ali, NUS Black Students Officer Aaron Kiely, London Young Labour's Philip Freeman, Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voice and Danny McGowan of the PCS union.

Brent library campaigns alive & kicking for National Libraries Day tomorrow

National Libraries Day tomorrow will see indefatigable campaigners marking the day and continuing their fight.

The Save Kensal Rise Library website  LINK announces:

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

Barham Library campaigners are holding this event:

 

 

 and Preston Library campaigners this one:

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.ljWZEzpu.dpuf

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.ljWZEzpu.dpuf

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February, 11am at Kensal Rise Pop Up Library

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.ljWZEzpu.dpuf

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.2g8VvgEh.dpuf

The community will be out in force to repair and get re-established, the Kensal Rise Pop Up library and to help celebrate

National Libraries Day.

An opportunity to show that you love libraries including the Pop Up.

Bring balloons, ribbons, cakes, drinks, and energy.

A great chance for the community to come together and show  we will not let the pop up spirit be destroyed.

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/#sthash.2g8VvgEh.dpuf

National strike by NUT on March 26th

Breaking news from the NUT

 The NUT is today announcing a national strike across England and Wales on Wednesday 26 March in pursuit of the disputes that Michael Gove has caused with the profession around pay, pensions and conditions. In the run up to the strike we will engage in all talks and encourage our members to leaflet parents and engage with politicians.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“Michael Gove’s persistent refusals to address our ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and conditions of service, is unnecessary and deeply damaging. As a result, thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving the job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming with two in five teachers leaving the profession in their first five years.*

“The NUT and NASUWT met with government officials in October – now over 17 weeks ago.  Reassurances were given that Michael Gove would talk about a wide range of matters on implementation of pay and pensions and the direction of travel and implementation on conditions. Subsequently, the Education Secretary has put obstacle after obstacle in the way of talks, showing no serious attempt to resolve – or even to discuss – the matters in dispute.

“We on the other hand have made every effort. We cancelled the strike planned for November and postponed action in February. We have indicated we will meet with Michael Gove anywhere, any time to seek to resolve the disputes in the interest of the education service.

“Strike action is always a last resort for teachers and we deeply regret the fact that we have been put in a position whereby we have no alternative. The strike action can of course be called off. For this to happen, the Secretary of State needs to give reassurances that he will not go ahead with any changes which worsen teachers’ working conditions. He can step away from the proposals he put to the School Teachers’ Review Body. Further, he needs to commit to serious and substantive talks on the other elements of the dispute, including on pay and pensions.

“The responsibility for this situation lies fairly and squarely at the door of this intransigent Education Secretary. His policies are losing the coalition parties votes. It is time he changed his attitude and listened to the genuine concerns of teachers.”
 

Wall of Shame around Kensal Rise Library as developer annexes community asset

Gillick's Wall of Shame going up around Kensal Rise Library today

The Bursar of All Souls College, Thomas Seaman, has confirmed that the sale of Kensal Rise Library to developer Andrew Gillick has been completed.

All Souls College therefore has no further role having facilitated Gillick's possession of the site by demolishing the pop up library. They appear to have ignored pleas that the sale should not be completed until police investigations had reached a conclusion.

They have washed their hands of the problem but it won't go away as we wait for confirmation that the police are definitely going to investigate the fraudulent emails in Mr Gillick's previous planning application.

Police may look again at email fraud evidence in Kensal Rise development

The Evening Standard LINK  is reporting tonight that the police are set to launch an inquiry into the fraudulent emails that supported developer Andrew Gillick's planning application for the Kensal Rise Library building.

Hannah Bewley, who reports on Brent for the Harrow Observer, however has uploaded a story LINK that states:

A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea police, which is dealing with the investigation, said: “Police have been informed that there is further evidence to support the allegation of fraud and are awaiting receipt thereof. A decision whether to progress the allegation will be made after all the evidence has been scrutinised.”

Clearly that raises the question of whether all the information was handed over by Brent Council  or perhaps the 'further evidence' is from individuals whose names and addresses were used without their consent. 

Whatever the case news that the police are now taking the issue seriously after their earlier dismissive attitude is welcome.

Greens: State schools discriminated against by private schools' privileges

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party spokesperson on education has responded to Michael Gove's weekend structures on private schools:

Michael Gove suggests that state schools should try to perform as well as private schools. Has it never occurred to him that the reason why private schools often perform well is that they cream off many of the most privileged pupils, and then provide far more money per head for the education of them than state schools are able to?

Until the injustice is ended of resources being disproportionately directed to the education of the few, in institutions that have tax-privileges, then state schools will never have a level playing-field, and their pupils will always in practice be being discriminated against.