Martin Redston wants a Judicial Review of DPP's failure to bring Dominic Cummings to account

Dominic Cummings running from Downing Street

Martin Redston, who many readers will know from the Save Willesden Green Library campaign has his sights on Dominic Cummings. Martin has launched a crowdfunder to finance legal action over the Director of Public Prosecutions' failure to hold Dominic Cummings to account. Cumming failed to comply with government instructions over Covid19. Martin is instructing well known QC Michael Mansfied.

Coverage of the move in the Guardian LINK

This is what Martin wrote on his fundraising page:

Who am I?

My name is Martin Redston and I am bringing judicial review proceedings against the Director of Public Prosecutions for his failure to properly consider the actions of Dominic Cummings, the chief advisor to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in relation to a potential breach of Regulation 6 of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020/350.

I, like many other citizens, have fully complied with the Government’s lockdown requirements at all times. Despite the police and the public having been made aware of Mr. Cummings’ potential breaches of the rules since 22^nd May 2020, there has been no investigation into those potential breaches in London.

Why does this matter?

The rule of law should apply for all persons, irrespective of any friendships in government. The public health measures which were put in place to protect us must be applied to everyone, including in particular those who helped to make the rules. A number of individuals in public office who have flouted those strict rules have resigned. That provided some accountability for breach of the law by those who are central to the public health message and the need to encourage full compliance. In respect of Mr. Cummings, however, representatives of the Government have taken to social media in support of him. The Attorney-General has tweeted in support of Mr. Cummings’ actions. This raises a real concern over the state’s obligation properly and fairly to investigate the case of Mr Cummings where a law officer has prejudged it by issuing a peremptory statement that sought to exculpate Mr Cummings, without due process of the law.

Dominic Cummings left London on 27th March and travelled approximately 260 miles north to Durham in a car together with his wife and child. At the relevant time the law required all persons to remain at home save for limited prescribed purposes. The journey would take 5 hours or so, not allowing for breaks and stops on the way.

On the same day, 27th March, and before leaving London, Mr. Cummings had left work and gone home to see to his wife, and then returned to work in the afternoon, despite his wife exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19. Mr. Cummings subsequently, together with his wife and four year old child, also took an unnecessary car journey to Barnard’s Castle which, he has said, was in order to test his eyesight while driving, in preparation for a longer journey back to London.

Since these events three months has passed, and there has been no indication that any state authority, including the DPP, shall inquire into the matters relating to the London breaches. Indeed there have been some very quick indications that no inquiry would follow from the briefest of possible considerations by some state bodies. By 22^nd May it was known to the public and the police that Mr. Cummings had potentially breached the regulations. Since then there has been no due consideration of accountability for Mr. Cummings’ actions in London on 27^th March.

Ultimately Mr. Cummings then held a press conference on 25^th May ending with the following words: “I know the British people hate the idea of unfairness. I wanted to explain what I thought, what I did and why, over this period, because I think that people like me who helped to make the rules should be accountable for their actions.”

At that juncture police were already in possession of the fact that Mr. Cummings had left his house in London twice on 27^th March 2020.

I have instructed lawyers to assist me with this matter: Michael Mansfield QC, who is leading counsel Philip Rule, instructed by Lorna Hackett at Hackett & Dabbs LLP.

What are we trying to achieve?

Last Wednesday, 3rd June, my lawyers wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions expressing concern that no action had been taken in relation to the alleged breaches by this public figure in London. This inaction may result in the loss of additional evidence which could otherwise be gathered by prompt investigation. This in turn could lead to the serious loss of public confidence in the accountability of government employees. There is a current public health emergency, and I am alarmed at the inactivity over the actions of Mr. Cummings which could be contributing to breaches of the lockdown rules at a time when this will cost lives.

Despite setting a deadline for substantive reply that has now passed, the only response was by email on 8th June 2020 wherein the DPP notified my lawyers that “This has now been passed to colleagues in our Special Crime Division, who will provide a response to you in due course.” This reply does not suggest that any investigation has been instigated, otherwise they would have said so.

When further urgent confirmation was sought that there was any active consideration taking place, it was met by silence. We, the public, must be at the forefront of the seeking of a just process in this case to restore public confidence.

What you can do to help

We need to raise £30,000 as an initial target to enable the case to proceed. Please do contribute whatever you can to ensure that the DPP complies with his legal obligations and share as far and wide as you can on social media to enable me to meet the target needed to lodge proceedings in court. I am deeply grateful to you for reading my crowd funding page. Thank you.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/investigatedominiccummings/

Platform launched to help Brent small businesses survive Covid19 lockdown

From  Help High Street

Announcing the launch of Help High Street - helphighstreet.co.uk which is a platform made by volunteers from the London Borough of Brent to support small businesses impacted by the coronavirus and help them survive the post lockdown world.

Local communities are worried about their favourite restaurants, cafes and beauty salons going out of business because of the pandemic. Although this is a serious threat to the high street we believe that by raising awareness about gift cards, crowdfunding or online stores. Businesses will be better prepared to survive the post lockdown world.

The local high street has struggled during the lockdown measures which has led to enforced closures for over two months; the consequences of which is painting a bleak economic picture for many small businesses.

In a recent survey of businesses, they shared the following most common ways they have been affected by the lockdown measures

• 72% had seen decreased orders and sales
•  
• 56% had lost business due to cancelled contracts or orders
•  
• 50% reported cash flow issues
•  

Source: Business West Chambers of Commerce

The businesses that are most affected are personal services such as beauty salons and hospitality.

1. Personal services such as salons, spas, dry cleaners 100%
2.  
3. Hospitality 95%
4.  
5. Retail 73%
6.  

Source: Business West Chambers of Commerce

Size is another factor that is affecting businesses, with smaller companies hit the hardest, especially if the company has fewer than 20 employees.

The loss of high street businesses can result in a ripple effect that can wipe out identity and culture, leaving local communities devastated.

“We will see empty premises, because not all businesses will make it through”. 

- Chief Executive of the British Property Federation, Melanie Leech.

British Independent Retailers Association have said that 20% of businesses may not reopen 'because it would be more expensive for them to run their shops if footfall is low.'

Act now to help the high street

If we don’t act now, our high streets will lose many shops forever to the coronavirus. Fortunately, one of the positive outcomes from the pandemic has been a renewed sense of community; especially seen in volunteers supporting the vulnerable to donations being raised to save under-threat music venues.

An increasing amount of small businesses are harnessing innovative technologies to help their businesses survive. Some businesses have raised thousands of pounds from gift card sales by engaging with their local communities who are keen to show their support.

This is where Help High Street wants to use its platform to make things easier for businesses with gift card programs to reach customers.

Businesses with existing gift card programs can use our platform to see if their business is listed and then claim the businesses for free. If it isn’t listed they can simply add their business and link to their gift card scheme. If businesses don’t have a gift card program, we have a tool kit which provides advice on how to set one up.

If you’re worried about the high street, we want you to bring that sense of community to helphighstreet.co.uk. You can find your favourite businesses and buy gift cards from them for use whenever you feel it’s safe to visit the high street again.This platform is a voluntary project and 100% of gift purchases go to small businesses.

Help High Street’s founder David Goodwin, a User Experience Consultant said ‘I was inspired to create this platform after reading a story in a local newspaper that said a pub made £25k from selling gift cards for customers to use later. I can’t believe that more businesses aren’t doing this and I want to raise awareness and make it easier for customers to support their favourite business in innovative ways’.

The platform also features art from Otto Schade, who is famous for his ribbon-style street murals which can be found in cities all around the world.

The significance of Schade’s art reflects the struggle to make it through the coronavirus lockdown, represented by the unravelling ribbons shown in his art.

With the current UK economy uncertainty and small business owners voicing their concerns, we don’t have to see our favourite restaurant close forever. We can help the high street by acting now and using technology to support them in innovative ways.

Please contact: info@helphighstreet.co.uk

Website address: https://helphighstreet.co.uk

Social media: @helphighstreet

Sudbury Town Station planning application rejected, Ujima House and North Brent School approved

After a lengthy discussion Brent Planning Committee again rejected the TfL application for a development of 'pocket homes' on the car park at Sudbury Town Station. Despite a £600k offer by the developer towards the build costs of 6 three bedroomed homes outside the area, the committee stuck to their original objection on grounds of lack of family homes for the site itself,  the loss of the car park and its impact on acessiblity for people with protected characteristics; and the applications lack of compliance with Local and London plans. Three members of the public and two councillors made very persuasive presentations opposing the application.

Cllr Denselow abstained. Cllrs Hylton and Chappel voted for the application and the four other committee members against.

The Ujima House discussion was a real mish mash.  The owner of Lanmore House and Jaine Lunn occupant of a neighbouring house on Ecclestone Place, were represented and it emerged that a 'letter before claim' against the Council, who are the developer, had been issued. The committee were told by the Council legal officer that the Council had complied with all regulations and that appeared to be the end of that.

Inaccuracies in the officers' report were highlighted concerning the height of the building and the number of windows in adjoining buildings affected, and the committee were told that the architect had failed to get back to the Council about a query, but all this was deftly passed over.  The issue of a weight restriction of 15 tons on the entrance to Ecclestone Place was brushed aside with an assurance that if necessary lorries could access the site from Wembley High Road (traffic jams!)

The committee were told that this was just an outline application and detailed issues could be dealt with at a later date.

The application was approved.

The Executive Headteacher of the Wembley Multi-Academy Trust after initial zoom problems gave a confident presentation on its plans for a new school on Neasden Lane, currently called North Brent School, although it is on the south side of the North Circular.

However, after she had left the meeting some confusion arose over the catchment area of the school as it emerged that pupils would be travelling to the site from North Wembley as the school is currently housed on the Wembley High School site.  The new site would open at the end of 2021 so the children on the current site would have to travel down. One officer muttered something about issue of the school  catchment should have come up earlier and councillors seemed unsure if the new school when fully open would serve the local area or continue to be populated by pupils from the North Wembley area.   Clearly it would be better in terms of Green School Travel Plans if the catchment was local and the area does lack its own non-denominational school.

The new school will be 6 forms of entry so will generate a lot of trips and transport was the main issue discussed. An earlier plan to have 4 coaches travel down to the school from North Wembley had been opposed by TfL and was reduced to one, so pupils will have to travel by public transport either  on the tube, by bus or by cycle. The 297 route would be beefed up in consultation with TfL and the 245 was also mentioned but that only goes as far as Neasden shopping centre before turning off towards Staples Corner. One councillor raised concerns about children from different schools milling around at the Neasden interchange where there were already problems.

It appears that on one side of the borough we will have children travelling north from Harlesden and Stonebridge to Ark Elvin and on the other children travelling south from North Wembley to Neasden Lane!

The one decision made (apart from  approving the application) was to  call for 172 cycle parking places to be provided in the initial phase of the building. No one queried whether cycling to the school would be safe.

Recording of Committee HERE

Sufra Foodbank continues to make a difference to hundreds of lives as they wider their activity - they deserve your support

From Sufra Foodbank and Kitchen

The past three months at Sufra NW London have been extremely pivotal for our organisation and our community at large. From the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we have come together to scale up our services to address the hunger and destitution caused by the conditions of the virus. We can’t say it has been easy; we have been challenged and stretched in every way, but we are eternally grateful for the monumental support we have received for our Coronavirus Emergency Appeal.

Analysing the current landscape of food inequality and the financial constraints that food banks all over the country are experiencing, we are certainly among the lucky ones.

For Sufra NW London, it was never just about food and money. Hunger and food security are certainly key issues, but we are more than a food bank. We have always been more than a food bank. The global pandemic has emphasised that hunger and the lack of food is just the tip of the iceberg for many families and individuals who use our services. Our beneficiaries – our guests – have often come to us at their breaking point. Some of them have bills they need to cover but not enough money left for food, some of them have lost their jobs and are struggling to put food on the table for their children, and some of them are so vulnerable to the virus that they have been confined to their homes, starving and isolated.

We have approached the crisis from a holistic perspective by providing our food bank users with food parcels as well as signposting services, advice, welfare checks, help with gas and electricity bills and other forms of support they may need. Our Give it 100 laptop drive with The Lady Fatemah Trust was designed to provide disadvantaged families with laptops and wifi and it is a key example of how we are expanding our services to understand the wider context of poverty.

Whilst we have discontinued all in-person activities such as our weekly community kitchen and our classes and workshops, we haven’t stopped working. We have been delivering hot meals and food parcels all over the borough of Brent. People have recognised the privilege of a full fridge and pantry and felt compelled to pay it forward. We are always in awe of the support that we receive every day and the creative ways that people have been raising money for our appeal.

What the Numbers Mean

As always, we maintain that food banks are not a solution to food poverty. Just because we exist, doesn’t mean those in charge are absolved of their responsibility to ensure that food is a human right. The statistics present a wider call to action. We felt it was important to compile this data in order to continue being a transparent and honest organisation, but we can’t do it alone. As a member of the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), we have worked together to further our understanding of how the current climate is affecting our work and why we’re putting pressure on the government to support us. You can read the full report here.

Getting Involved

If you would like to continue supporting our work and help us meet the demands of the pandemic, please consider making a donation to our Coronavirus Appeal. Alternatively, can check out more ways to donate.  We have been selected by Global’s national Make Some Noise campaign to continue making a difference to people’s lives in the midst of the pandemic. Read more about our involvement here.

Cllr Gill taunts "well resourced families'" concerned about QPCS 3G plans

Cllr Gill, (Brondesbury Park), is very dismissive of residents concerned about noise and light pollution from the proposed 3G pitch installation at Queens Park Community School. As well as school and community provision the facility will also be a commercial enterprise open at weekends and until 9pm at night.

On his comment LINK in support of the school's planning application he say on light pollution, 'The very well resourced families opposite can get black-out blinds' and on noise pollution, 'The very well resourced families living opposite can get double or even triple glazing.'

He adds, "Over the next ten years THOUSANDS of people (mainly local CHILDREN) will benefit from this pitch and for only a very small number of people (less than half a dozen families, who are very well-resourced and thus well able to offset the very minor issues this will cause them) will it have any negative impact."

Directing divisive comments at specific local households hardly seems to conform to the standards expected of councillors.

Save Bridge Park hails a milestone legal victory as their case against Brent Council continues

http://bridgeparkcomplex.com/blog/

Brent Council says air quality is not a problem for new school in Neasden Lane

Mayor of London on Clean Air

In a previous posting LINK I raised concerns about the siting of a new school in Neasden Lane because of its history of poor air quality which in the past have been raised in Parliamemt by then MP Sarah Teather and with the GLA through Mayor's Question Time. At one stage pollution levels were in clear breach of EU regulations. The monitoring site was one of those which Boris Johnson, when London Mayor, was accused of 'fixing' by the installation of dust suppressants at the monitoring station.

Brent Council has taken action to 'clean up' the pollution  LINK but has admitted that more needs to be done.

I should make it clear that I am not against a new secondary school in the Harlesden area, there has long been a campaign for a community secondary school there, but I am raising questions about the specific site chosen.  This is particularly important when Brent Council through Brent Breathes is setting out to improve air quality near existing schools and cites particular issues when existing schools are on busy roads. Full Brent Breathes Report HERE see section on schools.

Planners have reacted to the Wembley Matters article with the following statement in a supplementary report presented to tonight's Planning Committee.  There are also supplementary reports for the Sudbury Town and Ujima House planning appplications.

Air Quality

The site falls within an AQMA a recent publication by Wembley Matters raised concern with allowing a new school in an area with poor air quality, particularly an open roof MUGA. As discussed in the main body of the report, the application site has been identified as being one of the ones in the borough suitable to accommodate a school. 

The London Plan places great emphasis on the importance of tackling air pollution and improving air quality. It therefore states that development proposals should minimise exposure to existing poor air quality and make provision to address local problems of air quality such as by design solutions, buffer zones or steps to promote greater use of sustainable transport modes. 

The development makes a particular contribution through promoting greater use of sustainable transport modes. The existing Chancel House site currently benefits from a large car parking area with 189 car parking spaces. Under the proposed scheme only 11 spaces are to be retained. To further discourage car use to the site a travel plan is to be secured via the s106 agreement to promote walking and cycling to the site. Sustainable transport modes are also promoted through on site cycle parking provision and the contribution to TfL for local bus services. 

As required by the London Plan, the application has been accompanied by an Air Quality Assessment and an Air Quality Neutral Assessment. The submitted Air Quality Assessment concludes that air quality levels would not exceed air quality objectives when the site is operational, with the Air Quality Neutral Assessment confirming that the development is better than air quality neutral in terms of both transport and building emissions. 

The submission therefore demonstrates that air quality in the area will not have an adverse impact on the proposed school, and that the proposed development will not worsen air quality.

Brent publishes a draft of its Covid19 Transport Recovery Plan

From Brent Council

COVID-19 has disrupted our daily travel habits. As lockdown restrictions are eased, we want to support and encourage people to adopt greener, more active forms of transport. We have developed a plan to introduce short, medium and longer-term improvements in the borough. The plan supports social distancing, walking and cycling, as well as a reduction in car use.

Draft measures include: new low traffic neighbourhoods, school streets, new pop up cycle lanes and bike parking, further pavement widening in town centres, and bus supporting measures. We have submitted an application for £100,000 of DfT funding and making bids to TfL for schemes under their £45m London Streetspace Programme. Schemes will commence shortly as funding becomes available. It will be periodically reviewed to include new interventions to address emerging priorities.

Please email highways&infrastructure@brent.gov.uk if you have any comments or suggestions.

We will be shortly launching an interactive platform to make it easier for residents to make suggestions and comment on our plans.

Draft Plan




For more information

• Transport Recovery Plan programme (.pdf, 1.49MB)
• Low traffic neighbourhood examples (.pdf, 1.07MB)