Bakers' Union will debate disaffiliating from the Labour Party if Ian Hodson is expelled. McDonnell to Labour 'Drop this act of of stupidity'

 

The General Secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Sarah Woolley. issued the followed statement today on behalf of the Executive following media rumours that the Labour Party is poised to expel BFAWU's General Secretary.

The statement said:

Today the Labour Party has made a clear statement of intent in its aspiration to repair its relationship with the bosses but seems to be determined to widen the divide between the representatives of labour and those our movement represent.

The recent decision to proscribe organisations is seen as a divisive and a purely factional attack which will do nothing to unite the party or provide any real opportunity for the party to be able to unite to fight and defeat our real enemy The Tory Party.

We have decided to make this statement following recent media speculation in relation to the expulsion of our National President. Our executive have met to discuss the potential of this event occurring, and reaffirmed its position that our National President has only ever conducted himself in line with the policies and the decisions taken by this trade union. 

The executive expressed dismay and anger at the idea the Labour Party should consider expelling the office of our nominated political lead in our organisation, and agreed that a firm response was required should the party take such actions.

The BFAWU executive unanimously agreed a timeline that would coincide with the leaders address to national Labour conference in September should such a situation arise and that from Wednesday 25th August communication to Branches would be initiated and would be formally issuing notification of our intention in preparedness to recall conference to debate the disaffiliation from the Labour party. 

The Executive made it quite clear an attack on one of ours is an attack on all of us and stood in absolute solidarity with our Elected National President. 

It’s also worth remembering that the recent survey of our membership returned a slight majority in favour of disaffiliation.

The feeling is should the decision to debate disaffiliation go ahead it would result in a break with the Labour party for the first time since we helped fund its creation in 1902. But we will not accept bullying from any bosses or a party that seems to be choosing to prefer to be on the bosses side. 

John McDonnell tweeted

Each day brings with it yet another act of ludicrous targeting of respected socialists. Ian Hodson is the sort of working class trade unionist that the Labour Party was created by BFAWU and one of our party’s foundation stones. Message to Labour Drop this act of stupidity.

 

Learn to Paddle, at the Welsh Harp, Friday 5-7pm. Booking Essential

 

Ever wanted to learn to canoe  but didn’t know where to start? Join us at one of our free, Let’s Paddle! events.

 

Location

Phoenix Canoe Club & Outdoor Centre

Cool Oak Lane

London

NW9 7ND

View Map

 

About this Event

 

Learn to paddle with our team of professionally qualified instructors . All the equipment is provided, so all you need to do is book in on this free session and turn up on the day.

 

Book now

 

Please book one time slot per person. Please arrive no more than 15 minutes before your booked slot. These sessions are designed for adults and for children from 9 years old upwards who are interested in trying out a potential new hobby.

 

Parents and Guardians (for those under 18) are required to remain on site during the activity.

Covid-19 Guidelines

 

COVID-19 compliance 2021

 

1, if you or a person in your support bubble have any symptoms of COVID-19 please do not attend the event

2, Spectators should follow local government guidance on group size and avoid standing in large groups

3, All equipment will be sanitised before each session

4, Hand sanitizer must be used prior to the event.

5, Where possible a 2 metre distance should be observed

 

Allow for a short delay when booking in as we need to ensure previous participants have cleared the area

We make the events as safe and fun as possible under the current circumstances

 

Walk ins will not be accepted. If you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket via Eventbrite or please get in touch with us to allow another person(s) a chance to take part. Social distancing measures will be in place and all equipment will be cleaned in between sessions. 

 

Donate to Let’s Activity!

 

The Canal & River Trust’s Let’s Activity campaign is free to attend as part of our work as a waterways and wellbeing charity to help everyone get out, get active and make their lives better by water by learning to paddle. You can now support the work our teams do with children and families and make a donation on our website here.

Brent school in the spotlight over attitude to 'aggressive' Black hair styles

 The case of a Black child being told their hairstyle was unacceptable by a Brent secondary school was the focus of a talk by veteran Grenadian born education campaigner and academic Professor Gus John, at the 'Institutionalisation of Racism Weekend' at the ICA in London.

John  said was using the case to make the point, in his words, that 'Decolonising the institution is a prerequisite for decolonising the curriculum.'

The slides appear to refer to an old case LINK but clearly pertinent given the Black Lives Matter movement and more recent issues in schools.

Slides were shown with extracts from the school's position on corn rows at the time:

Since Michael Gove's education reforms no Brent secondary school is directly controlled by the local authority. There are stand alone academies, multi-academy trusts, academy chains, faith schools and a free school. 

However, Brent Council does have an overall responibility for the wellbeing and safeguarding of all children in the borough and in the light of Black Lives Matter has adopted a Black Community Action Plan. LINK

Of   relevance is a more  recent case won by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission reported here LINK:

Stopping a school from using a discriminatory hairstyle policy

Case name: Ruby Williams vs Urswick School

A pupil, Ruby, took her school to court after it enforced a uniform policy that banned Afro hair of excessive volume. When the school didn’t respond to the claim, the court issued a default judgment in her favour and the family reached a settlement. We funded the case through court and secured a legally binding agreement with the school to ensure it ended the discriminatory policy and considered factors such as race and religion when determining what a ‘reasonable’ hairstyle was. 

Legal issue

Is a school’s policy against pupils wearing ‘voluminous afro hairstyles’ discriminatory.

Background

Ruby Williams is mixed race and has naturally big, afro hair. She was repeatedly refused entry to Urswick School, or sent home, while in years 10 and 11 because the school had a policy which banned big afro hairstyles.

She was told to change her hairstyle to one consistent with the school’s uniform policy, which said that hair must be of ‘a reasonable size’.

Ruby tried numerous hairstyles to comply with the policy but many of these damaged her hair and were time-consuming and expensive.

Ruby developed signs of depression and felt anxious about going to school because of it all.

She worried she would be singled out by teachers in front of her classmates because of her appearance.

The school was sent letters from Ruby's GP and a clinical psychologist warning that she was suffering because of the policy.

Why we were involved

Race is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and afro hair is inherently linked to race.

We were concerned that the policy was indirectly discriminatory because it put Ruby and other mixed race pupils at a particular disadvantage compared to white pupils, and the school could not show it was appropriate or necessary.

What we did

As part of a Legal Support Project we ran in 2017-2018 to tackle discrimination in education, we funded a race discrimination claim against the school on Ruby's behalf.

We then followed up with the school by securing a legally binding agreement, which meant the school removed any reference to volume in its hair-style policy. It also drafted a ‘Policy Equality statement’ to accompany the hairstyle policy so that factors such as race and religion would be factored into determining what a ‘reasonable’ hairstyle was. 

What happened

The school failed to file a defence to the claim and the London County Court therefore issued a default judgment in Ruby’s favour.

After years of delays with her case, Ruby and her family decided to settle out of court.

We followed up with the school by securing a legally binding agreement, which meant the school developed a new hair-style policy which could take account of factors such as race when deciding if a hair-style was appropriate.

Who will benefit and how

Urswick School has nearly 900 pupils. By working with us to establish a non-discriminatory policy, the school has taken steps to protect other children from being treated in the way that Ruby was.

By supporting this case and bringing the issue to the fore through the press, parents and children will be more aware that Race is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and that any discriminatory treatment can and should be challenged.  We have also provided support to Urswick school develop a new hair-style policy.

Young people have set up a campaign to fight discrimination over hair styles called the Halo Collective LINK. They explain their mission:

We are the Black hair revolution

We are an alliance of organisations and individuals working to create a future without hair discrimination, founded by young Black organisers from The Advocacy Academy.

Race-based hair discrimination has been illegal in the UK since the the Equalities Act became law in 2010, and yet it still happens all the time.

For too long, Black people have been told that our hair textures and hairstyles are inappropriate, unattractive, and unprofessional. We’ve been suspended from school, held back in our careers, and made to feel inferior by racist policies and attitudes.

Together, we are fighting for the protection and celebration of Black hair and hairstyles.

 

UNPRECEDENTED RESIDENTS' COALITION OF 18 GROUPS CALL ON MUHAMMED BUTT TO TAKE CLIMATE EMERGENCY ACTION ON ASPHALT

 

From Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements

 

Brent’s new and unprecedented coalition – Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements – has called on the Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt, to reverse the current policy of asphalting pavements instead of repairing broken slabs.

 

Now representing eighteen (18) residents associations and groups right across the Borough, BRAAP is pointing out that covering the many miles of pavements in the Council’s current renewal programme with asphalt involves thousands of trips by diesel-engined heavy lorries. These emit both pollutants of the air we breathe and global warming CO2. This is in direct conflict with Brent’s recently adopted Climate Emergency Strategy. 

 

BRAAP’s letter to Cllr Butt supports the just-published report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and welcomes his article in the Kilburn Times about it. There he says “This is a climate emergency. We must act now.”

 

BRAAP joint-coordinator, Robin Sharp, says:

 

Why is Brent not taking the simple option of reversing its policy on asphalting pavements? This would save hundreds of tons of CO2, unnecessarily spewed into the atmosphere, and be widely popular across the Borough? It would produce a win-win outcome.

 

BRAAP is also asking for an explanation of why Brent councillors voted against a motion at Full Council on 21 July to have the asphalting policy referred to the Public Realm Scrutiny Committee. Cllr Mashari promised in the debate to write to BRAAP the next day with an explanation but no letter has been received.

 

In the light of the IPCC’s report last week, BRAAP is more determined than ever to see an end to Brent’s environmentally disastrous policy to asphalt pavements.

Background

This month’s report by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change makes it unequivocally clear that the catastrophic floods and fires we are seeing across the world are caused by man-made activities producing greenhouse gases.  The evidence is clear that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main driver of climate change -  carbon dioxide from diesel lorries for example.  

 

BRAAP Background

Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements is a new coalition of 18 (and rising) residents’ groups across the borough representing opposition to Brent Council’s policy to asphalt pavements.   It was formed in spring 2021.

Letter to the Leader of Brent Council

BRAAP’s letter to the Leader of Brent dated 23 August 2021 is below.

 

BRENT RESIDENTS AGAINST ASPHALT PAVEMENTS

 

23rd August 2021

Cllr Muhammed Butt

Leader of Brent Council

Civic Centre

Engineer’s Way HA9 0FJ

 

Dear Councillor Butt

 

Residents against Brent’s Climate-unfriendly asphalting policy

We would like to begin by introducing you to BRAAP – Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements. We are now an unprecedented coalition of eighteen, yes eighteen, residents’ associations and residents’ groups across the whole of the borough. We do what it says on the tin. We don’t know of any similar voluntary grouping in Brent on this scale on any other topic of concern to the citizens of our community. We are asking you and your colleagues to hear what we have to say.

 

IPCC

This month’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report makes it crystal clear that the catastrophic floods and fires we are seeing across the world are caused by human-controlled activities producing greenhouse gases. This epoch- making document serves to reinforce Brent’s own Climate Emergency Strategy which we support, as far as it goes. Among other things that says: „We will develop and implement a sustainable procurement policy that requires sustainable practices to be considered throughout our procurement and contract management procedures.”

 

We agree with your article in the current Kilburn Times where you state‚’This is a climate emergency, we must act now.’

 

Brent’s Strategy explains that there are many actions that individuals can take towards the UK’s net zero carbon goal – and that the Council must make every effort to adapt its own policies to the same end. There is a simple cheap option that the Council could take very quickly – but it is not listed either for short- or longer term action.

 

This is to reverse the policy of replacing footway paving slabs with asphalting throughout the Borough and not to start any new asphalting contracts from now on.

 

The rationale is really a no-brainer. Asphalting the many miles of footway in the Council’s current programme is requiring thousands of journeys by diesel-engined HGVs which emit both global warming CO2 and pollutants of the air we breathe. In addition asphalt when laid down contributes to warming of the ambient air temperature, needing alleviation through planting. By contrast replacing broken paving slabs consumes minimal resources and very few HGV miles, while pulverising good slabs to make way for asphalt burns up yet more energy.

 

Voting against Brent Scrutiny of asphalting policies

This being the case we are at a loss to understand why the Council has rejected BRAAP’s fully reasoned request for the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee to examine policies involved in asphalting pavements by voting against the motion put forward by Cllr Kansagra at the Full Council on 21 July. Moreover we are dismayed that Cllr Mashari, Chair of Scrutiny, did not honour her promise to write to BRAAP the next day to explain why you and colleagues voted against scrutiny of a policy which is opposed by so many residents’ groups.

 

We look forward to your response. Could you please let us know by 31st August if you are ready to consider our proposal and include it in the Climate Emergency Strategy? We are also writing to other Councillors.

 

Best wishes

 

BRAAP Co-ordinators

 

Contacts:

 

Flavia Rittner - administrator & co-ordinator: frittner7@gmail.com

Robin Sharp - co-ordinator: robisharp@googlemail.com 

 

Brent Residents Against Asphalt Pavements

 

Aylestone Park Residents’ & Tenants’ Association 

Barn Hill Residents’ Association

Brent Eleven Streets

Brent Parks Forum

Brondesbury Residents’ & Tenants’ Association

Brondesbury Road Group

Chandos Road Group

Clifford Gardens Group

Harlesden Area Action

Kensal Rise Residents Association

Kensal Triangle Residents Association

Kilburn Village Residents Association

Mapesbury Pavements Action Group

Queens Park Area Residents Association

Roe Green Village Residents Association

Sudbury Town Residents Association

Wembley Central & Alperton Residents Association

Willesden Green Residents Association

 

 

 

St Raphael's Voice committed to work for investment & improvements to estate after decision not to redevelop

 

When Brent Council announced on August 12th LINK that redevelopment after demolition was no longer an option for St Raphael's Estate, Wembley Matters offered both resident groups active on the estate a guest post  to explain their reaction.

St Raphael's Estate Community Action posted a guest blog on August 13th welcoming the decision LINK.

Today Asif Zamir, Chair of St Raphael's Voice, puts their perspective:

We are happy to have had the opportunity as St Raphael's Voice and residents of St Raphael’s Estate to co-work with the council and KCA to develop both masterplans.

 

Having heard the announcement that redevelopment is no longer financially viable and will not be offered as an option; as per the original commitment from the council there will be no need for a ballot.

 

This has left many residents who were looking to exercise their preferred choice by way of democratic vote (Ballot)disappointed as they felt that redevelopment could have been a life changing opportunity for them financially as well as positively changed and uplifted the area they live in. Others welcomed the decision as it has meant that they will not have to make any changes and can continue with their lives and do not have to plan for any major changes.

 

Many residents are of course disappointed that they won't get the opportunity to vote on the redevelopment and that there is no longer an option for it to happen but we understand the reason for the decision and will work positively with the council to ensure the Infill plus option delivers the best possible result for residents. SRVs role has always been and continues to remain to support and ensure any consultation/work was truly led by the community. It is a role we have always taken seriously and have delivered on it. Over the last few years we have worked hard to support residents and have assisted residents throughout covid - leading the Stonebridge ward mutual aid group offering a food and medical supplies support service, we have set up the residents association which assists in the management of the estate, we have successfully set up youth sports clubs on the estate and lots more. We are committed and will continue to work hard to ensure St Raphael's Estate receives the investment it needs and there continues to be improvements to enrich the lives of residents.

 

St Raphael's should never have become a point scoring platform for organisations such as ASH who with certain individuals attempted to divide the estate - fortunately residents did not play into their hands and continued to support St Raphael's Voice- we have always attempted to be the backbone of the estate and stand up for the rights of residents and amplify their voices it was never their masterplan - it was always ours. Even though we didn't get the opportunity for a ballot, it remains a victory for the residents of St Raphael's Estate, as this process has allowed us to attract investment and further improvements.

Barnet Council's £18.8m plans for West Hendon Playing Fields at the Welsh Harp

Barnet Council have approved a scheme to go to Planning Committee in 2022 for the transformation of the West Hendon Playing Fields at the Barnet end of the Welsh Harp. 

 

Satellite image of the area as it is at present

The Welsh Harp is within the boundaries of both Barnet and Brent Councils and is jointly managed by them and the Canal and Rivers Trust.

In a Press Release LINK  Barnet Council said:

New facilities will include tennis courts, 3G artificial turf pitches, a high ropes course, bowling green, multi-use games area, outdoor gym, play area, skate park and more. There will be a Hub building with a café, indoor climbing, activity studio, nursery, soft play, community rooms, changing rooms and toilets.

Councillor Dean Cohen, Chair of the Environment Committee, said: 

It’s great to see Barnet reaping the benefits of growth in our borough. This has included vast improvements to our parks and green spaces. This latest investment comes on top of the £5million regeneration of Silkstream Park and Montrose Playing Fields, and £1.1million put into the ongoing refurbishment of Colindale Park. This will benefit the borough’s residents, businesses and visitors, and I look forward to seeing our vision become a reality.

Work on the sports hub project will continue after an outline business case for its development was approved at a recent meeting of Barnet Council’s Policy & Resources Committee. Funding for the project will come from a range of sources including the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Community Infrastructure Levy is money collected from new development which is used to fund infrastructure to support development. Part of the CIL funding from the scheme will be generated from the West Hendon estate, providing 2,194 properties – including 1,553 new homes including 543 affordable homes.

The development follows a £5million investment in the regeneration of Silkstream Park and Montrose Playing Fields, between Colindale and Burnt Oak, which was completed last year. It will follow a £1.1million regeneration of Colindale Park, which is currently in progress.

Construction of the new facilities in West Hendon is expected to begin after an outline planning application has been submitted in 2022.