Hospital Merger Plans Challenged

36 people turned up at the Sattavis Patidar Centre, Forty Avenue last night to discuss the proposed merger of Ealing and North West London Hospitals Trust (covering Central Middlesex, Northwick Park and St Mark's hospitals). This compared with 100 at the recent Ealing meeting and a 'client' base of 800,000 people.


Professor Rory Shaw, Medical Director, made the case for the merger. The organisational merger would enable the joint Trust to have larger specialist teams which would be more viable than the present small teams, enable shift-work to take place and would attract high calibre staff Economies of scale would mean the Trust could keep pace with developments by buying up to date equipment and make resources, including scanners and operating theatres 'work harder' and the buildings 'earn their keep'. 

He said that Northwick Park's  stroke care unit was a good example of the merits of large, centralised teams and had led to better survival rates and fewer cases of paralysis.


Although the Chair of Brent LINk (Local Involvement Network) had stipulated that the meeting was not to discuss services, Shaw said that the merger was being proposed against the consultation on the commissioning of services that would take place in Summer 2012.  The focus would be on prevention and long-term conditions and more care and treatment in the community. He claimed that the latter was bothe cheaper and more effective.


He said that the move was taking place as a time when there was a general recognition that bigger was better. Other speeches from the six suited males on the platform extolled the merits of 'an army of generic workers', with an implication that these might be volunteers, who could help patients at home with hospital-home transition. We were treated to the management  mantra 'Localise where possible, centralise where necessary'.


Challenged that the presentation had not mentioned the financial plight of the NWLH Trust and that the merger proposal was a cover for cuts, the platform said that there was a financial saving involved of £7m and that this was specified in the Business Plan. Savings would be made in management and through reduction in 'back office' costs. Asked if  'developing the estate' meant selling off prime sites, especially in the light of the apparent running down of the Ealing and Central Middlesex hospitals, they said that sell-offs were not in the Business Plan but 'there may be scope for that in the future'.

Carers criticised the emphasis on volunteers and a speaker from the Sickle Society was concerned about the speed of the changes and poor consultation with users. He said that there had not been sufficient consideration of the needs of people with Sickle Cell and Central Middlesex Hospital's historic role in providing specialist care.

The platform was challenged on the implications of patients having to travel further for treatment and concern that the disadvantaged population of South Brent would be further disadvantaged if Central Middlesex was run down. Health inequalities would increase. A speaker from the floor made a strong demand for a Equality Impact Assessment. Despite repeated requests the platform were un able to advise which bus patients should get from Harlesden to Northwick Park Hospital.

Behind it all was the implication that larger teams would mean each site would have different specialisms which would not be offered at other hospitals in the Trust. The platform argued that routine care would still be provided at each hospital. A question asking if the new arrangements would be able to cope with a 'major incident' in South Brent with its many railways, the North Circular, waste sites and commercial premises; was not answered.


Brent LINk will be putting together its response and you can contribute: brentlink@hestia.org Tel: 020 8965 0309. Brent LINk Unit 56, The Designworks, Park Parade, Harlesden, London, NW10 4HT

Harrow LINk will hold its own consultation:
HARROW LINk: Thursday 12 January 2012. Registration and refreshments from 5.30pm. Event starts at 5.50pm and will close at 8pm. Premier House Banqueting, Canning Road, Harrow, HA3 7TS. Places are limited. If you like to attend please contact Harrow LINk at info@harrowlink.org.uk
or call 020 8863 3355.


TIMETABLE
November 2011 Outline Business Case for merger signed off by NHS London
March/April 2012 Full Business Case approved by the Trust Boards and NHS London
May 2012 Submission for approval by Department of Health Transaction Board
July 2012 Merger takes places
Autumn 2012 Commissioning of Services

Shahrar Ali's report on the meeting is HERE

Different views in Wembley Central today

Rubbish in London Road that Labour councillors and canvassers walked past today

A front garden today, a rare sight amongst the 'car parks with houses attached'

I bumped into about 10 Labour party canvassers in London Road today who had just walked past a prime example (above) of the impact of Brent's waste management cuts. We were all out and about canvassing for the Wembley Central by-election to be held on December 22nd.

Afifa Pervez (Lib Dem) is campaigning on car parking charges and Madhuri Davda (Conservative) is calling for the end of traffic calming measures which deliberately 'slow down traffic', 'unnecessary bus lanes' and narrowing of the main roads. Both ignore the root of the problem which is that we have too many cars on our roads. Front gardens are paved over with two or more cars per household. Pervez claims that local people need their cars to get to work, take their children to school and do their shopping while Davda claims 'as Wembley's population grows, this problem will only get worse'. Of course it will if everyone of an age to drive insists on having their own cars and parents insist on driving their children to school rather than (horrors!) walking, or (even more horrifying!) using a bus.

There is something pretty illogical about assuming unblocked roads would make things easier if the driving population increases - not to mention longer bus journeys when buses lose priority, which would force people back into cars, and increased traffic placing children in danger from speeding vehicles on 'unblocked roads'. Then of course there is the increased air pollution from all those vehicles.

I support 20mph limits in built up areas and increased investment in public transport to get people out of their cars. Good local schools would reduce the need for all those school runs. While we are at it let's have some controls over the paving over of front gardens - our local streets are becoming nothing more than car parks with houses attached.

The Lib Dem's 'Focus' By-election newspaper states 'Wembley campaigner Afifa Pervez is leading the campaign to save Brent libraries'. Well, no. The Brent SOS Library Campaign is a non-party campaign made up of non-affiliated residents and some who are members of Labour, Green, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. It is not owned by an political party and Pervez does not lead it.  Davda is also campaigning for the libraries but neither mention the fact that it is Coalition cuts to local government funding that has led to Brent Council's cuts.

Which brings us to Krupa Sheth, the Labour candidate who is in the unenviable position of having to defend Labour's cuts. Abracadabra - she copes with the problem in a twinkling by ignoring what the Labour Council has been doing. Instead she assures us that she 'believes in our local schools' but doesn't tell us that her parents believed in them so much they sent her to the private, fee-paying Swaminarayan School. She goes on to say that she will fight the government's 'unfair' cuts to 'Brent's schools, hospitals, police and more'. Well the Labour Council hasn't made much of a fist of that so far.

I go back to basic position: the Tory and Lib Dem candidates deserve no respect if they do not acknowledge that their Coalition government is responsible for the massive reduction in local government budgets as well as abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance, cutting of the  Building Schools for the Future programme which affect our children;s education and the potentially devastating consequences early next year of the Housing Benefit cap which will see many of our families made homeless. Standing up for the rights of motorists seems at the very least 'inadequate' in those circumstances.

And Labour has to be honest. They have to admit that they have been forced to do the Coalition's dirty work and that Brent Council cuts are going to hurt people and damage life chances. No more hiding behind euphemisms such as 'transformation' and 'efficiencies'. There appears to be no appetite amongst Labour councillors for a united fight, alongside the community, for justice for the people of Brent but that is what would bring them back some respect.

E-Zone solutions an attack on democracy - Greens

The Green Party has dismissed current solutions to the Euro-zone crisis as short-sighted, economically unsustainable and tantamount to an attack on European democracy.

Current solutions to the sovereign debt crisis all amount to the same thing: the poorest paying the bill.
Two solutions are currently being discussed; first, a €2trillion fund to bail out indebted countries so that they can pay their debts to banks; second, a multi billion euro project to recapitalise the banks so that indebted countries can be allowed to default without bankrupting banks.

The first solution asks European tax payers to underwrite a €2trillion fund. The second asks Europeans tax payers to underwrite banks. Essentially they are the same regressive solution, which hits the poorest hardest and does nothing to resolve a systemic crisis.

The current solution does nothing to prevent future unsustainable debt and subsequent future crisis. Instead, it undermines democracy by putting the survival of banks before the interests of society.

The Green Party has come forward with an ambitious alternative to the neo-liberal, pro-corporate ideology that is governing economic policy in Paris, Berlin and the European Central Bank.

The alternative is twofold. First, banks must pay for themselves. The level of capital reserve must be raised and new ratios of fractional reserve banking need to introduced and enshrined in legislation. In this way, unsustainable sovereign debt will be paid for by the banking creditors who decided to make a profit by taking the risk; not the societies who stand to suffer.

This will mean that the financial sector will need to reduce its asset base which will hit lending to the real economy. To offset this, a massive Green Investment Bank (GIB) must be created to lend to sustainable businesses and industries, where the financial sector fails to do so.

Such a GIB could be funded by the same capital that is being discussed for the €2trillion bailout fund and the recapitalisation of European banks. In addition, the GIB could be funded by a higher banking levy and a financial transaction tax. The difference would be that tax payer's money would not be going into the financial black hole of hedge fund balance sheets. Instead, the money will be used to create real - tax payer owned - assets, in affordable homes, renewable energy and sustainable industry.

The Green Party calls on European governments to dismiss the needs of private financial institutions, provide millions of jobs and give tax payers control over their own economy. You might call it a democratic solution to the Euro-zone crisis.

Greens at Wembley again this weekend

At the Climate Justice March with Jean Lambert Green MEP and Jenny Jones Green AM and Mayoral Candidate

Off canvassing again on Sunny Saturday and Soggy Sunday for the Wembley central By-election.  If you would like to help meet us as 11am outside Wembley Central Station and we'll do some door-knocking and leaflet delivering.

Great Indian veggie food afterwards.

Brent needs a properly resourced Central Middlesex Hospital

Is Central Middlesex being reduced to a 'poly clinic'?

 The possible merger of the Ealing Hospital and North West London Hospitals Trust is being discussed in a series of meetings in Ealing, Brent and Harrow but anxiety about the future of Central Middlesex (commonly known locally as 'Park Royal') Hospital is likely to be a big issue.

A meeting of 100 people at Ealing Town Hall yesterday provoked a lively discussion with many people concerned about the running down of Central Middlesex Hospital as well as the merger itself. Hospital administrators when challenged admitted there had not been consultation over the withdrawal of overnight Accident and Emergency Services at Central Middlesex and said the decision had been made on 'clinical grounds'. They said they hope to reopen the facility soon. They also stated that an NHS bid to run the service had been rejected in favour of one from Care UK.

The gradual running down of a hospital serving a deprived area such as South Brent/Park Royal is causing considerable concern. Health in poorer neighbourhoods is already an issue: there is heavy pollution from the North Circular Road affecting many local children, possibilities of traffic accidents on the North Circular a higher possibility of gun and knife wounds and more  illness associated with alcohol and drug abuse.

Families and individuals lacking cars to transport them to Ealing or Northwick Park would have a difficult journey to the hospitals or may have to resort to calling an ambulance. More and longer ambulance journeys seem a distinct possibility.

 We have to be concerned about whether a reduced Central Middlesex would be able to cope with a .major incident' in the area.

Central Middlesex has a history of being responsive to the needs of the local population and was instrumental in getting sickle cell anaemia recognised as an illness and pioneering treatment.  There are further specific illnesses in our loaclity, such as TB,  which require such an approach.




BBC REPORT

Make your voice count – LINks will be holding events to seek views from its members and the public regarding the proposed merger


LINks across Brent, Ealing and Harrow will be holding events to seek the view of LINks members and the public regarding the proposed merger of Ealing Hospital NHS Trust and The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust. Representatives from the Trusts will give a presentation and be available to answers questions. The events are as follows:

BRENT LINk: Monday 12 December 2011. Registration and light refreshments from 6.30pm. Event starts at 7pm and will close at approximately 9pm. Sattavis Patidar Centre, Forty Avenue at the junction with The Avenue, Wembley Park, Middlesex HA9 9PE. Places are limited. If you would like to attend, please call the Brent LINk Team on 020 8965 0309 or email: brentlink@hestia.org

HARROW LINk: Thursday 12 January 2012. Registration and refreshments from 5.30pm. Event starts at 5.50pm and will close at 8pm. Premier House Banqueting, Canning Road, Harrow, HA3 7TS. Places are limited. If you like to attend please contact Harrow LINk at info@harrowlink.org.uk
or call 020 8863 3355.

Volunteer Saturday School teachers wanted

A Kingsbury Supplementary School is looking for volunteer primary school teachers to help them out on Saturdays.

Teachers are needed for Years 1-3 am and Y4-5 pm to help children with English and Maths.

Contact the Kingsbury Project For Somali Youth at sabaax48@googlemail.com

Willesden Green Library not on December Executive Agenda

The report on the  rebuild of Willesden Green Library, which was rescheduled  for the December 12th Executive has not been tabled. The item was deferred at the last Executive meeting on November 14th.

Anyone know what's going on?

A Brent 'social enterprise' to provide school services?

A little more information is emerging on possible new models for Brent's school improvement and other educational services.

Brent Council will  make a offer in January 2012 for its traded services to schools and is confident it has the resources to provide all the services schools wish to buy in 2012-13.

However from 2013 any remaining funding from the Council will be spent on supporting the core, statutory services that remain with them. This includes overviewing schools performance and intervening in schools experiencing decline or difficulties.

In one model being proposed other services would be provided by a Social  Enterprise Board that is based on 'co-leadership and co-ownership' of school improvement through a partnership between schools and the local authority.  The Board would have 2 headteacher representatives, 2  from the local authority, 2 managers and two external members (commercial and higher education).  There would be 11 'theme' groups covering different services. The Council suggests that such a social enterprise could trade within and beyond Brent on a self-financing basis.

At the same time the LA is exploring links with neighbouring boroughs to see if a jointly owned 'bank' of educational professionals could provide 'high quality, specialist expertise across a wide range of areas'.

The LA intends to go ahead and consult with headteachers on the proposals over the next year.

Although schools already pay for traded services from within their own budgets there are clearly budgetary implications. 'Self-financing' may require a contribution from school budgets which are likely to be under pressure by 2013.  It could be seen as a way of shifting the financial burden of cuts  from the LA to schools. The proposals may well not be sufficiently attractive for some schools that are currently discussing academy conversion and want to move swiftly to take advantage of current financial incentives.

Watch this space.

Does this make a mockery of planning?

Brent Council's recent consultation on the Wembley Stadium area plan included questions about the concentration of waste management facilities in the area and included the possibility of de-designation. There was an implication that some facilities were there without proper planning permission and a suggestion that some sites could be moved as they constituted 'dirty neighbours' and discouraged new firms moving into the area.

A 'retrospective' application for change of use of F. Flannery Yard, Third Way, Wembley HA9 OEL has just gone up on the Council website. Retrospective permission is sought for a change of use of part of the site from builder's yard to:

concrete crushing for waste disposal and soil recovery

 Lo and behold, on November 14th 2011, a planning application for the same site was approved for its use for storage of plant, machinery etc which specifically stated:

Any use of the land for waste processing or the storage of waste, loose aggregates and building materials or use of the site as a transfer site for such material is excluded.

Brent Greens are already very concerned about air quality in the Neasden/Wembley area and 'concrete crushing' to a layman does not sound as if it will improve it!. The retrospective nature of the submission implies that the process may already be happening which sound like a flagrant breach of the exclusion of only a month ago.

The site is not far away (across the Metropolitan and Chiltern railway lines) from Chalkhill and Margaret Clitheroe primary schools.

MAP

Doing the Coalition's Dirty Work?

An improvement in Brent Council's collection rate for 2011-12, partly due to more people using direct debits, means that it will have a surplus of £1m on its collection account at the end of this financial year. Last year there was a loss of £1.3m at the end of the financial year. Brent's share of the £1m  surplus will be £776,000 which can be used for services that otherwise would have had to be cut.

Meanwhile I look forward to hearing how the Council is intending to consult on this year's budget. Its Report tabled at the November 21st Council meeting stated:

Late December: Consultation with residents, businesses, voluntary sector, partner agencies and trade unions on budget proposals.

As I have suggested previously it would be much better if the Council worked with local people to construct a 'needs budget' that would set out what the Council needs to provide effective services for the people of Brent. This could then be used as a campaigning tool to bring councillors and citizens together.

It was interesting to read the comment in last week's New Statesman by Sally Gimson.  Gimson won the Highgate by-election for  Labour  two and a half months ago again despite a strong showing by the Greens. She wrote:

We have been elected by the people of Camden to protect them against the worst of Tory/Lib Dem excesses, but I wonder now I've got here whether we may just be forced to do their dirty work.

Exactly!

The Schools Forum will tonight be agreeing funding principles and discussing budget issues against the background of more schools considering academy conversion.

Dos the 'market' govern us now?

Well, I used to worry that multinational companies really ruled the world and that governments were relatively powerless...

Now is seems that the markets can impose unelected technocrat governments (Greece and Italy) and via Standard and Poor's rating agency make whole regions quake in their boots and adjust their policies to please the market.

Where were Standard and Poor's  when the banks were behaving so recklessly back before 2008?

Where does that leave democracy and our right to elect a party that will govern in OUR interests?

See Wall Street Journal on S & P's role in original US mortgage crisis HERE

Draft West London Waste Plan

Avoiding this....but what will replace it?

 The draft Plan for dealing with the waste of the boroughs of Brent, Richmond, Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon and Harrow can be found HERE  It is an item on the agenda of Brent Council Executive at the meeting to be held on Monday 12th December, 7pm at Brent Town Hall.

Standing Up for Climate Justice

Several thousand  people did just that today when they marched from Blackfriars Bridge to the Houses of Parliament midway through the Durban Climate Change talks. It was important amidst all the devastation of cuts, unemployment and the euro-zone crisis to remember the even larger environmental crisis engulfing our planet.

A 'new look' education authority for Brent?

Following moves by various Brent schools towards Cooperative Trust status or Cooperative Academies, the Children and Families department of the Council  has put forward some proposals to headteachers for a possible  'new look' education authority. This would reduce the services provided  by the authority to a small statutory core with many more being provided through collaborative arrangements between schools. The collaboration could be formalised into a social enterprise.

I understand that this is based on:
1. An expectation of a sharply reduced central education budget.
2. A recognition of the enormous amount of expertise that exists within the schools.
3. A recognition that schools want more autonomy.

Although this addresses the attraction of the Cooperative model's ethos and criticism of the deteriorating quality of some LA services, it does not deal with the short-term financial gain some secondary schools hope to get through academy conversion.

In this week's Brent and Kilburn Times (see below) I called for an open debate on the future of the Brent education system. The initiative from the Council makes this even more necessary.

Click on image to enlarge

Plans for new waste sites in Brent dropped

The draft West London Waste  Plan in October 2010 proposed 4 new possible sites in Brent for redevelopment for processing residual waste, as well as two existing ones . The revised list, following consultation, only includes the two existing sites: Twyford Waste Transfer Station and Veolia Transfer Station, Marsh Road. The site in Hannah Close.Great Central Way is now occupied and so is no longer proposed. Careys. the waste management company, who are contributing to the running of the Welsh Harp Outdoor Education Centre, now have an MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) in Hannah Close.  Brent Council says that the other three sites are now 'for one reason or another, considered too difficult to deliver'.  The sites were at Asia Sky, Abbey Road; rail sidings, Premier Park Road, and Alperton Lane industrial area, Marsh Road.

This will be a relief for Brent residents but Ealing does not fare so well and some of their sites are close to the Brent border.   Three existing sites are listed including one at Quattro in Victoria Road, Park Royal as well as two new ones in Park Royal (see below).

The Brent Executive will be asked to approved a revised WLWP for publication at its meeting on December 12th. Once the document has been approved by all 6 WLWA boroughs it will be made available for a further six weeks consultation in February 2012. Authority will then be sought from each borough to submit the Plan to the Secretary of State for Examination in Public. This is likely to take place in late 2012 and the plan adopted in early 2012.

In tandem with this the WLWA will be completing the selection of the new contractor for the multi-million 25 year residual waste contract. As posted previously this includes controversial Veolia who run the Marsh Road Transfer Station in Brent.

No technology has yet been put forward for the new sites, this will be done at the planning station, and environmental groups will be monitoring for any incineration or other potentially harmful processes.

Stand Up for Climate Justice Tomorrow

The Brent contingent going to the Climate Justice march will meet at 10.45am tomorrow at Willesden Green Station.

Click on image to enlarge

Victoria Brittain on 'The Meaning of Waiting' Wembley Dec 13th

Join IHRC on December 13th for an evening with Victoria Brittain discussing her play The Meaning of Waiting where eight women tell their stories using their own words of the unseen fallout of the war on terror in Britain. These are stories of real women, from cultures as varied as Palestine, Senegal, Jordan, Libya, St John's Wood, and the English Midlands that all came to the UK as refugees, or married refugees. After 9/11 the world they loved here vanished almost overnight. One after another they were engulfed by isolation and private terror.

Entry is free to book a place please call 020 8904 4222 or email events@ihrc.org, or leave your name and details in store.

Date:                                 13 December 2011 (Tuesday)
Time:                                 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Venue:                              IHRC Bookshop, Gallery and Information Centre
                                          202 Preston Road, Wembley, HA9 8PA
Nearest train / tube:        Preston Road (Metropolitan Line), South Kenton (Bakerloo Line, London Overground)

A fun day with a serious message for the Coalition

 

My home-made placard for today's National Strike disappeared at Lincoln's Inn Field today only for me to spot it later being sported by a young student. She was disarmingly unapologetic so I decided the fact that my efforts had been taken up so enthusiastically by the next generation  was a tribute to my artistic expertise!

The earlier rally at the Torch in Wembley had standing room only and with more than 50 Brent schools closed there was a great spirit of solidarity and some fantastic speeches. Labour councillors Janice Long and Mary Arnold were in the audience. The march itself was high-spirited, comradely and lots of fun with women in the majority.

HS2 vanity project a 'disgrace' at time of massive cuts

Last night's meeting sought to re-galvanise the High Speed Rail 2 campaign ahead of the decision on whether to proceed with the project which is expected to be announced by Justine Greening MP on December 20th.

Among the issues that were discussed were:

• The fact that the carbon emissions from the trains will be higher per passenger than car travel.
• The project is a standalone one sponsored initially by Lord Adonis without any links with a strategic transport development plan.
• The lack of connectivity of HS2 (especially with HS1) and the lack of any concrete plans/station locations north of Birmingham.
• The economic case assumes time travelling on trains is 'wasted but we all know people work on trains.
• The costing of £32bn for the whole project does not include the many farm bridges that will be required, works needed as a result of the Environmental Impact Assessment, and the rolling stock.
• In places under Kensal the roof of the tunnel will be less than 10metres below some houses and there is no assessment of the noise and vibration that will be made by 250mph trains as they brake going into Old Oak Common.
• Because Euston will lack platform space we will lose the Overground link with Euston.
• Technology does not exist as yet for running 18 trains per hour in each direction at these speeds.
• The ongoing subsidy for HS2 will benefit the richest in society and no figures have been published for the eventual fare.
• The Transport Select Committee Report on HS2 raises so many issues around context, finance, environmental impact, number of trains per hour that it amounts to requesting that they go back to the drawing board.
• A Westminster Council report, although ostensibly against the project, is aggressively challenging on the route and other issues.

In discussion it was suggested that campaigners should not be duped into concentrating on the detail but instead focus  on what the £32bn could be spent on instead of HS2 at a time when public services are being cut and other railways need investment. A leaf should be taken from the St Paul's Occupiers and the project exposed as a ' @$*&%£#' disgrace'.

The meeting agreed that a bullet point update was requested that could then be used to write to MPs, including' off-route' ones, as well as London Assembly Members.

The Green Party passed this motion on HS2 at its Cardiff Conference:

The Green Party believes that long-distance service provision should not concentrate on high speeds where this will affect local service provision or take up and excessive amount of limited resources.

 Current proposals for a new north-south high speed rail route are based on assumptions about continuing growth in mobility, energy use and CO2 emissions which are not compatible with green party policy.

The Green Party does not support the current (2011) high speed rail proposals known as HS2 but will review this policy if and when evidence emerges that HSR is embedded within an overall policy context that can deliver reductions in the demand for transport, energy use, land take and CO2 emissions.

Further information:
www.stopthetunnel.blogspot.com
www.ktra.co.uk
http://pancamdenhs2alliance.org/

Osborne’s failure on Green Economy and Jobs’

• Cash boost for big polluters shows Osborne ‘dangerously colour blind on the green economy’; Britain needs a Green New Deal
• Chancellor reveals plan to ‘rip up environmental and social protection laws’
• ‘Government failing to address UK’s biggest crisis: the jobs deficit’
• Ruling out Robin Hood Tax on financial sector is ‘huge mistake’

Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement today, setting out the Coalition Government’s strategy to deal with the UK’s stagnatingeconomy. The announcement coincides with a number of pessimistic predictions which set the British economy on course for a double dip recession next year

Responding to the Statement, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion and leader of the Green party of England and Wales, said:

Today’s budget announcement exposes just how dangerously colour blind the Chancellor really is when it comes to the green economy and the low carbon industries which can help lift us out of recession.

And the fact that the Osborne is taking £250 million away from hard pressed families to fund a big cash boost for some of this country’s most polluting industries – whilst also rushing through major cuts to the flourishing solar industry – simply beggars belief.

Why agree on a much needed carbon tax to drag the UK’s energy intensive industries into the 21st century and pay for their contribution to the climate crisis, but then be scared into giving millions back because a few vested interests like Tata call your bluff?

This backwards and expensive merry-go-round shows that the Government is completely clueless on how to manage the low carbon revolution – and risks relegating the UK to the backseat when it comes to climate change and renewables.

Furthermore, the decision to scrap the 3p rise in fuel duty is scandalously short sighted and will set back our efforts to tackle transport emissions and air pollution. Instead, the Government should reverse the increase in VAT brought in at the beginning of the year – a better way of helping those finding it hardest to cope, as well as helping the economy to recover.”

‘Threat to our natural heritage’

Lucas continued:

What is also clear from today’s statement is that our valued countryside and environmental heritage is now seriously under threat from this Governmen’s bias towards big business. The Chancellor’s intention to scrap the so-called ‘red tape’ which protects the UK’s forests and fields from over-development, and reform the planning laws in favour of developers, is a call to arms for anyone who cares about conserving our natural heritage.

On inequality: ‘Nothing to see here’ 

This budget package – which looks suspiciously like a panicked Plan B rather than a Plan A Plus – does nothing to address the deepening inequality which is harming hard working people up and down the country.

Osborne refuses to address the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots, and the persisting culture of entitlement in the financial sector that has allowed the earnings of top Barclays executives, for example, to increase by a stratospheric 4899.4% since 1980, whilst wages for the average worker have only seen a threefold increase.

The fact that the Government has confirmed it will not support a financial transactions tax such as the Robin Hood tax, or offer anything new to tackle tax avoidance and evasion, tells us all we need to know about the commitment to social justice amongst the Cabinet’s millionaire ministers.

And ripping up social protection laws is not the way to value our workforce and generate new jobs – indeed, industrial relations experts have shown that there is no ‘clear-cut link’ between employment protection and levels of unemployment.

On public infrastructure spending: ‘Missed opportunity to switch to green
quantitative easing’

Construction and road-building corporations are lobbying for more Government spending rather than austerity cuts – but the Chancellor lacks the courage or political vision to channel this billion pound spend into the job rich, green industries of the future.

If we invested heavily now in a major Green New Deal programme to create new state-owned renewable energy and an increase in energy efficiency measures to help bring down bills, we could create hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as remain internationally competitive in the green technology race.

The jobs deficit

The Green MP concluded:

Ultimately, the constant downgrading of the UK’s growth forecasts is the clearest proof we need that the Coalition’s cuts plan is completely failing even on its own terms – with the Chancellor merely tinkering around the edges on our most urgent problem: the jobs deficit.

With unemployment at its highest rate since 1994, and more than one million 16-24 year olds out of work, the myth that the private sector would step in when the Government scaled back public spending to magic up jobs out of nowhere has been exposed as nonsense.

See you at the Torch tomorrow for biggest Brent strike rally for years

I will be back at the Torch Pub, opposite the ARK Academy in Wembley Park tomorrow, for a rally of education and other public sector workers who will be striking about their pensions.

The rally begins at 9.30am and refreshments will be available. Hundreds of teachers, lecturers, caretakers, teaching assistants, meals supervisors, school secretaries and supporters will hear speeches from several union General Secretaries and Presidents before leaving en masse about 11am for the demonstration in Central London,

It will be bigger and better than the last rally on June 30th as ATL, NUT and UCU will be joined by members of NASUWT, GMB, NAHT and UNISON who will be on striketo protect their pensions.

There will be a prize for the most imaginative placard.

The Torch is at the junction of Bridge Road and Forty Lane. Cross the road at Wembley Park Station and turn left along Bridge Road.

Green Wembley Central By-election Campaign

I will be campaigning in the Wembley Central by-election against the background of the economic crisis, cuts in the welfare state and the deteriorating international situation regarding action on climate change. A huge canvas for a small local by-election so my leaflet concentrates on local issues linked to those broader ones:

Click on images to enlarge

Will anyone who wishes to help in the campaign contact me at martin.francis@greenparty.org.uk   Thanks

Green Party supports tomorrow's strike of 2 million

The Green Party strongly supports the unions' strike over changes to their Public Sector pension schemes which will see their members having to work longer and contribute more. The 24 hour walk out is set to be the UK's biggest strike for over 30 years with over 2 million Public Sector employees taking part.

We call for a clamp down on tax evasion by the rich and a tax on financial transactions rather than the proposed public sector cuts and for the Government to urgently review the state pension which remains below poverty levels. We would like to see the rapid introduction of a citizen's pension, paid at a level that allows people to meet basic needs

Stuart Jeffrey, Policy Coordinator, Green Party National Executive

The Conservative-led Government's assault on public sector pensions is a serious concern for my constituents and for workers across the public sector. While recent moves by Ministers to improve the pensions package offered some hope, it's clear that we are still far from a genuinely fair deal.


I regret the disruption caused by industrial action, but feel confident that union leaders have resorted to a full strike only as a last resort - because public sector employees up and down the country continue to feel that the Government is simply not listening.

We must not forget that these are our nurses, teachers, civil servants - the people who provide the crucial services which we rely on every day. The Greens will not hesitate to lend our support and solidarity to them on November 30.

 Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and MP for Brighton Pavilion

Greens at Westminster and City Hall will not cross the picket lines to work tomorrow.

Brent lagging behind on sustainable food

Kilburn and Kensal Harvesting Project (Video by Jonathan P Goldberg)

Brent is one of six London boroughs highlighted as "lagging behind disappointingly on action to support healthy and sustainable food" in a new report “Good Food for London” by Sustain and the London Food Link [1]

 

The report shows that although Brent is making progress in some areas such as - collecting food waste, community food growing spaces through the Capital Growth programme, and working towards achieving Fairtrade status, the Borough is sadly falling behind on many other areas - food in schools, “Food for Life”, sustainable fish, animal welfare, and healthy catering. 

 

Viv Stein, spokesperson for Brent Campaign against Climate Change, said:  “Brent’s recent Green Charter espoused the virtues of their sustainable credentials.  This new report shows that when it comes to sustainable food, they are way behind other London Boroughs and must do better.

 

Members of Transition Kensal to Kilburn planting on Kilburn tube station platform earlier this year.

“Community groups such as Transition Kensal to Kilburn have led the way in local food growing, and have shown that it can be grown virtually anywhere – there is even an allotment on Kilburn tube station!  Community-led fruit harvesting projects have also had a bumper year.  Whilst welcoming the Council’s forthcoming allotment and food growing strategy, when it comes to getting healthy, local, affordable and sustainable food into our schools and hospitals, Brent has a lot of catching up to do.”

 

Reference

[1] http://www.sustainweb.org/londonfoodlink/good_food_for_london/

Eight more Boroughs out of the total of 33 were praised for "making excellent progress on key food issues" - Camden, Croydon, Enfield, Greenwich, Merton, Sutton, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest - achieving progress on all or most of the key food activities surveyed. Meanwhile, six Boroughs were highlighted as "lagging behind disappointingly on action to support healthy and sustainable food" - Bexley, Brent, Hillingdon, Lewisham, Newham and Westminster.

Brent Joint Unions rally | Day of Action 30 Nov | False Economy

Brent Joint Unions rally | Day of Action 30 Nov | False Economy

Apply for Wembley Central Postal Vote here

If you will be away fro the Christmas holiday you can submit a postal vote. Follow this LINK

Chicken shops and betting shops - how can we diversify our shopping streets?

The Green Party supports small shops and high street diversity but clearly times are hard and many businesses are failing to thrive.

One type of business which seems to do well in recession is bookmakers, with money short and few ways to increase income, gambling becomes attractive. Anecdotally that seems clear from the increased number of people buying lottery tickets in the local newsagent.

There are about 34 shops on Bridge Road/Forty Avenue near Wembley Park station and although many are well established there are a few which frequently change hands as businesses set up optimistically only to close a few months later. A Polish shop was rapidly followed by a French cafe which is now shuttered.

On the corner of Chalkhill Road and Bridge Road the Piri Piri Sports Bar has struggled to attract custom with frequent changes of cuisine. In the past it has offered pizza and pasta and then Indian food. Now Paddy Power bookmakers are applying to open a large shop on the premises despite there being a Corals a couple of hundred yards away and a Ladbrokes on Grand Parade.

There are already quite a few takeaways in the immediate area with at least three offering fried chicken. What can we do to diversify our shopping streets?

Seasonal confusion in the churchyard

Snowdrops in Old St Andrew's Churchyard on Sunday

I was chatting with some fellow gardeners at Birchen Green allotments in  warm sunshine yesterday about the current strange behaviour of plants.  I picked the last of my tomatoes about 10 days ago and still have chillies flowering and fruiting in the cold greenhouse. Nasturtium seedlings were growing healthily at our feet as we spoke.

To add to the confusing  picture as I walked through the churchyard at Old St Andrew's I spied these snowdrops in full bloom with daffodils not far behind. Snowdrops before all the trees have shed their leaves...

Copland and Queen's Park Community schools not intending academy conversion at present

More is emerging about current discussions among Brent schools about academy conversion.  There are four options under consideration as far as I can ascertain:

1. Conversion to an academy
2. Forming a federation of Cooperative Trust schools with academy conversion
3. Forming a Cooperative Trust without academy conversion.
4. Remaining as they are

Wembley High and Preston Manor are considering the second option along with some Wembley primary schools. Copland Community School is interested in a discussion around the third option with no decision or statement of intent planned.. Queen's Park Community School does not want to consider the cooperative trust option and governors issued a statement in May 2011 stating that they had 'no immediate plans to apply for academy status.'  This leaves Alperton High School and I would welcome any information readers may have about their position: mafran@globalnet.co.uk

Meanwhile a joint union meeting at Preston Manor All-through Foundation School (apparently the school's  new name) is said to have overwhelmingly passed a motion rejecting academy conversion.

SUN-BATHING WAR Riotous Scenes on the Banks of the Welsh Harp

Indignation was rife among local residents during the weekend at the proceedings of sun-bathers in a field near 'Sandy Cut', Cool Oak Lane, Kingsbury, and spirited protests by Hendon and Kingsbury householders culminated in violent scenes on Saturday evening and Sunday.

The sun-bathers, who are, for the most part, non-residents in this are, are members of the Sun-Ray Club and the New Life Society.  They sun-bathe on the grass near the edge of the Welsh Harp reservoir in various states of semi-nudity, while notices are chalked in surrounding trees stating, 'Sun-bathing ground. Please keep away.'

On Saturday a number of nude women women bathers were present with the men, and so strong was the objection of a hostile crowd that the followers of this cult were ultimately attacked, and found it necessary to seek police protection.

A resident of Wakeman's Hill Avenue wrote to Kingsbury Council:

Why is nude bathing permitted in the Welsh Harp Reservoir without some enclosure, where sexual maniacs can perform out of view of the more respectable members of the community? On Sunday evening last and myself were walking across from Old Kingsbury Church to Edgware Road, and were half-way over when we came upon a bunch of stark naked men hanging around the water side. Hardly a pleasant sight for a man to have to pass with his wife!

The attack on the sun-bathers commenced on Saturday, when some 40 men and women lay on the grass near the water's edges. Some wore no clothes; others wore slips or bathing drawers, Passers-by tooking objection, particularly on the ground that there were children in the vicinity, and soon a large crowd gathered, excitement growing until jeers and insults gave way to blows but no one appeared to be seriously injured.

Captain H.H. Vincent (secretary of the movement) was attacked by a woman but evaded her blows. There were cries of 'Duck him in the lake!' 'Drive them out of Hendon!' and Mr F.G.Biddle of Bell Lane, Hendon declared that he would 'get the lot of you locked up for indecent behaviour in public.' When the sun-bathers managed to get partially dressed they left the field.

A cartoon comment at the time

 Captain Vincent afterwards stated that the crowd appeared to take objection to one of the women, who wore nothing above the waist.

We put up notices warning people that sun bathing is taking place but they will come and stare at us, and some of them even take photographs. Dress or undress is optional with us. The objectors are ignorant people, with whom it is useless to argue.

The above events took place on 28th and 29th June 1930 and this is an edited account  from the Hendon and Finchley Times. My mother, who died earlier this year, and lived in Church Drive close to the the Welsh Harp, told me that she and her her sister, when children, used to hide in the bushes and spy on the sun bathers. It was their only sex education...

Thanks to Phil Grant for digging up the press coverage. There is an account of  the riots in a beautifully illustrated  new book entitled Welsh Harp Reservoir Through Time by Geoffrey Hewlett. The Welsh Harp has a colourful past including horse and greyhound racing, water skiing, motorboat racing, regattas, rowing competitions between neighbouring boroughs, ice skating and even an escaped bear!


Welsh Harp Reservoir Through Time, Geoffrey Hewlett, Amberley Publishing, £14.99 Available from the Willesden Bookshop

I'm on my way to Wembley Central (again)

He was green until Coca Cola came along and turned him crimson

 Well, here we go again. Let's all look forward to a green Christmas!

I'll be standing as the Green Party candidate in the Wembley Central by-election which takes place on December 22nd.

The other candidates are:
Madhuri Davda (Conservative) who was an unsuccessful short-listed candidate for the Brent North parliamentary seat at the last election.
Afifa Pervez (Liberal Democrat) who won the last by-election in the ward but lost her seat in the Labour sweep at the 2010 Council Election
Krupa Sheth (Labour) who at 20 is the youngest candidate.

I am the oldest and the only man, oh well, should be interesting!

Turnout at the 2009 by-election was 29.3% compared with the 2010 Council election turnout of 50%. With polling day in the middle of winter and close to Christmas turnout will be a major consideration.

These are the arrangements for postal and proxy votes:

Anyone not already a postal voter and wishing to vote by post must submit a completed application form to the Electoral Services office by 5pm on Wednesday 7 December.

Alternatively electors may appoint a proxy person to vote on their behalf in which case the deadline for applications to be submitted is 5pm on Wednesday 14 December.

 electoral.services@brent.gov.uk

Community Payback covers council cuts in street sweeping

On top of concerns over unpaid youth labour in supermarkets comes the news that Brent Council is using Community Payback to cover the service gaps created by its street cleansing cuts and the impact of Autumn leaf fall.

The Kilburn and Brent Times this week (p6) reports a council spokesman as saying:

Brent Council focuses its resources on the road which are more affected, such as tree-lined streets, as residents would expect.

In areas of Kilburn, Queens Park and Brondesbury Park wards the council has worked with the probationary service to organise teams from Community Payback to clean up leaves in the area seven days a week for the past four weeks.

Community Payback is the scheme where offenders do community work from 6 hours a week to compensate the community for crimes they have committed.  It is usually done for charities and other causes nominated by local residents.

Looking at the Community Payback website there is no mention of local councils deciding what they should do and certainly nothing about them being used as unpaid labour to make up for council cuts.

The London Community Payback website states::

To be considered, your project must meet the following criteria:

• It must benefit the local community
• It must not take paid work away from others
• No one must make a profit from the work
• It must be challenging and demanding
• It must be worthwhile and constructive
• Offenders must be seen to be putting something back into the community.

Is this a misuse of the scheme?

Labour chooses their Wembley by-election candidate

Krupa Sheth, aged 20,  has been chosen to fight the Wembley Central by-election for Labour. Polling takes place on December 22nd.

The by-election has been caused by the surprise resignation of Labour councillor Jayesh Mistry.

Brent Greens are likely to finalise their selection tomorrow. 

Now we are all free workers for supermarkets

The Guardian recently publicised the plight of young workers forced to work up to 30 hours a week for no pay for Poundland, Argos, Sainsbury's, Tesco and other business. Ostensibly for work experience this does not necessarily lead to a job and can last for up to two months before others are brought in to replace them. If they express an interest, and don't stop work during a week's cooling off period, they are liable to lose their benefits if they leave.

Free workers for profit-making supermarkets!

But I'd like to focus how we are all becoming 'volunteer workers' for supermarkets. I always avoid  self-service checkouts because I think they take away people's jobs. Yes there's someone there at a bank of six automatic checkouts to help out - but that's not the same as six cashiers.

However I am finding it hard to exercise my choice of being served by a human being who gets  wage. At Wembley ASDA those people holding up a green pointing hand to show you to a checkout, also try and persuade you to go to the self-service checkouts - especially if you just have a basket.

I got into quite an argument the other day when the 'persuading' turned particularly pushy.  It turned into an argument about preserving jobs at a time of high unemployment and attracted quite a lot of interest.

 But worse was to come. In the last couple of days I have been in shops where you can't exercise the choice at all as there was no cashiers at their desks at all.

At the Coop in Central Square there was just the self-service checkouts available and a single member of staff flitting about and available occasionally to help wrestle with the computer.  At Tesco in Neasden shopping precinct at 4.30pm in the afternoon there was just the security guard and shelf-fillers with customers all lined up at the self-service and having a one sided conversation with the robot voice: 'Unknown item in the despatch area' kept ringing out across the store. There was no one to help any elderly or confused unable to handle the technology. For the lonely one more source of human contact has gone.

We have become more free workers for profit-making supermarkets!

I feel a campaign coming on....

Veolia campaign steps up

 All Brent councillors have been sent a letter from Brent Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Dump Veolia West London campaign requesting them to support the following request:

That Veolia Environmental Services be excluded from the bid and tender process for the West London Residual Waste Services because we believe there is evidence that:

a) Veolia has demonstrated racist practices in its recruitment policies; and

b) Veolia has been guilty of grave misconduct through its active participation in violations of international and humanitarian laws and norms

Veolia is on the long-list for the multi-million 25 year contract for dealing with the residual waste of Harrow, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Richmond and Brent. 302 Brent residents have signed the letter setting out the evidence for the request based on Veolia's activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The full letter is HERE

The WLWA will shortly be drawing up the short-list for the contract and campaigners hope that they will be excluded at this stage. Councillors were invited to a public meeting on Tuesday November 22nd where the  legal, moral and human rights case for Veolia's exclusion was put forward. A recording of the meeting can be viewed on the Brent Green's blog along with a report of the meeting by Shahrar Ali  HERE

Cllr James Powney is Brent's representative on the WLWA.

Yesterday evening Brent TUC (Trades Council) approved a model motion on the issue and decided to affiliate to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Meanwhile Brent Council's contract with Veolia for waste management and street sweeping runs out in 2014. The procurement process will start well before then.  Recently Veolia failed to win a similar contract in Ealing. 

Brent Council calls for Government leadership on climate change

There were a number of motions before Brent Council on Monday night. Thnere is a certain ritual about this as, because of Labour's large majority,  their motions are always approved and those of the opposition routinely defeated. Often Labour's motions congratulate themselves on their administration's achievements.

Cllr James Powney moved a motion on Climate Change on Monday which combined huge global issues and the move to Brent's new Civic Centre. It reflected the concerns raised by Brent Campaign Against Climate Change at their recent public meeting addressed by Jonathan Essex of the Green Party and Barry Gardiner MP:

Council notes that climate change is the greatest threat to the future of our planet and that urgent action is needed if we are to reverse its effects.

Council also notes that there are alarming signs that the effects of global warming are already underway, with storms, floods and droughts happening more often around the world.

Council notes the measures being undertaken by Brent Council to reduce our impact on climate change, including the move to the Civic Centre, the introduction of emissions based parking permits, the setting of a carbon emissions targets target and reducing emissions from landfill.

Council calls on the Government to show real leadership at the forthcoming UN climate change conference in Durban by pushing the EU to commit to a second period of the Kyoto Protocol, as a route towards a global deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and delivering on climate finance to help poorer countries deal with the effects of global warming.

Email Navin Shah about traffic danger spots in Brent and Harrow

Navin Shah, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow is calling on local residents to name the most dangerous roads, junctions and roundabouts in Brent and Harrow. The appeal for information is in conjunction with National Road Safety Week (21 - 27 November 2011). Please email Navin  Shah at navin.shah@london.gov.uk if there are any areas you would like him to be aware of.

Cuts will have 'enormous and profound' impact on Brent - Ann John

I was a bit miffed at having to leave a particularly good edition of Radio 4's, 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue', to attend last night's meeting of Brent Council.  I needn't have worried as the Council seemed to be running its own version.

There was a lot of the usual knockabout stuff with taunts running along well worn lines and Cllr James Allie doing his impression of a recalcitrant adolescent challenging the teacher (Mayor)  from the back of the class.

The mood darkened when Ann John, leader of the council, spoke about the 'enormous scale' of the Coalition government's 'social engineering'  which would have 'an enormous and profound' impact on the people of Brent with 10,000 households s unable to afford local rents.  Alongside this  was the enormous impact of a 38% cut in Brent's grant from central government.

She said that 10,000 households in Brent would find their rent unaffordable and that this would have a 'huge and profound' impact: Tory policy was taking us back to the 80s. Brent Central had seen a rise in youth unemployment of 106% since January and we were producing a generation that would go straight from school into unemployment 'never knowing work'.

John said 700 council jobs had already gone and that there would be another 300. By the time the Council moves into the new Civic Centre the Council workforce would have shrunk by 1,000. For me of course, this raised more questions about the project. How many people will be working for Brent Council in 25 years time when the project has finally paid for itself, if indeed Brent Council still exists? Will the 'Civic Centre' be mainly let out to other organisations?

Cllr John said the the Council would in future be much smaller and what it does will change significantly. She outlined the Council's priorities for next year on creating opportunities for employment through training and apprenticeship schemes, improving quality of life through neighbourhood ward working, provision for young people before they leave school, integrating social care with health provisions and continue the improvements created by regeneration.

Opposition parties in their response did not challenge these priorities. Instead the Lib Dems pointed out that the Council had spent more money on closing libraries that would have been spent on keeping them open. Both Lib Dems and Tories called for the libraries to be re-opened. The Tories said that the Council should not put the £2.6m grant for freezing Council Tax into reserves but use it to protect services and keep the libraries open. They also said that monies recovered from the Icelandic banks, 'that had almost been written off' should not be put into reserves.

The issue of reserves deserves wider discussion. Last December a report was published that showed Brent reserves were the lowest of London boroughs and below what was financially prudent. The Tory argument is that they have not be used this year and so should not be added to. LINK to reserves report

A further are for discussion before the 201213 budget is set is the decision on whether to raise the Council Tax. The Budget Report warns about the erosion of the Council's tax base caused by year on year freezing of Council tax and Cllr Moher from the front bench said that he saw no reason not to ask council tax payers to pay for 'quality services'.  It appears that the Labour group see raising of Council Tax as an option to be considered.

I have called before for wider discussion of the budget so that it involves the wider public, rather than decisions made in committees and at 'away days'. There is still time for this to be done before final decisions are made.