Follow Natalie Bennett and sign the TeacherROAR declaration

It was good to see that Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, has signed the TeacherROAR declaration, as have I.  Most of the demands are Green Party policy:

The teacherROAR movement wants: an educational landscape where teachers are not denigrated and attacked by politicians and in the press; where teachers are praised, encouraged and supported to develop their practice; where education policy is evidence-based and not used as a political football; where the need for social justice and equality is placed at the heart of education policy; where the curriculum is progressive, broad, balanced and fit for the 21st Century; where learning is child-centered; where we are developing children to their full potential in all areas and not simply preparing them for work; where education is not treated as a marketable product with customers, consumers and products; where our children are not over-tested and among the most stressed in the western world; where our pay and conditions are improving and not under constant attack; and where teachers are respected and trusted professionals whose opinion is valued and listen to by politicians.

We the undersigned declare ourselves part of the teacherROAR movement and pledge to fight for a better, fairer education system.

To add your signature and comment follow this LINK

A parent who signed the declaration commented:

As a parent, I'd like my children to be taught by people who know that they are respected, supported, and listened to. I'd like my children to be tested, when they are tested, in ways which put their needs before the government's political need for league tables. I want my children to be prepared to live lives as engaged citizens, not passive consumers, and I want the education system to be ringfenced to protect it from the whims of successive Secretaties of State and whatever political or personal agendas they may bring with them.

A teacher wrote:

Teachers are facing a concerted campaign of vilification and bullying. This government (with the support of many in the media, right-wing think tanks etc) is determined to atomise and demoralise teachers. They want to make us cheaper to hire and fire, because this will render us more exploitable and education more profitable. Teachers must stand together to resist these attacks, and we must support anyone else opposed to the increasing privatisation and commodification of the public sector.

Brent residents win £303k compensation over Preston Manor Covenants debacle

A  Settlement Agreement was reached just before Christmas on a long running battle between Preston Manor Academy Trust and Brent Council and a group of local residents led by Mr Len Gordon.

Residents had objected to the Trust and Council's application to the  Upper Chamber of the Lands Tribunal for the lifting of  Covenants that restricted the building of primary school classrooms on the Preston Manor site.

Residents were opposed to further expansion of the site on grounds of noise and light nuisance as well as increased traffic but the school and Brent Council went ahead even after the Covenants has been drawn to their attention.

Richard Barrett, Operational Director for Brent's Regeneration and Growth Department explained in his witness statement that, after a risk assessment, the Council decided to go ahead with the building work because they might otherwise have had £7m of government funding clawed back. They thought that it was unlikely that the Covenants would be upheld by the Upper Tribunal and were conscious of the need to provide more primary places.

However in his statement Barrett also stated:

I have to accept that the late discovery of these Covenants indicates that officers within the Children and Families Directorate did not undertake due diligence by carrying out title checks. In simple terms, it seems to me that they failed to appreciate that the land was not owned by the Council, but (because the school had Foundation status) was in fact owned freehold by the school. A full title search was undertaken by the Council's Regeneration and Major Projects (Property Unit) (who had by them taken over the project), in December 2010/January 2011 and this led us to discover the restrictions in the titles which permitted development but not of accommodation for a school.

The Settlement Agreement provides for the Objectors withdrawing their objections to the Applicaton by the Trust and Council for modified wording to the Covenants.

The Objectors will share a payment of £303,000 made to Brent Council by the Trusti n a full and final settlement of their entitlement and claims for compensation and any 'loss and damage howsoever arising out of the construcxtion of the primary schools and the temporary classrooms and their subsequent uses, and the other uses of the Land made by the Governing Body and the Trust...'

The Settlement Agreement includes publication of the schools' letting policy on its website alongside emergency contact numbers, highlighted conditions for people hiring the facilities to have regard to households neighbouring the school, the school's attendandance at local safer neighbourhood meetings, and facilities for the public to attend Governing Body meetings.

The Trust will update its Travel Plan and submit it to the Council's travel plan officer. The Transportation Unit will review traffic and parking problems in the area and meet with local residents on ameliorative measures.

The Covenants will be amended to allow current existing permitted educational uses with an entitilement to make 'minor changes and ancillary changes to the existing buioldings and grounds.' The Objectors waive all claims arisng out of the existing temporary classrooms on the site 'up to the end of January 2015'.

This has clearly been an expensive and time consuming process. On December 13th (before the Settlement Agreement was made) I put the following FoI request to Brent Council:

Dear Brent Borough Council,

Please supply the following information:

1. The total amount invoiced to Brent Council to date by Druces LLP for the restrictive covenant action taken on behalf of the governing body of Preston Manor School at the Land Tribunal.
2. The amount of Brent Council officer time (hours and/or cost) spent on the Land Tribunal case.
3. The expected compensation costs to be paid by Brent Council in settling the case with the appellants.
4. Any other costs to be paid by Brent Council in addition to the above.

Wembley's famous dame remembered

Guest blog with a seasonal touch by local historian Philip Grant 

[Image courtesy of Terry Lomas and the British Music Hall Society]

 One of the traditional features of the festive season is the pantomime, and the slapstick comedy “dame” is often a highlight of these shows. Did you know that Wembley was once home to a man who did much to influence how the “dame” role is played? As you pass along Forty Lane you may have seen a blue plaque commemorating Arthur Lucan, and at this appropriate time of year a new illustrated article has appeared on the Brent Archives online Local History Resources site which tells his story. 

You can read “Arthur Lucan – the man who was Old Mother Riley” HERE

A taste of Old Mother Riley with some evocative period background

 

Wembley, and the rest of Brent, does matter, so enjoy its history, and carry on working for a better present and future. Seasons greetings to Martin and all the readers of his “blog”, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and hopefully more just 2014.
Philip Grant.

Annoying Iain Duncan Smith

Apparently this image of the true impact of Coalition policies has been annoying Iain Duncan Smith over the holiday.

Good.

It has been retweeted thousands of times on Twitter and shared on Facebook.

Please do your bit to annoy Iain Duncan Smith

Image Source www.church-poverty.org

Greens: Bring rail back into public hands following more fare rises

As rail companies in England announced fare rises for 2014,  commuters and their household budgets received more bad news.

Firms are allowed to put fares up by much as 2% above the agreed price-increase figure which, for 2014, is 3.1%.

Among the fares announced were annual seasons for travel between Reading in Berkshire and London, which is up 3.23% to  £4,088. and travellers from Dover Priory and Deal to London see annual fares rising 3.04% to £5,012.

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said:

This latest price hike is going to put a dampener on many commuters' Christmas, and be a boost to support for Green MP Caroline Lucas's private members' bill calling for the railways to be brought back into public hands.

Travellers face overcrowded journeys as standard on too many routes, on the most crowded trains in Europe.

They face immensely costly journeys, and they know that more than £1bn of their cash is going into the 'black hole' of privatisation inefficiencies, plus billions more in declared and undeclared
government subsidies.

Casual users face a confusing fare structure that often leaves them paying more than they need or trapped with penalty fares due to confusion.

It's time to say enough is enough: privatisation has failed, we need to bring the railways back into public hands.

Is retail really the answer to Brent's economic development?

London Designer Outlet, Christmas Eve, 11.30am

If you wanted a little bit of peace and quiet away from the last minute Christmas shopping crowds then Wembley's London Designer Outlet (the LDO) was the place to be this morning. I popped in to see how things were going after visiting Wembley Library - the library was more crowded!

Of course the LDO has only just opened (but so has the library) and the weather forecast was poor (but that affects library users too). The library is for local people while the LDO is intended to attract crowds from within the M25 so transport disruption affects the latter more.

Despite this one would have expected more shoppers. The store doing the briskest trade was the Tesco Local just outside the LDO on Wembley Hill Road. There is still time for things to pick up and perhaps the post-Christmas sales will help, although of course products are heavily discounted anyway.  However there are vital questions to be raised.

I had a sharp little exchange with Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, earlier this week when I criticised his frequent tweets urging people to shop at the LDO - I suggested he had becomes its PR mouthpiece. He retorted that it provided jobs for local people and Cllr Pavey flew to his support accusing me of having no sense of fun and praising the LDO as a great addition to the local economy. The initimable tweeter PukkahPubjabi joined in, asking how many of the jobs were on zero hours contracts and the London Living Wage.

I responded: 

We have different views on what constitutes a viable, sustainable local economy. Reliance on retail is not the answer.

And that perhaps sums up the differences between me and Brent Labour on this. At the beginning of the Quintain regeneration I suggested that an emphasis on retail in a period of recession and debt was not a good idea and that the kind of jobs that would result were not of sufficient quality for our young people. Brent Greens put forward a suggestion for a Green Enterprise zone in the regenerated area, offering incentives for green industries to be set up, contributing to combating climate change and with pay-offs for residents in terms of energy saving technologies and adaptations.  There could be links with local colleges for training and apprenticeship schemes. The result would be skilled jobs of high social value contributing to the wider economy.

This is of course based on clear differences in our assumptions about future economic development. In the face of diminishing natural resources and the need to cut back on carbon emissions as climate change accelerates. Greens are looking for more sustainable economic models not linked to every increasing consumption and debt.  Socially useful production geared to needs not wants. A more equal society with less division between the rich and the poor.

Labour is still signed up to the neoliberal model with their challenge to capitalism little more than trying to give it a human face. They do not question the strategy of expanding the economy through consumption and borrowing. Despite the 2008 crisis they have little to say about the reform of banks or the City of London, reducing the ratio between the lowest and highest paid in corporations, or ending the privatisation of the public sector. On a local level Muhammed Butt doesn't recognise the contradictions of pushing discounted designer shopping to a population suffering income decline and thus easy prey for the loan sharks he is pledged to control.

That difference is what makes me an eco-socialist within the Green Party.

When we submitted our views on Quintain's and Brent Council's retail vision for the Wembley Park regeneration we described it as high risk but at the time it did include social provision such as family housing, health centre swimming pool and a new primary school. These remain to be built and would surely be of more benefit to Brent residents than retail units offering 60% off kitchenware!

Make your views known on Landlord Licensing extension

Brent Council is consulting on a licensing scheme for landlords in the private sector. Although  this could be very useful in terms of ensuring the safety and quality of premises, the fair treatment of tenants and might help with issues such as furniture dumping when tenancies change, there are concerns from some that it could be used in conjunction with UKBA to check on the immigration status of tenants. This could result in driving landlords underground and thus defeat the main object of the scheme.

This is Brent Council's communication:

The council already operates a Mandatory Licensing Scheme that covers larger houses with multiple occupation. We are consulting on proposals to introduce Additional Licensing Scheme that would cover smaller houses with multiple occupation across the borough as well as a Selective Scheme that would cover all privately rented homes.

The selective scheme is proposed for three wards – Harlesden, Willesden Green and Wembley Central but we would also be interested to hear your views on whether it should cover a wider area.

Please click on the relevant link below to give us your views:

Tenants and residents’ survey

Landlords and managing agents’ survey

Brent Council ignorant of how many of their contractors pay below London Living Wage or use Zero Hours contracts

Brent Council's commitment to paying the London Living Wage was very welcome but as pointed out in previous postings that is problematic because the Council has very few directly employed manual and service  workers now that so many of its services are contracted out. The same caveat applies to zero hours contracts, also opposed by the Council, but when some out-sourced Civic Centre security staff are employed on a zero hours basis.

The Council has urged local schools and private businesses to pay the London Living Wage and the new Public Realm contract includes a requirement that  Veolia  pay the LWW. The Council in a November press released stated:

We have also agreed to build LLW considerations into our procurement process for contracts and, over a three-year period, will review the bulk of contracts with a positive view to applying LLW.

Again this is welcome although the continued emphasis on 'best value' (often the lowest bid) introduces a tension at a time of massive funding cuts. There is increasing recognition that by lifting local wages the Council will eventually be better off as families are lifted out of poverty and thus less reliant on benefits, including Council Tax Support.

Given all this I was surprised to receive a negative response from Brent Council to my  Freedom of Information request asking for details of how many of the staff employed by the Council via contractors and sub-contractors are on zero hours contracts and paid less than the London Living Wage. After they refused the request I asked for a review and now have a response (below) - which amounts to another refusal .

What concerns me is that if the Council is concerned about the London Living Wage and poverty among Brent residents, it is surely their responsibility to ensure that those employed on their behalf have decent wages and conditions. In terms of budget planning it is also essential to know the cost of bringing those workers up to the LWW and that can only be done through  knowing how many people are involved.

If there is to be evidence based forward planning and decision making it is essential to have high quality information. I had a similar experience regarding school places when the Council refused my request for the number of pupils on Brent school waiting lists who were duplicates - i.e.the same child on waiting lists for several schools.Again essential information on assessing unmet demand and potential school expansions.

Here is the Council's ruling on my Zero Hours/London Living Wage request:

We have reviewed the decision to refuse your request for information under The Freedom of Information Act. Your request related to information that would establish how many staff who work for or on behalf of the Council through a contractor were employed on a zero hours basis and how many were paid the London Living Wage.

That request was refused as the information requested was not held by the Council. You were dissatisfied with that request on the basis that the Council had been critical of such arrangements and would not use a zero hours scheme with its own staff and had made a policy position that the London Living Wage should be paid to all Council staff as a minimum. We have now reviewed the decision to refuse the request and I can inform you of the outcome.
  
It is correct to say that the Council does not hold this information and as such can not readily supply it to you.  It may be possible to contact all of the contractors that the Council engages with but when the number of those contractors are considered and the time involved in obtaining the information you have requested is taken into account this would be a major exercise.
  
The Council would have to identify all current contracts on which staff are employed by the contractor which would, in effect, be nearly if not all of the contractors that are used. This in itself is an enormous piece of work. Once identified contact would have to be made with all of those contractors which would be hundreds of individual contacts. This again would be an enormous piece of work to accurately undertake. Collating the information would also take a significant amount of time.
  
Our view is that the time involved in obtaining the information would be in excess of 18 hours of officer time. Under the Act a request can be refused in the event that the cost of complying with it would exceed the cost limit set out in legislation. The applicable regulations provide that in assessing whether the cost limit has been reached officer time should be assessed at £25 per hour and the overall limit of cost being £450.

Given that the cost here would require in excess of 18 hours of officer time it is clearly over the cost limit set out in the Act. The Executive has taken the decision that any request that breaches the cost limit should be refused.

If the Council is to conduct a 3 year review as their November press release stated then this is precisely the information that will be needed.  Meanwhile, as residents, we have no way of knowing how many of the workers providing our services are on zero hours contracts with little or no pension or sick pay rights, or employed on rock bottom wages.

Uncertainty dogs Gladstone Park Primary at end of term

As the Autumn term ended amidst the traditional school Christmas festivities, Gladstone Park Primary School parents were disappointed to hear that what had appeared to be a positive development for the school had fallen through.

Liz Hayward, head of the Ofsted rated 'Outstanding'  Kingsgate Primary in Camden has been appointed Executive Headteacher of Gladstone Park and had written to parents inviting them to a meeting to discuss her plans for the school on Thursday December 19th.

Gladstone parent campaigners then heard on Thursday that due to changed circumstances at Kingsgate, which is due to double in size over the next few years, neither that school's governing body, nor Camden LA, were willing for the arrangement to go ahead.

In fact the Parents Action Group had suggested a Federation with Kingsgate Primary to Brent Council at the beginning of the school's current troubles and had seen it as an alternative to the forced academisation  that they had opposed. There were precedents for cross-borough cooperation and the geographical distance between the two schools is not great. Parents were keen to remain a local authority school with democratic accountability.

At the time this was turned down as a possibility and the governing body went ahead with the selection of CfBT as academy sponsor.

The announcement of Liz Hayward's appointment was made shortly after parents were told that the current head of Gladstone Park was leaving at the end of this term. I understand that Liz Hayward was due to work for three days a week at Gladstone Park until April when CfBT would have appointed their own headteacher for the school.  Her appointment was intended to stabilise the school and give clear and effective leadership. governing body.

It is obvious that given the ups and downs of the last few months that stability and clear and effective leadership are needed more than ever, and perhaps even more importantly, open and candid communication with parents and carers.  Brent Council and lead member for Children and Families, Michael Pavey, have a vital role to play in ensuring that happens.

Controversy over Council, Police, UKBA action in Cricklewood

Combined action by the UK Border Agency, the police and Brent Council on migrant workers has created controversy in Cricklewood which has spilled over intolively debate on the Streetlife forum of the Kilburn Times LINK

The local streets have long been a traditional picking up point for casual building labour in the early morning. It used to be mainly Irish workers but is now generally more recent migrants.

Mapesbury Safer Neighbourhood Team have cuiculated this notice via email, letters and the NW2 Residents' Association:

Some see this crackdown as partly a result of media hostility towards Eastern Europeans and point out that it was not raised as an issue in the past. It appears to reinforce prejudice and increase division when Brent Council was critical of the way UKBA raids on stations and the 'racist van campaign did just that. Nevertheless the Council are cooperating with UKBA in this case seeing it merely in terms of 'anti-social behaviour'.

A further point made is that while migrants are being attacked for living off  benefits they are also attacked when trying to get work.

Asking the public to note down vehicle registration numbers and pass them on to the police is likely to cause considerable controversy. 

Lib Dem's Chief Fundraiser selected for Brent Central

The official party  press releases on Ibrahim Taguri, the Liberal Democrat's chosen parliamentary candidate for Brent Central, have mentioned his background in charity fundraising. However he ended his role at Compton Fundraising Consultancy in 2009 and since then has been the Liberal Democrat's national Chief Fundraiser, raising nearly £2m in 2013. The press releases did not reveal this.

Taguri came to the attention of Channel 4's Michael Crick LINK when he found himself not so welcome a guest at the Liberal Democrat's 2011 Annual Corporate Day. 80 business people had paid £800 each to attend meetings, seminar and break-out sessions:

Among those they’ve been meeting are the junior business minister Ed Davey. And tonight 200 business people are due to attend the party’s business dinner where premium tables cost £5,000 for 10 people.

Among those I came across this afternoon were business people from tobacco companies. We get better access here than from the Department of Health, Stephen Stotesbury of Imperial Tobacco told me.

But party officials were clearly embarrassed and upset by our presence. They kept turning their backs on our camera, and eventually asked us to leave the corridor outside the hall.

One party official, Ibrahim Taguri, kept insisting it was just an opportunity to get its message across to business. We later discovered, though, that he’s the Lib Dems’ chief fundraiser.

 Taguri lived in Willesden Green and attended Latymer Upper School and Reading University. He is an avid Spurs fan and on Twitter follows the Lib Dem line of claiming that the Lib Dems have stopped Tory excesses on issues such as  young people's housing benefit, the  Human Rights Act and employment rights. He was strongly critical of the racist van campaign

After he selection he tweeted:

Delighted & humbled to be selected as Lib Dem Candidate for Brent Central where I grew up. A special place with great people Sarah Teather has been and continues to be a true champion for our community and I hope to carry on her great work.

Sarah Teather has said she will support his campaign which should make for some awkward moments on the doorstep.

Apologies for absence

Sorry for the lack of postings over the last 3 days. I have been unwell but on the mend now.

Vital Education Question Time Meeting in New Year

Why are teachers striking? Is OFSTED a political tool? Do we need SATs? Why is there a shortage of school places? Are standards falling in our schools?

If you would like to propose questions for the panel to consider please use #edqtime @NCE2014

7pm, WEDNESDAY

22nd JANUARY 2014

CHAIR: Adrian Chiles ITV presenter and local parent

PANEL: Michael Rosen Children’s author and broadcaster 

Christine Blower National Union of Teachers General Secretary

Julian Bell Leader of Ealing Council

Government and local campaign speakers are invited

Everyone is welcome especially parents, governors and students

There is no charge for the event but please register for tickets at

 http://educationquestiontime.ticketsource.co.uk

Press contact: 07958 542872  Nickgrant2512@mac.com

Venue: St. Paul’s Church, Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, W6 9PJ 

Nearest tube: Hammersmith

Reflecting on the life of Mandela at Preston Community Library

Guest blog by Jacqueline Bunce-Linsell

Last Friday Preston Community Library (PrCL)  held a reflection on the life of Nelson Mandela.

We opened by singing the South African National anthem made famous by the ANC Choir - Nkosi Sikelele Iafrika -God Bless Africa- in Xhosa, Africaans and English. 

We listened to Mr Mandela’s own words from his autobiography’ Long Walk to Freedom’ read stunningly as BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week by the great South African actor John Kani.  

Local singer, songwriter Jill Goldman sang and accompanied herself on the guitar to a ‘Freedom’ a  song she composed for the occasion.  (You will see her in the front of the photographs with her guitar.  Geraldine Cooke, a local  literary agent,  of Barn Hill is standing next to her in one photograph and is at the back in the other photograph.)

Geraldine Cooke,  during many Apartheid years,  was the South African editor at Penguin Books.  

She gave a fascinating  talk, on her part in working towards the release of Mr Mandela, which led to the rush publication of the book ‘Mission to South Africa’ the Report of the   so-called Eminent Persons, several of them former heads of state from seven Commonwealth countries, including Lord Barber who had been Margaret Thatcher’s Chancellor of the Exchequer.     This Group visited Mr Mandela three times in jail and travelled widely in the country ignoring ‘Whites Only’ signs on beaches and lavatories sending shock waves through the country.   Their Report ended with the words:’ if Nelson Mandela is not released there will be the biggest bloodbath the world has ever known’.

The  publication of this book proved the final push which persuaded Mrs Thatcher,  who alone in the Commonwealth had held  out against sanctions, to lean on President Botha to begin negotiations with the man in Pollsmoor Prison.

Geraldine Cooke  explained how she had steered the printing and publication of the Penguin Special, as it was called, in just two days around the world where it was a best-seller running to 100,000 copies including South Africa which of course banned anything critical, the fastest mass-market book ever published, worthy of inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records.

To achieve this in such a brief time would be impressive today with virtually instant printing-in 1986 when publishing schedules were counted in months, and more often years, it was a miracle.

This talk was something of a coup for PrCL as this was the first time Ms Cooke has revealed her part in this process, in public or private. 

Sir Shridath Ramphal, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the time speaking in London this July said that ‘Mission to South Africa’ “Changed History”.

As a result, Ms Cooke was one of the first people to meet Mr Mandela and Winnie Mandela privately when they came to London following the release.

Sir Shridath gave permission for his statement from Barbados on the eve of Nelson Mandela’s death to be read out at 235 Preston Road.

Two poems were sent to PCL: one, composed on the eve of the first free and democratic elections in 1994 by Mick Delap,then Deputy Head of the BBC World African  Service,  and one in which the poet Delap breaking stones on his own land on Valentia island off the South West  coast of Ireland in 2010 imagines the imprisoned Nelson Mandela breaking rocks on Robben Island- a truly great poem and the listeners were deeply moved.

To honour the Methodist tradition in which Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other of the ANC leaders were brought up, as his funeral did two days later last Sunday, there was a  reading of  the 100^th Psalm which urges the People to sing Praises as indeed millions have been doing in South Africa for the last 10 days.

There was a specially composed Eulogy for the event in praise of Mr Mandela and his life which was read to us by the South African, Kevin Johnstone, from Pinner: written by his wife Jan in English and translated by her into Africaans. Kevin read the tribute in both languages.

The event closed with a reprise of the Freedom song and Nkosi Sikekilele Iafrica.

Preston Community Library was honoured to host this event given added significance in this community  by Nelson Mandela’s visit to Wembley.

It was surely the equal to any held in any library or council chamber in the country. 

It is hard to imagine Mr Mandela being anything other than dismayed at the difficulties people of the borough now have in access to books. Books were the one thing which were not subject to sanctions.

Access to information was crucial in Struggle.

Students in South Africa rioted and were killed in their demonstrations for access to education: sixty-nine in Soweto alone in one day.

This Thursday PrCL will be holding its annual marathon reading of Charles Dickens’ novel ‘ A Christmas Carol’ in the original edition for adults and in the children’s edition to be followed by its traditional carol singing.

Anybody who would like to attend is more than welcome.  The event will commence at 2pm on Friday 20^th December at PrCL’s temporary base at 235 Preston Road, Wembley, HA9 8PE

Protest against Hunt's attempt to curb legal challenges to hospital closures

There was a protest today by campaigners fighting Jeremy Hunt's attempt to add a clause to the Social Care bill which would prevent communities taking legal action, such as that of the Lewisham Hospitals Campaign,  against hospital closure plans.

4th Copland teachers' strike against Ark Academy takeover

'Santas' support the last Copland strike

Copland Community School will be closed again tomorrow (Tuesday 17th December) as staff take their fourth day of strike action to oppose the attempt to force them to become an ARK academy. Staff who met today at lunchtime voted absolutely overwhelmingly for the strike to go ahead as the management had obviously not taken the attempts by the Union to come to a negotiated settlement, which could have avoided the strike. (See guest post below). This shows the staff's resolve not to be manipulated and to stand up against the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove's drive to privatisation, not even allowing any proper consultation.

Barking and Dagenham councillors have voted unanimously to ballot the parents of any school that is consulting on whether or not to become an academy – through choice or by direction. This is a direct challenge to attempts by Gove to force schools to become academies. It's a shame that Brent Council have not followed their example. They should now do so.

There will be a picket outside the school from 7.30 am tomorrow.

COPLAND STAFF & PARENTS DENIED SECRET BALLOT ON ARK (EVEN IF THEY FOOT THE BILL THEMSELVES!)

Guest blog by 'Fair Play'

Misjudged attempts by Copland Community School’s  Interim Executive Board (IEB)  to outmanoeuvre the school’s  staff have failed embarrassingly. The Brent Council-imposed governing body have refused staff and parents’ proposals that there should be a secret ballot conducted by the trusted and prestigious Electoral Reform Society on whether the school should be taken over by Ark Academies. Anticipating pleas that such a ballot would cost too much, the staff unions were prepared to foot the bill themselves.  The teachers’ proposal that strike action would be suspended if the ballot went ahead was put to the IEB with a very reasonable deadline of giving a response by last Thursday, 5.00pm. They failed to meet this deadline but promised to have decided by Friday pm. They ignored this too.

Aware that their tactical stalling would leave little time for teachers to meet to decide their response, the IEB appeared to hope that the strike action on Tuesday (announced  weeks ago by the staff and backed by their national union organisations) would be called off. As an attempt at an additional sweetener, they were said to be considering yet another version of their own ‘consultation’ vote instead of the Electoral Reform Society secret ballot  However, when Copland staff met on Monday there was anger at the tactics of the IEB and a near-unanimous vote to continue with Tuesday’ strike. Staff felt that the IEB’s contemptuous disdain for their attempts at  reasonable discussion and negotiation reinforced their view that the whole academisation ‘consultation’ was a sham and that, despite Michael Pavey’s claims to the contrary, the takeover by Ark is, in his own words,  a 'done deal'.

Ok, Michael. If it is a done deal, why not let the staff unions go ahead and pay for their ballot of parents and teachers at their own expense? It won’t make any difference to anything, after all.

However, if, as you claim, it isn’t yet a done deal, then what harm is there in demonstrating that at least one ‘consultation’ in Brent is prepared to canvass and listen to the views of the greatest possible number of stakeholders consulted in the most open and democratic manner possible and at no expense to the council? 

What believer in participatory democracy could possibly resist?

( But whatever you decide, please don’t tell us that the IEB is an independent body over which you have no influence at all. You’d  have us believing in Santa next). 

Brent Council should work with the community on Barham Park Library

Guest blog by Philip Grant following the Barham Park Planning Committee decision and the Freinds of Barham Library's statement that they would challenge any appeal by the Trustees of Barham Park Trust

As at 3pm on 16 December, Brent's Planning Department had not been notified of any appeal by the Planning Inspectorate (to whom any appeal by the Barham Park Trust, or by a Brent Council Officer in Regeneration's Property and Asset Management section on their behalf) would be made. However, as I doubt whether the "Friends" would put out this Statement without firm evidence of the facts, I will comment on the basis that an appeal has been made.

A blog item on the original Planning Committee decision can be found at: http://www.wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/planning-committee-upholds-community.html
I am convinced that Brent's Planning Committee made the right decision, and that the Planning Officer's recommendation to give consent to the change of use was wrong because it relied on a document which was dishonest. 

At the Civic Centre on the evening of the meeting I spoke with people from both sides of the argument. Although she has been criticised for supporting the application, Cllr. Mary Daly did so only because she saw the Trustees deal with ACAVA as the only way to get the Barham Park buildings back into use quickly. She, like me and others, is concerned that the longer the buildings remain empty, the more chance there is that they will fall into disrepair, and suffer the fate of Titus Barham's mansion in the park, which was demolished in the 1950's after years of neglect by Wembley Council, to whom it had been gifted for the benefit of local people, along with the park and remaining buildings in it, in 1937.

I did not think that letting all of the space to ACAVA for artists' studios was the only answer, and after speaking to representatives of Pivot Point and FoBPL, I wrote to all of the Barham Park Trustees on 15 November. I suggested to them that they should invite ACAVA to join them in an attempt to find a solution, by sitting down with the two local community groups who also wished to use part of the buildings, on a "without prejudice" basis, to see whether they could agree a workable way in which they could all share the facilities currently allocated solely to ACAVA. If they could agree how they would share the buildings, Council Officers should be instructed to draw up the necessary agreements to allow this to happen as soon as possible.

There may be some people within Brent Council who regard my efforts to get involved and give advice (on matters where I feel I have the knowledge or experience to make sensible suggestions) as "troublemaking", but here I was definitely trying to help as a "troubleshooter". I genuinely thought that 'given goodwill on all sides, this could be the way to get the buildings back into use, for ACAVA and for the local community, producing rental income to contribute to the refurbishment costs and help pay for the future maintenance of the buildings and to bring life back into the park.'

I have not heard back from any of the five Trustees (Cllrs Crane, Denselow, Hirani, Mashari and Ruth Moher), or from anyone at the Council on their behalf. If they have taken up my suggestion, I have not heard any word of it. I had said in my email to them: 'I realise that you may wish to take advice from Council Officers on my suggestions, but please remember that you are the Trustees, and the decisions are yours.' Despite this, it looks as if the Council Officers have got the upper hand (with the support or acquiescence of our elected Councillors, with their Trustee hats on). Their plans have been thwarted, quite rightly, by Brent’s Planning Committee, but they are determined that at whatever cost in (Council Taxpayers') money, and whatever the delay, and potential consequences in terms of the future of the Barham Park buildings, their will must prevail. 

Sadly, it makes the final comment in my email to the Barham Park Trustees of 15 November seem prophetic: 'I believe that the time of Officers would be better spent in working on a solution to the problem, rather than in searching for reasons to try to justify a scheme which is not a solution to it, and will only prolong the discord between Council and local community, rather than healing it.' 

Can anyone, please, explain why Brent Council makes it so difficult for Councillors, Council Officers and local people to work together for the mutual benefit of our community?

Philip Grant. 

Party with Preston Library campaigners tonight

Barham Library campaign to oppose Trustees' Appeal

Statement from Friends of Barham Library

The attempt to change the planning designation from 'community use'  for the Barham Library building  failed when the Planning Committee voted by 6 votes to 1 to REFUSE the planning application on the grounds that there would then be far too little genuine 'community space' in the remaining parts of the building.

Sadly the Labour Councillors who sit as Trustees of the Barham Park Charity (the Charity and not the Council own the building) have now decided to spend around £10,000 on an Appeal against the decision of the Planning Committee. The Appeal will now be heard by an independent Planning Inspector from Bristol but not for another 6 months.

The Barham Library building has now been empty for over 26 months and will now remain empty for another 6 while we await the Appeal Hearing. This is just an appalling waste of time and money.

We will of course oppose the Appeal and keep up the fight to get Barham Library reopened.

Figuring out Brent secondary school applications

Following my story revealing the number of Brent 1st preference choices for Michael Community Free School  Year 7 admissions for September 2014 was 46, several people have asked about comparable figures for other secondary schools. I have submitted a Freedom of Information request for 1st preference figures for other Brent secondary schools.

Meanwhile the following statistics from last year's admissions (September 2013 applications for Year 7) will give a picture of the relative popularity of Brent secondary schools. These are all applications - not just first preferences.  Please be aware that admissions criteria vary between the schools but that many places are filled by siblings of children already in the school. Some schools also give preference to their primary feeder schools.

In 2013 67.26% of  Brent Year 6 children got their first choice of  secondary school.

School	Year 7 places available	Number of on-time applications
Alperton	220	471
Ark	180	2479
Capital	196	425
Claremont	252	934
Convent of Jesus & Mary	180	270
Copland	240	283
JFS	300	1225
Kingsbury	315	1148
Preston Manor	252	1148
Newman Catholic College	150	133
Queens Park	208	1256
St Gregory’s	176	601
Crest Boys’	150	137
Crest Girls’	180	219
Wembley High	210	2254