The team behind me - the work starts now for May 2015

Selected by party members to be Labour's Candidate in 2015 Election

At West Thames College today party members selected me to stand against MaryMacleod in the 2015 General Election. Thank you to everyone involved.  It was a hard campaign, with strong candidates: Sam White, Murad Qureshi, Puneet Grewal and Nisar Malik.

More later .  . .   time to eat.

Bus Improvements from S106 (Planning gain) funding

We will soon see improvements to the 235 and 267 bus routes following planning gain deals with developers and a Hounslow Cabinet delegated decision;

The Wallis House/Great West Quarter provided £620,338 to fund a Sponsored Route Agreement with London Buses to extend the 235 (from Feltham) will go all the way through Brentford and up Ealing Road to the Great West Quarter, .

The Waldorf Astoria Hotel development at Syon Park provided £174,780 to fund a Sponsored Route Agreement with London Buses to increase the frequency of bus route 267 in the evenings (Monday-Sunday) from three to four buses per hour.

Both of these improvements are due to take place this year.

Racist Grafitti etc in Brentford Recently

I am saddened and angry to find that after many years without racist graffiti in locally, I am aware of at least 2 incidents  in the last 2 weeks. The first just off Green Dragon Lane, when an offensive note was left under a resident's windscreen telling him to move his car from where he always parks outside his home.  His car's registration plate was also defaced with a marker pen. This was reported to the police who are investigating. Then on Saturday in Lion Way, behind the High Street, a large "EDL" was written on the wall and the Lion Way sign defaced, again all done by marker pen.  This was cleaned up within 2 hours of being reported to Hounslow Highways. I have raised this with the borough police and the hate crime team base at the Treaty Centre.  The issue is being discussed at the Brentford SNT Panel on Thursday night. Please keep a look out for offensive messages of this sort, and report them to the police,  contact@hounslow-hatecrime.org.uk, and let local Councillors know as well. We cannot let this abhorrent behaviour go unchallenged.

Ed Miliband and Labour Conference - the Prime Minister in Waiting

Ed's Miliband's conference speech showed he's the leader this country needs and I'm glad I voted for him.  He built on the One Nation theme of last year by delivering real substance and putting clear blue water between himself and Bullingdon-boy Cameron.  The freeze in gas and electricity prices will be really welcomed by the many thousands of people locally on low and middling incomes whose cost of living is rising and who are seeing little benefit of the so-called economic upturn.  Free nursery places, cutting business rates for small businesses, 200,000 new homes per year, repeal of the hated Bedroom Tax, raising the minimum wage, and an integrated health and social care service are all concrete, and deliverable promises.

Ed's focus on the inclusive society was nailed with votes for 16 year olds and the 50% target of women elected as Labour MPs.  

A strong list of real policies that will make a difference to people's lives, and to the country. From a leader with bold ambition and leadership skills that I know will impress people on the doorstep and ensure Labour wins in 2015. 

Council opposes Hospital Changes

Last night I moved, and Mel Collins seconded, a motion at the Borough Council meeting expressing serious concerns about the impacts of closures of Accident and Emergency at Charing Cross and Ealing hospitals  would have on the West Middlesex Hospital and on local communities.  Labour and UKIP Councillors supported our motion and the Tories abstained.

The proposed closure of Charing Cross hospital is a major issue raised by people in Chiswick when I meet them on the doorstep.   When it was proposed to close the A&E department last year  the community feared this would spell the end for the whole hospital.  The anti closure campaigns have been joined by leading clinicians, and the cross borough, cross-party Joint Health Scrutiny Committee. There are real fears about longer journey times for ambulances, patients admitted to a bed being cared for further from home, and the loss of clinical excellence.

What was originally a proposal to close the A&E  at Charing Cross, along with that of Ealing and Hammersmith hospital, now involves the complete demolition of Charing Cross, all 500 beds, and the building of an urgent care centre (walk in non "blue light") and a 60 bed GP centre on the site.

Few who use or work in hospital services would deny that there is a need for change.  And change can work - the reorganisation of acute stroke services in London  have transformed recovery rates from being the worst in the country to among the best. But those changes were properly funded and properly planned - a very different situation to that experienced in North West London now. 

Ironically one of the eight "fewer larger" hyper stroke units is at Charing Cross and would now move to St Mary's Paddington.

So; will the proposed cuts and changes be better for residents in Chiswick and the rest of Hounslow?
A year ago Hounslow's Cabinet agreed to support Option A - designating West Middlesex University Hospital  a ‘major hospital’ and Charing Cross  a local hospital.  But this was a qualified support based on little available data.  Firstly; we requested assurances from the NHS that West Middlesex Hospital will be able to cope with increased numbers of patients using its accident and emergency, maternity and other services.

and secondly we specifically said that no hospitals were to close under the proposals.  Yet the complete demolition of Charing Cross as we currently know it has been added since that Cabinet meeting - with the loss of not only A&E, but a whole host of specialist units that have saved the lives of thousands of local residents over the year.

  

 There is increasing clinical opposition to having fewer A&E units - the success data is not there, and there is concern that where Urgent Care Centres are not attached to an A&E, there are too  many serious ill patients unable to quickly transfer from one to the other.  

The cross borough, cross party, Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Health Committee

is very concerned about the changes.  In particular; the ability of Out of Hospital care to expand sufficiently quickly to reduce the demand on acute beds in the remaining major hospitals, the ability of the hospital and public transport system to adapt to the changes in patient travel, the impact on services to people arriving at hospital with mental health problems or disabilities. They are not assured that the finance is there, nor adequate measurable targets, nor adequate risk assessments

  I have twice heard the presentation by our local Clinical Commissioning Group about how they plan to reduce the expected pressure on West Middlesex's A&E and acute beds, by developing an extensive out-of-hospital service.    No-one can argue that it's in everyone's interests to get and keep frail elderly people, and people with chronic conditions, out of hospital. 

But what I have seen are nice plans with no targets, and no funding guaranteed. They are aspirational.  

Without committed funding, and clear targets they are little more than wishful thinking. 

These changes are being planned to be implemented within three years, at a time when A&Es are being swamped by rising numbers of frail elderly people, who in large part are victims of an underfunded social care system.  Last winter the West Mid saw more patients than ever - they coped without per-patient waiting times increasing - but they are at capacity. There are no accurate population projections built into the out-of-hospital plans and no adequate answers for those living near Charing Cross, as to the likely journey times they would need to factor in to get through West London's busy traffic.  

Jeremey Hunt must review these changes, for the sake of the future health of the people of north west London. 

Chiswick Independent Traders Celebrate with Street Fair

Devonshire Road in Chiswick was closed to traffic and a lawn laid down yesterday (Saturday).  The Devonshirte Road  fair was organised to celebrate and promote the independent businesses that this road, and much of Chiswick, is renowned for.  Despite appearance, many independent shops in Chiswick are struggling against rising rents, business rates and lower customer spend, so special events are a really good way to increase trade.  Mike Moran from Top Hat Dry Cleaners made these points to Chukka Umuna (Shadow Trade Secretary) when we met him in Chiswick a few months ago.

I got there in the morning and do hope they had a successful day . . .

My Campaign to be selected to Labour's Candidate in Brentford & Isleworth in 2015

Ruth2015Win is my Campaign Website - please do go there and see why many people are supporting me to be Labour's Candidate in 2015

Hounslow to hit New Affordable Homes Target this Administration, and next

With the growing housing crisis caused by a critical shortage of Council Housing, it's good to see that Hounslow Council will be able to deliver on the 2010 Pledge of 2500 new affordable homes in the borough.  What’s more, the Cabinet committed at the last Cabinet meeting  to plans that will deliver a further 3000 homes over the following five years.  At least 500 of the new homes will be Council-owned and the rest provided by Housing Associations.  Included in the total for the next five years  are 48 new sheltered housing units and 50 hostel units for homeless people.

This large increase in new Council housing has been made possible now that the Council has full control over the income it receives from its housing stock (The Housing Revenue Account) as well as having enhanced borrowing powers.  Introduced by the outgoing Labour Government, these powers are now coming on-stream - not a moment too soon to address the catastrophic shortage of decent quality affordable housing we have.

Boris sounds death knell to the West London Economy with Thames Airport idea

By proposing a new airport in the Thames east of London, Boris Johnson is saying that he has no interest in supporting the West London Economy, where around 100,000 jobs are dependent on Heathrow, and many business locate here to be accessible to international contacts. Heathrow may be an environmental challenge (to put it mildly - see previous posts) but it is a key driver of our local economy.

The debate around the future of Heathrow is more complex than "Expand or Close", and I hope the Davies Commission addresses these issues so that Heathrow is retained with 2 Runways, no night flights and runway alternation.  To do this Davies will have to address;

• incentivising aircraft to fly full 
• filling the unused capacity at regional airports - currently 40% unused 
• recognising that transfer passenger business (which brings little direct revenue to UK plc) will change as the new fleet of long-distance planes come on stream
• defining Heathrow's role - the majority of its passengers are leisure travellers - would some prefer to travel from their local airport?
• replacing short-haul flights with rail
• forecasting long-term demand should fossil fuel become scarce - meaning investing in a £multi-billion pipe-dream is just mad

Hounslow's residents clearly oppose expansion (72% of those surveyed) but 62% did not want a new hub built if it meant Heathrow would close.   Hounslow Council's will continue to campaign for a Better Not Bigger Heathrow.

Third Runway would kill historic opportunity to improve noise climate for Heathrow residents

A short Report  released today by HACAN claims that a third runway at Heathrow would kill off an historic opportunity to improve the noise climate for residents.  The report argues that the combination of the quieter aircraft that are coming on-stream and improved operational practices, such a steeper approaches, provide a real chance to reduce noise. But it says that chance would be lost if a new runway is built as the huge increase in the number of planes would cancel out any improvements to the noise climate.  A third runway would allow over 700,000 planes to use the airport each year, up from the current ceiling of 480,000.

The report comes out just a week before Heathrow Airport is expected to announce its favoured site for a third runway when it submits its evidence to the Airports Commission which has been set up by the Government to assess airport capacity in London and the South East (2).  The commission released its consultation on noise at the end of last week (3).

HACAN Chair John Stewart said, “There is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the noise climate at Heathrow.  It would be snatched away if a third runway was built.”

The report highlights the fact that Heathrow is ‘in a noisy league of its own’ with 725,000 people affected by noise from the airport, that is, 28% of all people impacted by aircraft noise right across Europe.  The report also calls on the Government to introduce a more meaningful way of measuring noise.

Shadow Business Secretary Visits Independent Traders in Chiswick

It was good to meet Chuka Umunna in Chiswick this week.  He’s Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary and he takes a particular interest in the challenges facing small businesses.  Thursday was Retail Independent Day, and Chuka is leading calls to encourage consumers to shop with local independents .  Research shows that of every £1 spent locally between 50p and 70p recirculates back into the local economy. But many shopping areas, including Chiswick, are under pressure from shopping malls, big chains and internet competition. The National Campaign encourages the public to buy at least one thing from an independent shop on Independents' Day.

During his visit, we asked shoppers to sign a petition calling on the Council GLA and National Government to help maintain and protect the character of Chiswick as a historic High Road with a strong representation of independent shops and businesses.

We then visited several shops including Mortimer and Bennett in Turnham Green Terrace and Top Hat in Devonshire Road.   Chuka said "I know how strongly people in Chiswick feel about the great character of the local area. Shops like Chiswick Hardware and Mortimer & Bennett delicatessen, obviously bring great richness and variety". He said the Labour Party was determined to help small businesses and he was looking forward to a momentum building up ahead of the inaugural UK Small Business Saturday on December 7th.

Dan Mortimer, and Michael at Top Hat told me afterwards that Chuka was genuinely concerned about the challenges the independent shops in Chiswick face. Dan feels that the character of Turnham Green Terrace is changing as there are more and more estate agents, chains and charity shops coming in paying higher rents, and short stay parking is expensive. This then leads to the lower footfall that they are experiencing.

I feel that right now the biggest threat to retail shops in any town centre are changes of use to estate agents (in Chiswick’s case) or Betting Shops (in Hounslow Town Centre). The Council recently refused planning permission for a shop to become an estate agent in Turnham Green Terrace, which sent a positive signal to the retailers and I understand helped them in their rent negotiations with their landlords. However the Government's recent changes to planning law mean that permission isn't needed to change a shop into another commercial use. This could be the death knell for vibrant local streets like those in Chiswick. I urged Chuka to reverse this terrible policy brought in by Eric Pickles.

Parking is another bugbear of traders, and the traders we spoke to said that even 10 minutes free parking would make a big difference to their customers.

Police Station - Contact Point Update

I found out today that the reason the Police don't want to use the Docking Station, is that they are not prepared to pay anything towards the cost of the space - space occupied by a charity prepared to share with other public and community services. 

The Police want level access, a toilet, a private room, expect it to be warm and clean and secure - and that costs money.  The Docking Station estimates around £25 per hour.  But the Met are unwilling to pay that.  We know they are facing cuts, but surely they can afford £600 per month?!

BRENTFORD POLICE STATION REPLACEMENT - A ROOM IN GREEN DRAGON LANE

Cllr Mel Collins and I are surprised (to say the least) that the Met plans to replace Brentford's Police station with  a Contact Point -  a room at the base of Cornish House, one of the Tower Blocks on Green Dragon Lane, over a mile from the heart of the town centre.

It's bad enough that we are to lose the town's Police station as a result of Boris' cuts to the Met but to replace the front desk with Contact Point open for as little as three hours a week, in a room that is out of the way and difficult to get to on public transport is simply unacceptable.

We first heard about the proposal at last month's Community Police Consultative Group meeting and have offered to help the Met to find a Borough Commander to find a more accessible base in the heart of the community.   People wanting to talk to a Police officer need somewhere that is safe and secure, but also easy to get to.  The full details can be found in the Met's Estates Strategy.

We are pictured here outside the Docking Station, a community hub in the middle of Brentford High Street.  It is one of several venues the Police should have considered at a future Contact Point.

If you have a suggestion for an accesible venue the Police could use as a Contact Point, for a minimum of 3 hours per week, weekday evenings and Saturdays - please email me: ruth.cadbury@hounslow.gov.uk 

WE GIVE TORY TONY ARBOUR OUR 999SOS PETITION

Last week I led a delegation to deliver a 700-signature petition opposing London's emergency services cuts to Conservative London Assembly member Tony Arbour.  Over 700 borough residents, including Seema Malhotra MP,  had signed the 999SOS petition over 3 short sessions across the borough.  People were queuing up to sign in Chiswick, Hounslow and Feltham Town Centres and we heard many stories from people - those who've used emergency services recently or who work in them.  Some had recent bad experiences, others have good reason to value London's Police, Ambulance Fire and Hospital services and are really worried about the proposed cuts.

Chiswick Campaign Stall

The petition said "The cuts are going too far and too fast. The millions of pounds being taken from the budgets of the NHS, the Met police and the London Fire Service will inevitably endanger families
and communities  across the capital."
 

Brentford Police Station - to close

THE SPECIFIC CUTS AS THEY AFFECT US;
 *   The Metropolitan Police's budget has been cut by 20%, or £540m, by 2015, at a time when some crime such as violent assault is up
 *   Since May 2010 the Metropolitan Police has lost 1,444 police officers and 1,960 PCSOs and Safer neighbourhood teams in Hounslow are being cut to just one PC and 1 PCSO each.
 *   Brentford and Feltham Police Stations will close, and only the
Hounslow station will have a 24/7 service
 *   the London Ambulance Service is losing 19% of its funding, whilst
at the same time Accident and Emergency departments at Ealing, Charing
Cross and Hammersmith are due to close, and waiting times at A&Es are
rising
 *   The fire brigade is facing cuts of £64.8m over the next 2 years -
a quarter of its budget.
 *   8 firefighters are due to go from Heston Fire Station in Isleworth.

Public meeting to discuss fire service cuts in Hounslow

Chiswick Fire Station

Last week I attended the The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority public consultation in Ealing Town Hall about the effect of planned cuts on Ealing and Hounslow.  This is part of a London-wide consultation on the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan which is out for public consultation running from the beginning of March until 26th May, This includes proposals to close 12 fire stations, cut 18 fire engines and lose 520 firefighters.

We were told by James Cleverley, the Conservative London Assembly Member who Chairs the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, that the proposals are in response to the Government cuts to the GLA budget, and he hoped that the changes would mean no more closures.  Under the proposals, they say they aim to retain the London-wide target attendance target of getting a first fire engine to an emergency within an average six minutes and the second fire engine, if needed, within eight minutes.

The proposed changes locally are: the loss of an appliance at Hayes, despite its proximity to Heathrow; an additional appliance at Twickenham, and the loss of 2 fire officers per watch, ie 8, at Heston (Isleworth) station.  I asked about an earlier suggestion that Chiswick Fire Station could close, that was later retracted, and was told that closing Chiswick had never been their intention (though I'm sure I didn't imagine seeing it in writing!).  

Residents present at the meeting were concerned about the reduction of fire cover across London at a time when population density is  rising, especially in Brentford.  We were told there is no correlation between population density and incidents. Fire service data shows that despite London 's growth of 1m people in the last 10 years there has been a falling off of incidents.

However the service does admit that there is a correlation between deprivation and numbers of incidents, which suggests that as poverty in London continues to rise, pressure on fire services is going to rise.  

Labour Assembly Navin Shah was concerned about the rising tide of "beds in sheds" and the additional fire hazards they present.  I also pointed out that Eric Pickles' changes to planning law will mean that office blocks can be converted to housing, without adequate standards, and could lead to unregulated and dangerous flop-houses presenting a host of risks.  Rita Dexter the Deputy Commissioner, admitted this could be a risk, and was not aware until I told her, that Pickle's changes announced last week will be implemented at the end of this month - she was assuming there'd be some consultation and was clearly concerned.  

Having now looked at the small print of the consultation, I think residents of Brentford and Hounslow West wards in particular should be concerned that these areas are way off the 6-8 minute target.  Current  and projected response times are over nine minutes in Brentford and ten in Heston West.  Needless to say I am angry that yet another public service, which should be growing to adapt to London's needs, is being cut back, and Londoners will pay the price.

Watermans Arts Centre - Major Grant award

It's great to see that Watermans were successful in applying for a grant and have received funding of £929,079 over three years.
Watermans will lead a consortium of seven Hounslow organisations, including Feltham Arts Assocation, Hounslow Music Service, Hounslow Community Network, TW4 Community Development Trust, John Laing Integrated Services and London Borough of Hounslow.
The 10-year vision aims to build a confident, colourful and creative borough focused on the development of four town centres under the theme 'Hounslow coming together'. Funding will support a group of artistic partners to come together and increase engagement with arts across the borough based in these four hub locations.

Brentford get to Wembly - the hard way

Adam Forshaw punches home the final penalty

Brentford FC sealed their place in the play-offs at Wembley on 19th May this afternoon, after what was one of the most stressful matches I've ever watched (OK I don't go to that many games).  And this one following the drama of last week's match against Doncaster.

The second leg against Swindon soared from certain victory to tense draw - which held on through extra time and into 6 penalty shots. It was so bad I thought some blokes round us were going to have heart attacks.

Anyway, job done, congratulations to the Bees at their final match at Griffin Park this season, and hoping for a more relaxed game at Wembley on 19th May (1.30 kick off).

Bedroom Tax in Hounslow

Last night's Council meeting again debated the Bedroom Tax, now impacting on 2000 working-age households in Hounslow who are losing anything from £13 to over £30 per week.  This policy was dreamed up by a party without thought as to the financial or social consequences, as families struggle to make ends meet, or are forced to give up their tenancies and move into far more expensive private-sector housing (at greater cost to the tax-payer). 

Hounslow's Tories suggested this tax is the way to encourage people to down-size - whilst forgetting that our Council, with the support of a Labour Government, provided one-off support costs to "over-occupiers", and enough funding to build new housing, so people had a choice of new homes.  They also conveniently forget that most "over-occupiers" are pensioners, but at least their Government had the sense to ensure pensioners are not affected by the bedroom tax.

Many of those affected are the working poor, or those whose situation mean they cannot work.  My colleague Elizabeth Hughes described how a disabled constituent needs a second bedroom for a carer to stay in and also to store various pieces of bulky equipment when not in use. She is having to find an additional £14 per week, which will be a massive struggle to find and will impair her ability to live any kind of normal life.  If the bedroom tax is designed to get people to downsize, it is an incredibly blunt instrument.  This woman's flat has had over £10,000 spent to adapt it for her physical needs, which would have to be spent again were she to move - that is if she could find an accessible one sufficiently near her care support and there are too few suitable places.

Right wing Tory Robert Oulds kept going on about the discretionary hardship fund being offered to the Council, whilst ignoring that this will cover a fraction of the losses to residents on low incomes, and is only available for a year.  Labour's Ajmer Grewal pointed out that people who might have to apply to this fund cannot live with the worry of not knowing from one year to the next whether they are going to get support.

The Tories' body language suggested they are clearly split on the issue of the bedroom tax, even though they all voted against the Labour motion condemning it. 

At the same meeting Steve Curran announced the launch of the Food Box scheme, which provides food for people in crisis. A great initiative between the Council, the Tenants & Residents Federation and Asda, but it shouldn't be needed.  It's yet further proof that those who didn't cause the recession are being made to pay by a Government that is actively working to make the poor poorer.

Govt Killing Independent Living Fund - back to bed for disabled people

In among all the benefit changes I hadn't spotted the ending of ILF ,until I saw that disabled campaigners lost their high court case yesterday, and the ILF is permanently closed to new applicants.

The funding enables a severely disabled person to employ personal carers directly. it is a DWP top-up to local authority- funded support, and is needs-based for the most profoundly disabled people.  Without it many more would have to live in very expensive residential care - surely at greater public expense, or they remain dependent on family; but either way losing their liberty to work, to socialise and basically control their own lives. Here is what the ILF mean to Martyn Sibley and Mary Laver, and Jenny Morris's explanation of the history of he ILF.

The late Steve Cribb was a pioneer of ILF in the late 80s. Initially he managed to wangle his benefits with the help of Hounslow Council so the funding for all his care needs were paid directly to him - a radical idea which stretched the rules at the time. Directly employing the two carers he needed for daily living and getting around, meant he could move into his own flat, and be an active, and effective, Councillor. He campaigned nationally to see ILF becoming a mainstream benefit, and knowing Steve, he would be deeply angered to see the Coalition government rolling back his legacy, especially as he was a Lib Dem.

Good luck to the five people taking the appeal on behalf of the 20,000 people whose independence is possible through the ILF.

Back to Cathy Come Home?

A young woman living locally contacted me recently needing help to get re-housed, but the outlook doesn't look good for her right now.  She lives in a room in a large house with her toddler, and shares the bathroom, toilet and kitchen with 8 adult strangers, having left a violent relationship with the child's father.  Unless her child is fast asleep, she has to take him with her whenever she needs to use the loo, the shower or the kitchen.  There is no playspace.  She is band C which means effectively there is no chance of a Council or Housing Association home coming available for many years.  If her landlord evicted her she could spend some time in BandB which is as bad as her bedsit, then years of temporary housing - ie expensive private rental with no choice about where she lives.  At least her current home is near family support.

Three or four years ago she would have had hope of a decent affordable home but the rate at which demand now outstrips supply in west London, this is impossible.  And this is despite the high rate of Council and Housing Association homes being built in our borough - we will have achieved our pledge of 2500 new affordable homes by 2014 - but to keep up with demand we should be building meany thousands more.

Brompton - of Brentford

Brompton Bicycles are one of Britain's current manufacturing successes. They build 36,000 bikes a year from their factory unit just off the A4 in Brentford, and expect to triple that output in the next 5 years given the current levels of demand which always outstrip supply.   I went along with Hounslow's senior planning and regeneration officer Heather Cheesbrough recently to understand their future plans.

Brompton employ local people, many in skilled jobs such as brazing, and they encourage staff to cycle to work.  Although Brompton's  aren't cheap,  they are brilliantly engineered, and provide exactly the transport solution for commuters the world over.  They want to stay local, and I am doing what I can to ensure they do.

Cadbury's history, Miliband and the Archbishop of Canterbury

Last week my family heritage and political present unexpectedly came together with comments from two national leaders, and a book launch,.  Ed Miliband used George Cadbury's business philosophy as a role model for his economic vision, in his major speech in Birmingham. And in the week of his installation, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to the Cadbury's "who have a deep sense of social utility and social value" in a TV interview.

It was a complete coincidence that in the same week I was celebrating one of the tangible results of this legacy.  The Barrow Cadbury Trust,of which I have been Chair for the past six years, launched a book of our history subtitled "Constancy and Change in Quaker Philanthrophy". 

The Trust was founded by my great-grandparents, Barrow (George's nephew) and Geraldine Cadbury who sought to address issues such as poverty, injustice, and a failing penal system.

A good example of how the Trust's history shapes our present is the Transition to Adulthood Alliance.   Initiated in 2008, T2Ais a coalition of voluntary and public sector partners working to improve the life chances of young adults in the criminal justice system.  We are now seeing how that work has influenced UK Justice policy and practice under the last and present Government, seeing how young adults are supported in alternatives to, and on release from, custody.
But our involvement in solutions, and particularly in criminal justice, is not new.  It stems from the passion of my great grandparents who believed that poverty could only be addressed through challenging the status quo.  They sought to distance themselves from the traditional Victorian philanthropists and felt that any solution to the problems of the poor in Birmingham depended on the work of central and local Government to improve housing, education and health care.  Geraldine, with others, founded the world's fist Childrens Court - in Birmingham.  Barrow and Geraldine used their own money to build and staff it.  She worked effectively as an unpaid probation officer - cataloging and understanding the home circumstances of all the young people.  In her later years she spent much of her time traveling to London, exhausting herself on Home Office Committees, working to ensure a more just system of justice of vulnerable children - she was, in the Quaker way, speaking Truth to Power.

For 10 years the Trust office has been in London - so that we can continue to access and influence the decision-makers, but we spend a significant proportion of our money in Birmingham and the Black Country.

It's a privilege and a responsibility, as Barrow and Geraldine's descendents, to steward the organisation.  I've found reading the book inspiring and fascinating, some of the stories are familiar, many are new to me.


NB:
Nick Pierce's Blog on the book and the links to current social and economic challenges is excellent.

Small Business Network - London Labour Councils

Yesterday I was in Brent, when Shadow Small Business Minister, Toby Perkins MP launched the second regional Labour Councillors Business Network (LCBN).

Labour councillors from boroughs right across London attended the event and we heard three presentations of best practice from excellent Labour Councils:

Brent: Cllr Mo Butt, Leader of the Council, and Cllr Zaffar Van Kalwala who represents the Stonebridge Ward, which includes the Park Royal Estate
Mo and Zaffar outlined how Brent have used the “Destination Wembley” project to boost local small firms and have used Council procurement to ensure companies create apprenticeships in the borough.  They also highlighted how the Council are leading by example in paying supplier within 14 days and have decreased parking charges to make their high streets more inviting.

Camden: Cllr Sarah Hayward, Leader of the Council
Sarah explained how access to finance was the most pressing problem facing small businesses in Camden and explained how her borough is working with the peer-to-peer lending site Funding Circle to get money to local firms.  Camden are investing £100,000 in the project and are keen to work with other Councils in the city to boost lending.

Merton: Cllr Stephen Alambritis, Leader of the Council
Stephen stated that “unlike the Tory-led government, in Merton we don’t just sit back and wait for big businesses to arrive”.  He described how Merton had won recognition for its excellent high streets and how the Council supported its high streets by using the Wimbledon championships to direct people to local shops and have insisted on support from large supermarkets for local shops.

After the presentations Cllrs from opposition groups and controlling groups in boroughs as diverse as Barnet, Greenwich, Bexley and Kensington discussed a wide range of ideas and ways to support local small businesses.  These included.
* Ensuring entrepreneurialism is open to all not just as a backstop for those out of work

* Working with the cooperative movement to support small businesses
* Giving local government more responsibility for local economic growth, and more powers to achieve this
* Setting an example with very prompt payment to suppliers
* Emulating schemes such as the Brixton pound.

Toby Perkins MP, National Chair of the LCBN and Shadow Small Business Minister said:

“Although Labour are out of office nationally, there is still much we can do to support the small businesses who are the lifeblood of our economy.
“Across the country Labour councils and councillors are often the first point of access for small businesses seeking support. Labour wants to see more people setting up and working in business.
“At a time when the Tory-led government is making unprecedented cuts to local government it has never been more important for our councils to work together to support their local businesses and economies.

“Councils from across the country are playing a huge role in demonstrating how the next One Nation Labour government will champion and support small business and I look forward to London playing its part.”

Red Nose Day Toll in Church Street

On Red Nose day we raised £406 for Comic Relief at a rush hour road "toll"  in Isleworth. Cllr Sue Sampson and I wore our slippers and dressing gowns and collected funds from drivers slowing down at the width restriction in Church Street. We were joined by Elvis, and local residents including Katherine Dunne who stopped by on her way to work.

We would like to to thank all the drivers who put their change in our mop buckets. Comic Relief funds many projects that support children living in poverty in the UK and in Africa, and every penny went towards the national total that is currently over £75m.

We'd also like to thank the charity Cathja,who made the "Red Nose" toll sign in their barge workshop, and the team at the London Apprentice who generously provided breakfast.

 

 

Noisy Planes? - Sleep Deprivation's Impact on Health

Just had the Monthly bulletin from Airport Watch (www.airportwatch.org.uk) with worrying research news.

"Some interesting new work by researchers at the University of Surrey indicates that sleep deprivation causes adverse effects on health due to disruption of gene activity. They were looking at sleep deprivation, rather than sleep disturbance (eg. from aircraft overhead) but the results are worrying, indicating negative effects on the immune system, and circadian rhythms, increasing stress, heart disease, obesity and type II diabetes. More  at http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=488"

999SOS Petition Update

Yesterday 240 people signed the petition against Boris' cuts to Emergency services in London at our street stall in Chiswick, and this followed stalls last weekend in Hounslow and Feltham - taking the total to almost 700 in just a few hours of activity.

I've never had such positive support from a street stall as we've been having over the last two Saturdays. Nearly everyone has had direct or indirect use of the Ambulance service, their local police station, or the Fire service so threats to these are deeply unpopular.  The campaign, launched by the London Assembly Labour group is resonating way beyond party boundaries, and is really bringing home the impact of Osborne's cuts and Boris Johnson's U-turn on his election promises of last year

Leafletting at Brentford Station

Yesterday I was one of hundreds of people across London taking part in Labour's 999SOS Day of Action to highlight deep cuts to London's frontline emergency services being forced through by the Conservatives.

The reception I had at Brentford station was positive - people are becoming increasingly aware of the cuts in police numbers and counters, in the closure of hospital facilities and the cuts to the ambulance service, and feel they are too far and too fast.

On the day the Mayor of London forced through his Budget which will mean deep, risky cuts to our 999 services, local campaigners were out early leafleting at tube and rail stations from Chiswick to Hounslow.

Labour members of  the London Assembly have a fully-costed plan which shows the money is there to keep frontline police stations open, and retain the Safer Neighbourhood teams..

Runway Closures - Noisier Nights until October for Many Thousands

Residents living under the landing path for Heathrow's northern runway won't get any night-time peace between March and October, as the resurfacing works are carried out on the southern runway.  All alternation will stop between 10.30pm and 6am, so those 16 flights coming in from 4.30 am will be overhead every day, every week until the autumn - there's a useful explanation on BrentfordTW8.com.

These next months will be a useful taster for what life would be like without that essential alternation pattern, practiced at the airport for decades and essential for making life bearable for the hundreds of thousands of residents living so close to the airport - in communities that were there long before the airport was even thought of (1944). 

Of course for those living under the approach to the southern runway, there'll be peaceful nights until the autumn, but no doubt Heathrow will need to resurface the northern runway next year!

Hounslow Council has been campaigning for years for decent mitigation for residents living near Heathrow.  Our lobbying ensured that the Civil Aviation Act of 2006 retained alternation and the restricted night flights regime, and the Government ensured additional bedroom noise insulation for thousands of homes.  With the current debate about the future airport capacity in the south-east, we continue to fight for the right to periods of peace and a quiet nights sleep for the noisiest communities in the UK.

BRENTFORD & FELTHAM POLICE STATIONS SET TO CLOSE - Chiswick Fire Station gets a (temporary?) reprieve

Brentford Police Station

999SOS London –  UPDATE

The safety of borough residents is at risk as a result of cuts to emergency services being pushed through by the Conservatives in Government and at City Hall.

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Brentford & Feltham Police stations are now set to close, and Chiswick station’s opening times scaled back to a weekday 9-5 service, as part of the Mayor of London’s  20% budget cuts.  Only Hounslow station will remain as a 24/7 service.  The Met suggest that the public can meet the police in cafes, supermarkets  and Council offices. There has been no consultation with the Council about these proposals.  Police counters provide safe space for the public - with an outer waiting area, going through to a separate space at the counter, protecting people from the waiting area.  This is particularly valuable for those in fear of attack when reporting crime to the police.  I cannot see how this can easily be replicated in shops and supermarkets.  Most shops are very tight for space, and supermarkets need flexibility in their space and may be reluctant to cover the cost.  These cuts are on top of force the loss of 90 Police and PCSOs and  concern about changes to the Safer Neighbourhood teams in the borough.

The  Met Police consultation on their proposals is  Wednesday, 6 February, 8pm at Hounslow Civic Centre       More details at www.london.gov.uk/policingevents

NHS: The London Ambulance Service has received a 19% cut.  A&E Services at Ealing, Charing Cross, Central Middlesex & Hammersmith hospitals are set to close, leaving West Mid with a 70% increase in its catchment area.  With further NHS cuts, will West Mid cope without longer waiting times?

Chiswick Fire Station has won a reprieve since Labour’s intervention, but it could remain at risk of closure.

The cumulative effect of these changes needs investigation say Labour members of  the London Assembly, to fully understand the local impacts of these cuts.  And we need to address the impact for our borough too.