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.