Reporting back to you from City Hall: November – December 2012

My report from City Hall

No.6: 15th November 2012 to 19th December 2012

Introduction

Things are becoming busier at City Hall, as the budget cycle decisions come closer, and with the Mayor’s proposed cuts to the fore. Before getting into the detail, though, may I firstly wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year?

Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

 

Andrew at Hendon Royal Mail sorting office, lending a hand with the Christmas post

Mayor’s Question Times

Since my last report, we have had two MQTs. At the first, I challenged the Mayor over the closures of police stations (for the full details on police cuts, see my separate recent report).

I also raised the impact of the expected fire station closures on fire service attendance times, with particular reference to Belsize Fire Station and a fire which occurred near there, days before.

At the second MQT, I followed the same theme: I raised the Mayor’s proposal of just one hour per borough for his consultation on the police cuts. I also challenged the Mayor on the impact of his proposed cuts on firefighter numbers – over 1000 front line staff, a fifth of our total firefighting strength.

Click here to watch the webcast.

I put the usual wide range of questions for written replies, too, at both MQTs.

Fire Authority (LFEPA)

The scale of the cuts Mayor Johnson is demanding – £65m over two years- will be devastating for the fire service. It will undoubtedly lead to longer waits for a fire engine in emergencies. I reported last time, as to how the details of what was going on was being kept from the public. Under the pressure I was exerting, the detailed workings are now available on the LFEPA website, though not easy to follow. However, this link will take you to the likely list of closures, demanded by the current funding gap of £50m (some cuts have already been found). This new list also puts Mill Hill Fire Station under threat. This station serves not just Mill Hill, but Edgware, Hale, Burnt Oak and half of Colindale, as well as providing assistance at road accidents on the M1. I am launching a campaign against this proposal. I visited Mill Hill Fire station, before launching our campaign to save the station with a Mill Hill street stall.

Local campaigners Sian John and Richard Logue distributing my Mill Hill Fire Station Consultation.

The draft of the proposed new Safety Plan for the fire service is more about justification of the Mayor’s cuts than the safety needs of the capital, to my mind. We should set out what is needed first, and then see what resources are available, rather than the other way round, when it comes to protecting the public from fire.

LFEPA has at long last terminated the privatised fire engine fleet maintenance contract with AssetCo (now Premier Fire) which I also wrote to you about before, with the bank calling in the administrators for the failed company. Whilst the final cost of this fiasco will take some time to be determined, what is clear is that millions more will now have to be spent than originally expected, in replacing the fleet in the not too distant future, as the fire engines wear out.

The other big privatisation contract, let just before the election, is for Fire Brigade training. Although the contract provides for ‘deductions’ for poor performance, I have been able to establish that in the first three months of the contract, the contractor, Babcocks, was “let off” such “fines” of £694,334 for underperformance. Another example of the problems of privatisation – this amount would have paid for the running costs of a small fire station for 6 months!

The chair of LFEPA also had to apologise to me publicly, for defamatory comments he made about me.

I have also been visiting some of the Brigade’s specialist facilities like the fire boat and the control centre. I was invited by the trades unions to speak and lay a wreath at their commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the King’s Cross fire: 25 years ago, I was a young campaigning lawyer who represented victims of the fire, their families and the unions in the public inquiry, inquest and compensation claims. Hard safety lessons were learned then, and I am concerned that the Coalition Government, in their attack on health and safety, are forgetting those lessons and why they were necessary.

I also attended our emergency services campaign launch at Islington Fire Station.

Transport

HS2 has been up the agenda this month. I attended the HS2 public consultation exercise, where HS2 were attempting to explain to people their inadequate compensation proposals. I also spent time calling on residents who will be affected, to get their views. Camden Council’s judicial review of the HS2 proposal has also been heard in the High Court, with the result expected shortly.

Last month I reported on the Mayor’s extortionate fare increases for next year. His newly published Transport Plan for the next 10 years will require above inflation fare rises for every one of those years, with no new announcement for investment. Bus passengers in particular get a raw deal.

I joined the protest against the fare rises and worsening services, at Euston station.

 

Rail Price increase Protest at Euston Station

I have also been highlighting problems with dangerous junctions and crossings (see below), and met the Deputy Mayor for Transport Isabel Dedring to discuss a range of local matters, including:

– Stirling Corner

– New bus on the Great North Way towards Hendon Central

– Camden Road/St Pancras Way junction

– TfL PCN Appeals Process/PATAS

– Falloden Way Parking Enforcement – Hampstead Garden Suburb

– Henlys Corner Cyclist Safety

– New strategic review of transport across Camden

– Colindale Area Action Plan – New Transport links and massive infrastructure will be required

– Transport links to Barnet General, Finchley Memorial, Edgware Community and Royal Free Hospitals

– Dial a Ride service

– Illegal mini cab touting

– Disabled access at West Hampstead Underground & Overground stations

– Northern Line weekend closures

– Future splitting of the Northern Line

– Effect of new station development on the south of the Northern Line on the general service and transport times.

In the Transport Committee, I particularly highlighted to Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy the pressures on Colindale tube station, in light of the increasing population from all the developments, round there.

What is also becoming clear, is the failure of TfL and the NHS to work together over transport links, as the NHS changes their services and their locations, including for example bus routes to Barnet Hospital and the recently opened new Finchley Memorial Hospital. I’ve calculated that it is at least 350 metres from the nearest bus stop to the front door of the hospital, which I think is far too far to expect elderly, sick or disabled people to walk.

Andrew with Labour councillors and Barnet residents at Finchley Memorial Hospital

Policing

I sent out recently a police cuts special report, so will not add much in this email, safe to say I have launched campaigns to protect our emergency services in general, the “999 SOS” campaign and our local services in particular.

Andrew, Cllr Alison Moore and Labour councillors outside threatened Golders Green Police Station.

I have now been informed that the police “consultation” by the Deputy Mayor for Policing will comprise only one public meeting of just one hour’s duration.

In Barnet, this will be at the Town Hall in Hendon on 14th January, 6pm (be on time, it’s only an hour!)

In Camden, on 22nd January at 8pm – venue is not confirmed yet.

Economy committee

We have finished taking evidence in our inquiry into the problems of empty shops on the High Street: our report will be out in early February. We have just launched our new inquiry into the careers advice available to adults, with a call for evidence, so if you have any information or thoughts, please contribute them.

We held an evidence session with the Deputy Mayor for Business and Enterprise, Kit Malthouse. Amongst other issues, we questioned him on his role, now the Mayor has appointed an economic advisor, Gerard Lyons, formerly chief economist at Standard Chartered bank (which was recently heavily fined in the USA for money laundering for Iran and others and sanctions busting). We also had an interesting discussion on the Mayor’s attitude to Europe.

Campaigns

As Barnet residents would expect, I have been working closely with my Labour councillor colleagues against the appalling “one Barnet” mass sell off of Council services. I wrote to all the Conservative backbench councillors, urging them to put the people before their party.

I have also given my support to the Pinkham Way campaign…

… and to the campaign for Cat Hill over unwelcome development proposals…

Andrew with Rebecca Chalice, Barnet resident, at the historic pond, which is part of the proposed Cat Hill development site

(To find out more about the Campaign for Cat Hill click here.)

… and to the Hampstead Police station campaign.

Current campaigns and consultations I am running personally include:

Press releases and open letters to the press

Press items I have put out this month include:

Letters

Problem solving and casework

My Research & Support Officer is Adam Langleben, who manages incoming correspondence, research, casework and my appointments adam.langleben@london.gov.uk

Please pass this email on

Please feel free to forward this email update on to any other local residents or neighbours who you think might be interested in it. If they would like to receive their own copy in the future, they should email me at info@andrewdismore.org.uk, with their address in Barnet or Camden.

If you use social media, please follow me on twitter for the latest updates. You can follow me at @Andrew_Dismore.

Best regards

Andrew Dismore

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden

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