My Report from City Hall no.13: 20/6/13 to 25/7/13
Introduction
I have slightly changed the order of this report compared to previous ones, as the main focus of the last few weeks has been more on campaigns than on City Hall, though there is the usual detail below about my City Hall scrutiny role. In the campaigns section, I set out some of the recent “highlights” though other campaigns appear in the press releases section, too. Before getting on to that, though, a few other things to highlight.
Firstly, congratulations to Tulip Siddiq, on her selection as Hampstead and Kilburn’s Labour prospective Parliamentary Candidate. I am sure she will fight a vigorous campaign and make an excellent MP after the next election.
This was a month of festivals, including those at East Finchley, Beaufort Park, and the Cyprus Festival at Alexandra Palace , all of which I attended amongst others.
The Swaminarayam Temple in Golders Green held a ”goodbye” event, as they shortly close their building as part of their move to nearby Brent, with a brand new temple under construction.
The Somali Bravanese community, whose building was destroyed by arson (see previous reports) were nevertheless able to hold their annual presentation by and for the community’s children, shifted at short notice to the North London Business Park. The police investigation into the fire is continuing and I hope they are able to catch the perpetrator soon.
And finally, for my introduction, congratulations to Chris Froome (Tour de France), Andy Murray (Wimbledon) and the England Cricket Team (including three Yorkshire players !): this sports fan salutes you!
Campaigns and consultations
Fighting Fire Service Cuts
This has gained momentum with the end of the consultation on the Mayor’s proposed fire service cuts. The consultation responses overwhelmingly rejected the cuts package. I have pursued the Mayor on this (see below) and spoke at the rally organised by the Fire Brigades Union. The present position is that the plan was marginally adjusted to save two fire stations, but at the cost of two Fire and Rescue vehicles and yet more firefighter jobs. Locally, Belsize and Clerkenwell remain on the closure list. This plan was again voted down by the Labour members on the fire authority, with support from the LibDem and Green members, opposed by the Conservatives. The Mayor is now threatening to impose the cuts by a formal directive: watch this space!
Police Cuts
More details of the local implications are emerging, with the implementation of the new policing plan in both Barnet and Camden from the end of June. The press and PR department of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) have been in overdrive in their efforts to argue that it means more police, including leaflets through every letterbox at who knows what cost, but the truth is very different, with significant reductions in police numbers; and of those there are, only 20% or so will be on duty at any one time: see the press releases below for the details.
Whittington Hospital
Together with Jennette Arnold AM and Joanne McCartney AM, who also cover the Whittington’s catchment area, we met the senior management of the hospital on two occasions, to press our objections to their cuts and closure plans. I am pleased to say that all the work done by local campaigners has borne fruit, and the plans have been dramatically changed for the better.
Barnet Parking
Yet another successful campaign, this time in the courts and yet another bloody nose for Barnet Council. Local residents who challenged the Council’s exorbitant parking charges increase have won their judicial review. I am demanding the Council now refund all the excess money they unlawfully extracted from local residents for their parking permits.
The “One Barnet” campaign
This is the fight against the wholesale privatising of Council Services by the Conservative controlled council. The judicial review against these plans has just been heard in the Court of Appeal, and the judgment is expected in September. In the meantime, the parking charges ruling (see above) will have knocked a hole in their contract negotiations and the likely putting into “special measures” of the Council’s planning department will do so too.
HS2
This campaign battles on. We have published two reports from the Assembly attacking the scheme (see below). Camden Council’s judicial review failed, but we fight on. In the meantime, we have some unexpected supporters come over to the sceptics’ side, including Peter Mandleson, the CBI, the Financial Times, and respected rail guru Christian Wolmar.
Finchley Memorial Hospital Bus service
I presented a paper on this to Barnet ‘s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee there may be some chinks emerging in TfL’s hardline opposition, as they have asked to meet me, after the Summer break to discuss my arguments for this badly needed service.
Free schools/ academies: Avanti and Mil Hill
The campaign against the move of Avanti Free School to Edgware permanently and Mill Hill temporarily (see previous reports) is making progress, even though the Mayor has refused to apologise for calling local people “nimbys” who dislike school children”. FoI responses and Mayoral correspondence show that the Council, while purporting to oppose the Avanti move, have been rather more supportive of it than they were letting on. (see separate campaign reports). It is starting to look like this campaign has succeeded, re the temporary Mill Hill site, and probably the grant of planning consent for the proposed cemetery near the Edgware site will mean that plan falls through too.
In the meantime, I have unearthed another Barnet school scandal, this time over their involvement with E-ACT and the Council’s plan for an Academy School in Mill Hill. The company they have been dealing with, E-ACT has been exposed by the DfE (see press release below) as taking excess profits and exorbitant expenses. The Council is now sheepishly quietly trying to get out from their dealings with E-ACT. This is yet another example of the Council’s failure to do due diligence on its business partners.
Gospel Oak to Barking rail line electrification
I was pleased to see that at long last the funding for this important project has been agreed. The challenge is now to ensure there is no backsliding in delivering the project.
Stirling Corner
So far, so good, with another successful campaign. The 24/7 traffic light experiment seems to be going well. I attended the Borehamwood Road Safety Panel meeting with TfL. I raised the importance of making the 24/7 lights operation a permanent change, (with some tweaking of the sequence required), as well as the need to move on to reducing the speed limit on the stretch between Stirling and Apex Corners to 50 MPH, and to develop pedestrian and cyclist crossing facilities. The traffic lights will be reviewed in the Autumn and TfL will then move on to see what else can be done. I have also spoken to the police about speed and traffic signal compliance enforcement at the roundabout.
West Hendon “regeneration”
Barnet Council has decided to go ahead with this crazy scheme, in the face of overwhelming opposition from the residents who will be affected, as well as those concerned about the damage it will do the Welsh Harp SSSI nature reserve, with blocks up to 29 storeys high. I made a submission to the Planning Committee in writing and in person, based on my 17 years’ knowledge of the estate and its residents, and the outcome of the survey I conducted, as the Council refused to ballot the residents on the plan. The plan now goes to the Mayor for approval and I will object again to him.
Colindale
Overdevelopment in Colindale, encouraged by the Council and the Mayor, also continues apace. I objected at the Council Planning Committee to the proposals for Station House, a 662 bed student accommodation by the tube station. . We have just heard that the British Library wish to see their site sold for housing, another 388 flats. The Peel Centre will now be about 2000 flats and 1500 student accommodation. I have asked a series of Mayor’s Questions on this, and it is clear that very little thought is being given to the need for more services to accommodate all these extra residents, let alone any consideration for the existing community, whose interests are being ignored. The population of the ward is set to increase from 15,700 before all this development began to 37,700, in the space of 10 years. The local community, in my view, just cannot absorb that scale of growth.
Cyprus
I attended the annual Trafalgar Square Rally and the protest march beforehand, over the occupation of the north of Cyprus by Turkey, as I do every year. I was appalled to hear that they now have to pay for the policing of their own demonstration as the Met will not do it. I have tabled questions about this policy, and answers to which are long overdue and are being dodged by the Mayor.
Cost of living survey
I am conducting a survey on the impact of the cost of living on residents in Barnet and Camden. If you wish to participate, details are here.
I will now turn to my work in City Hall.
Health Committee
Our first formal session of this new committee considered the issue of diabetes services in London, which proved to be amore interesting hearing than I had anticipated. (click for transcript). I was appalled to hear that Barnet has the worst record in London for screening: only 2%of those eligible for screening were even offered it, and the take up was the worst in London too at 0%- you couldn’t get any worse!
Environment Committee
To conclude our investigation into the environmental aspects of the HS2 scheme, we paid a site visit to Camden. We then submitted a highly critical response to the HS2 environmental consultation, and the Transport Committee also submitted a report on the Draft Environmental Statement Response consultation. Both responses can be seen here.
We then had a formal evidence hearing on air quality in London. I particularly highlighted problems in Camden using the Euston Road as an example; and in Barnet, the North Circular.
Economy Committee
Our evidence session was held on London and the EU; and on banking reform, with the Deputy Mayor for Business and with the Mayor’s Chief Economic Adviser. (Click for transcript)
Mayor’s Question Time and Plenary
I pressed the Mayor on his fire service cuts, reminding him of his promise before the election that there would be no reduction in fire cover while he was Mayor, a clearly broken promise.
I also exposed the dodgy contract between TfL and Emirates, for the sponsorship of the cable car across the Thames. This included an illegal boycott clause, which the Mayor is now hurriedly renegotiating.
I returned to this theme, in the following week’s plenary, as it had become obvious that the implications of the dodgy deal were far wider, leading to the probable unwitting breaches of United States law by any US companies that have done business with TfL over the last 2 years.
I also proposed a successful motion on the issue of free schools and the relaxation of planning controls in the context of the on-going issue about Avanti Free School; and spoke in the debate about the minimum wage and the London Living Wage.
I also tabled a full range of written questions, the replies (such as they are) can be seen here.
Press releases and open letters to the press
Mayor needs to take responsibility and stop closure of Chase Farm Hospital
Assembly Health Committee hears appalling figures concerning diabetes in Barnet
Funding for Electrification for Barking to Gospel Oak welcomed
Dismore demands Barnet Council drops Mill Hill Academy school contractor
Avanti: Government and Barnet Council need to go back to school
Boris “utterly unresponsive to requests” for Finchley Memorial Hospital bus service
Andrew’s Broadfields/Fairway update #3
Victory as Gove U-Turns on languages
Christian Wolmar: £50 billion HS2 has reached the end of the line
Andrew’s Broadfields/Fairway update #4
Dismore demands urgent investigation after near miss on Northern Line
Mayor Boris Johnson forces through closure of Belsize and Clerkenwell fire stations
Overdevelopment in Colindale designed on back of an envelope
Dismore demands answers from Mayor Johnson over Emirates sponsorship deal
Emirates cable car sponsorship: who else?
Cable Car: “TfL haven’t read their own contract”
“Mayor must apologise for Emirates contract and ensure renegotiation is not discriminatory”
Deborah Meaden and Labour Assembly Member Andrew Dismore support campaign to tackle wildlife crime
“Judge rules that Conservative Barnet Council broke the law on excessive parking charges”
Boris Johnson’s anti-Israel Emirates contract now referred to US and EU enforcement authorities
Letters
Letter for publication: Mayors police spin on statistics
Letter for publication: Private members bills take effort
Letter for publication – Evening Standard: Mayor’s fire cuts
Letter for publication: Camden fire cuts
Problem solving and casework
My Research & Support Officer is Adam Langleben, who manages incoming correspondence, casework and my appointments adam.langleben@london.gov.uk
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Best regards
Andrew Dismore AM
Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
