Reporting back to you from City Hall: March – April 2014
My report from City Hall
No.19: 8th March to 11th April 2014
1 Introduction:
Firstly congratulations to Val Owen, who has organised Edgware Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal for 47 years, on her well-deserved Barnet Civic Award.
Thanks also to Saracens Rugby Club for stepping in to aid Barnet Deaf Football Club, when I asked them for help. BDFC had been using badly neglected but expensive Barnet council facilities in Montrose Park, with rubbish strewn pitches and changing rooms with no lighting or hot water. Saracens immediately offered to let them use their pitches for their matches from next season.
I am concerned about the effect of the new electoral registration rules, brought in by the Government. In Barnet, up to over 58,000 residents could be disenfranchised; in Camden over 52,000. Individual registration will undoubtedly disadvantage young people, students, and private tenants, for example, as well as older pole in care homes. it is now more important than ever, that people realise they must fill in their electoral registration forms.
Finally for my introduction, the GLA is about to enter what is known as the ‘purdah period’ , when no major policy announcements or discussions can take place until after the local and European Parliament election’s on 22nd May. Accordingly I will not be issuing a City Hall report for May: my next edition will be in June.
This month’s London quiz question: what were the years the traditional Routemaster bus entered and left regular service?
2 Contents:
3 Press releases, letters for publication
4 Housing
5 Policing
6 Health Committee
7 Economy Committee
8 HS2: Higgins report
9 Environment
10 Planning issues
11 Written questions to the Mayor
12 Problem solving and casework
13 Quiz answer
Please scroll down to the subjects that are of interest to you.
3 Press releases and letters for publication
Cat Hill and environmental vandalism
Mausoleum plan sounds death knell for Green Belt
Dismore publishes objections to Mill Hill Mausoleum scheme
Dismore challenges Mayor on lack of action to give Londoners housing priority
Dismore challenges energy companies over excess profits and impact on vulnerable people in Barnet
52,346 Camden residents may be stripped of the vote
58,211 Barnet residents may be stripped of the vote
Bedroom tax batters Barnet tenants
Barnet A&E under strain following closures
letter for publication re police numbers
letter for publication re police contact points
letter for publication re Mapledown school
letter for publication re crossing on colindeep lane
4 Housing
We had an Assembly plenary session to question the Mayor on his draft housing strategy. It is clearly inadequate to address the housing needs in London in general and Barnet and Camden in particular (each borough has differing housing issues to address), and our criticisms were set out in a detailed motion. This was passed by the Assembly, but was 1 vote short of the necessary 2/3rds majority, so the Mayor can still go ahead with his plan.
I particularly raised the issue of the extent of new build properties going to overseas speculators, rather than Londoners, and how the growing practice of “off plan” sales discriminates against Londoners to the benefit of overseas buyers.
In Barnet I was horrified, but regrettably not surprised, when the Conservative Cabinet member for Housing, Cllr Tom Davey, said in full Council that he wanted to see new homes going to Conservative voters, in a gerrymander reminiscent of the “Homes for Votes” scandal of Dame Shirley Porter’s 1980s Westminster City Council.
5 Policing
I have started to produce a consolidated report of the questions I table to the Mayor on this, which I email out separately. This is the most recent one: http://www.andrewdismore.org.
I have been particularly concerned this month with emergency attendance times in Barnet, which are the second worst in the Met. I challenged the Mayor on this at MQT. (1 hour 35 mins in). Whilst he promised to look at the specific performance issue, he did not agree to look into two specific abuses which I raised with him, which I believe is neglecting his duty, and will not help restore public confidence.
I have also been challenging the Mayor on “sanctioned detection rates” (i.e. the numbers of crimes that are solved) in Barnet: in the London league table Barnet is heading for the “relegation zone”, and overall performance across the Met. is pretty poor too.
At MQT I also spoke out against the Mayor’s decision to allow the Metropolitan Police to buy water cannons (3 hours 7 minutes). I believe the Mayor’s decision to be another nail in the coffin of the traditional British model of policing by consent. It will have a chilling effect on the right of peaceful protest, the cannons are dangerous, and will be of no use in combatting spontaneous fast moving riots. What is even more worrying is that the Mayor admitted he had not even read the fully researched report of the Assembly Police Committee, which concluded that the case had not been made for the purchase of water cannon. Even some of the Conservative members of the Assembly oppose the Mayor on this issue. It is now for the Home Secretary to decide whether to approve the Mayor’s decision or not.
6 Health committee
The Health committee on which I sit has just published a report on diabetes.
The capital has seen an estimated 75 per cent increase in Type 2 diabetes over the last decade, and the number of cases in London is growing quicker than elsewhere in the country
People of Afro-Caribbean descent are three times more likely to develop the condition than white people, with South Asians six times more likely than white people. We make a series of detailed recommendations which you can see here.
7 Economy committee
I continue to pursue the woefully inadequate response of the Mayor to broadband roll out (or non- roll put) in Barnet and Camden, an issue I raised yet again at the last Mayor’s question time. (2 hours 30 mins in)
When the roll out of high speed broadband is supposed to be completed in just a few weeks’ time only 85% of London will be covered, and of the areas that are covered, over half are failing to reach even 2/3rds of the speeds set out in the Government’s target.
In the Hendon ‘HA’ postcode area of Barnet for example, 87,553 connections are below target speed, and 5,042 have no access to high-speed broadband at all; while in the Camden ‘EC’ postcode 11,676 connections are below target speed, and 7,174 have no access at all. In Camden ‘N’ postcode areas, it is even worse with 136,827 connections too slow and 9,894 not connected at all. London is now the 6th worst connected capital city in Europe
BT decide what is uneconomic to provide. They decide if there is enough demand to justify access. No wonder their BT Openreach roll out company made £5 billion in revenue last year! I believe the Mayor should be holding BT to account. He should demand that they use some of this £5 billion income to connect up more people. He should set up an independent panel to review BT claims that particular areas are uneconomic to connect and he should start a digital map of London to identify the digital black holes, and what can be done to ensure they are filled.
Our Economy committee evidence session this month looked at the issue of interns. I was keen for us to do so, as whilst a lot of time is spent nationally and in London looking at apprenticeships, little consideration is given to interning. We took evidence on issues including availability and payment; and how to make the opportunity to intern more open to all, beyond the “old boy” networks.
We have also published the last in our series of cost of living reports ‘Falling Further Behind’ on BaME groups being hit particularly hard. I gave details of the previous ones last time. If you would like the links to those please let me know.
8 HS2: Higgins report
I questioned the Mayor at MQT (2 hours 15 mins in) about the Higgins report decision finally to recognise that the HS2/HS1 proposed link was fatally flawed after 4 years of uncertainty and distress for residents, but I was concerned that the Mayor still believes an HS2/HS1 link is needed, even though he thinks it would only be required for one train a day!
It is wrong that the Higgins report made no mention of the inadequate compensation and mitigation measures for Camden residents, nor of the impact on the Drummond Street businesses.
Whist the Mayor said he would look at alternatives that were cost effective, he would not commit to the double deck down option, when I pressed him on it. I think he should be listening to what his father has to say on HS2!
9 Environment committee
This month’s evidence session was on the Mayor’s carbon targets and energy efficiency. In particular I asked questions about decentralised and community energy projects, and the impact on price to consumers of a lack of choice in communal or district schemes.
I also raised TfL’s energy issues. The Underground it is one of the largest purchasers and consumers of electricity in the country, currently provided by EDF and British Gas. The total projected spend for the financial year starting 1st April 2013 was £105m. TfL’s electricity costs have risen by 50 per cent compared to 2008 – even though electricity consumption has only increased by 17 per cent over the same period
Whilst the Mayor said that TfL was to establish an energy strategy in early 2014 towards mitigating the risk of increased prices, cutting carbon and the use of decentralised energy this has not appeared as yet. . In January 2013 the Mayor also said that TfL was negotiating with three low carbon electricity suppliers with a view to providing power to run TfL infrastructure but since then no further announcement has been forthcoming.
We have also published a report on flood risk in London.
10 Planning issues
Two major panning issues have taken up a lot of time this month. In Mill Hill, I have launched a campaign against the application for a giant mausoleum in the green belt, an issue that goes back almost 30 years for its origin also to the days of Westminster’s Lady Porter, and her sale of the three council cemeteries for 15p in total.
In Camden, I have also been working on opposing the Mount Pleasant scheme, recently “called in” over the head of the two borough planning committees. I met the Mount Pleasant Forum with my colleague Jeanette Arnold AM (as Islington is also involved); I did a site visit with local residents; and met the City Hall planning officers to argue the case. My objections are here.
11 Written questions to the Mayor
I tabled a full range of written questions
12 Problem solving and casework
Adam Langleben my City Hall assistant, managing incoming correspondence, casework and my diary:adam.langleben@london.gov.uk.
13 Finally, the quiz question answer:
q: what were the years the traditional Routemaster bus entered and left regular service?
a: 1956 and 2005
Best wishes
Andrew Dismore AM
London Assembly Member for Barnet & Camden
andrew@andrewdismore.org.uk
Twitter: Andrew_Dismore
