Campaigners and users were dismayed at news that Camden Council Executive voted to plough ahead with cuts to UK online centres across the Borough.

Protestors outside Camden Town Hall

Labour councillors had urged the Lib Dems and Tories to not to proceed with a staggering 83% cut to the funding the council gives the centres, suggesting that they use the councils recession fund to at least guarantee fundingfor the coming year.

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Camden Labour is supporting the Crown tenants in their campaign to prevent their landlord, the Crown Commissioners, from selling off their homes to a speculative developer. The proposal involves 539 units of social housing in Regents Park Ward. Many of the residents are elderly and have Rent Act protected tenancies. More recently, flats have been allocated to “key workers” under assured shorthold tenancies.

Local residents, Mary and Bill Greenleaf with Cllr Heather Johnson, Frank Dobson MP and Cllr Nasim Ali

On 7th February, Cllr Heather Johnson wrote to the Crown’s Director of Investment and Asset Management. Heather asks, “Why is the sale necessary? Why is the consultation process so inadequate? How will the rights of existing tenants be protected? What will happen to rents? What will happen to the ‘key worker allocation scheme’?”

This is a critical week for the campaign. On 1st March, Steve Smith led a delegation of residents to the full meeting of the council. Cllr Heather Johnson spoke in support of the campaign.

On Tuesday, the Treasury Select Committee quizzed the Crown Commissioners about their proposals.  On Thursday, Frank Dobson MP raised the issue in a House of Commons debate. 

Last week’s report in the CNJ and details of the campaign can be found at the Resident’s Association web-site www.ourhomesarenotforsale.co.uk.

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Michael epitomised the true socialist values and beliefs of the Labour movement; whether as a Leader of the Party from 1980 till 1983; or as Member of Parliament from 1945 for Plymouth Devonport constituency for 10 years and then losing the seat. He became MP for  Ebbw Vale  and held cabinet posts including that of Employment Secretary.
 
Born in 1913; he was for part of his early life Liberal following the political views of his father, Isaac Foot. He was a passionate advocate of freedom of the press with his famous call for “we must fight, fight, fight” to defend freedom of speech. He led the then Old Labour Party until 1983  and resigned as Leader after the Party’s election defeat and was succeeded by Neil Kinnock.
 
He left the House of Commons in 1992 but remained politically active until his death. He was one of the greatest Parliamentarians of our time. Married to Jill Craigie –film director- until her death, Camden Council was proud to have Michael as a resident of the borough; complete with dog Dizzy walking on Hampstead Heath every day, and we awarded him ,with great pride ,the Freedom of Camden.
 
Cllr Roger Robinson, Camden Council remembered him with pride as he himself served as a senior National Officer of the Labour Party and met Michael at NEC meetings and party conferences and saw Michael’s tremendous service to the Labour movement as Leader; his tremendous intellectual understanding of life, of poverty, of the needs of the vulnerable; his radicalism; his work as a reformer; his powerful oratory and speeches, his writing as a former journalist and later as author.
 
A great figure of the Labour Left- he will be missed,
 
Roger Robinson, Cllr

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Regent’s Park councillors and Action Team members are taking a firm stance on the Northern Line closures. It has been reported that the Northern Line will be closed for 82 weekends. Last week Action Team member Tulip Siddiq wrote a letter to the CNJ demanding that Camden Council start to lobby Transport for London properly about these closures. It will severely impact the lives of Regent’s Park residents who regularly use Mornington Crescent tube for their main method of transportation.

Councillor and Leader of the Labour Group Nasim Ali has also voiced his concerns about this closure. Regent’s Park will be exerting more pressure on Camden Council to take action on this inconvenient proposal.

Right: local campaigner, Tulip Siddiq

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The local Kilburn Labour team welcomed Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP to Kilburn to celebrate the contribution Bangladeshi people have made to this country.  Speaking at the Tricycle theatre, the minister said: “Bangladesh and the UK have deep historic and cultural ties.  With many British people of Bangladeshi origin living in the UK, we enjoy a vibrant partnership.”  

Kilburn Labour camapigner Maryam Eslamdoust added: “Bangladeshi people have made a huge contribution to the local area, both culturally and economically.  We’re very proud that they play such a vital role in our community”.

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The Lib Dems running Camden have announced one of their largest cuts to date – an eye-watering 82.5% slash to Camden’s UK Online Centres budget.

These vital centres help people use computers and get online – essential as more and more everyday activity relies on accessing the internet, from applying for housing to filling in tax forms and applying for jobs and benefits.

The axe has fallen particularly hard in Kilburn, as there are a number of centres in our area: at Kingsgate Resource Centre on Webheath, at Kilburn Library and in the Youth Centre on the High Road; the South Hampstead Education and Lifelong Learning Centre on Boundary Road and the Latin American Association on Kingsgate Place.

Labour campaigner Mike Katz said: “Camden’s Lib Dems are really making good on the promise of ‘savage cuts’ their party leader gave a few months ago.

“And as with other Lib Dem/Tory cuts, it will be the most disadvantaged, the elderly and poorer children who will be hit the worst, who either don’t have access at home or need help to get online.

“This will really hurt Kilburn, as we have five centres here – and a great demand for the service.

“So much for a council willing to help people improve their skills and access benefits – especially during a recession.

He added that Labour would be campaigning with the centres across the borough to fight the cut and help keep them open.

Tags: Kilburn.

Camden Labour have been backing the campaign to save the Whittington A&E from closure.  There will be a public meeting about the planned closure on Monday 25th January, 7pm at Archway Methodist Church, N19.  We hope you can join us there to protest against this terrible decision by NHS executives.

Closing the Whittington A&E would force some people to travel further in an emergency.  It would also put an extra strain on other hospitals, such as the Royal Free, and potentially lead to the closure of other services at the Whittington.

More than 1,000 people have signed the petition against the closure.  You can add your name here: http://www.savethewhittington.org.uk/tag/petition/

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Lib Dem led Camden Council has backed down from plans to replace the unique internal heating system on the Alexandra & Ainsworth estate with radiators, following a high profile campaign led by the Tenant’s & Resident’s Association – supported by Kilburn’s Labour Team.

Over 90% of residents surveyed by the TRA opposed the radiator plans, which many residents feared would be unsightly and could potentially lead to structural problems with the eye-catching grade II listed estate.

Labour campaigner Thomas Gardiner said: “Thanks to the TRA campaign, the Lib Dems have seen sense and backed down on their plans to impose radiators on the Alex & Ainsworth. We’re pleased the council has seen sense and will get on with replacing electrical wiring in new risers on A block, while looking again at sustainable longer term solutions for the estate.”

Tags: Kilburn, Radiators Row, Rowley Way.

Progress has been made but much more needs to be done – that was the message from young people in the local Somali community as they met with Frank Dobson MP and Camden Labour campaigners last night. Frank heard from volunteers and community workers at the Somali Youth Development Resource Centre, in Kentish Town, about the impressive educational achievements of many in the Somali community, and the help and support that is being provided to local residents at the centre. However, serious concerns were also raised about overcrowded housing, youth unemployment, the danger of young people falling into crime and
drug abuse, and the threat of Islamophobic racism locally.

Local Labour campaigner, Phil Jones, said “I was impressed by the commitment and knowledge of the staff and volunteers from SYDRC and the London Somali Youth Forum. Some excellent ideas were proposed about supporting children from a Somali background in our local schools, and the need to oppose the Town Hall’s cuts to local youth clubs.

“British Somalis are an important part of the diversity that makes Camden such a special place to live. Camden Labour is 100% committed to ensuring all local communities of whatever background are given a chance to have their say on the issues that matter in our Borough.”

Frank Dobson committed to working further with staff at the centre, particularly over promoting training and employment opportunities locally.

Frank Dobson at the Somali Youth Development Resource Centre

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Labour and Green councillors secured a narrow victory in securing an investigation into low pay for cleaners, care workers and dinner ladies at Camden Council.  Despite opposition from ruling Lib Dem councillors, on the casting vote of the Labour chair of the Resource & Corporate Performance Committee the influential committee decided to press ahead with an investigation into the matter.
 
In a disputed decision, the Tory/Lib Dem run council will now research the issue of low pay at Camden Council in time to discuss the tendering of part-time worker contracts in July 2009. 
 
Cllrs Linda Cheung (Lib Dem, Hampstead Town) and Cllr. Nick Russell (Lib Dem, Kentish Town) voted against reviewing low paid contracts and the possibility of introducing the £7.60 an hour London Living Wage at Camden, while Cllr. Theo Blackwell (Labour, Regent’s Park) and Adrian Oliver (Green, Highgate) voted in favour.  The decision to go ahead with 2-2 was made by the casting vote of the Chair.  No Conservatives were present at the meeting.
 
Chair of the Committee and Opposition Finance spokesperson Cllr. Theo Blackwell said:
 
“It doesn’t surprise me that the Lib Dems are against the London Living Wage, they also oppose the National Minimum Wage.”
 
“The council outsourced residential caretakers and now wants to privatise Talacre sport centre staff.  They are doing so without a commitment to pay people a decent London minimum.  Everyone knows if you depress wages at the bottom it impacts on wages higher up the scale.  If you carry on like this pretty soon you’ll have a recruitment crisis, or no local people will be there to do these jobs.”
 
“It’s clear that the view from on high is that the council doesn’t want to open what it sees as a can of worms.  The council legal advice is suspect.  They say it can’t be done, despite other councils committing to this and the Mayor of London seeing the higher London rate as good morally good and for morale and productivity.”
 
In the 2009 Budget Labour proposed an amendment to stop bonuses for senior council staff (totalling £300,000 a year) until the issue of low paid had been addressed.  They also argued against proposals that 3 Lib Dem backbench councillors should be paid an extra £5000 a year for their work.
 
Cllr. Blackwell added:
 
“High wages and bonuses are no problem for the council, but when they consider low pay it suddenly becomes all to expensive.  Camden’s own figures for school cleaners, cooks and low paid carers show that this would cost £1 million, about 1% on council tax.  Last year Camden made a surplus of £13 million through cutting services and higher charges for the very services they continue to pay people poorly.”
 
Background
1.  Research into low pay will be discussed at the July 21 meeting.
 
2.  The Resources & Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee had previously discussed a report in October 2008 on the Council’s contracts to assess whether the London Living Wage is the minimum paid by the Council and it’s contractors.  This also examined whether there is a legal basis for Camden to ensure that contractors pay the London Living Wage and for a review of the performance of the cleaning contract, including health and safety issues, and to assess whether there was a correlation between lower rates of pay for staff and performance.  It was agreed, subject to the new Committee’s agreement in the next Council year, that the issue would be looked in more detail.      The Camden report stated that the National Minimum Wage is the minimum paid by the Council and its contractors, rather than London Living Wage.  Camden’s initial report gave the view that, based on a small sample of indicative figures, applying the London Living Wage as a contractual requirement would result in a financial impact which could amount to a 20% increase on costs on contracts or £1 million a year (approximately 1% on council tax).  Low paid Camden care workers, caterers and cleaners are currently paid more than £1 an hour under the London Living Wage. 
 
3.  The National Minimum Wage is set at £5.73 and the London Living Wage, called the “minimum acceptable quality of life in the city” by Boris Johnson is now set at £7.60 (a difference of 30% between the National Minimum Wage and the London Living Wage).  City Hall estimates that currently almost half (47%) all part-time staff working in London and 15% of full-time workers are still paid below the London living wage. One in seven London employees is paid less than £6.65 per hour.

Tags: Low Pay.