Harrow Labour and Lib Dems join forces to slam Tory scrutiny failure

On Nov 12, the Cabinet agreed a report outlining the introduction of the Neighbourhood Champions Scheme. This generated a lot of comment in the local media. On November 24 the Overview and Scrutiny Committee met. It was concerned that there had been no opportunity to consider the proposals before going to Cabinet for approval. It was felt that these proposals presented a number of potential risks. As a result the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, on a cross-party basis, agreed to set up a Challenge Panel to further investigate the proposals.

The Challenge Panel consisted of Cllrs Green (Chair), Gate, Kinnear, Romain, Teli and Mr Ramji Chauhan.

The Challenge Panel’s Report was submitted for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on Tuesday February 23 and appeared on the supplemental Agenda 1, pp 37 – 60.

The Panel made 11 recommendations as set out on p 92 of the report. In essence these were highly critical of the way in which the whole scheme had been conceived and implemented.

MPs, anti-poverty groups, and churches unite against vulture funds

Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West, has signed up to the campaign to stop so called ‘Vulture Funds’ at a reception held in parliament this week. Vulture funds are secretive firms that buy up the defaulted debts of the world’s poorest countries, often at low prices. They then take countries to court to aggressively recoup the debts at full value for immediate repayment, often in UK and US courts.

This action allows a small number of investors to take money which poor countries urgently need to spend on health and education for their citizens. Charity Jubilee Debt Campaign has been working to outlaw this practice for over a year.

Earlier this year Greater Manchester MP Andrew Gwynne decided to do something about the problem. He introduced a Private Member’s Bill – something open to only a handful of MPs every year – to prohibit vulture fund activity against the poorest countries in the world. The Bill will receive its Second Reading on Friday 26 February and has support from MPs from across the political spectrum.

Poll shows Harrow residents still very unhappy with Council

Harrow residents still think they are not getting value for money from their council, nor are they satisfied with the way the council runs things.

Harrow Strategic partnership commissioned IPSOS-MORI to carry out a major opinion poll of Harrow residents. This replicates the official Government ‘Place Survey’ carried out every other year and so is comparable to the survey carried out last year.

Cllr Bill Stephenson, Leader Labour Group, said: “The Interim Place Survey carried out by Ipsos Mori confirms what we have always thought: local residents do not think that Harrow Council provides value for money nor are they happy with the way the Council runs things.

“75% of residents in a sample of 1634 residents said that Harrow Council does not provide value for money.

Harrow Conservatives deeply divided after Council leader quits

The announcement that Conservative councillors David and Marilyn Ashton that they will not be standing in the elections in May has come as a shock, but show deep divisions in the Conservative Group.

However, given the continual divisions within the Conservative Group, no one should be surprised that Cllr David Ashton has simply had enough. Of course, it is always possible that he went before he was pushed. We understand that the Tories will be electing a new leader in early March and this will bring the continuing Tory splits to the fore again, as it did in the election for the Deputy Leadership.

Cllr Bill Stephenson, Leader of the Labour Group, said:

“Cllr Ashton’s resignation is a major blow to the Tories in Harrow. I have no doubt that a major factor in coming to this decision was the never ending splits and quarrels within the Tory Group.

Gareth Thomas MP talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Gareth Thomas, Harrow West MP and Minister for Trade and Development, visited New York this week to attend an international humanitarian meeting and to speak in the UN Security Council.

Mr Thomas met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss climate change, drug trafficking and to raise continuing concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka.

Harrow’s Arts and Leisure services to be outsourced?

Arising from a Cabinet question asked by Harrow Labour’s Councillor Bill Stephenson, it is clear that the Conservative controlled administration is seriously considering outsourcing many of the Borough’s arts and leisure facilities. Currently the Council out sources some of its sport facilities to Leisure Connection, namely, Bannister Stadium, the Hatch End swimming pool, and the Leisure Centre. However, it has now become clear that serious consideration is being given to go much further than this and to possibly outsource the Library Service, Harrow Arts Centre, and even parks and open spaces. A proposal will be coming to the January Cabinet.

Cllr Bill Stephenson, Leader of Harrow’s Labour Group, said:

“This is a very serious matter indeed. Many residents will be appalled at the idea of libraries, for example, being outsourced. Councillors, local residents, and arts and sports organisations will want to be fully consulted before any decision is made.

Harrow residents face savage cuts for Christmas

Behind the scenes the Conservative controlled administration in Harrow is preparing a Christmas present of savage cuts in the services provided to Harrow residents.

Already £49 million has been cut from controllable expenditure, leaving only £181 million. It is proposed to cut a further £10 million from this budget, meaning that every department is will have to cut their controllable budgets by a further 5.5% – with £3.3 million from Adults and Housing, £2.4 million from Community and Environment and £2.1 million from Children’s Services.

The actual proposed cuts will be presented to the Cabinet in December but to go by past practice it will be very difficult to find out exactly what is proposed until the impact assessments are released usually in late January.

It is believed that several millions of pounds of cuts have still to be found. Furthermore there are proposals for a further 30% cuts in the next few years.

Gareth Thomas MP urges carers to “care for their incomes and pensions”

Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas has added his support to Carers UK’s national carers’ rights campaign today.

There are over six million unpaid carers in the UK who provide care and support to family, friends and neighbours, providing unpaid care worth an estimated £87 billion each year. The Carers Rights Day campaign, run by Carers UK, seeks to increase the take-up of benefits and raise awareness of carers’ rights and the support that they may be able to get in order to protect their pensions. It might be the Carer’s Allowance, council tax discount, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit that makes a difference.

Gareth Thomas MP said:

“It’s a real concern that carers in Harrow may not be getting all the help they are entitled to. Carers are fulfilling a vital role in society and without them the NHS and social care system would not be able to cope. It is essential that they are given information about their rights so that they get the support they need in order to plan for their futures.”

New investment in Harrow’s health service

In the past 12 months three new polyclinics have started work in Harrow.

The Urgent Care Centre at Northwick Park was the first and is open every day from 8am to 11pm at night. The Alexandra Avenue Polyclinic opened in June and is open to anyone to drop in from 8am to 8pm, while just last week the Pinn Medical Centre in Love Lane, Pinner, had its official launch. It too is open from 8am to 8pm for anyone concerned about their health to drop in without an appointment.

These fantastic new facilities, run by local GPs and nurses, are helping to make medical care more local and more accessible. Many services or appointments that you used to have to visit a major hospital to benefit from are now provided at these new polyclinics.

These three fantastic facilities have been championed by local doctors.

Two year campaign against Harrow CPZ finally pays off

Last night, at the Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel meeting of the Harrow Council, Councillor Susan Hall, announced that part of the CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone) in Spencer Road, Wealdstone is to be removed.

This follows a two year campaign by local residents to remove the parking restrictions since their introduction in April 2008. The announcement was made during the debate on another controversial scheme in West Harrow.

Local Labour Cllr. Phillip O’Dell said “This is a really good news for residents .The Council has at last listened to the people. I would like to thank those residents who have campaigned so hard in order to achieve this result.”