London Hazards Asbestos Conference 2011

"London Hazards Asbestos Conference is taking place at The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, Westminster SW1P 3BU on Friday 18^th November 2011 at 10am.

The conference is aimed at establishing and developing networks to support asbestos victims in Greater London. The conference will develop a strategy to raise awareness among London communities of all the dangers and look at advances in treatments for asbestos diseases; the latest developments in legal remedies if damage results from negligence.

Speakers include:

Andy Slaughter – MP, Labour Party Shadow Justice Minister

Gail Cartmail – Unite National Construction Secretary

Simon Hester – HSE Construction Inspector London and Prospect

William Cambell – Chair London Boroughs Asbestos Group

Michael Lees – Campaign Against Asbestos in SChools

Lisa Booth – HASAG Support Group

Ian McFall – Thompsons Solicitors

Steve Sadley – Asbestos Removal Contractors Association

Tony O’Brien – Construction Safety Campaign

Booking fee is £20 (includes refreshments) – free to victims and family members. Places are limited and early booking is strongly advised.

Download the booking form here: Asbestos Booking Form 18 Nov 2011

For the full program, contact Michael Dooley via email on michaeldooley@lhc.org.uk or on 0207 358 0322".

Nick Clegg's photo-op at £44k cut Children's centre which may close 2011

Deputy PM Hypoc....nuf said? hat tip thingy Tom Harris MP

Boris “dumps” on East London

Last week I commented on Boris’s decision to allow Tory Council Hammersmith & Fulham to approve a major new housing scheme to be built without any social housing provision.

"Inside Housing" now reports from an unnamed “London Labour Party” source that if Boris intends to “dump” all new social housing in the east of London then he was “lining up for a fight”.

I don’t think the term “dumps” is particularly helpful, social housing has enough negative connotations as it is – but I think everyone takes the point. I think that I can guess who made the remarks.

Boris has made a specific manifesto commitment that he will enable 50,000 new social housing homes by 2011. The government has agreed to give him (or rather the Mayor) the funding. However, it is becoming clear that Tory boroughs don’t want social housing tenants not least because as with Lady Porter in Westminster, they tend not to vote Tory.

Another article quotes Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd’s Bush, said: ‘[Mr] Johnson’s rejection of his own professional officers’ advice shows that party politics, rather than housing policy, are determining decisions at City Hall.

The government needs to think again and take back the powers given to the mayoral office over planning and investment. Boris is clearly incapable of standing up to the Tory boroughs.

If these homes are not to be built where they are needed in London Tory boroughs then you are likely to get them concentrated in Labour boroughs. The strongest Labour Boroughs are of course in East London. Apart from the political “gerrymandering” that is going on, East London will have enough with its own problems of trying to house people in need without being expected to house and support people that the richer boroughs want to “cleanse”.