Lyn Brown MP report in West Ham CLP Newsletter

 

Lyn Brown Update

I hope you are all keeping safe and well.  We are sadly still living in very dystopian times, with a lockdown still in place, and many struggling in our communities.  I am so very grateful to so many of you who are out and about, working with charities and in our communities and trying to make a real and positive difference.

So many have lost work already, and many more are likely to be at risk before this crisis ends. I am referring more people to food banks for support.  It is a damning indictment of the Tory Government’s handling of this pandemic and is why those of you who follow my Twitter feed have seen me being so persistent in trying to garner support for West Ham Foodbank’s campaign.  Should any of you not have seen this campaign, or wish to donate, it can be found here.

We all know how hard this is on our children.  Many will be going without toys this year, not understanding that it’s not their fault Father Christmas has forgotten them. This year, AAA charity is again organising a Toy Appeal. If you are able to promote the Toy Appeal or Foodbank campaigns on social media, or to donate, I would be very grateful.

I can see the impact of the ongoing crisis from my casework, which is hugely higher than normal, and normal was already very high. The level of new cases coming in a month is roughly double what it was at the start of the year, and my staff are now sending out almost 1,000 emails a month to constituents just on casework alone, and that doesn’t account for the calls or letters my office have to handle on top.

As a result of those extreme levels of correspondence, we have had to deprioritise responses to policy requests a little. The number of policy letters coming in has also been much higher than normal this year, and it is taking us a much longer to respond to many requests. If you are waiting for a reply, please bear with me.

Since my member’s update in November, I have spoken in Parliament twice. On Monday 23^rd I spoke about the human rights abuses and terrible violence that protestors against police brutality and corruption in Nigeria have faced, which you can see here.

I also spoke in an Urgent Question on the Government’s plans to make leaseholders responsible in some circumstances for the bills to make their homes safe from fire.   As we know, the terrible tragedy of Grenfell has exposed the fire risks in many homes across the country and hundreds of constituents are writing to me about their plights. They’re trapped in homes that they’ve been told aren’t safe, they can’t sell because their homes are effectively worthless and the Tories expect them to foot the bill to put it right. I’ve managed to secure a meeting with the Minister to argue our case.

You can see everything I do in Parliament by signing up to e-mail alerts at TheyWorkForYou.

I am sorry that this newsletter is not full of festive fun and greetings.  I will try and make up for that with an e-card just before Christmas

Until then, please stay safe and keep well and thank you all for what you do in and for our communities

Lyn

https://www.lynbrown.org.uk/ 

Our Negotiator. What can possibly go wrong?

 

Reinstate Sharon Morgan - Trade Union rep sacked by London Design and Engineering School in Royal Docks

 

What a dreadful story. A teacher trade union rep sacked for undertaking a staff welfare survey. What bullying behaviour. Her union makes an emergency application to an employment tribunal which finds that the school has acted "morally reprehensible" and ordered the school to pay her full wages until a full hearing next year (which take it from me is a rare order by a tribunal. The evidence must be pretty overwhelming).

Check out the Newham Recorder story and sign the petition below:-

"At the start of this term, teacher and NEU rep Sharon Morgan was summarily dismissed from her job by London Design and Engineering UTC.

Sharon was sacked without due process, with no formal investigation or a hearing where she could put her case.

At an employment tribunal the judge described LDE’s behaviour as “morally reprehensible” and LDE subsequently agreed to reinstate Sharon. But the next day LDE changed their mind and refused to reinstate her.

In reality, Sharon was sacked for helping NEU members stand up for better working conditions for staff, in the interests of the whole school community. This is trade union victimisation and it’s unacceptable.

The sacking of Sharon is an attack on all trade unionists at LDE, in Newham, and everywhere".

(Picture Credit: Ed Lewis, Newham Recorder)

Get Tested To Keep Your Loved Ones Safe

 

This morning my wife Gillian, booked online a "drive thorough" test at Newham Leisure Centre.   She has been feeling poorly for a number of days with classic common cold symptoms (congestion, blocked noise and some coughing fits) but her temperature is fine and she still has her sense of taste and smell. 

However, she decided to have a test and managed to book one on the same day (Sunday). It was very Covid secure but no real fuss and it took about 15 minutes. 

Coincidentally I had my latest ONS national Covid survey swab and blood test today at home. 

So if your local authority recommends you to get tested even if you don't have all the symptoms then do so - why not? 

A run around east London lakes

 

Friday I went for a fairly early morning solo run around Wanstead flats and park (Epping Forest). There was still some mist round and spots of winter sunshine which made it pretty magical. 

Newham - Voting for Change Launch Event

On Tuesday evening there was a well attended virtual launch of the Newham Campaign for a Committee Structure. 

In May 2021 there will be a referendum of all Newham residents on whether they want to keep the Executive Mayor governance model or introduce a Committee model. 

I missed the 1st half due to a trade union clash but below is the "Live Tweet" of the event @ForNewham. 

Our launch meeting is underway…

Cllr Ruth Dombey of Sutton Council, which runs on the committee system, is telling us how it works in practice.

Cllr Dombey says ALL councillors are involved in decision-making through membership of committees. Scrutiny is good, but it’s done best when the decisions are taken.

Democracy is done best when it’s done in the open.

Helal Abbas from Tower Hamlets is next (former Labour Leader). They are having a referendum too, and he will be talking about campaigning to change away from their mayoral model.

Helal Abbas says he has experience under all three governance models, and the directly elected mayor is the worst, “electoral dictatorship.”

Cllr Andrew Ansell from Basildon is speaking now. His council has recently moved to a committee model. It was a way to empower councillors and involve them more in the decision-making process.

Cllr Ansell says there is more accountability and more transparency in the committee system.

One of the best things about the system is member engagement and participation. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Our final speaker is Ruth Hubbard from the Sheffield It’s Our City campaign, which collected 26,000 signatures to call a referendum to change from a leader/cabinet model to the committee system.

Governance is not just a technical thing, it’s fundamental to the life and values of a community.

Other ‘strong leader’ models are about executive power, concentrated in the hands of a small group of councillors

People expect that the councillors they elect will have a say in decision-making, but in strong leader models most don’t. The committee system empowers voters.

Inclusive decision making is better than scrutiny after the fact.

Cllr Bob Littlewood from Redbridge wishes our campaign the best of luck. He hopes his borough will follow our example. 

Count me in! When it's my turn, I'm getting Vaccinated! Goodbye Covid

 

London's oldest football ground needs a new clubhouse roof

"The Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust is launching an appeal for urgent funds - £15,000 is needed to fix the clubhouse roof at Clapton CFC’s new home in Forest Gate.

The Old Spotted Dog is London’s oldest senior football ground and Clapton CFC became the new owners in July 2020. We have since begun the work of reversing two decades of neglect.

A roof leak caused part of the clubhouse ceiling to collapse before we took over. Since then our inventive volunteers have tried multiple methods to stop the leak, including roofing felt, heavy-duty tarpaulin and even an industrial-strength rubber ‘roof condom’.

A permanent roof replacement is a vital step that allows critical repair work, including replacing the condemned electrics, to take place. Without this, there is a real question mark hanging over our ability to bring football back to the Old Spotted Dog Ground next season.

Why does this matter?

Since July we have made huge strides forward on improving the pitch, but we have only begun recently to fully understand the other challenges we face. As things stand with the leak and the wiring situation, we cannot safely have people working in the clubhouse.

A functioning clubhouse is a key component of the FA’s ground grading requirements. To be ready for an FA inspection in early 2021, we must make these repairs on a very tight timetable, Therefore we cannot wait to secure grants or other sources of funding.

In addition to being passed as ready for our matchdays, we aim for the clubhouse to become a warm and welcoming community hub for the people of Newham, with the emphasis on warm!

What will our donations pay for?

We will spend every penny we raise up to £15,000 on replacing the roof, a really ambitious target.

If we are able to exceed the target, or if a more competitive quote for the repair is found, we will spend any extra funds raised on rewiring the clubhouse and completing other works needed to open the clubhouse.

Please share this urgent appeal, tag @OSDGroundE7 on Twitter and @ClaptonCFC everywhere else!

How to Rent (and possibly avoid being evicted)

 

Hat tip blog "Nearly legal" (I had no idea of this requirement nor that a landlord cannot serve a section 21 eviction notice if they do not provide a copy to a tenant.

"MHCLG has published a new ‘How to Rent Guide’ today, 10 December 2020. As a reminder, for any post 1 October 2015 assured shorthold tenancy, or ‘renewal’ tenancy (where the guide as been updated), the tenant must be provider with the How to Rent Guide, and that must be the most recent version at the time of the tenancy start (or if served later, likely a later version would do), or the landlord cannot serve a section 21 notice. It has to be provided to the tenant in hard copy, unless the tenant has expressly agreed to a PDF version by email. Sending the tenant a link will not do.

Intriguingly, as well as including the electrical safety regulations, this version notes the forthcoming ending of section 21 but cautions section 21 is still valid in the meantime…"

Lola for Labour Kent Police & Crime Commissioner May 2021

I was pleased to see that my UNISON branch comrade Lola Oyewusi has been selected by the Labour Party to be their candidate to be the next Kent Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) in the elections in May 2021. 

Lola understands that she will be the first black female candidate for any PCC election in England. 

Greater London UNISON Labour Link will be supporting Lola (her employer headquarters are in London but she lives and works in Kent) but she will need local help and support. 

Check out https://www.facebook.com/LolaForKentPCC

Picture in bottom right of collage is of Lola being supported by West Ham MP, Lyn Brown (& a couple of her local activists) in the 2019 local elections.