Housing Voice Independent Inquiry: London & SE

On Thursday I made a verbal submission to this inquiry. Housing Voice is the "campaign alliance established to champion the need for more affordable homes to buy or rent". The inquiry is gathering evidence across the country on ways to combat the "affordable housing crisis". Lord Larry Whitty is chairing the inquiry (seen in centre of picture with panel members Steve Hilditch and Michael Ward).

Heidi Alexander MP for Lewisham East and on the CLG Select Committee (left) spoke as did UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis.  There were 18 speakers listed! "Housing Professionals Voices", "Voices of those at the sharp end"; "Labour Voices", "Local and Regional elected" and "Other voices".  There were politicians from across the political divide. Residents and a wide range of other people with interest in affordable housing took part and contributed.

There was disagreement about the solution but no-one denied that we have an appalling housing shortage and that homes are currently unaffordable especially in London. Access to land with permission to build, planning and finance seems to be major barriers. Solutions offered included housing co-operatives, deregulation (House Builders Federation) and greater regulation (of private sector including rent controls: not I think supported by the HBF), funding from pension funds.

I think the role of public funding is absolute key and while there is a lot that can be done to improve supply and affordability at the margin, without a significant funding in state funding we will not resolve the crisis. We will only get the funding when we can raise the political interest in housing to match that of education and health.

Labour London Assemby member Valerie Shawcross was the last speaker. In the Q&A some Housing Associations got a bit of a pasting from the politicians over their variable management standards, being so fragmented, inefficient, arrogant and unaccountable.  

I'll post my submission later.

Why we all hate George Galloway (unless you do community politics)

It just goes to show that you just can't keep a bad man down! Poor old Bradford West. They will soon learn - as did the people of Tower Hamlets. First posted here November 2007. Hat-tip Col Roi.

Ken visits Stratford Station to talk to commuters about Fare Deal

Guest Post from Tahmina Rahman, Forest Gate North Labour Party Secretary (3rd from right in photo) “A really positive response yesterday lunchtime from the local Newham residents and visitors at Stratford station. Labour Mayor Candidate Ken Livingstone was joined by Val Shawcross who is the deputy Mayoral candidate and local East London Assembly candidate, John Biggs.

Together with other local Labour Party activists we handed out leaflets and talked to people about “Fare Deal” and how the average Londoner could save a £1000 over 4 years".

London Marathon 2012 Week 23: City of York Wall

Now only 3 Sundays to go before the London Marathon 2012. I am resigned to do it but am wondering why on earth am I doing it? For the second time??? The painful after effects of the long training runs remind me exactly why I swore I would never, ever, never run a marathon again after my experience in 2002. I should have known better!

I've got fitter, lost a little bit of weight and I'm raising funds for a very good cause but frankly I think I will stick to a 30 minute jog around Wanstead flats and putting money into charity buckets at railway stations in the future.

Run of the week was on Saturday morning while I was in the City of York for the UNISON International Seminar. In the morning I went around the medieval City walls which are almost still complete. It was a foggy and the picture collage above does not do justice to York which is a breathtakingly beautiful and historic City. This is a fantastic run with lots of ups and down stairs at the numerous City gates.

When I was a child the Gray Clan use to come at Easter to York for camping and caravan holidays. So visits always brings back good memories. The one deeply unpleasant but very important memory I have of York was when visiting the 900 year old Clifford Tower, the old keep of York Castle, (see in collage on right) and slowly realising that this was the site in 1190 of a shameful "pogrom".  150 Jews (men, women and children) living in York at that time, were attacked by a mob and had tried to take refuge in the Royal Castle but were forced to commit mass suicide inside to avoid being tortured and murdered by the mob.  As a history obsessed teenager, very proud of his Country's history and heritage,  the realisation of what had occurred on this very same spot was a complete shock and a never forgotten lesson. A lesson sadly repeated on occasions in future years but never with the same first time chest thumping appalled impact.  

I am running the London Marathon for a charity set up to prevent young people becoming homeless and helping them if they do. Check out "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me on the Justgiving website.

Bathers at Olympiques

This is simply brilliant "French Impressionism isn’t the first thought that comes to mind when it comes to the Olympic Games, but that’s exactly what sparked the creation of a photograph by Olympic Delivery Authority artist-in-residence Neville Gabie.

The photograph of workers enjoying the east London landscape was inspired by “Bathers at Asnieres,” the 1884 impressionist work of Georges Seurat. It was more than the similarity of the riverside locations that inspired Gabie; it was the message behind the classic painting. “Seurat’s artwork was painted when France really embraced being a republic, when it had become acceptable to paint ordinary urban, working-class people with factories in the background,” the artist told the BBC. “Olympic Park is a public park for people, but instead of being a post-industrial landscape, it has big, iconic sporting venues.”

Gabie recruited his subjects by studying the “characters” working to build the park. The final selection included landscape architects, engineers and security guards. He blogged about the difficulties of getting the shot, which was taken in June 2011, calling it a “logistical nightmare.”

Hat tip Tony P.

We can't go on meeting like this... without another £250k.

Hat tip Alasdair Ross "Maybe instead of campaigning to save the NHS - we should have just has a whip round and bunged Dave 250 grand?"

Power, individuals and world events

The 3rd presentation on Saturday at the UNISON International Seminar 2012 was by trainer Dave Hampson (left) chaired by Paul Gover NEC. Dave has worked for a number of BOND-affiliated aid agencies such as Christian Aid, Oxfam and VSO as an evaluator and human rights advocate. He is also a security risk consultant and advises organisations who work in the developing world on the risk of kidnapping!

This was an icebreaker session and light hearted look “at what power means to individuals and...what that means in respect of world events”. I won’t reveal what happened since it will spoil it if you ever attend a similar training. It was a relatively “physical” activity and aimed I think at NGO workers rather than trade unionists but it did make me think about the advantages that I have had in life as a white, British born, able bodied, university educated male.

Dave also reminded us of this saying by Margaret Mead "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has".
At the end International Officer Polly Jones (right of picture), briefed us on how to apply to UNISON for support from the UNISON Development Fund (UIDF).

Colombia Peace Campaign

This presentation to the UNISON International Seminar 2012 was by Mariela Kohan (left), Director of “Justice for Columbia” and Chaired by Josie Bird, NEC member. Columbia is still the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist. 70% of all such murders take place in Columbia.

The new government claims that right wing militias have been disarmed. However, trade unionists and human rights activists are still assassinated and others threatened. While many are imprisoned without trial on “preventative custody” orders accused of “rebellion”. JFC was set up by the TUC in 2002. All major unions support it and 80 MPs/Peers are “Parliamentary Friends of Columbia”.

JFC has recently launched its “Peace Campaign”. What many people do not realise is that the chief problem in Columbia is the bitter 50 year old “civil war” between the Government and the FARC, not “drugs”. JFC hope that the campaign will help bring about a “Northern Ireland” style peace process in Columbia.

UNISON International Seminar 2012

The seminar is taking place in York. It actually started Friday evening which I missed due to work commitments. This morning the first presentation was by  local Labour MP Hugh Bayley (former junior minister) on "International Development and the UK Parliament". Isobel McVicar, Community NEC and member of the UNISON international Committee chaired.

Hugh reminded everyone that York itself use to be an Italian and Danish Colony. While he in a former life was a NALGO district and national officer and can remember the "incredibility" he use to face (I suspect he is being polite) when he first tried to get NALGO to take international trade union solidiarity seriously, especially with regard to the staff pension fund and a boycott of investments in Apartite South Africa. Nowadays it is also widely accepted that the purpose of international aid is to eliminate poverty not promote trade. This is a victory for progressives. He remembers the howls of protest by the Tories in the Commons when he first suggested this. It is also a victory that the Tories have agreed to honour the Labour Commitment to 0.7% of GNP to international aid (even if they have cut this with a £1.2 billion delay). You can be cynical that they are just pretending not to be "the nasty party" anymore but there has been a sea change in views. The same with Gay rights.

Hugh sees himself and the Labour Party as very much the "political wing of the wider Labour movement".  Which may I suppose be the reason why he was sacked as Pension minster by Tony Blair!

Workers Memorial Day: Saturday 28 April 2012

Only 5 weeks to go before this years Workers Memorial Day. Since WMD is on a Saturday this time UNISON Health and Safety Committee and UNISON offices around the country will be holding a minutes silence at noon on Thursday 26 April. I will be hoping to attend one of the events in London on the Saturday.