IslingtonLife Blog

February's message from council leader Catherine West

It’s hard to think of many jobs more important than providing care for our loved ones when they need it most. Yet for too long care workers have struggled by on poverty wages. In Islington, we’re determined to change that.

At last night’s Executive meeting, we took the first step by agreeing a procurement strategy for the Council’s existing Domiciliary Care Service contracts which expire in March 2014. Any new contracts will include a requirement to pay the Living Wage and we’ve pledged funding in our 2013-14 budget to help make this happen.  Everyone deserves a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work and, while change doesn’t happen overnight, I’m proud that Islington is once again leading the way on this important issue.

We all hope we won’t need to call on the emergency services, but if we do we want to know our brave fire fighters will be there quickly. Instead, Clerkenwell and Kingsland fire stations, which both provide vital cover for businesses and residents in Islington, are threatened with closure under the Mayor of London’s plan to cut £45.4 million from the London Fire Brigade over two years.

All Islington’s Councillors are united against these plans, proposed without any prior assessment of safety risk, as we’re extremely concerned that losing these fire stations would affect cover and response times for Islington. Please join me in writing to the Mayor of London, Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA or emailing mayor@london.gov.uk in support of our campaign to keep Clerkenwell and Kingsland fire stations open.

Defending health services - Whittington Health's proposals

Islington Council leader, Catherine West, makes a statement about her concerns over threats to health services at Whittington Hospital:

"These proposals are extremely worrying. The Whittington Hospital is at the heart of our community and any reduction of vital maternity or health care services, with the loss of hundreds of nursing, medical and support staff jobs is unacceptable.  
 
"We are on the side of our community and held an urgent meeting with the Chief Executive of Whittington Health first thing Monday morning together with Jeremy Corbyn MP and Camden Council’s Cabinet Member to express our concerns. 
 
"Islington's Health Scrutiny Committee has also called on Whittington Health to explain their proposals and local MPs are meeting Whittington Health today at the House of Commons.

"Health inequality is at an unacceptable level in our borough. We are determined that health care services must improve and will be standing together against any action that threatens this."

January's message from council leader Catherine West

2012 will be remembered forever as the year the Olympics came to town. The world’s greatest event right on our doorstep and Islington was at the heart of the action, with over 200 of our community heroes awarded free tickets thanks to the generosity of local businesses. 

Our fantastic summer of celebration, from the torch relay and community sports day on Highbury Fields to free swimming for under 16s, brought some cheer to a year that has been another tough one for our community. Government cuts are hitting hard and the call on our Citizens Advice Bureau is bigger than ever as people struggle with rising bills and worry about their families, jobs or business.

Sadly, April 2013 will bring more misery as the next round of government cuts will leave many of our lowest income families with even less in their pockets and could force some out of their homes and their community. We will continue doing everything we can to support those affected, and will press on with building desperately needed homes at a genuinely affordable rent of around one third of market value, not the 80 per cent of market rents the Mayor of London thinks is ‘affordable’ .         

In these tough times, my promise to you is that this council will keep working hard to make our borough fairer. We’re supporting young people hit by the government’s decision to scrap Educational Maintenance Allowance with our new student bursary scheme of £300 per year - helping Islington students from low income families continue studying past 16. And we’re fighting back against rising fuel bills with the launch of Bunhill Heat & Power, a council-owned alternative to the private utilities that is providing cheaper, greener energy to more than 700 homes on local estates.

One of my proudest moments of 2012 was becoming one of the UK’s first accredited Living Wage councils and being named London Citizens’ local authority of the year for our work to make Islington a fairer borough. Thanks to our lead, an extra 760 Islington-based staff across all sectors are now earning a decent wage for a hard day’s work. Over the next year we’ll be focussing our attention on social care, where for too long people providing vital care for our loved ones have struggled on poverty pay.   

There’s lots more to do and in 2013, we will continue to stand up for our borough by providing real help that makes a difference. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

December's message from council leader Catherine West

Last week I joined local residents and school children at the opening of our fantastic new Bunhill Heat and Power, a publicly owned power provider that’s one of the first of its kind in London.

Too many people are being hit by rip-off fuel bills that keep on rising even as wages are frozen or falling. In these tough times, as the weather turns colder, it’s a disgrace that some people in our borough will be choosing between heating and eating as they struggle to keep their homes warm.

We’re on the side of local people and we’ve built this new energy centre to bring cheaper energy to more than 700 homes on local estates, as well as our nearby swimming pool and leisure centre. It’s just one of the ways we’re helping to build a fairer Islington by cutting fuel costs and fuel power. We’ve also committed £3 million for a boiler upgrade scheme that’s transforming old, efficient boilers to modern A-rated ones – a scheme that’s helping protect over 1,300 residents from fuel poverty.

It’s over 100 years since Islington Council first started providing power from its own coal-powered station in Eden Grove, Holloway. That facility closed down in 1969, and I couldn’t be happier that now, over 40 years later, we’re able to bring cheaper, greener energy back to the people again.

Find out more at www.islington.gov.uk/heatnetwork

November's message from council leader Catherine West

Everyone deserves a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and Islington has been right at the heart of the first ever UK wide celebration of the Living Wage (4-10 November) with the campaign flag flying proudly over the Town Hall.

Taking people out of poverty pay changes lives. It benefits workers, giving them a wage they can live on, feed their families and plan for the future. It benefits the local community, as those on low incomes are more likely to spend their money here, supporting local businesses and creating jobs. And it benefits the country, with the Treasury saving on tax credits and gaining on tax revenue.     

One of my proudest moments this year was becoming one of the UK's first Living Wage councils. We’re on the side of our community and working hard to make a difference – from introducing a living wage for all of our lowest paid staff and (so far) 80 per cent of our contracted staff to helping Samuel Rhodes become Islington’s first accredited living wage school. Now we’re working to encourage other employers in Islington to do the same. 

Since Islington got behind the Living Wage campaign, at least 760 Islington based staff across all sectors are now being paid a living wage. That’s 760 people whose lives have changed for the better, but there’s still more to be done, and the next area we’re focussing on is social care. 

I want Islington to be a place where no one does a hard day’s work for less than they can live on. 

October's message from council leader Catherine West

A fairer Islington is better for everyone. It’s the reason we set up the Islington Fairness Commission in the first place, and one year on I’m proud at how much progress we’ve made transforming its recommendations into real change. 

At our next Council Meeting we’ll be providing an update on twelve months that has seen us become one of the first two councils in the country to earn Living Wage Employer accreditation, launch an anti-social behaviour hotline on 020 7527 7272, crack down on illegal money lending with a high profile ‘shop a shark’ campaign, and work with over 100 businesses to provide jobs and training opportunities for local people. The Fairness Commission has always been about real actions that change lives and the full report gives much more detail on what we’ve achieved so far – and what we still have to do. 

I’m particularly pleased that our experience has inspired other councils across the country, and there are now Fairness Commissions in Blackpool, York, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, with hopefully more to come.

------------------------------------------------------

It’s sad that in 2012 the UK still lags behind much of the world when it comes to women’s representation in politics (we’re currently ranked 57th). We need women’s voices to be heard, particularly at a time when women are bearing much of the burden of unfair government cuts.  I’ll be speaking at the council’s ‘Stand for your community: Be a Councillor’ free informal event for all women on 22 October at Islington Town Hall and would encourage anyone who thinks they might be interested in coming along. Register and find out more at www.islington.gov.uk/beacouncillor

I became a councillor because I wanted to make a difference in my community and when the next local elections come round in 2014 I’d love to see more women across Islington putting themselves forward. 

September's message from council leader Catherine West

Tomorrow I will be part of a cross party delegation heading to Parliament to give evidence to a select committee hearing on benefit reforms. I’ll be raising my concerns about the government’s plan to abolish the current council tax benefit scheme, a change that means from April next year thousands of Islington residents may have to pay more council tax, or pay council tax for the first time. For more information on the council tax benefit changes visit our FAQ page.

It’s particularly worrying as it comes on top of a range of government changes to housing and welfare benefits that will have a significant impact on many local residents and on the ability of people on low incomes to live in our borough.   

In Islington we are proud of our mixed community – with estates and social rented street properties sitting side by side with privately rented or owned homes. A diverse community benefits everyone and, as these government changes kick in, we are working with the Citizens Advice Bureau and other local agencies to offer help and support to residents who need it. We are also pushing forward with Islington’s biggest affordable house building programme for thirty years so we can provide more of the social rented homes we so desperately need. 

_______________

The decision by the UK Border Agency to revoke London Metropolitan University’s license to sponsor overseas students is a real blow to Islington. The university is one of the borough’s largest employers, plays an important role in the local economy and more Islington residents study there than at any other university. I have written to the Home Secretary, Theresa May MP, to request a meeting and urge the UKBA to work together with the university to resolve these problems without devastating the futures of thousands of students and threatening the jobs and education of tens of thousands more.

It is particularly sad as it comes at the end of the summer where we achieved our best ever GCSE and A-level results. A record 54 per cent of GCSE students gained 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths, a real credit to the hard work of students, staff, parents and governors. Many of our schools saw significant improvements in their results this year and I’m proud that we’re offering children the good education they need to succeed.  We want to see this continue year on year. 

July's message from council leader Catherine West

Everyone deserves a decent, affordable place to call home and I’m thrilled that the council’s new build scheme at Vaudeville Court N4 has just won a national design award for its high quality living and play space. It’s a fantastic new development that has helped transform an under used area, blighted by anti-social behaviour, into 13 family homes.

These new homes are vital because there is a housing crisis in Islington. 13,000 people are on our waiting list – almost 3,000 suffering in severely overcrowded homes. Overcrowding ruins lives and it shames us all that in 2012 there are still families living in these conditions in our borough.

We are on the side of our community and absolutely committed to providing the genuinely affordable family sized homes our borough so desperately needs. 

That means building more homes but it also means getting the best use out of the homes we already have. Islington is already one of the best performing local authorities in the country for helping people to move from homes that have become too big for their needs, but it doesn’t make sense that sometimes people down-sizing to a smaller place can end up paying more rent than they were before. That’s why at our Executive meeting on Tuesday night we agreed a ‘rent guarantee’ that will stop this happening.

This extra help is more important than ever as the government’s welfare changes will hit our borough hard and risk forcing hundreds of families out of their homes. We are committed to making Islington fairer – not increasing the divide – which is why we’re the only London council to reject the government’s ‘affordable’ rents and commit to genuinely social rent for existing and new tenants.

____

Only three weeks to go until the Olympic flame comes to Islington on the final stage of its 70-day journey across the country. Find out about our packed programme of events to celebrate the occasion on 26 July including a fantastic sporting celebration for young people on Highbury Fields, special performances at the Town Hall and our own local Islington Schools’ torch relay.

June's message from council leader Catherine West

Improving the Finsbury Park area is one of our priorities. It already has so much to offer, great transport links, a vibrant mix of shops, cafes and community groups, the fantastic Platform Youth Hub and of course the park itself, one of the biggest green spaces in this part of London. Our junior assistants scheme is helping young people on the nearby Andover Estate into work and later this year the brand new Park Theatre will open its doors. 

But it’s also a place that’s too often been neglected in the past - in part because it’s right on the border of three boroughs. We want to change that and today I joined the Leader of Haringey Council and Mayor of Hackney to sign the first ‘Finsbury Park Accord’. It’s an agreement between all three boroughs setting out actions we’ll take to help support Finsbury Park’s regeneration and deliver a whole range of improvements over the next few years.

At a time when we’re facing government cuts on an unprecedented scale it’s more important than ever that we work together so we get the best value for every single penny we spend We’re on Finsbury Park’s side and through working with the local community and our neighbouring boroughs we’re determined to make a real difference to the area.

To find out more about the Finsbury Park Accord, visit our website.

I hope you all enjoy the long Diamond Jubilee weekend. I’ll be holding my next ‘pop up’ surgery on Newington Green later this month (details will be on our website as soon as the date is finalised).  I’m trying to visit every corner of the borough so if you’d like to suggest somewhere for me to hold one of my ‘pop ups’ just drop me a line.

May's message from council leader Catherine West

Congratulations to Rakhia Ismail who on Friday became Islington’s newest Councillor after winning the Holloway by-election.  I look forward to welcoming her to the council and know that she will be a great addition to the team.

I also want to congratulate Cllr Jilani Chowdhury, who will be sworn in at Annual Council on Thursday as first citizen of the borough and Islington’s first ever Bangladeshi Mayor. 

I have made some changes to Executive Member portfolios for the coming year, which will be confirmed at Annual Council on Thursday.

We’re on the side of our tenants and leaseholders and committed to making sure they have a strong voice.  With our social housing now back under direct council control, we’re putting in place new arrangements for resident engagement, including a new Housing Executive, Residents’ Improvement Taskforce and elected Resident Champions.  This work is incredibly important and Cllr Barbara Sidnell as the new Executive Member for Tenants, Residents and Communities will be able to devote her attention to taking it forward.  Barbara has been a tenant activist all of her adult life and will be a vocal, committed advocate for tenants and leaseholders.

Cllr James Murray as Executive Member for Housing & Development will be in charge of housing management and strategy.  Providing the new family sized social homes Islington so desperately needs is an absolute priority and in this new role Cllr Murray will continue to drive forward Islington’s biggest affordable house building programme for thirty years. 

Taking over the crucial role of Executive Member for Community Safety and continuing with our work to keep Islington safe and take tough action to tackle crime and anti social behaviour is Cllr Paul Convery.

Read the full list of Executive Member Portfolios 2012-13 here.