Last weekend in the 60 seconds slot of the London part of the Sunday Politics Show, it highlighted the £ 1 million costs so far incurred for the policing outside the Ecuadorian embassy where Julain Assange is holed up. I like to think my written MQTon this very question was the source of the figure.

More importantly l trust Londoners will not be having to pay the bill for the additional policing then is normally in front of the  embassies in Central London. The Home Minister on the programme responded by saying he has yet to receive the bill. Quite honestly l think the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) should pick up the bill having recreated the circumstances for the seige in Knightsbridge in the first place. Who ever does pick up the tab, lets hope its not Londoners.

The London Assembly’s Environment Committee prides itself on being ahead of the curve. In December, the committee’s report on ‘Plugging the Energy Gap’ warned of a looming energy crisis – not just in London but across the United Kingdom.

The report concluded that in the medium term the UK faced a short fall in capacity for energy production soon due to the planned decommissioning of old nuclear power plants, growing energy demand and the long time scales involved in replacing power facilities.

The report argued that:

“To meet its energy needs and to reduce carbon emissions, the UK needs to invest hugely in energy infrastructure – an estimated £200 billion over the next decade.

This view was confirmed last week when Ofgem’s published its ‘Electricity Capacity Assessment’, which sets out the energy challenges facing the country.

It warned:

“The high level of spare capacity in the GB electricity market is set to end quite rapidly over the next few years… The impacts of replacing older coal and oil power stations under EU environmental legislation together with changes to the generation mix over the next decade pose new challenges to security of supply. Recent developments have strengthened this view. Indeed, power stations ‘opted out’ under the LCPD are using up their running hours faster than expected: most LCPD opted out plant will come off the system well before the 2015 deadline…”

The report continues:

“There will be a significant reduction in electricity supplies from coal and oil plants over the period, primarily driven by closures required by European environmental legislation. Reflecting this, estimated margins decline from around 14% this year to just over 4% by 2015/2016.”

The report is saying that, with all things staying as they are, spare capacity for energy production is likely to decline from 14 per cent as it is now, to just 4 per cent in 2015/16.

 It is important to note that this estimate assumes there will be no increase in imports from Europe before  2015 (which is unlikely). Actual spare capacity is therefore likely to be higher than 4 per cent (the report estimates that spare capacity will be between 9 and 20 per cent if European imports increase).

This report should be a spur for the government to expand energy capacity in the UK. The question is how we do this?

The answer is not more coal and oil fired power plants that choke our environment. The answer is to increase supply through expanding cleaner energy production and reducing demand through expanding building efficiency.

As the Environment Committee report agreed:

“Major investment needs include improving energy efficiency in Britain’s homes and other energy users, and new low-carbon electricity generating capacity to replace aging and polluting power stations. The vast majority of the investment will need to come from the private sector, but public policies will need to play a role in identifying opportunities and providing incentives to the market.”

 In particular, this means:

• Increasing government support to get district heating schemes in the ground through subsidies and planning incentives.
• Getting the Green Deal right and hugely expanding the number of buildings of all types retrofitted.
• Investing in renewable energy and in the green industries.

The government must act now to secure a future for the UK that balances both energy demand and the need to avoid climate change.

The stakes are far too high for the issue to be kicked into the long grass.

Over the weekend l joined the demonstration & rally over the cuts in the accident & emergency services (A&E) in Hammersmith & Fulham to show some solidarity as a resident of City of Westminster. Little did l realise a good family friend’s experience of the A&E services in the borough over the weekend would confirm my worst fears. That my local A&E will have difficulty coping with the additional demands of these cuts, let alone the ones it has already got.

London is set to lose 8 A&E’s if all the changes proposed by the NHS across London are implemented going from 25 in 2010 to 17 after the changes. This change is particularly acute in North West London NHS covering boroughs in NW London (Hounslow,Hillingdon, Ealing, Brent, Harrow, Hammersmith & Fulham, RBKC & City of Westminster) where we go from 9 to 5 and in particular Hammersmith & Fulham where both the A&Es are being lost and residents will be expected to go to neighbouring boroughs A&E hospitals. In particular Charing Cross, south of the borough is being proposed for closer in favour of Chelsea & Westminster and Hammersmith in Shepherds Bush in favour of St Mary’s in Paddington.

This at a time when the population is rising fast with an estimate that London’s population will grow from 8.17 million to 9 million in 2020. With the present figures each A&E will serve just under half a million or a extra 154,000 extra people. That’s almost the entire population of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea(RBKC) extra joining the catchment of each and every A&E across London. So where is this additional capacity coming from? What will be the health outcomes from such a dramatic reduction? And what will this do to A&E waiting times?

At the rally my local MP and colleague Karen Buck spoke first and explained how her other half, Councillor Barrie Taylor had been turned away from St Mary’s A&E only the previous night as beds were not available to keep an eye over him. He was asked to go to Central Middlesex A&E instead which is being considered for closure!  At the best of times St Mary’s can just about cope but if this is a sign of things to come then we are all in big trouble. The irony is that Barrie has been sent to another A&E raising questions of whether St Mary’s will cope with the additional demands of patients from H&F for A&E services, as it has difficulty now coping with the demand of residents in the City of Westminster.

This is why we have to oppose all the cuts in A&E’s in London particularly those in the North West and Hammersmith & Fulham in particular. As these A&E cuts in North West London will affect everybody including those who live in City of Westminster who may think we are not going to be affected. As a result l made a point of signing and going to see the petition being handed into the NW London NHS Trust office along the Marylebone Road this afternoon. The petition is also been handed into Downing St .

 

Today, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, we witnessed the best and the worst of British justice at work.

In the morning, there was the historic decision in favour of the three victims of the British Colonial authorities during the Mau Mau suppression.  In essence, British courts told the world that where our government had breached the human rights of people around the world, then providing the victims were still alive, they could still have recourse to justice in theUK.

In Kenya we know there are thousands of people, still alive who suffered torture and abuse at the hands of the old Colony and thankfully, these people will be able to benefit from this ruling today.  The judgment also gives hope to those people who suffered ill-treatment during the colonial eras at the hands of British officials or soldiers in other countries like Malaya, Cyprus, Aden & Palestine as well as in more recent times in Iraq & Afghanistan.

It is truly a historic judgement which will have repercussions for years to come and I’m sure the Foreign and Commonwealth Office won’t like it one bit.  It is, nonetheless, an important signpost to the world showing that we do have a justice system that is second to none.  

In the afternoon however, British subjects Babar Ahmad & Talha Ahsan were denied the same access to the British Justice system as their appeal to the High Court failed to stop their imminent extradition to the USA to be tried for terrorism charges.  Many would say this is simply outsourcing criminal justice system when we have a legal system which is world renowned.

In my view, these extraditions bring shame on Britain and our legal system.  However unpopular the accused and whatever the nature of the charges, if the offences are alleged to have been carried out here and evidence has been gathered by the British police then there is no reason whatsoever why these two British suspects, who live in London should not be brought to justice here and punished accordingly if found guilty. Could you imagine if the accused were US citizens wanted by the British for terrorism offences committed on US soil being extradited to the UK! Of course this would never happen and in doing so the British courts have surrendered UK sovereignty to the US.

 

These three local authorities represent half a million Londoners in the air pollution hotspot of London, and cut across the political divide between Labour and Conservative.

They have done all they can to tackle the problem and are now appealing to the Mayor of London who has powers over bus investment; regulation of taxis and air pollution responsibilities covering the capital.

All three believe mayor Boris Johnson has a real opportunity to deliver significant improvements in the air quality of central London and to this end, wrote to the mayor thinking he would seize this opportunity.

Take, for example, the heavy traffic along the Marylebone, Euston and City Road corridor.

This is just one specific black spot of poor air quality in central London with the monitoring station on the Marylebone Road regularly exceeding limits for PM10 (particulates) and NOx (mono- nitrogen oxides) particularly during the spring and summer.

Earlier this year, research at 100 monitoring sites by King’s College London found limits for harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were breached at the majority of locations close to roads, with the worst pollution levels ““ over three times the limit ““ measured in Putney and Brixton.

The King’s College research also found limits for PM10 ““ which is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular conditions ““ were exceeded at two kerbside monitoring sites, three roadside sites and one industrial monitoring site.

These statistics are a startling reminder that the capital has a long way to go before it meets European Union limits devised to protect people.

The Mayor of London’s own short-term measures like stopping idling of engines, green walls and dust suppressant measures have had very limited impact, if at all.

This is not surprising given the lack of enforcement of idle engines around the rail stations; only one small green wall being installed on the side of Edgware Road tube and the mysterious dust suppressant being sighted by residents.

All these were designed as short-term measures at getting the readings at monitoring stations down and also the EU off their backs.

We have for too long heard about a raft of measures designed to tackle air pollution, but the results are as elusive as any long-term measures.

So how did Boris Johnson respond to this coalition of local councils urging him to do more? Disappointingly.

He reacted by simply restating what he’d done in his first term, positively lacking enthusiasm for the modest proposals put forward by the three councils to go further in his second term.

This, despite, their very achievable wish-list which included a better deployment of retro-fitted buses in central London, age limits on taxis with the offer of a car scrappage scheme, and a fifth phase of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) which would cover black carbon and PM 2.5s for pollutants currently not registered.

Nevertheless, the mayor remained unmoved.

Recently the chair of the Barbican Association also wrote to the Mr Johnson about the impact of poor air quality in their estate and was given a short rehash of old measures which have simply not gone far enough.

Reading between the lines and judging by his responses to recent questions, it appears that the emphasis in his first term has been to appease various interest groups like "white van man" and London cabbies. He has yet to take on board the interests of residents in central London.

Unfortunately, this response comes as no surprise.

His manifesto for his second term makes no commitments to improving air quality despite its huge health impact on Londoners. Poor air quality is responsible for 4,300 premature deaths every year and is the second biggest public health threat in London after smoking. Quite simply, it is scandalous that the Mayor is adopting a laissez-faire approach to such an important issue which affects every single living, breathing organism in this city. As these three councils have recognised, more needs to be done now.

“¢

Click here to view article

Murad Qureshi is a Labour member of the London Assembly

Rarely do you see central London boroughs of different political colours unite for their residents. Central London’s poor air quality, however, has managed to bring together the unlikely union of City of Westminster, Camden Council and City of London Corporation.

These three local authorities represent half a million Londoners in the air pollution hotspot of London, and cut across the political divide between Labour and Conservative. They have done all they can to tackle the problem and are now appealing to the Mayor of London who has powers over bus investment; regulation of taxis and air pollution responsibilities covering the capital.   All three believe Mayor Boris Johnson has a real opportunity to deliver significant improvements in the air quality of central London and to this end, wrote to the Mayor thinking he would seize this opportunity.

And how did he respond? Disappointingly . He restated what he’d done in his first term, and lacked enthusiasm for the modest proposals put forward by the three Councils to go further in his second term.  Their achievable wish list included a better deployment of retrofitted buses in central London, age limits on taxis with the offer of a car scrappage scheme, and a fifth phase of the Mayor’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) which would cover black carbon and PM 2.5’s for pollutants currently not registered. But, the Mayor remained unmoved.

Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise. His manifesto for his second term had no commitments to improving air quality despite its huge health impact on Londoners, being responsible for 4,300 premature deaths every year. Poor air quality is the second biggest public health issue after smoking in London.  It is scandalous that the Mayor is adopting a laissez-faire approach to an issue which affects every single living, breathing organism in this city. As these three councils have recognised, more needs to be done.

 If you’d like to view the latest exchange I had with the Mayor at Mayor’s Question Time, see here.  Scroll down to London Assembly meeting 19 September 2012 and view webcast at 51 minutes.

A extended version of the blog can be found in an article for the CNJ  this week.

Rumours are circulating that both Marylebone & St Johns Wood police stations are for the chop by the Met. Such front counter closures could lead to the police retreating from local communities – this is the last thing Londoners we want or need particularly in Marylebone & St Johns Wood.

We are calling for the Mayor to keep his pledge for a public consultation all front counter and police station closures. If a police front counter is closed it must be replace with a suitable, alternative like-for-like service.

Boris Johnson admitted at last weeks Mayor’s Question Time that it would be ‘difficult’ to keep his promise to maintain police numbers at 32,000 in light of government cuts to the Metropolitan Police. The Mayor also faced questions over his plans to change the structure of the Metropolitan Police whereby some borough’s police services would be merged, and plans to close police stations and front counters.

The Mayor admitted getting the numbers back up will not be easy, adding “even though it is important for us as a city to keep the police, to keep the public focussed on that high number – because if it goes down then ultimately there will be a difficulty in getting enough police out there.”

The plans, which will be publicly consulted on in October, will also see some boroughs sharing services but it is not yet clear what services will be shared or which boroughs will be affected.

The changes also downgrade the Mayor’s promise to replace any police stations and front counters that he closed down. His new commitment is to maintain a minimum of one 24/7 front counter per borough.

These are yet more broken promises from the Mayor and shows that a commitment from Boris isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Ensuring public safety and access to police services  for Westminster’s residents should be critical, especially at a time when robbery, burglary and sexual offences are rising.
 
These cuts are deeply worrying. We need effective partnerships between our borough police forces and their local councils, community groups and residents. These changes will lead to the thin blue line becoming ever thinner. The loss of stations and front counters could lead to the Met retreating from local communities and making it harder for residents to access police services. Any plans must be subject to a full and transparent public consultation.

The riots last year showed us that we need enough officers for a range of situations to keep us all safe. The best way of doing that is to keep police numbers as high as possible.
 
Reductions in police numbers are due to central government cutting too far, too fast. It appears that the Mayor and his Conservative colleagues in government only have a plan to cut police, not crime.  

 

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) figures show affordable housing starts falling dramatically during the first year of the new affordable housing programme. This is the first negotiated by Boris Johnson, the previous programme was negotiated by his predecessor.

The figures come at a time when in <city w:st=”on”><place w:st=”on”>Westminster</place></city>:

·         There are 9350 people on the council house waiting list

·         Zero affordable homes were started in 2011/12 compared with 318 last year

·         Last year 602 homeless families were accepted by the council

The HCA statistics follow the publication of figures last month by the Department for Communities and Local Government that showed only 780 new affordable homes were started in the capital between April and June 2012 – the lowest quarterly figure for a decade. 

Local Labour <city w:st=”on”><place w:st=”on”>London</place></city> Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said:

“Boris Johnson has claimed great credit for administering the affordable housing programme he inherited from his predecessor. Now it’s clear his own record is less than impressive, with affordable housing starts falling off a cliff.

We are in the midst of a housing crisis in <place w:st=”on”><city w:st=”on”>London</city></place>, exacerbated by a chronic shortage of affordable housing. In <city w:st=”on”><place w:st=”on”>Westminster</place></city> alone there are 9350 families on the council housing waiting list. What is the Mayor doing for these people?

It is unacceptable that the Mayor has allowed affordable house building to fall so dramatically, with zero homes started this year compared to 318 last year.

“The Mayor’s failure to build more affordable housing is contributing to the rising cost of living, where private sector rents increased by 8.8 per cent for the poorest Londoners last year and energy and transport fares are increasing. Londoners need the Mayor to get a grip of the new programme and to get delivering new affordable homes.”

Ends

Notes

1.      Murad Qureshi is a Labour London wide Assembly Member.

2.       HCA and DCLG affordable housing start statistics can be found here: http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/sites/default/files/aboutus/national_housing_statistics_june_2012_tables_rev1.xls and here: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/2145739.xls 3.       Homelessness and council waiting list figures can be found here: http://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/housing_databank/results?area_selection=H%2C00AB%2C00AC%2C00AD%2C00AE%2C00AG%2C00AF%2C00AA%2C00AH%2C00AJ%2C00AK%2C00AL%2C00AM%2C00AN%2C00AP%2C00AQ%2C00AR%2C00AS%2C00AT%2C00AU%2C00AW%2C00AX%2C00AY%2C00AZ%2C00BB%2C00BC%2C00BA%2C00BD%2C00BE%2C00BF%2C00BG%2C00BH%2C00BJ%2C00BK&data_selection=A1%2CA6&selected_min=2000&selected_max=2012

The Mayor admitted getting the numbers back up will not be easy, adding "even though it is important for us as a city to keep the police, to keep the public focussed on that high number – because if it goes down then ultimately there will be a difficulty in getting enough police out there."The plans, which will be publicly consulted on in October, will also see some boroughs sharing services but it is not yet clear what services will be shared or which boroughs will be affected. The changes also downgrade the Mayor’s promise to replace any police stations and front counters that he closed down. His new commitment is to maintain a minimum of one 24/7 front counter per borough. Labour <place w:st=”on”><city w:st=”on”>London</city></place> Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“These are yet more broken promises from the Mayor and shows that a commitment from Boris isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Ensuring public safety and access to police services  for <place w:st=”on”><city w:st=”on”>Westminster</city></place>’s residents should be critical, especially at a time when robbery, burglary and sexual offences are rising.  “These cuts are deeply worrying. We need effective partnerships between our borough police forces and their local councils, community groups and residents. These changes will lead to the thin blue line becoming ever thinner. The loss of stations and front counters could lead to the Met retreating from local communities and making it harder for residents to access police services. Any plans must be subject to a full and transparent public consultation.”The riots last year showed us that we need enough officers for a range of situations to keep us all safe. The best way of doing that is to keep police numbers as high as possible.  “Reductions in police numbers are due to central government cutting too far, too fast. It appears that the Mayor and his Conservative colleagues in government only have a plan to cut police, not crime."  EndsNotes1.     Murad Qureshi AM is a Labour London wide London Assembly Member. For more information please contact Research and Support Officer Nikki Salih, on 020 7983 4400. Number not for publication.

As the evenings draw in and the winter months are fast approaching, we need to make sure street lighting is up to speed with the seasonal changes so that residents and passers by feel secure on their streets in the evenings.  But it’s not just along our streets that we need effective lighting.  There are also other significant points of access in our neighbourhoods, for example, the footbridges across the Grand Union canal in places like Little Venice.

It’s been noticed by many including my sister Papya Qureshi ( Councillor in Westbourne Ward ) that the lights have been out on the footbridge at the end of Formosa St crossing over to the Warwick Estate during much of the summer.  Not a problem during the summer months when the late sun sets but clearly is when the winter months draw in.  Residents should be able to cross the tranquil waters of the Ladbroke Grove arm of the canals without fear of having to walk in the dark but this won’t be possible if the lanterns remain unlit over the footbridges.  Perhaps the disappearance of the lamps is a sign of our austere times which would be a big price for local residents to pay for a relatively small cost.  

Both footbridges at Little Venice and Queens Park are used heavily in the summer, as the photo above illustrates.  I just hope this is not allowed to continue throughout the winter months and that the lantern lights are replaced and maintained either by the City of Westminster council or the Canal & River Trust as soon as possible.  I also hope these two organisations don’t get into a scrap about who should be providing the lighting facility because ultimately, if the lights remain off, then it’s the residents who will lose out.  They won’t be able to continue their safe journey home in the evenings without having to walk around the whole of the canal network in Paddington and that would be quite a shame.