So much for supporting  your local continent now!

After Article 50 was triggered yesterday, 3.3 million EU citizens in the UK and up to 1.6 million UK citizens living in Europe have been turned into bargaining chip. 

They came here under freedom of movement and were denied a vote in the EU referendum are now in limbo worrying about their futures. A million EU citizens live in London alone. They are Londoners, they contribute hugely to our economic, social, cultural life. They have partners,friends and family in the UK. They deserve to be left in no doubt that they will be able to continue living here. The PM said securing their rights was an “early priority” yet stopped short here and now offering a cast iron guarantee. Equally, the EU should offer the same guarantee to UK citizens living on the continent. These are people not bargaining chips. 

The government must end this now. Britain didn’t vote to treat migrants as second class citizens, yet migrants’ voices clearly not been heard. We have some 36,000 EU nationals ( 2015 figures ) living in the City of Westminster, so we must ask the council to call on the government to immediately and unconditionally secure the rights of EU migrants, their families and dependents. 

If we fail to support  EU citizens in the fight to defend their rights, we will fail to protect the rights upon which our futures depend as well. 

Siege in Sylhet, Bangladesh by their army against Islamist militants.

I woke up yesterday shocked to hear on Radio 4 about the Jihadi cell in Sylhet ( its my family ancestral home ) and the siege on Bangladesh Independence Day. Six have been killed and 50 Injured In Twin Blasts with an Anti-Terror Operation under way. 

After hearing the details l was left thinking why would ISIS or All-Qaeda be at all interested in Sylhet, Bangladesh?  As we can not say that the plains of Bengal are part of where the “last days” are meant to happen. So this must be the fantasy of some jumped Bengali jihadists! After all not even the Pakistani Army was able to take Shah jalal mosque in Sylhet during the liberation of Bangladesh. 

More seriously is the possibility that there maybe a London connection to these attacks and all these other possible links above are just a cover for this. Naturally that is more alarming, so l will be keep an eye on Bengali TV and news outlets for further information of who’s actually behind these attacks. So watch this space on these developments in the investigation. 

Noise may not be top of ever ones priorities but its a big issue for many. For example on the Heathrow expansion the chief environmental concern is not CO2 emissions or poor air quality but aircraft noise affecting a further 2 millions residents. But lets not forget other sources of ambient noise from the transport infrastructure like our tube system. Judging from the responses to my previous blogs on tube noise, its clearly an issue for many Londoners even before the night service came along. 

So let me make the following points in the London context; 

• The GLA Act requires the Mayor to produce a strategy for ambient noise and the first strategy – “Sounder City – Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy” was put in place by the first Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone in Feb 2004. It is now 12 years outdated and required urgent updating.
• That first strategy covered many aspect of noise from transport from rail, aircraft noise & along rivers and canals. Also on the roads on the buses, taxis’s and freight vehicles. But it does not cover the tube system in London particular those actually underground. This is a major admission and must addressed by the Mayor.
• If TfL can accept responsibility for ambient noise via its regulation of black cabs & private hire vehicles and managing its own buses and boats and overground services why not also the Tube system itself?
• With the increasing tube noise complaints over the past 12 years particularly with the onset of Night Tube service, it is not time TfL took on this responsibility as well and at least accept it as potential a statutory nuisance their tube activities causes? 

It was good to see the Environment Committee at the London Assembly, City Hall give a hearing to many frustrated Londoners with tube noise concerns last week, so I look forward to a response from TfL and Mayor’s office on this front. 

A small terrace of properties in my neighbourhood along Bell Street, NW1 have been lying empty in a locality desperate for family housing.  

While prime housing market has gone down in Central London somewhat since certainly Brexit, it also leaves empty many other developments which were going on the tails of that sub-market like those along Bell Street, NW1. The above four 3 bed houses had originally been offices which were converted into residential something l welcomed since the offices were lying empty for many years. But since the residential conversion was completed last November the new homes have also been lying empty in a locality where 3 bed homes are in urgent need. This has meant the number of office conversions have gone down in Central London, so it will be interesting to see how developments in Marylebone like 66 Chiltern Street now progress in the market while still in the construction phase. 

Unfortunately the rent levels of social housing in Central London do not financially permit social housing provider to pick up the properties either at the asking prices nor at the probably costs incurred in building them. So we are left with a terrace of empty properties which are neither being rented out or sold on to owner-occupiers, after their conversion. 

This is at the same time as other prime mega developments like the one being developed in the old Battersea Power Station are trying to convert some of the development into alternative use other than residential which can supplement it well like offices. 

It’s safe to say that whilst the prime housing market is so volatile, such properties along Bell Street are likely to stand empty for a lot longer than is good for anyone.  

When l finished my day of canvassing the day before the by-election in Stoke-on-Trent, l came across the above graffiti nearby the Bus station in Stoke on some derelict buildings in the middle of Town ” Vote leave, fuck the elite” This summed up very well what l heard on the door steps of Stoke during the day. They voted leave to show their two fingers up to the London elite and thus its not necessarily was anti-immigrate alone. 

So the questions arises, what do we do in response to people outside of the London bubble feeling that the elite was nothing to offer them? Well maybe moving the Palace of Westminster is the solution to it all, as we hear the pragmatic case for moving Britain’s capital to Manchester in the Economist magazine. The whole complex is in a dreadful state and could well require up to £ 5 billion to refurbish both the House of Commons & Lords. 

Just imagine for a moment what up to £ 5 billion spent in a Northern city like Manchester could do not only for shifting the economic centre of the UK but also how it could address many peoples concerns that the elite don’t listen to them that was shown quite clearly in Brexit referendum in the North. 

I trust those who are going to make this decision soon consider it very seriously, if only on value for money basis. With £ 5 billion you could even accommodate every MP and Lord in the Palace of Westminster, in a new premise!   

You will find above the updated tube noise map from TfL. I am certain we still have gaps in the overall complaints being picked up by TtL. For example, the response to my last blog on the issue informed me of complaints of the tube noise from the Central line underground in Shepherds Bush where residents have been complaining for over 10 years to TfL Engineers who suggested that TfL either buy up the properties or build another tunnel within the tunnel to insulate from the tube noise. 

Which makes me think there is still a body of work to do getting us completely up to date with tube noise complaints in London. So please tell us of your complaints and we can begin comparing them against those TfL map above has and get them somehow to register them.  

Another useful comparison to make with tube noise complaints now with an analysis made by London South Bank, University Acoustic Group Noise Tube Map by Dr Stephen Dance in 2012. The analysis is shown graphically above on the London tube map by the thickness of tube lines for stations in Zone 1-3  by averaging the noise levels measured between stations.

The general analysis then was that the noise levels on surface trains is about 65-70 dBA, the sub-surface stations 70-75 dBA, however for the deep lines it ranges from 80-85 dBA. The highest levels were dangerously loud, greater than 85 dBA, these were Northern Line between Hampstead and Golders Green, Bakerloo Line between Baker Street and Marylebone, Central Line between Liverpool Streret to Mile End, and Piccadilly Line between Bounds Green and Wood Green.

I think this general analysis appears to stand up from my observations in Central London though again it will need updating to today’s levels of noise as its 4 years out of date and we have the night tube in operation on five of the those lines and more upgrading work undertaken though we are not sure whether those have contributed or reduced the noise levels. 

This analysis tells one thing at least, it would be useful for an updated  tube noise analysis to be commissioned by TfL to Acoustic experts across the whole of the tube system. 

This is the site of the Willmott Dixon development where Marylebone Boys School will be accomodated.

As parents in the City of Westminster become increasing aware of the budget cuts to the schools of their children both primary and secondary, many may not be aware its been done to essentially make space for select free schools.

Putting it very stakely, the NUT in Westminster reckon the borough is due for just over  £10.1 million of financial cuts which works out at just over £550 a pupil annually or put it another way some 271 teachers being lost by 2020. ( source – www.schoolcuts,org.uk ) 

The principal beneficial of giving a little more money to select schools in today’s budget by the Chancellor is Marylebone “Free” Boys School who are developing a site right now while being temporarily based in Kilburn. Funnily enough it won’t be relocating into Marylebone but a site very near to Paddington station on the site of the old Dudley House being developed right now by WIllmott Dixon, and thus not in Marylebone at all. It will clearly cost 10s of millions of pounds to develop this very difficult and tight site but lets not forget the opportunity cost to are present schools in the borough to give more choice to some.

Its in the centre of the Paddington basin regeneration, creating a 22 storey residential tower and seven-storey secondary school for boys in Westminster City Council. The school’s current intake at its new home will start at 480 pupils, with an eventual population of 840, including a mixed sixth form.

So the price for a little more choice for some will cut into the education of all the others, as austerity is continued by the present government. Clearly the ghost of Marylebone Grammar school still casts a shadow over the education of our young people still in this borough. 

A history lesson is in order on Sarah Sands comment piece of the 24th of Feb ( Will Afghanistan ever escape being a pawn in the Great Game ) as it conveniently does not mention the impact of British imperialism on the country and its legacy till this day.

We had three conflicts ( 1839-42; 1878-80; 1919 ) referred to as the Afghan wars or sometimes the Anglo-Afghan Wars in which Great Britain, from its base in India, sought to extend its control over neighbouring Afghanistan to oppose Russian influence there.

One of its legacies is the border disputes around the Durand line, the 2,430 km international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan established in 1896. It is still disputed by the two countries even after their independence and the source of much of the tension between the two countries, as it simply doesn’t have much legitimacy for those living along the border let alone those in their capitals. As a result it makes for both countries being very suspicion of any movements of peoples over the Durand line like the refugees that Pakistan has just expelled from their country.

So we have to at least take some responsibility for the imperial lines we have drawn across those parts of the world and their contribution to continuing the Great Game.