Brent Greens: Vote for Accountability, Scrutiny, Democracy & Fresh ideas

Some of the eighteen Green Party candidates standing for election in Brent

Brent Green Party launched its comprehensive manifesto for the Council elections at the weekend. Candidates are standing on a platform of challenging the 'One Party' Brent Council pledging to hold the Council to account for its decisions, ensuring that its policies and decisions are robustly scrutinised, extending democracy so that all councillors have a share in decision making and putting forward imaginative and radical new ideas to improve the quality of life and life chances of Brent residents.

The full Manifesto is available here and can be downloaded (page symbol menu bottom left):

Introducing your Green Party candidates in Brent

Over the next few days we will be publishing short biographies of your Green Party candidiates for the May 3^rd Council elections. Brent badly needs councillors who will hold the Labour Party, with its large majority and resulting complacency to account. We have done this as much as we can whilst having no councillors but imagine how much more effective we would be if we were sitting on the Scrutiny Committees. We would provide fresh, orginal ideas on how to improve the lives of ordinary people in Brent and contribute to a much healthier local democracy than we have now.

Here are on our first batch of candidates:

Lawrence McNally (Queens Park)

I’m standing as a candidate for Queens Park in the upcoming local elections. I’ve been a member of the Green Party for around 2 years, joining whilst a student. I’ve previously stood as a Parliamentary candidate for Cities of London and Westminster, and whilst doing this I set up the King’s College London Green Party Society. I’m really passionate about progressive politics, and putting an end to the one party rule on Brent Council. I’m eager to provide balance on the council and hold it accountable for its decisions - for too long now has the maintenance of our roads and public services been forgotten. I’d love to be able to count on your support on the 3^rd of May. Thank you! - Lawrence’

William Relton (Willesden Green)

William Relton has lived in Willesden Green Ward for over 30 years. His relationship with Brent goes back even further in that he spent his early childhood years in Dollis Hill and Wembley, and his grandfather was editor of the Willesden Chronicle. He has worked in the performing arts for over four decades as performer, director and management in this country and in mainland Europe. During this time he has successfully used his skills in logistics, scheduling, budgeting and time management. Local issues of particular concern to him are the state of the roads, the closure of libraries, policing, local planning and the provision of care. He is a passionate Remainer, a member of Open Britain and also of the Electoral Reform Society.

Shaka Lish (Willesden Green)

Shaka Lish has been a Brent resident for all of her life and grew up around Kilburn, Queens Park and now Willesden. Shaka appreciates the diversity of Brent and believes that is one of its strongest assets. She is passionate about applying Green Party principles on a local level and making sure that that voice is heard on the council. Shaka is excited about exploring innovative and inspiring ways to combat and tackle issues such as crime and anti social behaviour, environment and waste and services and education. Shaka would work for her local community on a dual basis – by holding a Labour majority council to account and also by representing and advancing creative and positive solutions that local residents care deeply about.

Simon Rebbitt (Northwick Park)

My name is Simon Rebbitt and I am the Green Party council candidate for Northwick Park. I’ve worked as a comprehensive secondary school teacher in and around Brent for the last 9 years. Working with children inspires – and sometimes exhausts(!) – me. It gives me an insight into the priorities and background and hopes and fears of the children, their families and all the wonderful people of this diverse community. I believe those insights would guide me in best representing our community’s needs on the council. More than that I believe those needs go hand in hand with our commitments to future generations to leave this world in a better state than we found it.

Peter Murry (Willesden Green)

Peter Murry, a retired Lecturer who has lived in Brent for 30 yrs, is still active in his union (University and College Union) and in the Campaign Against Climate Change. 

As a disabled person he  is concerned to improve disabled facilities in Brent. He is standing for the Greens as the only party that effectively campaigns for both climate and social justice

Brent Green Party's candidates for Council elections

Brent Green Party submitted the following nominations to Brent Electoral Services on Friday. We will be publishing short biographies of the candidates over the next week or so.

Ward	Candididate
Alperton	Andrew Linnie
Dudden Hill	Phil Ram
Kensal Green	Sam Hopkins
Kenton	Shonte Lia Miller-Howe
Mapesbury	Scott Bartle
Mapesbury	Lenia Evans
Mapesbury	Sophie Ogier
Northwick Park	Simon Rebbitt
Queensbury	Nesrin Ahmet
Queens Park	John Mansook
Queens Park	Lawrence McNally
Queens Park	Poppy Stockbridge
Sudbury	Rosemary Osborn
Tokyngton	Martin Francis
Wembley Central	Rohan Patel
Willesden Green	Shaka Lish
Willesden Green	William Relton
Willesden Green	Peter Murry

There IS an alternative: Green Party policies for Brent, May 22nd 2014

Green candidates for Brent Council elections, May 22nd, 2014

Some of the candidates with Jean Lambert MEP

The Green Party will be standing a candidate in every Brent ward in the local elections on May 22nd, except for Willesden Green where there are two candidates.

Here are the candidates in ward order:

Alperton - Yusuf Akram,

Barnhill - Giovanna Dunmall,

Brondesbury Park- Rai Shamon,

Dollis Hill - Pete Murry, 

Dudden Hill - Simone Aspis,

Fryent - Claire McCarthy,  

Harlesden - Simon Erskine,

Kensal Green - Sally Ibbotson,

Kenton - Graham Allen,

Kilburn - Nas Belazka,

Mapesbury - Scott Bartle,

Northwick Park - Mimi Kaltman,

Preston - May Erskine,

Queensbury - Adlen Biloum, 

Queens Park - Alex Freed,

Stonebridge - Brian Orr,  

Sudbury - Manish Patel,

Tokyngton - Khalid Akram,

Welsh Harp - Jafar Hassan,

Wembley Central - Kolos Csontos,

Willesden Green - Shahrar Ali,

Willesden Green - Martin Francis

Green Party election nominations announced

Nominations for posts on the Party Executive (GPEx), including leadership posts, have now closed. The following candidates have submitted valid nominations for the following posts which will be elected for two years:

Party Leader
Natalie Bennett
Pippa Bartolotti 
Peter Cranie 
Romayne Phoenix
 
Deputy Leader
Caroline Allen
Will Duckworth
Richard Mallender 
Alexandra Phillips 
 

Chair of the Party Executive (GPEx)

Tim Dawes 

Campaigns Co-ordinator

Jennifer Nadel 

Howard Thorp 

Elections Co-ordinator

Geoff Smith 

External Communications Co-ordinator

Penny Kemp & Joe Williams (job-share)

International Co-ordinator

Sebastian Power

John Street

Derek Wall 

Management Co-ordinator

Mark Cridge

In addition, the following candidates have submitted valid nominations for the following posts which will be elected for one year only, as these posts are currently filled by co-opted members:

Local Party Support Co-ordinator

Matthew Townsend 

Policy Development Co-ordinator

Stuart Jeffery 

 
The election timetable will be as follows:

• 10am, 1 June 2012 - nominations open
• 12noon, 29 June 2012 - nominations close
• late July/early August - ballot papers issued with Green World
• 31 August 2012 - voting closes
• 11am, Monday 3 September 2012 - declaration of results

For information, the nomination pack is available on the internal elections section of the members website, along with the rules for the ballot. Each of these roles has a job description. Job descriptions are available on the GPEx section of the Members' Website.
Jon Nott, Electoral Returning Officer 29 June 2012
ero@greenparty.org.uk
@gp_ero

Greens on the London Assembly: Committee appointments

Jenny Jones (1st on right) and Darren Johnson (5th from right) amongst the London-wide London Assembly members, City Hall declaration, 4 May 2012.

The detailed results for the London Assembly elections were made available by London Elects on 15 May. In as many as eleven wards in Brent, Greens beat the LibDems on the List vote as follows:

GLA 2012 London-wide List Vote (GN/LD comparison):
Queens Park 511/297
Kilburn 394/243
Kensal Green 357/205
Brondesbury Park 288/246
Barnhill 196/110
Preston 182/107
Queensbury 152/107
Northwick Park 144/101
Fryent 129/126
Stonebridge 116/90

Moreover, in Harrow, we beat the LibDems in 16 out of 20 wards on the List ballot.

The London Assembly AGM on 6 May 2012 resulted in some changes to the committee structures and their membership and chairs, largely as a result of cross-party negotiations between Labour, Greens and LibDems. This means for the Greens:

Darren Johnson AM:
Chair of Assembly for 1 year and Deputy Chair 1 Year
Chair of Housing for 2 years and Deputy Chair for 2 years
Deputy Chair of GLA oversight for 1 year

Jenny Jones AM:
Joint Deputy Chair of Police & Crime for 4 years
Chair of Economy for 1 year and Deputy Chair for 1 year
Chair of Environment & Health for 1 year and Deputy for 1 year.

Result for Brent and Harrow GLA Constituency, Sloppy Count Processes & Avoidable Delay in Declaration

Shahrar Ali on polling day, 3 May 2012, at Neasden underpass

The final result for the Constituency Election of Brent and Harrow is as follows:

Shahrar Ali, GREEN PARTY: 10,546 (7.27%)
Charlotte Henry, LibDem: 15,690 (10.82%)
Michael McGough, Fresh Choice for London (UKIP): 7,830 (5.40%)
Sachin Rajput, Conservative: 40,604 (27.99%)
Navin Shah, Labour: 70,400 (48.93%)

I thank the 10,546 Green voters of Brent and Harrow for their confidence in me. We have increased both our vote and vote share across the electoral constituency and we will be back for more. I look forward to receipt of the detailed results in a few days, which I think will show big advances in places where we campaigned the hardest.

I congratulate Navin Shah on his excellent win, where he will be joined by our two London wide Assembly Members Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson. Across London, the Greens came third and we have overtaken the LibDems across London for the first time in electoral history [press release].

SLOPPY PROCESSES AT BRENT AND HARROW COUNT

I think it is worth commenting on the prolongation of the count for Brent and Harrow. The count officials will have been acutely aware that the whole city was awaiting news of the result, a day after the actual poll. Given the responsibility carried by each constituency for completing the counts not just for their respective constituency elections but also for their share of the London-wide ballots for the Mayor of London and the proportional list element of Assembly Members no result could be declared by City Hall for those two ballots without completion of each and every constituency.

In the event, the count for Brent and Harrow was not only last to declare, but some three hours (by my estimate) behind the penultimate declaration for London (also at the same count centre).

As a candidate, I had something of a ring-side seat at the count. Alongside other candidates and agents, we took our democratic participation to extend beyond the narrow interpretation of seeking to win our seats, but also to the collective interest of assisting democratic outcome through observation, solicitation of information and occasional intervention.


My agent, Matthew Butcher tweeting at the dog-end of the Count,
whom I did remind of the Representation of People's Act prohibitions :) 

SPRINKLER SYSTEM SABOTAGE OF PC POWER

I arrived at Alexandra Palace, where four such election constituencies were being counted under one roof, with my agent soon after 8am. I was present until 11.15pm, with plenty of breaks in between, once key stages had got underway and I and others were satisfied that things were under control. Unfortunately, things got off to a late start due to "electrical and power problems". Of course, the lights in the building were on but why were the computers and scanners not operational?

Upon fuller investigation it transpired that a ground staff for the building had cut power to the building in the early morning in order to use the sprinkler system outside and avoid any electrical risk of shorting the supply (an occasional, but routine operation). However, unbeknownst to that staff, the computers in the building had been set up and logged in the night before, all systems go for the following morning, precisely in order to save time. The temporary power outage resulted in all these machines having to be rebooted, with consequent delay. I haven't been able to corroborate the exact sequence of events, but it sounds too ridiculous for somebody to have made up - perhaps a case of bad luck combined with failure of co-responsibility of both venue and count staff managers to anticipate such a risk.

The late start was given as a subsequent reason for delay by a count official being interviewed by a member of the Open Rights Group, when the bigger problem of uncounted ballot papers was being addressed in the late evening (and the campaigner had rushed back to the count upon hearing the news). In reality, that would have accounted for a one hour delay, not a three hour delay.

COUNT CLERKS AND UNSUPERVISED BOXES ON WRONG SIDE OF TABLE, BOXES STILL IN CAGES AND BACKLOG OF UNSEALED BOXES.

Early in the count, I made representations to first one, then two, then three returning officers, who were taking joint responsibility for the Brent and Harrow count (I was later told there were four, taking responsibility across the twin borough constituency), not including the Chief executive, Gareth Daniel, who would be ultimately signing off the result and making the declaration. Firstly, I should say I found all these staff to be responsive, responsible and dutiful. I would even say highly competent and experienced, yet somehow processes were starting to look laxidasical, either through lack of clear line management or under- or over-staffing at that level. (Daniel I have met at numerous counts and he has seemed to perform this part of his role extremely well. He appears to enjoy both knowledge of electoral systems and knows when to use his discretion when soliciting advice from officials or interested parties.)

The main problems at the outset were to do with count clerks (some of whom were core electoral services staff and others of whom were clearly casual workers who were trained up especially for the day or days). I witnessed clerks performing the duties of opening ballot boxes and sorting papers from the wrong side of the table, ie. the side which is meant to be reserved for observers. This might sound like a trivial point, but actually, the separation of space is surely of paramount importance, both to ensure that observers are enabled to see what is going on (should they wish to do so), otherwise impeded by having the official's back toward them, and to minimise the risk of ballot papers falling on the wrong side of the table. The very reason for staff perhaps populating the wrong side of the table, ie. that there wasn't enough space on the right side of the table, was precisely a reason not to come to that side - since that would have increased the risk of crowding and papers spilling on to the floor. I made this objection known (without the explanation), and although it was not acted on immediately, or universally, it eventually was corrected after a second complaint to another manager.

Another problem was to see ballot boxes finding themselves in a path to which all and sundry non-officials could have easily gained access, ie. the wrong side of the table. At one point, I observed two boxes the wrong side of the table, unsupervised. I complained about this.

Then I observed a general commotion of activity, to do with ballot boxes being taken out of cages (that they had been stored in overnight) and unsealed (with some difficulty in some cases) and turned into a haphazard pile awaiting emptying onto a row of tables (again, inlcuding from the wrong side of the table). This was ostensibly a prelude to the stage of Registration, whereupon papers carried in numbered black boxes would be transferred to cardboard boxes and their cover sheets entered into a computer using barcoded entry.

Unfortunately, nobody seemed to be supervising this process, and the man who was directing other clerks, with some haste, seemed not only to be responsible for creating a backlog of unsealed boxes but also turned out not to be a manager of any sort. I established this when I asked him politely, "Are you in charge?" When it turned out that he wasn't but that I was concerned about the haphazard nature of the activity, another manager, to whom I hadn't spoken before arrived on the scene and asked me to speak with him instead. I pointed to an empty black box that had just been placed on top of another box containing ballot papers in it, both of which were next to a growing pile of discarded empties. When I asked why an empty was sat on top of a full, a clerk intervened to apologise and remove it at the same time with the explanation, "That's only there temporarily." Indeed, it was, but the scene was starting to look like one of generalised chaos, not managed count processing.

I moved with the manager to one side and he asked me again what my concern was. Without going into great detail I said, somewhat perfunctorily, "It's disorganised; and it's there for all to see." What was there for all to see was the following, easily comparable to the other three constitutency counts taking place in the same hall:

1. None of the other three counts had their black boxes still in cages, but all of them were in neat and tidy rows and stacks, being fed into the process in an orderly and non-hasty fashion (as in less haste, more speed).

2. None of the other count clerks at the other three counts were working from the wrong side of the table.

3. None of the other count clerks at the other three counts were without high visibility T-shirts indentifying their role and colour coded for constituency (except at our tables, some clerks chose not to wear their T-shirts).

4. None of the other three counts were leaving black boxes unsupervised in the common areas.

5. None of the other three counts were creating back-logs of unsealed boxes in piles next to or co-mingled with empties.

Within a few minutes I noticed that things had started to improve at our count.

WHY TWO THOUSAND BALLOT PAPERS LEFT TO BE COUNTED WHEN SUPPOSED TO HAVE FINISHED?

Count staff visibly concerned at the discovery of large number of uncounted ballot papers at 8.15pm

The big story was to do with the papers which had not yet entered the computer system as recordable votes, when the count was supposed to have been completed. We weren't just talking about a small number of papers that remained to be verified. This was a large number - the figure of two thousand was given by one manager when he eventually came over to candidates and interested observers to explain what the problem was. This verbal communication happened around 8.30pm. The count software had established that two ballot boxes remained outstanding, ie. that all the votes contained on the papers therein had not been counted yet. How could such a large discrepancy arise?

The explanation given, either officially or at the count, was that a number or papers that had been destined for manual entry of the votes cast into the computers had ended up in storage instead. Now at this point it is worth mentioning that each count centre had a number of shelving units, which were arranged in sequential order and clearly labeled, in full view of all staff and observers. The final shelving unit was marked STORAGE. This effectively translated into papers that had been scanned into the system and verified, having their votes thereby counted by the computer. They had more or less been finished with. A penultimate shelving unit was called MANUAL ENTRY. This was reserved for papers, which, for whatever reason could not be scanned by the scanning machine. The explanation then given for such a large number not having been scannable mechanically is that they were postal ballot papers that had been damaged by the envelope-cutting machine, or could not be read because of the particular kind of glue used on the envelopes for return of those papers. Apparently, papers cut in a certain way (even if not in half) would end up slightly less than A4 size and get thrown out by the mechanical scanners.

Now the question should arise, if such a large number of postal ballots are being rendered unreadable in this way, whether other counts had the same problem, and if not why not. It seems that other counts did not face such extensive delays across London, which raises the question whether the cutting machine was being operated incorrectly, or might require servicing or replacement. It seems more than a coincidence that Brent have had problems with postal votes cut in half by a machine in previous elections and I wonder whether this is the same device? Perhaps they should stop using it.

Unfortunately, moreover, this explanation is incomplete, only half true and too convenient. It is wishful in so far as neglects to mention that of the two boxes that needed to be counted in, only one, ie. roughly half, were not readable mechanically, ie. originally destined for manual entry. The other box, though identified belatedly, was indeed scanned in mechanically. The importance of this fact is that it compounds the prospective charge of incompetence, to have two boxes destined for different stages both find themselves in storage when they had not been completed.

The story doesn't stop there, however. At around 5pm I witnessed another exceptional scene. Some of the count clerks started to pack the papers which had been finished with and had been duly stored in the STORAGE shelves into the black boxes from which they originally had come and then moved them to the far side of the closed off count area. However, this step had not been undertaken by a single other count in the hall, many of whom were completing their counts. Not only did none of the other three counts elect to start moving these completed papers before they had finished their counts, but Brent and Harrow was now at risk of accidentally moving papers which had not been counted in yet into black boxes. Given the proximity of the Manual entry shelving to the Storage shelving, is it an accident that one of the former boxes ended up not only in the wrong section but off all shelving entirely?

Could not this accident have been prevented were it not for the premature movement of boxes from the Storage shelving to a second location? I think it would be good, should Brent and Harrow wish to undertake a review of their processes, for them to ask why they decided to move papers in this way when no other count in the hall was doing likewise. I was apprehensive about that step as soon as I saw it. Given the amount of business going on in between those two ends of the count area, it seemed that it would increase the risk of some piles ending up in the wrong place. Some piles did end up in the wrong place.

Whilst I do have confidence in the eventual declaration at this count, I do think Brent and Harrow's handling of the count was sloppy, out-of-kilter with what others were doing in the very same hall, and could have easily ended  up miscounted were it not for the in-built checks of the computer. However, had the boxes in question not been registered into the computer at the start of the day, could they have been missed entirely?

Contrary to Mayor Johnson's quip at the eventual City Hall declaration that it would have been quicker to have counted it by hand, I aver that Brent and Harrow reputation, though damaged, was saved by the London Elects computer.

Results on London Elects here.

Barnill Byelection Result: Greens Third with 11.1%

Congratulations to Michael Pavey for winning the Barnhill by-election on 3 May 2012 (not pictured above, but Martin Francis). The count took place on the same day as that for the GLA elections, at Alexandra Palace on 4 May 2012 (to ensure that any ballot papers finding themselves in boxes meant for GLA papers could be separated out and put in the right count). The full result is:

Michael Pavey, Labour: 2326 56.5%
Kanta Pindoria, Conservative: 1180 28.6%
MARTIN FRANCIS, GREEN PARTY: 457 11.1%
Venilal Vaghela, Independent: 156 3.78%

The Brent Council result appears on-line here (although I think it is poor practice to round up or down to only the nearest integer). I have expressed percentages to one decimal place instead.

The Green vote was up significantly on the last local election of two years ago, with Martin standing as one of three candidates (vote share 2.5%). This represents +8.6% in a by-election, which is extremely encouraging for Brent Greens. Martin has appealed to the Labour group to take greater account of the negative impact of their decisions, despite this victory.

Harrow Greens Campaigning in Harrow Town Centre

Harrow Green Party was out in force on Saturday 14 April in Harrow Town centre, campaigning for the upcoming GLA elections. Pictured here on the stall from left to right: Swati Patel, Deborah Lee, Rowan Langley, Lisa Curran, Shahrar Ali (Brent and Harrow candidate), Lawrence Mathias and Linda Robinson.
Locals were dead keen on our leaflets. These freeze frames taken by Rowan Langley show just how easy it was! (1) Candidate make eye contact with passerby.
(2) Handover.
(3) Despatch complete.

NEWS Coverage in Harrow Times.

Letter in Harrow Times: Pear Wood Reserve

Letter in Harrow Times, 12 April 2012 edition, 'Pear wood reserve: It is imperative we protect land'

I applaud the Harrow conservationists and local residents for pursuing their long-term goal of biodiversity protection despite Harrow Council's proposals for Pear Wood.

I am particularly relieved to hear that the proposal to sell land currently occupied by the derelict cottage over to property development has fallen through, for the time being (‘Pear Wood open space is protected ‘for now’’, Harrow Times, 5 April).

As Harrow Nature Conservation forum has so diligently recorded, in both words and pictures, the former cottage has practically been reclaimed by nature; snakes, deer and wild fora are all in evidence. The despoliation of this part of the wood, for human habitation, should not be part of the negotiation.

In 2010, I was part of a widespread grassroots campaign in Brent to protect part of the Welsh Harp nature reserve, and metropolitan open land, from similar housing development.

It is imperative that we preserve spaces such as Pear Wood and Welsh Harp as welcome breathing spaces today, for the enjoyment of future generations tomorrow, and for other species with which we share this beautiful planet.

In its manifesto for the London Assembly, the Green Party advocates the Green Grid, an enhanced network of green spaces across London, with protection for trees and wildlife and greater access to nature for all.

Shahrar Ali
Green Party London Assembly candidate for Brent and Harrow
PO Box 54785
London NW9 1FL

Photo: Young grass snake in Pear Wood (picture by Claire Abbott, Harrow Nature Conservation Forum, by permission)

Greens Launch London Assembly Manfiesto

The Green Party launched its 2012 GLA Manifesto on Thursday 12 April, our vision for a more equal, healthy and affordable London, available to download HERE or here (with alternative language translations of key policies). Picture of Jenny Jones, Green Mayoral Candidate with Shahrar Ali, Green Party London assembly candidate for Brent and Harrow.

Official Nominations for Barnhill Byelection

Our candidate for the Barnhill by-election, taking place on 3 May 2012 will be Martin Francis (pictured above with a local resident). The full list of nominations appears here, or in shorthand:

Martin Francis, Green Party
Charles Pavey, Labour
Ratna Pindoria, Conservative
Venilal Vaghela, [no description]

My comrade Martin has already commented on the mystery of no duly nominated LibDem candidate. It could be for any number of reasons, ranging from deliberate to accidental, although it is unlikely to have been as a result of a technical reason - for then we would probably have seen a mark against an additional row in the official declaration. However, it is also unusual to see a candidate marked without a description, if only "Independent".

I have only illustrious things to say about Martin, as I have been privileged to work closely alongside him in local campaigns and Green politics. The thought did cross my mind that the LibDems have chosen to stand aside in this by-election, either out of fear or respect for Martin's political stature. He has breadth of local knowledge, political insight and boundless energy. Let the people of Barnhill ward seize this opportunity to elect their first Green councillor for Brent.

By-election voters also face the prospect of being spared the deluge of LibDem literature which has characterised recent by-elections, notably Dollis Hill.

Election Campaigning: Kensal Green, Queens Park & Barnhill

Greens were out in force at the weekend, both south and north in the borough. We met campaigners supervising the pop-up library outside Kensal Rise library on Bathurst Gardens (pictured above).

I spent an afternoon distributing literature in Chalkhill estate in Barnhill, a stone's throw from the Town Hall. My comrade, Martin Francis is pictured above catching up on local politics with local resident, Kathleen.

This was a warm afternoon and the locals were equally warm. There were a variety of cooking smells to be had around every street corner, always enticing us. People were going about their play and their neighbourly conversation, and engaging us at the earliest opporunity. I was particularly charmed by the kid writing a love poem for another on the street - it seemed to have landed on the pavement without a recipient, but the children were quick to identify its destination, with a little teasing for good measure.

Pictured (above) raised beds form part of a gardening project for the local primary school on the estate, bounded by the railway to one side.

Picture without an apparent owner in Victoria Road, Queens Park.

Official statement of persons nominated for Brent and Harrow GLA constituency election

Official statement of persons nominated for Brent and Harrow GLA constituency election here.

I note, with surprise, that neither the Conservatives nor LibDems have fielded candidates who live in the election constituency. The full list of candidates, with their locality in square brackets is:

Shahrar Ali, Green Party [Brent]
Charlotte Henry, Lib Dems [London Borough of Barnet]
Michael McGough, Fresh Choice for London [Epping Forest District]
Sachin Rajput, Conservatives [London Borough of Barnet]
Navin Shah, Labour [Harrow]

For my part, I don't doubt that living in the constituency and having actively campaigned in Brent for over ten years will help me to serve the good people of this constituency, if elected to City Hall as their London Assembly member. I hope to make this case over the days and weeks ahead both here and elsewhere. I look forward to electors giving me the opportunity to face them alongside the other candidates in public meetings.

Shahrar Ali on why Greens support the local business economy

Shahrar Ali publicly questions Mayor on HS2: Plus Answer

On 7 March 2012, People's Question Time took place in Hammersmith Town Hall (pictured). Hundreds were in attendance to hear the Mayor of London flanked by the London Assembly Members (including Greens Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson) answer questions from a packed hall.

I asked a question about HS2. Here is the sound:



Shahrar Ali: "What is the Mayor going to do to address, or impress upon his dear leader, the needs and wishes of tens of thousands of Londoners who are opposed to the tunneling under their houses as a result of the totally unaffordable, environmentally damaging and overall CO2 increasing high speed rail vanity project which is HS2? The country's broke!"

In his reply to me, Boris Johnson said he is in principle in favour of high speed rail, but what he said to the government is 1) that he wants to see a business case that really stacks up, 2) wants to see mitigation and real protection for people in West London, and 3) he cannot conceive of HS2 without a new tube line at Euston to take people beyond there.

Boris Johnson's answer is here:



A full transcript and professional video recording of the event will be made available on the City Hall website here.

Dollis Hill By-election 22 March 2012: Local campaigner Pete Murry for the Greens

The Statement of Persons nominated for the Dollis Hill by-election will be posted to Brent's election site shortly. The candidates have been confirmed to Brent Greens as:

Parvez Ahmed, Labour
Samer Ahmedali, Conservative
Alison Hopkins, Liberal Democrat
PETE MURRY, The Green Party Candidate (pictured)

PRESS STATEMENT:

Pete Murry has lived in Dollis Hill and worked in Brent for over twenty years in the College of North West London, until he took early retirement for health reasons. He is now a pensioner, but he finds himself busier now than ever as he does a lot of work for the Green Party (currently as a London Rep on the Regional Council and Secretary of the Green Party Trade Union Group). Locally he works for the Brent Campaign Against Climate Change, where he has helped to organise and video a series of talks by writers on ecological issues.

Although not as physically active as he would like, he supports the Brent Fightback organisation against local cuts and is a committee member of the Coalition of resistance which hopes to co-ordinate anti-cuts campaigns across the country.

Pete Murry, Green Party candidate for Dollis Hill said today: "I totally agree with Green MP Caroline Lucas when she says that current Coalition government austerity policies are almost the exact opposite to what is needed which is a programme of investment and job creation focussed on building the infrastructure that the country needs to combat climate change."

Mr Murry continued: "Alongside their cuts to services and privatisation of education, Brent's wasteful spending proposals to replace a perfectly good town hall in Wembley and demolish a perfectly good existing cultural centre in Willesden, deny popular cultural and other facilities whilst making the council taxpayer pay for these wanton vanity projects."

Wembley Central By-election 2011: Labour Hold No Cause for Celebration

The results for the Wembley Central by-election held on 22 December 2011 are as follows:

Krupa Sheth - Labour Party - Elected with 1402 votes 48.1%
Afifa Pervez - Liberal Democrats - 1022 votes 35.0%
Madhuri Davda - Conservative Party - 349 votes 12.0%
Martin Francis (pictured) - Green Party - 130 votes 4.5%
A total of 13 votes were rejected with a turnout of 27.58% (2,916 papers).

Source: Brent Council with vote share percentages calculated by me.

The group picture shows the Labour team in jubilant spirit at the delcaration. Libdems looked particularly dejected (identifiable in foreground for that reason alone) and had clearly cottoned onto the fact, fairly early in the count, that it wasn't going to be as close as they expected. In the event the margin was quite large.

I had spent some hours on polling day on a walkabout with the Green candidate, Martin Francis. We canvassed two streets until all the leaflets were gone, visited polling stations, shared friendly discourse with tellers from opposition parties, and solicited latest polling figures. By late afternoon we were predicting a very low turnout. In the event, turnout must have picked up in the evening rush hour better than we expected. After taking postal votes into account, I estimate that each of the four polling station venues (serving 7 polling districts between them) must have seen on average around one voter per minute pass through their entrances in the last six hours of polling. I should imagine that Labour's knocking up operation was particularly good - and we passed Cllr James Powney twice during the day.

Although Councillor Sheth and Brent Labour are to be congratulated on their win - only as a matter of electioneering - local and vocal opponents of the cuts agenda will be left wondering how they managed it - more important, politically - or what it would have taken for Labour to have lost this byelection, given how much discontent has already been caused by the local library closures, with the threat of yet more pain to come; in particular, when housing benefit caps come into force in the new year with little prospect of a fight by the Labour administration. The result is little cause for celebration but rather greater cause for trepidation that Labour might feel emboldened in its current course.

The LibDems will also be left worried about their prospects in Brent, given that they had already taken this ward at the byelection in 2009 and weren't short of leaflets this time round either.

The Greens have much to proud of in their campaign. Our aim was modest, in a part of Brent where we have not been active in the past, and we managed to increase our vote share on both the 2009 byelection (3.5%) and the 2010 local elections. We canvassed only a part of the ward, with a small team, and could see the fruit of this labour when one of the ballot boxes in particular was sorted. Martin Francis served us proud!

A word about Brent's statistical analysis. The following shows percentages rounded to the nearest integer. However, such rounding is neither de rigeur nor, in my opinion, advisable. Figures should be expressed to at least one decimal place (Brent is already calculating the turnout to 2 decimals so why the discrepancy?). Firstly, one could then distinguish between candidates getting 0.3% and 0.7%, for example, and one would hardly want to round 0.3% downwards. Secondly, totals would then come to 100%, even after taking any spoilt papers into account. Therefore, I have expressed percentages at the top of this post to one decimal place. The Greens vote share went up 1.0% in this election from 2009.

Let me take the opportunity, on behalf of Brent Greens, to thank our voters at this byelection. We will be back for your vote in the May 2012 GLA elections, and then some!

First thoughts on result on Wembley Matters by the candidate Martin Francis.

Weekly press: Brent Times edition 22 Dec 2011, reflection on the year by Martin Francis (page 2) and letters (page 14) by Shahrar Ali (on HS2) and Martin Francis (on Willesden bookshop).

Clean Air for Brent and Harrow: Neasden Goods Yard

On 1 December 2011, Shahrar Ali, Green Party London Assembly candidate for Brent and Harrow was joined by Jenny Jones, Green Party Mayoral candidate outside the Neasden Lane goods yards (pictured) in a call for action over air pollution in the constituency. Neasden Goods Yard has been the focal point of the local party’s campaigns to improve air quality locally.

Dr Ali and Jones met with local shopkeepers and residents to discuss how dust from the bay affects their quality of life and business in their community. Recent research has suggested that more than 4,000 people a year die in London prematurely as a result of poor air quality—and the Green Party have discovered that pollution is often are often twice as bad at child height.

This week Green Party activists across London joined their colleagues in Brent and Harrow in collecting signatures for a petition calling on the Mayor of London to urgently reduce air pollution on main roads near schools to protect the health of children in London.

There are 1,148 schools in London within 150 metres of roads that carry 10,000 or more vehicles per day.

Shahrar Ali, Green Party London Assembly candidate said: "Clean air is a basic necessity of life. The particulate matter generated by the goods yards along Neasden Lane is a serious health hazard for the neighbourhood, made worse by the proximity to the North Circular Road. In this campaign I shall be exposing the harm visited upon residents and local traders by unsafe environmental practices. Only the Greens offer the long-term sustainable solutions to improve air quality and quality of life at the same time."

Jenny Jones said: “Shahrar’s experience as an activist committed to improving the lives of those in the communities of Brent and Harrow make him an ideal candidate to represent the boroughs on the London Assembly. Because we are rooted in the community the Green Party is able to make the links between the issues that affect ordinary Londoners and the policies of those in power at City Hall. This air pollution campaign is a perfect example of joining the dots and working together to create a healthier, cleaner, greener London.”

Notes
1. Statistics on air pollution deaths can be found here.
2. Statistics on schools near major roads can be found here.

Report from Jenny Jones at Jenny for London: "Brent and Harrow candidate demands Clean Air Now!"