The Royal Bank of Scotland is looking to move out of its offices at the Angel, Islington. The offices – controversial from the start because of the ‘dead space’ at street level – were built for the bank but then sold and leased back, according to The Scotsman. Their report goes on to say that RBS are trying to get out of the lease – and expecting Islington Council to take it on. RBS obviously like taxpayer bailouts.
Archive for Neighbourhood
Will Islington Council take on RBS’ Angel offices?
Refuse and recycling collections over Easter…
… are the same as usual.
Thank you Islington Council!
Another busy week – Amnesty, Oxfam, the Packington, and more
Once again, I’ve been too busy to update my blog for a bit. Not for lack of news or views, but lack of time to share them.
So here’s another quick roundup:
I’ve been busy lobbying away on the Digital Economy Bill, including signing a letter to the Guardian and speaking to the Open Rights Group anti-disconnection rally.
I spoke at a public meeting on asylum and immigration issues, organised by the local Amnesty International group. I am a longterm supporter of Amnesty International – I used to host letter writing groups in my home – and I am a Friend of the Refugee Council. During my time as deputy leader of Islington Council, and one of my most enjoyable roles was carrying out the citizenship ceremonies to welcome new citizens to the borough and hearing their very different and often moving stories. So I am keen to support the Let Them Work campaign.
It’s shameful that asylum seekers are kept in poverty, even criminalised, instead of being allowed to work; meanwhile the dehumanising bureaucracy takes years to process their cases while costing us all a fortune. By working asylum seekers, many of them highly-educated, could support themselves and their families, put their skills to service in society, and pay taxes. Jeremy Corbyn MP, who spoke as well, completely agrees with the LibDems on this: unfortunately his Government does not.
I’ve continued my programme of visits to locally-based charities with a interesting meeting with RNID; several members of my family live with hearing loss, and I suffered severe (thankfully temporary) hearing loss for some months a few years ago, so RNID’s work is close to my heart. They do excellent, practical work championing hearing tests, and pressing for sensible access measures, like ensuring that inductive loops actually work. More dramatically, research they are funding could lead to a cure for noise-induced hearing loss.
This week I’ve been popping back and forth to Westminster too. On Saturday I was at the Scout Association’s ‘Virgin Voters’ event, meeting first-time voters and young citizens to hear their views. Top priorities were affordable transport and student funding, as well as concerns about cleaning up politics, climate change, and jobs, that voters of all ages might well share.
On Wednesday, I started the day in Westminster, chairing a meeting for Oxfam on climate change. It’s easy to despair in the face of the challenge of climate change. Communities in some of the poorest nations are already living with droughts or floods – or, in the case of Pakistan, both. Oxfam’s projects there show how you can tackle poverty and work with the grain of local people while tackling climate change too: very inspiring.
There have been celebrations this week, a welcome chance to unwind after canvassing: on Saturday, I joined the Zimmers party for lead singer Alf Carretta’s birthday. On Tuesday we were marking 50 years of the Islington Society. On Wednesday night, the party was for Bob Gilbert, the much-loved green guru of Islington, who is taking early retirement from the Council to be a fulltime Dad and writer. And on Thursday I was celebrating the completion of phase 1 of the Packington estate. Beautiful canalside flats, all for local tenants from the old Packingon Square, a great achievement by the residents in partnership with Hyde Housing and Rydon.
Thursday also marked the end of an era, with the last Islington Council meeting before the local elections on 6 May. There are many good councillors retiring, including my colleagues Lucy Watt, Ruth Polling and former leader James Kempton. But the real sadness is the death of Councillor Donna Boffa, just a week ago. She was an amazing woman, who, in her short life, did what all politicians should aspire to do: make a difference. My tribute to her will be online soon.
Fire at Tabernacle Street, EC2
Reports of this major fire down in Bunhill on the City fringe have been coming through all morning.
Richard was diverted on his way to work, texting me to report “Luckily was walking in as City Road closed but still had to double back and divert to get past. They have blocked off a huge area”.
A friend reported smelling smoke from inside the Barbican.
Student journalist John Stevens has lots of frontline reports and photos up on twitter and the Islington Now website.
And now an offcial notice has come from Islington Police:
Islington Police are in attendance at a fire on Tabernacle Street , EC2.
We were notified by LFB at approximately 4:50 this morning (11th March 2010).
It is understood the fire started at the Sosho Restaurant before spreading to neighbouring buildings.
There are no reported injuries at this stage.
It is too early to say re the cause of the fire; however officers from Islington CID will liaise with the LFB Fire Investigation Unit.
A number of roads are closed in the vicinity: –
Tabernacle Street is closed
City Road from Old Street to Finsbury Square is closed.
Worship Street – partial closures are in place.
There are closures in the block around Tabernacle Street , Paul Street and Bonhill.
We understand that the fire is now under control.”
Good news at least that no-one is hurt: bad news for people trying
to navigate the area for a while to come.
Whittington campaign in the Gazette
The Islington Gazette has printed my piece on the Whittington march:
Hospital march was a truly moving experience
THE Whittington march was something special. To march alongside so many people from across north London, united in defending our local hospital, was truly moving.
Congratulations to Islington Council, the cross-party Defend The Whittington campaign, and everyone who helped make the march happen. The passion and anger of ordinary people made it huge.
It’s absolutely clear that lslington people value The Whittington and don’t want our A&E and maternity services to close. It’s much less clear who will take the decision on The Whittington’s future.
It’s absurd that while, locally, Labour MPs pledge their support, nationally their Government does nothing to intervene. We need to change the system to give us a locally accountable NHS that will improve our health services, not undermine them.
Marching for the Whittington
As LibDem campaigners, we are used to pounding the streets in all weathers for a cause we believe in. Still, yesterday’s Whittington march was something special.
It might have, literally, been a damp squib given the heavy rain that started pouring just as people were due to assemble at Highbury corner. Add in Archway tube being closed and Arsenal playing (albeit away) and there were plenty of excuses for people not to turn up. But that would be to underestimate the passion local people feel about the Whittington, and the way the campaign to save it has gained genuine across-the-board support.
That support is something we’ve certainly found on the doorstep. On Monday I was at Downing Street handing in the first 2,000 signatures from our Save the Whittington petition. The petition is still open for signatures, and given the 5,000 folk on the march, there’s plenty more to come.
The people I met on the march were an amazing range. Yes, there were some of the usual suspects, ‘rent-a-trots’ who go on a different demo every week. Much more there were ordinary folk from Islington and beyond who use the Whittington and don’t want to see it downgraded. There was David, currently a cancer patient at the Whittington, poorly, but determined to march. There was Pat who has had three generations of her family get treatment there. And Julie who works with health charities and can’t believe the powers that be could ever consider running down our hospital.
Liberal Democrats were out in force, from Lynne Featherstone MP and Islington Council leader Terry Stacy at the head of the march, to local teams from Islington, Camden, Enfield and Haringey marching behind them. So many communities will be affected if the Whittington plans go ahead.
The local Council, the cross-party Defend the Whittington campaign, and some amazing publicity from the Islington Tribune (who were on the march with a bus and a band) made the march happen. The passion and anger of ordinary people made it huge.
But what none of us can do is make it clear who who decides the fate of our hospital. We only know the Whittington is under threat because of leaked documents. Despite a decade of talk about the new localism and making public services more accountable, the opposite seems to be happening with our NHS. Community Health Councils were abolished and a complicated quangocracy reports only to the Secretary of State.
As the Save Finsbury Health Centre campaign notes, “What our campaign has really been up against, however, is an entirely unaccountable system of healthcare governance…. Worse still, even after our elected local representatives have investigated an NHS decision in such detail they have no direct power to change it. Perhaps if they did and the non-execs on the PCT board were themselves directly elected, the executive officials would not feel so free to ignore public feeling, population trends, geography, transport and real costs.” That’s equally true of the Whittington.
All local politicians claim to want to save the Whittington. What Labour MPs won’t say is that their colleague, Andy Burnham, is the one politician who could do that tomorrow, if he wanted. Instead all we get is buck-passing from his juniors.
Only the Liberal Democrats are pledging to change the system to give us the locally accountable NHS that would improve our local services, not undermine them.
Tube station closures in Islington today
Caledonian Road tube station (on the Piccadilly line) is reportedly closed this morning due to defective lifts.
Tickets are apparently being accepted on local bus routes – though the quickest alternative is probably to get off at Holloway Road and cut through Pollard Close towards the Cally instead.
Meanwhile Archway tube station (Northern line) is closed today and tomorrow for planned engineering work.
That won’t stop thousands of local people heading to Archway today: we’re marching from Highbury Corner (leaving at noon) to demonstrate our support for the Whittington Hospital. See you there!
Council tax freeze for Islington
It’s official – no council tax rise for Islington this year.
Last night’s Council meeting did go for a freeze, as I’d hoped and predicted.
Good news for Islington residents.
Fire at Mount Pleasant
Report from the London Fire Brigade:
“Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters attended a fire in a studio/workshop on Mount Pleasant, near Clerkenwell, overnight.
“Firefighters rescued one female, who was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service where she later died. The fire caused some damage to the second floor of the premises.
“The Brigade was called at 2321 and the fire was under control by 0039. Crews from Clerkenwell, Islington and Euston were at the scene.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
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