Brent fighting back against the cuts

Latest Actions from Brent Fightback

ACTIONS ARISING FROM BRENT FIGHTBACK MEETING OF DECEMBER 4^TH

Stop TfL Cuts After hearing from Leon of the RMT about fare rises, safety dangers arising from staff cuts and ticket office closures, it was agreed to support the campaign. Actions:

1. Carol will write to local papers about the issue.

2. Sarah will inform Mencap and Ann MIND about impact on people with disabilities

3. Martin and Sarah will contact NUT re impact on teachers taking classes ontube.

4. Sarah will try and contact the Harrow-on-the-Hill lift campaigners.

5.. Pete will contact Cllr Jim Moher (lead member for transport) and Navin Shah, Michael will contact Sadiq Khan, Martin Green AMs.

6. Consider sending questions for Mayor to Navin Shah and participate in Mayor Question Times.

7. Distribute own or RMT leaflets on Met Line and hold impromptu public meeting on the train as appropriate.

8. Think about more imaginative ideas to get the message over to build a broad-based campaign to stop the cuts.

Contact: thefuturewebuild@gmail.com

Copland campaign against forced academy status Teachers had been on strike again on Tuesday against forced takeover by Ark Academy. Action:

1. Support picket lines at Copland on December 17^th if planned strike goes ahead.

NHS Campaign continues on several fronts with moves to set up a Brent and Harrow Keep Our NHS and pressure on SERTIC to organise a London-wide demonstration late-Spring/early-Summer 2014.  Actions:

1. Meeting on Future of Central Middlesex Hospital organised by CCG. Thursday December 12th 6 - 8 pm at the Sattavis Patidar Centre in Forty Avenue Wembley. We need as many people as possible to attend to find out what is proposed and perhaps help shape what is being planned for our hospital.
2. London Save Our NHS are organising a workshop based event in early February, date to be confirmed, including sessions on workplace organising an campaigns, what kind of NHS do we want etc.

Council Consultations Following the confusion about what exactly council reports were proposing on council rents and council tax support, Sujata will look at how such reports could be made more readily accessible and understandable.

West London People's Assembly tonight in Hammersmith

Brent Fightback is supporting this meeting:

Actions for Fightback activists

EDUCATION

COPLAND FORCED ACADEMISATION - Unions are pushing for a meeting with parents. You can support by writing to Michael Pavey (new lead member for children and families) Cllr.Michael.Pavey@brent.gov.uk urging that parents are consulted before any imposition of an Interim Executive Board (IEBs replace the more democratically elected governing body). Also correct claims made by Pavey and Mohammed Butt that the strikes disrupted students taking national examinations. In fact children were well supported and able to take their exams as normal with staff invigilating exempted from the strike, some striking teachers went in to help settle the students in before th exams started, and the demonstration outside the school was ended before the exams started so there was no noise to disturb the students.

GLADSTONE PARK FORCED ACADEMISATION - Parents Action Group are asking Pavey to instruct officers to make clear statement on behalf of the Council that with LA support and the current management trajectory the school is capable fo becoming Ofsted 'Good' without a forced academy.

MICHAELA FREE SCHOOL - Residents complained about erection of giant pupil recruitment banner on Arena House without planning permission and it was removed on Wednesday. Considering leafleting prospective parents in Autumn 2013 when admissions process begins for the first year's intake in  September 2014.

SUPPORT NEEDED FOR DEMONSTRATION - Stand Up for Schools Tues 25th June Assemble Westminster Cathedral Piazza 5pm to march to DfE. Rally 6.30pm at Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, SW1 3DW

HOUSING

EARLY WARNING - Judicial Review hearing June 18th Mencap v Brent  Council on cuts to 'floating support' for vulnerable people. Details to be confirmed.

GLADSTONEBURY FESTIVAL  June 30th Noon-6/7pm Brent Fightback and Brent Housing Action will have joint stall. Organising participatory activiites involving political figures and wet sponges.

NHS

Defend London's Health Service Meeting June 12th 7pm Unite House, 128 Theobalds Road, WC1X 8TN

Hunt for Hunt 'happening' in Jeremy Hunt's Constituency Saturday 15th June. Coaches leave corner of Longford Avenue/Gordon Rd, Ealing W5 at 9am

We encourage people to attend Brent Healthwatch meetings http://healthwatchbrent.co.uk/

Fiona Harkham NW London Health Trust to be invited to our next meeting (July 5th) to hear our views on A&E reconfiguration etc

SAVE THE QUEENSBURY
Fairview Homes have withdrawn planning application and will reapply but only delay not victory. Still intend to demolish the pub.  Seehttp://savethequeensbury.info/

BRENT CIVIC CENTREGradual move of staff into the new building. Possible demonstration to greet any official opening ceremony. GD to investigate and circulate broad range of groups with information.

BIN VEOLIA IN BRENTBrent Council stonewalling with spurious legal arguments and lack of information. Street stalls and petitioning are planned. Public Meeting on  June 27th 7pm, Pakistan Community Centre, Station Road/Marley Walk, Willesden Green. Will combine Show Israel the Red Card and Veolia issues.

NEXT MEETING JULY 3rd 7PM , BRENT TRADES HALL, WILLESDEN HIGH ROAD, NW10

Brent Fightback Agenda for May 1st

• NHS - Reports on Save Our Hospitals demo Saturday April 27th &Town Hall Pensioners' Forum meeting on the NHS changes Monday April 29th. Plans for building London wide NHS demo Saturday May 18th and Hunt for Hunt 15th June, called by Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign. Unite the Union is prepared to finance five coaches from across London and Ealing TUC want to know whether we will be participating if there is a coach from Ealing http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/the-hunt-for-hunt/
• Education - Reports on Michaela Free School, Gladstone Park Primary School's anti-academisation campaign.
• Housing/Bedroom Tax - Reports from Brent Housing Action and other campaigns.
• Council cuts and proposed privatisation including Campaign against Veolia
• People's Assembly 22nd June

4,000 march for West London A&Es

Brent Fightback supporters

400 or so activists from Hammermsmith and Brent assembled at Acton Park on Saturday to march to Ealing Common where they were joined by thousands from the main march which had begun in Southall.

The marchers were campaigning for the retention of the Accident and Emergency facilities at Ealing, Hammersmith, Charing Cross and Central Middlesex hospitals.

Sarah Cox, speaking for Brent Fightback, declared that the campaigners should retain unity in the face of attempts to divide and rule and campaign for ALL the hospitals and resist any closures until they were convinced that any alternative arrangements were in place, secure and more effective than what they replace,

Defend NW London NHS on October 6th

Time for Council to stand up for people of Brent over A&E closure

Ealing Council continues to put Brent in the shade as far as fighting for the health care of its local community goes. Brent Council has passed a resolution opposing the closure of Central Middlesex A&E and leader Muhammed Butt has agreed to speak at the march on September 15th but that's about it.

Ealing Council has been actively leading their local campaign and delivered leaflets and posters to every household i the brough. They are distributing 25,000 leaflets in the top 9 community languages and advertising on bus shelters and buses. A further household leaflet distribution will be made to advertise the planned march.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has also been proactive as can be seen in the extract from their website below:

Join the 'Save Hammersmith' campaign

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is urging people to join it in campaigning to save Hammersmith hospital's A&E department.
The council says:

• Closing the A&E at Hammersmith could leave large numbers of residents dangerously far away from emergency care.
• No evidence has been provided that moving services to St Marys, in Paddington, would improve outcomes for residents.
• With thousands of news homes and jobs coming to the borough, we need more local capacity, not less.

Save our hospitals - public meeting

- Do you agree with the NHS plans to downgrade local hospitals?
- Are you worried about having to travel out of borough to receive urgent medical care?
- This is your chance to question NHS bosses and have your say!  
Hammersmith Town Hall
Tuesday, September 18
7:00pm

» Download a summary of the NHS hospitals proposals (pdf 109KB)
» Download a map of proposed NHS hospital closures (pdf 527KB)
» Message from Cllr Marcus Ginn, cabinet member for community care

Lend you voice to our campaign:

Take part in the NHS consultation - closes October 8, 2012
Have your say

Read your stories

Sign our petitions:

Sign our petition

Share your stories

Like us on Facebook

Volunteer to collect signatures:

Contact us for a campaign pack by emailing us at savehammersmith@lbhf.gov.uk.

Download petitions:

» Download a Save Hammersmith hospital poster (pdf 16KB)
» Download a postcard to send to your doctor (pdf 54KB)
» Download a printable petition to pass to your neighbours  (pdf 81KB)

Send us your stories:

We want the NHS to understand what their plans mean to our lives by publishing your stories. Have our hospitals saved yur life or helped a loved-one? Email us your story and a picture: savehammersmith@lbhf.gov.uk.

Read and comment:

» Waiting times to soar under 'half baked' A&E closure plan
» Charing Cross health services to ‘fit in a gym’
» Expert to dissect NHS hospital downgrade plan
» Closing stroke centre 'will put lives at risk'
» No show for botched NHS road show
» Doctors 'sceptical' on A&E closures
» H&F residents speak out on hospital cuts
» Battle to save local hospital services begins
» Save Charing Cross hospital
» Councillors quiz health bosses over accident and emergency closure plans
» Mass A&E closure threat across west London
» Charing Cross downgrade a reality - vascular surgery moves to St Mary's
» Warning over brain surgery plans - brain surgeons move to St Mary's
» Support Charing Cross - major trauma centre - Charing Cross loses out to St Mary's

This is a chance for Brent Council to try and recover some of its credibility by showing that it is capable of standing up and mounting a strong campaign in partnership with the local community.  The e-petition urging it to do just that is HERE

 The petition reads:

We, the undersigned, petition Brent Council to do all in its power to prevent the closure of the Accident and Emergency Department at Central Middlesex Hospital. This will include making the case against the closure and seeking support for this position on all appropriate bodies on which the council is represented.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION


> North West London NHS is consulting on proposals in 'Shaping A Healthier Future' which would mean that Central Middlesex Hospital's Accident and Emergency Department, already closed overnight, will close for good. This is likely to be the first step in the complete down-grading of the hospital and its potential closure in the long term.


> The hospital serves some of the most deprived wards of South Brent which have poor transport links with Northwick Park Hospital, the likely alternative A & E.


> The area is the location of major roads including the North Circular and the Harrow Road; railway lines including the Euston-Birmingham main line, Overground, Bakerloo, Chiltern, Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, a major industrial area in Park Royal; as well as waste management and other potentially pollution causing processing plants in the Neasden area. The area also includes the major venues at Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena.


> All of the above are potential locations for major incidents necessitating ready access to an Accident and Emergency facility.


> Ealing Council has already committed itself to actively fighting the proposals and Brent Council should do the same.

STOP THEM WRECKING OUR HOSPITALS

Healthcare in North West London is being put

UNDER THE KNIFE!

WE HAVE TO STOP THE PLANS TO CUT & WRECK

OUR HOSPITALS ! 

North West London NHS Bosses are launching a “consultation” over plans that could:

ã Cut 5,600 NHS jobs in North West London

ã Close Central Middlesex Hospital’s Accident & Emergency and 3 others

ã Undermine and perhaps close whole hospitals

ã Split up health services ready for privatisation 

If you are interested in helping to build a campaign to stop these plans, please come along to the

Organising meeting

Tuesday, 3^rd July

7.30 p.m.,

Trades Hall, 375 High Road, NW10 2JR

(close to Willesden Bus garage)