Off to demonstrate against Muswell Hill Odeon’s decision to stop their shows for older people. Tea and biscuits and a film for three quid. Much loved by local and non-locals – both as a cultural pastime and as a Tuesday morning social event.

A crowd had gathered. The media were there. The placards were in place. And the woman who organised the protest and had been the leader on this, Jill Church, gave a speech and announced that the management had had a change of heart and now, although the price would go up in one steep jump – the films would go on. Which is great in terms of the continuation of a really valued local service and participation by cinema and population – but it is a huge hike in one go (albeit it had been held at three pounds over the last three years). A gentle rise each year might have been more manageable. It’s far too easy for those of us who can afford an extra £1.50 to overlook what it is like to be a pensioner on a fixed income with council tax, gas prices and now weekly entertainment going up in great lumps of increases.

I have arranged a meeting with the Minister (except the Minister can’t be there) for Schools for the governors of Fortismere. In the Building Schools for the Future funding round Fortismere has come off very poorly. Something like one and a half million pounds for the next ten years or so. Given their 6th form block is falling down and several of the buildings look like post war prefabs this is clearly a major issue.

I think the way the criteria and weighting are judged mitigates against a school like Fortismere. One of the criteria is free school meals, another is number of children passing at Key Stages and lastly the condition of the buildings. Well Fortismere probably does ok on the first two – and fails on the last. But my guess is that the first two criteria carry most of the points to be awarded. Deprivation generally is a reasonable measure for the Government to judge by – but in this case when the buildings are in serious, serious trouble.

So the object of the meeting is to beg for extra funding to right the unintended consequence of the way the money was divvied up.