Category Archives: Blog

Future of Red Gables

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Off to meet parents and children at Red Gables – a special facility in Crouch End for children with particular needs.

Red Gables is a local success story helping children and parents and doing a great job. So of course, Labour want to close it. Lib Dem colleague Cllr Ron Aitken spotted this in the mountain of papers we get (for meetings we are not allowed to speak at). He contacted the parents and with local resident Sue Hessel brought it into the public forum. At council we have a deputation led by Sue and a motion moved by Ron.

It’s becoming quite a hot issue, with Labour not playing straight with residents about what their plans really are for Red Gables.

Bob Kiley's pay

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Rush outside after Transport Committee to do a TV snippet on Bob Kiley’s bonus and Oystercard.

Liberal Democrats finally got the figures and performance criteria of London’s traffic supremo – only thanks to our request under the Freedom of Information Act. Mind you, I think it should be a matter of public record – after all Londoners are all paying!

Mr Kiley gets a basic of £312,000 per annum. And over the last two years, in each year he got a bonus of £275,000 (96% of the full bonus) and this year is expected to get as much as £365,000 bonus.

The criteria for the pay are extremely vague, flabby and flawed. For a start – we have no idea what Mr Kiley is meant to do for his basic salary. I would have thought quite a lot for that amount. And yet in the performance criteria we find things he has to deliver like increased bus mileage and reduced congestion. ‘Scuse me – given the amount of extra buses we have all paid for over the last few years it would be a bit of a shock if bus mileage hadn’t increased. Ditto for reducing congestion – with the Congestion Charge it seems to me that was the main point.

Another strand of Bob’s bonus is helping to get borrowing from the government. This he has certainly delivered on and without Kiley I don’t think the government would have trusted Ken to borrow money. Budgeting is not his strong point…

However – Lib Dems will now pursue what we should have got for our money out of Mr Kiley’s basic salary and somewhat more specific targets for a bonus.

Call me old-fashioned – but I always thought a bonus was for doing extra well – not simply doing your job!

And of course the other biggy of the day was Oystercard packing up across London this morning. It wasn’t down for long – but it’s a good example of how things can go catastrophically wrong. (A corrupted disk Tim O’Toole had said in committee when I asked him to make a statement.)

Imagine if TfL had advanced the dream at this stage of everyone getting rid of their small change because you could buy bread and milk on Oystercard. Doris would have gone thirsty and hungry this morning.

After a Metropolitan Police Authority meeting, I rush to Transport for London to see Peter Hendy – supremo of all transport that runs on the surface of London.

This visit is about the Croydon Tram. There is a row between the guys running it and Transport for London. The people running the tram seem to believe that TfL may be trying to put them out of business by running competing bus routes. TfL think this is rubbish.

Peter (who is pretty robust) seems quite open to any suggestion from Croydon Tramlink about a way forward – but he certainly needs something from them on the table before any rescue plan could be brought forth.

And in the evening: with an election just around the corner – I do some telephoning!

Should the Northern Line be shut?

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The tube! I am chairing the London Assembly’s Transport Committee this morning and Tim O’Toole came in to give evidence – Managing Director of London Underground (LU) for Transport for London – followed by the hard men of the private companies – the Chief Execs of Tubelines and Metronet.

There was recently an explosive exchange of bad will in the press between LU and the private companies. The Northern Line is failing appallingly and the engineering overruns on a Monday morning are becoming legendary.

Tube users are getting a raw deal. Improvements, such as they are, are small and slow – and some areas are getting worse. These guys – the three of them between them – share the blame.

In the press Tim O’Toole has basically said that the private companies are not putting resources in fast enough and are thinking about their profits (we anti-PPP brigade could have said ‘told you so’!). There is a hint that he believes that the penalties that Metronet are incurring are not high enough and that it may be cheaper for them to overrun on a Monday morning causing misery for those trying to use the tube rather than finish on time.

With regard to the Northern Line – a new proposal from Tubelines made its public debut. It is clear to anyone who uses it twice a day (as I do – and yes I declare a great interest) that radical renewal and repair is called for. Apparently Tubelines have submitted a proposal to LU (Tim) which breaks the line into seven sections. Each section would be closed and totally redone, with the whole line taking about a year. The public will be consulted on this (or told about it) and replacement transport will be provided while each section is shut.

It’s only a proposal – but it’s the only game in town as far as I can see at the moment.

Anyway – there was a bit of a squabble about line closure per se – as this enables the private companies to do their engineering work more quickly and cheaper. Who reaps the financial benefit? LU (and I) think that we (the public) should get a refund on monies saved – but the private companies will undoubtedly find reasons not to pay it.

The other raging battle is over figures and discrepancies. In his media outburst, it was clear that Mr O’Toole believes (and the report to the TfL board says so) that only a tiny percentage of work promised on renewal or repair of stations and escalators etc has taken place. In committee both sides were shirty. I put it to both of them – and they equivocated about interpretation of figures to the point where they could both be right.

Just keep up the pressure – that’s all I can do. The PPP is a dreadful contract and Tim O’Toole is doing a good job considering the pup he’s been sold. I suspect his very public outburst on the performance of private companies came as a result of extreme frustration with a contract that puts him quite squarely between a rock and a hard place.

Tariq Ali and Jesse Jackson

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Tariq Ali came to tea. This was following his public statement on TV that he was going to vote Liberal Democrat to oust a pro-war MP – and his advice to others to do likewise where opportunity presented itself. Towards the end of his interview he revealed that the particular pro-war MP he was voting to get out was Hornsey and Wood Green’s Barbara Roche.

So I had written to Tariq to see if there was anything to be done to deliver our joint aim.

He was absolutely charming – and wanted to be as helpful as possible in the cause.

In my student days Tariq Ali was a revolutionary hero. I was on the left of the political spectrum – but just nowhere near as cool as the International Marxist Group.

Strange how life turns out!

In the evening attended an Operation Black Vote rally. I accepted the invitation as a great enthusiast for getting people to vote (obviously) but also particularly because of my concerns about black and minority ethnic groups having a history of non-registration and non-participation.

On the news in the morning I hear that Jesse Jackson is to be speaking at the rally.

Arriving at Friends’ Meeting House (incidentally where my old school had its prize-giving day and where I sat for six years not receiving a prize – until success in my last year) there were queues in the street. The hall was absolutely packed and there was a real buzz in the air.

Ten speakers took to the podium in turn – Simon Woolley (Operation Black Vote), then a series of religious leaders from all the faiths (black and ethnic), then the activists like the 1990’s Trust, Lee Jasper and the like.

I guess out of the one or two thousand people there – there must have been about ten or so white people in the audience. I wish there had been more to hear those speeches – to hear the voices of those who suffer discrimination in our land.

What struck me most (barring one or two remarks) was the lack of bitterness and the kinship fostered between the different ethnic and religious groups.

And then came Jackson. Of course his oratorical skills are greatly heralded, but I had never heard him live before – only the soundbites of television coverage now and again.

It is impossible to describe the power that he exudes with his voice, his delivery, his charisma.

He finished his speech. He then asked the audience to remain in their seats. And he asked if there was (and you have to kind of read this in an American southern accent) anyone over the age of 18 who was not registered to vote. And no one put up their hand. Then he asked again. And one man put up his hand but refused to come down to Jesse to register there and then. Then he asked the audience to put up their hands if they were registered to vote. And most people put up their hands. Then he asked all those who had not put up their hands to come down to him and register. And a couple of people came. And then he asked again. And more came – and then more – and then more.

It really moved me. It may be the technique of the evangelist – and it’s true to say I haven’t witnessed that before. But to see one man draw so many to him and because of him feel safe to register to vote where they hadn’t before was extraordinary.

I came home with much food for thought on all I had heard and seen.

Busy media day

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Busy media day today. Splashed across Evening Standard front page is news of a ‘leaked’ document from the Assembly showing the appalling performance to date of the two private companies running the tube – and their manager, Transport for London.

I am really cross as it wasn’t a ‘leaked’ document – it was just the background briefing for members of the Assembly Transport Committee (which I chair) who will be questioning Tim O’Toole (MD of the tube for Transport for London) and the two Chief Execs of the private company on Thursday when they come before me in public session.

Cross – because the witnesses will now be forewarned. We always give them the questions or subjects so that they can prepare their background. However, the point of a public session in scrutiny is to put them on the spot.

Give a long interview to Metro on the failings of the PPP. How long have you got? Late with almost everything they are contracted to do – from over-running engineering to station upgrades.

Thursday’s session should be pretty interesting!

Also the Standard has taken my news release based on figures I have got hold of on how Capita (the Mayor’s favourite contractor administering the congestion charge) has had to pay GBP 4.5 million in fines – that’s GBP 7,400 per day. Even worse – the Mayor is going to extend their existing contract and almost certainly give them the contract for his westward extension to the congestion charge.

Well – given they are still missing 21% of their targets (improved from missing 35% previously) they are hardly going to kill themselves to improve when they know that seemingly whatever their performance they are going to be not only re-employed – but given new contracts.

It’s in the Standard and I do an LBC radio pre-record on the Capita release. Transport for London telephone – absolutely furious. However, the figures came in official Mayoral answers to written questions I had submitted.

Red faces I understand at TfL – they are now saying they gave the wrong figures in the Mayoral answer.

Capita have only had to pay GBP 3.7 million in fines not GBP 4.5 million.

I am sure that makes all the difference – not!

Then – to my surprise – BBC want to tape me talking about Ken’s climbdown over the Royal Ballet School. Happy to oblige. Ken has made a complete arse of himself by trying to use planning consent as a means to engineer his social policies – in this case the real sub-text being a view that a Royal Ballet School in a Royal Park is too posh and elitist.

My understanding is that this is rubbish as any budding Billy Elliott anywhere in the country aspires to come there – whatever the background.

Caught out, Ken is trying to assert that concessions by the school that they will make more strenuous efforts to attract diverse kids is the reason he has now been able to change his mind.

Last media call of the day is about the Parking Enforcement scrutiny I have instigated and been chairing at the London Assembly. We are in the process of writing up the evidence. It has become clear that the report will be ready in time for the April meeting – but if Blair calls the election – it might not be allowed to be published during that period.

There is some ruling somewhere that no one should gain any advantage from its publication. I would argue that it is the normal work of the Assembly and shouldn’t be stopped. I will ask for a legal ruling on this in due course.

Back to Hornsey & Wood Green to whip round to various houses collecting envelopes and then mountain of emails and casework to attend to.

End of conference

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Am aiding Simon Hughes (Lib Dem president) who is chairing the finale at conference. This is Razzall (campaign head), Rennard (chief campaign guru) followed by three rousing ‘get the activists excited’ speeches by key people, with Charles Kennedy to finish off.

Everything went smoothly – and the choreography went extremely well. Whew!

Debating control orders

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Sitting in the Conference Hall hoping to be called in the crime debate. You have to put in a speakers’ card with details of who you are, why you should be called and the gist of what you intend to say. That is so the chair of the debate can balance the speakers for and against a motion.

I was called towards the end of the debate and was able to give full vent to my views on Labour’s appalling ‘control orders’ proposals.

We have had 30-plus years of terrorism in London – and we never needed control orders then. Two lessons from those years:

1) internment doesn’t work – it simply creates more terrorists

2) the police, even after bombs in our capital, never asked for these sorts of powers

And as for people being detained without trial because the authorities ‘know’ they are dangerous. The authorities ‘knew’ that the Guildford Four did it, and they ‘knew’ that the Birmingham Six did it and they ‘knew’ there were WMD in Iraq!

It is easy to frighten people – George Bush did and got re-elected. No doubt Blair observed the technique.

And yes – of course there are occasions when civil liberties need to be over-ridden to protect us from extreme danger – but those powers already exist in an emergency and the Home Secretary can, under existing civil contingencies powers, declare an emergency and use those powers to detain etc.

Off to conference

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Off to Lib Dem Spring Conference in Harrogate. Getting to Kings Cross was hazardous with snow pouring down. Train was cancelled. Usual harrowing story of trying to get anywhere by rail in this country. There wasn’t any snow once we left London – it was something ‘overhead’ that caused us to take over two hours just to get as far as Peterborough.

Much cheered on journey by the Evening Standard London Assembly column where a journalist picked up on my spat with Ken at Question Time and featured us as the argument of the week – giving the score of 2 to me and 0 to Ken.

People's Question Time

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The Lib Dem Group (bar one) stuck on train on way to People’s Question Time – where the Mayor and the chorus line – whoops sorry, London Assembly members – face public questions. The points are broken just outside of Lewisham so the train can’t stop at the station (it stopped for quite a while outside the station before they decide this). Eventually we straggle on to the platform around 7.30pm. The audience had enjoyed the Chair of Transport being stuck on a train.

Ken enjoyed himself less than usual. I don’t know if the weight of opprobrium over his refusal to regret his holocaust remarks was getting him down – but he wasn’t as witty or charismatic as usual. I had a run-in with him over his raising of bus fares after students from Goldsmith’s College (where the question time was held) had a go at him about rising fares.

It was a better session than we have had before – well chaired by local GLA member Len Duval. Len brought everyone in and there was much more of a debate than usual. That may be why Ken enjoyed it less – it wasn’t all him all evening.

Recycling in Haringey

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Lots of residents have queried recently that they are seeing Haringey bin men mixing recyclable materials together and also putting them into normal rubbish trucks.

Not surprisingly, this has raised some questions about what is happening!

Some of the news is reassuring. Because of the successes of campaigns from local groups and Lib Dem councillors to improve recycling in the borough, a wider range of materials is now being collected in many parts of the borough.

This means new vehicles are being used. Several new ones look much like normal refuse collection trucks. And, just to add to the fun – at times some normal refuse collection trucks are also being pressed into service to collect (just) recyclable materials.

Also, for many recycling collections, materials are not sorted out before being placed in the van. Rather they are all put in together and then sorted out at the recycling depot.

If you get excited about machinery (!) the way the materials are sorted out is very clever, using magnets, optical sensors, air jets, trommels and more. (The things I’ve learnt in recent months about recycling …!) The idea is to make the sorting more efficient and accurate than the old way.

There are questions about just how well the machinery works and how much actually gets recycled. Also, much of the paper and cardboard is being shipped out to China, with transport impacts on the environment. Glass is left too contaminated to be used for new glass, and instead is crushed and used as road aggregate – a big loss of energy.

My colleague Bob Hare (Lib Dem Environment spokesman) has visited the sorting plant in Kent and is investigating just how well the sorting works, how much waste is left over, what is going to China etc.

One thing this does reinforce is the importance of using goods made from recycled material (e.g. recycled paper) as far as possible. The bigger the market is, the more effort will go into recycling and the more that will be recycled within the UK without the need for exporting waste.

In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about other aspects of recycling in the borough, I’ve recently updated the recycling factsheet on my website (pdf format).