can you help fundraise?

You may have heard about the proposed Queen Elizabeth Diamind Jubille Gates that are being proposed for Hendon. The committee are looking for people who will be prepared to assist the Fundraising Committee as a local representative. This might involve for example assistance with mailings, or helping to organise and run a limited number of fundraising events. The BDJC website is http://barnetdiamondjubilee.mdx.ac.uk/ where details of our plans can be seen.

CQC inspection reports

Attached are CQC inspection reports from North London Hospice and Elysian House. I have been to Elysian House, and found it was a very good care facility. I am pleased to see that it has a good CQC report. I am surprised that NLH has such such a good report from the CQC, as they were struggling a bit a few months ago when we scrutinised them at the Health OSC. There has either been a huge turnaround, or there is something to look into with the inspection reports. http://www.cqc.org.uk/directory/1-346408132 http://www.cqc.org.uk/directory/1-117225578

You can't trust David Cameron on the NHS

New nursing figures out today show that there are 5890 fewer nurses now than when David Cameron came to office in May 2010. We’re facing a crisis in our A&Es, all while David Cameron hands six-figure pay-offs to managers with one hand, and P45s to nurses with the other. David Cameron cannot be trusted with the NHS. We’re committed to protecting it but need your help. Say you’re with us and let’s fight for our NHS together: action.labour.org.uk/with-us

5 Numbers you need to know about Labour's Living Wage plan

Ed Miliband has announced plans to introduce Make Work Pay contracts which will help businesses raise wages for millions of low-paid workers - and help the next Labour government cut social security bills for the taxpayer. Here are five numbers you need to know about the plan: 1) 4,800,000 - number of people who work for less than the living wage. Millions of people aren't paid a living wage. Across Britain, millions of people work hard, put in a shift, and aren't paid enough to get by. In 2012 there were 4.8 million workers in the UK who were paid less than the prevailing living wage rate in their area, two-thirds of those people were women. For 39 of 40 months under David Cameron prices have risen faster than wages. Despite working hard, people are struggling to get by. 2) £3,230,000,000 - the cost of low pay to taxpayers. The government spends more on benefits for people in work than it does for unemployed people. Workers paid less than a living wage receive much needed social security support, and pay less in taxes because of their low pay - that's an annual bill of more than £3 billion. 3) 49p - the average saving to the taxpayer for every pound of pay rises for workers. If Labour wins the election in 2015, we'll launch a national campaign for firms to sign up as living wage employers. Make Work Pay contracts will mean that every company that moves to paying the living wage in the first year of a Labour government will help us cut the social security bill. For every extra pound employers pay to raise workers from the minimum wage to a living wage, the Treasury will save 49p on average in the form of lower social security payments and higher tax revenues. 4) £21,000 - the average tax rebate to employers who start paying the living wage from 2015. Firms which sign up to paying the living wage at the start of the parliament will benefit from a 12-month tax rebate of up to £1,000 –and an average of £445 – for every low paid worker who sees their pay rise to the living wage. On average, it is predicted firms who sign up will get a tax rebate of £21,000 each - and employees more motivated and productive, and less likely to leave to look for better opportunities. 5) £1,376 - the average payrise for workers struggling with the cost of living crisis. This plan is good for businesses who do the right thing, and it will help the next Labour government cut the social security bill. But it's also great news for workers. Under these new Make Work Pay contracts it is estimated that people will, on average, see a pay rise of £1,376.

Freezing your energy bill

Many have spoken to me in the last month in support of Ed Miliband's energy price promises. We have had very positive responses on the doorstep and on our local stall in East Finchley. See how much you could save with this calculator. http://action.labour.org.uk/page/s/energy-calculator/

Diwali Message from Ed Miliband

"Diwali, the festival of light, commemorates the homecoming of Lord Rama. It reminds us how important it is not to lose hope and of how important it is to come together to build a stronger country, founded on our shared values. I would like to pay tribute to the Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities here in Britain for the great contrbition that you make to our communities, our economy and our way of life. Through these contributions we see the values which are also at the heart of the Labour Party: the value of community, the conviction that we can achieve more together than we do alone, and the belief that we must look after each other. This feeling of togetherness is expressed so well in the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the world is one family. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Labour Party to wish you and your families happy Diwali." Ed Miliband Leader of the Labour Party

Labour's Parking Pledge

Very pleased to share with you Labour's Parking pledges. http://www.labour4barnet.com/2013/11/05/barnet-labour-launch-manifesto-parking-pledges/ Barnet’s Labour councillors are launching their package of parking pledges for their local election 2014 manifesto at 10am this Saturday 9 November on Mill Hill Broadway. The package of parking pledges that Labour will implement straight away if elected next year in May are: 1)Labour will give you 30 minutes free parking in our town centres. The Barnet Tories drove people out of the high streets with their new parking regime. We’ll help you back and support our traders with a 30 minute free parking period. 2)Labour will bring back cash parking. Labour will enable all current card only meters to take cash. 3)Labour will introduce an Oyster-style ‘Barnet Card’ to pay for parking. Pay-by-phone parking doesn’t work for everyone! We’ll develop the card service over time to offer residents discounts and widen it’s use. 4)Labour will consult residents and make parking enforcement fair. Unlike the Tories, we’ll ensure that parking arrangements work for local people. 5)Labour will give you free parking every weekend in December. Every year we have pressed the Council to give residents and shops a parking amnesty over Christmas. If elected, we’ll stop arguing about it with the Tories – we’ll just do it. 6)Labour will also scrap the free Councillors’ parking permits that the Conservatives awarded themselves. If you can’t park for free, no Councillor should be able to either.

Small Business Saturday

The Barnet Labour group sent a motion to Council yesterday to agree to "small business saturday" which provides free parking on 7th December to help businesses in the run up to Christmas. http://www.labour4barnet.com/2013/10/29/support-small-business-saturday/ Cllr Alan Schneiderman said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to show our support for small businesses in Barnet in this difficult economic climate."

Andrew Dismore challenges Johnson on regeneration

Andrew Dismore has challenged London Mayor Boris Johnson on his pathetic failure to stand up for residents on Barnet's regeneration schemes. Hundreds of affordable homes have been scrapped by the Tory administration, and andrew has challenged the Mayor is his total lack of action. read about it here: http://www.andrewdismore.org.uk/home/2013/10/24/dismore-challenges-mayor-for-whom-is-the-regeneration-of-our-council-estates-intended/

82 % of crimes go unsolved in Barnet

Andrew Dismore reveals that 82% of crimes in Barnet go unsolved, an increase since Boris Johnson became mayor. http://www.andrewdismore.org.uk/home/2013/10/22/82-per-cent-of-crimes-go-unsolved-in-barnet/ Andrew said: “It is shocking that overall reported crime is down yet the number of unsolved crimes in Barnet is up to 82 per cent – the second highest in London after Lambeth. Boris talks big about reported crime going down, but so far he has ignored that the number of crimes actually solved on his watch has plummeted. Compared to the average in England and Wales, London is trailing on the number of crimes solved where we should be setting the gold standard. “Since May 2010, in Barnet the number of PCs has been reduced by 10 per cent and PCSOs by 50 per cent. Boris talks about getting more bobbies on the beat but the figures clearly show this is not happening. “This proves Boris can’t have his cake and eat it. If you cut the police budget by as much as the Government has then there will be repercussions. Victim satisfaction in London is lower than elsewhere in the UK and this is not acceptable. The Mayor must act now.”