Barnet Council reprimanded over lack of care for homeless

Barnet Council have been reprimanded by the Local Government Ombudsman for systematic failures in dealing with homelessness.


A homeless woman approached Barnet Council in January 2015 for help following her eviction from private rented accommodation. Incredibly she had to remain homeless during the winter months and was even hospitalised for an asthma attack. Barnet Council were approached four more times by her over the following 15 months and on each occasion she was told she was not a priority need.


What she wasn't told was that Barnet Council were obliged to give her a formal decision about her homelessness and that she could then appeal the decision. The woman and her father complained to the Local Government Ombudsman who investigated.


Barnet Council had the sheer brass neck to tell the Ombudsman this in their defence. "were it (Barnet Council) were to issue formal decisions to all those seeking housing assistance there would be significant challenges with the number of Housing Needs officers being required to conduct such a high volume of assessments and write the subsequent decision letters".


So in other words, we don't have enough staff and we really can't be bothered.


The Ombudsman found against Barnet Council and the woman concerned has had an apology from the Council. Additionally, the Ombudsman ruled that: "the Council should also ensure that in future, homelessness applications are taken and decision letters issued in all appropriate cases".


More at http://www.lgo.org.uk/information-centre/news/2017/mar/ombudsman-finds-systemic-problems-with-barnet-s-homelessness-services-during-investigation

The Thin Blue Line

I work on the Thameslink Programme at Network Rail's offices in Southwark. It's a central location and no more than 15 minute's walk from either the City or the Palace of Westminster. I'm an occasional visitor to the Houses of Parliament, and I'm always impressed by the courtesy and professionalism of the Police and Security staff who work there.

Yesterday as many of you know by now, Constable Keith Palmer lost his life defending the Palace of Westminster. Only moments before he was attacked he was taking selfies with tourists. He was unarmed. Four other people died yesterday including the perpetrator of the attacks. Many more were injured, including French schoolchildren on a trip to London. Westminster is the very heart of our democracy; the Police did great work yesterday to keep our streets and our Parliament safe for us. I must mention Conservative MP and Minister Tobias Elwood who fought hard to try and save PC Palmer's life.  Life goes on; as it always must. The only answer to attacks like these is to just bloody well get with life. See you Saturday morning on the Unite for Europe march!

Adds: Julia Hines has since brought this blog post to my attention. It contains very practical and useful advice: http://whatkirstydidnext.com/lifestyle/practical-ways-to-help-in-times-of-an-attack/

1. Show your appreciation for our AMAZING emergency services by making a donation. Text SAVE to 70800 to donate £5 to London’s Air Ambulance, who were quickly on the scene.
2. It’s reported that members of the public gave first aid to those who were injured whilst waiting for the emergency services. Consider a donation to St John Ambulance who provides training in first aid. Text AID to 70030 to donate £5.
3. Go on a first aid course.
4. Tower RNLI was deployed to save a woman who had fallen into the Thames and who is among the injured. Support their work with a donation. Text RNLI to 70300 to donate £5.
5. To honour the policeman who lost his life, tweet your appreciation of our policemen and women who put their lives on the line for us every day. Better yet, tweet a local police department.
6. Retweet this and call out anyone sharing inappropriate images.

1. I know it's Twitter and there's no editor but please don't RT pictures of dead and wounded on Westminster Bridge. They have loved ones.

— fleetstreetfox (@fleetstreetfox) March 22, 2017

7. If you see something suspicious but you don’t want to waste police time because ‘it’s probably nothing‘, report it. If you think it might be suspicious, it probably is.

If anyone sees anything suspicious or that causes them concern please call 0800 789 321 ASAP – always call 999 in an emergency #London

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 22, 2017

8. Donate blood. Find out where you can donate blood on the NHS Blood and Transplant website.
9. Show your appreciation for the amazing work of our NHS staff. Sign the Save our NHS petition.
10. If you were in the area at the time of the incident and have any footage – photos or video, send it to to the police via this website.
11. Don’t spread fear. Do not share anything that is mere speculation. Arm yourself with knowledge and FACT. Share news only from verified and trusted sources such as the BBC.
In times like this it’s difficult to comprehend such an attack but we mustn’t just stand by. We can do something and we must.

Mill Hill Italian Market 17-18 March

Don't forget the Italian Food Market returns to Mill Hill Broadway this Friday 17th March and Saturday 18th March. See you there!

Lib Dems Mill Hill Action Day 5th March 2017

Richard, Charity and Alasdair on the stall today.

I woke at 6.30am this morning to hear the rain hammering onto my bedroom window and to see part of my garden fence had blown down in the night. My first job this morning was getting my fence back up. Not promising for our first Lib Dem action day in Mill Hill, but luckily by 10.00 the rain had stopped. Alasdair and I got our stall ready and we were joined by Charity Pierce and many other local Lib Dem activists who came down to help man the stall and get those all-important Focus deliveries done across Mill Hill. We had a really positive reception on the street, many people were asking us "are the Lib Dems back in Mill Hill?".

Our answer is of course, yes and we intend to win our council seats back! Look out for our Mill Hill Focus leaflet dropping into your letterbox soon.