Residents angry in Broad Green

On Saturday 12th April, like many party activists, I was tasked with obtaining signatures for a consent to nomination form for the forthcoming local elections. That afternoon I was in Broad Green. When knocking on doors in one particular road, I was told by a resident that there was a stabbing across the road, and two weeks had elapsed and the blood of the victim(s) was still on the pavement. I went across the road to look for myself. I couldn't believe my eyes. My immediate reaction was that children in the area would view this. Without question, that would create a mindset of what they should perceive as normal, growing up to see blood splattered on the pavement. Additionally, you could even get children touching the blood. The question on my mind was: Are the authorities treating Broad Green as some sort of District 13, a place where violence and gangs were the norm, therefore, residents won't mind if cleaning up after such an incident was low priority? I took a photo and tweeted @YourCroydon. 

The following Saturday I went back to Broad Green and was relieved to see the blood had gone. I spoke to a shopkeeper and we both surmised that maybe the heavy downpour we had had a couple of days earlier had washed it away. Although what is more probable given that concrete is porous, the blood would have needed specialists to wash the pavement clean.

The shopkeeper recalled that he had heard the stabbing occurred with a glass bottle in the first weekend of April, late at night. The police came and cordoned off the area. After a few days the cordon was removed but no-one came to remove the blood.

I am not sure what the process is but, surely there has to be a system in place to deal with this kind of incident. Someone has to be responsible for reporting the blood stained pavement, and someone is responsible for cleaning it.  We need some answers because no family in Croydon should live on a street with this situation apparently being the norm.

Tags croydon, greenparty

Judicial Review is filed at The Royal Courts of Justice

On Thursday 24th April, the morning started with more conversations on the phone with Dave Pettener and Paul Pickering from the Stop The Incinerator campaign, as well as Sue Willman at Deighton Pierce Glynn. "Yes a campaign should file the papers in person and see it as a photo opportunity," she said.

I'd had a cough and cold for a few days - and felt I needed some rest, but more importantly I needed to catch up with paid work. So, I quickly rearranged my day, and in the afternoon I set off for the Royal Courts of Justice. Sue explained that it was 10 minutes walk from Charing Cross. I google imaged the building because the plan was to meet Katie, a clerk at Deighton Pierce Glynn, described by Sue as being "early 20s about 5 foot 8, black shoulder length hair", who would have the files that were to be submitted.

Unusually for me I was early (!!), and whilst I had and idea what the Royal Courts of Justice looked like, I'd been on many marches that passed by the building, I still wasn't properly prepared for the magnificence of the building. The importance of the moment, caught up with the history and tradition of the High Court created an unusual mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand

Katie arrived with the papers at 15:50pm. We had 40 minutes to file the judicial review. It seemed like ample time, but Katie knew we didn't have long because we first had to first pay the £60 fee at the cashiers office before actual filing the judicial review. We managed to pose for this photo in between paying the fee and submitting the files because at one point the easiest route seemed to be: to go back out and come back in.

Katie and I with the case containing the court bundle a la chancellor on budget day

The files that were submitted, known as the permission bundle, were in big blue lever arch files. The queue to to the Administrative Court was fairly lengthy. We just managed to get in before the doors were closed behind us at 4:30pm. As we submitted the file at the counter, the officer behind the window pointed out that the lever mechanism on one of the files was faulty. Unbelievably, she actually said she couldn't accept the file in  this condition. WOW! My jaw dropped! Katie quickly took back the the file and corrected the mechanism. Thankfully, it was accepted.

The Permission Bundle

After a little while we were issued with a Judical Review claim form with the seal confirming receipt. Once that was in our hands we could relax. I had a chance to properly look around on the way out.
 

Main Hall

However, as we were leaving the building, I noticed my wallet was missing. After ten frantic minutes of emptying all my pockets and holdall on the edge of the main hall, I went to see security. They confirmed it had been found in the airport style security area. Upon entering the building the second time (in a hurry), as required, I had emptied all my pockets and placed my possessions in a large tray that went along the conveyor belt through the x-ray machine. Somehow my wallet fell out of the tray and went down the rollers at the end of the conveyor belt. Thankfully, one of the security officers noticed it.

So the picture of me outside the Royal Courts of me beaming, is partly because I had not lost my wallet!!

With the JR claim form

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Tags croydon, greenparty

FRACKING: Not everyone agrees with our positon.

So we've spent many hours to produce the image above. First we assembled, then we posed, and then we did the post production, including purchasing the copyright of frack pad image. Many hours work. We got the idea from Lambeth Greens.

Just as local Greens are about to use the image, I spotted something hilarious. The gentleman furthest to the right in the background is indicating his displeasure, at our principled stance, by cupping his hand in the orthodox 'merchant banker' gesture - in our direction! We've decided to crop him in the finished version.

Tags croydon, greenparty

Croydon Green Party Manifesto 2014

Please click on and zoom in to read. The image is a high resolution so it can be enlarged. If not the text is below. THE GREEN PARTY - FOR THE COMMON GOOD

Croydon Green Party 2014 Manifesto

1/ Referendum on the incinerator

We oppose the toxic incinerator and will hold a referendum to let residents decide
whether to go ahead with the incinerator. Our alternative is to increase recycling 
by offering incentives to residents, and making it easier and cheaper for businesses, 
charities, schools and places of worship to recycle. 

2/ Save green spaces – No to fracking

Croydon’s parks and woods are for relaxation. Only the Green Party will oppose 
all exploration for gas and oil in our green spaces and under our homes. Hydraulic
fracturing will contaminate ground water, increase the risk of earth tremors and 
industrialise our green spaces.

3/ Dealing with knife crime

Croydon Council, police, residents, and community groups such as charities and 
churches need to work together to combat knife crime. Young people need 
alternatives to gang culture: youth clubs, martial arts, music, sport offer positive 
activities for self-development and enhancing job prospects

4/ Building homes

Croydon needs more affordable social housing whilst protecting green spaces. 
Developments shouldprioritise local residents, not speculative investment, and 
include a suitable mix of reasonably priced accommodation. Tenants in privately
rented housing should be protected from excessive rent levels.

5/ Safer streets

We will consult with local residents on a 20mph limit for all residential roads in 
Croydon. This lower speed limit reduces the casualties from road accidents by 
40%.We will also retain lollipop persons at strategic crossings in order to encourage 
walking to school.

6/ Bike lanes

Croydon has a poor record of investment in cycling, and a low level of cycling. 
The Croydon Green Party would encourage cycling by creating a network of 
safe cyclelanes, cycle friendly streets and routes through parks to help to reduce 
pollution, improve health and provide a faster way to travel.

7/ Fly tipping

This must be tackled robustly by better co-ordination of council staff and police,
publicising a free phone hotline to report fly-tipping, swift removal of rubbish, 
scrapping the collectioncharge forheavy items including mattresses, and the prosecution
of offenders.

8/ Fair pay Croydon

We support the London Living Wage campaign and call on local employers including
Croydon Council and their contractors to implement the London Living Wage for all 
employees. In addition, Croydon Council should establish a 10:1 maximum pay ratio for
council employees.

9/ Preventing flooding

Better planning is needed to avoid flooding and deal with it if necessary. The Council 
must ensure developers prioritise flood resilience and prevention in new buildings, and 
include Climate Change adaptations in existing buildings. Local planning rules need 
strengthening to raise energy efficiency.

10/ Public services

We support high-quality public services run for people not profit. We will maintain the
Council Tax in line with inflation to protect services such as libraries and social care, 
and encourage arts events.   We will also involve residents in decision making e.g. through 
 public meetings and social media.

 Tags croydon, greenparty

Croham select

This is the first post - no doubt of many - which will cover the 2014 elections. The picture above was taken at Lloyd Park. Tracey Hague, Gordon Ross and yours truly have been selected for Croham ward. Croham is our target ward. Without any effort Greens finished third in the 2012 elections behind Conservatives and Labour in this ward so we're quite excited about our prospects given canvassing is going really well.

Tags croydon, greenparty

First response to my fracking letter.

Letters Page Croydon Guardian

Labour - more specifically Waddon Labour Party - are the first to respond to my letter that appeared in the Croydon Guardian. Full version below.

Am I the only one that thinks that this is similar to how the Tories promised not build an incinerator?? Labour nationally are pro- fracking but after initially claiming to be against "urban fracking in Croydon", Waddon Labour are now saying that the "Labour Party in Croydon is opposed to fracking". The stakes are high, especially in Waddon - the top swing ward in the borough. Labour members are now publicly asking Greens not to stand in Waddon to ensure pivotal votes don't go to the Green party. Here is an example. Ostensibly, is it possible that Labour will say anything to win crucial votes to win Waddon ward? After all, there is a precedent. #waddonconservativecouncillors

24.02.2014

Dear Editor

This is an open letter to the Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP parties in Croydon. Polls show that only half the country is in favour of shale gas extraction, otherwise known as fracking in the UK. Yet, the only party opposed to fracking in the UK is the Green party. Moreover, through talking to people on the doorstep, I have found that nearly all residents in favour of fracking have second thoughts if the well to be fracked is near where they live. Additionally, they cannot comprehend Croydon council approving such an application, but again have second thoughts when reminded the Prime Minister is changing planning law to monetarily reward councils for each successful well. What I have also found is that hardly anyone is aware that one of the very few exploratory fracking licenses to be granted in the UK, including the only one within the M25, covers a belt across the middle of Croydon.

Given the risks associated with drilling vertically for 1-2 miles and then horizontally for 1 mile, followed by pumping water, sand and a concoction of chemicals into the well at very high pressure, the other political parties in Croydon need to be clear, upfront and honest about their position. So the question I ask the other parties is: Will your local party defy national policy and join us in opposing all fracking applications in Croydon?

Yours sincerely

Shasha Khan

Croydon Green Party

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Tags croydon, greenparty

ATOS protest in Croydon

Feb 19th - Outside Stephenson House, Cherry Orchard Road - ATOS Assessment Centre

As part of a national day of protest local Greens joined others outside Stephenson House. Ironically, one end of Stephenson House is a gym and the entrance is signposted with the words Fitness Club (above), and fitness (to work) is ATOS' raison d'etre..

There is a strange thing about the psychology of this country is that people intrinsically focus on those that appear to be getting away with it who are below them on the income scale, rather than the economic and political elite above them who have become even richer thanks to policies under Labour and Tories.

The solution is a Citizens Income (CI). Everyone should be given a weekly or monthly income as of right that is unconditional and unrecoverable, that allows them to enjoy at least a modest standard of living. We already have similar universal benefit - child benefit. CI could be easily started, at no extra cost, by scrapping personal income tax allowance and tax credits. The benefits to society are numerous. I found a good account of CI here.

There were some imaginative posters and placards including the one below which is the perimeter boarding of a building site further down Cherry Orchard Road.

The 'Before I die I want to________' boarding seems to be popping up all over London.

I think many went up to ATOS hq in central London because the Croydon protest was thin on the ground. Definitely more police than protesters. Those that were in attendance had a leftist slant it could be said!

I met Dave Plummer from Lewisham Green Party at the protest and he produced this rather fine video.




Further coverage here on the Croydon Guardian web site.
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Tags croydon, greenparty

ATOS Protest in Croydon tomorrow (Feb 19th)

Front and back of flyer

I picked up this flyer from a busker on George Street. He had been subject to what sounded a horrific ATOS medical. I have heard of many such accounts on the radio. Local Greens will be joining the protest.
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Tags croydon, greenparty