In 2020, as we were in the middle of the covid crisis and the country was in Level 4 restrictions, with no singing at Church Services and many missing out on their services, I got together with Fr Eugene at the Sacred Heart and the choir Leader Claire Shah to record a socially distanced Xmas carol for the parishioners. This was played at all of the masses, which most parishioners watched on line. I've made a few music videos over the years, but in some ways, this is the one I'm most proud of. So as its Christmas day, I thought it would be the best way of wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
It has been a delight to feature the 24 local good causes and charities we've mentioned during Advent. Maybe, today Christmas Day, you could do something for me. If you know any of your friends are lonely, isolating, on their own, going through a bad time, etc. Just ring them up and say Hi. Sometimes, the smallest things we do are the greatest of all.
This has not been a good year. I will be happy to see the back of it. One of the undoubted highlights was seeing The Specials at the festival in the grounds of Rochester Castle.
I have no idea how many times I've seen The Specials over the years, but I suspect that they are the band I've either seen most or second most after The Ramones. I recounted the first time I saw them in a Saturday List blog in June this year. I wrote
Every song on the Specials first album is a classic, but to me this is the stand out track, for its melancholic tone and message. A masterpiece that is often overlooked for the more frenetic and well known songs. I went to see the Specials supporting the Damned and The UK Subs. I'd not really heard of the Specials. As they came on, I was about to take a sip of beer. They transfixed me for their whole set and it was only when they went off that I finally moved the glass to my lips. They blew me away. I loved the Subs, but I can't remember their set at all, as I was so blown away by The Specials.
I soon wore out their first album, overplaying it on my cheap stereo. The thing about the Specials was that they exemplified everyting I believe music should do. They promoted other bands via their Two Tone label. They promoted justice and equality. They wrote great pop songs about very difficult subjects. They were avowedly anti Nazi. It was a constant theme and a Specials T shirt was very much a statement, as exemplified in this tweet
When Saffiyah Khan (wearing a Specials T- shirt) confronted a fascist at a march Terry Hall commented:
At the front was Terry Hall. Crushingly good looking and cool, minimalist in his presentation and singing in a Coventry accent. The stars of previous generations such as Jagger would try and imitate their American heroes in their presentation and gyrate wildly in the process. Hall did the opposite. All too soon he quit the Specials and formed the Fun Boy Three. For me, they were a good band, but not the same. The Specials had re-acquainted me with Ska, a musical genre that I loved in the late 60's as a kid, but had fallen out of fashion, apart from on the terraces at Chelsea. The Two Tone bands moved on, I got into various other genres, Greensleeves Reggae as an example. And then the Specials reformed. I was wary, bands reforming to pay the bills is not always great, but the first time I saw the reformed band, I was blown away and I think we saw them on every tour.
When I heard the news about Terry Hall, I was devastated. Some of this was purely selfish. The Specials were a guaranteed amazing night out. I see a lot of gigs and they are the best live band I've seen this century. They influenced my music. If you listen to They cleared out your desk, that I co wrote with Allen Ashley for the launch of the #KickOutCapita campaign, you cannot miss the influence of The Specials.
As I ponder the musical landscape of 2023, I can feel the loss of Terry. There will be no Specials tours to see, there will be no new album. If something needs to be said, there will be no Terry Hall to say it. Someone once said to me, when I was grieving my father's sudden death "We all have to go at some point to make space few new people, who will do even more wonderful things than we did". This is a heartfelt plea. If you know who is replacing the massive hole in my life that Terry Hall has left, please tell me as there is just a void there right now and Christmas just doesn't feel right.
So our journey to Christmas is nearly complete. I do hope you've enjoyed a few of the treats we've given you about our neighbourhood. I also sincerely hope one or two of you have been generous enough to decide to give some of your time or money to some of the great organisations we've covered.
Today, our little treat comes from Hendon on Sea!!!! The start of the powerboat season at the Welsh Harp. I must say I love this video, shot in 1932, it shows the fun side of the age. I do hope you have as much fun this Christmas as the people in this little film have. It's been real fun for me putting this series together in the advent season! These clips really bring home just how much our neighbourhood has changed over the last century. As an aside, if you are interested in The Welsh Harp, then please follow The Welsh Harp Conservation group on Twitter, who are dedicated to preserving the beauty and the habitat of the Welsh Harp.
And so onto todays featured Charity. I specifically have been saving this one till today. 2,000 years ago today (according to tradition), a young woman was heavily pregnant. She didn't have the option of a hospital, pain relief or even a whiff of happy gas. As an unmarried mother, she would have been shunned by the untra orthadox society she lived in. She would have had little support. Now whatever you believe about the story of the birth of Jesus and whether Mary really was a virgin, there is one thing you can be sure of. If you are about to give birth today, things are better than they were for Mary! Mary would have had no choice in the matter of a natural child birth. Luckily for my family, when Mrs T (my wife, not the former Prime Minister) was giving birth, she was well prepared. We had attended sessions organised by Barnet NCT, which meant that we were as well prepared as we could be for the experience.
So on Christmas Eve, there really could be no other charity to feature. If you are embarking on the journey that is pregnancy and childbirth, I'd strongly recommend checking out National Childbirth Trust AKA NCT - http://www.nct.org.uk/branches/barnet - whilst our children are now teenagers, we still are in contact with friends we made in the group. The Xmas cards we received were a nice reminder of those classes. NCT in Barnet are looking for volunteers to help build up their branch. This is whats on their website. I sincerely hope some of you out there are able to assist. I can personally vouch for the benefits of attending NCT sessions as can my wiser half.
Our active branch is run by an enthusiastic team of parents who volunteer their time in order to provide invaluable support, services and social events to our local parenthood community.
Keep connected with NCT Barnet Join our Facebook page to keep updated https://www.facebook.com/NCTBarnetbranch It only really remains for us at The Barnet Eye to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. My band, the False Dots don't have any Xmas Carols in our reportoire, however we have a lovely song which is every evocative of this time of year, so why not pour a sherry, sit back for two minutes and have a listen on me. Have a great day!
We are nearly there! Today we are back in Cricklewood for our tasty nugget!
This is a talk given at Cricklewood Library on 9th October 2008 by Malcolm Barres-Baker, of the Brent Museum. He gave the talk with slideshow about the history of Cricklewood illustrated with photos from the local archives. I find local museums and talks on local history fascinating. As a community it is vital we appreciate our surroundings and understand why they are as they are.
And here is some great footage from 1957 showing just how much things have changed!
With Xmas Eve tomorrow, our charity today is Gingerbread, a charity supporting lone parents in Barnet - http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/ - For many single parents on low incomes, Christmas is a difficult time. Gingerbread offer a special help service for single parents at XMAS. Their website says
However you celebrate Christmas and the holiday period, this time of
year brings lots of fun for you and your family. However, there may be
moments when you find the holiday period brings extra pressures and this
could be a difficult time for you. Here are our top tips for making the
most of your time and money over Christmas, including lots of ideas
sent to us by other single parents. Why not join our online forum at www.gingerbread.org.uk to share your ideas?
There is a list of useful organisations you can contact for advice and
support at the end of this factsheet, or you can call the Gingerbread
Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925. Calls are free from landlines
and most mobiles.
As we move nearer to Christmas day, we're going to look a little bit at the story of Christmas. Before we start though, lets have some fun! We are heading up the Barnet Bypass to a sadly missed landmark.
This is the Barnstormers - house band of the Thatched Barn, a hotel on the Barnet Bypass from 1938!
Whilst at the Thatched Barn, I found a rather interesting clip, from a historical perspective, starting with a car journey up the A1 from the Thatched Barn. There is also some nice footage of Childs Hill (forward to 9.25) and the Brent Cross area from the 1960's and 70's and Mill Hill from Fiveways corner (at around 17.00), if you like vintage car footage
And on to our daily charity. As to the story of Chirstmas, we think of a lovely scene of a baby in a manger, the cattle lowing and three wise men turning up with gifts. Whilst those of us who are Christian draw much from the story, a wise old Jewish friend of mine, who was a staunch humanist socialist, once pointed out that we'd all missed the true story. He said that the Wise men had turned up and were interviewed by Herod, who wanted to know where the Baby was so he could murder it. The story has it that the Wise men turned up, gave their gifts and departed back to the East. He told me that he thought the Wise men were simply kind and compassionate wealthy residents of Jerusalem, who had heard that Herod planned a purge of babies in the Bethelhem area, so made their way to see if they could save any lives. He believed that they were wise, generous and kind, but in a way we should all recognise as being a model. He said that they probably told Mary and Joseph to get out of Bethlehem and gave the gifts so they had something to raise some cash for the journey. He said we rightly commemorate them for wisdom and kindness, but we should follow their example, as a message to aid those fleeing political persecution and repression. Whatever you believe of the story, sadly there are still families with young children suffering and fleeing violence murder and injustice in the name politics today. Whatever your view of the Xmas story, whatever your religion or lack of it, surely we have a duty to support anyone who finds themselves in the same situation as a family did in a barn 2000 years ago?
So todays charity can only be the New Citizens Gateway formerly known as Barnet Refugee Service - http://www.ncgateway.org.uk/
Their website says this
We are pleased to announce the adoption of our new working name New Citizens’ Gateway.
Still operating from Barnet, we will be supporting refugees and asylum seekers across the broader geography of England and Wales.
This new working name reflects our continued vision of supporting the integration of refugees into UK life and culture as equal members of our society and helping make the asylum process a more humane for refugees and asylum seekers.
There are times when I wonder if it's all worth the effort. Writing this blog takes a huge amount of effort, it is time consuming and can be very emotionally disturbing. Over the years, there have been important victories, many times I've been retrospectively proven right, the One Barnet outsourcing project being a prime example, but there is little satisfaction just being shown your right as you stare at the wreckage from a preventable car crash of a scheme.
At one point, there were seven bloggers active in Barnet. There was this blog, Don't call me Dave, who was the former chair of the Chipping Tories, who'd realised before anyone else that they'd collectively gone bonkers, there was Dan Hope, another Chipping Tory who fell foul of the lunkheads who took over. It seems strange that Barnet blogging was mainly a Tory activity originally, with disaffected Tories putting the boot into their former mates. Sadly Dan Hope passed away and David Miller (AKA Don't call me Dave) moved to Brexitville (AKA Essex) and lost interest in Barnet. Trades Union activist Vikki Morris joined the fun and wrote an excellent blog, until she moved to the Midlands. Next to join in the fun was John Dix, AKA Mr Reasonable. John still writes excellent blogs, mostly about the mess that is CAPITA. John manages about one blog a month and they are worth a look.
The next blog to start was one which sadly I am prevented from referring to. The writer of that blog started legal proceedings against me in 2019 as they objected to some of my comments on Twitter. I was advised to block them and not refer to them and cease all contact as a remedy to their complaint. About six months later they asked to resume contact, I asked for them to formally confirm in writing that the allegations they made were unfounded, which my legal advisor stated was necessary to resume contact, otherwise I could find myself in a difficult situation. They stated they would do this. I then heard nothing. I still haven't apart from the odd jibe on twitter, people sometimes ask about, when they see them. It is unfortunate, but I really can't say it bothers me. If, as they claimed, they have no issue with me, as they seem to tell people when asked, then putting this in writing would have happened long ago, if they were really bothered, wouldn't it?
The next blog was the Mr Mustard blog. This is still active, but focusses on parking disputes rather than the workings of Barnet council mostly.
Two years ago, Barnet got a new blog! The young man who reported the 2016 Freedom pass scandal to me started his own blog. Have a look mrlimitless95.blogspot.com/
So that is the current state of Barnet blogging. It has very much run out of steam. It is understandable, it takes a lot of effort and is a thankless task. It requires a lot of work and when you lift stones up, you often find things you dont like. But this month, I've written two blogs about housing conditions. One for a vulnerable man in dangerous and sqaulid private housing and another about a young family in terrible conditions in a Barnet Homes property. I found writing both blogs very upsetting. However in both cases, things are being sorted out. If I've achieved nothing else this year, maybe I've helped a vulnerable man and a young family. I am rather hoping that shining a spotlight will encourage the council to take a wider look at how they manage both private and public owned housing in Barnet. I've long felt that Barnet is very lax in it's enforcement on all matters property related. I've also felt that they weren't interested in the conditions that the less well off members of our community live in. The new Labour administration has an opportunity to show they are different. I hope that the blogs I've written will help them in their assessment of the wider picture. The Tories were obsessed with regeneration and knocking everything down and rebuilding it. Much of this is not for people on low pay. This just makes matters worse. What we need is a proper social housing strategy. Blogs have a role in this. People contact me to write blogs when everything else fails. What is extraordinary is that once a blog appears, stuff gets done. I don't really want to do what councillors should do as casework. But when people are living in squalid conditions, what do you do? Whilst such things happen, we will still need people to write blogs about them.
The Barnet Eye Advent Calendar has only a few days left to run. We hope you've enjoyed a few of the clips we've posted showing just what a different world the Borough is today, to how it was in the early and middle part of the last century. Todays clip is one I found extremely interesting. It is a Pathe News clip of the Finchley Carnival Baby show in 1961 (the year before I was born), to raise money for the Imperial Cancer Research fund.
There is a statement in the film, where the commentator says "In this day and age, we spend millions on missiles and hold flag days for Cancer". What have we learned in the 60 years since the film was made? Well now we spend billions on missiles, but we still hold flag days for cancer, so I guess we my must conclude that we've learned absolutely F... all.
I suppose the good news is that many forms of cancer are treatable (as I am pleased to have personally experienced). This is due in part to the flag days and baby shows we've held for the last 60 years to raise money for Cancer Research.As someone living with Cancer, I wholeheartedly support these efforts. On a personal note, today I learned that my cousin's wife in Australia is starting chemo today, so this is tinged with a bit of a personal edge.
Please can I make a simple request. As Christmas approaches, why not buy one of your friends or family a present from a local Cancer research UK shop?
So if you were one of the bouncing babies at the1961 Finchley Carnival Baby show or even if you weren't, here's your local Cancer research shop, pop in and buy something. My greatest hope is that one day, cancer Research UK can shut all its shops and say "Job Done". One way or another this day will come all the sooner with
Mill Hill
37 The Broadway , Mill Hill, London
NW7 3DA
0208 9064628
Stanmore
24 The Broadway, Stanmore, Middlesex
HA7 4DW
0208 9540462
Finchley
69 Ballards Lane, Finchley, London
N3 1XT
It is a matter of public record that I have long opposed the outsourcing of Council Housing in the Borough of Barnet to a Quango called Barnet Homes. At the time I was a member of the Hendon Labour party. When the Labour/Lib Dem adminstration of 1994-2002 proposed the creation of this organisation, I lobbied both the then leader of Barnet Council Alan Williams and the local Labour MP Andrew Dismore to oppose the scheme. Both told me that the change was necessary to secure large grants to renovate the council housing stock that the then Blair government was giving to such Quangos. For some bizarre reason I never understood, the Blairites were keen on such schemes and other catastrophic ideas such as public private partnerships.
I opposed Barnet Homes creation for three very sound reasons.
1. It would create a huge and expensive bureacracy with a highly paid boardroom, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on executive salaries that could be spent on council properties. The highest paid director earned over £200,000, which is actually higher than the CEO of Barnet Council (£194,000)
2. It would make it more difficult for councillors to get problems fixed as they wouldn't control the organisation.
3. It would provide a framework for a then future Tory administration to mold further outsourcing of public services on, which I felt (and events have shown) simply doesn't deliver value for money or decent services.
Sadly, Barnet Group has been in the news and it's not been good. Please CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY ON THE BBC WEBSITE about the appalling state of Barnet Group owned housing in Rockfield House.
Barnet Council published the following response to the story.
Following last night’s BBC London News story on rented properties with damp and mould which featured a block in Barnet, Deputy Leader of Barnet Council and Chair of the Housing & Growth Committee, Cllr Ross Houston said:
“We have already been in contact with residents at Rockfield House affected by damp and mould and are doing all we can to help them and to resolve the problem.
“We have also been pro-actively surveying all Barnet’s council homes so we know which properties need action, and we will be bringing that action plan to the next meeting of the Housing & Growth Committee on 17 January, early next year.
“As a new administration elected in May, ensuring residents in Barnet have healthy, affordable homes that are energy efficient and well-insulated is a key priority for us, and we are taking our responsibility to deal with damp and mould very seriously.
“After 13 years of austerity resources are scarce but we are committed to resolve severe cases of damp and mould quickly, and to make sure mild cases are dealt with and do not become severe.
“Much of the council’s housing stock is old and regeneration plans have been delayed in the past, so part of the long-term solution is to build more affordable, large family homes which we will be doing as part of our 1,000 new council homes programme.
“All of this, together with plans to retrofit and insulate homes, will take more resources than we currently have so it is crucial that central government listens to local councils and provides the necessary resources to do what needs to be done and what they are asking of us.”
With regards to this statement, I have a couple of issues. The first is with regards to "Much of the council’s housing stock is old and regeneration plans have been delayed in the past". This is a very poor response. My house was built in 1908 and has no damp. This is because it is properly maintained. Barnet Homes are obsessed with 'regeneration' but should do the basics first, which is proper maintenance of existing housing stocks. They also said "After 13 years of austerity resources are scarce but we are committed to resolve severe cases of damp and mould quickly" . Black mould is a health risk and it should not take a BBC report to spur them into action. The "new administration" has been in place of six months. At what point are they not a "new adminstration"?
To my horror, another resident at a different location contacted me yesterday, via an intermediary. They forwarded the following email that they had sent the council (I am respecting their privacy but I can pass on deatils for legitimate media enquiries or to any councillors who may see fit to assist)
I am writing to lodge a very strong complaint regarding the black mould and dampness at the above property.The conditions at the property are not only unacceptable, but they also pose serious health and safety issues for myself and my family.
The property is currently uninhabitable due to the very serious health and safety issues it presents, which are extremely dangerous. The black mould and dampness are affecting the health of myself and my family, who are now suffering from breathing issues and stress.
My family and I are now suffering from the effects of these conditions, with breathing issues and stress being just some of the problems we are facing. In particular, the mould and dampness in the property have caused respiratory problems for myself and my family.
I have five children, the eldest of whom has a disability - she suffers from Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy and the youngest child is less than two years old. Additionally, I have other medical conditions including asthma, which is being exacerbated by the mould and dampness at the property.
The mould and dampness have resulted in peeling wallpaper, rotting window sills, and damaged furniture, among other things. The situation has been made even worse by the lack of action on the part of the contractors who have been assigned to address the issue. They have consistently missed appointments and have even cancelled appointments at the last minute after making us wait all day for them to arrive. This is unacceptable and has only served to worsen the situation.
As you will be aware, it is the duty of the landlord under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11 to keep accommodation in good order, and under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 to keep rented accommodation free from dampness prejudicial to the health of the occupants. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System, introduced under the Housing Act 2004 also outlines hazards that landlords must address, and these include mould and dampness. I trust that you will take these legal obligations into consideration when addressing this situation.
I have attached pictures of the mould and dampness at the property for your reference. I urge you to take immediate action to address this situation and make the property habitable again. This is a matter of urgent concern for the health and safety of my family. The health and safety of my family are at risk, and we cannot continue to live in these conditions.
I look forward to your prompt response and resolution to this matter.
The residents advocate also sent the following email, with four screenshots of appointments booked by Barnet Homes and subsequently cancelled. I am not at thus stage sharing these, but I have reviewed them and they are a string of booked appointments that simply didn't happen. The last on the 15th December.
Here are the screenshots of the appointments been booked and no one turns up. only once occasion a contractor came and said they said they could not do the job and had to be sent back for a surveyor.
I have been also been informed that one of the children 7years old and he has been getting breathing difficulties every day, especially at night.
A Barnet Labour Councillor sent this response to the tenant on 14/12/2022
Thanks for your email and the photos of your property in W*******d Avenue. In addition to your email, I have asked for Barnet Homes to urgently investigate the issues you have highlighted and take any necessary action.
I hope that you will receive an update shortly.
They have also included these awful pictures.
It is simply unacceptable for social housing tenants in publicly owned properties, with vulnerable children to live in these sort of conditions. Councillors are aware and we need a system where they have direct control and oversight of the housing stock. We now have a Labour Council with a large majority, so I am humbly asking them to do two things. Firstly sort out these awful conditions and secondly take control of the housing stock and manage it for the interests and benefit of residents.
************** UPDATE 20TH DECEMBER 2022 14.30 ************
I had an update from the tenants advocate today. It is good news, which shows how effective a blog can be at gettng stuff done.
First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for your great support with respect to this matter,
I just wanted to give you an update regarding this issue. We had a surveyor (M*** B*******) who came in this morning and then went back and came with his manager by the name of M****** G*** (Responsive repairs manager). They are going to wash down the mould, especially in the children's bedroom at the moment. He also suspects that they may have been some sort of leak on the roof leak which they are going to investigate.
It doesn't adress the root cause, which is an organisation that has taken it's eye off the ball, but it is very good news for the poor tenants involved. I wish I didn't have to write blogs like this, but at least we get a positive response.
Five days to go until Santa comes down the Chimney. We've been enjoying this series, we hope you have.
Today we visit Colindale, which back in 1917 was leading the world in the field of flying. Our video today looks at the historic Graham White flying school based at Hendon Aerodrome (now Grahame Park estate). An amazing video showing a trainee pilot receiving instruction in the art of flying
It really is amazing to think just how far the aviation industry has come.
Cherry Lodge Cancer Care is an independent charity committed to improving the quality of life for people living with cancer, their carers, family and friends.
At Cherry Lodge, we work alongside the clinical care of the NHS in an area centred on Barnet and covering much of North London and South Hertfordshire. We are based at the very friendly and welcoming Cherry Lodge Centre, in Union Street, Chipping Barnet. We also have an Outreach Service with an impact across the borough of Barnet, concentrating particularly on providing information and support to members of black and minority ethnic groups. Our Befriending Service provides additional support for people in their own homes.
Cherry Lodge provides free, high-quality information, support and complementary therapies to people affected by cancer. Our services enhance practical, emotional and physical well-being. We work in partnership with local hospitals and community healthcare providers
Volunteer support is at the heart of the Cherry Lodge Centre and at the heart of the services we provide. We value the time given by all our volunteers in helping us to achieve our mission to support people living with cancer, their family, friends and carers.
Today we are in back in Mill Hill. This video shows the magnificent work that was being done at the then state of the art National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill. This iconic institute was demolished is in the process of being replaced by a large and rather controversial housing development (regular readers will know all about the problems with Barratts) It is great to think that millions of people across the planet are still alive due to the efforts of researchers in the heart of our community. I've always been proud to have the institution on our doorstep. I wondered if the council could have done more to persuade them to stay? I'd like to say a personal thanks to all of the researchers across the planet working to protect us from Covid. I'm proud that the scientific foundations were laid in Mill Hill. Sadly not every affliction is treatable by medical science. Alcoholism is one such condition. My family has suffered from the effects of this disease (and yes it is a disease). I think most familes have similar experiences. The condition brings misery and heartache to family and friends, who often suffer financial hardship as a result. Recognising that you have a problem is the first step to recovery (and yes I have friends and family who are in recovery).
For many, the charity which we turn to is Alcoholics Anonymous. If you are worried and want to speak to AA about your drinking, here is your local Barnet Contacts - http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/members/Regional-&-Local-Websites-%28new%29/London-Region-%28north%29/London-North-Intergroup/Meetings - just remember, having a problem is nothing to be ashamed about. If you feel you may need help or counselling, the sensible thing to do is to get it. Dealing with any addiction is never easy or simple. There are many problems as wetake the road towards recovery. Having a good support network is the best way to succeed.
