Update from Barnet Council on my blog "How Capita are running Hendon Cemetery into the ground"

Every so often, a blog gets an absolutely massive response. On the 29th July, I posted the below blog. I cannot recall a similar response, since we launched Friern Barnet People's Library back in April 2012, following the closure by Barnet Council. That brought 400 people out to support us and the end result was that the Library is still there. When I posted the Hendon Cemetery blog, I had people stopping me in M&S, the bar staff and members of the Services club querying it what is going on. I had emails, DM's etc. I wrote to the council. I've been told that if you actually want a sensible response, the best Conservative Councillor to contact is Peter Zinkin. As this is a matter of great importance to me (see below), I contacted Councillor Zinkin.

This is the response I received. I can only commend Councillor Zinkin and the council officers who he worked with on a very thorough response.

This response was comprehensive and displayed a degree of common sense I have not seen too often in replies from members of the administration of Barnet Council. I'm rather hoping that we are seeing a new approach to dealing with the public and local bloggers. An acknowledgement that sensible questions need sensible answers is a big step in the right direction.  

Note from Barnet officers

We have carefully considered the concerns you raise in your blog and we recognise there is justification for these concerns and would wish to apologise to any residents who have been affected on a visit to the Cemetery by the issues which you have raised. The Cemetery service recognises there are a number of actions which need to be taken to improve matters.  

 

Some actions have already been taken and some are planned over the next few months, please be assured that with staffing levels now back to full complement, colleagues are working to address issues and it is expected that the grass cutting and grounds maintenance regime will be complete by week commencing 16th August 2021.

 

In relation to the roadway, there are three main areas which have been prioritised for attention. Whilst the service has undertaken reactive repairs to sections of the route, we have been informed by the gas utility company, Cadent, that the large gas main to the crematorium requires replacing. We believe this may require 5 key excavations around the roadway. Consequently, this has required us to review the repairs programme to ensure that there is minimal disruption to Cemetery operations. The work is currently scheduled to take place during the autumn / winter and advance notice will be communicated to all relevant parties.  

 

In addition, there is a forthcoming project to replace the grounds maintenance sheds. These two projects are likely to impact the road surfaces, which once  both are completed will be assessed to deliver a more permanent repair for affected areas. 

 

The unsightly trench in area D11 (north east of the Chapel) was necessary due to flooding in this area, this has now been backfilled and made good over the weekend of 1st/2ndAugust 2021.

 

The grounds maintenance regime is closely managed to rectify outstanding landscaping problems. Unfortunately during the peak grass growing time a significant proportion of the grounds workforce was lost through illness and the legal requirement to isolate under the Covid legislation. 

 

Additional external resources were identified to support delivery; however due to the specialist nature of the work required and to avoid damage to headstones and memorials, only a limited number of contractors were available. Regretfully timescales were further compounded due to an incident resulting in stolen contractor equipment and the unpredictable weather conditions which has meant that grass has grown at a faster rate than normal.

 

Sadly, due to the impact of Covid-19 the service has supported an a significantly increased number of burials since March 2020, which has altered the existing appearance of the Cemetery. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all users whilst we work to resolve concerns and restore presentation.

 

If you would like to discuss any information further please do not hesitate to contact me. 

A meeting was arranged between myself, Councillor Zinkin and Andy Milne, the manager of the service. Andy works for RE which is the Capita/Barnet Council venture that runs cemeteries. We met last Wednesday. We had a half hour chat about the problems and I was given a guided tour. Councillor Zinkin informed me that he was responsible for building a cemetery, in his role as a senior member of a local charity. He agreed what had happened was unacceptable and the council needed to do better. It is clear to me that if the management of the cemetery was not on the coincil radar before, it was now. The harsh political reality is that Conservative administration may well get a bloody nose at next years council election if this is not sorted ASAP.  This affects residents in at least six wards, so it is in the interests of the Council to get it right. Of course we shouldn't need bloggers to write blogs to get things done, but that is the world we live in. 

So how is it looking?

Firstly, from a purely selfish perspective, the worst of the overgrown grass by my parents grave has been strimmed back.

Other graves have also had the overgrown grass cut back and are looking much better.

Although there are still rather unkempt looking areas. I've been assurred that these will get some TLC.

And my biggest concern was the Potholes. This one was huge and was a danger to elderly people who may not have great eyesight. Nearly all have been repaired. Andy explained that a couple hadn't been due to works being done as detailed above

I discussed ways to improve the cemetery. I suggested a friend of the cemetery group be formed. This would ensure that such a mess never happened again. Councillor Zinkin was not averse to this idea. He asked if I'd be prepared to chair this and I'd be more than happy. A subscription to a friends group could fund minor works, such as restoring some of the older graves by public places, who clearly have no one to mind them. No one likes seeing fallen over stones, next to the chapel etc. They could also possibly help with upkeep of graves of children, where parents are struggling to cope. 

Councillor Zinkin also suggested a plot maintenance charge, as an option, where relatives could at least pay to have the grave tended for a period, maybe 25 years. This is an option in the cemetery he is associated with and seems to work well. 

None of this is perfect. Many locals have noted that Westminster Council doesn't have the same problems, Andy Milne explained that they've had far fewer recent burials and smaller site is easier to manage.

So to summarise, the cemetery is not looking as bad as it did in late July. There are some major works that are holding up some maintenance, but it is no longer completely overgrown. The one bit of news that cheered me up was the suggestion that Capita will no longer be responsible for the administration of the Cemetery  and  the staff will TUPE back to an organisation under direct control of the Council. This is not a done deal, but I get the distinct feeling it is seen as the most pragmatic option. We should never have got to this point, but things are improving. I will be keeping a regular eye on the site. As a blogger and as the son of two amazing people buried in the cemetery, it is the least I can do. 

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Yesterday, I went to visit the graves of my parents and grandparenst at Hendon Cemetery. I am sorry t to say that what I saw broke my heart.  The cemetery is in an appalling state. Large swathes have been let run to rack and ruin. As you can see from this picture a large number of graves are completely overgrown.

Trees and vegetation who's roots knock over gravestones as they grow are popping up everywhere.

As for the state of the road which  you need is used to access graves, especially for elderly visitors seeing loved ones, this is absolutely rutted with deep pot holes that can damage a car suspension and tyres. It has become an obstacle course. 

Some of these are deep and botched repairs have lead to rocks being strewn across the whole carriageway. 

Even areas by the side of the road that should be easy to access are completely overgrown.

And large areas have simply been dug up with unsightly mounds of earth left. This is not a freshly dug grave, it is on one of the small roundabouts.

My Father was a war hero, a WWII Bomber pilot, who had been shot down, held POW and excaped.  He died in 1987. I've been visiting the cemetery for four decades to pay my respects. I can no longer bear to do this. Many of his friends, also war heroes are also buried in the cemetery. My maternal Grandfather who served in the trenches of the first world war is also buried here as is my mother, my grandmother, several uncles and aunts. In February, we buried my beloved cousin Theresa, who is six months younger than me and who died of covid. I had to leave as I was too upset at the sight of this awful neglect.

The cemetery used to be lovingly maintanied and visits brough calm and solace. Now I feel enraged to see how badly Barnet Council are treating our deceased loved ones, people who built the City we live in, fought for our freedom and raised us. There is a reason for this neglect. Barnet Council have contracted the running of the cemetery to Capita several years ago. These diabolical contractors see the cemetery only as a cash cow to make money. How do you make money running a cemetery? Raise charges and don't do any maintenance. The disgusting evidence is there for all to see. This is what happens when you put profits before caring for the community. 

If you care about this neglect, please write to your local councillor and tell them. You can find their details here - https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1

Have the pandemic and the lockdowns really gone away?

 So where are we as a nation following the lifting of the vast majority of covid restrictions? In the last month or so, I've been to Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Stadium and the Albert Hall. We've had several meals in London and I've met up with friends a few times in town for drinks. The one remaining area where there are a degree of restrictions and barriers is Foreign travel. A nephew of mine flew to Mexico for a long holiday, only to have to return more or less straight away, as it went onto the Red List. Many friends who love foreign holidays are simply not bothering.

The pandemic has had definite winners and losers. Anyone with a regular job, for a large, stable company, has continued earning money, had no travel costs, spent virtually nothing on lunches, drinks with friends, going out etc, for almost 18 months. Many are awash with cash. In Mill Hill, it seems every other house has scaffolding up and is having major renevations. The story is far less amenable for those who work for themselves, are in service or hospitality or music. The music industry in London has had it's heart ripped out. What we are now seeing is a major bounce back. The following are a few comments off a music industry chat group I belong to (these are not my comments)  "We're currently experiencing our busiest ever month." "The word on the street is that the industry has reached capacity in terms of resource and infrastructure. Studios are full. PA Hire companies have empty warehouses.", " The current consensus is that spring is going to be possibly the busiest ever time in live music in this country." This is all great news, because if the live music sector is bouyant, the London economy sector is bouyant. 

However, there is a huge elephant in the room. No one really knows if we are done with lockdowns and restrictions. Last summer we saw the virus retreat, only for it to roar back. The UK is seeing rates of infections edging up, but due to the vaccinations, we are not seeing hospitals overrun. The are two key issues. The first is, how long does the vaccine based immunity last and the second is what effect will the return of cold, dark nights, winter colds and flu and new variants have on all of this. None of us know. The NHS seemed to have a crisis every winter and with perhaps an additional 6-7,000 beds required for covid patients (assuming things stay where they are), is the NHS able to cope?

My guess is that if no vaccine resistant strains appear in the UK, we should be in an OK place to ride it through. The government is planning a booster jab for the most clinically vulnerable. We are not where we were a year ago, when Rishi Sunak launched the dangerous 'Eat out to Help Out' scheme. We actually have a proven, working vaccine. This does not provide 100% immunity and it does not stop every death. Nothing will. What it does, is mean that the danger posed by covid is massive;y reduced to the general population. With new treatments coming on line all of the time, we are getting to an ever better place.

But.... Would I bet my house on Boris not ruining Xmas again with another 'circuit breaker lockdown'? No I wouldn't. A new set of lockdowns would spell disaster for many areas of the economy that are just about starting to recover. Venues, promoters, crew and artists are just about getting to the point where they feel comfortable leaving the back up jobs they've taken. If real, well paid work has returned, then I'd be confident that any music business that has survived this far will be OK. If we are it by more restrictions, it would be a crushing blow to confidence. I am not quite sure that anyone will gamble quickly a third time on the industry recovering quickly. We must always balance the needs of society as a whole. It would be morally wrong to put anyone at undue risk. If we return to a point where the daily deaths are in the thousands and rising steeply, we would be faced with no alternative. I wouldn't envy Boris Johnson if those statistics started to appear, but we are clearly not there right now. 

The question we are all too afraid to ask is "Have the pandemic and the lockdowns really gone away?". None of us know. I've come to the conclusion that looking too long at social media will do nothing for good mental health and well being. There are people who genuinely believe we should still be in lockdown and those who believe we should never have been. Then there is every shade in the middle. It seems to me that British Government followed a long standing tradition when faced with a crisis. We completely balls it up at the start, but get our act together eventually and do just about OK. The likes of Dominic Cummings at Barnard Castle and Matt Hancock in his broom cupboard with the secretary are likely to be the abiding memories. The clapping for carers, the long nights for the scientists and researchers, the covid relief food parcels and all of the good things get sneered at, ignored or forgotten as the dust settles. It strikes me that this is how humans deal with bad things. We only really remember the trivial, unless we are totally traumatised. 

To summarise. My view is that you'd have to be very brave to bet against some sort of return to restrictions, but they are not inevitable. If we are reasonably sensible, wear masks on crowded public transport, meet outside if we can, wash our hands etc, we are less likely to see a a return, so why would you not do that? If we were all just a bit more careful than we had been before the pandemic, that would not really be much of a burden and it may be the difference between a good Xmas and a very miserable one. I lost two beloved family members, several friends and a few long standing customers. Whilst I am naturally a risk taker, I would not put others at risk, which is why I'll wear a mask for the foreseeable in crowded public places. 

The illusion of freedom in the UK

If there is one thing we've learned in the UK over the period of the pandemic, it is that freedom is illusory.  I am not a conspiracy theorist, but we really need to take a long, hard look at what has happened. Boris Johnson was elected as Prime Minister on 12th December 2019. If anyone had told me that within 120 days of taking office, I'd be forbidden from leaving my house for all but 'essential purposes' and '1 hours exercise', I'd have said you were bonkers. I am not criticising the decison of the government to pass the lockdown legislation. The vast majority of citizens of the UK recognised the need for the legislation. But we now have to look what happened and ensure that we update our laws so that a less benign administration couldn't pass such draconian legislation without proper checks and balances.

What really concerns me is that it brought home to me just how delicate the freedoms we had come to take for granted really are. Of course governments should be able to take drastic action if faced with an existential crisis. But once governments get a taste for sweeping powers, we need to ensure that these are fully relinquished once the crisis has passed. My view is that any such draconian powers should be time limited and after a period of 90 days, parliamentary approval should be sought for any extension, for another 90 days. These should require a 2/3rds majority of Parliament to renew. Any action that puts limits on our freedoms should be covered by this legislation. 

I am not saying this as a criticism of this government. Although I am not a fan, I do not think the limits on freedom brought in to cope with Covid were anything other than sensible. I simply believe that the pandemic has shown us just how fragile our civil liberty is and how quickly it can dissolve. In many ways the freedoms we all enjoy are an illusion, which can be snatched from us at any time. We need to write some proper protections of our freedoms into law. A system where the consent of the opposition to renew draconian powers would be a good first step. I have no sympathy with anti maskers and anti vaxxers, who misguidedly claim that such things are an assualt on personal freedom. What I do believe is that the UK needs to beef up our constitution so that a government can't cook up a crisis to use a slim majority to lock us all up again, for more nefarious reasons. You may say "What sort of reasons?". My answer is "I don't know, but if you'd asked me two years ago, I'd never have predicted the covid crisis".

Happy Birthday to me!

 It's my birthday today. The last one with a five in front of it unless I happen to live for another 451 years, which seems pretty unlikely right now. I made myself a little playlist of some of my favourite music, which I thought I'd share for your delectation.

I've also been having a look at a few old videos of  the False Dots. This is one of my favourites from when The False Dots played at The Purple Turtle in Camden Town.

A very live, full of energy rendition of a night when the band were really on great form. Music has been a massive part of my life. I had the honour to be associated with the Edgware Community Festival yesterday, there was some awesome live music. In truth, the weather could have been kinder, but after the skies cleared yesterday, there was a nice crowd for the end of the festival. It was great to hear some great live music from local artists.

Small community festivals are not and should not try and be Glastonbury. They are an opportunity for locals to enjoy the day with their friends and their community. It is good that Barnet Council are trying to do something. There are plenty of great local festivals and community events, which hopefully will benefit from this new approach. We hope to stage the Mill Hill Music Festival next year, I'm already looking forward to it.

As you get older, birthdays are times of reflection, of times gone by and people who are no longer around. The first birthday I can recall was my 4th. I wasn't at school. Various cousins and kids from up the road turned up. I can remember that the highlight was when mum dished out the trifle. I sort of recall a game of pass the parcel and that at the end my mum said "Never again". She was true to her word. The next birthday party I had, I organised myself when I was 18. It was a slightly more raucous event at the studios.

Another birthday that comes to mind is 2008. I was in San Francisco. Three weeks before, I'd been in Lourdes with my mum, who was 85 and in poor health. It was nice to spend time together and during the week, she visibly perked up. We returned and I headed out to the USA with my wife and children. A week later, we got a phonecall to say she'd had a massive stroke. I was debating whether to fly back in the morning, it was the middle of the night, when the call came saying that she'd died. My family urged me to stay, they made the arrangements for the funeral later in August. We had a rather muted celebration. I wasn't in the mood, I realised that I'd never share another birthday with my Mum. Despite the fact that she was frail, unhappy and ready to move on to whatever follows, my thoughts often turn to her on this day, with sadness. I do miss her, I'd nip up most nights and have a Guinness with her after work. 

The last year and a half has been strange, I've never felt less like celebrating and less sociable on my Birthday. I've always loved a big birthday party or a trip abroad. This year, I'd have a can of IPA in the shed with the dog if I had my way, but it seems that is not acceptable behaviour, according to the powers that be in our house. I hope I get my party mojo back for next year, the 'big one'. I'm tempted to hire an open top bus and get it to drive around London with all my friends and family, whilst playing False Dots numbers on the top at key locations. Either that or do a Sex Pistols and hire a river boat to play on. This year though. 

Afghanistan - A few thoughts

 I've always taken a bit of an interest in Afghanistan. Back in 1979, I was planning a visit. One of my friends, Emil Brydon ran Budget Bus, an overland travel company which ran a coach service from Totteridge Station to New Delhi. Another friend was one of the drivers, Ernie Ferebee. They both fascinated me with tales of  their exploits on the overland trail, travelling passing through Afghanistan on the way. Both told me of villages in the middle of the nation, where all of the citizens were blond haired and blue eyed, a legacy of the conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great. Emil's great uncle, William Brydon was the sole survivor of the British force of 12,000 massacred by the Afghans in 1842. As Emil had a familial interest, he studied the region and would take passengers on detours to check details. Ernie also developed an interest in the culture and history of the region. Ernie was in Kabul when the Soviets invaded. He told us stories of being told by the hotel staff to get his passengers out and head for the border as quickly as possible, being advised to pay whatever bribes were necessary to escape.

Emil and Ernie predicted that the Soviet Union would be vanquished. They said that history was not on the side of foreign powers intervening in the country. Soon the western papers were full of news of the brave Mujahadin. Emil and Ernie were both staunch supporters of the Afghan resistance to the Soviet occupation. They would rub shoulders with the likes of Sandy Gall, the ITN newsman, at events for the resistance. The US backed the Mujahadin, with such figures as Osama Bin Laden being on the CIA payroll. After a long struggle, that decimated the country, the Soviets were forced out. The scenario unfolded exactly as Emil and Ernie predicted on their return from the region in 1980. Sadly for my plans, the Soviet invasion marked the end of the overland Hippy Trail and my plans to join the boys on a journey.

Both Emil and Ernie ended up working for me. Emil as a tour manager for a band I was managing and Ernie as my studio manager and partner in our retail business. I'd spend many hours discussing the world situation with both. Sadly Ernie passed away in 2001, before the current situation unfolded. Emil however took a keen interest. He soon flagged up the mistakes we were making.

I just had a quick catch up. His view? This moment was inevitable from the moment the first US and UK soldiers arrived on the ground. His question? Trillions have been spent by the USA on the country, what have they to show for that? His knowledge of Afghan traditions, clan ties etc, was that long before the US left, the deals were in place for when they left. As soon as the wages of govt soldiers stopped being paid by the US, they had no reason to support the government. The relatively orderly change in Kabul does not so far look like the victorious end of a bitter civil war. 

As to the other cities, each of these has it's own local power structure. None of these areas are particularly wealthy or desirable.  For many areas, the only real asset is the opium trade. Local warlords trade allegiance for the right to hold the local franchise to produce narcotics. Will the Taliban stop this when they have no tangible source of wealth in the nation? It seems unlikely to me. 

The biggest losers in all of this will be the educated, city dwelling middle classes, especially the females. But afghanistan is not just Kabul. There is a side that most of us never see, this is the side that Ernie and Emil were fascinated by. So what is this Afghanistan? Whilst not all Afghans are Taliban, apart from Kabul, most areas have a fairly fundamentalist population.  Generally, whilst they are welcoming of guests and visitors, this soon disappears when they start getting told how to live their life or interpret the Koran. The West often forgets that as in most major religions, there are different flavours of Islam and different varieties of fundamentalism. Having got rid of the western influence, many will want to juts get on with their lives. The trillions have had little impact on the lives of the ordinary people in outlying areas. Without a war to fight, many men will have to find something else to do. Only one thing is for certain, there will be far less cash flowing into the country and far fewer corrupt officials etc siphoning it off. If nothing else, we've comprehensively proven the Afghans right about what happens when foreign powers stick their nose into Afghan affairs. The argument has been made in some quarters that at least we've prevented Afghanistan being used as a terrorist hub for 20 years. The truth is that threat has long since evolved. When Bin Laden launched the 911 attacks, the internet as we know it did not exist. There was no Dark Web, Whatsapp, Facebook, etc.  Terrorists now understand that information is power in a way few understood when they were living in caves in Afghanistan. The Taliban in 2001 were a shadowy organisation. Now they hold live press conferences. The beast has evolved.

But what about us and the Americans? 456 British soldiers have died. If one of them was my child, I'd feel sick to the pit of my stomach. It will be very interesting in 25 years time, when the papers are released, to see the truth about what our government knew about the situation and what drove the decisions. I somehow suspect that in five years when the papers detailing the decisions to go in are due to be released, they will be withheld. Did we ever really have a plan? Did we learn any lessons from the Soviets? Was there ever a possibility that we'd succeed? I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but if the answer is no, then we really need to take a long look at our foreign policy. One thing I do know is that the reason we lost hundreds of British soldiers is because they were not properly kitted out with the right equipment. It is bad enough embarking on doomed military adventures, but sending soldiers in without decent kit is criminal. But for some reason, no one is talking about that.

The #SaveLondonMusic Campaign calls for urgent action from the Mayor of London to protect our night time economy

There are few sectors that have suffered more than live music in London. It is not just venues closing their doors with no notice that is an issue. The staff that earned their livelihoods working in the music sector, especially freelancers, have had no income for the best part of eighteen months.

Many have had to take other jobs just to pay bills. Without skilled staff, it is impossible for venues to function. There were many venues that were just about surviving in London prior to Covid. It seemed to many of us that live music had turned the corner, venues were busier than they had been for many years, but for many businesses there were huge challenges. These have only become more difficult.

The policies of Mayor of London has not been helpful to the live music industry. Whilst we understand the need for policies to address poor air quality, few musicians working grassroots venues are well off. They need to shift large amounts of equipment. Public transport is not a realsitic option for many. Many have old vans or estate cars, often with diesel engines, that are non compliant with the legislation. The ULEZ means these attract huge charges. As musicians often have to arrive early for soundchecks and can’t get out until the show is over and the club is cleared, they can find that they need to pay two days ULEZ simply to do a gig. The Mayor needs to, as a matter of urgency, update his culture strategy so it can properly respond to the challenges facing the night-time economy, the live music scene and the creative sector in general in the aftermath of the pandemic.

For musicians who have had zero income from music for the last eighteen months, this means that playing is not viable. They have no cash in the bank to buy newer compliant vehicles. No one comes to London for its beaches or its sunshine. People come to see our music and theatre shows. A policy that makes this unviable is not a policy that will work for London.

There are a myriad of other problems for performers at grassroots venues. Parking is another huge issue. When you need to unload amps, drumkits, etc you need to park close to the venue. I’ve done this a thousand times and know just how difficult it can be in central London. It has never been a concern of the powers that be. They have just taken it for granted that musicians will take it on the chin. Covid has changed all of this. As musicians have been forced to find other jobs, many working in completely different sectors, they will think long and hard about returning to a business where they simply cannot make a living.

If the Mayor of London is serious about seeing London get back on its feet, he needs to take the issue of getting musicians back into London and getting clubs and pubs back to pulling in the punters with live music.

If we are going to address these issues as a City, we need the Mayor of London to lead the charge. There are so many issues to address and such a diverse collection of live music venues and people working in them, that no one size fits all policy will address all of the issues. Venues in outer London boroughs face a completely different set of issues to the ones in the West End and City. For many there is an opportunity as people may be reluctant to take public transport into town. As a Londoner living in a suburb (Barnet), this is a mixed blessing. I’d love to see more music on my doorstep, but if we lose our music scene in the West End, that will be the end of London as a major music hub. No one should want that.

What the Mayor needs to do is commission an audit of London venues. This should be done with the express purpose of identifying which venues have survived, which can be reopened, what are the challenges facing the venues and how these can be addressed and miigated. We need an emergency fund to support venues and a fund to assist musicians get ULEZ compliant vehicles. A buy back scheme for non compliant diesel vehicles owned by musicians, with assistance for leasing or finance for new vehices would be a good step towards addressing the issues raised by ULEZ.

This is not simply asking for a handout. Every band playing in Central London at grassroots venues generates anywhere between 75 and 1,000 tube and bus fares for the Mayor. Often TFL will make more money from a show than the musician performing. Many of these punters will have meals in West End Restaurants, meet for drinks in pubs and bars before and after shows and spend money in shops on the way.

We need this benefit to be quantified. The Mayor has a major challenge with TFL finances. It is very much in his interest to understand how live music can help him fix the hole in his budget. Of course he could just sit back and let the live music sector try and muddle through. This would be nothing short of criminal negligence of a part of the economy that has generated billions for UK PLC.

Although the Mayor of London is the primary player in this, as the night time economy falls under his powers, national government, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the culture secretary Oliver Dowden need to put aside their differences with the Mayor and work to put London back on its feet. The same is true of our regional cities who have their own issues.

Any audit should be based on identifying practical solutions to the problems faced by the live music sector. These can only be properly identified by talking to venue owners, promoters, musicians, crew and ancillary staff. It should also encompass music studios, support companies (equipment hire etc). These are all part of the pot that makes the London music scene tick.

We formally invite the London Mayor, Amy Lame (the London nightlife Tsar), The London Assembly, our London Boroughs and our London MPs to support this process as a matter of urgency. The Save London Music Campaign will be writing to all of these to get this process in motion. We call on all the industry organisations to back this. We also encourage our friends in the other regions of the UK to do the same with their local Mayors and authorities. We simply cannot afford to wait. This needs to be kick started today.

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This blog was originally posted on the Save London Music website

The perfect roast potato

 I have a question. Is there anyone who doesn't like a really good roast potato? Normally on a Sunday I make either a roast dinner or at this time of year, a barbecue. As an engineer by trade, I strive to constantly improve my technique. When I first started cooking, I didn't really understand that to make things taste right, you need to put a lot of hard work into the preparation. I found that small changes in the process would make huge improvements in the finished product.  I have come to the conclusion that the key to a good roast is a good roast potato. If we eat out and the potato's are not properly done, I feel cheated. 

I started with a 35 year old "Good Housekeeping" recipe book. It suggested that you'par boil potatos. So I'd buy the cheapest bag of spuds, boil the spuds for ten minutes and bung 'em in the oven for an hour, turning a couple of times. They'd generally be ok, on a par with an average pub lunch. Then I realised that some restaurants do significantly better spuds. I tried cheating and buying the M&S prepared spuds. They were a bit better than my early efforts. But they are nowhere near as good as what the best places did.

This started to bother me. So I started to experiment. The first breakthrough came by accident. I was par boiling the spuds for ten minutes. One time the phone went. I was on for a couple of minutes before I could deal with them. The result, they were far better. A good roast spud has a slightly crispy crust. The extra boiling made the crust so much better. I realised that the reason was that the boiling made the surface more absorbant to cooking oil. I then had a Eureka moment. If I lightly fried the spuds after par boiling, then I could ensure that oil was equally distributed, it worked even better if I let the steam stop coming off them before frying. I then started experimenting with spices. I know this sounds like sacrilege, but why not try things. In the early days, it was just salt and pepper. Then I tried garlic salt. That was a bit better. Just out of curiosity, I tried a little turmeric and smoked cayenne pepper, not a lot. For some reason, this really made the crust crunchy and tasty. Just a tiny bit, but it was so much better.

All of the time, the spuds were getting better. The one constraint I operate under is my wife is a non meat eater. Ideally I'd fry them in beef dripping, but I settled for sunflower oil, although a dash of olive oil makes it even better. So I now par boil for 13 minutes, then let them dry in a sieve and fry them for until they just start to crisp. Then they go in the fan oven for 1 hour on 165 degrees. I turn  them once or twice. 

The final part of the picture was the discovery that Maris Piper spuds come out the best of any I've tried. What do I accompany this with? Well I like a nice joint of topside beef, from a good butcher such as Boucherie Gerard. For the non meat eaters, I quite like doing stuffed flat mushrooms. We also love roast parsnips, sweet potatoes and squash. I found that the Parsnips work better if you cook them in even sized round chunks, rather than the long thin ones usually served at restaurants. By having even sized ones, you don't end up with half burned and half uncooked parsnips. I feel I have work to do on the Sweet Potatoes. I am sure that there is more to discover. I also like cabbage and kale, the kale works well if it is baked. I quite like it with some sea salt and course ground pepper. I toss it in a Wok first with a bit olive oil. About 15 minutes. 

For the meat eaters, I make a gravy with the juices from the beef, the veggies get Bisto! I tried all manner of different gravy recipies, but the kids prefer the Bisto, so I decided to bow to the inevitable and mix the juice gravy with the Bisto. 

I was pondering whether I am the only one who agonises so long and hard about roasting a few spuds. To me it is well worth the effort. The one thing I still need to decide though, is which mustard is the best accompanyment? But that's another blog!

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The Tweets of the week in the London Borough of Barnet - 15 Aug 2022

 So here we are, half way through August. How has your week been? I've had a good week, catching up with friends, seeing my first football locally since December, it feels like things are really starting to get back to normal, which is a pretty good feeling.  Lets have a look at what our esteemed local tweeters have been up to. 

1. It was great to be back at Brickfield Lane watching Hadley FC. Great to see so many familiar faces. This was a real highlight, a good performance from Flackwell, who did well with ten men and kept going until the last minute, but Hadley just about edged it 2-1

A last minute effort from Phil Pryor producing a quality save from the @hadleyfc keeper 🧤 #Heathens pic.twitter.com/o3nzIJbz6z

— Flackwell Heath FC (@FHFC1907) August 14, 2021

2. A date for your diary

Join Thames21 to learn more about invasive species on our waterways in an online session. Then get stuck in with a Himalayan Balsam Bash on the Burnt Oak Brook! 👇

Part 1 (online): Tue 17/08- 6pm-7pm

Part 2 (on the Brook): Sat 21/08- 10:30am-1:30pmhttps://t.co/ERzfr8xiQ3

— Your River Brent (@YourRiverBrent) August 10, 2021

3. I love this picture from Pete Scully. I've had a few bags of tasty chips from the Captains Cabin over the years. Used to have to walk past it when I lived in Mollison Way for a couple of years, on the way back from Burnt Oak Station, the aroma of fish and chips was irresistable.

Seven years ago today I drew the Captain's Cabin fish & chip shop in Burnt Oak, north London, because I always liked their fish & chips. When I was a kid I'd get a bag of chips (plenty of salt and vinegar) with a bread roll and a can of tango from here. pic.twitter.com/9hGMaAWsHC

— Pete Scully (@petescully) August 8, 2021

4. Regular readers will know that we've been supporting Mark Amies and his campaign to save the Railway hotel in Edgware for several years. I do hope one day I can stop including these tweets and have a pint in their with Mark instead

The Railway Hotel, Edgware, yesterday. @HistoricEngland @BarnetCouncil Please note the gates are now broken. Yet again, the property is insecure. This Grade 2 building is at risk, you need to do more to protect it. #RailwayHotelEdgware @Barneteye @ProtectPubs @NLondonCAMRA pic.twitter.com/QMEVeIaBak

— Mark Amies (@Superfast72) August 15, 2021

5. Another date for your diary. we thoroughly recommend this

Live music✔️
Good food✔️
Bar✔️
Free taster sessions and demos✔️
Free kids activities✔️
60 stalls featuring local makers, traders and community groups✔️
Free entry✔️
YOU…https://t.co/yO1GkIX6P6
12-6pm, 5 Sept, Cherry Tree Wood, N2. https://t.co/0IOdNrfbjk pic.twitter.com/MVSiOCKDZF

— East Finchley Festival (@EastFinchFest) August 14, 2021

6. Any Adobe Illustrators out there who fancy helping a very fine community project?

We are looking for a Volunteer with Adobe Illustrator experience who can work with a local artist on a History project for Cricklewood Station.

Please message us if you would like to get involved. pic.twitter.com/6hzT7nS7Yg

— CRICKLEWOOD (@cipcricklewood) August 14, 2021

7. Fun was had in West Hendon Yesterday!

Great to see some familiar faces and great conversations too. Just for the record, the rumour about walking hedges is genuine…they really do exist. #barnet #summer #westhendon https://t.co/5jTiXk1jjM

— rhutch (@RevRhutch) August 14, 2021

8. And fun will be had in Edgware next weekend

Very excited to annonce my 1st gig of the year! I’ll be performing at Edgware Community Festival!
FREE ENTRY
Arrive @12PM
Location-Car park area behind the Broadwalk Shopping Centre.
In affiliation with @MillhillMusicco @Barnetcouncil @eventumbrella pic.twitter.com/iaRhUM9tGz

— Stephanie McCourt (@mccourtofficial) August 11, 2021

9. If you like beer, why not get a freshly brewed can from our local brewery!

Our on-site brewery @LondonBrewingCo has been canning up a storm this week 🍺🍺🍺Fresh cans are now chilling in our fridges with 30% off on takeaway! #craftbeer #lovebeer #beer #beercan #drinkbeer #brewery #brewpub #londonbrewery #ukbrewery #londondrinks #drinklocal #londonpub pic.twitter.com/Vy9VwCs3Tx

— The Bohemia (@Bohemia_N12) August 11, 2021

10. What's your favourite riff? This one sounds pretty good to me, but I have to admit I am biased!

At Mill Hill Music Complex, we love a good riff. This one from the False Dots sounds pretty good to us! What’s your favourite riff? pic.twitter.com/ApR8LAIZZ9

— #MillHillMusicComplex (@MillHillMusicCo) August 15, 2021

That's all folks!

The Saturday list #318 - The festivals of the Borough of Barnet - Past and Present

 The Borough of Barnet has a rich heritage of local festivals. This year may well be one of the best years for festivals in the history of the Borough, with the EU recovery fund supplying cash to Barnet Council to organise festivals across the Borough to help us get over the terrible covid pandemic. You can find out about these amazing events on the #DiscoverBarnetPresents page on the Barnet Website. The are major events in Burnt Oak, Edgware, East Finchley, Barnet and across the Borough. Many are free.  I've had teh pleasure of organising the music programme for the Edgware Community Carnival next week. 

Please come down and enjoy the fun. However this week we are looking at the various festivals that take place regularly in the Borough. 

1. The Finchley Carnival. This was the highlight of the year in the Borough, When Margaret Thatcher was MP for Finchley, she'd always put in an appearance. For some reason it fell out of favour with the powers that be in Barnet Council and no longer happens. There was a funfair, live music and a plethora of stalls. It took place in Victoria Park and there was a large parade through Finchley, with all manner of floats. 

2. Next up is the normally bi-annual Mill Hill Music Festival. This normally takes place every other year at various locations across Mill Hill. Highlights from former festivals include The BBC Elstree Concert Band, John Dankworth, Acker Bilk, The Polecats, Stacey Kent, Shir and of course my lot, The False Dots. As an organiser, I am increasingly confident that it will return next year. Here's a little reminder of festivals past. 

From the 2011 Indy night

And here is some excellent Klezmer music from the awesome Shir at The Mill Hill Synagogue from 2015

3. The Watling Festival. This was an annual event in Montrose Park, Burnt Oak for many years. Most locals loved the funfair, the candy floss and the music. My personal highlight was probably the 2007 appearance of Huw Lloyd Langton of Hawkwind at the festival.

4. Another amazing festival is the Barnet Summer Soulstice festival. One of the most innovative local festivals, they went virtual for 2021. We look forward to them returning in 2022. They raise money for Cherry Lodge Cancer Care. Follow them on Twitter for updates. Click on the button below to watch

 

Summer Soulstice 2016 - Extended Version from Summer Soulstice UK on Vimeo.

5. The East Barnet Festival. This is a wonderful festival. There is always a great line up of music and other things to do.

6. The North Finchley Festival. The brainchild of Helen Michael from Cafe Buzz and Senan Sexton at the Bohemia, the North Finchley Festival was due to happen again in 2020, however Covid got in the way. we hope it returns. Two days of music at venues across North Finchley. 

About to start in @Bohemia_N12 for #NorthFinchleyFest ;) #music #n12 pic.twitter.com/rRnwIkKRaM

— myth337 (@LeesMyth) May 19, 2018

7. The Graham Park Festival. This has been going on for a very long time. I had the pleasure of playing at the Festival twice in the 1980's as this tweet. There was talk of putting something on this year. Not quite sure if it is going ahead, watch this space

Back in 1986, The False Dots played at the Grahame Park festival. It was a rather glorious day. 34 years later it is great to still be playing with Graham Ramsey, Mill Hill's finest drummer! Sadly Paul Hircombe (Bass) is no longer with us. Much missed. pic.twitter.com/afQeE56Hwp

— Roger Tichborne/RogT🔸 (@Barneteye) January 18, 2020

FREE fun at the Grahame Park Festival Sat 20 July 12:00 - 15:00@RAFMUSEUM @NHGhousing @BarnetCouncil @Young_Barnet @BarnetLibraries pic.twitter.com/sUbUEHlFef

— Colindale Communities Trust (@cct_colindale) July 18, 2019

8. MetalBrew. This was a local Metal festival put on by a bunch of young metal heads. A great opportunity for the local rock community to get together and for local bands to strut their stuff.  Follow them on Facebook to keep abreast of their plans. 

9. The East Finchley Festival. One of our local festivals that we are delighted is happening this year is the East Finchley Festival.

Its 6 weeks away! Put the date in your diary:
East Finchley’s Late Summer Social takes place on Sunday 5th September in Cherry Tree Wood, N2.https://t.co/0IOdNrfbjkhttps://t.co/pDLsiHgiPc pic.twitter.com/2jILaOjHbI

— East Finchley Festival (@EastFinchFest) July 25, 2021

10. Cricklewood Festival. One of my favourite festivals was the Cricklewood Festival. Our company got involved supplying sound systems. It really was a lovely community event. I do hope it returns next year.

#tbt It is throw back Thursday for 360 arts 🎭
We enjoy looking back on all the wonderful projects they have worked extremely hard on 👏🏼
Today’s ‘tbt’ is a wonderful community gathering at The Cricklewood Festival☀️
360 students gave an amazing variety of performances ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/viX9cV0Oo6

— 360Arts (@360artsschool) February 21, 2019

.

How is the local Barnet music scene is recovering from the Covid19 pandemic

So how has the music scene really been over the last two years? As someone running a studio, I get to see things at the coalface. Between March 21st 2020 and July 2021, my business, Mill Hill Music Complex did not have a single week where our weekly income was higher that 2019. Between March 21st 2020 and July 2nd 2021, we were completely shut and generated no revenue at all. For the remaining five months of the year, our revenues were approx 30% of the 2019 figures. With the lockdown being reimposed in January, we were allowed to remain open for professional musicians. As there was almost no paid work for musicians, apart from the odd bit of TV and Radio work, this meant that we were on about 10% of our 2019 levels. As restrictions eased, we climbed back to about 50% of 2019 levels by June. We track our turnover on a week by week basis and can compare any given week with any week since 2013. July was 75% of 2019. Although this was quite positive, the fact that we'd still got nowhere near 2019 was worrying. 

The reason for this is that venues/promoters were simply not prepared to book shows and run the risk of cancellations. The costs of the stop/start nature of lockdowns has perhaps been the biggest burden for businesses. The only music genre that seemed to have any sort of live work was the upper end jazz sector. Live Jazz music works quite well in an environment where you are seated with table service. The first live music I saw in London for fifteen months was at Ronnie Scotts on June 20th. This was a fantastic show by Ray Gelato. If anything, the absence made it all the better. Since then, I've been to the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms and to Kings Langley Services Club for their Jazz club. I also attended the Finchley Community carnival in Lodge Lane, but that was in a working capacity, although I thoroughly enjoyed the artists I saw perform. Given that I normally see at least one live show a week, this is a huge reduction. In financial terms, my spending on going out has shrunk to almost nothing over the period of lockdown. All of the money that has not been spent, has come out of the pockets of the people who work their socks off running music venues.

Which brings us to August. As we run a rehearsal studio, we are a bellweather. We see activity in the sector before anyone else. Bands need to be ready to perform, before they can book performances. Many will have new line ups, as members have been scattered far and wide. What we've seen so far in August has been quite remarkable. Whilst it is difficult to really draw too many conclusions on a two week period, we are about 25% up for the first two weeks in August in 2019. Given that August 2019 was our best ever August and up 22% on 2018, which had previously been the best, that is an amazing turnaroud. 

As well as our favourite Jazz artists preparing for shows at Ronnie Scotts, we've had artists flying in from LA to rehearse for shows, we've had a band rehearsing for a Who Tribute show in a major theatre tour, we've had funk legends Odyssey, we've had punk legends The Buzzcocks and Menace in, just to name a few. From our perspective, this is amazing news. We did expect a bounce later in the year, but it seems that it has bounced back far more quickly than we could have reasonably expected.

But how about in our locality? I've been a critic of Barnet Council on many occasion, but I can't really fault the efforts that they are currently making. Barnet Council and their event organiseres The Event Umbrella contacted us to help them put together a series of local festivals and events. These have been called "Discover Barnet Presents". There are some amazing things going on. We  have done the programme for the Edgware Community Carnival and there will be some wonderful music on. Perhaps the highlight of these gigs will be the Barnet Summer Festival with some absolute top class acts, including Aswad, The Trojan Sound System and E17. 

The impact of events such as these should not be underestimated. It gets people out and enjoying themselves. As the events are outdoors, this is a very safe environment. It gets artists working and performing again and once they start, they will start seeking more work. I've spent my life hassling reluctant pub landords to put on music. The pattern is the same, they book my band, we have a great night and get booked again. The only downside is that they usually move on after six months so we have to do it all again! 

Live music is starting to come back in Barnet, but this will not be an easy process. There are a few events at The Arts Depot, but very little music in the calendar. If you want a gig this weekend, Those Naughty Lumps are playing Madderns in East Finchley. If raucous scousers enjoying themselves is your cup of tea, then don't miss this. In Edgware, the Three Wishes, one of our best local music pubs has started to get back to a full programme of music. It is well worth checking out. The Builders Arms in Barnet is also starting back up with live music. 

So where are we? Well I spent quite a while checking all of the local venues I know that do live music and what I've listed is all I could find. There are gigs happening and things are starting to open up. From our bookings, we can see that people are awaking from their slumbers, but there is still a way to go. 

We need to get to work to start making live music work again in our Borough. If you run a pub, it is a great way to get people back inside. As many artists haven't played for two years in public, you are likely to have a rather full pub.  It is worth making the effort. 

I believe that so long as we don't get a new wave of lockdowns, we are in for a bit of a golden period for live music for the remainder of the year. I am not the only person with a few extra pennies in my pocket and a desire to spend it and enjoy myself.