Monday, 22 June 2020

Open Letter to the Leader of Barnet Council regarding the failure of the Cambridge Education Outsourcing contract

Last night I learned of the failure of the outsourcing contract between Barnet Council and Cambridge Education, which leaves school children in Barnet exposed as a key provider of Educational Services has left the council in the lurch at a time of crisis. 

This is how Barnet announced the outsourcing two years ago.

We are lead to believe that at a secret session of the Policy and Resources committee on Thursday night, where the public were excluded from the session, the committee were informed of the problems. There was meant to be a public statement on Friday but this has not materialised.

As a result we are seeking urgent clarification of the situation. We sent this urgent email to the men in charge last night, we will keep the people of Barnet informed of any response.


Dear Councillors

Today I learned that Cambridge Education have unilaterally pulled out of their deal with Barnet Council to provide educational services. 

I am sure that at this time, you will agree that the number one priority for Barnet Schools must be stability and a focus on bringing schools back on line in a safe and ordered fashion. Please can you answer the following questions.

1. As an in house solution would be the most low risk approach at this time, will this be your preferred solution?

2. As the private sector has let Barnet Council down at a time when the council most needed the support of its suppliers, will you be reviewing your strategy for outsourcing?

3. Please can you confirm that the council does not intend to get distracted by a lengthy procurement process, when the focus should be on the safety of children and school staff.

4. Please can you confirm that you recognise that Barnet Council will not be in a good position to negotiate a deal from a position of strength for the replacement of the Cambridge Education contract, as this will have to be concluded quickly to be in place for September.

5. Please can you confirm that a due diligence review will be conducted of the process that awarded Cambridge Education the contract, as this has clearly exposed Barnet Council, school children in Barnet and staff to risk, as focus is now on issues other than getting schools up and running safely.

It is essential that we put ideological differences aside at this time and work for a solution that puts our children first. Outsourcing this service has clearly failed and the absolute top priority should be to keep the show on the road.

Regards 
Roger Tichborne
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Sunday, 21 June 2020

Fathers Day 2020

I guess like many people, I've been a lot more reflective about many things this year. I've spent a lot of time sorting old papers, looking through old pictures etc. So Fathers day has been one when I've thought about my father a lot more than I normally would. I have much to be grateful to him for. Mill Hill Music Complex would not exist if my Dad hadn’t said to me, back in 1979, you can use the derelict caretakers cottage at Bunns Lane Works to rehearse with your band if you give me a fiver a week. I was lucky to have a Father who was a successful businessman and always encouraged me, despite hating the punk rock music I played.

He also taught me the value of humility and giving everyone a chance. He told me that when he was in the RAF flying bombers in WWII he realised that what you needed was the best people around you, regardless of their colour, creed or background. You wanted people who would have your back. I don't think I fully appreciated what he meant until long after he had passed away in 1987.

He also taught me to value our time on earth. He would say of money "you can't take it with you when you are gone". His view was that you paid your bills and what was left, you had fun with. This used to drive my mother mad, who had more frugal instincts. He would buy her expensive presents and get told off, my mother would say "I could have got that at half the price in Burnt Oak". He would just smile and told me the one way to lose a woman was to get her stuff for half the price in Burnt Oak.

My Dad also taught me the value of charm. He'd say always be nice, even when you want to rip someones head off. I don't always meet this aspiration, but I do try.  His view was that you had to keep things in balance. Although a devout Roman Catholic, perhaps the person with the strongest faith I've ever met, he wasn't a Holy Joe. He hated hypocrisy, I think that the scandals that have befallen the church in recent years would break his heart. He also had a strong belief in Karma and that if you let things be, people would get their just deserts in the end. I often still feel his voice guiding me in times of crisis. Often that has been what has got me through.

Here's a little video I made a few years ago taken from our picture collection

#happyfathersday Dad, wherever you are now!
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The Tweets of the week in the London Borough of Barnet 21.6.2020

Reality edges ever closer as lockdown is lifted. This week we had the return (sort of) of the thrills and spills of Premiership football. But what has been tickling the fancy of our local Twits? Here is our selection of the best of them.


1. My tweet of the week from one of my favourite accounts. Note with interest that this account needs ten more followers to hit 2,000. If you aren't following it, I'd suggest you do. It's been running for just over a year and the fact it has picked up so many followers shows just what happens when you publish interesting information.


2. Who knew that Brent Cross shopping centre used to be so interesting!


3. Another of our favourite accounts is the Mill Hill Historical Society. This clip is quite nostalgic for me. I had a girlfriend who lived down the road from Mad Johns wife in Broadfields. I recall the dog.


4. Samuel Levy is another favourite. For those of us who spend our time walking the local nature reserve areas, this is a lovely bit of filming. I always enjoy seeing these

5. This is a nice tweet. Will have to nip over to East Finchley to check this out

6. We like a good photo and this is a great photo!

7. Funny to think that when this was taken, this was the height of modernity! Nice pic

8. Good to see people who care

9. Our historical tweet of the week.

10. A sentiment I think we all share

That's all folks

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Saturday, 20 June 2020

The Saturday List #267 - My ten favourite local pictures from my Flickr collection

One of my great pleasures in life is to walk around snapping pictures and posting them on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr. I make no claim to be David Bailey, but I enjoy this particular hobby. I've been looking through the collection during the week and I thought I'd post my top ten pictures taken in and around Mill Hill and the Borough of Barnet.

10. Mr Graham Ramsey, drummer of the False Dots at Mill Hill Music Complex. This picture gives a small clue of just how much fun we have in our rock and roll band.

Untitled

9. Christmas at St Michaels Church, Mill Hill. A pretty church with a pretty Xmas tree. I was very pleased with this snap.

Mill Hill Scenes

8. Bunns Lane Welding workshop. I was raised around the car industry and workshops. This is my brothers business. He started the same year as I started Mill Hill Music Complex. Originally we were going to start it together, but he decided his brother in law was less hard work, so employed him instead!

Mill Hill Scenes


7. The crucified Christ at the Sacred Heart. I love the contrast between the serenity of the statues and the bustle of the Broadway.
Mill Hill Scenes

6. This is an old picture taken the day after the hurricane of '87. I took many pictures, but this is perhaps my favourite

Mill Hill Scenes

5. At Mill Hill Music Complex, we get many musicians with rather cool cars. This is one of my favourite!

Bunns Lane Works collection

4. This picture is of The False Dots playing at The Grahame Park Festival in 1986. A bit blurry, but I think that adds to the ambience. My sister took this. I'm the one in the white suit with the black guitar. It is always nice to see pictures of our dearly missed bassplayer, Paul Hircombe.



Grahame Park Festival 1986

3. The Orange Tree. I always like a pub with a pond, and there are few prettier than the orange tree. I was very happy with this pic.
Totteridge walk 21.05.20

2. This is a real favourite. The disused barn on the Darlands trail. I love the colourful graffiti



1. This is my favourite. My mum with my elder twin brothers at my cousins wedding in 1962 at The Sacred Heart. I didn't take this but I do love it. Love the view of H.Norman Davis and Home Linens in the background

Mill Hill Scenes


That's all folks!
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Powers cut in Mill Hill

There was a power cut in Mill Hill this morning. Power seems to have been restored

More details here https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/map?incidentid=INCD-164790-

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Friday, 19 June 2020

The Friday Joke - Football is back! The worlds greatest Football fan joke

Football is back! But not as we know it Jim!

For me football is about the crowd, the shared experience, the joy of a tasteless burger before, a pint at half time and a beer with your mates after. Being a City fan, I enjoyed the team performance on Wednesday, but it somehow didn't feel right. I tried the options with and without the phoney crowd noise, settled on without. It is only fitting that the we mark the best bit with a tribute to the people who really matter, the fans. Here is what I think is the best ever fan joke.


Two old men were holding up the queue outside the turnstyle before the game, while one of them hunted for his ticket. He looked in his coat pockets and his waistcoat pockets and his trouser pockets, all to no avail...
“Hang on a minute...,” said the gateman, “...what's that in your mouth?”
“It's the missing ticket!”
As they moved inside his mate said...
“Crikey, Cyril! You must be getting senile in your old age. Fancy having your ticket in your mouth and forgetting about it!”
“'I'm not that stupid...,” said old Cyril, “...I was chewing last week's date off it.”


Have a great weekend!
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Thursday, 18 June 2020

The Mill Hill Neighbourhood Forum withdraws its application for redesignation from Barnet Council

This morning, I was notified by Barnet Council that the committee of the Mill Hill Neighbourhood forum has withdrawn its application for designation to produce a neighbourhood plan for the area. The application for designation had been scheduled to be discussed at a forthcoming meeting of the Barnet Council planning committee. The Barnet Eye, as the oldest and most read blog covering Mill Hill has taken a keen interest in the application as well as the work of the previous committee. The forum lost its designation last year, having failed to produce a neighbourhood plan during the five years of its previous tenure and having lost the support of locally elected councillors in both Hale and Mill Hill ward.

When the previous forum was originally constituted, the Barnet Eye were staunch supporters, we helped the forum organise events in the Broadway and the small square by Boots, as well as attending and giving feedback at the regular meetings. Unfortunately, there were some disagreements regarding safeguarding issues, which ultimately lead to us stepping back from both the committee and the organisation of events. As a business which hosts organisations such as Ballet schools, we have to be seen to put safeguarding at the forefront of what we do and stepped back when we found we were not entirely comfortable with the safeguarding processes the MHNF had put in place.

We do not wish to dwell on the past or rake over these old arguments. Barnet Council gave feedback that the new MHNF plan submitted was not suitable as the committee was unrepresentative of Mill Hill. The Barnet Eye agrees with this and this was a major part of our feedback.To put this in context, as a member of the Sacred Heart Church in Mill Hill, all of the main Church committees call on all parts of our community and are stronger for this. I know just how many communities we have in Mill Hill and how diverse they all are. A neighbourhood plan needs to represent the people who live in the neighbourhood, not just a small clique. For me the fact that there were several couples on the committee and it only needed two of these to agree, to theoretically make policy for the whole of Mill Hill, was a fatal structural defect.

It is perhaps ironic given the comments of the council officers that the MHNF needed to be more diverse, that the local Conservative Councillors in Mill Hill and The Hale, the two areas covered by the Forum, are amongst the most diverse set of ward councillors in Barnet. Hale boasts a Nepali Hindu, a Muslim and a Jewish Councillor. Mill Hill ward also boasts a councillor from a recognised minority. My view is that an organisation such as the MHNF should have representatives of all of the other major organisations in Mill Hill and also hold regular public meetings to discuss and update the population on the progress of the plans.

There was also some criticism that the previous MHNF tried to do too much. I personally do not subscribe to this view (although this was the view held by the Council). I actually thought that the markets and events organised by the Forum did a lot of good for Mill Hill and helped make people aware of the work of the forum. Where the MHNF went wrong was in not having a sub committee working solely on the plan and reporting back regularly to the committee and the general public (via the committee), with a separate subcomittee working on events and regeneration. The other activities should not have been a distraction, but clearly were. In hindsight, the old MHNF should have put structures and segregation into place to ensure that the preparation of plan was segregated from other activities.

There were some good people on the committee who put some sterling work into getting the plan together. I sincerely hope this work can be put to good use and is not simply disgarded.

I would suggest that if you are interested you read the council papers here -

Application Under the Localism Act for the Designation of a Neighbourhood Forum and Area in Mill Hill pdf icon PDF 578 KB

I personally hope that Mill Hill can get its act together and get a committee constituted to pull together a local plan. If this is broadly based, takes safeguarding concerns seriously and properly constituted, it will have our support. I think it is better if the people running this are not aligned to political parties and are fiercly independent of them. That is why I will not be joining any new committee.
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Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Celebrating Mill Hill's links with William Wilberforce

Blue Plaque celebrating William Wilberforce
The Barnet Eye has long celebrated the links between Mill Hill and William Wilberforce, who led the campaign to ban slavery in the UK and its then colonies. Wilberforce saw out his days in Mill Hill. He built St Paul's Church on the Ridgeway for the people of the then village of Mill Hill, conveniently near the High St.

St Paul's Church has three very interesting articles on its website, detailing his links with the church,  his campaign against Slavery and his career at Westminster. The Church is well worth a visit to see its display which illustrates the story. Wilberforce's residence is marked by a Blue Plaque marking the site of his residence. I recently took a picture of the the plaque and as you can see, it requires some TLC. The plaque was erected by the Hendon Corporation, the precursor to Barnet Council. We will be writing to Barnet Council to ask them to give the plaque some TLC, as Wilberforce certainly does deserve to be properly commemorated by our community.

The Mill Hill Preservation Society says of Wilberforce "While he was living in Hendon Park Wilberforce had built, to his own design, a private chapel, which was later to become the Mill Hill Church of St Paul’s. One of the first services in the new church was a tribute to his memory, conducted at the moment that he was being buried in Westminster Abbey."

The London Gardens trust website has some interesting information about the construction of the Church. "St Paul's Church was designed in 1829 by Samuel Hood Page and consecrated in 1833, paid for by William Wilberforce, an important figure in the Anti-Slavery Movement, who lived at Hendon Park from 1826-1831; a blue plaque recalls this. Wilberforce, who had a long dispute with the Rector Theodore Williams (1812-1875), had moved to Highwood Hill in 1825 and gained permission to build the church on a gravel pit site on Belmont Estate. Brick was made locally at a kiln on Hendon Wood Lane, the church is rendered in cement. Until then the residents of Mill Hill had to go to the parish church of St Mary's at Hendon (q.v.). It became a parish church in 1926. The churchyard has yew in front, and iron railings and flower beds to the road."

I am indebted to the Mill Hill Historical Society for bringing to my attention papers concerning the attempt to prevent the building of the chapel by Williams.

I think we can all be pleased that it is the legacy of Wilberforce triumphed over that of Theodore Williams. St Pauls is recognised across the world as a very important site in the Wilberforce story, as this tweet from a Church in St Petersberg, USA attests.


On a personal note, I am pleased to have close associations with the Church. We regularly use the Church as a location for concerts at The Mill Hill Music Festival and I had the pleasure of assisting with the sound at a concert in the Church featuring the London Community Gospel Choir a few years back, to celebrate Black History Week.

Given the recent highlighting of racism and inequality, as a result of the death of George Floyd, it is important that we learn the story of slavery and our nations dark role in the story. It is also only right that we commemorate those who played a positive role in the story, especially those in our community. That is why we need some TLC for the blue plaque that commemorates William Wilberforce.

Black lives do matter. Today at 6pm, we will be taking the knee. We will also be officially releasing this video, which is a powerful message against racism in all its forms. William Wilberforce passed away in 1831 but his work is not done, by any stretch of the imagination.



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Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Get your knee off my brothers neck - why words are not enough

These have been trying times for us all. As human beings, we are not designed to 'self isolate'. We do not cope well with long periods being cut off from our friends and family. That is why 'solitary confinement' is the most stringent sanction used by the UK prison service as punishment for prisoners who misbehave. I don't think anyone appreciated it at the time, but like a pressure cooker, slowly heating up, sooner or later the pressure of heat had to be released.

At the start of lockdown, I assumed I'd have a creative time, writing new songs, stories and poems. Then I found that without stimulation, it was impossible. I am a punk poet and I need something to write about, but the Groundhog day press conferences, where the same figures and mantra's were the equivalent of an opiod haze, stifling all creativity. Then the steam pressure built up and the world erupted. Whatever you may think of the black lives matter protests, they have made global news and made us think. Last week I explained how a great friend and teacher, a Jamiacan poet who was dying of cancer opened my eyes to the brutal story on which the wealth of England was based. I miss my friend and wish he was here to give his commentary in these trying times, I've though a lot of him over the last two weeks.

Everyone has a view on what has happened. I was struck by the difference in tone of the coverage of the papers I read. Reviewing The Sunday Times, The Guardian and the Express, I could be reading about different events in a parellel universe, linked only by the images which seem to be the same in each publication. The image of the policeman with his knee on George Floyds neck was simply too powerful not to move anyone with a heart and soul. I wanted to scream at the TV "get your knee of my brothers neck". Like many people, I've been seeking out films to watch to help the evenings pass. We recently watched Just Mercy, the story of judicial injustice in the State of Alabama. If you haven't seen it I thoroughly recommend it. It shows what you need to do to achieve change, if you do not like the way things are. It is the true story of how a Harvard student is inspired to fight by the injustice of death row in Alabama. It is a long road, but it is a story that shows what you can achieve if you are organised and you use your intellect and you stick with it. It is an uncomfortable film, but so it should be. The way the US legal system discriminates against the BAME community is laid bare and it is not a pretty story in any way, shape or form. 

I thought it was important for me to make a personal statement in the way I best can. That was with a piece of music and a video. Due to the lockdown, I was unable to work with my usual collaborators Allen Ashley and Graham Ramsey of the False Dots. The social distancing required would have made a False Dots recording session impossible, however our other band member Fil Ross and myself collaborated to put together a piece of music that I am truly proud of. I played bass and guitar and Fil did the programming. Initially I sung it, but my voice did not do the message justice, so I asked another collaborator, American film director and singer Charlie Honderick to voice the track. He was raised in the South of the USA and has seen the racist culture their at first hand. He was an appropriate choice.

We have had enough of this, but we need our anger channelled. We need to be organised. We need to fight for change. Things will improve, but only if we do things the right way. I am a passionate believer in non violent protest. When we talk about the fight, we mean the fight for social justice. Brawling is for idiots.  As for those who say I can't support Black Lives Matter because all lives matter, would they say "I won't support Cancer Research because that discriminates against people who suffer from heart attacks and AIDS"? There is a clear injustice and one which is a stain on us all. 
People will stop using the term Black Lives Matter when there is social justice. If you are not interested in social justice, then ultimately you are suffering from self loathing, because we are all the same under the skin. Last night, I watched the news. There was a young man called Marcus Rashford making the headlines. As a Manchester United footballer, he is not a person that as a Manchester City fan I would normally stand up and cheer, but he showed true leadership, something sadly missing from No 10 Downing Street at the moment. His call for the extension of free school meal vouchers for deprived children and its rejection by Boris Johnson, is something that really is worthy comment.  With all the privelige of the expensive education that Boris received, a twenty two year old from Moss Side showed more eloquence and humanity than Boris and his whole cabinet could muster. 

Rashford has shown us that there is more to humanity and compassion than education. Marcus Rashford makes me proud of my country, that we can produce such fine young men (even when they play for the wrong team). Sadly some people will never acknowledge Rashford, because they are too filled with hate to see the truth. That is why we all have to fight this fight. Get your knee off my brothers neck is not just a song about George Floyd, it is about every person who is the victim of mindless racism and it is our call for all intelligent people to consign such repulsive notions to the dustbin of history.


Please watch this video, I hope it gives you some inspiration. The Official Launch will be 6pm tomorrow. The day and time we take the knee.



Time for a change

Nothing comes without a fight
Nothing happens just ‘cause you’re right
Nothing changes overnight
That’s why you need some organisation

Get your knee, get your knee
Get your knee Off my Brothers neck
The time has come, the time has come
The time has come for a change

Forget about conversations
You get nothing through mediation
You better get some organisation
If you want to get your rights

How much longer can you wait?
How many more does it take?
What sacrifice do we have  to make?
Before we get our rights?

Nothing comes without a fight
Nothing happens just ‘cause you’re right
Nothing changes overnight
That’s why you need some organisation

Get your knee, get your knee
Get your knee Off my Brothers neck
How many years, how many years
How many years do you think we can wait?
Get your knee, get your knee
Get your knee Off my Brothers neck
The time has come, the time has come
The time has come for a change

Copyright The False Dots 2020
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Monday, 15 June 2020

What would you most like to see improved in Mill Hill?

Today we see the return of many of our local High Street shops. The Barnet Eye has been campaigning for the last twelve years for a better local environment. Today we ask you what you would most like to see. The survey is 100% anonymous, you don't have to give us any details, just your opinions on what improvements you'd like to see made. We will be sharing these with Barnet Council, our local MP, Thameslink, TFL as appropriate. We really need as many people as possible to give us their opinions, so we can have the ammunition to ask. This initiative is solely the work of the Barnet Eye blog and the purpose is to find out what really concerns people locally.

Please give us five minutes of your time to let us know.




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