Author Archives: hmgupdated

A motion before the next Council highlights how the government welfare cuts ‘will detrimentally affect Harrow’s residents’ (Harrow Council for Justice and Harrow Monitoring Group focussed on some of this months ago). Summary: Making 18 – 21 year olds exempt from housing benefit will further hit young people who are struggling to get on theContinue reading “A Council motion that could be argued well”

In responding to an opposition question today, David Cameron, who knows Harrow well, said, “We do need to see more affordable houses – much more needs to be done – encouraging the building industry to come up with innovative schemes”. This should be educational for Harrow East MP Bob Blackman who is opposing the plansContinue reading “Was Blackman at the PM’s question time?”

In February 2015, we asked the NHS England (NHSE), Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Care Quality Commission (CQC) to come clean and explain how effectively Harrow CCG is managing conflicts of interest and ensuring transparency. They failed to convince. The CCGs can choose to co-commission primary care services from GPs which is likely toContinue reading “Shaky confidence in Harrow CCG transparency!”

Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan success indicates the end of New Labour/ Blair era that systematically damaged the Labour and social justice ideology over the years! The popularity of Jeremy Corbyn campaign for Labour leadership, which troubled the New Labour gurus like Tony Blair and his followers like those in Harrow West, reached Harrow asContinue reading “End of New Labour era?”

A council report informs that the Black/African/Caribbean/Black British group has been consistently over represented in youth offending services over the years. For example, 32.4% in 2014/15 while making up only 12.9% of Harrow’s 10-17 population. Compared with this, the Asian youth offending population was 24.5% for the same period while making up 41.1% of theContinue reading “Black youth offenders over represented”

The leader of the opposition Tory group is seemingly trying to discredit the council’s restructuring of its senior management structure which is to make the services more efficient and effective. In an open letter to the leader of the council, Cllr Hall whinges about the shadow members of her group not being able to attendContinue reading “Choking on sour grapes!”

We hear good things about the Moorfields at Northwick Park Hospital. Users are pleased with the improved facilities and environment at the refurbished Eye Centre which is a district hub of the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS foundation Trust. The centre brings expert eye care closer to patients’ homes and provides outpatient and diagnostic care forContinue reading “Thumbs-up for Moorfields!”

Harrow specific number of allegations of abuse of people using social care services has increased, reveals the information obtained by the Harrow Monitoring Group. In the past sixteen months, 854 abuse cases involving 653 victims have been recorded, according to the figures released to us under the freedom of information. This includes 221 cases ofContinue reading “Increase in adult abuse cases!”

We glean high appreciation for the return of the chief executive post and the post-holder, even by the junior council staff. After the Labour regained the council last year, they restored the chief executive post that was “unilaterally and wrongly” deleted by the short-lived Councillor Hall’s administration (Tory), forcing the chief executive Michael Lockwood toContinue reading “Chief executive is good investment”

There is a significant rise in the local authority issuing Educational Penalty Notices to parents or taking them to Court because of unauthorised absence of children from school, according to the information obtained under Freedom of Information. Harrow local authority issued 55 notices in 2013, 187 in 2014 but 281 in 2015 (up to 31Continue reading “Rise in parent sanctions!”