Marilyn Ashton, a Harrow councillor, used newspaper space (click the box above and scroll down to ‘comments’) and commented being unhappy with the response to her cabinet question to the newly appointed councillor Peymana Assad for community cohesion, crime & enforcement.
“It is appreciated that days after the recent escalation of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.K., the Communications Department issued a statement to Community Leaders on Cllr Assad’s behalf on this subject. Will Cllr. Assad outline her strategy for supporting and showing solidarity with the Jewish community in Harrow?” – the question Cllr Ashton asked.
Cllr Aston pointed out that Jewish people are afraid to display their faith overtly following a rise of antisemitic incidents.
Cllr Assad assured “We need to show solidarity with the Jewish community to make sure they know we stand shoulder to shoulder with them”.
The Harrow opposition Tory group has previously questioned the suitability of some Labour appointments to the cabinet.
The Harrow Monitoring Group has been critical of and exposes any divisive elements in the public life as this seriously hinders achieving ‘community cohesion’!

“Judging by the extent of complaints and findings of misconduct by the party itself that relate to anti-Muslim words and conduct, anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem within the party” says the review by Professor Swaran Singh, a former equality and human rights commissioner, published today.
The review also found that the Tories complaints system is “in need of overhaul” due to its “under-resourced and inadequately trained” complaints team, a “weak” data collection system, and “poor” communication between officials, complainants and respondents.
Two-thirds of all incidents reported to the complaints team at the Tories’ headquarters related to allegations of anti-Muslim attitudes .
Previously, LBC obtained dossier showing 10 Tory councillors sharing Islamophobic comments, including Harrow councillor Anjana Patel, for example.
Regarding the Harrow Tories, there have been at least three high profile headlines:
Harrow East MP Bob Blackman accused of Islamophobia after posting anti-Muslim article on Facebook 
Harrow councillor Anjana Patel’s tweet included in Islamophobia dossier 
Online petition against Cllr Kamaljit Chana over Islamophobia 
In the case of Cllr Chana, Harrow Tory group on the council, led by Cllr Osborn, was reassuring and did take firm action, suspending him from the group for six month but the national Tory party seems to have done nothing about the complaints against Cllr Chana.

Despite Labour being badly punished nationally because of the Labour revolt against its perceived right-wing leadership, Brent and Harrow GLA seat is held by Labour.
As expected, Brent councillor and a council cabinet portfolio holder Krupesh Hirani (photo) has won the race mainly because of the nature of the seat and that Tory opponent karate champion Molly Irene Samuel-Leport seemingly lost the will to win months ago:  Krupesh Hirani 77782 and Molly Irene Samuel—Leport (Con) 56560 votes.
Historically personal votes have significantly influenced election outcomes in the Harrow East constituency and Brent and Harrow GLA seat.
Navin Shah defeated the then siting B&H GLA member Bob Blackman in 2008 despite the national trend against Labour because of Blair warmongering and then he came close to defeat the sitting Harrow East MP Blackman in the 2017 general election despite being given only few weeks to canvass the constituency with the help of his friends and family.
Delighted Cllr Hirani is a university graduate in politics and has good experience in the political sector where he held a number of posts.
During the Operation Black Vote Shadowing Scheme Mr Hirani was mentored by David Lammy MP. He seems to have good grip on a variety of socio-political matters, relevant to a wider society.
Though Cllr Hirani is seen more at the temple activities but he says he believes in representing all. He informs that he has spent his working life with organisations that support disabled people.
Cllr Hirani is proud of the local area and said: “I have been educated through the Brent state school system and am passionate about the area”.

“The imbalance between the Mayor’s powers and that of Assembly Members is stark. Assembly Members require power and recognition they sadly lack in the current governance arrangements. And it is my firm belief, that a fundamental overhaul is needed to address that imbalance” states Navin Shah (Lab), retiring Brent and Harrow London assembly member.
Mr Shah is but retiring Chair of the London Assembly over the past year. During the last 13 years he has served as the Chair of the Regeneration, Transport and Audit Committees and also served on Planning, Health & Public Services and Oversight Committees.
Mr Shah strongly believes in the London assembly reform and said, “I am in complete support of the GLA as a strategic body for London. However, 21 years on from the establishment of the GLA and the London Assembly, it is high time for a comprehensive and independent assessment to determine how the role of the London Assembly and Assembly Members can be strengthened”.
Mr Shah’s successor for Brent and Harrow Cllr Hirani and London mayor candidate Sadiq Khan, are set to win as the Tory candidates in the race have lost the sight of the winning post. Labour win despite low Labour voter turnout because of the poor and divisive Labour leadership, would reflect badly on Tories!

Good to see periodic text and video messages from the council leader and the director of public health about the infection, vaccination etc.
Whilst the information they provide is useful, responding to Covid-19 is more than this and includes services developed new procedures and ways, and working with others where needed, to provide more appropriate services and care, most importantly effectively keeping in touch with the residents.
Taking the communications in adult social care as an example, some councils with better leadership and management have worked with adult social care providers to embrace new ways for people who use services to stay in touch with family and friends while personal contact isn’t possible.
For example (as outlined by CQC), care homes send weekly newsletters to family members, as well as using Skype calls for residents to keep in touch with families. They set up relatives/friends WhatsApp groups to keep them informed to reduce their anxiety about their loved ones. They use this for video calls if they want.
Generally, good councils effectively inform which services are operating remotely throughout the pandemic and how to readily access these. User-friendly websites and easy read information about Covid-19 in different languages, help further.
Children services introduce texting service to support young people (10-19) and parents of children aged 0-5.
Well-being boards are effectively used to influence the CCGs for improved primary medical services design and delivery, including: encourage to set up a community team that could identify patients who could self-refer for help with activities like shopping, practice nurses to run a home visiting service and creating lead roles for important clinical and non-clinical areas.
Encourage the formation of GP Care Groups to provide patients with COVID-19 home monitoring kits including a pulse oximeter, a thermometer and blood pressure monitor where appropriate, and better links with care homes through the groups.
And to see that school nurses support virtual safeguarding conferences to make sure the child was represented. They also conduct health and sexual health assessments by video link.
Not sure whether the Harrow council has adopted/helped to set up these  good practices (above) as done by other councils who also face similar Covid-19 challenges but have avoided ‘crisis management’ type working!
Given the bad experiences of residents to get prompt/helpful responses to their telephone calls and emails to the council and given the low quality of its website, Harrow council could benefit by accepting that Covid-19 has been the catalyst for digital transformation at pace and search for digital solutions to support residents by adopting a multi-channel approach including Facebook Live and live internet chats as well as regular virtual meetings and brainstormings by the council services leads.

As the leading academics cited in the government’s controversial and seemingly pre-determined race report says they were not properly consulted, tweeter is busy in highlighting a Labour’s ‘racist’ leaflet.
A government-commissioned review into racism has concluded the United Kingdom is not an institutionally racist country, prompting a backlash from critics who described the findings as an “utter whitewash”, and that  Commission chairman Tony Sewell, once a Brent teacher, had been appointed only because he could be relied upon to deny there was a problem with racism in Britain. Sewell in 2010 stated “much of the supposed evidence of institutional racism is flimsy”.
Displeased with the report, Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas said “This report was a huge missed opportunity to begin to tackle the structural racism that exists in our country and which requires a multifaceted government response to begin to sort. Better leadership on this is long overdue”.
In the lead up to the 2021 local elections, Labour MP  Charlotte Nichols posted on Twitter about campaigning in the local area alongside a photo of Labour leaflets with a strong anti traveller community message printed on them.
The Shadow Equalities Minister later said she wasn’t aware of the meaning of “incursion” used in the leaflet or its negative connotation.
Responding to Nichols, a tweet said “If this true, and you don’t understand something so basic, then you shouldn’t be Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities.  If you had any integrity you’d resign”.
The problem isn’t the word “incursion.” The problem is a Labour leaflet promoting racism and, if you don’t see that, you should probably join the Tories, said the tweet.
Harrow councillor Pamela Fitzpatrick, Labour parliamentary candidate for Harrow East, points out that in legal dictionary ‘incursion’ is defined as a running into; hence, an entering into a territory with hostile intention; a temporary invasion, a predatory or harassing inroad; a raid.
“Attacking GRT (Gypsy Roma Traveller) is common. I have had to challenge Tories in Harrow in the council chamber for their offensive language. But I have also seen and heard it from Labour members. Nothing is done to challenge those responsible” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

A recent meeting of the Harrow Council health and wellbeing board heard that the borough’s vaccination programme will be predominantly based at Byron Hall in Harrow when the vaccination at Hives and Tithe Farm would cease on April 30.
Therefore, it is worrying to hear that those who were called for their second dose of the vaccination today found the Byron Hall operations are closed till at least next Sunday – no prior notice of the closure seems to have been given to the attendees.
Lisa Henschen, assistant managing director for primary and community care at NHS Harrow, told the meeting that the Byron Hall will be utilised as a “hybrid” vaccination site, delivering all second doses save for some ‘roving teams’ for housebound residents from May 1.
It will also be responsible for 80 per cent of first doses from this date, complemented by the roving teams (one per cent), GP-led satellite clinics (nine per cent) and pharmacy sites (ten per cent).
The meeting also heard that there will be an effort to improve the vaccination statistics among social care workers and those with learning disabilities in Harrow, where 54.6 per cent and 65.6 per cent of these groups have received their first dose, respectively.
The wellbeing board, seemingly good in listening than active intervention, is well represented by the Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group, Councillors and Healthwatch Harrow,  but its firmness in demanding better health care and wellbeing is somewhat over-shadowed by the considerations of the budgetary constraints of the  Clinical Commissioning Group.

Harrow residents and workers are being urged to do all they can to prevent the spread of Covid-19 following few cases of the South African variant.
Working with Public Health England, the council will shortly offer tests to anyone over the age of 16 living or working in some selected streets.
Those in Belmont, Harrow Weald, Hatch End, Headstone North, Marlborough and Wealdstone wards will be asked either to complete a home test or book a test at Harrow Arts Centre.
Anyone testing positive must self-isolate for 10 days. People on low incomes unable to work because they’re self-isolating may be able to claim a £500 payment.
Carole Furlong, Harrow’s Director of Public Health, said, “I’d urge everyone invited to take part in surge testing to do so.
“By testing you’ll be helping to limit the spread of Covid and make the lifting of further lockdown restrictions more likely. “
“This variant is still quite new – while there’s no evidence that it’s more serious than others, or that vaccines are less effective against it, our understanding of it is still quite limited” she said.

In his newsletters, Harrow East MP Bob Blackman keeps praising government’s economic strategy, including its recent budget, and handouts to NHS and other authorities.
“Behind the Budget’s slick government and media PR, rhetorical moves away from austerity and increases in overall tax and spend, there lies a simple truth: the Tories will hand out billions to their friends but won’t invest in our public services or protect the living standards of working people” reports the powerful socialist Peace and Justice Project.
For example, the two figures £37 billion and £3.50 where the former is the cost of the privatised Serco test and trace (generally reported as a faulty test and trace system), the latter the weekly pay rise for NHS nurses, both revealed by the government last week.
And the Metro has reported today that the Department of Health did £90,000,000 PPE deal with a firm listed in a Chinese hotel room.
In reporting benefits for the few and hardship for the many, the PJP points out that before being asked to pay a penny more, big business will have £12 billion of tax relief giveaways lavished on them for the next year, which will allow companies like Amazon to pay even less tax than the pittance they already pay. While:
Public sector workers received a real term pay cut, again. NHS workers were awarded a pitiful 1%, and 1.3 million majority female low paid workers will be brought into income tax as part of a stealth tax rise on the many, alongside a 5% rise in council tax.
The derisory extension to Universal Credit is only temporary and there was no extension to legacy benefits.
Disabled people, who have made up 60% of the deaths from Covid, have been entirely ignored. The social care system, which supports many disabled people and vulnerable older people, received no additional support.
Statutory Sick Pay remains so low that many can’t afford to self-isolate if medically required.
And those facing rent arrears or debts due to the pandemic got no support, while the stamp duty cut is a handout to landlords that inflates house prices for us all.
Governments shouldn’t be judged on how much they tax and spend in total but who it taxes and who it spends on, asserts the PJP.

Looks that some political attention seekers in Harrow are using Covid-19 to stir up socio-religious emotions for point scoring.
At the councillor questions time last Harrow council cabinet meeting, councillor Almond (photo) asked: “What evidence do you have that closing places of worship has helped to stop the spread of Covid?”
Pity Almond did not know that there are no direct measures to gauge the impact of closing places of worship on stopping the Covid-19 spread, except that public gatherings during the COVID-19 run serious risk of spreading the infection.
Leader of the council, councillor Graham Henson, who answered the question was gentle enough not to reject Cllr Almond’s wasteful question.
In pointing out that the council makes well informed statements regarding the Covid-19 situations in Harrow, Cllr Henson said “I do know that over Christmas, as I mentioned earlier, the rates were escalating exponentially. And it’s that argument we used with the Minister for Education as why schools should remain closed rather than opening up”.
“And this is where the faith leaders agreed that reducing down the level of contact amongst the population is the only way that reduces the spread of the virus. So all of this is evidence based. It’s all available online on the government websites.  All of it is factual information that shows what happens”.
“There’s no single thing that can slow this virus, and it’s a multitude of things and one of those was reducing contact between people which is the most effective” he added.
Councillor questions time at the cabinet meetings is a valuable democratic opportunity to hold the administration to account but this limited time must be used sensibly.