In a week that another set of atrocious job figures were released, he decided to visit Platform to hear directly from young people about their experiences of searching for work in Cameron’s Britain.

At Platform, Mr Miliband criticised the Government for ignoring this issue and praised the work of Islington’s Labour Council including our decision to invest a large chunk of our New Homes Bonus money into tackling youth unemployment.  He said: “long-term youth unemployment is now double what it was a year ago… the government should be providing real hope to young people.”

Figures out this week reveal the devastating cost of the Conservative-led Government’s failed economic policies.  In the last three months of 2011 unemployment rose by 48,000 to 2.671 million people.

Even more worrying are the youth unemployment figures.  Youth unemployment now stands at 1.04 million with the long-term youth claimant count at its highest since June 1997.

Accompanying Mr Miliband on his visit was Cllr Richard Watts, the Executive Member for Children and Families at Islington Council.

Cllr Watts said: “Its really important for those in power to listen to young people and learn from then exactly what help they need to find work.  Under the last Conservative Government in the 1980s a generation of young people were ignored and we cannot allow them to make that mistake again.

This is why in Islington we have established a Youth Council with a real budget to spend and real power to change how the Council works with young people.  It is also why I’m delighted that Ed Miliband has taken the time to come and speak to young people to hear first hand about their hopes and aspirations, rather than ignoring them as the Conservative-led Government has chosen to do.”

The launch was a perfect example of how Britain’s multicultural society works, with men and women of all faiths, nationalities and backgrounds uniting to defend their community from fascism and racism.  Over 180 people packed into the public meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Mark Campbell, a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University who reminded the audience that the meeting coincided with holocaust memorial week and how we must never again allow the spectre of fascism to haunt our communities.

Catherine West, Leader of Islington’s Labour Council, used her speech to highlight how important housing is to building a fair, tolerant and equal borough and spoke of the Labour Councils great commitment to this issue.

Afterwards she said: “it was great to see so many people form across our communities come together and send out a clear message that racist and fascists are not welcome in our Borough.”

Traditionally the Crescent had included trees, but these were dying and had to be removed over the last year.  This left one side of the Crescent almost completely bare. 

Unfortunately, pressure on the Council budget, which has received one of the largest cuts in London, meant that replanting the trees was delayed indefinitely.

Local people decided that they wanted them back and begun a campaign to raise the money for five new trees to be planted.  The campaign attracted support from the Napoli Lions Club which works to plant trees and enhance communities around the world.

The local Councillors for the area – James Murray, Mouna Hamitouche and Jilani Chowdhury – also backed the campaign, and allocated funds available under the Council’s new Ward Improvement Plan, to the project.

Cllr Murray said: “I’m on the side of local people.  Money is tight at the moment but I was glad that we could find some small funds to support those people who worked so hard to bring these trees back to their street.  They deserve to enjoy their success after all of the time and money they put into the campaign.”

Along with the campaign group, Cllr Murry and Cllr Chowdhury, attended the ceremonial planting of the first tree on Friday 3^rd February, as can be seen here.

At the end of April, when they trees should be blooming back into life, the campaigners are planning to organise a street party – proving that community spirit is alive and well in Islington.

Cllr Chowdhury added: “In tough times community spirit is even more important, and the success of this campaign proves that Barnsbury has got it in spades.  I was glad we were able to contribute in a small way, but all of the credit must go to the residents who worked so hard to improve the place they call home.”

Increasing the availability of genuinely affordable social housing for local families is Islington Labour’s number one priority, and the regeneration of the Packington is the latest step towards this ambitious goal.

Cllr James Murray, Executive Member for Housing (pictured here with the new Packington residents and the local Cllrs for the area: Alice Perry, Gary Doolan and Martin Klute) said:

“Meeting Union Square‘s newest residents was a reminder of why decent, suitable, and affordable housing is so important in Islington.

These new homes mean local people are moving into places that are the right size for their families and still affordable at social rent levels. It was also good to see the design of these new buildings which reflects the older Islington terrace opposite – this completes the square and means the social and private housing is seen as one.”

On taking office in Islington last year, Islington Labour inherited a Borough with chronically high levels of overcrowding. There were 3,000 overcrowded properties in the Borough and 350 of these properties were defined as severely overcrowded (at least two bedrooms short of what they need).

We were not content with this situation, in particular because our groundbreaking Fairness Commission highlighted how overcrowding severely impacts on children’s development and strong family life.

We are on the side of local families and are determined to overcome this problem.  The challenge of improving our stock of social housing is big, but we are working hard to achieve it with a series of locally-developed policies:

1. Last year Islington was awarded one of the biggest New Homes Bonuses in the country.  £3m of the £3.7m was immediately re-invested to build even more social rent homes for local families.  Islington is due to complete nearly 1,000 new affordable units in the year 2011/12 – the borough’s biggest affordable housing development programme in three decades.

2. Islington’s Labour Council became the first local authority in the country to rule out using the Conservative-led Government’s “Affordable Rent” model of 80% of market rents.  In stead we have developed a policy which tackles the specific local problem of overcrowding.  This offers land and local grants to housing associations which develop true family homes for social rent – 30 to 35% of the market rate – something realistically affordable for low income families in Islington.

3. We have also devised and implemented a new Shared Ownership housing scheme.  This offers a small number of single bedroom Council properties for sale to local people, and the money raised is specifically used to develop new family homes.  This is helping people get a foot on the housing ladder when they could never have previously afforded to, and is freeing up social houses for other tenants.

4. After a careful and considerately managed consultation process, which inspired thousands of residents to get involved in discussing housing issues, we took the decision to bring the Homes for Islington ALMO back under Council control which will enable us to spend more of its budget on front-line housing, rather than administration.

One things for sure, the new residents of the Packington will not be the last people to get new family homes in Islington over the next few years.

Last year the Citizens Advice Bureau in England and Wales dealt with 8,652 new debt problems every day. Not all of the UK’s £1.4 trillion outstanding personal debt is problematic, but that which is can be crippling, and it affects people of every background and class. Personal debt compounds poverty and inequality, and stands to worsen as the economy teeters on the edge of a double-dip recession and people across the country lose their jobs.

Here in Islington we have been trying to tackle this issue head-on. Last year saw the conclusion of the Islington Fairness Commission, which I co-chaired with Professor Richard Wilkinson, co-author of The Spirit Level. Recognising the growing problem of serious debt – research here in 2010 found that 13,000 people in Islington have unsecured debts exceeding £15,000 – the Commission recommended that the Council together with its partners in the Islington Debt Coalition investigate what could be done, particularly to limit the harmful influence of payday loan companies operating in the borough.

Payday lenders offer short-term loans with often extortionate rates of interest. These companies argue that they are only responding to market demand and that without their services many people would be forced to turn to illegal money-lenders. The European Commission which has recently investigated the issue disagrees, suggesting that these companies stimulate rather than respond to demand.

In terms of regulating the behaviour of payday loan companies, it turns out that local authorities do not have the power to enact by-laws simply to shut them down. And the matter is complicated by the fact that many such companies operate primarily over the internet and are often based abroad. The Islington Trading Standards Team has now conducted an investigation into traders operating in and registered in the borough. They have identified a number of instances of these traders taking a fee to find someone a loan and then failing to provide a loan. One trader has now been reported to the Office of Fair Trading and the Metropolitan Police for investigation.

We are also working to develop alternatives to payday lenders. One of the key tools we have been developing is our local Credit Union which offers a very low interest rate and works predominately with people on low incomes. The Credit Union has now updated its working practices so that it has a 24hr transfer facility to make it more accessible to those in urgent need. We are also launching a campaign to encourage more people to save with the Credit Union to increase its capital base, which will increase the amount it can lend. The Credit Union is preparing to launch outreach work in some of the more deprived areas in Islington to engage with residents in greatest need.

But this issue can’t be addressed solely by alternative forms of credit, and to some extent we need to see a cultural shift in terms of financial literacy and people’s behaviour when it comes to debt. We are developing a range of measures, such as interactive workshops, to educate young people about money and debt, and we have already run stalls at local universities’ freshers fairs. The Credit Union also works to promote more responsible behaviour, as it requires all borrowing members to save while they repay debts.

Alongside our work on payday loan companies, we are also working to crack down on illegal loan sharks operating in the borough. Active prosecution of loan sharks is a relatively recent development and, as such, many victims don’t realise the support available to them. We are holding a series of training sessions for frontline staff to help them spot potential victims. We are also organising leaflet-drops in high risk areas to inform residents of the assistance they can call upon.

We are doing what we can here in Islington, through active enforcement, offering alternatives, and crucial preventative work. It’s one of the many ways we’re trying to make the borough we love and live in a fairer place.

This article first appeared on www.llbonline.co.uk a progressive legal website

One of the exciting things about being a Councillor in Islington is that we are a Borough which is not afraid to be innovative and try new solutions to reduce inequality and promote fairness.

I am most reminded of this when something we are doing gets the attention of central government or the national media.

On Monday night one of the country’s most respected newspaper columnists and social commentators, Polly Toynbee, gave evidence to our Communities Review Committee at the Town Hall.  She was particularly interested to find out more about two of our distinctive policies.

Firstly, she was delighted with our decision to provide free school meals for every primary school pupil.  She agreed with us that providing all children with a free school meal is as important as providing pupils with a pen and a notebook, because it improves children’s ability to learn, concentrate and behave.

Secondly, Polly wholeheartedly backed our decision to pay all of our employees at least the London Living Wage.  She suggested we try to persuade our contractors to pay the London Living Wage, and was impressed that we are already doing this, placing Islington at the forefront of the national Labour campaign to encourage firms to pay a living wage.

It’s great to get recognition for the work we are doing, and we will continue to look for innovative ways to make our borough a fairer and more equal place.

This letter first appeared in the Islington Gazette

This is why the Leader of the Council, Catherine West and the Islington Mayor, Phil Kelly, have given special dispensation for the Rainbow Flag to fly from Islington Town Hall during LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) History Month.

This is the first time the flag – which has traditional represented the diversity of the LGBT community – has been flown in such a prominent place in Islington.

LGBT History Month is now in its sixth year, and takes place throughout the month of February.  In partnership with our neighbouring Borough of Camden, Islington will be celebrating the contribution of this vibrant community to Britain’s history, culture and society. 

The month’s events include music, theatre and political debates and you can find the full details here: http://tinyurl.com/IslingtonLGBT

Cllr Catherine West, Leader of the Council explained, “in Islington we have set ourselves the ambitious aim of making our Borough a fairer and more equal place.  The LGBT community is a vibrant and vital part our local community.  I look forward to celebrating the huge contribution they have made to the life of our Borough and our country over the next month.”

Higher education in Europe is going through the biggest changes since the Renaissance. With the UK’s Conservative-Liberal Democrat government increasing tuition fees, cutting university places and slashing universities’ budgets, the debate around improving access is often overlooked.

The UK is highly unequal. Fair access matters. Fair access is about removing barriers to higher education for students from that would not have traditionally studying for university qualifications. Providing opportunities for talent students from non-traditional backgrounds benefits the whole of society, not least because it stimulates economic growth. In a fair society, everyone who has the talent should have the opportunity to study at university. The most talented students should go to the best universities.

Sadly this is not the reality.  Four schools and one sixth-form college sent more pupils to Oxford and Cambridge between them over three years than 2,000 other schools and colleges combined. One Oxford College did not admit a single black student in five years.  A level achievement directly correlates with household income. You can actually predict from the birth weight of a baby how long that person will stay in higher education. (The last statistic is from a book written by Tory Universities Minister David Willets – a shame his policies will only serve to strengthen inequality.)

The fees debate has often centred round the assumption that it is appropriate that the top universities should charge the highest fees. Likewise, less prestigious universities that take a higher percentage of poorer students should offer degrees at lower cost. Poorer students could live at home and study at their less prestigious local university. Poorer students could study part-time or by distance learning. The two-tier system this creates would be regrettable but inevitable.

But what makes a good university?  There is no formal UK accreditation system for ranking university undergraduate degrees. Newspapers compile their own rankings based in part on the relevant A level scores achieved by university entrants. This approach effectively treats university as a reward for high A levels.

Universities that are strongly committed to improving access to higher education have flexible admissions policies. Such universities welcome applications from students who do not have formal or traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the natural ability to undertake a degree. These universities are effectively penalised in the newspaper league tables, with implications for the levels of funding they receive.

Why should universities with successful widening participation programmes (with all the associated challenges of recruiting and supporting students from non-traditional backgrounds) be able to offer education at two thirds of the price of the “top” universities? Logically, universities with successful fair access schemes should receive more funding than “top” universities who admit fewer students from deprived backgrounds. After all, it is more expensive for the former to run their degrees. A Vice-Chancellor of a former polytechnic put this argument to the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats:

“I got Simon Hughes to agree with me. But then you can get him to agree to anything these days.”

This blog first appeared on the Labour List website

I fled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the late nineties. At that time civil war was erupting, the slaughter of children was beginning and political activists were being imprisoned and murdered. Ten million people died in the conflict that followed.

What is now left is a war torn country with no political stability, limited opportunities for its people and little prospect of improvement.

As the first Councillor of Congolese heritage elected in the UK I am proud to serve the people of Tollington Ward but still think of the country that I grew up in.

Last week I hosted a delegation led by Jose Makila DRC MP and met by Cllr Catherine West Leader of Islington Council, Cllr Phil Kelly, Mayor of Islington, Jeremy Corbyn MP and other members of the Islington Congolese community.

The meeting took place in the context of elections in DR Congo last year the outcome of which is disputed. The dispute has spilled over to London and in December 2011, more than 6000 Congolese people from across the UK demonstrated in Westminster over the presidential and parliamentary elections results in the DRC.

I led the discussion on strengthening links between the DRC and the UK and explored ways to support DRC in its future governance. As it stands the UK is the largest bilateral donor to the DRC, thanks to the last Labour Government. A brilliant idea that arose during the meeting was the possibility of DR Congo joining the Commonwealth. Jose Makila DRC MP supported this and stated that ‘’joining the Commonwealth could be a positive way of getting much needed support to develop the country’’.

Other members of the delegation agreed to kick-start a process for this to happen and Jose Makila DRC MP has promised to put forward a motion to the DRC Parliament about Congo joining the Commonwealth. Later in the day we travelled to Parliament to meet the other MP’s and activitists to lobby the government about this key issue.

I am very proud of the progress made and depth of ideas that we discussed in just one day. The Congolese community has planted the seed of a new idea which could one day see the DRC as part of the Commonwealth.

We have started in some small way to tackle some of the issues facing the DRC. Though the challenges for rebuilding the DRC is huge given that its politics are unstable and any democratic institutions that exist are in its fledgling stages, I remain positive that improvement can happen if more people do their part and help this country.

After all it is in Britain’s interest for the DRC to be a peaceful and stable country where UK jobs can be created through trade links and economies can be strengthened by joint ventures.

I have a new life in Islington and the ward of Tollington is where I call home. The vibrant community, diversity and fairness of the borough make Islington a place that I would never dream of leaving but one day it would be nice to visit to the DRC and the place that I once called home.

This article originally appeared in The Islington Tribune 27/1/12

Problems – including loitering, anti-social drinking and drug taking – have been building in a walkway in the North East side of the estate, near to Elthorne Park. The local community felt that CCTV over the walkway could deter and identify the offenders.

Labour Councillor Marian Spall, who represents the area on Islington Council, reacted to these concerns by campaigning for the new CCTV and liaising with the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team to tackle the problem.

Her campaign has now been a success with a camera installed to be monitored from Homes for Islington’s central CCTV base at Ilex House.

Cllr Spall said: “I live on the Elthorne and am on the side of my neighbours who deserve to feel safe when they step out of their front door.  I’m delighted that local people have finally got the additional CCTV they have been calling for.”

Cllr Barbara Sidnell, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety, joined Marian to inspect the new camera.

Cllr Sidnell said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is one of the Council’s top priorities.  I’m working hard to bring together all of the groups who combat anti-social behaviour in Islington so that we can tackle this problem as one Council.