Hundreds of thousands of UK households are affected unfairly by the ‘Two Child’ benefits cap, which restricts universal credit and child tax credit to a family’s first two children and provides less or nothing for any others. It is one of our country’s biggest causes of child poverty, which has increased significantly among families with three children, for example, since the cap was introduced in 2017, and bigger families considerably more likely to be using food banks. 

More than half of those affected are in work and nearly half are single parent households, often for reasons beyond their control, such as death of a partner or a job loss. The poverty faced by many families doing everything right that they can, with parents working as much as they can, is shocking. 

Whatever the intention of the policy, it is creating deep divisions in young people’s development, which will affect lifelong outcomes in their health, education and employment. Many of the current generation are missing out on educational and recreational activities to develop their bodies and minds, which are simply out of reach.

Closer to home, though, Islington Council applies the same Two Child Cap on its council tax support for lower income households as the government does nationally, even though Labour, who currently have the majority on the Council, have expressed opposition to the policy at both national and local levels.

The Two Child Cap should be scrapped, nationally. But, while it’s only part of the wider picture, Islington should play their part to support struggling families, by scrapping it here too.

Cllr Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: Islington and the National Government must end two-child caps on support appeared first on Islington Green Party.

Admittedly the government’s decision to make Poole Park an academy was wrong-headed and ideological, as Cllr Ngongo suggests, and it’s to be hoped that the council’s appeal against this succeeds. But the council’s process for managing around declining numbers of school-age children in the borough has gone poorly. Another primary school is already at risk of academisation, in the south of the borough, and ramifications of the council’s choices have not been considered for other schools. Drayton Park, for example, has been federated with Montem for several years, following the council’s encouragement and considerable commitment by staff, parents and governors, and its financial stability is threatened by the changes too.

In particular, parents and unions feel unlistened to on this and we are unapologetic about wanting to give them time in council for the changes to be debated properly. It’s time to pause Stage 2 of the council’s school reorganisation plan and fold this into Stage 3, ensuring that the student places crisis is considered in the round and as constructively as possible.

Your article mentions that this is the first time in ten years that a council decision has been called in. That’s because Islington’s constitution requires a call-in to be submitted by at least five councillors and until recently Islington has been effectively a ‘one-party state’, with an all-powerful Labour super-majority. It is only after two councillors resigned from the Labour party, on matters of principle, that they and the three elected Green Party councillors now have the power to work together, as an opposition, to call in poor decisions.

Super-majorities are bad for democracy, bad for financial management and notoriously reluctant to listen to other views than their own. The aggrieved tone of Cllr Ngongo’s letter is recognition, perhaps, that Islington Labour’s super-majority is no longer quite as invulnerable to challenge as it was. Perhaps, instead, they should now just start listening to people a bit more.

Cllr Benali Hamdache

Leader of the Opposition (Green Party)

The post Letters to the Papers: Labour’s weakened super-majority means more accountability appeared first on Islington Green Party.

The great majority of scientists now recognise that Climate Change is real, is already happening, and is largely caused by human activity, but ‘climate sceptics’ still exist, some in positions of considerable influence. I recently met two, myself, and would encourage any among your readers to present their viewpoints within your pages, to allow the community to engage in full debate and discussion.

For any readers who wish to find out more, locally based environmental charity, Greenpeace, has a wealth of data on its website. People who want to be actively involved in the climate struggle locally could visit the Islington Climate Centre pop-up space at Angel Central. Or any wishing to help stand more widely for environmental and social justice are, of course, welcome to join Islington’s second biggest party, the Green Party!

Robert Tollemache, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: Tackling the Climate Emergency appeared first on Islington Green Party.

The signatories admitted that taxing them would not affect their standard of living, deprive their children or harm their nations’ economies. It would, however, “turn extreme and unproductive private wealth into an investment for our common democratic future.”

A poll of over two thousand of the wealthiest people in the G20, furthermore, has found that more than half of them think extreme wealth is a threat to democracy, and almost three quarters support higher taxes on their own wealth, to improve public services and help address the cost of living crisis.

In the UK, a YouGov poll last year showed that three quarters of us would support wealth taxes on millionaires, too, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Conservatives have no intention to implement such a thing, while, more disappointingly, Labour have confirmed they have no plans to do so either.

If our largest two parties are so out of touch with public sentiment, the damage inequality causes, and the benefits a wealth tax could bring, who can people vote for in the coming year’s elections, if they think this issue is important? The Green Party, as it happens, is proposing a tax on the wealthiest top 1%, which could raise £21-43 billion a year. Just saying…

Andrew Myer, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: Vote Green to see popular wealth tax become a reality appeared first on Islington Green Party.

For many years Islington Green Party have been campaigning to exempt Islington Council’s poorest residents from paying council tax.

It used to be the case that people on the lowest incomes were given a 100 per cent discount from council tax, but the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition handed over the discount scheme to local authorities without enough money to protect people on the lowest incomes.

Council budgets are strained, but chasing people for council tax they are too poor to pay simply pushes residents into growing arrears, desperation, and financial distress, which may lead them to need more council support.

The health and the finances of the borough are best served by discounting as many residents on low incomes as possible from paying council tax. Labour’s new council tax reduction scheme extends a total discount to more households than ever, but the Green Party would go further.

Our upcoming budget amendment will find the money to protect more residents in this cost of living crisis. That’s why we abstained on Labour’s proposals. They’re a welcome step forward but we need to go further.

Cllr Benali Hamdache
Leader of the Green Party Opposition Group

The post Letters to the Papers: The low-paid need protection from council tax appeared first on Islington Green Party.

Globally the UN Environment Programme warns that funding to protect communities against heatwaves, floods and droughts is less than a tenth of what is needed and has actually fallen in recent years, even though extreme weather events are getting stronger and more frequent.

But while communities and emergency services work together to protect us all, each new event seems to strike our government as an unexpected surprise. And the current Conservative administration is even pulling back from the already inadequate action we had in place to try to minimise climate change.

We need a government who understand that the Climate Emergency really is an emergency. There will be a General Election in the UK in the next year or so and I’d urge concerned voters to listen closely to what commitments the different political parties make on the subject!

Andrew Myer, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: We need leaders who understand the full impact of the Climate Emergency appeared first on Islington Green Party.

Worryingly, the Ombudsman’s report found administrative failings in every case it investigated and called for the council’s complaints handling process to be improved.

From my perspective, as a ward councillor, improvements to complaints handling would be welcome but we can avoid many complaints in the first place, if more attention is paid to routine maintenance like clearing gutters, to avoid creating leaks that need repairs, and by addressing the backlog of cyclical major works, which many estates are years overdue for.

Tenants and leaseholders living on Islington estates deserve better. Rather than just paying out more of its limited funds in compensation, Islington can and must get a grip on the condition of the borough’s housing.

From Cllr Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Green Party, Highbury ward

The post Letters to the Papers: Proactive measures needed for Islington’s housing stock appeared first on Islington Green Party.

We live in a beautiful integrated multi-cultural city which is being tested by events far away, but also close to many homes. It is more important than ever that we all reach out to communities other than our own, and not be tempted to hide behind walls and shout for one side or the other.

David Brewerton, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: Now more than ever, we must show solidarity with all Londoners appeared first on Islington Green Party.

The Conservatives are attempting to ban local authorities and other public bodies from exercising their right to boycott, such as by committing to ethical investment policies. However, on behalf of the Green Party, I proposed a motion at the September meeting of Islington Council for the council to raise its voice in opposition to this blatantly anti-democratic ban, a motion that was passed unanimously.

The Greens and Labour do not always see eye to eye, but we were proud of all our councillors in raising their voices in opposition to the ban, especially since Labour MPs were whipped to abstain when the bill had its second reading in Parliament.

In this campaign we are joining a broad coalition of over seventy organisations, including charities, trades unions and the Scottish government. Our local authority, for all our disagreements, has much more of a mandate to set ethical procurement policy than this Sunak-led government that none of us voted for.

Cllr Benali Hamdache, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: Celebrating our right to boycott appeared first on Islington Green Party.

But that’s with the best will in the world! Over just the last few days, as it happens, Rishi Sunak, our Prime Minister, has delayed or abandoned key commitments to carbon reduction, become the motorists’ new best friend, and given the green light to a whole new oil field in the North Sea, all in the hope of short-term political benefit. These moves are against the advice of his government’s own scientific advisers and are reckless eco-crimes not just against the planet but against our own children and grandchildren.

Fly-tipping our emissions onto future generations will not only make the reduction task much harder but significantly increase the quantity of carbon spillage they have to deal with. Sadly, though, Sir Keir Starmer, our esteemed Leader of the Opposition, is so far failing to oppose these moves too and it is not clear that a future Labour government would reverse them. Making them an accessory to the crimes as well.

Humankind is clever and hardworking, and with the right leadership can hopefully pull through this emergency. But if we want to avoid the most calamitous impacts of climate change, grassroots Labour and Tory members need to apply pressure, at both their party conferences this month, to make their leaders see sense. Our children and grandchildren are depending on them.

Andrew Myer, Islington Green Party

The post Letters to the Papers: We must hold our politicians accountable for the sake of the future appeared first on Islington Green Party.