Council chief's six-figure salary disgusts residents

By Andrew MacAskill and Max Colchester

Local residents expressed anger yesterday after it was disclosed that eight members of the council are earning over £100,000 a year.

Helen Bailey, the Chief Executive Officer of Islington Council, came top of the rich list with a total salary of £139,000.

Put in context this is enough to pay for seven full time nurses or seven full time care workers.

Lucy Benson, 26, a care worker with disabled children at Haywards Adventure playground, earns just £18,000 a year. She branded Bailey’s wage as “disgraceful”.

“This money could be better spent helping people in Islington. At our school We have had two workers made redundant in the last year when our funding was cut. These people do not do as difficult a job as we do,” she said.

Taxpayers’ Alliance, a pressure group fighting for lower taxation, uncovered the figures during a nationwide campaign to name and shame high earning council workers.

Corin Taylor, Head of Research at the Tax Payers' Alliance, has criticised the “fat cat” wages in Islington.

He said: "Families in Islington are struggling with the demands of inflation-busting council tax bills and they will be outraged to know that much of their hard-earned money has gone on council salaries.”

One outraged resident, Alice Greene, 49, who has lived in Islington for over 20 years, said: “It would be great if they actually earned their salary. I think that the council is made up of skirmishers who are in a comfort zone.”

This view was echoed by Nathan Buller, 58, who condemned the council’s failure to address key issues in the borough:

He said: “What have they done to deserve this, there are problems with housing, road works and crime. It is a fraud that they are being awarded this money. ”

The Labour Party council members have questioned the high wages being paid to the senior members of the council and have pledged to reduce their salaries.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party, said: “The executive members of the council are being paid more than the average for London. We pledge to reduce the amount they are paid so it falls in line with the other London boroughs”

Melanie Toogood, Reverend of the St Georges in Islington, has defended the executive members. She said: “I don’t think anybody is paid what they are worth but I am sure that these are well intentioned people who do a good job.”

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Shisha smoked out of Islington

By Andrew MacAskill

Turkish restaurants in Islington may be forced out of business when the new smoking legislation comes into force in July.
Middle Eastern restaurant owners across the borough have joined a national campaign to make shisha exempt from the incoming legislation.
Shisha is a stand-up water pipe device used to smoke flavoured tobacco, popular in the Arab community. It will be outlawed along with cigarettes and cigars in bars, restaurants and coffee shops.

Akala-Ali, who runs the Café Gallipoli on Upper Street, is encouraging his customers in his restaurant to sign a petition on the Number 10 website calling for shisha to be excluded from the ban. The petition has received 1500 signatures so far.
Customers pay eight pounds to smoke a pipe in the Café Galliopli and Mr Ali is concerned the loss of income will ruin his business.
He said: “This time next year I don't know what I will do, or if the restaurants will be open. People come to the restaurant in order to smoke shisha and an important source of income is from shisha.”
The owner of the Café Bazaar restaurant on Caledonian Road, Omeed Naziori, is also concerned about the impact of the ban and argues smoking shisha should be exempt because it less harmful than inhaling smoke from cigarettes.
“Smoking hookah contains less tobacco and nicotine than cigarettes, so it poses less of a danger,” Naziori said. “Forcing people to smoke shisha at home will increase exposes children and young people to the harms of secondhand smoke.”
The Department of Health disputes this. They claim shisha is worse for peoples’ health than cigarettes, saying that whereas a cigarette lasts around ten puffs, the average shisha session lasts 80 minutes, the equivalent of 100 puffs.
Ibrahim El-Nour, who co-ordinates a pro-shisha smoking campaign group is now considering bringing the ban to judicial review, on the grounds the government did properly consult the café owners and restaurant owners.
El Nour also argues it is a violation of his human rights, and banning smoking shisha will take away an important social activity for the Muslim community, who use it as an alternative to drinking alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam.
“To ban smoking shisha is an attack on a way of life for many Arab people.
Smoking shisha is a way for people from the community to come together,” he said. “Shisha is the equivalent of a pint in the pub. A nascent part of British culture will be lost if the ban stands.”

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Leaseholders forced to pay council £40,000 each for repairs

By Rosie Lavan

A leading local campaigner has warned the council not to underestimate the “political force” of leaseholders in Islington.

Brian Potter, chair of the newly formed Islington Leaseholders Association, told Islington Now that the 11,000 leaseholders in the borough “really do stand out, not just as a financial force. We are now a political force.”

He said: “That sort of [political] leverage is the only thing that works and it works right up to central government. That’s why they have been so loathe to allow leaseholders to join hands.”

Housing concerns continue to dominate the political agenda in the borough, and the leaseholders issue has become particularly contentious.

Leaseholders, who bought their properties from the council, have been struck with huge bills for repairs to communal areas of buildings and estates they share with council tenants.

Residents on the Spa Green estate, just off Rosebery Avenue, have faced bills of up to £40,000 per leaseholder, and on the St Luke’s estate bills have reached £20,000.

Anna Scott, a leaseholder on an estate in St George’s, said the charges had “slaughtered a lot of the leaseholders round here”.

She said two of her neighbours, also leaseholders, had been forced to move because they could not pay the bills: “It’s absolutely diabolical that some leaseholders have had to move out – further out of the borough and further out of London.”

Ms Scott said one of the main reasons for the huge service charges leaseholders have received was the Major Works programme, which the council has undertaken to meet a target set by the government in 2000 to bring social housing up to a “decent standard” by 2010.

She said the council had been forcing through these works all at once in an effort to meet the target. Works include repairs and replacement of windows, roofs, and improving security for shared entrances.

Ms Scott said that complaints from leaseholders, and suggestions for alternative, cheaper ways to carry out the works, had been ignored.

The major works programme is being handled by Homes for Islington (HfI), the much-criticised Arms Length Management Organisation set up to manage the borough’s housing stock.

A senior spokesman from HfI’s Major Works department said leaseholders were consulted throughout the early stages of planning major works.

He said: “We do listen, but then it’s about how they [leaseholders] are going to pay.”

He defended the controversial process for appointing contractors to carry out the works: rather than the open bidding that used to determined which firms would carry out work on social housing, HfI chooses which firms it will award contracts to.

He said HfI offered leaseholders favourable interest rates when paying their bills and independent debt advice was available for vulnerable leaseholders.

For those who struggle to pay, he said ultimately options include putting a charge on the property or arranging equity release.

He conceded that these serious steps, which effectively relinquish the security of peoples’ homes, could cause enormous concern, and said that he knew of only three people in the borough who had been forced to investigate these options.

Councillor Terry Stacy, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat council and executive member for housing, defended HfI and the council’s housing policy.

He said: “By securing and setting up the ALMO we released over £120 million investment into the council’s housing stock.”

He said the council been “catching up on 30 years worth of underinvestment” by previous Labour councils.

Both Cllr Stacy and the HfI spokesman said that the £40,000 bills for Spa Green leaseholders were due to the fact that the estate is listed by English Heritage and all works carried out have to meet with the original design specifications set by the architect Berthold Lubetkin in the 1940s.

Cllr Stacy says leaseholders should have taken this into account when they bought their properties.

“They should have had a good survey done – they would have been told that.”

He also suggested leaseholders who bought under Mrs Thatcher’s right-to-buy policy were in a comfortable position, now owning flats worth a great deal more than the amount they paid in the 1980s. A two bedroom flat on Spa Green can fetch up to £400,000.

Cllr Stacy said the Liberal Democrat council was committed to the housing issue – former executive members for housing have included a council leaseholder and a council tenant. Cllr Stacy himself is a housing association tenant.

But his words are unlikely to convince campaigners. Referring to the situation for leaseholders in the neighbouring borough of Camden, Mr Potter claimed: “People working for Camden council were told to treat leaseholders as an open cheque book. I don’t doubt that for one second that the same applied to Islington.”

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New rail network for Islington

By Rupert Neate

A NEW London Overground will soon complement Islington’s Underground, Transport for London has announced.
Highbury and Islington, Caledonian Road, and Barnsbury stations are to be incorporated into a new city wide rail network.

Transport for London (TfL) will be taking over control of the North London line from the Silverlink Metro in November 2007. The service will be renamed London Overground and the trains will have the network’s own trademark ‘Roundel‘.
Millions of pounds will be spent on trains and station improvements with a view to increasing the frequency of service on the line.
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: “For decades national rail services in London have been neglected and in many cases under-utilised. The transfer of responsibilities to Transport for London and the dawn of 'London Overground' will start the much needed revitalisation of London rail services, bringing the standards of service up to the levels of the Tube and the buses.”
TfL’s takeover of the line is part of a wider scheme to create an ‘M25 of the railways’. London Overground will also take over control of the East London Line and build a £1bn extension to North Dalston in the North and West Croydon in the South, creating a continuous train link from Richmond to West Croydon. A future train link is planned between West Croydon and Clapham Junction to form a complete orbital railway of London.
The development is likely to have a considerable impact on the people of Islington as Barnsbury, and Highbury and Islington stations are key interchange stations on the line.
Joe Ragdimskin, of Bewdley Street said: “It sounds like a great plan, as the current trains are a disgrace. They only come every half and hour and they’re usually late”.
Margaret Shaw, of Hemingford Road said: “This isn’t the first time we have been promised improvements to Barnsbury station, only last year SilverLink promised to refurbish the station, but they haven’t. I don’t use the station as to get there you have walk down a dark alleyway with no lights.”

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Ethnic minority teaching assistants to give boost to boroughs

By Jes Salter

UNEMPLOYED black and ethnic minority men are being trained as teaching assistants in Islington schools in a bid to attract more male role models to the teaching sector.
The unique scheme developed by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) only operates in Islington and Hackney. After 21 weeks of training, assignments and work placements, Islington’s EMAS is awaiting the results of their new graduates.

Marc Thompson, coordinator for the Islington programme, said: “Generally we all need to increase achievement for boys in school and they need more role models, particularly black and ethnic minority men.
“It used to be the case that the only man kids would see in school was a caretaker. We’ve moved on from that but we need to do more.”
The OCR (Oxford Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts) accredited course was oversubscribed and Mr Thompson said his aim was that 30 of the original 40 men would pass the course.
Out of 1,572 teachers in Islington, only 15 per cent are from black and ethnic minority communities, while 78 per cent of teachers are white.
In 2004, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, set a target that nearly a third of London teachers should be black, however Islington’s black teachers alone account for only eight per cent.
Emanuel Etefia, 20, has just handed in his final assignment and is waiting for the results. He said: “The scheme is to help engage men into becoming teaching assistants. It’s wonderful. The reception I’ve got from schools has been so encouraging.”
“We’ve got to address the dynamics in society. At schools, especially primary, 98 per cent of teachers are female. It’s really important, especially as many kids come from broken families nowadays, that there is a male figure at school that they can look up to.”
Mr Etefia went to college to study music technology and left at 18. Since then he has worked part time in youth clubs.
He said: “When I was at school, there was only one male teacher. I want to inspire kids and I think I’m in a better position to do that than a 35-year-old woman. I speak on their level and understand where they’re coming from. I know they don’t want to be dictated to.”
Islington and Hackney are seeking different outcomes from the scheme – while Hackney is more concerned with getting unemployed men into employment, Mr Thompson says Islington are using the scheme to “inspire pupils”.
“We need to say to kids it’s cool to be in school,” he said.

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Norman: I haven't been paid any money by anyone

By Jude Townend

IN AN interview with Islington Now, former Islington Borough Commander DCS Barry Norman claimed he had not yet been paid any money from the Metropolitan Police as a race payout.
He said: “I haven’t been paid any money by anybody,” but added that he may yet receive compensation.
The ex-Borough Commander of Islington, who now heads a high-profile violent crime task force, led a corruption investigation into Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei in 2003, which resulted in an Old Bailey trial.
Chief Superintendent Dizaei was later acquitted and subsequently awarded a £60,000 pay out. Documents leaked this week indicated that the former commander would receive £40,000 compensation as a result of allegations of racism made against him during the inquiry.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Association (MPA) confirmed the proposed payment to Mr Norman saying it was justified and appropriate.
“The proposal to make a payment to an officer, relating to a claim we understood he would bring, was discussed by members at great length and in private, as is always the case when matters relating to an individual officer are brought to the Authority. Agreement to a one-off payment was considered to be both justified and the most appropriate course of action.”
On Wednesday night, however, DCS Barry Norman dismissed suggestions that the case would damage his future.
“It is just an episode in one’s career. These things happen - keep moving. That’s it really.”
He said: “It’s always disappointing when things that are confidential leak into the press.
“I was fully aware [of the suggested payment], of course. I don’t think it is something I’m prepared to discuss any further than that.”
After a meeting this week with Martin Tiplady, the head of human resources at Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Black Police Association have withdrawn their original statement threatening legal action against Scotland Yard. They will, however, still write a letter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) regarding the payment due to be made to Mr Barry Norman.
IPCC spokesperson, Poppy Turner, told Islington Now: “We have not received a complaint as yet. Until we are aware of a complaint we cannot say how it will be dealt with.
“At the time of Operation Helios, complaints were made but we dealt with those in 2004. That has been done and dusted.
“A complaint has to be made in regards to a specific instance of police misconduct.”
But she said it was not within their remit to provide advice. “We wouldn’t encourage them [the Met BPA] to make a complaint.”
Tracy Gittens of the Met BPA said: “We are seeking advice and further compensation from them [the IPCC].”
Dr Dizaei, an Iranian born Muslim, has recently hit the headlines with publication of his autobiography last Monday, ‘Not One Of Us’ in which he claims he was targeted in the police investigation because of his race and colour and lays much of the blame on DCS Norman.

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Police 'automatically' stop black youths

By Helen Roxburgh

ISLINGTON councillors have admitted concerns about police intimidating innocent young black people, by stopping and searching them too often.
At a meeting of the Regeneration Committee, councillors expressed concern that police were not always sensitive when they approach young people, and that too often they searched the wrong people.
Cllr Julia Williams, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hillrise, said: “A lot of youths I meet complain that they get searched more because they are a particular ethnic minority.
“They [police] automatically pick on black people, and abuse them.”
Cllr Williams expressed concern that police were unnecessarily rough during stop and searches, and said that she believed certain youths were targeted more than others.
She said her son was regularly stopped and searched when he was in his teens. She believes he was targeted because he was black.
Alva Bailey, Islington Council’s Community Safety Manager, said that he believed police did intimidate young people when stopping and searching, often unintentionally.
He said the Safer Neighbourhood Teams - designated police officers for each area of the borough funded by the council - were less intimidating to the public because one of their key responsibilities is to build community trust in the police.
A report by the Metropolitan Police Authority shows that a black person is almost four times more likely to be searched than a white person in Islington, even though 75 per cent of the borough are white, with 6 per cent of the population describing themselves as black.
According to the report, for every 1000 black residents living in Islington, an average of 31 would have been searched between October and December last year. For white residents, only 8 per 1000 had been searched.
Cllr Greg Foxsmith, chair of the Regeneration Review Committee, commended the work of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team in improving community relations in the borough.
However, he also expressed concern that certain youths would be picked on more than others, and that the stop and searches might be perceived as discriminatory.
He said: “How do you do a stop and search without alienating some young people? The balance is through the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams and intelligence. We are very aware of that charge of picking on the wrong people.”
However, Mr Bailey said police could not abandon their policy of stop and search just because it might upset those being searched.
“Unfortunately it’s a necessary evil at this point,” he said.

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