Map showing the dispersal zone boundaries
Caledonian and Barnsbury ward Councillors have backed the Council plan to quickly establish a dispersal zone in the centre of our neighbourhood. Over the past two months a growing problem has emerged from up to 40 youths whose intimidating behaviour has become totally unacceptable.
This new gang appears to consist mainly of young people from outside the area. At times their behaviour has become very intimidating. Typical behaviour involves screaming, shouting, throwing objects and blocking vehicles and pedestrians on Caledonian Road.
The zone – which will remain in force for at least 3 months – extends across a large part of Caledonian and Barnsbury Wards. The police have special powers under Section 30(4) of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 to:
- Instruct people in a group to disperse;
- Order anyone who does not live in the area to leave – and not to return within 24 hours;
- Impose a 9pm-6am curfew on under-16s who are not under supervision of an adult;
Failure to comply can be punishable by 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
The gang has been congregating in Edward Square and around the parade of shops alongside the Carnegie Street bus stop. Increasing numbers of incidents have been reported in recent weeks:
- A large group attempted to buy knives from a local hardware shop and become abusive and aggressive when the shopkeeper refused;
- Police were called to a fight outside the 24hr supermarket at 183 Caledonian Road
- An incident at 183 Caledonian Road when youths threw bottles inside the shop.
- Local police and the Council’s parks security have encountered a large number of youths in and around Edward Square.
- Residents have been subject to abuse and threatened with assault.
It is believed these youths are associated with a group who became involved in a running fight in Easter week of 2009 which resulted in three stabbings outside the Texaco garage on Caledonian Road. One of the injured youths received a near fatal wounding in that incident.
Cllr Paul Convery comments “For several months, we have been warning the police about this emerging gang and the threat they pose to public safety in the area. There is rising tension in the neighbourhood. Unless this group is broken up and brought under control there is a high risk of very serious trouble.
“The dispersal zone is not the only weapon against this gang. The neighbourhood requires a comprehensive response from the police and other authorities. I am assured that the police and Council have begun to identify many of the perpetrators and ring-leaders. We need firm action against these dangerous and out-of-control youths.
“I remain worried that the youth work presence in our area may be too far-stretched to respond to this new problem. Councillors also want to be assured that the dispersal zone will not result in the problems being displaced into places like Bingfield Park and Thornhill Square.”
Text of the public notice issued is here
Why Labour did well. Why the Lib Dems did not.
The Lib Dems delivered a crazy volume of paper ... here's one voter's doormat (he made the mistake of taking a couple of weeks holiday prior to polling day)
Following last week’s election, many people are asking why Labour did so much better than predicted; and why the Lib Dems fell short of expectation? In Caledonian Ward, Labour took 45% of the vote whilst the Lib Dems got only 29%.
From our experience the question really ought to be: who defined the expectation that Labour would do badly and the Lib Dems do well? Actually it was the Lib Dems themselves. But the voters didn’t buy it. And the Lib Dems made many crucial mistakes.
First, all that paper. The Lib Dems boasted they delivered a million leaflets throughout Islington during the campaign. That’s almost 40 pieces of paper for every single vote their Parliamentary candidates received. It was excessive and voters started to say that very loudly. Labour probably delivered about a fifth of that number of leaflets.
Instead, Labour went door-to-door. Very intensively, regularly and repeatedly. And we started doing that about 2 years ago. We built on the strong roots that our Councillors have in their communities. And we listened carefully to what people said.
Third, Labour pitched an appeal to Labour voters. We did not – as the Lib Dems did – try to win over another group of voters. In their case, Tories. How many times did you read yet another Lib Dem leaflet saying “Tories cannot win here”? Across the Islington South & Finsbury constituency, the Tories scored a respectable 20% of the vote. We met quite a few Tory supporters. They wanted to vote Tory much more than they wanted to vote Lib Dem to “beat Gordon Brown’s MP” as the Lib Dems put it.
Fourth, the tone of the Lib Dem campaign was very negative. At times, it was almost abusive. Voters were astonished to get “letters” from Bridget Fox saying “I just care about Islington and I’m not attacking other political parties” whilst simultaneously her supporters were delivering leaflets that peddled lies and mistruths about Emily Thornberry
Finally, Labour ran an exceptionally upbeat campaign. Contrary to the Lib Dem propaganda, Emily proved to have a strong personal following and her personality shone through the campaign. We argued the case for a Labour Government compared with the perils of a Tory one. And on the doorstep, we honestly admitted where Labour had gone wrong, at times. For the Borough election, we presented an alternative vision for Islington (and our neighbourhoods) which people understood and supported.
Interestingly, this experience in Caledonian Ward and throughout Islington was not unique. It was a London-wide phenomenon. Labour retained many Parliamentary seats that conventional wisdom had marked down as certain losses. And Labour won absolute majorities in 17 London Boroughs last week – having only fully controlled 6 Boroughs before. So, something happened in London which completely bucked the national trend. It was a significant anti-Tory mood shift. And we were part of it.
(A short film about the ecstasy and the agony of one historic night in north London)
Labour’s candidates elected in Caledonian Ward
In a declaration made at 2.45pm today, Rupert, Paul and Charlynne were elected as the Councillors for Caledonian Ward. The results for the 3 Labour candidates were:
Rupert Perry – 2, 540 votes
Paul Convery – 2,503 votes
Charlynne Pullen – 2,245 votes
The nearest other candidate received 1,762 votes.
The official result is posted here.
As a result of the elections yesterday, the Council now has a majority of Labour Councillors. The new Council consists of 35 Labour and 13 Liberal Democrat. The previous Council had been 23 Labour, 23 Lib Dem, 1 Green and 1 Independent Lib Dem.
Paul Convery commented this afternoon “It’s a great privilege to represent this ward and a rather humbling experience to be elected by so many people. May 6th was an extraordinary election in Islington. Both our MPs were returned with increased majorities and Labour has decisively regained control of the Council.
“The people who voted Labour on May 6th have placed considerable faith in us to really turn around this Borough. We are going to change Islington from a place where the previous Lib Dem administration just believed in letting things ‘tick over’ to a Council where the community is in the lead and we actively create a more cohesive Borough in which we overcome poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.”
Labour predicted to take control of Town Hall
It's 5.30am and Labour celebrates with re-elected MPs Emily and Jeremy and Labour Group leader, Catherine West
Labour’s team in Caledonian Ward is predicting that Paul, Rupert and Charlynne will be confirmed as the 3 Councillors for our ward once the Council election count is finally declared later this afternoon (Friday, 7th May).
The voters’ verdict in Islington’s two parliamentary seats resulted in decisive wins for Labour’s two MPs.
Alongside the Parliamentary election voters also cast their ballots for the Borough Council. The vast majority of electors yesterday cast their votes for the same Party in both the Parliamentary and Council elections.
According to the Islington Gazette’s online coverage:
“Labour has pulled off a resounding General Election victory double in Islington – winning both Parliamentary seats with increased majorities. Liberal Democrat challenges were quashed as voters re-elected long-standing MP Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North and incumbent Emily Thornberry in Islington South and Finsbury.”
That’s why Labour is predicting that its candidates will be elected in a majority of the Borough’s 16 wards.
Yesterday evening, Labour scrutineers undertook a thorough “sampling” of the ballots during the pre-count “verification” phase. Our opponents did the same thing. Both reached broadly the same conclusions.
Labour’s Paul Convery comments “Rupert, Charlynne and I watched the ballot papers being unfolded and stacked yesterday evening. We were amongst the scrutineers undertaking an informal tally and we’re pretty certain there is a clear majority to elect us in Caledonian Ward. Our colleagues at the count who scrutinised other wards throughout the Borough report a similar experience. By mid afternoon we shall have the official result and declaration. Until then, we’re keeping quiet but are cautiously optimistic”.
Emily Thornberry re-elected as our MP
Labour’s Emily Thornberry was re-elected yesterday with a significantly increased majority. The result was declared at 5.00am with the 3 main party candidates receiving the following votes:
Emily Thornberry Labour 18,407 (42.3%)
Bridget Fox Liberal Democrat 14,838 (34.1%)
Antonia Cox Conservative 8,449 (19.4%)
The majority is 3,569 and the turnout was 43,555 (64.4%)
The official result is published here on the Islington Council website.
Business as usual … on an unusual day
On the eve-of-poll, Rupert undertook Cally Labour Councillors' regular advice "surgery"
Rupert Perry marked the eve-of-poll today by … doing the regular Councillors’ surgery.
With just hours of the current four year municipal term remaining and barely 12 hours before the polls open, Rupert headed over to the Jean Stokes Community Hall on the Bemerton Estate to meet constituents discuss concerns or problems they might need help with.
Since their election in 2006, the Labour Councillors in Cally have undertaken 160 surgeries (at least 3 regular sessions per month and additional surgeries for community groups such as Islington Bangladeshi Association).
In addition to individual members of the public meeting their Cally Labour Councillors face-to-face, “casework” comes in many other ways. E-mail, letters and telephone enquiries generate several hundred issues a year.
Since their election in 2006, the Cally team reckon to have dealt with around 800 individual requests for assistance and responded to over a thousand people asking for information or lobbying over Council decisions. Much of the personal casework is dominated by housing problems especially families in overcrowded homes.
Rupert remarks “the last surgery in our current term of office was a moment to reflect on the many people we have helped, the campaigns we have fought and the results we have acheived for our constituents.
“As the people of Caledonian Ward go to the polling stations tomorrow, Thursday May 6th, we hope to resecure their support and, if re-elected, we pledge to reciprocate that support to our voters with a renewed commitment to diligently serving their interests”.
Labour’s vision for this area is described by Cllr Paul Convery in an interview with Will Perrin for the www.kingscrossenvironment.com website. Paul says that Labour Councillors want the neighbourhood to benefit from investment around Kings Cross and for young people in particular to gain from the arrival of new jobs.
He says that development in the area must be on a “human scale”, supply new “social infrastructure” and contribute to prosperity in the disadvantaged parts of the ward. He says that a new hope is required for the neighbourhood’s young people. Labour’s team is committed to a “huge investment” in building new youth clubs and services.
He hopes that this week’s local election will give Labour a majority in the Town Hall and the authority to implement their plans.
Paul stresses that Labour’s team are genuinely connected to this area and, in his words, “expect to grow old here and seen our kids go to school and grow up here.” That gives them a knowledgeable perspective and a personal stake in the way the neighbourhood changes.
He added that “Labour offers an authentic voice and a credible, radical programme for improvement in this area. Labour’s priorities are those of the people who live in Caledonian. We know because we live here. We know our neighbours. And we listen. Over the past 4 years we have demonstrated our commitment to making the neighbourhood a safer and more secure place for everyone.”
Our plan for shops and businesses on Cally Road
Many of the shops and businesses along Caledonian Road have faced an uphill struggle over the last few years. There are currently 35 empty or under-used shop units between Kings Cross and Pentonville prison.
Over the last decade, the Council has made some attempts to boost business on the Cally but it has not been sustained or effective. As Councillors, we have pushed hard for a variety of improvements to the streetscene and helped individual businesses facing rising rents or business rates.
Labour plans to win control of the Town Hall on May 6th. When this happens, we will bring new investment and public funding into the area to kick start a revival of our local High Street. We will do this according to a proper plan – with the support of business owners – to revive and expand a vibrant and successful area for retail, restaurants, cafes and other services. The plan for economic growth on the Cally should include:
- Environmental clean-up, regular maintenance and repair of pavements and street fixtures;
- A marketing campaign to promote shops and services on Cally;
- Encourage more street stalls – e.g. use the pedestrian area of Tilloch Street for a weekly market;
- Flexible parking rules so shoppers and service vehicles can pick-up and deliver close to shops;
- Better safety and security from vandalism and crime, e.g. using CCTV more selectively and learning from the successful “alert box” scheme for shops that Labour Councillors introduced last year;
- Re-establish the shopfront improvement fund – which was cut by the Lib Dems – and bring back the annual “best shopfront on Cally” competition;
- Minimise the business rates for every Cally trader – by making sure rates valuations are correct and that small enterprises qualify for the small business discount;
- Establishing a Cally Road business forum on a proper footing so that improvements can be led by business owners
Paul Convery comments “Caledonian Road has all the potential to become a vibrant thriving high street. But pressures from the redevelopment at Kings Cross are beginning to push up rents. We need to make the most of what we have got and help existing firms become competitive. For example, if just a fraction of the disposable income of households east of the Cally was spent in shops along Cally Road, we would have a fine, prosperous high street. And the arrival of major redevelopment to the west of our neighbourhood – on the Kings Cross railway lands – represents an important opportunity to get growth into the Caledonian Road.”
Community joins together in funeral for Jessie Wright
Many hundreds of neighbours and friends lined the streets this afternoon as the funeral cortege for Jessie White departed Kinross House on the Bemerton estate and set off towards the Islington cemetary in Finchley.
Councillors Rupert Perry and Paul Convery attended the service in Finchley after joining the crowds who paid their respects as the horse drawn funeral carriage passed along Caledonian Road.
The mourners at the Finchley cemetary outnumbered seats in the chapel and scores of people stood outside for a service conducted by Revd Michael Learmouth of St Andrews Church, Thornhill Square.
Moving eulogies were given by Jessie’s Grandad, Ken Lucraft and by Stephen Wright, her uncle. They both spoke of a vivacious, sociable young woman and scores of young people attending the service were visably touched by their words. Revd Learmouth, in his address to the congregation, spoke of the grief felt by Jessie’s friends and family. And he spoke of the outrage felt by the whole community at the manner of Jessie’s death. He offered prayers for the family and the whole community saying that “together we are stronger than we are as individuals”. And he offered a prayer that “justice should be done”.
Speaking after the service, Rupert observed that this was one of the most emotional funerals he could recall. “There were so many young people attending who have been deeply upset by Jessie’s death. We must make sure that something positive comes from this awful loss. We can become a stronger community united by the shared experience of this shocking death. Everyone’s thoughts are with Jessie’s family and friends today.”
Following the service, Rupert and Paul reiterated their commitment to help place a lasting and fitting memorial to Jessie in the neighbourhood.
Door-knocking … is the real election
Canvassing for an election makes “normal” life for Councillors go into a fast-forward. Between elections, Labour’s team in Caledonian Ward goes doorknocking regularly throughout the year. But on average, we only visit around a few dozen homes each week. And, of course, Cally Councillors also get several dozen letters and emails a week ina ddition to the visits to our “surgeries” held 3 times a month.
But an election speeds that all up. So, since the beginning of March, we have spoken to more than 2,000 people. And in the past 4 weeks we’ve delivered leaflets to around 6,000 homes in Caledonian Ward. Doing this, you get to hear a lot and see a lot more about things going on in our neighbourhood. So our “casework” files have taken on a new bulge in the past few weeks.
As Councillors, canvassing also reminds us about what we – and our MP Emily Thornberry – have done well for the area … or what we’ve still got to do. The Guardian’s Dave Hill picks ups a great anecdote about our Lib Dem opponents looking for votes around the Westbourne Estate a couple of weeks ago.
One voter in Caledonian ward, asked to support the LibDems, launches into a rant about the (Lib Dem) council’s uselessness in fixing his heating. “And did your Labour councillors lift a finger to help you out?” Bridget Fox prompts helpfully. “Yeah, they were the ones who came round and sorted it out!” … as the voter slams the door.
Labour’s team was visiting the area in the last couple of evenings – and got a very good reception. Charlynne says “there’s a distinct friendly feel to canvassing the estates especially in the northern part of the ward. Long term residents remember the good things that Labour has done over the years in the area. They all remember Chris Smith with great admiration. And over the past 5 years they have really appreciated Emily. Canvassing around the Grove Estate and Westbourne Road with Emily two nights ago, the warmth of affection towards her was really noticeable. Our Councillors over the past 4 years have also worked really hard for this area – especially Rupert who has “looked after” the estates north of the railway line.”
Labour Councillors representing the Cally neighbourhood in Islington 