http://john-mcdonnell.net/news/ Regular updates from John McDonnell MP on what he has been doing in and around Hayes and Harlington. en mcdonnellj@parliament.uk Copyright 2013 2013-05-03T15:25:52+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/guru-nanaks-new-primary-school-plans-means-council-has-no-need-to-build-on-/2013/05 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/guru-nanaks-new-primary-school-plans-means-council-has-no-need-to-build-on-/#When:14:25:52Z Guru Nanak School has now applied to the Council to build a new fourth form of entry primary school on its site in the same ward as the council plans to build a school on Botwell Common and Lake farm. (Comments:0) 2013-05-03T14:25:52+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/why-is-the-council-seizing-much-more-land-than-it-needs-to-build-school-on-/2013/05 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/why-is-the-council-seizing-much-more-land-than-it-needs-to-build-school-on-/#When:14:18:11Z The Council is being forced to consult on how much land it is appropriating to build a new school Botwell Common and Lake Farm. In the consultation papers it is revealed that the Council is seizing at least 50% more land than it originally said it needed in its planning application for the new school. (Comments:0) 2013-05-03T14:18:11+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/betrayed-by-boris/2013/04 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/betrayed-by-boris/#When:09:28:41Z We have now learnt that Boris Johnson mayor for London has given the go ahead to Hillingdon council to build on Lake Farm Country Park and Botwell common. We await the outcome of the secretary of state’s decision which is expected this week. (Comments:0) 2013-04-22T09:28:41+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/council-forces-through-plans-to-build-on-lake-farm-and-botwell-common/2013/03 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/council-forces-through-plans-to-build-on-lake-farm-and-botwell-common/#When:14:58:06Z Last night the Council convened a special Planning Committee at short notice to force through its plans to build on Lake Farm Country Park and Botwell Common. The Planning meeting degenerated into near chaos as information contained in the Council’s reports recommending the development was comprehensively challenged by local residents and local Labour councillors.The Councillors heard that there was no need for a new school to be built on this green belt land as pupil numbers could be catered for in the new Guru Nanak Free School to be opened later this year in the samee ward,. In addition a Governor from the new Rosedale Primary School repeated the Governors’ and School Headteacher’s offer to expand this school by a further form to assist in preventing the need to build on the green belt. It was revealed atht the old Hayes Swimming Pool site could also accomodate a new 2 form of entry school, thus avoiding the need to build on Lake Farm and Botwell Common. All this was rejected by the Conservative councillors on the committee, not one of whom lives in the Hayes area. The campaign against this disastrous destruction of our green belt is now moving on to lobby Boris Johnson to call this planning application in for him to determine as it flies in the face of his policies to protect the green belt. I will be joining local residents at 1pm at City Hall next Tuesday to deliver our letters to him urging him to intervene to save our park from these local vandal Conservative councillors. Come and join on Tuesday.  (Comments:1) 2013-03-06T14:58:06+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/planning-committee-meeting-to-decide-on-lake-farm-on-tuesday-5th-march-at-7/2013/03 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/planning-committee-meeting-to-decide-on-lake-farm-on-tuesday-5th-march-at-7/#When:12:03:44Z The Council has convened a Council Planning meeting tomorrow night to determine its planning application to build on Lake Farm Country Park and Botwell Common. The Council is seeking to force this application through despite all the opposition from the local community.Local residents will be meeting outside the Civic Centre at 6.15 to demonstrate our opposition to this attack on our local park and green belt. Come along and join us. The Planning Committee will be held at 7pm in the main Council Chamber and is open to the public. Come to the Committee to show your concern at what the council is doing to destroy our open spaces. (Comments:0) 2013-03-04T12:03:44+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/cuts-in-local-police/2013/02 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/cuts-in-local-police/#When:21:59:40Z There was a debate in Parliament today on the future of the Metropolitan Police Service. This follows the publication of figures that showed that since the election in 2010 London has lost over 1100 Police Officers. The Mayor for London is undertaking a consultation this month on his strategy for Policing in the capital. I am worried that we have already seen Policing cuts in our area and we face a threat to our local Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams that have been successful in our community in getting more Police Officers on our streets. I spoke in the debate to draw attention to our local fears for Policing in our area. (Comments:0) 2013-02-06T21:59:40+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/high-speed-rail-governments-preferred-route-to-heathrow/2013/01 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/high-speed-rail-governments-preferred-route-to-heathrow/#When:16:10:59Z Although the Government has yet again delayed its decision until 2015 on the way in which HS2 will link up with Heathrow and whether there will be a spur from HS2 to the airport,it has shown us what its preferred route would be. This is the map of the route. (Comments:0) 2013-01-31T16:10:59+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/high-speed-2-announcement-government-delays-decision-on-heathrow-spur-link-/2013/01 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/high-speed-2-announcement-government-delays-decision-on-heathrow-spur-link-/#When:00:13:05Z Because of yet another Government delay my constituents are faced with the worst of all worlds. This continuing uncertainty is unacceptable. It is certainly no way to run a railway or a transport policy. I called on the Government in Parliament today to bring forward the Davies Commission report on airports so that this report can rule out Heathrow expansion once and for all and then the Government can be honest about its plans for linking HS2 with Heathrow. (Comments:1) 2013-01-29T00:13:05+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/volunteers-undertake-rspb-bird-count-on-lake-farm/2013/01 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/volunteers-undertake-rspb-bird-count-on-lake-farm/#When:19:23:12Z On Saturday (26th January 2013)local volunteers undertook the annual Royal Society for the Protection of Birds bird count on Lake Farm. We found the country park teeming with bird life including a sparrow hawk, a lesser spotted woodpecker, skylarks and many blue tits and great tits, robins, thrushes, magpies, gulls and of course hundreds of pigeons. This wonderful display of bird life in the park makes it all the more important that do not allow the council to build over this park and disturb and destroy the habitat of so many birds forever. We must do all we can to protect this site so that generations to come will be able to enjoy the sight of so many beautifiul birds in this country park as we do today. (Comments:0) 2013-01-27T19:23:12+00:00 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/breakthrough-in-parliament-for-campaign-against-blacklisting/2013/01 http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/news/article/breakthrough-in-parliament-for-campaign-against-blacklisting/#When:23:23:25Z For over 15 years I have been campaigning in and outside of Parliament to expose the blacklisting of trade unionists by employers. Today the Labour Party placed a motion on the agenda of the House of Commons calling for an independent inquiry into blacklisting. This was a major victory for the campaign waged by the group I helped set up several years ago called the Blacklist Support Group. This was a group of workers who had been blacklisted by employers simply for being active trade unionists and representing their fellow workers on issues like health and safety and working conditions. The raid on the offices of an organisation called the Consulting Association by the Information Commissioner revealed a blacklist of over 3000 workers. Many of these had been prevented from following their trade and many had lost their jobs and suffered real hardship. A number of these blacklisted workers are pursuing a claim for compensation in the courts. Neveretheless we need an inquiry to discover the true scale of blacklisting and to discuss how the law needs reforming to ensure we eradicate this disgraceful practice once and for all. (Comments:0) 2013-01-23T23:23:25+00:00