Chiswick Flower Market
After what must have been 8 weeks of gruelling planning and discussions between the founding directors, I am delighted to confirm that the Chiswick Flower Market will return this Sunday 1 st November 2020. It was a pleasure to be a part of team working in the background at its launch back in September alongside Cllr Ranjit Gill. I am honoured to been allowed to reprise my roles once again this Sunday as an event marshal.
The team, which is led by Ollie Saunders and Karen Liebreich has done a brilliant job in reconfiguring the layout of the market. They have expanded the stalls beyond the parade to include Devonshire Road. This is not only meet with the new Covid19 restriction but to give business on Devonshire Road a much-needed boost given the current access fiasco.
I had a long conversation with Karen earlier in the week and she reassured me that public safety is the forefront of this weekend’s operations. I have been given a copy of the risk assessments and of the new plans showing intended flow of customers and the marshals positions throughout the market acting as a constant reminder for people to adhere to the safety protocols.
Marshals will be paying particular attention to the queues and mask wearing around and inside the vicinity. You will see a much more expanded market geographically but hopefully less busy in contrast to September.
Local businesses benefitted greatly from this unifying community project in September and I am hoping for the same this Sunday. It is a great example of what can be done, when there are clear lines of communications between business, residents and locally elected Councillors.
Free school meals
I commend Marcus Rashford and his campaign to support children on free school meals during this pandemic in the summer and I applaud still because as I understand it, he is putting his money where his mouth. However, we differ on the narrative that he presents in order to make his point. I too was a beneficiary of free school meals and I champion any campaign that seeks to end food poverty among our children.
Studies have shown that access to free school meals helps to increase the academic attainment of most vulnerable children. You would be hard pushed to find a single person that disagrees with those findings. So, when an opposition day motion is defeated in the House of Commons, we need a little bit of perspective.
After the vote, we saw councils including our administration, dismissed fact that they were given £63 million in the summer to support vulnerable families. Lead Members have kept quiet about the additional £305,000 given to Hounslow recently by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affair (DEFRA) as an emergency assistance grant for food and essential supplies earmarked for struggling families. They ignored the £6.5 billion of funding that the government is providing through the welfare system to ensure that the most vulnerable citizen in our society are protected throughout this crisis. And I have not seen any declaration publicly that they received their share of the fourth tranche of the £919 million for Emergency Covid19 Fund. In total up to £4.6 billion has been Councils in England to spend according to their priorities.
The Government has kept to its promise to give financial support to all local authorities during this crisis. Therefore, the responsibility of financial management is squarely on the Administration at Hounslow. If the weren’t preoccupied blockading roads, removing parking and maintaining its constant state electioneering; they might do a better job of governing and reaching the families children that are in desperate need.
Cllr Tom Bruce’s self-congratulatory statement on the council offer for children on free school meals has conveniently glossed over the role of central government. There is little in the way of details acknowledging the source of these funds. I would guess it is from central Government as stated above. The funds couldn’t possibly come from anywhere else given that this administration has been haemorrhaging the public purse for the past 10 years.
This administration could make better use data to help identify the signs for early interventions where families fall into difficulties. It would require some joint up thinking, with readily available data from Universal Credit System, Jobcentre, charities and the Designated Safeguarding Officers in schools who can identify warning signs to feedback to social services.
Vulnerable families don’t just want a handout, they need a hand up. We should look to do away with the bureaucracy and form fillings that can sometimes put off and prevent vulnerable families from coming forward to ask for support. We can do better in offering training and information to families about food using the Eat Well Guide. And we should use the new Hounslow Digital Strategy to explore ways in which we can simplify the system for user experience. This must also mean that the system does not discriminate against a person’s inability to use the internet or a computer. Inability to access modern technology should not disqualify anyone from accessing council services.
I would say to Marcus Rashford that indeed, the Government has a responsibility to support our most vulnerable groups. It is right that we are lobbying the Government to do more. I would also add however, that when it comes to our children, society also has vital role to play. This includes the role of schools, parents and youth organisation. Marcus Rashford has already demonstrated the societal point by inspiring businesses, charities and individuals across the country to step up to the mark and support those who are less fortunate than themselves. He campaign has reminded us all that it is not the work of the government alone that will get us through this crisis. This country is at its best when everyone is chipping in and looking out for one another.
Cllr Ron Mushiso
Turnham Green ward
[email protected]
07976 702887
