Is the 'Mansion tax' a good idea?

Firstly, the name is wrong.  (It was the Lib Dems’ name before Labour got hold of it.)  The word ‘mansion’ in this context is a pejorative term, smacking of the envy of ‘rich’ people.  A divisive ‘them and us’ attitude, which is not a sound basis for introducing a new tax, especially not a tax from a socialist party that is supposed to treat all as equals.

But if we get beyond the name, we need to be sure what we think it is intended to achieve:  

I am very concerned that a tax based on the current 'value' of properties could well hit many people who have lived in an area for years, who happen to own a house that has gone up in value by a factor of 10 or more, who are not necessarily rich themselves.  People who could not afford to pay the tax, who are mildly insulted to be suddenly told their home is a 'mansion', who do not aspire to that type of lifestyle,  and in a lot of cases, in Islington at least, are Labour supporters.  Knight Frank report that eight out of ten homes likely to be hit by the Mansion Tax are situated in Windsor, Sevenoaks, Islington, Wandsworth and Guildford.  Some Labour and Conservative MPs are concerned that the tax will hit “cash-poor homeowners, rather than rich overseas investors”. The tax in its present form is targeted at the wrong people.

I would argue that the main purpose of this tax, which should bear the neutral term ‘Property Tax’ should be, obviously, to raise some more revenue from those that can afford it, but that it should also be structured in such a way as to try and counterbalance rocketing property prices, particularly in London and the South East.

 

A recent commentator from the financial sector stated that he thought the London property market has become completely decoupled from the basic market functions of supply and affordability.  The London property market has become its own investment market, that has floated free from the low interest and low-inflation economy that is otherwise the current economic climate, and has become, in the words of Andrew Neil, a “global reserve currency”.  This situation is driving away ordinary people who want to live in or around the city, both aspiring buyers, and anyone trying to rent.  There can often be a big difference between the means of those that can afford to buy into the current market, compared to those that have lived in an area for years, and live there because that’s where they like to live, and not because they want to make money out of their homes.

  

I think the Property Tax should be based on a similar system to that in New York State, where the tax is levied as a percentage of the value of the property, but with the difference that the ‘value’ of the property should be based on the most recent price paid for the property, not a valuation.  This approach has the advantage that there can be no arguments about whether a property is correctly valued, since the price paid is the best valuation you can get.  It will not require valuations to be carried out, because the information will be readily available from the Land Registry.  And assuming that the tax is set at the right level, it will hit those that pay high prices hard, and not those who paid significantly less and just happen to be caught in the price spiral.  This should have an immediately deflationary effect on house prices, as purchasers will be thinking hard about the ongoing cost of owning a property if they pay too much for it, since they are effectively setting their own tax bill with the offer they make for the property, and it will ensure that only those that can really afford the tax have to pay it.  

Crossrail have still got it wrong

The Crossrail safeguarding proposals have recently been adopted into legislation, which means that the ‘safeguarded’ route consulted on in late 2014- early 2015 is now legally safeguarded, along with the “areas of surface interest”.  Which means that Crossrail/TFL/DFT can now continue with developing their plans to bulldoze large sections of the Angel.  

It seems that the level of protest at the public meeting I publicised in January has had some sort of effect, as the much loved Co-Op Bank Building has now been removed from the proposals, but the remainder of the block is still identified for demolition.  There is also talk that the RBS building is being reconsidered for the surface works site, but there is still a determination to build the actual station entrance on the west side of the High Street.  This is fundamentally wrong-headed.

Whilst the removal of the Co-op bank building from the site is a step in the right direction, it does not change the fact that a station entrance on the west side of Islington High Street will still destroy a number of listed buildings to make way for the railway, and it doesn't change the fact that Torrens street, as well as containing buildings of significant historical value, is also a completely inappropriate site, due to access issues and proximity to residential properties. 

Only the use of the RBS site for both the surface works and a new station entrance will actually deliver real regeneration to the area, which is what Crossrail is supposed to do.   

We need to continue to campaign for a solution that actually benefits Islington,  And that includes campaigning for a ‘metro; rail type solution, which would be less disruptive and destructive, and allow more flexibility of route and scope for new stations. 

What's happening at Owen Street?

Everyone who cycles or walks through Owen Street from Goswell Road to St John's Street would agree that the conflict between cyclists and pedestrians is a ridiculous situation:  Cyclists are directed to ride on the pavement, causing alarm and distress to pedestrians, not to mention the occasional fisticuffs.  Why is this?

The problem is, when the Virgin Leisure Centre was built around 2000, the road that passes along by the building was private, and for some reason, the Council at the time (under the Liberals I believe) agreed that it should stay private, with the result that the pavement on the side of the road between Owen Street and Owens fields was the only part of the road that is public highway.  (I should add that once you bump over the awkward dropped kerb shown in the pic above, the rest of the roadway leading up to St John Street is all public highway.)

The consequence of this loopy legal arrangement is that the Council is unable to direct cyclists onto private property for fear of being held liable if an accident occured, and so was forced to designate the pavement as a cycle track, with the dangerous and scary consequences that everyone is familiar with.  

Since 2007 I have been making attempts to try and either get the road adopted, or get an agreement for cyclists to use the roadway, and every time I have been told that the owners of the property would not agree to it.  I persisted however, and finally one of the Council's senior legal officers discovered that we had been dealing with an agent for the residential properties on the site, and not the Freeholder.  Legal officers then managed to contact the freehold owners of the site, who I believe are The Brewers Company, who were much more amenable to the idea of improvements to the operation of the highway in the interests of public safety.  

The freeholder has I gather, now agreed in principle to allow the use of the private road by cyclists, legal documents have been exchanged, and lawyers are now working on the final details, such as who owns the drains, and where the water goes when it runs off the Council's pavements into the freeholder's drain, and whose responsibility the drain is as a result etc (yawn).  Once this is sorted, the Council will change the road and pavement layout in the area shown in the picture, so that cyclists have a straight run through, and the pavement will become pedestrian-only, as most reasonable people might expect.  

We might even see the work being done this year, which would be great.

Does Islington need Crossrail 2?

You might have noticed that the Government are currently consulting on certain aspects of Crossrail 2.  (See the plan above showing the proposed route - zoom in if you need to.)  What you may not realise is that irreversible decisions are being made NOW about the type of railway this will be, where it will go, and which buildings will have to be demolished to make way for it. 

The railway was originally planned about 20 years ago as a new tube line, called the ‘Chelsea-Hackney’ line.  Since planning for HS2 was commenced, it was realised that existing rail connections at Euston are very poor for connections to the proposed new high speed regional service when it arrives at Euston.  It was therefore decided to divert the Chelsea-Hackney line to stop at Euston.  Then it was decided to make the Chelsea-Hackney line a ‘Regional’ type service, not a metro Tube type service, connecting to the whole East of England rail network.  This means longer trains, more vent shafts, much more major infrastructure both above and below ground, far more major disruption at surface level to construct the railway, and far less flexibility in terms of where the train stops, and how many stops there can be.

The current consultation is called the “safeguarding” consultation.  What this actually means is final decisions being made now on the type of railway, the route of the railway, where the stations will be, and which buildings will be lost.  In Islington this means a single stop at Angel, with all the buildings on the west side of Upper street from Angel to White Lion street being demolished, including the CO-OP bank, to make way for the station entrance, and the whole of Torrens Street being lost for vent shafts.  There will also be a major construction site at Penton street on the site of the public carriage office.  The platforms will run all the way from Angel to Penton Street.

Crossrail claim on their web site that “over 80% of respondents favour a regional option”.  However,  I very much doubt that a survey of areas such as Islington, which will be most disrupted by the construction and most poorly served by the resulting railway, would return a response in favour of regional trains.  It’s a bit like asking all the people that live outside London whether they would like a new motorway through Islington to help them get into town more quickly.  A metro Tube type train service would, in my view, serve the needs of Londoners much better, and would allow for much-needed new stops at Essex Road, and Old Street, both areas which would actually benefit from improved connections.

I would urge everyone to respond to the consultation, which is available on the internet at 

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/crossrail-2-safeguarding-directions 

The consultation closes on 29^th January.   There is also a public meeting being held at the Town Hall on Tuesday 13^th January at 5.30pm to discuss the consultation, and I would urge as many people as possible to attend and express their views.

Why is Vincent terrace canal-side walk still closed?

There has been much public outcry about the closure of the Vincent Terrace canalside open space.  Many residents have said forcefully that they use and enjoy the space, and that in a borough with so little green space it is highly valued, and a great area for children and dogs to go exploring.

Many people want to know why, when there is such significant support to reopen the gardens, that the Council has not re-opened them yet.

The space belongs to the Canal and River Trust (CaRT).  Islington Council held it on a 42 year lease which expired 2 years ago.  Negotiations to renew the lease stalled, and CaRT locked us out earlier this year.  Council officers believed (wrongly) that the space was little-used, and thought it best to relinquish the space.  I circulated this view to residents, which generated the outcry.

Since officers understood that the space is used and needed there has been some dialogue with officers over what the costs would be to carry out any repairs to the space to make it safe for the public to re-enter.  These costs are now at an acceptable level.  This was followed by negotiations with CaRT to agree the terms of a new lease with them.  There were a number of contentious issues that needed to be discussed, relating to which elements of the space the Council would be responsible for maintaining, and also some planning issues. 

We have now reached agreement with CaRT on these terms, which include a new long lease on a peppercorn rent, with the Council responsible for maintenance, including trees. 

We need to lease to be signed, in order for the Council to get access to the area to carry out the necessary repairs, after which the space will be re-opened. 

In the mean time I have heard it reported that the gates have broken open and trespassers entered the site.  The Trust are aware of this, although I’m not sure what action they have taken to secure the area. Some local residents are also trying to keep the place tidy, and trim back some of the overgrown shrubs.  It would be good to get some proper community gardening going in the space once it is reopened.

UNION SQUARE REOPENED

Union Square next to the Packington Estate had been a bit of a dive for years.  It had been one of Islington's original Garden Squares, but when the Packington Estate was first built, the road on the Packington side was swallowed up into the estate, and Union Square became somewhat overshadowed by the Estate, overgrown and underused.

Now the Packington redevelopment is well under way, the new design for the estate has reinstated the road all the way round the square, and even includes a terrace of pastiche georgian houses which look so much like the originals on the other side of the square that you have to blink hard to see the difference.  There was also included in the redevelopment agreement a chunk of money to refurbish and improve Union Square.

A lot of people were asking me what was going to be done about the square, and when and how the money would be spent.  So I contacted the Council's Greenspace department, and set up a meeting with as many local people and stakeholders as I could find, to try and find out what people wanted in the park.  There were some interesting and wide-ranging discussions, including whether the water feature should be retained, whether there should be gates along the sides of the park, whether dogs should be allowed in, whether there should be childrens' play equipment, and whether there should be a central activity space.  Several consultation events were held, and the views of everyone who attended were fed into the brief.

Greenspace tendered the design work, and local Landscape Architects 'Breeze' were selected.  I attended briefing meetings with Breeze, and fed back to them views that I was receiving from residents as the design process progressed.  Further consultation events were held, where three design options were shown by Breeze.  There was strong agreement amongst residents about which option was best, and that is what has now been built.

And on 12th April, the Mayor of Islington reopened the square, with a community planting event following on after (ably assisted by the advanced trowel-handling skills of Gordon McArthur of the Arlington Association).  It was a bit of a bumpy ride getting to the final design, and getting agreement on what was in and what was out, but the outcome is quite extraordinary, with a whole new spacious, light, airy garden square open to residents, and loads of kids playing in there, using the paths for scooter racing.

A very satisfactory piece of teamwork between Residents, Local Councillors and Greenspace officers.  The Picture shows the Mayor of Islington, Cllr Barry Edwards, St Peters Ward Councillor Alice Perry, myself, and a number of local residents who were actually doing the hard work of planting the plants.

Interview with London Hospitals Campaign

I was recently interviewed by the 'London Hospitals' campaign, which attempts to keep track of hospital reconfiguration across London.  I think they are doing important work, as the pace of change in the Health Service at the moment is hard for anyone to keep up with.

The interview can be found at the other end of this link:

http://londonhospitals1314.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/exclusive-interview-with-islington-councillor-martin-klute/

Thanks to Jenny McCall for the time she took to give a thorough and balanced interview.

Is there an election on?

Actually there will be.  On May 22nd.  And St Peters Ward Councillors are already out on the campaign trail.  We had an excellent weekend's sessions on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with support from  (l-r) Cllr Paul Smith, Jenny Kay (aspiring Mildmay Ward Cllr person), me at the back, Cllr Alice Perry (the human dynamo), Newell from Holloway, MEP hopeful Lucy Anderson, and Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of the Council.  You can't see Cllr Gary Doolan, because he was holding the camera.

Support on the doorstep is very good, but we also met several people who are being hit by the bedroom tax, who just don't know what to do, and are afraid of being driven out of Islington altogether, where they have lived for most of their lives. We referred them to Islington's Benefits Advice Line which we set up to try and give the best possible experienced help to people in this kind of situation.  It is hard not to see the Tory Government's benefit reforms as pretty vicious social cleansing of our inner city areas.

Cycle safety on the New North Road

The new improved cycle lane access into Arlington Avenue

It has been a long-standing campaign of mine to persuade cyclists in a hurry to use alternative routes to the canal towpath, where it is well-known that a small number of speeding cyclists are terrorising more peaceable users of the towpath: Pedestrians, parents with kids and buggies, older people, and recreational cyclists.

There are good cycle routes all the way through Hackney, and the Arlington Avenue area in St Peters ward is quiet and safe.  The big obstacle is the New North Road.  We need traffic signals outside Gainsborough Studios, which is in Hackney, and we need better permeability into St Peters side streets.

This week I have finally succeeded in getting Islington’s highways department to improve the turning into Arlington Avenue. Previously, the turn into the cycle path was so sharp that cyclists were forced to swing out into the middle of the road to make the turn, pushing them into the path of speeding cars and lorries coming up behind them.  At my request Islington Highways have now installed a smoothly curving kerb to the cycle lane, making it possible to turn into Arlington Avenue safely, and without having to swing out.

This is one small, but important part of the jigsaw to create safe alternative routes for cyclists, so we can restore safety,  peace, and tranquillity to the towpath.  Now we need Hackney and TFL to install traffic signals at Gainsborough.

Chicanes on the towpath

I don't know how long I have been arguing for chicanes on the towpath that actually slow cyclists down - and in response the Canal and River Trust have been saying they would rather 'educate' cyclists to slow down.

So imagine my surprise, when exploring the Camden side of the tunnel, to find that there already is a chicane that does exactly what I have been saying they should do.  And here it is.  3 prongs, and a tight enough dimension between them that you have to seriously slow down to get through it, but it doesn't stop wheelchairs, or buggies, or tricycles.  You just can't physically pass through it at any speed on a bicycle.

If CaRT can provide this on the Camden side, why can't they do it on the Islington side, where cycling pressure is at its greatest?