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Recent News	Updated 20 June 2007


Click on a title to view the article. For earlier articles please visit the archive Police survey highlights positive effect of IWCA anti-drugs campaigns According to a recent survey carried out by the Leys Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG), which is made up of police and local government officials, over half of Leys residents who were questioned feel there are no particular crime-related problems on the estate ... New plan for parish council City councillor Lee Cole will be setting out proposals on how Blackbird Leys Parish Council can best serve the local community at its next meeting, later this month ... IWCA secures council agreement to stop Leys community groups losing out after grants fiasco After a number of important Blackbird Leys community groups lost out in the allocation of council grants this year, the IWCA has managed to persuade Oxford City Council to prioritise organisations in hard-pressed working class areas when considering future applications ... Victory for all-weather football pitch campaign After much resistance from council officers, and much bloody-minded insistence from IWCA councillors, it has finally been agreed that Ł161,000 will be spent on an all-weather football pitch for Frys Hill ... Peers School investment comes at a price Fears local kids will be excluded from new Academy ... Council budget: IWCA wins more money for working class areas A successful IWCA intervention at Oxford City Council’s budget meeting last month ensured that almost Ł400,000 of funding for refurbishing play areas over the next three years will be distributed to area committees according to levels of deprivation, thus providing more money for working class areas ... Easter SATs booster course on the Leys For Year 6 children. Plus mixed sports sessions for those attending and putting their efforts into the SATs course, Mon 9 – Fri 13 April, 9.30am – 12.30pm ... Cuckoo in the nest: the IWCA in the council chamber The IWCA in the council chamber ... IWCA budget proposals: more funding for working class areas and a stand against privatisation The IWCA will be setting out its budget amendments at the full council meeting on Monday 12 February. See the Oxford IWCA website for an outline of our proposals ... History, like slavery, isn’t a matter of colour While local paper, Leys News, devotes much of this issue’s column inches to commemorate Black History Month, not everyone agrees that we should be joining the party. Stuart Craft argues that those who claim to oppose the white nationalism of groups such as the BNP, while promoting the political strategy of multiculturalism and black nationalism, are hypocrites playing a dangerous game ... Collective response needed to tackle dealing and antisocial behaviour The IWCA carried out a community patrol on Blackbird/Greater Leys last week in response to increased concern expressed by residents over hard drug dealing and antisocial behaviour ... IWCA vs Labour on BBC1 Politics Show Blackbird Leys councillor Stuart Craft condemns New Labour’s record in office while local MP Andrew Smith attacks the IWCA’s pro-working class politics and concedes that Labour ‘will not be changing direction’. For further information see the BBC website. Download complete clip of the BBC Politics Show, Oxford fom 1 October (14 MB) Download low bit rate version with edits (3.4 Mb) ‘All propaganda and no substance!’ Neighbourhood policing strategy disguises cutbacks to Leys force ... Privatisation experiment planned for Peers School Bid to transform Peers Technology College into an Academy could lead to increased exclusion of pupils from the Leys and other estates, as well as exacerbating inter-faith divisions in Oxford ... Councillor presses for all-weather football pitch Northfield Brook representative, Jane Lacey has called on Oxford City Council to release money promised for a new artificial football pitch and improvements in Spindleberry Park five years ago ... Why main parties all like residents’ parking charges Privatisation agenda even runs to charging for use of road-space ... Cuckoo in the nest The IWCA in the council chamber ... Authorities turn on motorcycle victim After a pet dog was almost killed by a reckless teenage motorcycle rider on a track near Grenoble Road last week, the police have rounded on the dog’s owner for contacting the local press … Neighbourhood Action Team: another ‘cosmetic exercise’ The Blackbird Leys Neiighbourhood Action Team is the latest New Labour gimmick, hailed as ‘a new way of policing the estate’ in which ‘the public decide what issues are the most important to them and the police respond.’ However, the reality is rather different … Steady progress for the IWCA at local elections The Independent Working Class Association (IWCA) gained another seat in the May city council elections … Motion sickness Main parties still lack stomach for open debate on multiculturalism writes Stuart Craft … What future for Peers School? A recent follow-up report from Ofsted, the school standards body, has highlighted a series of improvements but parents still have every reason to be concerned about the Littlemore school … Cuckoo in the nest The IWCA in the council chamber … Joint opposition to parking charges BOTH the IWCA and Labour have opposed the Tory-run county council’s plans to charge Blackbird Leys residents for parking … Antisocial behaviour: why we need far-reaching reform of the council Despite a number of improvements introduced by IWCA councillors, the city council’s response to antisocial behaviour is still inadequate … Moorbank drug den targeted Following the IWCA’s recent anti-drugs campaign, the tenant of a flat in Moorbank has been served with an eviction notice and banned from visiting several areas of the estate … Thrift Place finally refurbished The IWCA is glad to see the flats in Thrift Place finally converted into new houses, after lying empty for over two years ... Improving the estate: campaign for play area pays off Residents of the Field Avenue maisonettes can now enjoy their new play area, which replaces a derelict drying area in front of their homes ... A warm welcome to the new health centre ... but we’ll be paying through the nose for it Unlike the old building it replaces, the new centre has been built for private profit and taxpayers will be footing the bill for years to come ... Blay Close-the ordeal continues Residents face long wait after eviction notice is served on nightmare neighbours ... IWCA anti-drugs campaign prompts change of police priorities Following the IWCA’s recent campaigns against drug dealing on the estate, the police and New Labour council have launched their latest public relations initiative, the Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Action Team (NAT) … Silence over vigilante claims In a question to the leader of the council, it was asked what justification there was for the view expressed by members of his party that the IWCA are vigilantes … U-turn on wheelie bins Littlemore Labour Councillor John Tanner was quick to condemn the proposal to introduce wheelie bins, arguing that he had always opposed wheelie bins as ‘they encourage people to throw away more rubbish’ instead of recycling … Cuckoo in the nest The IWCA in the council chamber … Oxford Labour admits anti-IWCA allegations were ‘incorrect and without foundation’ Deputy Leader issues apology and pays Ł15,000 damages ... More choice; worse choices Is Choice Based Letting another attack on council housing? Labour and Lib Dems attack community patrols against drug dealers IWCA ignores party politicking to secure agreement on rehab funding ... Asbestos uncovered: city council puts tenants at risk IWCA councillor Claire Kent will be highlighting the dangers of asbestos in council buildings, including housing, through a motion submitted to the next full council meeting. The long battle against antisocial behaviour Efforts to deal with a nightmare tenant in Blay Close, who has been subjecting neighbouring residents to constant late night noise and intimidating behaviour, have led to a move to get the city council to improve its procedures ... They protest too much Labour’s defence of divisive multiculturalism goes against advice of racial equality body ... Cuckoo in the nest The IWCA in the council chamber ... World’s smallest highway Residents told that plans to install security gates across an alleyway cannot go ahead because it’s a ‘public highway’... Reprieve for drugs centre after IWCA intervention The Blackbird Leys Community Action and Development centre (formerly Communities Against Drugs) is now set to stay open following calls by the IWCA for extra funds at the South East Area Committee meeting ... Police admit scale of Leys drugs problem but refuse to commit resources The IWCA took the opportunity to question Thames Valley Police over its failure to tackle crack and heroin dealing at the South East Area Committee meeting ... Alleyway that took 2˝ years to close An alleyway between Windale Avenue and Pegasus Road used by drug dealers is finally due to be closed-off after years of waiting by local residents ... What a disgrace! Thrift Place flats show up Labour’s failing housing policy ... A sad day for Blackbird Leys, a good day for the dealers IWCA councillor Stuart Craft explains why Labour’s recent victory in the Northfield Brook by-election is a setback to those who hope for a genuine, effective working class response to the most pressing issues on the estate, such as the crack and heroin dealing problem ... Funding withdrawn from ‘Communities Against Drugs’ project The CAD project was launched three years ago—weeks after the election of IWCA councillor Stuart Craft on an anti-drugs platform and following New Labour assertions that the Leys did not have a drugs problem ... IWCA on target for 2006 Oxford IWCA is poised to take further seats on Oxford City Council at next year’s elections after encouraging results on 5 May: see report on the Oxford IWCA website ... Val leaves voters in the lurch Val Smith, the former councillor for Blackbird Leys—once a Labour heartland seat—has come under heavy fire for her decision to quit as a city councillor and stand in the forthcoming county council elections ... New Oxford IWCA website launched Stepping up the IWCA’s presence across Oxford: the new site, at www.iwca-oxford.org.uk contains information on IWCA activities and comment. See now for information on Oxford IWCA’s Fight Against Council Transfers and Sell-offs (FACTS) campaign—our response to Oxford City Council’s stock options appraisal—looking at options for privatising local authority housing ... Management to vacate community centre bar Ł7,000 council rent waiver scrapped after IWCA intervention ... Shutters come down on Birchfield crack-house A six month campaign by the IWCA to get a major drugs den on Blackbird Leys shut down is now close to achieving its goal ... New Labour tries to cover up dismal housing record with smears Party seeks scapegoat for homes shortage as government puts brakes on house building in Oxford ... Correction Correction to previous article ‘IWCA calls for clean sweep at community centre bar’ ... IWCA calls for clean sweep at community centre bar It has been clear for some time now that something is seriously wrong at the Blackbird Leys Community Centre bar. Rumours that the venue acts as a magnet for drug dealers and violent criminals who don’t even live on the estate have been rife almost from the day that current landlord Joe Obhiozele and his wife Dolcie took over the licence ... A change of heart for New Labour? Last month Andrew Smith resigned from the cabinet saying he wanted to devote more time to his constituency. The very next day he was out on Blackbird Leys delivering leaflets—attacking the IWCA. Is the Oxford East MP finally having second thoughts about the wisdom of neglecting for years the estate he happens to live on? Community garden project growing out of control? Over a year ago the IWCA offered to help the organisers of the community garden at Gillians Park by organising a team to carry out the digging work. Little did we know how the project would develop in the ensuing months ... Thousands on the waiting list—why are these homes still empty? Newly-built flats boarded up and empty for over a year while many live in substandard and overcrowded conditions ... Local Labour MP resigns from cabinet The work and pensions secretary, Andrew Smith, unexpectedly resigned last night in order to ‘devote more time to responsibilities in his constituency’ ... A conspiracy of containment? Authorities fail tenants over crack-house problem—Labour councillors storm out of area committee meeting when IWCA’s Stuart Craft raises issue of dealing at 23 Birchfield Close ... Greater Leys bus service under threat Labour calls meeting to ‘decide’ whether funding for 5A/B should be continued ... Residents unhappy with ‘concrete slab’ for play area Residents are disappointed with the results of the council’s promise to install a play area in front of their flats ... Lines of communication re-opened with Oxford Mail Following the appointment of a new editor and local government reporter, as well as the departure of the Blackbird Leys corresopndent—whose story endagering a Blackbird Leys family who had been victims of a teenage gang sparked off the IWCA’s original decision to boycott the paper—we have decided to resume relations with the paper ... A class apart ‘The emergence on Blackbird Leys of the little known Independent Working Class Association with three elected councillors has created ripples that go far beyond the estate ...’ an Oxford Times feature explores the reasons behind the IWCA's recent success ... IWCA takes three seats on Oxford City Council The IWCA in Oxford shook the local Labour party to the core when it took three council seats in working class wards on 10 June. It was a particular humiliation for cabinet minister Andrew Smith who had personally spearheaded the attempt to unseat the IWCA incumbent Stuart Craft ... IWCA gears up for council elections IWCA activists in Blackbird Leys select candidates to fight the city council elections on 10 June ... Tackling drug dealing and antisocal behaviour: We've proved it can be done—now the work must continue Stuart Craft reflects on the achievements of the last two years and the work that still needs to be done ... Stopping the rot Lee Cole looks at why we need a stronger voice to prevent Blackbird Leys being overlooked when it comes to youth provision, housing and parking ... Labour's legacy: Oxford City Council's record on Blackbird Leys Lee Cole takes a walk around Blackbird Leys to see what New Labour's control of the council has meant for residents ... Residents battle against years of council neglect Blackbird Leys residents fight to force council to honour its promise to convert a derelict drying area into a children's play area ... Tenants insulted by council contractor Couple shocked by contractor's attitude towards Blackbird Leys tenants and concerned about standard of workmanship ... Council Tax rises: robbing from the poor to give to the rich The poorest households pay well over three times as much of their disposable income on Council Tax as the richest, and the situation’s getting worse not better ... The Emperor’s New Clothes When the IWCA accused the New Labour city council of ‘muddle headed multiculturalist thinking’ which promotes artificial divisions in working class communities, Labour councillors had nothing to say in their defence. But this hasn’t stopped them spreading malicious rumours that ‘Stuart Craft is a racist’ ... Dealing with antisocial behaviour Building on short term successes—and approaches for the longer term ... A tale of two cities New Labour councillor and former mayor Maureen Christian denies there is any animosity between ‘town’ and ‘gown’ because of the ‘great co-operation between the councils, Oxford Brookes and Oxford University,’ who ‘all put money into the Capital of Culture bid.’ Oxford’s working class would no doubt disagree ... ‘Oxford City Council’s adoption of multiculturalism is divisive and undermines integration’ IWCA councillor Stuart Craft argues in the council chamber for a rejection of multiculturalist dogma that is promoting segragation and even racism ... Labour and Lib Dems reject motion to ensure democracy in changes to council housing Following allegations of ballot rigging in Camden and Islington, Oxford City Council votes down IWCA motion to introduce checks and balances to procedure for transferring control of housing through ALMO or PFI ... As end draws near for SRB funding will Blackbird Leys be left high and dry? A brief look at the prospects for ‘community development’ on the estate in a post SRB environment, followed by a detailed article on the subject All quiet on IWCA park patrol IWCA activists and concerned residents patrol Gillians Park to remind teenage gang that their 'eviction order' is still in force ... Council estates get the squeeze Oxford's Labour-run council plans to demolish garages without consulting Blackbird Leys residents ... Step forward for Community Garden project IWCA and local residents offer to manage work on long-delayed project for Gillians Park ... IWCA to boycott Oxford Mail Readers are advised to treat the newspaper’s reports on local politics with appropriate scepticism ... Residents evict ‘terror gang’ from park Around 60 people turned out to warn off a teenage gang responsible for a series of vicious attacks and muggings in and around Gillians Park ... By any means necessary? New information comes to light on Labour’s dirty tricks campaign against the IWCA... IWCA wins council housing ballot promise IWCA councillor ensures council tenants will have the final say on any changes to housing after council admits it is considering sell-off... Reclaiming community spaces Oxford Warriors Freestyle Karate Kick Boxing club takes up the fight ... Don't panic! Amidst rumours of a thousand new homes being built in Blackbird Leys, the IWCA takes a sober look at the situation... Extra Ł150,000 for 'anti-working class' Capital of Culture project Labour councillor shows contempt for the working class... Residents body fails to consult its own members on stadium parking Acacia Avenue residents weren't asked about double yellow lines when the go-ahead was given by the Leys Residents Assocation ... Second Nightingale Avenue drug den closed down Communities Against Drugs: Too little, too late Finding sustainable solutions to the crack and heroin dealing problem will take a lot more than the limited, short-term funding currently being presented as the solution by New Labour ... Kicking against the pricks Thai boxing and football sessions for local youngsters are now taking place in Gillians Park — only recently a haven for crack dealers ... Ł360,000 blown on Capital of Culture long-shot Oxford’s Ł360,000 bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008 has ended in failure. Bookies put Oxford’s chances at 25-1 against but this didn’t stop the city council sinking Ł90,000 into the project ... Pegasus Road parking survey A recent IWCA door-to-door survey of Pegasus Road residents has shown that 79% are unhappy with the shortage of parking space and the resulting congestion, with 10% reporting damage to their vehicles as a result ... Controversial private finance scheme used for new Blackbird Leys health centre The need for a new health centre for Blackbird Leys has been evident since the estate nearly doubled in size with the completion of Greater Leys. However, the IWCA is concerned that the old centre is to be closed and the new one will be financed privately ... Tenants ignored as New Labour sticks the boot in An IWCA survey of Blackbird Leys residents shows 80% are against the New Labour proposals to cut the council tenants’ repairs service ... Communities against drugs ... with or without the community The IWCA takes a look at the Leys CAD initiative and its chances of success ... Lies, damned lies and uncollected statistics You don’t expect politicians to tell the truth but you don’t necessarily expect them to come up with outright lies either ... Report from the January and February South East Area Committee meetings For earlier articles please visit the archive Top Home