Living Streets 'Get walking during the Games' challenge

Join the Living Streets 'Get walking during the Games' challenge.

Use your feet to avoid busy public transport and roads during the Games and discover a smarter way of getting around the city. See how many miles you can rack up.

You can log all your walking with their online tool to count miles, how many ice creams you’ve burned off and the carbon you’ve saved.

The challenge will run until the end of the Games on 9 September. Get walking!

Leadership hustings in London this Friday

As people may know Caroline Lucas will not be re-standing for the position of party leader when it comes up for re-election later this year.

London Green Party are hosting a hustings for the prospective leadership candidates, Natalie Bennett, Pippa Bartolotti, Peter Cranie and Romayne Phoenix on Friday July 13th which will be at Development House, 56- 64 Leonard Street London EC2A 4LT starting at 7pm. Tea and coffee available from 6.00.

This will be a chance for members to quiz the prospective leaders, discuss the future direction of the party and go to the pub with each other afterwards too. Who we elect as leader this summer will have a profound impact on the direction of the party in the next two years and hopefully as many members as possible will take this opportunity to get involved in the debate. Questions can be submitted by email in advance to Jon Nott (jon.nott at greenparty.org.uk), who will be chairing.

Save Lambeth's One O'Clock Clubs!

Lambeth Council has announced a consultation into the future of our One O'Clock Clubs. In their own words, they 'want local communities to decide which organisations are going to take over the running of the youth and play sites from the Council'.

These clubs are vital to the wellbeing of many young children, parents and carers across the borough, and are enjoyed by thousands (including my own....). They are hugely valued and make a real difference to the quality of children's early years in Lambeth.

I know I'm not alone in worrying that Lambeth plan to use the consultations to justify introducing a cut-price service - using the 'Cooperative Council' idea as cover for a reduction in public provision. This may balance the books in the short term but at what cost to children?

Lambeth have announced the consultation at really short notice and with very little publicity, even at the clubs themselves. It all smells rather fishy - almost as if they don't want people to hear about their plans!

So, if you can, do try to attend one of the consultation meetings. They're running until 18th July - you can see the full list here.

And if you can't make any of them (they're all on weekdays), then write to the Council, your councillors and your MP to ask how you can have your say. For more ideas, check out the thread on Urban75.

Lambeth Council finally agrees to pay some contractors a Living Wage

We have for many years been pushing Lambeth to pay a Living Wage to all its employees.

This included, in 2009, a motion by Green Councillor Becca Thackray to commit Lambeth to a Living Wage policy. However Labour tabled an amendment which excluded sub-contractors.

It is good news therefore that finally, after years of pressure, Lambeth have agreed to pay some subcontractors a Living Wage.

However, whilst Labour has blocked and delayed, Lambeth's chief executive has moved steadily up the league table of council executive pay.

His pay is over 17 times the minimum wage earned by some of Lambeth council sub contractors and over 13 times the Living Wage which the council pays its direct employees.

What Lambeth should now be looking at is a 10:1 pay ratio where no one earns more than ten times the salary of the lowest paid employee or worker.

Cites for Clean Air: London 2012

There's a conference & unconference which will be of interest for all those campaigning for better air quality.

DATE: Saturday 14 July 2012, 10.30 am – 5 pm

VENUE: University London Union, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7HY. Nearest tube: Goodge Street.

WHO: This event is aimed at the general public who want to see good air quality in their neighbourhood and beyond. You don't need to be an expert. There's no admission charge, and this is the founding meeting of the Network for Clean Air.

WHY: There are seventeen places in the UK which will not achieve limits for harmful air pollution (NO2) within legal EU limits by 1 January 2015. Indeed, one of them, Greater London - won't achieve these limits until about 2025. Local authorities and national government need the engagement of civil society to bring forth adequate measures to control pollutants, improve public health and the quality of life. In London alone, poor air quality leads to the premature death of about four thousand people annually (that’s about the same as the ‘great smog’ of December 1952).

SCHEDULE

Morning - Conference - invited speakers

* Legal Action for Clean Air in the UK - Alan Andrews, Client Earth
* Why Air Pollution is Bad for Human Health - Dr Ian Mudway, MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, King's College London
* London Air: the Politics, the Vision - Jenny Bates, Friends of the Earth London Campaigner

Other speakers to be confirmed

Afternoon - Unconference - workshops, discussions

Share your knowledge and experience; discover new approaches; learn with others; meet new friends.

REGISTRATION/ FINAL DETAILS/ NEWSLETTER

To register for the conference (not essential but recommended), receive final conference details and an occasional newsletter then email: contact at cleanairuk.org More at: www.cleanairuk.org