Lewisham School Exclusions

People may have seen an article published yesterday on Eastlondonlines which said that Lewisham has the third highest school pupil exclusion rate in England. My response is below.

The DfE has released exclusion data, not for the academic year which has recently finished, but for the year before that (2015/16). This shows Lewisham near the top of national league tables for numbers of excluded pupils. This isn’t a surprise. We knew the figures were bad but my concern is what it means for young people’s lives – that’s why reducing exclusions has been and continues to be a priority. And not just playing the numbers game to massage the figures down, but ensuring that more young people continue and thrive in mainstream education, despite the challenges they face. Challenging targets for reducing exclusions are part of our ‘Secondary Challenge’ partnership approach to improving our secondary schools. And the schools are working better together and agreed a revised Fair Access and Managed Moves Protocol to use alternative options to exclusion. We are also working towards earlier identification of problems and earlier intervention to prevent escalation. This has yielded a 22% reduction in permanent exclusions since those published figures. That’s progress but it’s not enough. So the work continues, with new leadership in our Pupil Referral Unit and ever closer working between our schools, working with social care and our education services which support vulnerable pupils and help schools tackle persistent absence from school and the other precursors to exclusion.

'We Few, We Happy Few'.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the 114 people who voted for me to be Labour's candidate for the Lewisham Mayoralty. My offer was to modernise the Council to enable it to take advantage of new opportunities and to respond innovatively to the coming drastic cuts to the Council's budget. This was comprehensively rejected by the party membership in favour of a manifesto that promised far more than I thought would be possible to deliver. I accept this result.

I was grateful for the opportunity to offer my congratulations to the winner, Damien Egan, in person at the Full Council meeting on Wednesday night. I send my best wishes to the other defeated candidates. To my friend Paul Bell, my co-councillor and valued colleague Brenda Dacres and to the irrepressable Alan Hall. The fact that five people put themselves forward for selection showed that people thought that the Mayoralty was a prize worth fighting for. I think it was a pretty clean fight. At the end of the day we are all members of the Labour Party and we now come together to support the Labour candidate.

I offer two observations on the result. Firstly, I was extremely surprised by the low turnout (45%) The fact that less than half of members could be bothered to spend a few minutes filling out a ballot paper, less if you did it online, has to be a disappointment. Such a lack of willingness to do something as simple as vote, undermines the argument that the vast increase in party membership in recent years demonstrates that the Labour Party is building a mass movement. Secondly, Alan Hall and I, the two candidates with the most polar opposite views on the Millwall CPO, ended up a long way behind the other three candidates, fighting it out for the wooden spoon. This demonstrates that this issue is ultimately of less interest locally than elsewhere, something that many of us have always believed.

I would particularly like to thank Cllr John Muldoon for supporting me through this campaign. I do not think that I would have stood if it had not been for his encouragement. It is normal for politicians to speak about how humbled and privileged they feel for the support they have received. I usually find this language grating. But when it comes to John's support for me, I feel that it is entirely appropriate. I do not think that there is another Lewisham Councillor who is more respected for their knowledge, work rate, integrity and thoughtfulness than John Muldoon. Paul Bell has described him to me as a genius. When John stands to speak, people pay attention. Success is a many fathered child, but failure is an orphan, so the saying goes. Many people have sought to claim credit for saving Lewisham Hospital from Jeremy Hunt's attempts to close its maternity & A&E units. Yet it was the evidence of John Muldoon, as Chair of the Council's Healthier Communities Select Committee that proved decisive for Judge Silber in finding for the Council in the Judicial Review that it brought against the Secretary of State (see the full judgement here, paragraphs 195 & 196, page 40)  The fact that he has received no credit for this is deeply regrettable in my view. The fact that John has remained silent about it is to his eternal credit.

Wednesday's Full Council meeting was significant in another way as it was an opportunity to say thank you and farewell to our Chief Executive, Barry Quirk. Barry was seconded to Kensington & Chelsea Council following the resignation of their Chief Executive in the aftermath of the fire in Grenfell Tower. He has now resigned from Lewisham to become their new Chief Executive. I have always felt an affinity with Barry as we come from similar working class beginnings, him from Bermondsey and me from Deptford. I really admired his intellect, rigorous analysis, knowledge and wisdom. He was disdainful of sloppy thinking and set high standards which officers and members couldn't help but seek to rise to meet. As a local resident himself, he knew first hand what it was like to live in Lewisham and be on the receiving end of the Council's service delivery. He cared about the borough and lived the job. He knew how to speak to people. He was a credible voice that would be listened to whether he was speaking to Cabinet Minsters, senior civil servants, academics or a group of residents. So it came as no surprise to many of us when he was asked to step into the hugely challenging role at Kensington & Chelsea. I will miss his support and advice. Barry is committed to the public sector because he believes in its power to make the lives of ordinary people better. I am sure that he will be absolutely focused on the task of restoring the confidence of the people of Kensington & Chelsea in their public institutions. I wish him every success.

My Hustings Speech

I believe in the transformative power of the public sector. The power of government not just to protect the vulnerable and help the needy, but to also lead innovation, to be entrepreneurial and to create wealth. It's why I got involved in politics and why I have been a councillor for almost 20 years. 

But be in no doubt, even Jeremy Corbyn himself as Mayor of Lewisham, couldn't stop the £52m worth of cuts that the Tories are determined to impose on the Council over the next 4 years. And do not be misled. Every year the Mayor has to decide on her budget and it is this budget that he must bring to the Labour Group to get support for and then to Full Council. It is the Mayor who must defend his budget to the public. In this regard he can run, but ultimately, she can’t hide. 

But before the Mayor is even able to face this huge challenge, he has to win next year's election. Whoever gets selected will not have Steve Bullock’s profile, record or personal vote. They will have to sell Labour's message to a community that has changed. New people have arrived here from other countries and other parts of the UK to make their homes in Lewisham. We know that people do not automatically vote the same way locally as they do nationally. Lewisham spends most of its budget on Social Services, but what has it got to offer the vast majority of our residents who don't use these services? Most of our citizens own their own homes or live in the private rented sector, not in social housing. What are we offering to the majority of voters? 

Also, when a leader of long standing stands down the opposition sense an opportunity. This is why I believe that next year's Mayoral election will be the toughest ever. The Tories have selected a young, determined, ambitious candidate. The Lib Dems are likely to choose an experienced campaigner as their standard bearer. Perhaps a high profile independent will see their chance and have a go. This is why it is imperative that whatever your personal view, whoever you would like to be the Mayor in an ideal world, you vote for the person you believe will impress ordinary voters the most. Labour must show that it can pick the best, not just indulge its own parochial ideals. If there is the slightest hint that Labour didn't choose the best person for the job. Then the Tories, the Lib Dems and all the rest, will spend months shouting out that Labour hold this borough and its residents in contempt. And frankly, I think that they will have a point. 

You will have received my literature through your door. Someone referred to it as my 'War and Peace'. I didn't want to spend time sending you text messages, cold calling you or banging on your door. Nor did I want to send out emails and leaflets that contained little more than various pictures of me, happy clappy slogans and un-costed pledges with no plan of how to achieve them. I wanted to treat members with respect. The selection process is the means by which we choose our candidate to run a billion pound organisation and be its public face. You're not being asked to select some kind of super community campaigner or civic mayor. It's a real job. For a real leader. 

I've set out what I think the job is and a plan to deal with the clear challenges. We need to modernise our organisation. We need to recruit innovators and entrepreneurs who are committed to the public sector and are determined to build a Council for the 21st Century, not run one that reflects the needs of the 20th. There are opportunities that we are not taking advantage of, particularly where council housing is concerned. 

I believe that the majority of our residents are ambitious and aspire to do well, to build a better life for themselves and their families. They want a council that shares their aims and values. They want a Council that they believe is on their side. They want a Council that has vision and can generate a sense of passion, pace and place. Lewisham becoming the best place to live, work and learn. 

You may have read my story. It’s not a story of one person's success from humble beginnings. It is one person's story of how they started out and how, thanks to the help, support and encouragement of others, family, church, the NHS, education, the Council, colleagues, they succeeded. It can be anybody's story. It should be everybody's story. 

I am standing in the contest because I believe that the Mayor can make this happen. I believe I can be that Mayor. Put your trust in me and I won't let you down.

Paul Maslin with Cllr John Muldoon

You can read more about my views on my blog : http://themaslinmemo.blogspot.co.uk/

You can follow me on Twitter @PaulJMas

If you’d like to get in touch you can email me Maslin4Mayor@gmail.com

Why Has This Article About New Bermondsey Been Taken Down From The SLP Website?

Why I'm Backing Paul Maslin4Mayor By Councillor John Muldoon

There is a rumour circulating that I am not serious about being the next Mayor of Lewisham. That my campaign is about running interference, to increase the chances of another candidate. People can make up their own minds. What I say is that I am in earnest. Every Labour member will be getting a leaflet from me this week through the post. Those who say my campaign is about doing the bare minimum to assist someone else need to check the facts.

Granted, my support for the Millwall CPO will strike some as surprising, given the controversy surrounding it. One of the reasons I decided to stand in this contest was the expectation that no other candidate would support the Council’s policy and record on this issue. I believe that it is important for someone to defend the Council’s actions against biased, one-sided opposition, even if this does appear in the pages of a national, broadsheet newspaper. The Charity Commission has dismissed the Guardian’s allegations against the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, the charity that Renewal set up to deliver the Sports Village in the New Bermondsey development. Sadly, it has yet to report this. Instead, in response, the Guardian has embarked upon a damage limitation exercise. It seems to be anticipating that the Freedom of Information Tribunal will fail to uphold the complaint that Millwall has made against the Council for refusing to disclose certain information. Further, it looks like it accepts that the Dyson inquiry, when it reports, will not have found anything to support its suspicions. (For more on this see here)

The Council’s reputation has clearly been damaged by this coverage. I am standing to defend and repair that reputation. The Labour Party has run Lewisham Council for many years. The Labour Party has made the Council a force for good. This is a testament to the selfless efforts of many hundreds of ordinary party members, some who were councillors, sustained, year in and year out, through good times and bad, over many decades. Thanks to them, the Council has made the lives of its residents better in so many ways. This is the reality. It is not, despite the inferences of vested interest, a self-serving corrupt organisation that operates in a way that would shame a banana republic.

The Council deserves to have a Labour politician who will defend it against such assaults, however difficult it may be.

Some of you will, understandably, have a few doubts about my campaign. Yes, it has been slow to start. My expectation, at the beginning of this Council administration, was that the selection process to choose Steve Bullock’s successor, should he decide to stand down, would begin in the Autumn of 2017. I must admit that the decision to run the contest over the Summer holiday when many people, including myself, would be on holiday, took me by surprise. Due to my business, family and Cabinet responsibilities, it was not possible for me to decide a year or two ago that I was definitely running. So I could not ask for people’s endorsement when I was not sure if I would be able to run when the contest was called. I was able to make a few tentative preparations. The truth is that I didn’t decide to run until the letters from the Labour Party arrived on 15th July announcing the start of the process. I had my interview with the selection panel the evening before I went on holiday. I did what I could from a campsite in France, with very poor phone and internet signals. It’s been flat out since I returned two weeks ago.

I know that I have support. If you would like to endorse me, either publicly or privately, then please get in touch. Do remember that many people pledged support for the other candidates months, if not years ago, long before I announced my candidacy.

Ballot papers should begin to arrive on 1st September. I urge all members to delay casting your vote until after the hustings. If you are unable to get along to one of them, please ask someone you know who went for some feedback. I call upon all the other candidates to join me in making this plea. Surely, no one would want to encourage people to vote before the candidates were exposed to the challenge of the hustings process. I think that candidates should expect to have to present themselves in person to Party members before they ask them to vote.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Paul Maslin

Why are you voting for Paul Maslin?

Paul Maslin with Councillor John Muldoon

I’m backing Paul Maslin because I believe he will make the best Mayor of Lewisham. Since I met Paul almost 20 years ago, I’ve been impressed by his determination and resilience, and, above all, his modesty. Paul grew up in a family where selfless service to others was the touchstone – the Labour Party is his natural home. Apart from three years at university and a year volunteering overseas, Paul’s lived in Lewisham his whole life.

Paul’s built a transatlantic business, starting in Deptford, starting from scratch, whilst raising a family, being a Labour Councillor and serving twice in Sir Steve Bullock’s Cabinet, holding two major and challenging portfolios.

I remember clearly the moment in 2010 when Paul phoned me to tell me that Sir Steve had asked him to be the Cabinet Member for Resources. Paul told me he had accepted. I couldn’t think of a better person to tackle what was to become the Coalition’s relentless attack on Labour-controlled local government. This was uncharted territory – would it be Thatcherism Mark 2? Would the LibDems tone things down? Paul calmly started to prepare Lewisham Council for the onslaught to come. Doing his best to protect those services most needed by our most vulnerable residents. Because that’s what Labour stands for in Paul’s mind.

And Sir Steve clearly was pleased with Paul’s achievements in that role when he asked him to take over the Children & Young People portfolio in 2014. To provide political leadership to education and children’s social care, at a time when Tory ideology threatens all that Lewisham Council had created over the years.

Paul has never shied away from delivering the difficult messages, even if some don’t always agree with them.

Let’s be clear, we aren’t choosing someone who’ll have a dozen special advisers and spin doctors to micromanage the workload. We’re selecting someone who can and who will make tough – sometimes unpopular - decisions and stick by them, not someone who’ll flip-flop in response to the latest press coverage. Someone once said “True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation”. Paul has experienced great pressure, from one particular journalist, from football supporters’ Twitter accounts. He hasn’t wavered. Paul is someone who knows when and from whom to seek advice. When to speak, and when to listen. Paul Maslin will be a great Mayor.

If you want someone who gets their picture in the local paper every week, Paul might not be the candidate for you. That’s not the main qualification for this role - we have a chair of Council who is our civic ambassador. After all, we’re not promoting the next Hollywood blockbuster, our Mayor will be too busy running Lewisham Council.

Being an executive Mayor demands a skillset unlike any other role. Someone who can and will lead, not someone who says they lead. Our local leader. Someone with vision. Someone with integrity. Someone respected by and who respects all our communities. Someone with the competence to steer Lewisham over the coming years, years of great austerity for Lewisham Council. Someone with the agility to deliver great change for Lewisham, whilst never forgetting our duty to the weak, the vulnerable, the poor. Someone ready to seize the opportunities the next Labour Government will bring, whenever that may be. That’s why I’m backing Paul Maslin for Mayor."

Councillor John Muldoon

You can read more about my views on my blog : http://themaslinmemo.blogspot.co.uk/

You can follow me on Twitter @PaulJMas

If you’d like to get in touch you can email me Maslin4Mayor@gmail.com