March meeting with Ceri Goddard

North London Fawcett is restarting, at last!

The meeting will be on Thursday 8th April, 7.30pm at our usual venue, The Ossulston Tenants and Residents Hall, Ossulston Street, NW1 1EU.

The entrance is on Ossulston Street, opposite Brill Place. The Google map makes is slightly wrong! Please email us if you’d like a mobile contact number in case you can’t find the hall.

You’d be more than welcome to come along, everyone is welcome. The meeting is free but we have a collection towards the (very small) hire costs for the room.

To celebrate our re-start this month we be visited by the new Chief Executive of Fawcett, Ceri Goddard.

She’ll be talking to us about the Fawcett general election campaign, What About Women and about Fawcett more generally.

Come and meet Ceri and talk about where Fawcett will be heading in the near future.

Please email us on northlondonfawcett@REMOVEgmail.com if you’d like more information or to be added to our mailing list.

Here’s the Boris Keep Your Promise response to the Mayor’s announcement today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE: Boris announces Rape Crisis Centres, but where’s the money to insure their future?

After a long flight by campaigners, the Mayor today finally announced the three new Rape Crisis centres he promised during his election campaign nearly two years ago.

Matty Mitford, Spokesperson for the Boris Keep Your Promise Campaign[1] said.

“I’m sure we join all other campaigns for Women in welcoming the new centres, it is a leap forward for vulnerable women in London. Our worry is that, since Boris cut his original funding pledge by 1.6 million, or over half [2], there is now no clear mention of who will pay for the centre’s running costs. They Mayor’s funding only lasts for two years[3], after which who will fund these new centres? With all councils facing huge cuts over the next few years, we could easily find ourselves in the position of having Rape Crisis Centres with no money to run them, all because Boris wouldn’t award the money he promised in his manifesto.”

David Babbs, Director of Campaigning Organisation 38 Degrees says, “We are glad to show that people-powered campaigning can really work. We will be keeping a close eye on Mayor Johnson to see his original promises are kept. It’s the money that matters, not the press release.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

[1] Boris Keep Your Promise is a campaign started by the North London brach of the Fawcett Society. Their Website is http://www.boriskeepyourpromise.org.uk

[2]http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/boris-announces-rape-crisis-centre-funding/20097835

[3] https://nlfg.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/gla-press-release/ in the ‘notes for editors section’.

[4] 38 Degrees are a campaigning organisation, aim to bring political power back to the people http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/rapecrisis

For further information or for immediate or future interview, please contact:

Matty Mitford (Director of Boris Keep Your Promise) on keepit@REOMVEboriskeepyourpromise.org.uk or at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

or

David Babbs (Director of 38 Degrees) davidb@REMOVE38degress.or.uk or at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

GLA PRESS RELEASE

press release
Office hours: 020 7983 4070
Out of hours and weekends: 020 7983 4000
http://www.london.gov.uk

GLA/2010/
Monday, March 8, 2010

Mayor to quadruple Rape Crisis services in London
Three new Rape Crisis Centres will open in London this year, following the Mayor’s pledge to quadruple Rape Crisis provision in the capital. The first will open in Ealing next month followed later in the year by new services in the north and east.

When elected, Mayor Boris Johnson pledged to open three new centres and provide extra funding for the capital’s only existing service in Croydon. By working together with London’s boroughs he has now delivered on this commitment and reversed a downward trend in women’s services, which saw two centres close under the previous administration.

Islington and Westminster councils have taken the lead to deliver new Rape Crisis services in north London using £370,000 of funding from the Mayor. With the full support of four other north London councils they plan to run Rape Crisis services in each borough with the work centrally co-ordinated by an existing women’s service provider. This means that women in north London will not have to travel across boroughs but can access services locally.

A similar plan is underway in east London where Redbridge is leading work to deliver a new Rape Crisis Centre for the area with £370,000 of funding from the Mayor.

The new Rape Crisis Centre for west London, run by the Women and Girl’s Network, will start operating on April 1. With £375,000 funding from the Mayor along with resources and additional funding from Ealing Council, the centre hopes to run satellite services across West London.

Since receiving £260,000 from the Mayor last year the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) in Croydon has doubled the capacity of its helpline and increased by 30 per cent the level of face to face counselling it can now provide to victims of rape and sexual abuse.

Speaking at an event to mark International Women’s Day the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
“With the Ealing Rape Crisis Centre ready to spring into action next month and new services in north and east London up and running by the end of the year, women in the capital will at last get the services they need and deserve.

“By taking the time to get this right and working closely with London’s boroughs, we are cementing the future of these centres for years to come and reversing the appalling neglect of Rape Crisis services in London.”

Ends
Notes to editor

§ The Mayor was speaking at the “Working together to end violence against women and girls’ event at Glaziers Hall, London. Baroness Royall, Leader of the House of Lords, also attended the event.

§ Increasing access to services, such as Rape Crisis support, is a key part of the Mayor’s Violence Against Women Strategy ‘The Way Forward’ the final version of which has been published today. This can be found, along with an action plan for delivery of the strategy at http://www.london.gov.uk

§ In his manifesto, the Mayor committed to expanding Rape Crisis provision in London by funding three new centres as well as the only remaining centre, the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) in Croydon. The Mayor has pledged £1.4m to increase Rape Crisis provision in London over the next three years. The aim is to have a Rape Crisis service in north, south, east and west London.

§ The Mayor has allocated £370K to establish Rape Crisis provision in the north and is working with a north London partnership to achieve this. The partnership is jointly led by Islington and Westminster Councils. The other boroughs in the partnership are Camden, Enfield, Barnet, Kensington & Chelsea. Services will be delivered through an existing third sector specialist violence against women service provider using an innovative “hub and spoke” model involving outreach and satellite services being provided across all seven boroughs.

§ A similar approach is being developed in the east where Redbridge is leading an east London partnership to open a rape crisis service with £370,000 of funding from the Mayor. Other boroughs in the partnership are Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Havering, Hackney and Waltham Forest.

§ The Mayor reached an agreement with Ealing Council last July to establish a new Rape Crisis Centre for west London. The Mayor has allocated £375,000 to Ealing Council over the next two years. A specialist organisation known as Women and Girls network are about to sign the contract to deliver the service from the 1st April. The service will initially be delivered from Women and Girls network existing premises based in Shepherds Bush. As soon as a suitable location has been identified the service will move to a central Ealing location.

§ The Mayor is working with Croydon Council to fund the South London Rape Crisis Centre, the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC). The funding received by RASASC has already enabled them to double the capacity of their sexual violence helpline, increase their opening hours by 16%, increase the number of workers on the helpline by 60% and increase their face to face counselling service by 30%

§ The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Freephone Helpline is 0808 802 9999. This line is open from 12 – 2.30 and 7 – 9.30pm every Day of the Year

§ The inaugural meeting of the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls Panel took place at City Hall on Wednesday January 20. The formation of the panel was a key commitment in the Mayor’s strategy to end violence against women and girls in London, ‘The Way Forward’. Chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing Kit Malthouse, the panel will advise the Mayor on the actions required to end violence against women and girls in the capital and improve co-ordination of agencies, statutory and non-statutory bodies working in this area.

§ The Way Forward and action plan focus on the vast majority of victims of gender-based violence (i.e. women), but it is important to recognise that men and boys are also victims of violence. This strategy therefore, will sit alongside existing policies and procedures that provide protection and legal redress for all victims of crime.

§ London also has three Sexual Assault Referral Centres known as The Havens providing high quality victim care and medical services to anyone who has been raped in the last 12 months. Rape Crisis Centres provide long-term support and counselling to recent and historic incidents of rape including childhood sexual abuse. The Mayor recognises that the only way to meet the needs of survivors is to offer both forms of service provision.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Press information is available from Leona Janson-Smith 020 7983 4713/ Leona.janson-smith@london.gov.uk

GENERAL PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater London Authority on 020 7983 4100
DUTY PRESS OFFICER: For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983 4000

The Mayor is calling all Londoners to share their ideas on how London can adapt to Climate Change: What are the issues? Find out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WplvSvvGXRA

Back England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and London as a Candidate Host City. Visit http://www.england2018bid.com or Text ‘England’ to 62018

GREATERLONDONAUTHORITY
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The information in this email may contain confidential or privileged materials. Please read the full email notice at http://www.london.gov.uk/email-notice.jsp

Equal Pay Day 2009: the countdown begins

Friday 30 October is Equal Pay Day in the UK and in the run-up, we are calling on the Government to get tough on pay inequality in the UK.

Why 30th October? It’s the day that women effectively receive their last pay cheque of the year. This is because the 17.1% full-time gender pay gap is equivalent to men being paid all year round while women work for free after 30th October.

The gender pay gap isn’t inevitable. Equal Pay Day 2009 is your opportunity to do something about it.

To find out more about the campaign, check out the Equal Pay Day blog.

Courts to get new powers to protect victims of domestic violence

Refuge, the leading organisation combatting domestic violence, has welcomed recent changes to the law.

From late September, courts in England and Wales have greater powers to grant restraining orders to protect victims of domestic violence.

Previously, courts were only able to issue restraining orders following conviction for specific offences. Now abused women will be able to obtain protection without having to go to a separate court or to find the funding to pay for civil orders.

Enforcement of any restraining orders remains key to protecting victims.

In the most extreme cases, men who have been allowed to breach bail conditions with impunity have gone on to murder their partners. Refuge say it is essential that bail conditions and restraining orders are more rigorously enforced, and the Government must provide the courts and police with the resources and training needed to ensure that this happens.

More information is available from the Refuge website.

Fawcett Society AGM 2009: Saturday 17 October

Fawcett supporters are invited to join staff and trustees at our Annual General Meeting on Saturday 17 October from 1pm to 4.30pm in London EC1 (nearest tube: Old Street).

The event is open to all supporters with an active regular gift to the Fawcett Society by Standing Order or Direct Debit. Fawcett supporters are welcome to bring guests, but please note that only those with an active regular gift are entitled to vote. Angela Mason CBE (Chair) will deliver a key note speech, and you will get the chance to meet our new Chief Executive, Ceri Goddard. To attend, please email wendy.hall@fawcettsociety.org.uk.

Fawcett at ‘Feminism in London 09’

The Fawcett Society will have a stall at the Feminism in London event on Saturday 10 October where you can learn more about their work and speak to staff and members of Fawcett.

The event, organised by the London Feminist Network, offers a forum to discuss and develop feminist perspectives on topics as diverse as racism and sexism, poverty and motherhood, prostitution and more.

Speakers include Susie Orbach, Beatrix Campbell, Sabrina Qureshi, Gunilla Ekberg, Marai Larasi and Southall Black Sisters.

Find out more or register online here.

London Mayor Boris Johnson is off to Manchester this week, but can’t leave his broken promises behind

Members of the London-based Boris Keep Your Promise campaign are attending the Tory Party conference in Manchester to highlight Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson’s current failure to live up to his manifesto commitments.

Boris promised to give £744,000 a year to the beleaguered London Rape Crisis network. Now campaigners are asking if this broken promise is a pattern that will be repeated by the Conservatives, regarding their national pledge to increase funding to Rape Crisis.

Matty Mitford of the Boris Keep Your Promise campaign says. “In their most recent manifesto, The Conservative Party make admirable promises to reverse the massive reduction in Rape Crisis Centres throughout the country but considering Boris Johnson’s failure to deliver on his commitment to Rape Crisis is London, how can anyone possibly take this policy seriously?

“The only way to reverse the blow to credibility of the Tories is for the central party to tell Boris he must stand by his word as a Conservative and elected representative and provide the £744,000 a year he promised.”

Boris Keep Your Promise makes BBC News

Meeting update

Hi everyone

There will be no meeting this month (July) or August. Back in September. Email us if you’d like to be added to the mailing list as there will still be virtual activities.

Back soon!