London Metropolitan University

The Mayor of London and London Metropolitan University have joined forces to host an event and launch a report which look at methods used in New York and London to fight childhood obesity.

The event will draw on research in ‘ObesCities’ a new report by the London Metropolitan University and City University of New York, which details flab fighting initiatives used in both cities. Guests will also discuss ways the Mayor’s Health Inequalities Strategy can promote healthier lifestyles and make it easier for children and families in London to make better choices.

The seminar will open with a presentation from the authors of the report and an expert panel will offer their thoughts on what more London can do. Guest speakers will include Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, who will discuss the need for more sustainable food growth to promote healthy food choices and local food growing projects. Pamela Chesters, the Mayoral adviser on Health and Youth Opportunities will discuss ways the Mayor’s office can challenge food providers to offer a better range of appetising menus.

Ruth Rendell

Crime writer Ruth Rendell is supporting the London Safeguarding Children Board’s efforts to raise awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Baroness Rendell, a high profile campaigner against FGM, spoke at the launch of a resource pack drawn up by the London Safeguarding Children Board. This innovative pack brings together a wide range of existing work into one handy document for the first time, and will be a key tool to help professionals and community groups work together to combat FGM.

The pack is designed for all people who work with children, but especially midwives and other health professionals, teachers, social workers and police officers.

It contains detailed information about FGM, as well as guidelines on how to spot victims of abuse or girls at risk. These include a set of questions for midwives to ask women attending their clinics. There is also advice on how community groups can help to prevent FGM, and information to help professionals discuss the issue with parents and children.

The pack has been completed ahead of the Christmas school holidays, which is a common time for girls to be taken abroad to undergo FGM so they can recover before the start of the new term.

The survivors of this procedure are often left with psychological scars from which they may never recover

Female genital mutilation, sometimes referred to as female circumcision, involves girls of all ages. It can range from injury to the clitoris through to complete removal of the labia and clitoris which is then sewn up leaving only a tiny opening. It is done without their consent and often carried out in unhygienic conditions with no anaesthetic.

Chair of the London Safeguarding Children Board, Cheryl Coppell said: “Female genital mutilation is a serious form of child abuse, and it’s vital that people are given the support and advice that they need to help end this practice. Young girls are left with the risk of serious infections and infertility and in some tragic cases they die.

“The survivors of this procedure are often left with psychological scars from which they may never recover.

“We have worked closely with all the agencies involved in supporting these women to bring together a number of useful resources and information into one central reference point. We are confident this will be a real help for people who work with children and families who may be affected by female genital mutilation.

“We are committed to offering survivors the support they need as well as preventing other girls from going through the pain and trauma.”

On a national level a cross-government FGM coordinator was appointed in September 2009, to provide a single point of contact for stakeholders in and out of Government and to lead on work on FGM.

Detective Constable Jason Morgan, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), Project Azure said: “The resource pack is valuable to professionals working in the health, education and wider child protection arena. It gives comprehensive information, advice and guidance that will help to ensure that everything is being done to protect girls from FGM.”

“The MPS will continue to work with all of our partner agencies and other organisations to engage with practising communities with a view to empowering them, with the information they need to challenge this practice from within the community.”

The London Safeguarding Children Board provides strategic advice and support to the capital’s 32 local safeguarding children boards. This includes the development of procedures and guidance and the co-ordination of training.

Research has shown that FGM is carried out across parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. There are at least 29 African communities mainly around the horn of Africa affected which are Benin, Burkino Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Dijbouti, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Yemen. It is also believed to be occurring across Europe in countries such as Sweden, France and in the UK and across Asia in the Middle East, Malaysia, Indonesia and Iraq. This list is not exhaustive.

Research by FORWARD (the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development) has shown that 6,500 girls in London are at risk of FGM.

Great Eastern Street London from Shoreditch High Street

Representatives from businesses big and small will tomorrow appear before the London Assembly to discuss the issues facing retailers on local high streets in the capital.

With shop closures on already troubled high streets on the rise due to the recession, the Assembly’s Planning and Housing Committee is investigating what progress has been made on implementing planning policies to support small retailers.

There are almost 35,000 small retailers in London, between them providing more than 100,000 jobs. What does the future hold for these crucial elements of London’s economy?

Guests including Tesco and the Federation of Small Businesses will join representatives from two London boroughs to face questions including:

• - What are the benefits of, and the main threats to, small independent retailers?
• - Can chains and small shops co-exist in the same local shopping street?
• - Have shopping patterns changed so much that, inevitably, the days of the small shop are numbered?
• - Does the planning system do enough to help local councillors support small shops if they want to resist schemes for larger convenience stores?
• - What more could the Mayor do to support small shops through the London Plan?

Invited guests:

• - Nick Winch, London Policy Manager, Federation of Small Businesses
• - Emma Reynolds, Government Affairs Manager, Tesco
• - Councillor Tim Ahern, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• - Jo Hammond, Town Centre Initiatives Manager, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• - Stephanie Butcher, Brixton Town Centre Director, Brixton Town Centre Initiative

The Planning and Housing Committee meeting will take place at 10am on Tuesday, 10 November in Committee Room 5 at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).

Members of the public are invited to attend. The meeting can also be viewed via webcast at: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/webcasts.jsp

The findings of the review will form the Assembly’s contribution to policy development as part of the London Plan review process from now until the Examination in Public in the summer of 2010. The Committee will publish a full report of its findings early next year.

Retailers can expect the worst of the recession to hit in 2010 with over 5,000 retailers in the UK predicted to go out of business. Source: Industry Watch report by BDO Stoy Hayward LLP(2009); http://www.bdo.uk.com/bdo-stoy-hayward/live/news/2009/over-5-000-retailers-to-go-out-of-business-next-year.html

A small retailer can be defined as one that employs up to ten people; another common definition is less than 3,000 square feet in size.

In London in 2007 there were 34,708 small retailers employing 102,905 people. Small retailers account for 87 per cent of all retailers in London. Source: Office of National Statistics (2007): Annual business inquiry

London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing Councillor Steve Reed has welcomed the Mayor's housing initiative.. with reservations

London Councils has welcomed the Mayor of London’s attempts to kick-start the capital’s housing market by bringing forward under-used Greater London Authority Land for development.

However, the organisation has also warned that providing more social rented affordable housing will be the key to meeting the needs of Londoners, particularly in the current economic climate.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing Councillor Steve Reed said:

“We welcome any attempt to get the capital’s housing market moving, particularly in the current economic climate. As both the public sector and the construction industry face a spending squeeze, we need to develop new ways to bring forward investment for new housing projects.

“While the Mayor’s plans centre on delivering a mix of intermediate rented accommodation and shared ownership, we must not lose sight of the need to build more family-sized housing for social rent.

”Kick-starting the construction industry is a necessary step, but we must ensure the right mix of homes are built for London – both now and in years to come.”