City Matters Edition 037

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Page 4 | 14 - 20 June 2017 News Matters Three years jail for armed casino thief AN opportunistic thief has been jailed for three years after tailing a casino patron to his City flat where he tried to rob him of his winnings. Adam Tebbani, 20, watched his 69-year-old victim celebrate a win at a casino in Stratford on 3 May, before following him on the Tube as he returned home, tailgating his way into the lift area of the victim’s block of flats. Alone with his victim, Tebbani threatened the man with a knife and reportedly shouted “Give me the money, give me the money, you’ve been to the casino.” Tebbani ran away when the victim refused to hand over his winnings, and was arrested six days later after he was recognised at the same Stratford casino. When officers from the Metropolitan Police attended, Tebbani was found to be in possession of a knife. He appeared at the Inner London Crown Court on 8 June, pleading guilty to one count of attempted robbery and two counts of possession of a bladed article. Detective Constable Helen Shipston, who led the investigation, said: “CCTV was key in showing how Tebbani targeted his victim first in the casino and pursuing him across London; culminating in what was no doubt a terrifying incident for the victim. “Thanks to this invaluable evidence, we were able to bring Tabbani before the courts.” CITYMATTERS.LONDON GRANT HELPS EX-OFFENDERS REINTEGRATE INTO SOCIETY Trust ensures a bon Voyage A SIX-figure grant should ensure smooth sailing for one criminal justice charity helping ex-offenders settle back into the community. Based out of Hackney, Voyage – recently backed with £100,000 by City Bridge Trust –was established in 2002 as the delivery brand of the Black Police Association Charitable Trust; which itself was developed as a result of the Mayor’s Time for Action strategy. Time for Action was launched amidst heightened concern for youth violence, with youth murders increasing 53% between 2006 and 2007, and further escalating in 2008. A disproportionate number of young black men are both perpetrators and victims of serious youth crime, and in 2007/2008 77% of young murder victims (aged 10-19) were black. Project Charity chiefs will use their latest round of funding to further address the root causes of youth crime in the Capital, specifically with a new programme called Horizons Plus. The overall aim of the project is to counter the negative effects of criminal records, which can cash lift: Voyage’s bid for a grant was successful act as a barrier to work and higher education. Paul Anderson MBE, the CEO at Voyage, said Horizons Plus had been tailored to help people surpass their own hurdles, helping them to reintegrate back into society, find work and get into education. “It will provide our young people with the skills they need to enter the workforce through dedicated training programmes and workshops,” he added, and service user Ashton, who is 15, agrees. Initiative He said: “If I change my thoughts to positive ones then everything else changes that way. Sessions have helped me realise I can make the right choice for myself.” The initiative, launching on 9 June, will deliver an intensive programme of personal development training to 30 young people a year. It will offer a bespoke 10-week employment skills, mentoring and rehabilitation programme with partner Hackney Community College for youngsters aged 15 to 21. The programme will be available across eight London Boroughs, including Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Camden, City of London and Waltham Forest, with a strong focus on the black and minority ethnic communities. Alison Gowman, chairman of the City Bridge Trust committee, said that giving people a chance to work their way out of difficult circumstances is what the trust is all about. “This charity is already providing support to some of the most vulnerable members of the community at times when they need it most. “This new programme is an opportunity for these young people to really turn their lives around and provide the first stepping stones for building a long-lasting, successful career.” voyageyouth.com ‘It will provide young people with the skills they need to enter the workforce’ Voyage CEO Paul Anderson MBE Sculpting the City PUBLIC ART RETURNS TO SQUARE MILE A NEON-lit urban landscape at the Cheesegrater, a life-size horse at Bishopsgate and a deconstructed bathroom on Lime Street are among the art installations popping up around the Square Mile as part of this year’s Sculpture in the City. Now in its seventh year, the annual public art programme transforms the City into a sculpture park, with 16 art works taking up temporary residence amongst some of London’s most iconic buildings. Paul McCarthy, Ryan Gander and Martin Creed are among a cohort of internationally acclaimed artists taking part in the programme, which launches officially on 27 June. This year sees an extended list of locations, with Daniel Buren’s 4 Colours at 3 metres high situated work located to the eastern City in front of the newly completed One Creechurch Place, allowing visitors a meditative moment and sensorial escape from the hustle and bustle. Vivienne Littlechild, chairman of Sculpture in the City Board said the programme has gone “from strength to strength”. “It is very encouraging to know that leading contemporary artists from across the world are so keen to offer their visually engaging and thought-provoking art work for public display around the EC3 insurance area every year.” clockwise from top right: Gary Webb Dreamy Bathroom (2014), Paul McCarthy Apple Tree Boy Apple Tree Girl (2010), Mark Wallinger The Black Horse (2015), Gavin Turk Ajar (2011), Kevin Killen Tipping Point (2016)
CITYMATTERS.LONDON 14 - 20 June 2017 | Page 5 Election 2017 Conservative 18,005 (-7.5%) Labour 14,857 (+11.1%) Liberal Democrat 4,270 (+4.1%) Greens 821 (-3.3%) Other 701 (-3.4%) Dogus vows to fight on LABOUR’S Ibrahim Dogus has promised to “carry on” in his efforts to break the Conservative stronghold on the Cities of London & Westminster, after managing to shrink the margin to around 3,000 votes in last week’s election. The first-time candidate said he was “undeniably sad” at the result, which saw incumbent Mark Field hold onto the seat with 47% of the vote to his own 38%, but that all involved should be proud of their efforts. “We increased Labour’s hold on this seat and showed that through hard work, cooperation and talking about the issues that matter to people, we were able to make a difference,” Mr Dogus said in a statement. “We managed to reduce the Conservative majority from around 9,000 to around 3,000 votes. I for my part am determined to carry on.” Mr Dogus increased the Labour Party’s standing in the constituency to the highest levels since it was established in the 1950 election. He said: “I am touched by the amount of people who wrote to me, even if not typically Labour voters, because they wanted to engage with their candidates, the very essence of the democratic experience.” by Anahita Hossein-Pour “SHAMBLES, absolute shambles,” one Barbican estate voter told City Matters after casting her ballot for last Thursday’s general election. “I’m not young any longer and I have never known such an inconclusive election.” As City residents fronted up to polling stations around the Square Mile to decide the country’s fate, many were less than pleased with the run of events since the snap election was called in mid-April, with a variety of issues dominating discussion. “I had great difficulty in deciding who to vote for and I finally decided to vote Labour, partly because I’m a member of the Labour party,” said Sheila Hiller, 72. “It was really the situation about the cuts, schools, the NHS that was more important to me now than worrying about Brexit.” The remain stronghold, which voted 75% in favour of staying in the European Union last June, returned to the ballot boxes less than a year later to re-elect longstanding Conservative Mark Field though with a far narrower margin than in 2015. The Tory remainer may have campaigned on a MP CALLS FOR ALL VOICES TO BE HEARD AMIDST DUP TALKS From Front Page Voter turnout in the Cities of London & Westminster was the highest it has been since Tony Blair took power in 1997, with 38,654 people casting a ballot, an increase of more than 2,400 on 2015. Election day exit polls were suggesting a close battle for the normally safe Conservative seat, with YouGov predicting a tossup between Mr Field at 41% and Mr Dogus at 39% based on voter intentions. It wasn’t quite so tight when the results came in around 3am Friday morning, with Mr Field declared the winner with 47% of the vote, ahead of Mr Dogus on 38%. Liberal Democrat Bridget Fox netted 11%, up 4.1% on 2015 while Greens teenager Lawrence McNally finished on 2.1% Mr Field said that he was “delighted” to be re-elected albeit with a narrower margin than in previous years (he won with 52% and 54% in 2010 and 2015 respectively). He pledged to redouble efforts to address the concerns of local constituents, although did not identify any particular issues upon which he would be making his presence felt, preferring instead to keep the immediate focus on the bigger picture; namely trying to secure a majority. “We’ve got 50-60 seats more than the Labour party so it is incumbent on us to try and find a way to make a government work,” he said. Theresa May is currently trying to hammer out a confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP – a looser arrangement than a formal coalition, which would lead to the Northern Irish party backing the Conservatives on major votes. This could take a ‘hard’ Brexit off the table as the DUP has spoken out against an extreme exit from the European Union and its willingness to keep an open border with the View from the polling booths: Polling station at St Giles Cripplegate Cities of London & Westminster result: CONSERVATIVES HOLD Field: Election “round two of Brexit debate” Who got your vote and why? pro-EU platform but some voters questioned his decision to trigger Article 50. UCL researcher Kell Jones, 47, said: “He makes a big thing about representing his constituents but when it comes to something really important he didn’t, so you can probably guess I didn’t vote for him.” One disgruntled civil servant described Brexit as a “complete own goal” and registered her frustration by voting Liberal Democrats as her only option on the matter. Labour voter Philip Jeremy, 56, said he’d rather have put none of the above on his ballot paper but there was no room, and in the end tackling terrorism played a part in his decisionmaking. The IT contractor said: “We have an incompetent PM who was home secretary and let us down on security matters on three of the last four, five attacks when they should have been on the watch. “I wish we didn’t have any of them,” he said, followed by an eerily astute prediction: “Hopefully May won’t get the majority she wants and it may change her — but then I’m scared it could be Boris Johnson.” On the other side of the coin, anti-terrorism for Fin Gray was exactly the reason he decided to give his vote to Theresa May, in light of the increasing number of attacks in the UK. Mr Gray, 57, said: “I couldn’t in all conscience even dream of Jeremy Corbyn leading this country; I’d be so scared because he’s got such a poor view of defence and anti-terrorism. “I want to see anti-terrorism really bumped up, see more presence, more arrests made, I’m in favour of the shoot to kill policy, I know Jeremy Corbyn isn’t. “I’ve got no respect for any of the leaders but it had to come down to one.” Republic of Ireland. Mr Field said he didn’t think the arrangement would have a dramatic impact on the Brexit model, but made a point of calling for participation from every corner. “One thing for all for us here in London on the Brexit issue in its aftermath is it’s still a very alive issue,” he said. “Without wishing to frustrate the will of the people, I do think we need to have as many voices as possible and I hope the Conservative Party does reach out to other voices in other political parties to make sure in the national interest we are able to properly address and discuss all of these issues. “If it’s one message that comes out of the very narrow result in the overall election it is the sense that as many voices from all political parties need to be engaged.” all smiles: Field with supporters before the vote Mansion House Speech THE Queen’s Speech might be on hold, but one oration that will go ahead as scheduled, despite all the election week chaos is the annual Mansion House Speech. Philip Hammond, chancellor of the exchequer, is expected to set out his vision of a pro-business Brexit for Britain’s top bankers and business representations in his speech at Mansion House on Thursday, accompanied by Bank of England governor Mark Carney. Questions over whether Mr Hammond would step up to the lectern were quashed after he survived a light cabinet reshuffle on Monday. He will deliver an address many hope will provide some clarity on the Conservative party’s approach to Brexit now they are joining forces with the DUP.
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City Matters Edition 037

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