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September 2024 newsletter
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Welcome to the September edition of your Inclusion Barnet member newsletter!
It's packed with info on consultations, services, community events and ways to be heard. You'll also find some of the top local and national news affecting Disabled people including those with mental health issues and long-term conditions.
To find out more on each article, just click on its title.
Inclusion Barnet News
Inclusion Barnet in meetings with Disability Minister and DWP
Last issue, we discussed the uncertainty surrounding the future of PIP. We're not standing still and continue to address additional challenges that have long been on our agenda.
The Government's ongoing review of the Work Capability Assessment (fit-for-work test) and roll out of Universal Credit raise serious concerns for Disabled people. Changes first proposed by the last Government could make it harder to access vital social security and support.
Working with partners and allies including the Disability Benefits Consortium, DPO Forum and locally, Barnet Learning Disability Strategic Partnership, we are engaged in meetings with DWP officials and the Disability Minister to make these points loud and clear.
Inclusion Barnet’s Campaign for Disability Justice has not arrived a moment too soon! Members, check your email inboxes next week for a special edition newsletter on the campaign launch!
Read the full article on our website.
Geoff Fimister,
Head of Policy, Inclusion Barnet
Touchpoint secures five years of Lottery funding over next five years!
We’re thrilled to have secured funding to continue our vital Touchpoint Peer Support service for the next five years. This is a major step forward in providing reassurance and continuity for our customers and staff. As a result, we were pleased to reopen the service last month.
Our Healthy Heart colleagues from the Healthwatch Barnet team do a fantastic job promoting heart health in Barnet. But, don't just take our word for it! See for yourself in this video featuring their amazing work!
Check out the 'Live Well: Healthy Heart Case Study' video, created by NCL ICS (North Central London Integrated Care System)
Healthwatch Barnet is recruiting board members!
Are you a Barnet resident, with experience using local health or social care services? Apply to join Healthwatch Barnet's Advisory Board.
The board meets four times a year and supports the work of Healthwatch as Barnet's health and social care champion. Meetings are face-to-face and online.
We particularly welcome applications from groups that are less represented in senior NHS decision-making roles, including Global Majority candidates, Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, including mental health issues.
For more information, visit the Healthwatch Barnet website or email alice@healthwatchbarnet.co.uk.
No new starters or leavers this month.
Opportunities to create change
Visit our consultations and campaigns page on the Inclusion Barnet website for all the latest opportunities to have your say on local and national issues that impact disabled people in Barnet.
Did you know? Some local consultations receive as few as 14 online responses*. With just 15 members like you we can sway decisions on accessibility, support, and resources in Barnet.
Here's some of the top opportunities to get involved in this month:
Hampden Way road safety consultation
Barnet Council are looking to introduce a number of new road safety measures that will reduce the speed of vehicles and aim to address concerns of speeding, lack of safe crossing points, safe parking issues and poor visibility at junctions. This is also an opportunity to address accessibility concerns.
Share your thoughts on Hampden Way road by visiting the consultation.
Closes Thursday 5 September
What would you like from Barnet's new Family Autism Hub?
Barnet Family Services together with Resources for Autism are creating a family hub for autistic children and young people, including those pre-diagnosis.
The hub will offer parents and carers support with health, social care and education pathways. It will also provide social activities and opportunities for both parents and children, with training and assistance available from early years to adolescence. There will be social activities and clubs for children and young people, signposting and advice. The hub will work with various organisations to offer drop-in services and support for families.
Barnet Family Services are keen to hear from parents and carers whose children are pre-diagnosed about what services and support they feel they need from the hub. Fill out the Autism Hub survey.
Barnet Hospital Controlled Parking Zone
The council are reviewing the Barnet Hospital CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone), which has been in place since 2018 and runs from 8am to 6:30pm, Monday to Saturday.
They would like to hear your thoughts about possibly adding nearby streets, to help with parking issues in Ryecroft Crescent and St Peters Close. If the new CPZ is approved, it will have the same hours as the current one.
Find more information and share your views on Barnet Hospital CPZ.
Closes Monday 15 September
The council are looking for feedback on new bus lanes to reduce delays and help reach their Net-Zero borough goals. They want to hear your thoughts on their proposals to buses operating in Barnet High Street, Ballards Lane, and Regents Park Road.
Closes: Wednesday 17 September
Visit the Barnet Bus Lanes Engagement Hub.
Barnet Council are proposing to change the way short breaks are paid for. Short breaks are a range of play and leisure services for Disabled children and young people, that allow parent carers to have a break from their caring responsibilities.
The change would mean that payment would be made through a pre-paid card with a set amount each year. They would like to hear from families who may be impacted by this.
Share your experiences on how Short Breaks changes would impact your family.
Closes: 18 September 2024.
More ways to get involved
- Find all of Barnet Council's consultations on the Engage Barnet website.
- Visit our consultations and campaigns page on the Inclusion Barnet website.
*For example: Barnet Council's proposed Fees and Charges 2024-25 for services, which got 14 online responses.
Local news
Visit our stall at the Grahame Park community open day
Inclusion Barnet will be at Grahame Park’s Community Craft Fair and Open Day event! You can also meet other local groups, charities, and organisations that are making a difference in the area.
Date: Thursday 5 September
Time: 1pm to 6pm
Location: The Old Library on The Concourse
Visit the Old Library for more info or call 0208 200 3014 or email brennan.cct@gmail.com
Colindale station update: road closures
Northern line closures on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September.
There will be no Tube service to or from Brent Cross, Hendon Central, Colindale, Burnt Oak or Edgware stations. Southbound services from Golders Green are not affected and are expected to continue as normal throughout the track closures.
For more updates: renewal of Colindale station.
Last call to submit applications for ULEZ grace period
If you have a Blue Badge, you normally need to pay the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge unless you meet certain criteria. You can check if you are eligible for a grace period on the TfL website.
The last day to submit an application for a grace period is 8 September 2024.
Falls prevention event hosted by Age UK Barnet
This session will look at what you can do to reduce your chance of having a fall, even if you've had one in the past.
Date: 10 September 2024
Time: 9:30am to 12:30pm
Location: Manor Drive Methodist Church, Manor Drive, London, N20 0DZ
Access: Step-free entrance, one Blue badge parking space and several free parking spaces
Contact Salima Jiwa if you have any questions at Salima.jiwa@ageukbarnet.org.uk or ring 07503 353157
Book your Falls Prevention place on Eventbrite.
Meet thriller writers James Woolf, author of 'Indefensible' and 'The Company She Keeps', and Sophia Spiers, author of 'The Family Home' and 'The Call of Cassandra Rose'. They will share insights into their creative process, inspirations, and the secrets behind their gripping plots.
Location: South Friern Library, Colney Hatch Lane N10 1HD
Date: Thursday 12 September
Time: 7pm to 8pm.
Book your free library event ticket, limited places available. South Friern library accessibility info.
Hospital care for autistic people and people with Learning Disabilities
Barnet Mencap are holding an event for autistic people & people with a learning disability, their families & carers. The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust want to hear YOUR views about their services.
It‘s a chance for people to talk about hospital care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, including admission, discharges, communication with the hospital, so it is a good chance for people to come and make their points.
Date: Thursday 12 September 2024
Time: 10am Doors open, 10.30am Event starts, 1.15pm Event finishes. Refreshments will be available.
Location: Greek Cypriot Brotherhood, 2 Britannia Road, Finchley, London, N12 9RU.
Access: The venue is step-free, has onsite parking, and an accessible toilet. There will be a short break during the morning.
More info: If you need to leave or arrive during the event, please try to keep noise down so as not to disturb others. During the event you will hear from important speakers and then there will be time to talk about your experiences using services at Barnet, Chase Farm, or Royal Free hospitals. Barnet Mencap will be there to help on the day.
Better Gym Club Games for over 60s
The Better Club Games is a two-day, social yet competitive event that brings together people aged 60 and above to represent their borough. This is a great opportunity to get active and make new friends!
Visit your local Better Leisure Centre (or email them), where you will be connected with the Club Games lead in Barnet. They will answer your questions, help you choose an activity, and allow you to meet other participants before the event!
Event info:
- Friday 27 September, 10am to 3pm, at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre
- Wednesday 2 October, 10am to 4pm, at The Copperbox Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
For more information and to discuss accessibility, contact Petrit by email: Petrit.Krasniqi@GLL.org
New bus service between Golders Green and Stamford Hill
Earlier this month, a new bus service, 310, opened between Golders Green and Stamford Hill.
If you use this bus service, TfL want to hear from you. The consultation is open on their website and is available in Easy Read, audio, and a BSL conversation service. They would like to know your thoughts on the bus schedule, why you use this bus, and your opinions on the bus stops. This is a great opportunity to point out any parts of the service that may not be accessible to you.
Take part in the 310 bus route consultation.
Plans for new sensory reading garden
Barnet Council has received funding from Arts Council England to create a sensory reading garden behind Golders Green Library. The garden will have step-free access from the library and will include quiet spots for reading, outdoor seating, and shaded areas. The garden will also be used for outdoor activities and sensory planting workshops.
National issue - local impact
Celebrate the Paralympics: Discounts on local sports and FREE Able Magazine subscription
While we celebrate the incredible achievements of athletes at the Paralympics, it’s a perfect time to highlight some of the resources in Barnet to help you stay or get active!
Fit and Active Barnet (FAB) offer a FREE membership card, which gives you discounts to gym activities and community groups including Barnet Health Walks, Barnet Mencap's 'Fit2gether' sports sessions, and Step Change Studio's wheelchair dance group. Carers can apply for a Carers FAB card to get the same discounts and free swimming.
In celebration of the Paralympics, Able Magazine is offering a FREE one-year subscription. Their next edition will cover the Paralympics. They also feature tips and information about daily living adaptations and equipment, and accessible holidays and days out.
New report on Disabled bus users
Bus Users UK have released their latest report, 'Why are we waiting?' on their website. The report is also available in Large Print.
The report highlights the need for collaboration with Disabled people from the design stages to improve transport accessibility. It found that many bus services do not meet the expectations of Disabled passengers when it comes to reliability and accessibility. This shows the need for buses to have a standard design and for more disability awareness training for drivers.
This report shows just how much there is to do to improve buses for Disabled people. By getting involved in the current bus consultations in Barnet you can be part of making a change! Remember, the council are looking for feedback on new bus lanes until 17 September.
Disabled activists refused entry to meet with MPs
Activists hosted a sit-in and protest outside Portcullis House on Monday 2 September. Disabled activists aimed to deliver a copy of John Pring's book, 'The Department: How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence' which details the DWP's impact on Disabled people's deaths, to 650 MPs. They had a written agreement to deliver these books on Monday but they were turned away and refused a pre-arranged audience with MPs.
Read more about the sit-in in Disability Rights UK's article.
Be an Access Champion
Review venue accessibility with Roll Mobility app
Roll Mobility is an app where you can check and share information about how accessible different places are for mobility aids users.
If you’ve been to a venue, you can write a review on the app about what it is like to get around inside using a mobility aid. This helps others who might need to know about accessibility options when they're planning a visit. You can use the app whether you use mobility aids yourself or just want to help out those who do.
Join us
Become a member of Inclusion Barnet
Individual membership is FREE and is for Disabled people, which may include long term conditions or mental health issues, and/or carers. Find out how being a member and sharing your lived experience can lead to positive change on our website.
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About Us
Inclusion Barnet is a Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation (DDPO), based in Barnet, North-West London. This means that all of our Trustees and most of our staff have lived experience of disability. Learning to use lived experience for social change is a skill. We use this understanding to design and deliver higher quality, more person-centred services.
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