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Have your say on PrEP!

Londoners are being urged to have their say on HIV prevention drugs, known as PrEP, which can be prescribed to people at greatest risk of contracting HIV.

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Cllr Teresa O’Neill OBE
Cllr Teresa O’Neill OBE

London Councils, which represents the 32 boroughs and the City of London, is encouraging all Londoners to share their views on PrEP and wider HIV prevention with NHS England by responding to its online consultation.

Cllr Teresa O’Neill OBE, London Councils’ Executive member for health, said:
“HIV is a big issue for London as nearly half of all people living with HIV in the UK live in the capital and 57 per cent of new HIV diagnoses are in London too. This means that it is important that Londoners join us in telling NHS England what they think of PrEP.

“It is crucial to use all available methods, including PrEP, to protect people at risk of contracting HIV and reduce rates of infection, particularly as the long-term impact and cost of living with HIV are significantly greater than prevention.

“We are also calling for the 356 people participating in the PROUD study on the effectiveness of PrEP, which showed that in 86 per cent of cases the drug can prevent HIV, to continue receiving the drug between the study ending in September and the NHS England pilot due to start in January.

“We are concerned that NHS England, by arguing it is not responsible for funding PrEP, is trying to shift costs to local authorities. The judicial review has confirmed that NHS England should be responsible for funding PrEP, as we have always said.”

NHS England announced earlier this year that it did not have the power to commission PrEP however, a judicial review brought by the National Aids Trust determined that NHS England could commission PREP. NHS England is appealing this ruling but is going ahead with its public consultation on the drug at the same time.

Consultation responses will be used to shape the approach taken by NHS England if it commissions PrEP in the future.

NHS England’s public consultation on PrEP closes on Friday, September 23 2016.

To respond to the consultation, click here:

For more information on PrEP, click here:

Historic LGBT venue saved from developers

The historic Yard Bar and its famous courtyard in Soho, London, has been saved after the Planning Inspectorate upheld Westminster City Council’s decision to protect it.

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The iconic LGBT venue in the heart of Soho found itself at risk, as the developer, Consolidated Property Corporation Limited, originally submitted plans to build flats over the courtyard area.

Westminster City Council blocked those plans in March 2015, but the developer submitted subsequent applications and launched two appeals that were finally rejected in the Planning Inspectorate on, August 10.

In its final report, the appointed inspector described any move to build over the Yard’s courtyard as one which would “fundamentally alter” the character of the bar.

The decision vindicates the council’s two-year battle to protect the venue, which received outstanding support from the local community and the bar’s owners, who led a high profile Save The Yard campaign.

The Yard is on Rupert Street, Soho, and retains many features of its former stable use. Dating from the 1880s, the property was built to accommodate horses, a hayloft, carriage house and a small dwelling, around an open air courtyard. The original roof structures remain intact and the ground floor has exposed white glazed brickwork and cast iron columns, which would have formed stalls.

Cllr Robert Davis MBE DL
Cllr Robert Davis MBE DL

Cllr Robert Davis MBE DL, Westminster City Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment, said: “Soho is one of the most iconic areas of Westminster, with a unique character that everyone at the council is committed to protecting.”

“The Yard is a jewel in Soho’s crown and I am thrilled that we have joined forces with the ward councillors and the local community to ensure it remains open for business.”

“I am absolutely delighted that Westminster City Council has been able to play its part in saving this long-standing example of Soho’s history, culture and diversity.”

The proposals for the development of three flats meant that the courtyard would have been enclosed beneath a glass roof, something which the Soho Society and Historic England also strongly objected to.

This would mean the loss of an “extremely distinctive feature of the bar and its related culture” said the planning inspector.

The Yard Bar’s owner, Andy Jones, led the Save The Yard campaign which brought the issue to even greater attention.

Andy Jones
Andy Jones

He said: “It has been a very long battle and we are so delighted that we have been successful. The support we got from Westminster City Council, ward councillors, Historic England, Soho Society, heritage experts and the LGBT, business and residential communities was huge and unbelievable. We can’t thank everyone enough. Ultimately, all of their support helped to overcome the multiple applications and common sense has prevailed. Long live The Yard!”

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