WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Friday, 18 July 2025
'Discriminatory' Live Facial Recognition technology deployment at this year's Notting Hill Carnival questioned
The BBC reports that the Metropolitan Police are to deploy Live Facial Recognition at the Notting Hill Carnival this year. LINK The technology has been used in Brent in Wembley Central and Kilburn High Road,
Lord Boateng AKA Paul Boateng raised concerns about its use in the House of Lords ealier this month and was backed up by Green peer Baroness Jones AKA Jenny Jones.
Lord Boateng was MP for Brent South from 1987 to 2005. He asked (They Work for You):
My Lords, a US Government study suggests that facial recognition algorithms are far less accurate in identifying African-American and Asian faces than Caucasian faces, and that African and Asian women are 10 to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than Caucasian ones. The study identified 99 developers, including Intel, Microsoft, Toshiba and the Chinese firms Tencent and DiDi Chuxing, as potential problems in this area of procurement. What research are the UK Government going to commission on this, and how are these firms to be treated for the purposes of procurement by police forces in this country?
Lord Hanson (Minister of State at the Home Department) responded:
My noble friend touches on important issues and again, I refer to the point I made earlier to the noble Baroness. A survey of the existing use of facial recognition technology estimated that there was no discrepancy between gender and race. My noble friend shows slight dissatisfaction with that potential outcome, and I say to him that those are the very factors we want to look at in the guidance my right honourable friend is considering bringing forward. Self-evidently, if we are going to use facial recognition technology, it needs to be accurate, regulated, proportionate, intelligence-led and organised in a way that does not discriminate against sex, race or any other characteristic.
Baroness Jones was not convinced on safeguards:
My Lords, noble Lords have had the opportunity twice in the last month to be briefed by the Met Police on facial recognition. On both occasions, including when Minister Johnson from the other end was present, it was clear, as the Met admitted, that it does not have clear oversight, which the Minister also admitted in an earlier answer. When are the Government going to provide some clear regulations? In what other area of public-facing policing do the police make up their own rules?
Today Responding to news that the Met plans to use facial recognition at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, Big Brother Watch interim director Rebecca Vincent said:
It is worrying to see the Met resorting to the use of invasive live facial recognition technology at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival after scrapping it when a prior trial led to widespread outcry on the grounds of bias. We know that LFR is less accurate in scanning minority faces, so using it to target attendees of this beloved cultural celebration is particularly sinister. Plans to use this dangerous and discriminatory technology should be immediately scrapped.
This planned deployment is even more concerning given the continued lack of a legislative basis, leaving police to write their own rules with no accountability or oversight. Capturing biometrics on a mass scale will not make London safer. The Met should channel its resources into a proper on-the-ground police presence to deal with actual criminals rather than compromising the privacy rights of millions of innocent carnival-goers and local residents.
No statement from Brent Council on the future of the Welsh Harp Environmental Study Centre as schools break up for the summer holiday
Pond dipping nets stand ready for what may be the last groups to use the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre
Today marks a week since Brent Council were asked for a statement on the future of the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre.
Today also marks the last day of term. A lively crocodile of excited primary children walked by the nearby allotment this morning, oblivious to the fact that they might be the last to make use of the Centre.
As far as I can ascertain local schools have not yet been informed of the withdrawal of the charity Thames21 from managing the Centre or of any transitional arrangements while a new sponsor is sought.
A prettty poor show that raises doubts about Brent Council's commitment to our young people and their education about the climate and ecological emergencies that will shape their future lives.
Brent Jewish Network meet Brent Council leader to express their 'strong support ' for Nablus twinning as positive step towards international friendship and understanding
Brent Jewish Network delegation with Brent Nablus Twinning Association outside Brent Civic Centre, 16 July 2025
A delegation of the Brent Jewish Network met with Brent Council Leader Muhammed Butt on Wednesday (16 July 2025) to express strong support for the borough’s proposed twinning with Nablus, arguing for this positive step towards international friendship and understanding.
The diverse group included synagogue members, secular Jews, young people and elders. They shared their own experiences of visiting Nablus, the vibrancy of its city life, the warmth with which they were received by its people and the difficulties that their communities face under illegal Israeli occupation. They pointed out that visiting Nablus as visible Jews did not cause any hostility whatsoever from its people, who were unfailingly hospitable. They noted that Nablus, as home to Muslim, Chrisitan and Samaritan Jewish communities, was a great twin city for proudly multicultural Brent.
The group expressed its dismay at the recent intervention in this matter by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. They reaffirmed that a significant threat to community cohesion is the false conflation of Jews with the Israeli State and the fraudulent presentation of every Jew as being in support of the Israeli war on Gaza. They explained that the Board, by choosing to assert these falsehoods, was directly undermining community cohesion in Brent.
The group also reaffirmed that the Board is not representative of the whole Jewish community, evidenced by its failure to include the Reform synagogue in Brent or any non-Orthodox synagogal bodies in its delegation to the Council. The Board’s highly sectarian attitude was demonstrated by its recent disciplining of 36 of its own elected representatives for expressing mild anti-war views.
Following the meeting, Brent Jewish Network member Daniel said:
We congratulate Cllr. Muhammed Butt and Brent Council for the progress made on the Nablus twinning project. Nablus is a city that I was privileged to visit in 2015, where I was received with warmth and hospitality. Much like Brent, Nablus is a bustling, vibrant place. It is diverse, with many different communities living together. People in Nablus have much the same problems as us - unemployment, housing scarcity, inflation - in addition to facing a brutal Israeli occupation. Twinning is an exciting opportunity to build links with the people of Nablus in a spirit of friendship and solidarity.
It is pure chutzpa for the Board of Deputies to criticise anybody’s efforts towards community cohesion. Their intervention into Brent Council’s democratic process has nothing to do with defending Jews or community cohesion, but instead has everything to do with their steadfast support for Israel. Rather than affirm the separation of local Jews and the Israeli state, they knowingly conflate the two. We urge the Board of Deputies to step back from sectarianism.
Cllr Butt thanked the Network for their support for the twinning project and remarked that it was important to hear the alternative view of the local Jewish community to the one presented by the Board of Deputies delegation. He said that the council will continue to seek engagement will all parts of the local Jewish community, including the sections represented by the Brent Jewish Network. They were told that the meeting was helpful in documenting that the council was proactively engaging Brent communities
Kenton Residents' Association formed
From Kenton Residents' Association Brent
A group of Kenton residents had an initial gathering on the evening Wednesday 9th July to discuss the formation of the ‘Kenton Residents’ Association Brent’ at the Harrow Masonic centre in Northwick Circle, Kenton.
A packed hall of well over 100 residents gave support to the initiative led by local Kenton ward councillor, Sunita Hirani, and long-standing Kenton resident, John Poole.
Shirley Holmes, Brent Council neighbourhood manager for the Kenton and Kingsbury Connects Area, chaired the first part of the meeting before opening up the meeting for questions and discussion.
There was strong support for the idea of Kenton Residents’ Association Brent (KRAB) and several residents came forward to volunteer in a temporary capacity to help set up the association with the aim of having a formal meeting in September where a constitution will be presented and adopted and officers elected.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr. Hirani said she was amazed at the turn out and that it clearly indicated a desire from local residents for the formation of a residents’ association.
The meeting was sponsored by the Harrow estate agents, Empire Chase.
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
What our children will miss out on if the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre closes
There were two primary classes happily engaged at the WHEEC today when I popped by after watering my allotment on Birchen Grove. I thought it would be useful for the general reader to know what their offer to local schools and nurseries is. This brochure is from 2019 but I suspect little has changed, except perhaps for the very reasonable pricess.
Road closures and diversions from 3pm on Saturday for Wembley Boxing Match
From Brent Council
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Monday, 14 July 2025
BREAKING: Thames21 confirms it is withdrawing from running the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre at the end of this month
Following my request for information on Friday, Thames21 today released this statement:
Thames21 has given Brent Council notice that it is withdrawing from running the WHEEC at the end of this month.
After recent discussions with Brent Council, Thames21 is sad to announce that it will no longer continue to support the operation of the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre as of from the end of July 2025.
Unfortunately, Thames21 has been operating the centre at a loss for several years. Despite the value of the work being done, we simply cannot continue to sustain these financial losses. We had hope—and still hope—that the Council might step in, especially given their plans to redevelop the site.
Chris Coode, CEO at Thames21, said:
Over the last nine years, the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre has had a significant impact on the local community and is a much-loved facility.
I want to pay a special thanks and tribute to the schools, schoolchildren, volunteers, employees (especially Debra Frankiewicz), members and local community who have made this place so great.
We hope that the Council will work with local partners to find a long-term suitable solution to keep the Centre open and offer vital opportunities for children and local people to learn and spend time in nature.
Thames21 remains committed to working in the borough and will continue to focus on working with communities to restore and care for our rivers.
Brent Council was also asked for a statement on Friday bit so far has not responded,
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