After closing half its libraries Brent Council agrees Memorandum of Understanding with volunteer libraries

The Brent Council Cabinet is set to approve a Memorandum of Understanding on Community Libraries at its meeting on Monday.  In 2011 the Council closed 6 of the borough's 12 libraries in what they called the Libraries Transformation Projects. Local residents launched campaigns to keep four of the libraries open: Preston, Kensal Rise, Cricklewood and Barham. Neasden and Tokyngton libraries, the former in a very needy area, appear to have gone for good.

The SOS (Save Our Six Libraries) campaign was faced with the dilemma of campaigning for the retention of securely financed, professionally staffed libraries or keeping a local facility going through a volunteer system and fundraising. Some campaigners thought that keeping some kind of service going temporarily would make it easier for a future administration to restore the library.

The Brent libraries issue became something of a national scandal and contributed to Cllr Muhammed Butt's overthrow of Cllr Ann John's Labour leadership. In the event Brent's closures were ahead of the field and other councils, of various political complexion, have since closed libraries  citing government cuts as the reason. Currently there is a militant campaign in Lambeth LINK.

Since then there have been attempts by various lead members to reach an agreement with the volunteer libraries with Preston and Barham facing particular difficulties because the Council is the landlord of their premises.

The Officers' report LINK sets out the current situation:

Brent’s community libraries receive no direct funding from Council library service budgets. They are wholly independent organisations. They are not included within the Council’s statutory service, and they have full flexibility to tailor their offer to local need and interest and are eligible for various funding streams as independent organisations. 


 The four community library premises are:

·      Barham Library, 660 Harrow Road Wembley HA0 2HB (15 year lease) 


·      Cricklewood Library, 152 Olive Road, London NW2 (999 year lease being finalised) 


·      Kensal Rise Library, Bathurst Gardens, London NW10 5JA (999 year lease being finalised) 


·      Preston Community Library, 2 Carlton Ave East, Wembley HA9 8PL (currently has a temporary lease arrangement). 


The MoU (see below) sets out various ways the Council will support the community libraries without committing to any additional expenditure.

The case of Preston Community Library, where uncertainty remains over its premises as Brent Council seeks to redevelop the site, is addressed directly:
 

A temporary lease arrangement is in place until the end of the 2016/17 school year as a short term solution. Long term plans for the site are at the development stage.
 In September 2016 Cabinet agreed to redevelop Preston Park Annexe for new homes and D1 space appropriate for library use. Since then the Council has appointed 5Plus Architects to lead the design of the redevelopment proposals and undertaken workshops with Preston Community Library to understand their long term service delivery needs and spatial requirements. The next stage of the design process will be to translate the findings into a design solution that is supported by Preston Community Library. Further consultation will then be undertaken on design proposals before final decisions are made. 


The development of the site will provide a potential long term solution for Preston Community Library. However at present the medium term options for the library are not clear. Officers will continue to work to address this with the library within the constraints of the Council’s property portfolio and market options. 


 Council officers recognise the strong social value provided by Preston Community Library and are keen to support the group in continuing to provide a service throughout the transition process

In a curious post on his blog LINK, former councillor James Powney, lead member at the time of the Transformation Project, says:

In Barham, Paul Lorber appears to be trying to play the Council for either financial gain or as part of his political manoeuvrings prior to the 2018 elections.  In Preston, the existing group appears to be given an undue influence that does not sit easily with either the Council's financial obligations or the building's ACV status.  Such arrangements can lead to ugly rumours about the integrity of Council decision making even where there is no legally proven case against them. 

  This is the Memorandum of Understanding:

'Is Trike's grant of up to £1m fair?' asks ex-councillor

It looks as if a proposal by Brent Council to pay the Tricycle Theatre a grant of up to £1m for a renovation project is going to prove controversial.  The grant would replace any ongoing funding that was due from April 1st 2018.

A report LINK  to be presented to Cabinet makes on April 24th makes the case:

The Tricycle Theatre has recently embarked on a major renovation project due for completion in February 2018. Once completed the work will significantly increase capacity and allow the theatre to extend the range of activities that they run. As well as enhancing an iconic cultural venue it will also give a much needed major boost to the economic regeneration of one of the borough’s priority high streets. The Tricycle has secured £5.6m of the £6.6m required to complete the renovation. 


In recognition of the Tricycle Theatre’s economic, social and cultural benefits to Brent this report recommends that Brent Council support the theatre with a grant of up to £1m to enable its ongoing capital renovation project to be completed in its entirety. The Tricycle’s success has meant that while its productions have improved, the venue has not kept pace and no longer meets the needs of the community, producers or performers. This renovation work addresses problems related to insufficient seating capacity, accessibility and helps to mitigate social exclusion. 

Alongside the renovation work within the Tricycle Theatre, Brent Council is considering developing a project to commission improvement works to be carried out on the Kilburn High Road pavement around the theatre. If funding is approved, the improvements will include levelling the footpath and adding street furniture to encourage footfall and dwell time in the area. This broader regeneration project can be seen as complimentary to the ongoing renovation work within the theatre. 

The council is being asked for a grant of up to £1m because the Tricycle Theatre has aspirations of achieving some of the shortfall from elsewhere including through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The theatre has passed HLF’s Stage 1 but in order for it to progress and receive HLF funding (expected to be circa £450k) it needs to be recognised as a cultural heritage asset on Brent’s ‘Local List’ of Heritage Assets. The building is deemed to meet the criteria for the List and this report recommends its inclusion. 


Recommendation(s) 

To approve a grant to the Tricycle Theatre of up to £1m representing the difference between the existing and potential HLF funding sources secured for the renovation of the theatre and the amount required to complete the renovation.  

To approve the grant detailed above on the basis that it is a one off grant that replaces any ongoing grant due to be awarded to the Tricycle Theatre by Brent Council from 1 April 2018. 

To approve the appointment of the Tricycle Theatre on to the Local List as a cultural heritage asset thus enabling the theatre to progress with its application for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

In a letter to Carolyn Downs, Brent CEO, former councillor Paul Lorber presents his misgivings:

Until a few years ago the Council had a Grants policy which provided support for various Cultural and Festivals activities run by our diverse community. This Grant programme was scrapped by a Labour Administration on the grounds that it was costly and unaffordable.

Since the scrapping of those Grants the Leadership of the Council has been lobbied to reinstate  part of the Grant by Community Groups operating in Brent - these requests have been denied.

It is surprising to find that a Grant of between £500,000 and £1 million is now being offered to the Tricycle Theatre without a proper and a fair Grant bidding process being followed.

The justification for this is very weak as clearly the Tricycle have once again overstretched themselves and bouncing the Council into meeting their shortfall. This is not the first time this has happened as previous projects were overspent and the Council called on to bail them out.

Many of the activities used to justify the grant do not require an expanded building and could just as easily be carried out in other premises - include all the surplus and available space at the Civic Centre.

The report states that 20,000 people from all over London visit the Tricycle each year. The Hindu Council in Brent would like part of the Grant for Navratri reinstated (it used to be £67,000 per year and even £500,000 paid to them equals to 8 years worth) as over a 9 day period of this Festival around 30,000 residents take part. Eid in Brent used to attract many thousands of residents too.

Irrespective of the above there is a fundamental principle of fairness and equality at stake here. It is simply not right to deny large sections of the Brent Community access to Grant funding and then award up to a £1 million to an organisation just because they pursued an over ambitious project for which they had not secured sufficient funds in advance.

If money is suddenly available then it should be distributed fairly through a properly organised Grant making process accessible to everyone equally.

In view of the above I call on you to defer the decision on this item on the 24th.

Carolyn Downs replied:

The report regarding the Tricycle Theatre is entirely lawful and has been placed on the agenda for cabinet to decide in line with all rules etc. Accordingly I will not seek to defer the item from Monday's meeting. 

If you disagree with its content it is far better that you seek to make your views known at the Cabinet meeting by requesting of the Chair that you be permitted to speak on the issue. The Leader, if alerted in writing in advance, usually allows members of the public to address the cabinet. Otherwise you could email Cabinet members along the lines that you have emailed me. 

Lorber responded with an FoI request:

Can you please treat this email as a FOI request and arrange for the following questions to be answered.

1. Who has carried the Equality assessment on respect of this Grant and what conclusion have their reached on the issue of a Grant being granted to one cultural organisation in Brent while Grants not being available or denied to other organisations.

2. When did the Tricycle Theatre request a Grant from the Council - was it before or after they became aware of the full cost of their project and shortfall in grant funding or has the Council been involved right from the outset?

3. What assessment did your officers carry out of the proposed works and whether they represent value for money and are affordable in view of the past record of the Tricycle in respect of large capital projects.

4. What is the published policy of Brent Council for considering Grants requests of this type and how is this policy publicised. 

5. Provide a list of all meetings between the Council (Councillors and Officers) where the Tricycle project was discussed and a request for a Grant made including a list of everyone who attended each meeting.

6. Which Council Budget is the Grant being paid from and which Council Tax fixing meeting agreed this Budget.

7. Please list all requests for a Grant made to Brent Council in the last 12 months and confirm how each request has been responded to.

Unfortunately I am not able to attend the Cabinet Meeting hence my questions in advance. As someone who was around when proposals were made to cut grants to a large numbers of Groups a few years ago I am concerned at the selective way that a substantial Grant us now being handed out without a proper Grant process which ensures equality of opportunity.

Friends of the Earth chief says environment must not be ignored in General Election

From i-newsonline by Craig Bennett, head of Friends of the Earth LINK

The General Election starting pistol’s been fired and the coming weeks are set to be dominated by Brexit and issues like the NHS, education and our economic well-being.

Let’s not kid ourselves – it’s unlikely that most political parties will put the environment centre-stage in their campaigns. It will take hard work by concerned members of the public and green groups to focus their attention.

But our environment is crucially important for us all.

Air pollution puts strain on NHS

The reality is we’ll struggle to solve the crisis in our NHS while 40,000 people die prematurely every year thanks to the UK’s appalling air pollution. Children, with their developing lungs, are particularly impacted.

Our poorly-insulated, heat-leaking homes account for thousands more deaths annually too.

Our economy is continually burdened by the billions of pounds of subsidies tax-payers hand-over to support dirty fossil fuels and the nuclear industry.

And then there’s climate change. The alarm bells may be tolling, but were still failing to take serious action to deal with an issue that threatens catastrophic harm to both people and our economy.

Severe droughts lead to famine.

Just last month the World Meteorological Office said climate change in 2016 contributed to extreme weather events, including severe droughts that have brought hunger to millions of people in southern and eastern Africa and Central America.

It pointed out that Hurricane Matthew caused widespread suffering in Haiti as the first category 4 storm to make landfall since 1963. Heavy rains and floods affected eastern and southern Asia. Hundreds of people died and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced due to these events.

Six months ago the Living Planet Index showed that global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles declined by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012 and that the decline is continuing.

This decline in nature threatens the stability of the ecosystems that we rely on for fresh water, food and other so-called ecosystem services. In our own country our bee populations are declining due to factors such as pesticide-use and disappearing habitats.

Politicians must wake up to the fact that they can’t promise a better future for the UK without properly engaging on these environmental issues. They can’t promise a better future for today’s children and the next generation without committing to urgent local, national and international efforts to address biodiversity loss, climate change and air pollution.

British people want stronger regulations

The British public overwhelmingly want stronger environmental protections. An opinion poll we commissioned by YouGov last summer revealed:

· 83% said Britain should pass laws providing a higher or the same level of protection for wild areas and wildlife species than current EU laws. Only 4% want lower protection.

· 81% want to keep an EU ban on neonicotinoid pesticides that have been found to pose a threat to bees – with only 5% saying it should end.

· 57% said British farming subsidies should put either more or the same emphasis on environmental protection than the current EU subsidies do. Only 7% wanted less emphasis on protecting the environment.

The next six weeks are likely to set the direction of travel for the UK for at least the next five years.

Will the UK maintain the rules and regulations that protect our green and pleasant land and have enabled us to claim global leadership on shared environmental problems? Or will short-term profit win out?

Will our local, national and international environment get better, year on year, with cleaner air, less carbon pollution and more nature? Or will it start to decline?

During the General Election Campaign we must make sure our environment is not ignored. We need every prospective MP to engage with this issue and pledge that the UK will play its role in an urgent global efforts to ensure the next generation will enjoy an environment that’s getting better: a safer climate, flourishing nature, and healthy air, water and food. We can’t afford to let these issues be side-lined.

Barnet consulting tonight on rail frieght yard which is already operating!

From Barnet Council

We will soon hold public exhibitions to present information about the new Waste Transfer Station and Rail Freight Facility, which forms part of the Brent Cross Thameslink project.

You will be able to meet the project team and ask any questions you might have.

Dollis Hill

• Thursday 20 April 2017
• 6 to 8pm
• Crest Academy, Crest Road, London, NW2 7SN

Whitefield Estate

• Wednesday 26 April 2017
• 6 to 8pm
• Acorn Theatre, Whitefield School, Claremont Road NW2 1TR

Further events will be held later this year regarding the new Thameslink station, railway sidings, and Midland Main Line bridge.

Contact us

• Call: 0344 225 0003
• Email: BXT@glhearn.com
• Write: Freepost RTHZ-AKZT-SABG, GL Hearn, 280 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EE

Email us: BXT@glhearn.com to join our newsletter list and be kept up to date.

Comment by Alison Hopkins on Facebook The viw from Dollis Hill

And this, by the way, is what the exhibition is all about. No matter how they spin it, Barnet want a dump on our door step. That rail freight yard is behind Lidl and is ALREADY operating without consent. Doesn't make you hopeful if Barnet don't listen to their own residents, let alone those of us in Dollis Hill!

Early notice - Brent meeting on birth of Israel and the future of Palestine

Fantastic Online Archive for Wembley Park Studios now available

A-R cameraman Steve Minchin filming Friday's Girl in Studio 2

Readers interested in the story of the Fountain TV studios (and its predecessors at Wembley Park) which closed in December 2016 - (see Philip Grant's "farewell" blog on this LINK ) now have an excellent new online resource available to them. Put together by former Fountain TV technician, James Smith, with the help of many former studio staff, the Wembley Park Studios Archive website can be found at: wembleyparkstudios.co.uk .

A documentary film about the history of the Wembley Park Studios was made by Fountain TV staff for its farewell party. It features clips from programmes made there, and interviews with key people both behind and in front of the cameras. "That's a Wrap! - the story of Wembley Park Studios" can be viewed on You Tube HERE.

The Cube - building the set

Rehearsing the X Factor

Filming Taskmaster at Fountain's Studio B, 2016.