Brent Council Committee Appointments

 This is a selection of the Committee appointments approved yesterday. Note where there is a tied vote the Chair will have a casting vote:

 

Londoners mobilise against robotaxis as 150,000 private hire drivers fear for their jobs - Harlesden demonstration Friday afternoon

 A Waymo news report from the USA

One month after an incident in Harlesden, the mobilisation against Autonomous Vehicles is growing across the capital.

 

On Friday 22 May, a collective of concerned residents and workers will gather on Harlesden High Street by the Jubilee Clock at 5pm to mark a new stage in the campaign SAY NO TO WAYMO launched less than a month ago by two local mums, who became Green Party councillors on May 7th.

 

Members of ADCU (App Drivers and Couriers Union), campaigners of Pull the Plug - a movement to give ordinary people a say on how AI is tested and implemented.  Harlesden residents will gather to make their voices heard and say No to WAYMO.

 

WAYMO, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc - Google’s parent company, has been testing its robotaxis in the north west London neighbourhood of Harlesden and Stonebridge since the opening of its operations hub in Park Royal in April - and the presence of the oversized cars hasn’t gone unnoticed, particularly since April 22nd. On that day, a WAYMO AV breached a police line on Harlesden High Street. The incident was filmed by a bystander and went viral on social media, alerting thousands of Londoners to the presence of robotaxis in the capital.

 

In media reports, WAYMO claimed that the car was operating in manual mode “with a validation driver in full control” but the Harlesden incident - which has been classified as an AI incident by the OECD- was enough for Amandine Alexandre and Suzanne Gallagher, then Green Party candidates for the local elections, to do some research. They promptly decided to start a petition asking the Mayor of London to put the WAYMO’s trial on pause and, since then, have been on a mission to inform fellow Londoners about the risks entailed by the rollout of AV’s on our streets..

 

Amandine Alexandre, Green Party Councillor in Harlesden and Kensal Green, said:

 

The more we learn about those AI-powered vehicles and the more we are convinced that Londoners have nothing to gain from the introduction of robotaxis. Those oversized vehicles are clogging up our roads, collecting tons of energy consuming data and taking us one step closer to a future where human interactions become the exception rather than a rule.

 

For London’s estimated 150 000 private hire drivers, WAYMO is also a threat to their livelihoods as the AV company said earlier this year that they were aiming at launching a fully commercial service in London in September. “The fear of losing their income is a constant and growing worry at the back of drivers’ minds”, the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) said.

 

Cristina-Georgiana Ionitescu, General Secretary of the ADCU, added:

 

London cannot afford a tech-first, people-last experiment. Any move toward automation must start with rigorous, transparent safety standards, real-world environmental safeguards that reduce total vehicle miles, and protections against oversupply. Most importantly, there must be a just transition for drivers. That means legally enforceable job security, funded retraining, income guarantees during changeover, and a seat at the table for worker-led unions. Our message is simple: no rollout without public consent. And no future that leaves drivers behind.

 

Suzanne Gallagher, Green Party Councillor for Kilburn, concluded: 

 

We are not against innovation that improves our lives and our communities, but we are fiercely opposed to our city being used as a testing ground for Silicon Valley experiments. Earlier this year, New York paused WAYMO's permits and halted further driverless trials. It is time for Mayor Sadiq Khan to follow the lead of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and prioritise Londoners’ jobs and public safety over Big Tech’s extractive business model.

 

Petition on 38 degrees :

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/harlesden-says-no-to-waymo

Brent Labour Group's statement on new minority-led administration

 

Greens hail first Green Manifesto win with all-party support for a Housing Scrutiny Committee

 

 

From Brent Green Party:

 

This evening the Green Group proposed an amendment to the constitution to adopt a new scrutiny committee in Brent. 

Scrutiny is one of the vital checks and balances in local government, where Cllrs hold officers and cabinet members to account and work to get the best outcomes for residents.

London boroughs typically have three to five. Brent has two. This is not enough time to engage properly with all the important work that the Council does. 

Housing is under scrutinised, and is an area where numerous external bodies have called for change. Brent spends £100K a day on temporary accommodation a day. The Regulator of Social Housing gave Brent a ‘serious failings’ grade, and complaints upheld by the local government and social care ombudsman have doubled. 

This new housing scrutiny committee will give adequate time and attention to this vital area in Brent’s remint. It was a key item in our manifesto. 

We are delighted to have received unanimous support from all parties in approving this amendment and we hope that this signals a desire for cross-party collaboration in the best interests of all our residents. 

Despite the stich-up we saw this evening where the Conservatives did a deal with Labour to support their minority administration, multi-party politics in Brent is here to stay. Voters are moving away from the two-party system and all four parties in Brent are going to have to collaborate, seek consensus and work together for better outcomes for residents.

 

The proposal will be taken away by officers who will work on plans for its implementation to be brought back to the July Council for consideration,

Tories enable another Labour administration despite Labour's local election losses

 

Tonight's 'arrangement' 

Cllr Mistry, Deputy Mayor (Conservative) on the left, Cllr Agha, Mayor (Labour) on the right

 

A minority Labour administration led once again by Muhammed Butt, was installed this evening, with the help of an 'arrangement' with the Conservative Party. The arrangement saw the Conservatives installed as the official Opposition (with appropriate allowances), despite the Lib Dems having the same number of seats; being given both Scrutiny chair positions (with appropriate allowances) and the position of Deputy Mayor.

Brent Green Party issued the following statement:

   

On May 7^th  residents gave a resounding response to the question of the type of leadership they want in Brent. Labour lost twenty four seats and their control of the Council, securing under thirty percent of the popular vote. This is not a mandate to continue the status quo. Brent voted overwhelmingly for change.

 

Muhammed Butt has been leader of Brent Council for fourteen years. In any other circumstance, a political leader who led one’s party to such defeat after such long tenure would resign and pass the mantle on to a new leader. 

 

This evening, enabled by a deal with the Conservative Party, instead of change Brent residents have been given more of the same – a minority-led Labour administration under Muhammed Butt – rather than the collaborative model of governance they voted for.

 

This is not the transformation in the way decisions are made in Brent that residents voted for. This does not signify the cultural shift for cross-party collaboration, scrutiny, and accountability that Brent Green Party had hoped for, and indeed that we believe Brent needs.

 

We have been open to a formal arrangement with Labour with policy commitments and governance changes, but their national party would rather they strike a deal with the Conservative Party than the Green Party, ignoring the progressive values of its supporters.

 

What further sign could there be of the moral decay within the Labour Party?

 

Multi-party politics in Brent is here to stay. Voters are moving away from the two-party system and all four parties in Brent are going to have to collaborate, seek consensus and work together for better outcomes for residents.

 

More people voted for the Green Party in Brent than ever before, and our role here on Brent Council is vital. Opposition councillors are essential in keeping this new administration in check, and standing up for democratic decision-making and justice for Brent residents. We are not here to play political games, but to work hard to protect local services and public spaces, stand up for local communities against extractive industries, and protect our natural environment.

 

We are disappointed in today’s outcome for Brent’s residents, and what this means for democracy – but we remain ready to collaborate with anyone who shares our principles of environmental and social justice and a commitment to the best outcome for residents, rather than for a particular political party.

Brent Conservatives likely to prop up a Butt led Brent Council

 

It appears that Labour have likel y made a deal with Brent Conservatives that potentially will give Cllr Muhammed Butt another four years as leader of Brent Council. Not a position that many residents and members of the local Brent Conservatative and Brent Labour parties will find palatable.

In the deal it appears that Brent Conservatives will chair each of the two Scrutiny Committees and possibly be given a Mayor or Deputy Mayor position. There is no news of any detailed policy matters agreed between the two groups.

What is really astonishing, given the huge drop in the Labour vote in the local election, is that Muhammed Butt has made Cllr Matt Kelcher, former Planning Committee chair lead member for Regeneration. Furthermore (surely not!) he has appointed his brother, Saqib Butt, to replace Kelcher as Chair of the Planning Committee (he was vice chair in the outgoing administration).

This marks the continuation of the Towerblock Tatler approach to development now headed by the Towerblock Triad! 

 

RENT RISES, DISREPAIR, UNCLEAR ENERGY BILLS? Calling Wembley Park renters for a meeting tomorrow 7pm Chalkhill Centre with London Renters Union.

Wembley Park ward was excluded from the Brent Landlord Licensing scheme as if bad landlords did not exist there. The story on the ground is quite different:

 

This Thursday 7pm, join renters from across Wembley Park at an open meeting to discuss housing issues in the blocks. Open to all renters, whether private, social or temporary.

Hosted by the London Renters Union at Chalkhill Community Centre, HA9 9FX.

This meeting is an open space to discuss problems you and your neighbours face. There will be a short presentation of the work of the London Renters Union, which supports blocks across the city to organise themselves when faced with negligent landlords who ignore complaints. We work on the principle that far more can be achieved by working together than alone. 

LRU supports renters who are concerned about their housing and want to get organised - if that's you please come by! We've won much more security for private renters through the Renters Rights Act from May 1st - now is the time to get organised.

 Fill out the short survey here and drop by on Thursday: 

https://londonrentersunion.org/2026/wembley-park-housing-survey/

In Barnet, Labour and the Conservatives may as well be one party

   

 

Labour and the Tories made a backroom deal yesterday (Tues May 19th) to share control of Barnet Council, after neither party emerged victorious from the May 7th borough council election.

 

Labour lost control of the council after a successful campaign from the Green Party in Woodhouse elected Cllr. Charli Thompson, which turned out to be the deciding vote in the 63-member chamber, as the Tories and Labour were tied with 31 seats each.

 

She called for councillors to rise to the challenge by increasing transparency, accountability and allowing the voices of all residents to be heard.

 

Instead, they voted unanimously to change the council's constitution to reshape the numbers in all key committees, such that the lone Green councillor would be excluded from all of them. The Tories then abstained on a vote to re-elect Labour’s Barry Rawlings as leader of the council, handing power to Labour as agreed in talks that began immediately after the election. 

 

 Barnet Greens

 

The Green Party received 16% of the vote across the London borough. At Tuesday's council meeting, the first since the election, Cllr. Charli Thompson called for councillors to acknowledge that voters had not given either party a mandate to govern. Instead, she said, the vote showed that the Tories and Labour believe that there is such a thing as "second class councillors…and therefore second-class citizens" 

 

No voters in Barnet voted for a Labour-Conservative coalition, in fact the two parties sank to their lowest ever combined share of the vote, with 37% of voters turning elsewhere - these voters deserve to be represented. 

 

For all practical purposes, in Barnet the Tories and Labour have merged into a single party.

 

Look out for similat events in Brent. watch tonight's Council Meeting live from 6pm. LINK