Art display at Chalkhill Primary |
In the absence of a concerted anti-cuts strategy by the Labour Council it is all too easy for divide and rule tactics to pitch groups against each other.
Ward Working enables the local community to decide with their ward councillors what their ward of £20,000 should be spent on and I would argue that it unites rather than divides the community. When it works well it can produce real change in an area and brings councillors and the community closer. With the current cabinet system excluding rank and file councillors it also provides councillors with an opportunity to make a real difference at grassroots level.
The council sets out the remit clearly:
Ward Working operates in every ward in Brent. Every ward has a budget of £20,000 to tackle the top issues of concern. The money is for one-off capital projects. We aim to find new or innovative ways of tackling issues to provide lasting solutions. The money isn't used to substitute for things that should be done anyway.To declare an interest, I approached Barn Hill councillors on behalf of Chalkhill Primary School last year for some help with funding the temporary swimming pool installed at the school. This funding enabled people to learn to swim who would not otherwise have had the chance. The Ward Working section of the council website HERE has full details of the projects and is a good example of transparency.
Using Barn Hill ward as an example this is how the money has been spent:
- Chalkhill Primary school swimming pool for £5,000 - installation of temporary swimming pool
- Brent Town Hall library activities for £600 - Manga art sessions
- Kingsbury and Preston Somali youth project for £4, 000 - support for homework club
- Chalkhill DJ project for £2,170 - support for youth engagement project to engage young people
- Brent Town Hall library homework club for £510 - support for volunteer reading help at homework club
- Chalkhill Wanderers football project for £5,350 - support for pitch hire and other costs for locally-run team
- Chalkhill allotments for £1,000 - gardening and growing project
- burglary reduction initiative for £350 - purchase of security equipment for vulnerable elderly people.
- alley-gating scheme at St Thomas's Road for £1,905 - installation of alley-gates to prevent fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour
- Athletic Football Club (AFC) Wembley football project for £6,500 - contribution towards IT and music mentoring and support towards coaching qualifications. A joint project with Dudden Hill ward
- Harlesden Primary School equipment for £3,726 - contribution towards the cost of media equipment to enhance school provision and for community groups who wish to use it
- Cricklewood Homeless Concern winter night shelter project for £2,000 - support to homeless members of the community who are in need of shelter during the winter at All Souls Church
- Harlesden responsible traders scheme for £200 - support for a pilot a scheme in Harlesden Town Centre paying for boundary markers for shops licensed to trade on the pavement
- Challenge Close soil survey for £4,000 - funding of a soil survey for Challenge Close with a view to assessing the suitability for developing an allotment for community use
- Bang Radio and Harlesden SNT project for £400 - funding towards a partnership radio programme with Harlesden Safer Neighbourhoods Team to raise awareness of community safety issues
- Fortunegate Elders Forum £1,000 - contribution towards a community celebration to bring together elders to combat social exclusion
- energy solutions scheme for £270 - provision of emergency heaters to loan to vulnerable residents whose heating systems have broken down
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