Thursday 19 February 2015

Children, young people and parents will challenge Brent Cabinet over cuts on Monday

Monday's Cabinet will be approving the budget to go to the Full Council on March 2nd amidst press coverage of the row over the leadership refusing to take account of the vote of the Labour Group in favour of a Council Tax rise.

Meanwhile residents, and particularly the young and parents, have got togather to challenge some of those cuts.

The Cabinet will be receiving an unusually high number of petitions, accompanied by speeches from the petition organisers, which indicates the strength of feeling in the borough.

I am sure they will welcome support from the public at the meeting which starts at 7pm in the Civic Centre.

These are the petitions:

Cabinet – 23 February 2015

Petitions have been received in the following terms in response to the budget proposals:
1) Keep Stonebridge Adventure Playground Open “We the undersigned insist that the redevelopment of
Stonebridge School and the new housing, includes keeping the Stonebridge Adventure Playground open.”
From:         Brent Play Association

2) Keep Welsh Harp Environmental Study Centre open This petition comprises numerous letters from individual children at Chalkhill Primary School.
From:         Chalkhill Primary School

3) Save our youth service (paper and e petition)
“Youth services are vital for young people as well as the community and we
believe there will be an adverse effect if the service no longer exists. This will
put added pressure on statutory services such as the Youth Offending
Service, the police and social care. We call on Brent Council to consult with young people effectively before making any cuts to any youth provision in the borough.
We call on Brent Council to scrutinise existing provision to ensure that these
resources are appropriate and effective. The young people of Brent are willing and able to assist Brent Council with this important task. We call upon Brent Council to consider the voice ofyoung people in the light of these savings!”
E-petition: started by Roisin Healy (Brent Youth Parliament)
4) Save School Crossings Patrols
“Brent Council is under a legal duty to promote road safety and to promote sustainable transport, such as walking and cycling.  Road traffic accidents are the biggest killer of children in the UK (they peak when children start primary school and secondary school). 2011-2020 is the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. School Patrol Officers are an integral partof the community, ensuring the safety of our children and they encourage children to have independence. Many schools in Brent are on busy roads (e.g. Salusbury Primary School and Islamia on Salusbury Road in NW6) which are only going to get busier with new housing developments with a new influx of cars and residents. Our roads should become safer places for our children, not more dangerous. And children should be encouraged to walk and cycle to school rather than be driven.”
E petition started by: Michelle Goldsmith on behalf of local residents .
5) Leopold Primary School - save our School Patrol
Officer
“Brent Council is considering removing our Lollipop crossing patrol at Hawkshead Road. The School is surrounded by several busy roads. We believe this is unacceptable and will directly put our children in danger of a road traffic accident.”
From:         the Parent, Teachers and Friends Association of Leopold Primary
                   School

6) Keep Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre Open

“The centre provides a venue for many members of our  local community and plays a vital part in our leisure time. Many of us use the facility on a weekly basis to play football, use the gym, relax in the steam and sauna and meet friends. The centre hosts children education, courses and activities th at are beneficial to their development. The centre serves as a venue where rooms can be hired to many different groups who hold meetings, training and celebrations. Closing Bridge Park would affect all of us in different ways. We need this Centre to remain open so that our young people have a place to meet and do sports in a safe environment.
Stonebridge is a deprived area and we feel that crime and unsocial behaviour will increase if the centre is closed. Unlike a few years ago the centre now is used by men and women of all ages and faith. People come to Bridge Park to get fit and improve their health. Although we understand that the council funds are limited, the cost of dealing with health and antisocial behaviour will far outweigh the cost of operating our leisure centre. We have signed below to show our opposition to the closure.”
From:         Mr Adam, Tordjok, local resident.


3 comments:

Jaine Lunn said...

On checking the councils website I note that Stonebridge Adventure Playground was successfully listed as "Asset of Community Value on 31/10/14 and will remain on the list till 31/10/19. It meets the criteria and therefore If you register something as an asset of community value it means it safe guards it from immediate development and gives the 'community' a 6 month time concessions to potential raise funds to buy the site! Are you aware of any group, persons who are intending to raise money to do this.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately an Asset of Community Value listing doesn't necessarily safeguard against any development as campaigners for The Queensbury Pub in Willesden and Kensal Rise library have found. An ACV listing allows for a 6 month moratorium to enable the community to prepare a bid to buy the building only if it is put up for sale. If the playground is not for sale there is nothing you can do. Even if it was for sale the legislation can be circumvented as is being attempted by the developer of Kensal Rise library.

Jaine Lunn said...

Thank you for clarification of exactly what ACV means