Dear Editor,
It is local election time and existing and prospective councillors are on doorsteps or in hustings making promises. We recall our community’s experience of an election promise.
On the 7th May 2014 at a public meeting in St. Erconwald’s Church Hall, Councillor Roxanne Mashari then a member of Brent Council Cabinet and still a Councillor today said:
‘Therefore this Labour administration the Labour Party in Brent will offer the building at a peppercorn rent to a local community group who can provide a sustainable community library and that is our pledge’.
The ‘building’ was the Preston Library Building – the only publicly owned community space in our area. The matter was an election issue because the Labour administration closed the library in the face of widespread opposition.
Years of evasion followed while the Council looked for every possible excuse (school use need etc.) to renege on their promise.
Eventually Brent submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of the site and faced down persistent, reasoned, and evidenced opposition that the redevelopment was contrary to their promise, is contrary to the Local Plan, will increase the flood risk, and will result in climate abuse. Brent ignored these issues in years of ‘community consultation’ and twice granted planning consent for their own development. The matter then proceeded to the High Court for Judicial Review.
At the second Judicial Review – the first one quashed the planning consent – and faced with a High Court Judge finding for a second time that the development is contrary to the Local Plan – the Labour administration instructed its lawyers to invoke the Senior Courts Act – a law introduced by the Thatcher Government to limit the involvement of ordinary citizens in government decisions.
To the astonishment of many including their own supporters a Labour Council (who persistently say they are constrained by Tory Government cuts) used the tools of the Thatcher Government to impose its development on our community.
On 26 June 2020 in a video meeting – we asked the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive to honour Councillor Mashari’s Pledge. They did not deny the pledge or what it meant for the library, but the Chief Executive replied that an administration coming into office after an election could never be bound by the promises made by a candidate for council in an election campaign.
The pledge was referred to the Council’s Monitoring Officer who administers the Brent Members Code of Conduct. This describes the expected integrity, accountability, and honesty of members – qualities which most residents would see as relevant to a failure to keep a public promise.
In a decision published on 26 August 2021 the Monitoring Officer decided that too much time had passed since the pledge for it to be in the ‘public interest’ to investigate the matter. She added - as an individual Member of the Council and the Cabinet, Cllr Mashari had no power to make a binding commitment on behalf of the Council or Cabinet.
Residents should therefore heed the advice of the Monitoring Officer - candidates cannot make promises and don’t be patient when they mislead.
Despite Brent Council’s appalling treatment of our community, we believe in free speech and a right of reply. On the 15 October 2021 we asked Councillor Mashari to explain why she had not kept her promise because we intended to publish this review and wanted to give her a right to reply.
Within an hour Councillor Mashari replied that she would make a substantive response by next Tuesday. (19 October 2021).
On the 23 October 2021 she said she was ill but would address the points you have made here thoroughly. Please be assured that I will reply as soon as possible.
We never heard again from Councillor Mashari.
It seems for Brent councillors ‘next Tuesday’ just never comes. ‘Next Tuesday’ never comes either for Brent Council’s ‘promise’ to tackle the climate emergency.
Brent Council demolished the library in December 2021.
Instead of giving the building to the community as Councillor Mashari promised, it was given to a demolition contractor to take to landfill to aid in the Council’s destruction of the planet.
Michael Rushe,
Chair
South Kenton Preston Park Residents Association
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