Thursday 21 July 2022

LETTER: ‘The pollution of the Wealdstone Brook with untreated human sewage is a clear and present danger.’

 Dear Editor,

‘A clear and present danger’ said President Biden recently with regards to the Climate Emergency,.

 

A clear and present danger says the various Brent Council documents and press releases with regards to the Climate Emergency.

 

So why is the presence of untreated human sewage in the Wealdstone Brook as it runs through Brent on its way to the River Brent and then onto the River Thames not declared Code Red for the local residents? Why was a ‘Major Incident’ not declared by Brent Council using its Formal Executive Powers?

 

The presence of untreated human sewage along with unknown toxic gases vaporising at low temperatures from the water surface would surely be regarded as a ‘clear and present danger’ to all but the ignorant.

 

As a retired Brent Secondary School teacher I will have a worksheet available for every Brent Councillor at the next full Brent Council meeting (absentees will be set it as homework).

 

Write out 100 times;

 

‘The pollution of the Wealdstone Brook with untreated human sewage is a clear and present danger.’

 

John Poole

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just a gentle reminder. There are NO meaningful decisions taken at Brent Council Meetings. Thanks to Tony Blair we have a 'Cabinet' system of local Government. All decisions are in theory made by just the Labour Councillors who sit in the Cabinet. In reality decisions are made by Cllr M Butt as the Leader.

Not much point waiting for months to attend the Council Meeting - much better to attend the monthly Cabinet meeting and cause a fuss there. They have the power to make the decision - not Council which Blair turned into not much more than a talking shop.

Martin Francis said...

Edited comment from a reader:

Anon 21 July 2022 at 14:35 - Close - basically our Council Leader Cllr Butt decides everything, often not even asking fellow councillors, he employs the whip and the threat of exclusion to ensure compliance. All the current Cabinet members know that if they don't toe the line they will be replaced very swiftly. It has been quite obvious during his reign that Butt selects his Cabinet members to silence decent, alternately he selects councillors who are weak and easily manipulated, bullied or just need the money. The only cabinet member who has a voice is the Deputy Leader, and we know what happens when they (Mike Pavey as example) don't toe the line, they are cut adrift from decision making and bullied incessantly until they resign. Interestingly, the last Deputy Leader was also weak as she didn't stand up for Stonebridge Adventure Playground and Bridge Park, and many other projects and policies including Libraries that she said she was standing up for, but in reality she did not. Then again, a right wing putsch could revolt and make a move to take over the Council. Perhaps the right wingers in the Cabinet and around the periphery of power are already planning this move? They would have to rely on the left leaning councillor's votes though, and as much as they disapprove of Butt and his methods and hubris, they don't want the alternative, do they?