Brent Labour move to limit Opposition groups' call-in powers

Having apparently dropped plans to increase the number of councillors required to call-in Key and Cabinet decision for further scrutiny from 5 to 10 LINK, Brent Labour has come up with another proposal to be tabled at the Council AGM on May 22nd.

This time the proposal is that the number remains at five but must consist of members of more than one political group. As there are five members of the Conservative Group this means that a call-in will only be successful if also supported by the Liberal Democrats, or (very unlikely given whipping), some Labour councillors. The Liberal Democrats currently have three councillors so will not be able to call-in anything on their own.

As the Tories and Lib Dem differ on many aspects of policy it is likely that there will be fewer call-ins in the coming municipal year. It appears to be a deliberate political act as there are already safeguards in place to ensure the validity of call-ins.

The words in red below are the proposed changes.

I expect Brent Labour to again resist calls for opposition groups to be given a chance to chair or vice chair either of the Scrtutiny Committees.

Dawn Butler withdraws from Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival after allegation that the sponsor profits from investment in Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide

 

Bob Blackman MP invites Suella Braverman to his Edgware fundraiser dinner and gets a noisy surprise

 

Bob Blackman, Conservative M for Harrow East and Monday Club  Joint Executive Secretary, held a fundraising dinner last night in Edgware.

His special guest was none other than ex-Home Secretary and joint-founder of Wembley's Michaela School, Suella Braverman. Both have strong Brent connections with Blackman an ex-leader of Brent Council (and deputy leader in the Lib-Dem coalition) and Braverman (actual name Sue-Ellen) was born in Harrow and brought up in Wembley. Her mother was a Brent Conservative councillor.

Last night's dinner I understand was held to raise funds for Blackman's General Election campaign but amidst Sunak's problems and Braverman's undisguised leadership ambitions, of wider political significance.

The local community, having got wind of the dinner, marshalled at short notice a mass picket outside the restaurant. It was peaceful but noisy.  Some guests entered through the front door on Mollison Way, others came via an alternative entrance as far as could be ascertained. There was no attempt to stop them entering.

Chants and individual speakers objected to Bob Blackman's stance against a Gaza ceasefire, his admiration for Mahendra Modi and support for the exclusion of caste from equality laws.  Suella Braverman's support for Israel and antipathy to pro-Palestine demonstrations and her 'dream' of deporting refugees to  Rwanda deportations enraged the demonstrators who charged them  both with complicity in alleged genocide. 

The crowd chanted, 'While you dine, babies die.'

Those present at the right-wing Fest must have been able to hear the demonstrators and after two and a half hours of chants and speeches a metal grill was lowered over the restaurant windows and entrance.

Despite the noise and anger the protest was disciplined and when a minute's silence was requested for the victims of the Middle East conflict a total silence fell over the suburban street and the demonstrators dispersed without incident.

 

 

WEMBLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL TO CLOSE FOR 6 DAYS OF STRIKE ACTION OVER FORCED TAKEOVER BY LORD HARRIS

 From Brent National Education Union

MEMBERS OF NATIONAL EDUCATION UNION STRIKING TO SAVE THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL

 

NEU members at Byron Court Primary School are to strike in a fight to save their local community school which is threatened with a forced privatisation by the huge Harris Federation chain of academies. PICKET LINE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL FRIDAY 17^TH MAY 7.30-9.30am!

 

Staff at Byron Court Primary School in Wembley will be on strike to save their local community school from a forced “academy order” following an intimidating Ofsted inspection which has left some staff fearing for their mental health and their futures. Many of these long-serving staff served the school’s community throughout the pandemic and face uncertainty in their jobs, pay and conditions as they face a takeover by the hostile Harris multi-academy trust. 

 

NEU MEMBERS VOTED IN HUGE NUMBERS TO TAKE STRIKE ACTION OVER MULTIPLE DATES FOLLOWING A HIGH PROFILE PARENT CAMPAIGN which is supported by many in the local community including Councillors and MP.

 

Staff and parent supporters will protest at a picket line outside the school from 7.30am Tuesday and will continue to lobby the Secretary of State to get their academy order revoked. Staff are asking for a reinspection, handled fairly and proportionately, while a live complaint lodged with Ofsted is being looked at externally after reports that Ofsted lied during the complaints process.

 

Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive has stated:

 

These striking members undertake difficult jobs every day and have the expertise and knowledge that should be valued in our schools. There has been no consultation whatsoever with any stakeholder and we do not believe it is the right decision to hand this school to a glorified carpet salesman who is paid half a million a year for the privilege. The NEU will NOT accept privatisation of our schools through a politicised Ofsted process which is what we are seeing.

Cllr Jake Rubin to take on Brent Cabinet Climate Action role with Cllr Mary Mitchell Cabinet Climate Action Champion. New chief whip replaces Stephen Crabb

 

News from the Brent Labour Group AGM, held on Saturday, is gradually coming in.

Cllr Jake Rubin (Roundwood ward) announced his appointment as Cabinet Lead Member for Employment, Innovation and Climate Action on Twitter this afternoon

He takes over climate action from Cllr Krupa Sheth (Tokyngton) whose brief  was Lead Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action.

Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam (Wembley Park) has the interesting and potentially difficult role of Labour Chief Whip.

He takes over from Cllr Stephen Crabb  (Queens Park)who had his own difficulties in the role when he had to deal with a potentially controversial Labour motion for Full Council.

After his intervention, when he sought advice from a senior Labour Party body, the motion was not placed on the agenda.

 

The Climate Action brief has been additionally strengthened by the appointment of Cllr Mary Mitchell (Welsh Harp) as 'Climate Action Cabinet Champion.'

Hopefully this will mean a more concerted and coordinated tackling of climate emergency action across council departments. Something local environmental groups have been pressing for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand  that Cllr Rita Begum (Kilburn) failed in her attempt to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Group. Cllr Rita Conneely (Kilburn) retains her chair of the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee. Cabinet and  Committee posts go the the Full Council AGM for approval but the Chief Whip post is internal.

The Council AGM takes place on May 22nd, when other positions will be announced, and the first Cabinet of the new municipal year is on May 28th.

Striking Byron Court staff call for community support on their picket line on Friday May 17th. They are striking against forced academisation & the resulting worsening of teachers' pay and conditions and children's education

 

Staff of Byron Court Primary School in Brent will be striking against forced academisation on Friday May 17th. This is the first of a series of strikes that will take place in May and June against the takeover of this community school by the Harris Federation.

The National Education Union  have asked for support on their picket line protest from 7.30am to 9am at the school in Spencer Road near South Kenton station.

Positive response to TfL's cycling plans for Harlesden-Wembley Central route: 'Now let's build it - no time to lose!'

From Transport for London

Between 10 November and 21 December 2023 we consulted on walking and cycling improvements between Wembley Central and Harlesden stations.

 

The proposals include a protected two-way cycle lane on the A404 Harrow Road and Brentfield, new and improved cycle and pedestrian crossings over Harrow Road, better street lighting and more trees and plants to help make the area feel safer and more welcoming. 

 

We received 313 responses in total, including ten from stakeholders. 

 

Some key findings include:

• 83 per cent (233 respondents) think the scheme will encourage more people to walk

• 87 per cent (243 respondents) think the scheme will encourage more people to cycle2

• 69 per cent3 (190 respondents) think the scheme will encourage more people to use public transport

• 60 per cent (163 respondents) think the scheme will mean fewer people will choose to travel by motor vehicle for personal journeys and 46% (125 respondents) think it will have no impact on business journeys

 

Next steps

TfL will continue to work closely with LB Brent officers to develop these proposals for walking and cycling improvements between Wembley and Harlesden over the coming months. The feedback we heard from local people and other stakeholders during our consultation will inform this work, along with further surveys and assessments.

 

An updated set of designs for these improvements will then be shared with Brent Councillors, who will then make a decision on whether to progress the proposed design solution to construction.

 

We will continue to liaise with community stakeholder groups to provide updates on our progress.

 

These are the indicative timescales we will work to, going forward:

• Spring 2024 – further design work, including surveys and assessments
• Summer 2024 – continue to engage with stakeholders
• Late 2024 – decision point (with Brent Council) to commit to constructing the scheme, subject to acceptance and further refinement of proposals following the consultation, The contract for the detailed design work would then be issued
• 2026 – anticipated start of construction, subject to approvals and programme
  

 

On Twitter Brent Cycling Campaign said:

The report into the consultation on the proposed walking and cycling improvements to the Wembley-Harlesden route has been published. Disappointing response rate but largely supportive. Let's build this now pleaseTfL and Brent Council. No time to lose.

.

If you care about our health services Sunday's meeting at Unity Centre is a must!

 

Nothing in the London Road development for Brent people says Cllr Saqib Butt - then votes for it

 

Slide shown at Planning Committee showing the site of the 8 shops on London Road in the foreground and Wembley Central flats behind them.

The two new blocks

Wednesday's Planning Committee was a curious affair with at one time, despite the developer and officers explaining several times why the two proposed mid-rise blocks (6 and 7-storey) on London Road should not be higher (overbearing, over-shadowing, reduced daylight and sunlight,) Cllr Liz Dixon  insisting that they should be higher.  Her idea was that if they were higher the developer would be able to provide some affordable housing (there is none in the development) - an argument she has used before without quoting evidence in terms of financial viability.

The case of Cllr Saqib Butt, vice chair of the Planning Commitete and brother of Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council was interesting. He had obviously read the documentation thoroughly and as you can see from the footage below found much wrong with the planning application:

 

 He finishes by saying:

There is nothing here for our Brent residents that is a positive I can find, apart from market rents which our residents will not be able to afford.

As on other occasions his contribution contains a careful assessment that would lead you to think he would vote against a proposal. However, as has also happened before, he voted in SUPPORT of the application.

It may be a good idea for those supporting an application to have to give their reasons. At present the default rule is that this only has to be done by those abstaining or voting against.

There was an interesting intervention by Cllr Ajmal Akram who had also done his homework. He asked who was the true land-owner behind the development. The papers said Freshwater but his search of the Land Registry found that it was Daejan Investments (/Holdings) a company that there were concerns about.

He was told that this was not an issue for the Planning Committee and anyway the ultimate developer may be another company.  The Freshwater family own Daejan Investments. There has been controversy because they have no women on their board as this would offend their Orthdox Jewish Charedi values. LINK

The company also launched a very expensive battle with mansion block leaseholders as the freeholder that went to the Supreme Court. Daejan won.  LINK

Maybe that made Cllr Butt pause for thought.

The Committee voted 4-3 in favour of the application. Councillors Akram, Dixon and Maurice all voted against on the ground of non-compliance with various planning guidelines including the loss of commercial space on London Road.

Cllr Rita Begum, as far as I could see took no part in the proceedings. I understand that she has thrown her hat in the ring to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Group at the upcoming AGM,  a post currently held by Milli Patel. Apparently in her pitch for the job she emphasised effective communication with stakeholders including Labour Party branches.  As a Kilburn councillor she is not known for regular attendance at the Kilburn branch.

There will be a later viability review when the site has been developed and tru costs are known but as it stand there is not affordable housing on the site and no contribution towards affordable housing elsewhere in the borough.

 

Police use of facial recognition technology is coming to Brent. Undermining human rights or helpful in fighting crime?

 

Cllr Tariq Dar, the next Mayor of Brent, has hailed the news that facial recognition is coming to Brent on Twitter saying, 'Great news, this will help reduce the crime rate in Brent.'

The zoom meeting on May 21st (email Brentiag.community@gmail.com to attend) will be an important opportunity to debate the drawbacks and merits of the technology and its uses.

Note that the meeting is not asking Brent citizens if they want facial recognition used in the borough, that is stated as a fact: 'Facial recognition technology is coming to Brent!'

It is particularly important in Brent as police are said to favour its use for the scanning of large crowds such as those at Wembley Stadium and the Arena. Another Brent factor is the doubts raised over its accuracy when surveying people of colour and discriminatory use by the police. An additional concern is its use on private developments and private 'public spaces' such as Olympic Way where safeguards may not be strong..

The civil rights organisation Liberty devotes several pages to the issue on its website LINK. Extract below:

What is facial recognition?

Put simply, facial recognition is a form of technology that attempts to match a person’s face from a picture, video footage or live camera feed to a database of facial images.

Do the police use facial recognition?

Yes. Several UK police forces have used facial recognition technology since Leicestershire Police scanned thousands of people’s faces with it at Download Festival in 2015.

Police use has been spearheaded by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police. The forces have used the surveillance tech to scan hundreds of thousands of faces at protests, sporting events, concerts, Notting Hill Carnival, Remembrance Sunday, train stations, busy shopping streets, and even the seaside.

In 2022, it’s clear that the Met Police is ramping up its use of the tech.

How does police facial recognition work?

Police facial recognition works by measuring and ‘mapping’ a person’s unique facial features. These ‘maps’ are then converted into a numerical code to be matched against the codes of faces on secretive watch lists.

Up until now, the police have used what is known as ‘live’ facial recognition. This means that the act of scanning a person’s face and comparing to the watch list happens in real time.

It usually involves facial recognition cameras mounted on top of police vehicles stationed in crowded areas. The cameras scan the faces of everyone in range, and the software instantly compares them to the database.

Recently, South Wales Police announced that it was testing facial recognition on officers’ phones, so they could more easily scan people’s faces in the street.

As well as ‘live’ facial recognition, the Met has purchased software that allows it to carry out what is called ‘retroactive’ facial recognition. This is when faces in still images or previously captured video footage are scanned and compared to the watch list.

Who is on the watch list?

The police say the watch lists are made up of dangerous criminals and people wanted by the courts. There are usually thousands of people on a watch list each time a force uses facial recognition.

In 2020, we represented Ed Bridges against South Wales Police (SWP) in the world’s first legal challenge to the use of live facial recognition – more on this below (spoiler, we won).

During the case, we were able to see SWP documents that revealed that anyone could be on the watch list, whether they were wanted in connection with a crime or not. It also became clear that the images on the watch list could come from anywhere. The police could even take them from our social media accounts.

What’s the problem with police facial recognition?

The ‘maps’ that facial recognition makes of your face is unique to you. Much like a fingerprint, it is identifiable biometric data.

With ‘live’ police facial recognition, cameras scan everyone in sight, so this data is likely being snatched from you without your knowledge or consent. And this is certainly the case with ‘retroactive’ police use.

This is gross violation of your human rights.

Police officers have previously admitted to us that they just deploy live facial recognition in crowded areas to scan as many people as possible.

Retroactive facial recognition also turns every photo or video available to the police – including any you upload to social media – into a possible surveillance tool.

Does it work?

Lots has been said about the inaccuracies of the tech and how incorrect matches with the watch list have led to harmful police interactions.

Studies show that it particularly struggles to tell Black people apart, and has difficulty with women of any ethnicity.

But the idea that more accurate tech would lessen the problems with facial recognition is false. History shows that surveillance technology will always be used to monitor and harass people of colour. More accurate tech would only make this easier and discriminatory policing worse.

Is it lawful?

No.

When Liberty and campaigner Ed Bridges took South Wales Police to court for its use of live facial recognition, the Court said the force’s use of the tech was unlawful because it violated everyone’s human rights.

The Court also said that SWP hadn’t adequately taken account of the discriminatory impact of the tech – failing to meet its obligations under equality laws.

And by processing people’s unique biometric data, SWP also breached data protection laws.

You can read more about our legal victory here.

The Met Police has pushed ahead and continues to use live facial recognition after our win against SWP, but the Met’s use must also violate human rights, equality and data protection laws – and is therefore unlawful.

We also believe that retroactive facial recognition is similarly unlawful.

What should happen?

Especially after our court victory, there have been calls for Parliament to create laws governing police use of facial recognition.

However, there is no way of creating a law that solves the human rights or data protection issues, let alone discriminatory policing.

The safest thing to do is ban police from using dangerous facial recognition surveillance technology. More than 80,000 people have signed our petition. Add your name today.

 

1 Morland Gardens – now a TV drama location!

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

Wreaths on the front door – but not for Altamira’s funeral!

 

Back in March I asked ‘Is Brent Council busy doing nothing?’ over “Altamira”, Brent’s heritage Victorian villa at 1 Morland Gardens. It appears that, six months after the Council accepted that its planning consent to demolish the building and had expired, it has still not completed the review of what to do with it next.

 

But when I was passing the site on Tuesday 7 May, I saw that it was a hive of activity. What is more, there were two new signs on either side of the entrance. The building had now become the Bakedwell Nursing Home!

 

One of the Bakedwell Nursing Home signs at 1 Morland Gardens, 7 May 2024.

 

The former college, which the Council specially restored and converted the building to be for Brent Adult and Community Education Service (now Brent Start) in the 1990s, might make a good nursing home, but this was not a real one. The beautiful Victorian building, which has been unoccupied since January 2023, had been chosen as a location for scenes in a TV drama!

 

There were marshals to keep onlookers at bay while a large cast and crew prepared for and filmed a crowd scene in the courtyard of the building. It was hot in the bright sunshine, but some of the cast members were wearing winter coats and woolly hats. Why? They were filming a Christmas episode, complete with Christmas trees (and holly wreaths on the front door).

 

Cast and crew, in between filming scenes for a TV drama.

 

I’m glad that 1 Morland Gardens is being put to some use, and presumably bringing in a fee to Brent Council for its use as a location for filming. I hope that they will use that income to repair the edges of the roof, before any more damage is done to the fabric of the Victorian villa by the Council’s neglect of this locally listed heritage building.

 

What TV drama were they filming? I don’t know, but if anyone has an idea which TV show might include a “Bakedwell Nursing Home” in its Christmas programme, please add a comment below!

Philip Grant.

Brent Council pays £3.25m for Falcon Pub ('Gateway'to South Kilburn) site

After a long delay Brent Council has agreed the acquisition of the Falcon Pub in South Kilburn. opposite the Queens Park station car park. The site was designated as the 'Gateway' to regenerated South Kilburn but acquisition was beset by difficulties. The decision notice below gives the final purchase price as £3,250,000.

A local resident observes:

It looks like the Falcon has finally been purchased after such a long time, as the Queen's Park/Cullen House site including The Falcon, received planning approval back in 2012 but is out of date and will now have to be redesigned and sent back to planning.

The original plan included 37 affordable homes for rent, with both 3 bed and 4 bed homes but will this change to make it viable?

The council have described this site as being 'the gateway to the new SK' with most of the new homes being private, together with several 'upmarket retail outlets e.g. a Waitrose superstore'.

BRENT COUNCIL DECISION NOTICE  7.5.24

 

This decision confirms approval of the final terms for the Council to acquire the freehold of the Falcon Public House site situated on Kilburn Lane from Londonewcastle (QP2) LLP in order to assist with the ongoing regeneration of the South Kilburn Housing estate to deliver much needed affordable housing. 

 

A Key Officer Decision Report was approved on 15 April 2024 for a maximum purchase price for the Falcon Public House.  Brent Council and Londonewcastle (QP2) LLP have reached agreement on the value of the Falcon Public House within the maximum sum and authority is therefore sought to proceed with the acquisition.

Decision:

To approve acquisition of the freehold of the Falcon Public House site, located on Kilburn Lane from Londonewcastle (QP2) LLP on the terms agreed in the sum of £3,250,000 ex VAT.

Reasons for the decision:

At its meeting on 14 October 2019, Cabinet resolved to terminate the South Kilburn Queens Park LLP Project Agreement and Members Agreement (“SKQP Agreement”) by 30 October 2019, if an agreement on outstanding conditions precedent could not be reached between the Council and LN.

 

Additionally, Cabinet resolved that, contingent upon the termination of the SKQP Agreement, the Council should enter into an option agreement for the acquisition of the Falcon Public House site situated on Kilburn Lane (the “Site”) from Londonewcastle (QP2) LLP (“LN”).  The authority to exercise this option and negotiate terms for the acquisition of the Site was delegated to the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment (now Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Regeneration), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property, and Planning (now the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Growth).

 

The Council and LN have reached a mutual agreement on the valuation of the Falcon Pub on 19 April 2024.

Alternative options considered:

Given Cabinet’s requirements to terminate the SKQP Agreement and enter into an option agreement for the purchase of the Falcon Public House officers are required to pursue the purchase of the Falcon Public House.

 

Officers have attempted on a number of occasions to agree a purchase price for the Falcon Public House with LN.  Only when it was not possible at the time to agree the purchase price, did officers refer the matter to arbitration as stipulated in the Option Agreement. During the arbitration, Officers continued to make attempts to agree a purchase price.

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None

Wards Affected: Kilburn; Queens Park;

Cabinet/Committee Decision or Scheme of Delegation: Cabinet delegation - 14 October 2019 and Officer Scheme of Delegation (Part 3 - Constitution)

Parties Consulted: Consultation with the Cabinet members for Finance, Resources and Reform and also Regeneration, Planning & Growth has been carried out in relation to this matter. Ward Members have been engaged in terms of the proposed course of action.

Contact: Archika Kumar, Head of Estate Regeneration Email: archika.kumar@brent.gov.uk.

The temporary Wembley Library at Brent Civice Centre - look for better alternatives

 The ground floor Wembley Library at the Brent Civic Centre is closed at present as the redesign of the Civic Centre goes ahead. The library will eventually me on the mezzanine floor but will be temporarily housed on the first floor for several months.

I opened the door on to a huge hubbub when I visited today. The small room is shared with the Civic Centre Hub, also moved from downstairs. There were crowds of people waiting to be seen by Brent staff and use the computer terminals for advice and support. Not a room where anyone could study.

The are no terminals for returning or borrowing books, just one customer counter. There is a much diminished range of book available for borrowing.

Staff are doing their best but I would recommend library users go to Ealing Road Library or Willesden Green Library for Brent library books. Alternatively to borrow books, use IT or study in a peaceful environment Preston Community Library is available on Wednesday's (3.30pm-5.30pm) and Saturday (11am-3pm).

You have until Friday to take a few minutes to sign the petition to put Wembley's tile mural celebrating our sporting and entertainment heritage on permanent display

 

This is the wording of the petition that will be presented to Brent Council Cabinet later in May to keep a vital piece of Wembley's sporting and musical heritage on continuous display.

You have until this coming Friday, May 10th to sign. It only takes a few minutes. SIGN HERE

 

Allow the heritage tile murals in the Bobby Moore Bridge subway at Wembley Park to be put back on permanent public display, by only granting a new advertising lease for the parapets of the bridge.

 

We the undersigned call upon Brent Council, and its Cabinet making the decision on the Award of a Contract for the Bobby Moore Bridge Advertising Lease, to only award a lease from 31 August 2024 for advertising on the parapets of the bridge, and not on the walls of the subway, so that the heritage tile murals on those walls can be put back on public display.

 

The Bobby Moore Bridge and subway were created under a 1991 Brent Council scheme to pedestrianise Olympic Way, in advance of the 1996 Euros football tournament. With support from Wembley Stadium, the Council commissioned a large public artwork to decorate the walls of the subway from the station, and the Olympic Way walls as you emerge from the subway.

 

That public artwork was a ceramic tile mural, made up of individual scenes celebrating a variety of sports and entertainment events from the history of Wembley Stadium and Arena. These Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals were designed to welcome the millions of people passing through the subway each year, on their way to stadium and arena events, with a colourful reminder of Wembley Park’s heritage.
The subway was officially opened in September 1993 by the widow of the former World Cup-winning England football captain, who unveiled a plaque set into one of the mural scenes, showing England footballers playing at the “twin towers” Wembley Stadium, naming the bridge ‘in honour of a football legend’.

 

In 2013, Brent Council granted an advertising lease which allowed a Quintain subsidiary to cover the murals on the tile walls with vinyl advertising sheets, and to erect advertising signs on the walls above both entrances to the subway. A further advertising lease was agreed from August 2017 to August 2021.

 

In 2019, Quintain applied for, and were given (despite strong public opposition), permission to install LED light panels, to be used for advertising, on the walls of the subway, and larger advertising screens on the bridge parapets. The only concession they made, after campaigning by Wembley History Society, was to put the “footballers” mural scene on the east wall of the subway back on permanent public display. The existing lease was also subsequently extended by an additional three years to August 2024.

 

During the 2019 planning process, Brent acknowledged that the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals were a heritage asset. At the start of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture, in January 2020, three of the large tile mural scenes on the east wall of Olympic Way, just outside of the subway were put back on temporary display. The Council publicised the event, saying:

 

‘The tiles, which show scenes from famous sports and entertainment events at Wembley Stadium and the SSE Arena, Wembley, are part of Brent’s rich heritage.’

 

 The tile murals in Olympic Way are now back on permanent public display.

 

The end of the current advertising lease is an opportunity to allow Wembley Park’s residents and visitors to enjoy all of the tile murals in the subway again, for the first time since 2013. Potential advertisers have been asked to submit two bids in the tender process for the new advertising lease. One bid will be for adverting on the bridge parapets only, and the other will be for the bridge parapets and the subway walls.

 

Brent’s Forward Plan shows that the decision on the award of the new advertising lease is scheduled for the Cabinet meeting on 28 May 2024. This petition aims to show the level of support from people in the borough for the tile mural scenes in the subway to be put back on permanent public display.

 

Brent and Harrow GLA Election 2024 COMPREHENSIVE RESULTS

Source: London Elects

Dreams and Nightmares on the South Kilburn Estate

Cranes loom as you approach the South Kilburn Estate 

Following the Brent Scrutiny Meeting on regeneration where resident Pete Firmin spoke passionately about the problems with the South Kilburn regeneration I decided it was time for another visit to see for myself.

What follows is a series of photographs that illustrate some of the issues that Pete spoke about and convey what it feels like to live on a building site for many and questions around the quality of the new buildings.

 

A campaign for new bins was successful but emptying only once a week and dumping by outsiders leads to overflow problems

Another dump

The scaffolding around Alpha House where bits flew off during a recent storm. Brent Council said the danger was not their responsibility. It has been up for 6 months but work has taken place only three times 'if that' during that time. Apparently the work is on guttering which is actually accessible via the roof cavity. Only one light is working on landings and some residents are forced to use torches at night.

 

 Despite the housing shortage this flat in Gorefield House has been unoccupied and boarded up for more than 10 years after its use by contractors.

 New builds have problems too. This is emergency heating at the recently completed Countryside Woodrow House.

 

 Work continues on the HS2 vent site (chosen by HS2 after pressure from Brent Council in preference to a site next to Queens Park station).  I am told that the noise is such that residents of the flats overlooking the site sometimes have to be offered temporary hotel accommodation as a respite,

 

 

 Residents of Carlton House and other old buildings  suffer from the noise and dust of demolition of neighbouring buildings such as Winterleys House and will suffer again when building works take place. 

 

 

Remediation works on the decade old  L&Q Swift House. The start on the building was commemorated by a 2012 Muhammed Butt plaque now surrounded by remediation supplies. The scaffolding has been up for more than three years.The cost must be enormous.

 

 L & Q have problems elsewhere.  There have been long term heating issues at Chase House and Hollister House that have resulted in cold homes and no hot water, When I last visited  more than a year ago the green space had been occupied by emergency heating equipment, now post work on the heating the site has been left in a mess. Had the repairs worked? A resident answered, 'A little bit'.

 

 

I am told you can gain entrance by over-riding door security via the fire control

 As the regeneration progresses and blocks have been demolished, residents have been 'decanted' into remaining blocks. The 'Landlord Promise' made by Brent Council was that tenants would eventually be offered new flats on the estate. They are now wondering whether that will really happen as regeneration falls behind schedule and the doubts about the financial viability of the proposed new build social housing. Meanwhile their temporary housing deteriorates and they face multiple problems including incursions and squatting. See LINK for an account. The Blake Court demolition notice had expired but is now extended to 2029.

 Apart from Blake Court there is also Dickens House and Austen House in an area that looks forgotten and neglected, but nature sometimes relieves the gloom.

 Shops are left abandoned.

 

Even the playground equipment is collapsing

 

 What began as a tribute to Jane Austen is now a tribute to decline.

 

 

Apart from the heating issue some of the other new blocks have problems. It appears that faulty downpipes on Cambridge Avenue have caused damp and mould at intervals all along the frontage.

 

 People in the recently completed blocks have found themselves amidst a builders' storage area.

 

 But they are  are warned about disruption.

Despite the evidence to the contrary all around them, Countryside have a dream.

 Revised plans are due for the Hereford andExeter site this summer but there are potential issues regarding viability on the site that is planned to be 44% social rent.

The report to Scrutiny said:

The Hereford and Exeter scheme has been provisionally approved to receive the GLA Affordable Homes Programme Grant. However, even with the average grant rate, and more favourable developer assumptions, the scheme would still have a negative Residual Land Value (RLV). There is a current workstream to test the viability of the scheme to see what level of grant would be necessary, or what reduced level of affordable housing would be required to reach a positive RLV.

A rare example of a well-loved and maintained building is the Albanian Mosque but it is due to be replaced by a 13 storey block, perhaps with mosque facilities at ground floor level.

 

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One of the issues that South Kilburn residents are concerned about is the lack of delivery of a new Health Centre that was promised as part of the infrastructure improvement. The old Centre is abandoned and there is a temporary Centre in an old Housing Office. Cllr Tatler blamed the NHS for delays at the Scrutiny Committee meeting

 

There were battles over the Carlton and Granville Centres and the adjacent nursery school but now work is well underway. It is good to see some of the trees have survived so far.

Opposite is the South Kilburn Open Space, a precious green resource but also a potential vital resource for flood management, particuarly now so much of the area will be built up. Carlton Vale Infant School and Kilburn Park Junion School are due to be merged and accommodated in a new building on part of the space. Residents are keen that on demolition the present sites should become part of the open space to compensate. As much green space as possible is needed in view of the huge increase in population of the development area envisaged. Much of the amenity space in the new development is private. 

 

I will finish with an attractive walkway that is public, at present anyway. It is important that public space like this is maintained. There are problems at present with buck-passing because so many different developers and owners are involved in the patchwork that was once one council estate. There needs to be a clear map showing responsibilites across the estate.

 

Cllr Shama Tatler promised to visit the estate to talk to residents at the Scrutiny Committee and Cllr Promise Knight is due to tour to see progress/problems although I am not sure whether residents are involved.  I really do hope that they will be in listening mode as dreams often turn into nightmares.