As predicted the Labour Group with its massive majority pushed through the reduction in Opposition time to speak on the budget at last night's Full Council meeting.
The cut in Council Tax support was also passed despite hitting the poorest most in the borough's most deprived wards. A few councillors from those wards looked a little embarrassed but none abstained on proposals that had been overwhelmingly rejected by residents in the 'consultation' and expert advice from Brent Citizens' Advice Bureau.
Similarly, the alternative budget proposals by Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups were dismissed and voted down. The 'debate' on the budget was dominated by a 20 speech by Muhammed Butt and a long commentary by Cllr Mili Patel, Cabinet Lead on Finance, about the Tory Prime Ministers of the last decade or more with little additional budget information of interest to Brent resident. They were followed by a troupe of Cabinet Ministers reading speeches from their smart phones.
It was left to a four-minute exchange between the Auditor and Cllr Paul Lorber (Lib Dem Group Leader) to inject something of value into the 2 hours plus meeting.
I have preserved the exchange in the video above (they have a time limited existence on the Council website) as it is of interest in terms of transparency and accountability in the future.
The Auditor said that the issue of £4m loss in the abandoned Stonebridge Altimira project had not been referred to him by the Council. If the evidence was forwarded to the auditors, they would consider if there were any audit actions required.
On the issue of councillors' declarations of gifts and hospitality the Auditor said that they had remarked that they were 'light on detail' in the level of disclosure and that there was scope for more detail to be provided in the more complex arrangements. Readers interested in the fairground and sports and concert ticket giveaways will be pleased that this is receiving attention.
Lastly, the Auditor said that they had not been asked to consider the Barham Park Trust account but because the Trust was associated with the Council, they could consider them if there were any concerns
29 comments:
Once again, the Lib Dems are trying to rewrite reality because they cannot accept that Brent residents overwhelmingly chose a Labour administration to lead. Labour is making the tough decisions necessary to protect vital services in the face of brutal Tory cuts. Cuts that the Lib Dems enabled when they propped up David Cameron’s government. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Let’s be clear. The alternative budget proposals from the Tories and Lib Dems were voted down because they were unworkable, unserious, and did nothing to address the real challenges Brent faces. This is not about transparency. It is about sore losers throwing a tantrum because they are not in power. If they really cared about the most vulnerable, maybe they would not have helped unleash a decade of austerity that left councils across the country struggling to provide essential services.
As for the cheap shots about speeches and smartphones, perhaps if the opposition spent more time working on policies that actually benefit residents instead of moaning on Facebook, they would not be so irrelevant in Brent politics. Though I can’t blame the Greens as they don’t even have a twitter/x presence. Labour is governing. The Lib Dems are whining. The people of Brent can see the difference.
We have a Labour Council, a Labour Mayor and a Labour Government - so surely any "brutal" cuts are being made by Labour and NOT anyone else.
It seems ironic (and disgusting) that while Labour pushed through their massive CUT in Council Tax Support for the poorest people in Brent they also voted to INCREASE their Councillor Allowances.
I see that Butt keeps saying the 14 years of Tory austerity has lead us to be where we are today in Brent but he & others of the same political spectrum fail to mention why we had austerity cuts in the first place in the UK, some people have conveniently forgotten that the Labour government up to 2010 left this country literally bankrupt. Have we forgotten the note left for the new chancellor George Osbourne on his first day in the job….’Sorry, there’s no money left’.
Austerity started in 2008 under a Labour Government after they paid out £100 billion + to bail out the banks. The same greedy banks who caused the Financial Collapse in the first place. . Ordinary people are still paying for that Labour give away.
No one is re-writing the fact that Labour squandered £4 million of residents money on the Altamira project without delivering a single much needed new home. It is a fact. It highlights the sheer incompetence of the Labour Leadership in Brent - and no amount of jerrymandering by the Labour Leader will stop the Liberal Democrats exposing the truth.
Surprised Cllr Mo Butt is not blaming it on Thatcher - he just won't take any responsibility for anything!!!
Gosh, what a lot of tory and libdem dilution. However, what on earth do this bunch of supposedly Socialist think they are doing. Who do we vote for now: Tories? Pink Tories, Racist Tories or well do anything for a bit of power Tories?
AND don't forget the over £2 million Labour wasted on the revamp at the Civic Centre. Not much improvement to show for this money in the Library - now split on two floors. God knows how much they spent on the pointless replacing of the spiral staircase with the narrow steps? So over £2 million of OUR money on Butt's vanity project and NOTHING on the dangerous pavements and crumbling roads in Wembley where I live.
The Labour Mayor of London has just spent £6.5million of our tax payers money on his vanity project rebranding the London Overground Lines - pointless waste of money that has done nothing to actually improve the train service or the stations. Wembley Central station has water pouring through the concrete roof onto the platforms when it's raining, slippery tiles in the entrance which are very dangerous in wet weather and toilets that have been closed 'temporarily' for repairs for over 2 years now - but hey no worries its on the Lioness Line so that's all that matters.
And Brent Council gave £17.8million our our CIL money to multi billion pound developer Quintain for their vanity project steps outside Wembley Stadium - that money should have been spent on vital projects to support local people.
And Labour Mayor of London spent £6.5million of our tax payers money on the pointless rebranding of the London Overground Lines!
The Lib Dems are really trying it, aren’t they? They spent years propping up the Tory government that gutted local council budgets, and now they want to act outraged about difficult financial decisions. Where was all this energy when they were voting through austerity and making sure councils like Brent had less and less to work with?
Paul Lorber above talking about “sheer incompetence” is laughable. The biggest waste of public money in recent history was the Lib Dems selling out their voters to help the Tories wreck public services. That cost councils like Brent far more than any individual project ever could. If the Lib Dems and Tories had not spent years defunding local government, maybe councils would not have to make such tough choices in the first place.
*****And***** let’s be real about these so-called “vanity projects.” Investment in Brent’s infrastructure benefits the entire community. The same people moaning about these improvements would be the first to complain if nothing was being done to maintain and upgrade public spaces. You cannot have it both ways. Brent is growing, and Labour is making sure it has the facilities to match.
This is just more bad-faith whining from a party that has lost all relevance in Brent. If the Lib Dems had even half as much to offer as they do to complain about, maybe people would actually vote for them. The Lib Dem in Alperton only got elected as the Greens were charitable and stood down.
How does Labour Brent Council's decision to give £17.8million of our CIL money to multi-billion pound developer Quintain for those steps outside Wembley Stadium benefit our whole community?????? Most residents can't even afford to go to events Wembley Stadium!!!
Why are you assuming that the Lib Dems are the only ones questioning Labour run Brent Council's poor decision making???
Take away the winter fuel allowance and now take away council tax benefits for the poorest - sounds like the new 'nasty party' to us residebts 😞
Butt is a great leader. He is doing a marvellous job as our borough’s leader. One day I hope that they posthumously rename a park or public space after him.
I have been a Labour voter all my life, however, with people like you around and this awful council and government, I along with many others will not be voting Labour again in a hurry, especially not in Brent. After 15 years of what feels like a corrupt administration, why should anyone vote for Butt's family again? We will no doubt not vote Labour again nationally either unless they buck their ideas up and show they do have some socialist values. So, thank you Anon 13.32 for your blinkered and bullying post, presumably you are a Butt controlled councillor and have learnt the playground bullying from your leader.
As for saying the Libdems won in Alperton because the Greens didn't stand shows you aren't very informed, and probably have a low IQ
Dear Anon 13.32 what the hell use to the residents of Brent are the Wembley Stadium steps? As for cuts, Rachel in accounts is just like the Tories, cut, cut, cut. Brent don't maintain their public spaces, just look at the pocket and full size parks, look at the streets, what a mess. What infrastructure have Butt's Brent delivered, remember Wembley Park belongs to Quintain? Brent is the poor relation to the rest of London, just open your eyes. As much as I would never vote Libdem, they do seem to understand Brent better that Butt's cronies like you.
If Butt has his way we won't gave any open spaces or parks left!!!
To Anon 1: 14:58 the £17.8m spent on Wembley Stadium is not just about steps. It is about investing in infrastructure that makes the area more accessible and helps drive local economic growth. The fact that some residents can’t afford to attend events does not change the long-term benefits of making the area more welcoming and functional for everyone. More people visiting means more opportunities for local businesses and jobs. But if you prefer to ignore that and fixate on petty details, that’s your choice.
To Anon 2 at 15:04 paragraph 1 - no, I am not assuming the lib dems are the only ones questioning labour’s decisions. The problem is that their objections are rooted in political opportunism, not actual solutions. Every time they were in power, they enabled Tory austerity, which hurt communities. Now, they cry foul when Labour is forced to make tough choices in a system broken by years of neglect and underfunding. Let’s call it what it is: hypocrisy.
Re Anon 15:04 Paragraph 2:- Oh, so now Labour is the “nasty party” for making tough decisions to balance the budget? Let’s talk about who really has a track record of actually harming the poor. the tories and lib dems slashed benefits, closed services, and left communities to fend for themselves. labour’s decision to reduce council tax benefits is not ideal, but it is a direct result of the financial mess left behind by previous governments. If you want to blame someone, blame the parties that stripped away council funding for years.
To Anon 3 at 16:49: it’s cute when people claim to be “lifelong Labour voters” but then throw around accusations of corruption when their party doesn’t line up with their personal grievances. Labour in Brent has worked hard to improve services in the face of cuts that were handed down by central government. The idea that the whole administration is corrupt just because you don’t like the decisions made is a lazy, uninformed take. As for your comments about the Alperton by-election, let’s face it: the Greens didn’t run, but it’s clear Labour’s support across Brent is still strong. You might want to check your facts before questioning others’ intelligence.
If you don’t like what’s happening in Brent, maybe it’s time for some self-reflection on who really caused the mess. labour is cleaning it up, and it’s not going to be easy, but blaming them for everything while ignoring the past isn’t helping anyone.
To Anon 16:56
What use are the Wembley Stadium steps? They are part of a broader investment in improving the area around one of the busiest and most iconic venues in the country. Wembley Park may be owned by Quintain, but it’s also a key part of the local economy. As for being the "poor relation" of London, that’s exactly the narrative the tories and fib dems want you to buy into. Labour is working hard to lift Brent, but that takes time and effort, especially when you’re starting from the mess the previous governments left.
And as for "Butt's cronies," let’s get one thing straight: the councillors in Brent are hardworking, loyal, and united on a mission to improve the borough for everyone. Criticising without offering real solutions is easy, but it doesn’t help anyone. If you stood up for your area in an election you’d realise the mess we’ve been left by previous governments can’t be fixed in 5 minutes since we’ve been elected nationally. Rachel is doing her best.
To "Anonymous1 March 2025 at 13:32" let's be realistic and work out how much money Brent Council have squandered over the years!!!
Re Anon 20:59 You omitted to tell us what use the Wembley steps are to residents of Brent, you tell us that the steps are to improve the Wembley Stadium. That's what every one thinks, ie, they are of no benefit whatsoever to the residents of Brent.
How is Quintain's extracting money from Brent's economy a key part of Brent's economy? All the profits go abroad. There are a lot of real solutions to improve Brent, but the current administration are blind to them.
As for poor relation, yes, Brent's average earnings are one of the lowest, we have substantial child poverty, we have people who can't afford their rent, let alone their council tax. There are many other markers that show Brent is extremely deprived and getting worse. Of course you'd deny this.
Taking time, Butt's already had 15 years, how much time does he need. It is obvious from the Alperton bye-election that the people of Brent have had enough of this administration. The previous government in 2010 was a Labour one!!! We all agree that the Tories made all ordinary people of Brent poorer. However, you can't blame them for Butt's dictatorial method of ruling Brent for his own misguided aims.
On the subject of cronies, just ask the residents of Brent what they think of their councillors, most will say "self serving and ineffective". There must be some that good at what they do, you know like making videos, making silly speeches, bullying other people, changing the rules to get your own way, spaffing Brent resident's money of advertising of what Brent labour are (not) doing.
Ah, the Stamerite Mission, try working instead, its what you promised residents over and over. They see through you now.
As for fixing the problems, you've had 15 years and we see no improvements at all. Just a load of self serving wannabies; try looking at some of your councillors activities. As for Rachel from accounts, 90% of the country think she's useless, and can't remember what she's done for the last 20 years, I bet she conveniently forgot she wrote a book (copied from others), and as for being an economist, that really is funny, when she was actually in customer services and cheating on her expenses, or so the story goes.
There are some very interesting contributions in this feed from Labour Party supporter - but their comments seem to have nothing to do with my questions to the Independent Auditor and their report to the Council. I asked about:
1. Their investigation into the scandal of the Cllr Butt Administration wasting £4 million of public money on the Altamira project in Stonebridge where the planned housebuilding was aborted without a singly home being built by the Labour Council for the £4 million.
2. The inaccuracies in the Barham Park Trust Accounts which have led to large losses of income and are of concern to many Wembley residents.
3. The Inadequate declarations of interests in relation to multiple gifts (numerous tickets for the same events) for the Labour Leader and many members of the Labour administration - especially as the Auditor report stated that improvements in transparency were needed.
I appreciate that the Labour Group are keen to cover up their failings but not even pathetic Labour Leader's attempts to stifle free speech is not going to stop us.
To Anonymous (2nd March 16:19)
So now you are just openly pushing xenophobic nonsense? Acting like investment is a bad thing just because some profits go abroad? What, do you have a problem with international businesses? Do you think Brent should just sit here and rot because you don’t like the idea of people from other countries benefiting too? That’s the same small-minded, anti-business, anti-growth attitude that holds places back.
And as for the Wembley steps… do you even hear yourself? Wembley Stadium is one of the biggest landmarks in the country, bringing in millions of visitors, jobs, and business opportunities. The steps were built to improve access and safety, yet here you are acting like they were some pointless decoration. You think thousands of people should just struggle with crowd control and accessibility issues because you personally don’t go to events? That’s the level of selfish, backward thinking we’re dealing with.
Brent is one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, built by people from all over the world. Maybe stop pushing this anti-international business, anti-foreigner nonsense and start asking why the fib dems and tories spent years underfunding councils like Brent in the first place. That’s where your anger should be… not at people who are actually bringing money into the borough.
Paul bhai, you’re out here acting like you’ve uncovered the scandal of the century when the only real scandal is how the lib dems sold out their own voters to get cosy with the Tories. Your leader even made a video saying sorry! Where was all this energy when your party was in bed with the Conservatives, slashing council budgets, pushing people into poverty, and leaving places like Brent to struggle? You were nowhere to be seen then, but now you want to act like some big-shot investigator? Chullu bhar paani mein doob mar, seriously.
Four million on Altamira? Let’s talk about the billions YOUR coalition government ripped away from councils like Brent. The only reason local authorities even have to make tough financial decisions is because your lot gutted their funding. So spare us the fake outrage. You and your Tory mates threw councils under the bus, and now you’re complaining about the consequences of your own actions.
As for this whole “corruption” nonsense, you’re desperate. You bring up Barham Park like it’s some Watergate-level scandal, when in reality, no one outside your little circle of bitter politicians with no institutional power even cares. And let’s not pretend you’re standing up for transparency when you were part of a party that lied to students, betrayed working-class voters, and propped up the worst tory government in decades.
Labour is still in charge because Brent voters trust us more than the joke that is the opposition. Keep whining, keep digging for “scandals,” but the fact is, no one is buying what you’re selling. The Lib Dems are finished in Brent, and no amount of bitter rants from you is going to change that.
"Anonymous5 March 2025 at 21:16" (aka Cllr Mo Butt?) says "You bring up Barham Park like it’s some Watergate-level scandal, when in reality, no one outside your little circle of bitter politicians with no institutional power even cares." - we can assure you that thousands of local people do care and Labour MP Barry Gardiner and Labour Cllr Teo Beneo both vehemently campaigned against this very recently.
Labour's aggression over these local issues shows that they are completely out of touch with how local people feel.
Let's hope our Brent Council doesn't have questions to answer...
"The charges come after a Merseyside Police probe, Operation Aloft, focused on a number of property developers.
Mr Anderson and Mr Hatton were first arrested in 2020 as part of an investigation into the awarding of building contracts."
BBC News - Liverpool's Joe Anderson and Derek Hatton charged with bribery - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c17qn4ng0gko
Our Anonymous Labour supporter clearly suffers from amnesia. It was Labour who started slashing Council Budget in their 13 years of control until 2010. The BIG Cuts came after 2008 when their drained the country's coffers when they spent tens of billions bailing out the Banks. What was it that the Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling said at the time "The CUTS (Labour Cuts!) will be worth than under Thatcher". Labour tanked the economy then and are doing their very best to do the same again.
Oh £17 million of taxpayers money on the steps to Wembley Stadium - and who exactly has been receiving the greatest number of free and very valuable tickets to Wembley Stadium events? Coincidence?
"Anonymous5 March 2025 at 21:16" dismisses the £4million that our Labour run Brent Council wasted on the Altamira spouting on about the money the coalition government stripped out of local government BUT if Brent Council have no money because of the coalition gov how could they even afford to waste £4million of on the Altamira???
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