Almost half of Brent Labour councillors missing from tonight's Labour Group Meeting

In what might be seen as an indication of a collapse in morale, the Brent Labour Group meeting this evening was barely quorate.

The defection of Rajan-Seelan to the Tories, rumours of other defections, continuing anger about  the candidate selection process and deselections, plus poor polling on the doorstep, have all contributed to a high level of dissatisfaction amongst Labour councillors.

Presumably there were some vital issues to discuss ahead of next Full Council on Monday November 10th given the financial situation of the Council and the potential cost to the Housing Revenue Account of the repairs that have to be done in response to the Social Housing  Regulator's adjudication. In addition there is now the cost of complying with Awaab's law that gives tight guidelines on dealing with mould and other health issues in social and council housing. 

Brent Green Party sets out councillor defection process

 Brent Green Party released the following statement on their website on Monday:

Following the deselection of 8 Brent Labour councillors last month and ex-Labour Cllr Rajan-Seelan crossing the floor to join the Conservative Party today [actually he became an Independent], we are aware that there is some speculation about current Labour Party councillors joining the Green Party - and potentially becoming the first Green Party councillors in Brent. 

We would be delighted to welcome anyone who shares our values of social justice, environmental responsibility, and community wellbeing to join a membership that has more than doubled since mid-October and continues to grow.

In this context, we think it’s important to inform everyone that joining the Green Party as an elected representative is a formal process of due diligence that may or may not result in a defection to the Green Party. 

The interested party needs to express an interest in joining the Green Party - they won’t be invited to defect to the Green Party. They also need to go through an interview process with the central Green Party office. 

Following this interview and a general scrutiny process, the central office will give their opinion about a possible defection and the local party will have a say in the matter as well. 

We have started our selection process for May 2026  and we’ll continue to do so over the coming weeks. 
 

Does a small anticipated crowd for Springboks v Japan on Saturday justify full road closures?

With a full road closure in Wembley Park scheduled for 12 noon to 7.40pm for the Springboks v Japan match at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, despite a smaller than usual anticipated crowd, a Wembley resident has contacted Wembley Matters to ask if this disruption is necessary:

It would seem we having full road closure when they anticipate only 15-20,000, what nonsense is this.  With only 12,500 for a full Arena maybe they will start closing the roads for Arena events?  20,000 is well under the 50,000 and should not be considered a major event to close all the roads.

As a cosequence of the road closures bus routes will be disrupted or curtailed. 

 

 

 

Ex-Labour councillor Rajan-Seelan appears on the Brent Council website as an Independent this morning

 

There was no official announcement from Cllr Rajan-Seelan or Brent Conservatives yesterday hat the Wembley Central councillor was defecting to the Conservative Group. This could be because, quite rightly, the Tories are carrying out due diligence on his request to join them.

Currently he joins Cllr Kathleen Fraser as an Independent.

Michael Maurice's Merry-go-round as Bob Blackman comes to his rescue

 

Cllr Maurice

Cllr Rajan-Seelan's defection to the Tories today makes things rather difficult for Brent Tories as there are only 5 seats in which they stand even a slight chance in the 2026 Brent Council election.

It appeared that there might be a spare when rumours emerged that Cllr Michael Maurice hadn't made it through the first stage of the Conservative's selection process at Brent West constituency and had lost an appeal against the decision. 

However, someone then had the bright idea of applying through the Brent East constituency and Maurice received backing from Harrow East MP, Bob Blackman, Chair of the Monday Club, and is back in the selection process - helped by higher echelons of the party,

As commented on this blog recently, other Tory councillors have looked a trifle uncomfortable during some of Cllr Maurice's recent speeches and interventions  particularly on the Nablus partnership issue and the racism debate. 

Tensions may now appear between the Brent East and West constituency parties over 'An embarrassment saved by his mates.' 

Big job ahead for Brent's new Director of Housing Services

 

As I write  Brent's Senior Staff Appointments Sub-Committee are meeting to interview applicants for the post of Corporate Director Residents and Housing Services. As can be seen above it is a demanding job, made all the more demanding by Awaab's Law that comes into force today and the preparation of the Action Plan that should give priorties and timeline for implementing the recommendations of the Social Housing Regulator.

The Council has already moved to improve its failing communication strategy with teants and leaseholders with a key meeting this Wednesday at the Civic Centre:

Tenant & Leaseholder Open Day - Wednesday October 9th Civic Centre 3-7pm

Meet your Area Tenancy Manager  Discuss what matters most to you  Ask questions and get advice on housing issues  Access support and useful services  Discover local organisations  Find out how you can get more involved in your local community  Pop in at any time that suits you - stay for a quick chat or for the whole afternoon. Book your free space or simply drop in on the day.

 

Join the Resident Complaints focus group

We’re committed to improving Brent’s housing complaints process and are looking for residents to share their experiences. Join a friendly group working to make the system fairer, quicker, and more effective. Your insights can help shape real improvements for everyone. What’s involved? Attend meetings at times that suit the group (six throughout the year) Share your views on how complaints are handled and suggest ways to improve the process Why get involved? Help build a complaints process that’s fair, transparent and easy to use Help make reporting and escalating complaints easier for all residents Work alongside other residents and officers to codesign and create improvements to how complaints are managed Learn more about your rights and how complaints are managed Make sure residents voices drive real change Gain skills in communication, problem solving and collaborative working We’re looking for 10-15 residents to join. Places are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As a thank you for your time and contributions, participants will receive LoveToShop vouchers.   Want to get involved? Register your interest by 7 November 2025 by emailing: HousingFeedback@brent.gov.uk or calling: 020 8937 2459. 💡 Reminder: If you’d like to raise a Housing Management complaint, please visit our website.

It is worth noting that two former officers in the Department at Brent are now working in Southwark!

Awaab's Law

The Regulations mean landlords must:  

• Investigate any potential emergency hazards and, if the investigation confirms emergency hazards, undertake relevant safety work as soon as reasonably practicable. The investigation and the work must both take place within 24 hours of becoming aware of the hazard.
• Investigate any potential significant hazards within 10 working days of becoming aware of them;
• Produce a written summary of investigation findings and provide this to the tenant within 3 working days of the conclusion of the investigation.
• Undertake relevant safety work within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant hazard.
• Begin, or take steps to begin, any supplementary preventative work to prevent a significant or emergency hazard recurring within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, if the investigation identifies a significant or emergency hazard. If steps cannot be taken to begin work in 5 working days this must be done as soon as possible, and work must be physically started within 12 weeks.
• Satisfactorily complete supplementary preventative works within a reasonable time period.
• Secure the provision of suitable alternative accommodation for the household, at the social landlord’s expense, if relevant safety work cannot be completed within specified timeframes.
• Keep the tenant updated throughout the process and provide information on how to keep safe.

Upon becoming aware of a potential hazard, social landlords should use all available information to initially determine if the hazard is a potential significant or emergency hazard and take steps to complete relevant safety work within stated timeframes.

The timelines set under Awaab’s Law are the maximum statutory timeframes in which landlords must act. Landlords can and should act more quickly if circumstances require, especially in situations where other legislation requires a faster response and/or according to their policies and procedures.

 

 

BREAKING: Cllr Rajan-Seelan crosses the floor and joins Brent Conservative Group

I understand that an announcement is due confirming that Cllr Rajan-Seelan has joined the Conservative Group on Brent Council.

BREAKING: Wembley Central councillor leaves Labour Party

 Cllr Rajan-Seelan

I understand that Wembley Central councillor, Rajan-Seelan has resigned from the Labour Party. He will continue as a councillor and, as yet, there has been no announcement that he has joined another political party.

Cllr Rajan-Seelan was one of the eight sitting councillors not selected by the Board that chose candidates for the May 2026 borough election.

His background is in engineering and he is a member of the GMB union. He currently serves on the Council's licensing committees and the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

Cllr Rajan-Seelan's fellow Wembley Central councillors are Cllr Sonia Shah and Cllr Ketan Sheth, 

The councillor has been offered the opportunity to make a statement to Wembley Matters explaining his move. 

Green Party Shows Strongest Broadcast Momentum of Any UK Political Party Under New Leader Zack Polanski

 From Be Broadcast

New analysis of more than 220,000 UK broadcast mentions shows the Green Party is the only political force to have increased its airtime since early September - with visibility, tone, and membership all rising under new leader Zack Polanski.

The findings come from Mission Control, a broadcast monitoring project by Be Broadcast with political analysis by Cast From Clay, tracking coverage between 1 September and 20 October 2025.

This period continues the Who Gets Heard? study released in early September - but with one major change: the appointment of the Greens’ new leader.

While every other party’s coverage fell by between 55% and 85% during the period, the Greens rose by 44%, the only positive trend recorded. Over the same timeframe, party membership surged to over 126,000, overtaking the Conservatives and more than doubling the Liberal Democrats.

“Broadcast is often the first indicator of public movement - and that’s exactly what we’re seeing here,” said Josh Wheeler, founder of Be Broadcast. “The Greens’ rise on air mirrors their rise in membership, showing how people are shifting, not just parties.”

A New Phase for Green Coverage

Between 1 September and 20 October, the Green Party achieved 13,728 broadcast mentions, with Polanski personally referenced 8,648 times - more than Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey (4,543) and close to Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch (10,074).

Despite leading a party with only four MPs, Polanski’s media presence now rivals senior figures from the major parties.

Mission Control’s language analysis shows a distinct tonal shift in how broadcasters discuss the party.

Before September, the Greens were primarily framed around protest, climate, and activism; since Polanski’s appointment, that focus has moved to fairness, jobs, prosperity, and the future.

This change has coincided with a dramatic rise in constructive coverage. Forty-one percent of mentions involving the Greens are now solution-focused or positive in tone - the highest of any national party - compared with 22% for the Conservatives and 19% for Reform UK.

“Audiences respond to clear, consistent communication,” said Tom Hashemi, CEO of Cast From Clay. “Polanski has reframed the Greens’ message from activism to aspiration - jobs, fairness, and prosperity. That’s not the language of protest, it’s the language of ambition.”

Comparative Party Performance (1 Sept – 20 Oct 2025)

Party	Broadcast Mentions (Sept–Oct)	2024 Vote Share %	MPs (2024)	Mentions per MP
Reform UK	83,776	14.3	5	16,755
Labour	43,431	33.7	411	106
Conservatives	18,695	23.7	121	155
Green Party	13,728	6.4	4	3,432
Liberal Democrats	9,468	12.2	72	132

 
 

The Greens’ per-MP broadcast ratio now outperforms Labour by more than 30 to 1 and the Conservatives by 22 to 1 - a striking change since the last report.

Their growth also came during conference season, a period usually dominated by the largest parties - suggesting that the uplift is structural, not seasonal.

“Broadcast acts as a national pulse,” Wheeler added. “When stories about fairness, cost of living, and the future start to dominate airtime, it signals something wider happening in public sentiment.”

Change Since the Last Report

Mission Control compared the September–October data with the earlier dataset covering 1 January–3 September 2025 to measure changes in relative broadcast share.

Although the timeframes differ in length, the comparison highlights which parties are gaining or losing momentum.

Party	Mentions (Jan–3 Sept)	Mentions (Sept–Oct)	% Change	Key Insight
Green Party	31,053	13,728	+44.2%	Only UK party to increase broadcast visibility since last report.
Labour	924,693	43,431	–84.7%	Attention plateau after initial post-election dominance.
Conservatives	121,251	18,695	–84.6%	Decline despite leadership speculation.
Reform UK	353,660	83,776	–76.3%	Still strong, but tone softening.
Liberal Democrats	46,468	9,468	–79.6%	Consistently underexposed.
SNP	45,308	7,373	–83.7%	Consistent but contained.
Plaid Cymru	2,194	969	–55.8%	Local strength, national quiet.
DUP	5,925	2,451	–58.6%	Static presence.
Sinn Féin	6,081	2,001	–67.1%	Focused on diplomacy over domestic debate.

 
 

While most parties lost ground, the Greens increased their broadcast footprint by 44%.
Polanski’s leadership coincided with this growth, supported by a membership surge and the party’s increased focus on social and economic issues.

“The same political climate that has opened space for Reform has also opened space for the Greens,” Hashemi added. “People are looking for something different. The question is whether Polanski can convince them that ‘different’ means Green, not Farage.”

 

Tone and Visibility by Party Leader

Leader	Mentions (Sept–Oct)	% Constructive Tone	Dominant Frame
Keir Starmer	42,385	29%	“Administrative stability.”
Kemi Badenoch	10,074	22%	“Internal reset.”
Nigel Farage	41,173	19%	“Provocation fatigue.”
Ed Davey	4,543	31%	“Community voice, limited cut-through.”
Zack Polanski	8,648	41%	“Fairness and prosperity.”

 
 

While Polanski’s tone is the most positive, other leaders show a different picture.

The Conservatives’ constructive tone sits at 22%, suggesting their recent focus on cultural and identity issues has not translated into broader resonance.

“Broadcast rewards clarity and originality,” said Hashemi. “Imitation doesn’t cut through.”

 

The Big Picture

• +44% increase in Green Party broadcast mentions since September
• 13,728 total mentions (party), 8,648 mentions (leader)
• 126,000 members, up 80% since leadership election
• Highest constructive tone of any UK leader (41%)
• Per-MP broadcast visibility 30× that of Labour

 

Together, the findings suggest that momentum and message discipline - rather than parliamentary size - are shaping modern broadcast visibility.

 

In a landscape where every major party saw its share of airtime fall, the Greens’ combination of consistency, tone, and public resonance stands out as the clearest measure of political momentum this autumn.

'Our climate is changing, so must we' - Sharing Space day at St Raph's and there's more to come!

 

Nadia Khan, Brent Council, introduces 

 

Fresh on the heels of the S very successful  St Raph's Vibe Day LINK the St Raph's Voice Community Centre held the first of four 'Sharing Space' days aimed at sharing more, wasting less and living well - a grass roots way of addressing climate change.

 

The event, held in conjunction with Brent Council appeared to be successful judging from the wide range of people taking part in terms of age and diversity, and from the smiles and concentration on faces.  

 

Asif Zamir, Chair of St Raphael's Voice told Wembley Matters:

 

The Sharing Space initiative is the result of a collaboration between St Raph’s residents, Brent Council, and Think & Do. This partnership aims to build a more resilient, connected, and climate-aware community from the ground up.

I was delighted by the engagement. We kicked off the inaugural session with 100 residents in attendance. The vibe was fantastic, as always it was great to see people coming out, supporting and having a great time. We are constantly striving hard to break down social barriers within St Raphs and this project has really helped us in reviving our core social values of sharing, whether it’s food, skills or advice. 

It a great way of educating and creating a conscious change in behaviour as residents become more aware of the tangible benefits of being more energy efficient and the power of good choices. Sharing, reusing and repairing instead of replacing or putting into landfill.

It has been especially refreshing to see the involvement of the estate’s youth, we have worked hard in our community to engage our local youth via our youth club #straphs. The young people all thoroughly enjoyed the session.

We will continue to build on the success of this event and look forward to developing this into a permanent fixture for St Raph's and hope our success will ripple through the borough. Our climate is changing, so must we!

 

 

Brent Mencap singing group, the All Stars, album now available.

 

All Stars - a singing group at Brent Mencap have written, recorded and launched a wonderful album of their own songs.

You can listen to it, download it here - https://ditto.fm/all-stars-rock

You can also read more about them and see them perform here - https://www.brentmencap.org.uk/amazing-artists

Listen to My Star My Rock on YouTube Music HERE

 

Please share this with EVERYONE! 

 

All Stars hope to inspire other people who have a learning disabiity to reach their stars and change people's views of what they are a capable of doing.

They will be performing a short set at Harrow Disability Arts Festival on 7^th November -

https://harrowarts.com/whats-on/event/disability-arts-festival-2025

Help shape nature's future in Brent. Take part in London's Local Nature Recovery Strategy consultation. Ends 23.59 October 29.

 

The local Nature  Recover Strategy will shape our nature spaces (hopefully preserve and enhance them) over the next few years as we deal with an ecological emergency.

You can read the documents and take complete a questionaire on the GLA site HERE. 

A summary of the purposes and key strategies from the document:

Natural spaces offer Londoners places to relax, exercise, play, and connect with the city’s natural heritage and culture. They also serve as essential habitats for wildlife, help protect the people who live and work here from the effects of climate change and play a role in improving air quality.

 

Yet despite its importance, nature is in decline globally and the UK is among the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

 

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are a new, nationwide system of spatial strategies that aim to help reverse biodiversity loss. There are 48 LNRS areas covering the whole of England.

 

The Mayor of London has produced Greater London’s first LNRS. This new spatial tool maps London’s most valuable existing and potential areas for nature for the first time. It identifies the parts of nature most in need of help to recover, outlines the actions needed to improve them, and sets out where those actions could have the greatest impact.

 

What is nature recovery?

 

The term ‘nature recovery’ means increasing and improving nature to help reverse its decline. ‘Nature recovery’ does not necessarily aim to bring back something that existed in the past, instead it seeks to grow a richer network of nature by improving, connecting, creating and expanding it, while minimising further harm.

 

A collaborative approach

 

Successful nature recovery relies on collective action, so the LNRS has been developed through close collaboration with technical specialists, community groups, boroughs and Londoners.

 

It also builds on existing information and strategies, like the London Environment Strategy.

 

Purpose of the LNRS

 

The LNRS acknowledges that nature underpins everything people do. The priorities and measures set by the strategy will help to restore a healthy natural environment, which will in turn help clean our air and water and improve our mental and physical health.

 

The LNRS is a shared tool to help everyone in London support nature. It can be used by any organisation, group, or person. It provides a clear framework for coordinated and targeted action for nature in London, aiming to guide city-wide nature recovery that benefits the health of Londoners, biodiversity and climate resilience.

 

Londoners can help with nature recovery by using the LNRS to inform the way they use, manage, improve and develop land.

 

The six overarching priorities that apply everywhere in London are:

 

• Help people enjoy nature: Make it easier for all Londoners to enjoy and connect with nature, while looking after the most sensitive natural areas

 

• Bigger, better, more connected and more diverse: create, improve, and connect a mix of habitats to help nature thrive

 

• Boost wildlife populations: increase species abundance, with a focus on native and threatened species

 

• Help pollinators and minibeasts thrive: support a wide variety of land- and water-based invertebrates, including pollinators

 
• Support healthy soils: restore and minimise disturbance to soils and fungi to support all biodiversity
 

• Protect wildlife from invasive species: reduce and control invasive species to
protect and improve valuable habitats and species 

The focused priorities and measures specify needs around:

 

• Urban nature: support, enhance and connect nature in more urban areas such as parks, gardens, rooftops, and other green urban spaces. This will provide a range of benefits for people, such as supporting mental and physical health, and help many species including black redstart, peregrine, swift and house martin.

 

• Rewilding and re-introductions: create large-scale areas for nature, to support a diverse range of species in a complementary mix of habitats and to bring back animals and plants that used to live in London, including water voles and beavers.

 

• Green corridors: connect nature spaces across London to help wildlife move through the city.

 

• Trees and woodland (including orchards): plant more trees and look after existing woodlands, orchards, and parklands. This will benefit important species including bats, butterflies and specialist woodland plants and provide cooling for Londoners.

 

• Waterbodies and waterways: create, improve and restore water environments to help nature thrive in rivers, streams, and lakes. This will benefit species including kingfisher, otter and European eel.

 

• Wetlands: create, improve and connect other wet habitats, such as marshland and reedbeds. This includes natural flood management measures, like sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and constructed wetlands. This will benefit birds and wetland flowering plants, and build climate resilience.

 

• Grassland, heath and scrub: create, improve, and connect nature in grassland, heathland, scrubland, and on farms. This will help support ground nesting birds such as skylark and lapwing, a range of butterflies and harvest mice.

 

• ‘Micro-habitats’: increase specialist habitat areas such as deadwood and patches of sand to benefit specialist insects, fungi and bats.

 

The LNRS does not give any extra protection to nature sites, but it helps landowners and managers, planners and designers know how best to design, improve and manage land to help London tackle the climate and ecological emergencies through nature recovery

 

A rather extraordinary resource is the Local Habitat Interactive Map showing areas for action in Brent and other boroughs. LINK 

It is quite complex so the video below may help. You can find your address on the map and see any proposals relating to it.