Sharing Space session at the Community Centre pre-closure
As Wembley Matters reported there was shock on St Raphael's Estate when Brent workmen suddenly and without notice changed the locks on the residents' community centre. In the aftermath that followed there was speculation that the closure, on grounds of fire safety, may have been politically motivated. LINK
Asif Zamir, of St Raph's Voice, that runs events at the Centre, has recently announced that he is standing as an Independent in the local elections.
Mr Zamir sent an official complaint to Brent Council and received an apology that left a number of questions:
Thank you for your email dated 16 February 2026. While I appreciate the apology regarding the "way in which the closure was communicated," I must formally correct the record on several points where your summary does not align with the documented facts.
1. Failure of Notification
Your email states that the Residents’ Association (RA) Chair was "advised of the situation" and informed of the lock changes. This is factually incorrect. The Chair was not informed of the closure, nor was the changing of the locks presented as a solution or even discussed. The email chain sent to the Council Leader and the Lead Member for Housing clearly demonstrates a total absence of communication from Council officers prior to the locks being changed. This was not a "shortcoming" in communication; it was a complete failure to engage with the community’s elected representatives.
2. Safety Contradictions and Resident Risk
There is a deeply concerning logical gap in the Council’s timeline. You state that safety concerns were identified on 30 January and required "swift action."
However the room was allowed to remain open for on Fri, Sat, Sun and Monday Morning; accessible to residents after these "significant safety concerns" were known to the Council, I understand and appreciate you may not have been personally involved in this, but it remains the responsibility of the council to inform us and discuss solutions.
Instead of immediate notification to residents regarding these "grave dangers," advising the chair to ensure the room is not used, deploying emergency staff to disconnect the power or isolate the fusebox the Council’s primary instruction was to a locksmith whom would change the locks mid session on Monday.
If the building was truly unsafe, allowing residents to continue using the space while quietly arranging a lock change suggests a failure in the Council's duty of care.
3. Lack of Responsiveness
Your summary omits the fact that emails from the RA and myself were ignored by all officers for a full week following the incident. "Hindsight" does not explain why active attempts by the community to seek clarity or alternative provision were met with silence during a purported safety crisis.
4. Outstanding Requirements
While I note the assignment of a single point of contact, the community still requires the following to restore trust:
The Full Technical/FRA Report: We are still waiting to understand the specific failings that led to this urgent closure.
A Detailed Timeline: We require a "pinned down" schedule for the remedial works.
Work Logs: A comprehensive list of works already completed and those that remain outstanding.
We would like these documents to be provided without further delay so the Residents' Association can independently verify the status of our community space.
Regards,
Asif Zamir
On February 25th St Raph'sVoice said:
The council advise that they are still awaiting receipt of the formal Fire Risk Assessment report, upon which they will be in a position to provide a clear timeline for the required remedial works that need to be undertaken to the community room.
This is after 3 weeks!
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