We know Matt Kelcher as the three-term councillor for Harlesden and Kensal Green, and latterly as the chair of Brent Planning Committee, with his introductory homily on the importance of meeting the borough’s house building target and the current housing emergency.
He has another life, in the small print of the Council’s Register of Interests but not declared this at Planning Committee meetings. Kelcher is the Director of Public Affairs at TheCityUK, described by Reuters as ‘Britain’s most powerful financial lobby group’. His work, as a member of Chartered Institute of Public Relations, is to advocate for members of TheCityUK.
Matt Kelcher is also a Brent councillor on the multi-million Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation where his connection with TheCityUK is also declared LINK.
Where does this overlap with his councillor role?
A clue lies in one of his more recent articles for TheCityUK blog. ‘Reforming the UK’s planning system: a path to growth’. Locals who have spoken against planning applications at Planning Committee may have picked up a polite lack of sympathy for their presentations and the extracts from his article below makes clear that he sees the need for a more robust assumption of assent for applications:
A lack of consistency between (and within) local planning authorities is creating uncertainty and unpredictability in decision-making. One way to maximize the value added by England's new metro mayor model would be to explore allowing mayors to designate zones with a much greater presumption of planning approval. The UK's current planning regime of application and appeal is an international outlier, and its delivery has presented challenges to the building of homes and infrastructure.
To make the UK more attractive to investors and facilitate investment decisions, the planning process needs to prioritize efficiency and timely decisions. One mechanism to achieve this would be to streamline the statutory consultation process, with a greater assumption of assent from consultees who do not reply to local authorities within deadlines.
Cllr Kelcher is an ally of the former Shama Tatler (now Baroness Shah of Wembley) and active within the Labour Party in the drive for accelerating house building, which in Brent has resulted in unaffordable luxury high rise towers. He is a member of her Labour YIMBY group (Yes in My Backyard). The group was set up to oppose those who raise concerns about over-development, density, and lack of affordability in new developments – stereotyped as NIMBYs (Not in My Backyard). They rely on a ‘market model’ belief that increased supply will result in reductions in house prices and rents – not something we have seen in Brent where according to the London Renters Union rents have increased by 27% over the last 3 years despite all the new units built.
‘Proudly YIMBY Proudly Labour’
Tribune magazine in an August 2025 article LINK wrote:
One of the core principles of YIMBYism is ensuring easier access to property ownership and wealth accumulation. Yet, bizarrely, advocates refer to themselves as ‘housing activists’ and think of themselves as ‘campaigners’ embedded in a ‘pro-housing’ movement. They might choose to adopt the language of those on the front line of the housing emergency. But in reality, their natural habitat is the boardroom — and buffet lunches with developers.
Tongue in cheek they suggest that alongside NIMBY and YIMBY, there should be PHIMBY – Public Housing in My Backyard.
If a Brent planning application had been made by any of his TheCityUK employer’s clients, Kelcher would have had to declare his interest. ‘Pre-determination’ is a slippery term in planning circles and refers to a member of a planning committee having made up their mind in advance of hearing an application. I have no evidence that this applies to Matt Kelcher’s many specific decisions at Planning Committee, but his pre-disposition to approve applications in more general terms is, perhaps, clear.
Matt Kelcher’s record: Source Open Council Network
Published and promoted by Jmes Paton on behalf of Brent Green Party c/o 23 Saltcroft Close, Wembley, HA9 JJ
28 comments:
The stench is getting stronger by the day. It now permeates everywhere the public needs scrutiny.
This should have been highlighted years ago.
His wife Mili Patel is also a Cllr for Harlesden & Kensal Green, Deputy Leader of Brent Council and works for David Lammy MP.
Brent Labour have caused irreversible damage by allowing tower blocks to be built, much of the housing has not been affordable for locals, and not to mention the substantial amount of student accommodation they’ve piled in as well. Brent Labour have turn this borough into a worldwide laughing stock, firstly they mismanaged the streets during the Euros and this caused mayhem, then they changed the way streets are cleansed so streets are rarely clean, and finally they mis managed housing so badly, that one of the flats they bought costed more to repair than it was bought for. At the same time, over the last decade they have reduced scrutiny through the removal of for example, Highways Committees and introduced a pot luck report system where your defect may get prioritised for ‘possible’ repair. Labour has turned Brent into a an absolute laughing stock and every Labour councillor needs to be kicked out through voting for the parties most likely to win!
Inclusive growth is 'government and industry' for Matt. Just different understanding, the on- site (in ZONE) consumers of population growth don't need to be included because they don't meet the politician version of what inclusion is in these Blue Labour days.
Yes In My Back Yard, but unfortunately my back actual yard is in a protected from all developer colonialism conservation area where welfare state amplification and population de-growth is every UK governments policy.
How is leasehold reform enactment going, so that these growth flats in zones can be owned (including by Brent Council) rather than being long rental captures? Tower build quality and zone environmental care would improve.
When is the cable car happening?
Greens should give their definition of what inclusion means to them in regeneration re-development zones Brents.
A tall building zone because the area floods and its only piled up high/ packed-in tenants lives anyway, so who cares?
Interesting- the tower lord wing of Labour
'Othering' Matt Kelcher
Well said the first three posts. Why the council allow Kelcher to continue as Chair of Planning is beyond me.
If a developer has a meeting with the planning committee members, to sort out any problems, in private, and before the application goes in front of the planning committee, does this count as predetermination? Also, shouldn’t the planning committee members declare this meeting before even discussing at the planning committee meeting? Seems a bit Labour B~ent to me? A Judicial Review should have taken place, but who can afford to do that when B~ent will throw the kitchen sink at it at your expense.
The Cabinet Member for Regen, Planning and property, one Teo Benea', whose register of interests shows this gift: 02.03.2026 - Box of Chocolates. value £150.00. Received from Dr Mohammed Majim at Willesden Green Surgery. Why would a GP, who wants to build a new surgery in a Brent Park, give a £150 box of chocolates to the Lead Member for Planning? The London Borough of B~ent Labour?
Makes you want to live in Harlesden to vote these 2 out tomorrow.
How has linking Harlesden Old Town to Old Oak Common Britain's biggest station (Elizabeth Line and HS2 Harlesden south) been going? Well, its a government and business inclusion only lock-out, working to total exclude Harlesden Old Town from new direct active travel link upgrades to this new mega station so essential to Brent employment opportunities across London and for Harlesden (towers north and west of it) to be good growth.
Civic Rights/ Civic Wrongs- so few Brent local people are gaining from project tenanted towers only Brent Colonial with its bad growth enforced policies.
There is over £92million owing in unpaid counvil tax!
And Brent have paid out £600,000 in compensation for damage to vehicles caused by pot holes.
How much other wastage at Brent Council goes unchallenged?
Yes I agree that they have completely mismanaged housing in Brent.
Of course Kelcher and the other Labour Councillors are NIMBYs they allowed an explosion of Betting Shops across all of Brent - and when one is proposed in their Ward they get all upset and want the Law changed. The same Law -that allowed this betting free for all and you guessed it - which was introduced by the Labour Party.
B~ent Labour must go asap, like now
An election leaflet titled 'A postcard from your Labour team' on one side in large letters says...
'Building what's next'. (that means the Brent tenanted tower hundreds in permanent development zones).
'Fixing what matters'. (that means lovingly maintaining and enhancing the conservation area zone islands of hope)
Labour is being Kelcher level brutally honest regarding two Brent's being the future. Socialism to be conserved in the conservation areas, while most of Brent will be living '....what's next' instead.
They’ll make him a lord tomorrow and make us yearn for the days of hereditary peers
Wonder just how bad Brent are at knowing where the money has actually gone? ...
"Are boroughs squandering their budgets? Lee Nallalingham spent a year investigating and found not only profligacy, but also that many have no idea where the money goes"
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-borough-councils-spending-bankrupt-tax-b1272565.html
Barrell-scraping nonsense. Matt is a good councillor and person. Pathetic hit job.
Might be good for his ward but has pushed through ridiculously high and oppresdive tower blocks in other wards with no consideration for existing tennants or improvements to infrastructure and services.
So you don't think Kelcher is conflicted? What an extremely odd view.
rip. I was hoping matt to be voted out as councillor.
Kelcher should not be allowed anywhere near council decisions, let alone planning, he is totally conflicted by his work as a Ceommercial Lobbyist for Business and Finance. How on earth can he actually be a councillor and give an honest view on anything?
Look at his register of interest/gifts, then look at his decisions, then who his company represent. Not forgetting he's a Build Baby Build who cares about only business
Spot on
I believe Butt agrees with you
Lets trust he immediately now gets removed from his lucrative role as Chair of Brent Council Planning Committee!
K FAILED at securing direct connection of Harlesden Old Town to its new mega-station development.
Sustainable active transport infrastructure investment is urgently needed, a cable car, a foot tunnel.... so that Brent can match the economic uplift that Britain's biggest station at Harlesden will give to Hammersmith and Fulham and to Ealing tax and council tax payers.
Brent should no longer be designed out.
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