BANNED! Stall for supporters of the children's Palestine Trauma Centre in Gaza deemed 'too political' for the organisers of Queen's Park Day

 

I was dismayed to receive the message below from Brent Friends of Palestine who support the charity Palestine Trauma Centre UK in raising funds for the clinician led Trauma Centre in Gaza.

It is shocking that in the middle of a conflict when so many children have died or been wounded, left traumatised by constant bombing and upheaval, that their work has been defined as too 'political' for the sensiblities of the good folk of Queen's Park.

Where is QPARA's humanity and empathy?

At a time when food and medical aid  is being denied to Gaza QPARA is, in its own small way, doing the same thing. Shame!

 

Brent Friends of Palestine stall panels about the work of the Trauma Centre

 

Dear Friends

 

I would normally write to you in early September to ask you to come to Queens Park Day and to visit the Brent Friends of Palestine stall. After running a stall at the event for the past two years, BFoP has been refused permission to have a stall this year.  Queens Park Area Residents Association (QPARA), which runs Queens Park Day, has refused a stall this year because they say the BFoP group is ‘political’.   BFoP acknowledges that without doubt there are political aspects to the Palestine/Israel conflict, but the purpose of the stall has always been humanitarian, to raise funds for a charity that does vital work supporting children and their families in Gaza, helping them to minimise the trauma so many experience from the Israeli occupation since 1967 and from past and present conflicts. 

 

This includes the loss of parents, brothers, sisters, close family members, and friends, together with the destruction of homes and other buildings.  This charity, as all of you will know, is the Palestine Trauma Centre UK, which was based in the Al Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza until its building was destroyed quite near the beginning of the Gaza war in November 2023. This charity we have been supporting since 2015 and some of the members of the team in Gaza are still supporting children in the camps if and when they can. 

 

QPARA organises Queens Park Day every year as a non-political event in line with the requirements of the City of London Corporation.  BFoP has pointed out that there are other charities and organisations running stalls that have a political aspect as well as humanitarian concerns, environmental issues, or trade. Despite appealing to the Queens Park Day organising committee, they did not change their decision regarding the BFOP stall.

 

The BFoP committee wanted its members and supporters, particularly those who live in the NW6 and NW2 area, to know of this decision. If you wish to comment on this to the Queens Park Day Committee, you can email the QPARA committee at qparainfo@gmail.com

 

 For more information about the Trauma Centre and the opportunity to donate go to: 

https://www.palestinetraumacentre.uk/

 

Brent Council's response to Social Housing Regulator after C3 judgment way behind schedule. What's the hold up?

 

Dear Editor,

 

Brent Council told us they would keep residents up to date regarding their response to the Social Housing Regulator by providing updates through their two scrutiny committee meetings. The regulator graded the council at C3 which means the council has serious failings in the delivery of consumer standards and significant improvement is needed. LINK

 

However, the Council have not published anything in either scrutiny committee but instead announced that they will give us an update at the 19th November Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny meeting. 

 

At the Audit  and Standards Committee meeting on 16th June 2025, several councillors suggested that the council needed to restore the Housing Scrutiny Committee. The council replied there was no need as housing was already covered in their two scrutiny committees. LINK

 

But with nothing published regarding the council’s response to the regulator, how will residents ever find out if their homes are safe?

 

I thought the response to the regulator might be discussed at next week's Full Council meeting, but it seems no one is interested in this very important issue that affects the lives of everyone living in a council home which currently stands at 8400 tenants and 4000 leaseholders.

 

At the end of May the Council reported that they would take 6 weeks to carry out the housing repairs audit but then extended it to 8 weeks.  They were due to discuss it at Monday’s cabinet meeting The Council will now publish an update on the performance of their housing services on the 3rd October in papers tabled for the October 13^th Cabinet when they will also publish their Action Plan which responds to the regulator. Previously the Council reported they had major concerns with the Wates contracts that were only given an extension back in April of this year and I expect it will be highlighted in the report.

 

Obviously, there were several housing delivery failures identified by the regulator, so all these reports are likely to affect service delivery, especially on repairs for several years to come.

 

The Council have not explained why it is taking so long to publish anything The audit should have been ready before the end of July.

 

I can only speculate that the council have uncovered so many issues, that they are finding it difficult to cover everything before they give us the full picture.

 

Best wishes

 

John

 

Save the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre Petition to be presented to Full Council on September 15th

 

Pupils and staff from Carlton Vale Infants Schools at a previous campaign to Save the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre - decades ago!

 

I will be presenting the petition calling on Brent Council to make every effort to continue the work of the Welsh Harp Environment Education Centre  with primary school pupils after the withdrawal of Thames21, at the next Full Council on Monday September 15th.

The aim is to provide space within the new SEND 16-25 Provision for primary schools to work on the Life Processes and Living Things aspects of the Science National Curriculum, getting first hand experience. This will need another provider to run the courses and importantly classroom space in the new building.

Statements from the Council have lacked clarity with some suggesting that the building will only be used by the SEND students, leaving no physical space and thus no time in the school day for primary pupils.

 A statement from a Capital Projects Manager (rather than the lead members for Environment or Schools) focuses on the building  and says..' it should be noted that the Council has exciting plans to deliver a new Welsh Harp Horticultural Centre. The Council’s vision is to deliver a horticultural educational service to two specific groups 1) 5–11-year-old pupils and 2) 16–25-year-old SEND young people with two separate partner agencies as the Council’s long-term partners.'

It is not a 'horticultural service for primary pupils' that we are fighting for but the scuence curriculum referred to above. 

They wax lyrical on what the building will offer, and it is impressive, but more important is the education that will be offered, particulaly for a generation who will be faced with all the challenges of climate chance and loss of biodiversity. This section of the statement seems to forget the primary pupils:

 The primary purpose of this centre is to create much needed facilities for special educational needs and disability (SEND) young people 16-25 years old, therefore the design is developed to accommodate the space standards for SEND. However, the centre is available as a resource for any resident and/or group to utilise by booking the available spaces. The new centre will consist of a reception, 4 teaching spaces, hygiene room, toilets, staff tea point, lift and stairs on the ground floor, permitting access to the first floor. The first floor contains a large open plan multi-use space with tea point, office space, first aid room, hygiene room, storage space, external terrace, and a green roof. The landscaping will include a new pond, poly tunnels for growing produce and plants, an enhanced biodiversity area, a covered outdoor activity area and the biodiverse green roof at first floor level. The terrace can be used to view and study the wildlife at Welsh Harp.

One former teacher commented:

The thing I picked out was how they were keen to talk about how much consultation there had been on the idea, but could not see that schools who have used WHEEC for years were on the list and I would be interested in how the proposal was put ie “look at the marvellous idea and facilities we are providing” without any suggestion of what would be lost.  The answer to, “ Would you like great facilities for SEND children/young people to help them fulfil their potential” is always going to yes.

 

Another large elephant in the room  is that there are a number of references in various places to the use of the facility by residents and other organisations, but it also seems to say the facility will be in used every day and weekends for the SEND groups.  

 

A lovely line  “The proposed facility would provide an opportunity for residents to be better connected to nature and enhance green spaces and bio diversity.”  I can’t see when the public can use it timewise and they won’t be allowed on site if vulnerable pupils are there. Also Polytunnels? Enhance green spaces?

Hopefully lead members responding to the Petition will reassure schools and pupils that the work of the WHEEC will be accommodated within the new building and that every effort is being made to find a new provider,

Labour Hub on Brent Councillor cull

Republished with permission from Labour Hub. This adds additional context to articles published on Wembley Matters

 

Labour’s factional cull of councillors continues – eight dumped in Brent

Earlier this year, Labour Hub reported that the London Borough of Brent’s Labour Party was the latest to be subjected to a ‘Campaign Improvement Board’. “Instead of allowing the Party’s local branches to select their council candidates ahead of the 2026 borough elections, selections will be made by external ‘assessors’ recruited by the Party’s London Region.”

That process has now ended and Labour’s National Executive Committee has announced its results, against which there is no appeal. No ordinary rank and file members of the Party have been consulted: the NEC has imposed a full set of candidates on the borough’s wards by fiat.

Eight sitting councillors have been excluded. All of them had signed a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in October 2023.

All eight sitting councillors are from minoritised communities, while white councillors who have also held similar positions, such as signing the Gaza ceasefire statement, have not been removed.

The NEC panel was chaired by Keir Starmer ally Abdi Duale, who also carried out most of the interviews that led to the councillors being deselected.

London Party Regional Executive Committee member Cllr Shama Tatler does not appear to be re-standing for Brent Council. But she was a vocal supporter of this CIB and is rumoured to have been actively involved in steering the decision-making. This follows on from her involvement in the Leicester CIB in 2023, which deselected 19 Muslim and Hindu Councillors. In subsequent local elections in the city, Labour lost 22 seats.

At last year’s general election, Leicester East saw the only Tory gain of  the night – and Leicester South went to Independent Shockat Adam.  Cllr Shama Tatler was also parachuted in to run against Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP in Chingford and Woodford Green last year, after the Labour Party apparatus removed Faiza Shaheen as its candidate at the last minute. She lost.

The rationale for the Campaign Improvement Board’s intervention in Brent was never fully revealed. Rumours circulated that it was because of concerns about irregularities in the process leading up to the previous round of candidate selections – which is nonsensical as all steps in this process were fully coordinated with and signed off by regional Party officials.

Another supposed concern was the need to counter the rising Tory-supporting Hindu nationalist vote evident in neighbouring Harrow. Deselecting candidates from a global majority background is unlikely to address such a concern.

It’s evident that factional politics has played a major role in the whole process. Would-be candidates were quizzed about their support for Gaza and, as elsewhere, whatever the original purpose, the result has been to remove a number of excellent local councillors. Poorly performing right wingers, however, who were democratically deselected ahead of council elections in 2022, have been reinstated – sometimes in safe seats.

That’s if any seat in the borough can now be considered safe. Local members, from left to right, are fuming that their councillors have been rejected, without any democratic input from grassroots activists. It’s hard to think of anything more demotivating at a time when members will have work overtime to retain seats, given the poor position of Labour in the polls resulting from Keir Starmer’s failings in government.

Brent Labour Is just the latest victim in the right wing’s campaign of centralising ‘selections’ when it can’t guarantee the result it wants locally. As Richard Price pointed out earlier this year, “The right to choose local government candidates from an adequately-sized panel isn’t a left issue as such, but one shared by many members in other wings of the party and in affiliated unions. The hour is already late, but what we need is a genuinely broad-based campaign to restore local Labour democracy.”

The witch-hunt in Brent comes four days after a Labour defeat in the West Hampstead ward by-election in neighbouring Camden Council on a 23-point swing. A similar swing in Brent in 2026 would see councillors being lost in almost every single Labour-held ward. This upheaval in Brent Labour will undoubtedly increase this likelihood, leading to Labour losing control of the administration.

Lib Dems call on Brent Conservatives to withdraw their Full Council Motion in order to protect good community relations

 Brent Liberal Democrat leader, Paul Lorber, has written to Cllr Suresh Kansagra, Conservative Group leader, and his colleagues asking them to withdraw their motion tabled for debate at Full Council on Monday September 15th. The motion is titled 'Deterence, Integration and Accommodation Impacts of Illegal Immigration on Brent'. 

Lorber argues for withdrawal because of the motion’s potential to undermine good community relations. He told Wembley Matters, ' The last thing Brent needs is incitement to protest outside any of the local hotels used and make the poor people inside fear for their lives.'

The Conservative motion includes attempts to provide reassurance on ‘deserving genuine refugees’ but then focuses on ‘illegal immigration’, ‘deterrence’and local hotel accommodation for asylum seekers. Such hotels have of course come under right-wing attack in recent weeks.

 

Deterrence, Integration and Accommodation Impacts of Illegal Immigration on Brent

Background:

Brent has seen growing pressures on its housing stock, primary care and policing, in part due to hotels used for those arriving by irregular channel crossings by boats.

Hotels are used by the Home Office to place asylum seekers and those who arrive through illegal routes. This burdens the wider public purse and taxpayers and may create resentment towards those who follow these illegal routes.

There is currently no clear policy to integrate people arriving illegally, leading to cultural tensions, fears and safety concerns. Although not in Brent, the high-profile case of sexual assault by a recent arrival has amplified public anxiety.

This Council Notes:

·  Illegal immigrants increase the demand for emergency hotel accommodation, diverting resources from Brent residents in need.

·  Brent households face extended waits for temporary housing while hotels remain filled with asylum claimants which could include those arriving by small boats.

·  The answer is deterrence to stop the boats, faster decisions that ensure people are not waiting for clarity on their immigration status for long periods of time and firm humane returns for those with no right to remain.

·  Safe and legal routes should exist for the most vulnerable, with clear caps linked to local capacity.

·  Other European countries have adopted deterrent and processing measures without veering into extreme policy e.g.

Italy agreed with Albania to process arrivals in centres under Italian jurisdiction, moving decisions away from beach landings.

Denmark legislated for third country processing, explored partnership with Rwanda while seeking a path that fits with European rules.

The European Union has struck migration partnerships with Tunisia and Egypt to curb dangerous journeys upstream.

This Council Believes:

·  Genuine refugees fleeing persecution deserve protection and swift humane  processing.

·  The integrity of our asylum system must be upheld by deterring dangerous journeys and prevent abuse of legal channels.

·  Faster decision-making is required to process asylum claims and that people arriving illegally should be deported. Quick humane returns for those with no right to remain will restore public confidence.

·  Those in genuine danger should be protected and shown the integrity of the system.

·  That residents should not be made to subsidise national policy failures which result in inflated rental costs and overstretched public services.

·  The Government has removed the Rwanda option without putting a credible solution to remove illegal immigrants in its place. This does not serve the national interest.

·  If a workable model can cut the pull of illegal routes, a serious government should test it and be honest about results.

This Council therefore resolves:

(1) To publish data on the number of hotels used for asylum accommodation in Brent and, once they are granted leave to remain, the impact on the housing waiting list.

(2) To secure monthly data from the Home Office and an exit plan for hotel use in Brent with dates and milestones.

Councillor Suresh Kansagra Kenton Ward

 

The Liberal Democrats had composed their own motion for the Group Motions section of the Full Council Agenda before they had sight of the Conservative motion. Their motion takes a contrasting approach:

 

 Standing United Against Racism and Xenophobia in Brent

 

This Council notes:

 

In recent years, particularly after the Brexit referendum, there has been a disturbing rise in racist and xenophobic rhetoric in public discourse, much of it amplified by political parties and figures on the far right and reactionary elements who seek to divide our communities. These groups have used inflammatory language, scapegoating migrants and minority communities, in a calculated attempt to stoke fear and resentment for political gain.

 

Brent is one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK. Over many decades, people from across the globe – from South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and beyond – have made their home here, contributing immensely to our local economy, public services, cultural life, and social fabric. Whether as NHS workers, teachers, carers, builders, artists, entrepreneurs, or community leaders, migrants have played a vital role in shaping modern Brent into the vibrant, resilient, and forward-looking borough it is today.

 

This Council believes:

 

·       Racism, xenophobia, and all forms of bigotry must be challenged wherever and whenever they arise, including when they come from mainstream or elected political figures.

·       The demonisation of immigrants and refugees not only undermines social cohesion but also endangers the safety and well-being of residents across Brent.

·       Brent’s diversity is not a challenge to be managed, but a strength to be celebrated.

 

This Council resolves to:

 

1.    Proudly reaffirm Brent's commitment to being an inclusive, anti-racist borough, where all residents – regardless of background, nationality, or immigration status – are welcomed, valued, and protected.

2.    Publicly condemn the racist and xenophobic rhetoric being spread by Reform UK and other groups on the far/right, and make clear that such divisive narratives have no place in our borough or our politics.

3.    Celebrate the contributions of immigrants to Brent, through public awareness campaigns, community events, and educational initiatives that promote understanding, solidarity, and historical awareness.

4.    Encourage all councillors and community leaders to speak out against hate speech and misinformation targeting migrants and to work proactively to build unity across all of Brent’s communities.

5.    Continue to support migrant and refugee communities through council services, advocacy, and partnerships with local organisations working on inclusion, integration, and support.

 

Brent has always been stronger because of its diversity – not in spite of it. At a time when fear and hatred are being weaponised in national discourse, we in Brent choose a different path: one of solidarity, mutual respect, and pride in who we are as a borough. We reject the politics of division and instead embrace the values of justice, dignity, and equality for all.

 

Cllr Paul Lorber - Leader of the Brent Liberal Democrats

 

 

 

 

 

The eight Brent councillors deselected by Labour bosses from outside Brent

 Cllr Rita Begum (Kilburn)

 

Cllr Jumbo Chan (Harlesden & Kensal Green)

 

Cllr Diana Collymore (Northwick Park)

 

Cllr Tony Ethapemi (Stonebridge)
 

 Cllr Harbi Farah (Welsh Harp) Lead member for Safer Communities, Jobs and Skills0

 

Cllr Erica Gbajumo (Brondesbury Park)

 

Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam (Wembley Park) Labour Group Whip

Cllr Rajan-Seelan (Wembley Central)

Labour Bosses Sack Eight Sitting BAME Brent Councillors for Supporting Palestine and Close in on Council Leader Muhammed Butt

Brent Anti-racism Charter 2022

Exclusive insight from a former Brent Labour Party member:

Labour's Ruling Body (National Executive Committee) have imposed all Labour council candidates in Brent without any say from thousands of local party members or long serving MPs.

This includes barring eight sitting BAME Councillors, including Labour’s Chief Whip Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam and Cabinet Member Cllr Harbi Farah from standing in the May 2026 council election.

All deselected councillors signed a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in October 2023, infuriating Starmer loyalists. This is thought to be the primary motive for their deselection. 

White councillors who also signed the same statement survived the purge, in a move that will undoubtedly raise some difficult questions for Labour on the doorstep amongst Brent’s diverse communities. 

⁠The panel that decided Labour’s candidate list was chaired by Starmerite and corporate lobbyist Abdi Duale, who also carried out most of the interviews that led to the Councillors being deselected.

London Labour Party Executive member and Kingsbury Councillor Shama Tatler did not stand [she said so in Twitter statement]. She was a vocal supporter of the move to take decision making out of the hands of Labour members, and is rumoured to have been actively involved in deciding the final list of candidates. Cllr Tatler was also involved in the running of a similar process in Leicester in 2023, which deselected 19 Muslim and Hindu Councillors. 

New Starmerite MP, Georgia Gould, imposed by the national party in 2024, is rumoured to have taken time out of her busy government ministerial role to personally intervene to encourage the purge and replace sitting Councillors with her Starmerite allies. 

This comes four days after Labour's catastrophic defeat in the West Hampstead ward by-election in neighbouring Camden Council. A similar 23-point swing in Brent in 2026 would see councillors being lost in almost every single Labour-held ward. The recent upheaval in Brent Labour will undoubtedly increase this likelihood, leading to internal fears that Labour could lose control of Brent’s administration.

This appears to be the first step in removing council leader Muhammed Butt, motivated by Starmerite outrage over his non-compliance, especially his decision to allow Brent council to set up a ‘twinning arrangement’ with Nablus, a town in Palestine.

EDITOR'S NOTE - The deselected individuals remain as Brent councillors until the May 2026 Local Election unless they resign.

Brent Cabinet to allocate £5m in Neighbourhood CIL Projects ahead of the 2026 local council election

 

The spending of Strategic and Neighbourhood Infrastructure Levy has been the subject of some controversy in Brent with the amount of unspent funds piling up over the years. The Lib Dems have urged wider use of the funds and having dismissed the proposal initially, the  Brent Labour Administration recently changed its mind and  approached the government to loosen up the rules.

From Brent Infrastructure Spending Statement December 2024
 

The Neighbourhood CIL (NCIL) has gone through a number of different processes to choose which projects benefit, including special  meetings where a public vote takes place. Cabinet recently decided on an officer led approach (see image ) which removes the public from detailed decision making.

The Officers' report going to Cabinet on September 8th lists projects above £100k in value that Cabinet has to approve, and those below £100k which the Lead member has already signed off after a Panel recommendation.

In the past it has been claimed that CIL should only be used for capital projects (such as a building or equipment), when bids have been put forward requiring, for example, a salary to be paid.  Revenue can be allocated to ensure the maintenance of the capital project.

Officers in this report, put forward a rather more nuanced interpretation of the rules that appear to allow for wider use (rather hesitantly it must be said):

 

Under the CIL Regulations, the neighbourhood portion of the community infrastructure levy is to be applied to: 

 

(a) the provision, improvement, replacement, operation, or maintenance of infrastructure (which is defined as set out in paragraph 9.1 above); or

 

(b) anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area.

 

The issue that arises is whether the wording of the second ‘limb’ (‘anything else…’ etc) allows an authority to spend the neighbourhood portion on any projects that can be shown to address the demands arising from development in a particular area, or whether that spend has to be limited to projects with some form of physical outcome. The Planning Practice Guidance (the PPG, which is published by central government as guidance to local planningauthorities) suggests that the only requirement is whether the spend addresses the demands on an area caused by development. However, the PPG is guidance, not a statement of law. A number of local authorities have adopted an approach whereby the allocation of the neighbourhood element of CIL is limited to projects with some form of physical element.

 

Where possible projects for neighbourhood funding do not obviously have a physical element or outcome, consideration should be given on a case-by-case basis to whether the specific details of the proposed project might be said to fall outside the scope of the relevant part of the CIL Regulation.

 

This year's total NCIL allocation at £5,088,231  is much higher than the £1,297,445.18 spent in 2023-24. (22-23 £3,084,850.45, 2021-23 £4,505,237.36) and it has been suggested to me  that this was to allow a popular splurge before the local election in 8 months' time.  I couldn't possibly comment!

 

You might have fun deciding which of the many worthy projects listed 'have some form of physical outcome'. Some of the proposals are quite vague.

 

A. OVER £100k        B. UNDER £100k

 

Brent Cabinet to approve Islamia Primary School move to Brentfield Road site from 1st September 2027

 

It is more than 5 years since Yusuf Islam (AKA Cat Stevens) gave Islamia Primary School and Brent Council notice of eviction. The search has been on for a new site ever since with the South Kilburn site earmarked for a merged Carlton Vale Infants and Kilburn Park Junior rejected by Brent Council  and Strathcona vacated by Roe Green Primary, rejected by Islamia parents,

 

 

Following the decision to close the Leopold Primary Brentfield Road site I suggested in a Wembley Matters article LINK that this might be suitable for Islamia, the only state-funded Muslim School in the borough. 

 

 

In November 2024 Gwen Grahl, lead member for schools, responded to my question at Full Council pursuing that possibility by saying:

 

As set out in the refreshed School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, agreed by Cabinet on 12 November 2024, consideration will be given to opportunities to use any spare capacity within the primary school sector to expand provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, given the increasing need across the borough.

 

The Gwenneth Rickus site of Leopold Primary School will continue to be used for mainstream primary provision until September 2027 and the Council has not determined the future use of the site, that could also include provision for SEND.

 

Now next week's Cabinet, after a formal consultation is set to approve a recommendation that Islamia Primary School transfer to Leopold's Gwenneth Rickus site from 1st September 2027. The Islam Yusuf Foundation (IYS) has extended the eviction period to enable this to happen. The Leopold site will be transferred to IYS, despite the eviction order:

 

[The IYS] would be required to hold the site for the benefit of the Islamia Primary School. Further details in terms of ownership would be set out in a Trust Deed. This would ensure that the primary school would be protected from eviction in future.

 

The Strathcona site would be used for SEND provision.

 

It appears likely that the present Islamia site in Queens Park will be used to expand IYF's private secondary schools. 

 

A majority of respondents rejected the Leopold proposal at the informal consultation stage, but Brent Council reports the result of the statutory consultation as the basis for going ahead with the move:

 

56 responses were submitted to the Brent Have Your Say consultation portal, 6 responses were submitted directly to the school and one response was handed in to the Civic Centre.

 

50 responses were fully supportive of the proposal. 13 respondents either opposed the relocation or raised concerns about it. Of these, 7 were explicitly opposed or objected to the proposal, while 6 were generally supportive but raised concerns regarding the relocation without explicitly opposing or objecting to the proposal.

 

Three local primary schools had raised concerns that the relocation would put further pressure on them at a time of falling schools rolls. 

 

Concerns were raised about journey times, lack of public transport and other issues that are dealt with in the full Cabinet paper HERE.

 

The Equality Impact Assessment LINK  addresses areas likely to be of interest to readers. Here are some key points:

 

AGE

 

The relocation of Islamia Primary School to the Brentfield Road site would ensure that children are taught in a suitable provision setting which will benefit all pupils in the school. Currently pupils are taught in split-site accommodation on the Salusbury Road site and in classrooms in Winkworth Hall, a building leased from the Council.

 

The proposed site would offer improved indoor and outdoor facilities on a single site which would enhance the children’s learning experience and would support the school to sustain a good quality of education for pupils. Being on one site will also allow for improved use of resources, ensuring budgets are used effectively to enhance learning opportunities and experiences for all children.

 

Information will be provided in the Council’s Starting Primary School September 2027 brochure (published September 2026) to advise potential applicants of the planned relocation of the school so that parents are aware before they apply for a school place.

 

DISABILITY

 

The proportion of children at Islamia Primary School with an EHCP is 2.4% compared to 4.0% across schools in Primary Planning Area 4, the planning area within which the school is proposed to be located.

 

The proportion of children at Islamia Primary School receiving SEN Support is 16.5% compared to 18.6% across Planning Area 4.

 

The proposal will not disproportionately impact any person on the basis of special education need or disability. The new site will provide better facilities for all pupils, including those with SEND. It will allow all pupils to be educated together on one site (rather than the current split-site arrangement), supporting the school’s inclusive ethos.

 

Children with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) who transfer to the new site will be able to make an application for transport assistance if they meet the eligibility criteria.

 

RACE

 

The top ethnic groups attending Islamia Primary School (Black African 38.8%, Any other ethnic group 30.6%, and Pakistani 13.4%) are similar to those of schools in Primary Planning Area 4 (Black – African 27.1%, Any other ethnic group 18.9%).

 

It is not considered that relocating the school would have a negative impact on the basis of race

 

RELIGION

 

Islamia Primary School is the only Muslim faith school in Brent. Relocation to the proposed site will ensure the long-term future of the school, ensuring diversity of provision across the Brent educational landscape.

 

There are both denominational and non-denominational schools with spare places in Primary Planning Area 4 where the new site is located, so relocating the school to the area will not impact on local choice for parents and carers.

 

Consideration has been given to community cohesion concerns in the context of moving Islamia Primary School to a site near to the Neasden Temple. The area where the site is located is diverse, reflecting Brent’s mixed communities. Within the context of Brent’s diversity, the Local Authority works proactively with communities to address any community cohesion concerns. Supported by the Council, the Brent Multi-faith Forum also works to develop understanding and shared belonging through bringing communities together.

 

The YIF, and its schools, have a track record of interfaith work, including representation at the former London Interfaith Centre for a number of years, working with the former Three Faiths Forum (now called, The Faith and Belief Forum), hosting the launch of Nisa-Nashim, a Jewish and Muslim women’s network, some recent discussions with representatives of the Brent Multi-Faith Forum, participating in borough-wide interfaith walks and other activities.

 

If the relocation to the Gwenneth Rickus site proceeds, the YIF has indicated it would be supportive of working with the local community to ensure that local considerations are reflected in the school’s decision-making processes. This might include, for example, exploring options for local representation on the Governing Board and, through its broader activities, creating space for dialogue via a forum that brings together faith representatives, community groups, residents and council members to consider inclusive engagement and to explore, with the Governing Board, how the site might also support wider community benefit.

Cllr Tariq Dar circulated a jubilant message that assumed (rightly given the rubber-stamping role of Cabinet) that Brent Cabinet would approve the recommendation:

Fantastic News – Islamia School Brent is Saved
Cllr Tariq Dar MBE

Islamia Primary School, founded in 1983 by Brother Yusuf Islam, grew from a small nursery into the first Muslim school in Britain to receive state funding, following the Parents’ Campaign for Voluntary Aided Status in 1984.

After years of uncertainty, Alhamdulillah, the school has been saved and will relocate to the Gwenneth Rickus building (formerly Leopold Primary School), 242–250 Brentfield Road, London, NW10 8HE.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the Leader of Brent, Cllr Muhammad Butt, Cllr Grahl (Cabinet Member), council officers, councillors, staff, governors, parents, and the community for their tireless efforts.

Massive thanks all around — Alhamdulillah, Islamia’s future is secured.

Cllr Tariq Dar MBE
Chairman, Islamia School Parents Campaign for Voluntary Aided Status 1984