Robotaxis rollout delay welcomed by Brent Green Party

Brent Green Party Councillor Suzanne Gallagher and Councillor Amandine Alexandre organised a protest against Waymo in Harlesden on May 22nd. They are asking the Mayor of London to hit pause on the robotaxis trial. Photo: Suzanne Gallagher 

 

  

Earlier this year, Londoners were led to believe by Keir Starmer’s government, Brent Labour leadership and big tech companies that the introduction of robotaxis in the capital was essential, inevitable and imminent. 

 

However, since April, when a serious Waymo incident happened in Harlesden, a coalition formed by Brent Green Party, trade unions and campaigning group Pull the Plug has been challenging this narrative and asking Sadiq Khan to hit pause on the robotaxis trial. 

 

Now, just over three weeks after Brent Green Party members, trade unionists, local transport workers and residents protested outside Waymo’s depot in Park Royal, the FT has revealed that driverless vehicles are unlikely to be introduced in London this year. 

 

TFL is not in a rush to publish regulatory guidance for driverless companies, and the Transport Committee of the London Assembly is yet to publish the result of its investigation on Autonomous Passenger Vehicles.

 

Councillor Amandine Alexandre, Green Party councillor for Harlesden and Kensal Green said:

This delay is a win for all the people who have been lifting up the veil on the negative impact robotaxis would have on jobs, road safety, privacy, but also safeguarding of our children, and our environment. This spanner in the wheel of extractive tech companies will be welcomed by the majority of Londoners. According to a YouGov poll published in July, 42% of us are opposed to the roll-out of so-called Autonomous Vehicles. 

 

Londoners have a lot of issues to battle with day-to-day - a suffocating rising cost of living, unaffordable housing and extreme heat. Improving their quality of life and protecting their jobs, and their health, should be the priority of the Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. 

 

AI-powered vehicles that generate tons of data stored in water and energy-hungry data centres are not the future of London. Londoners are the future of London.

NOTES 

•   Harlesden Says No to Waymo is a Brent Green Party campaign that was launched at the end of April 2026 after a WAYMO vehicle drove through a live police cordon on Harlesden High Street on April 22nd while officers were investigating a double stabbing.
•  A petition was launched at the same time and has gathered so far almost 450 signatures. 

Brent Green Party welcomes PM's gambling reform announcement but warns of 'long road ahead' as another Wembley gambling licence is granted

Brent Greens campaigning against against gambling centres

 

From Brent Green Party

    

BRENT, LONDON Brent Green Party has cautiously welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent briefing announcing the intended scrapping of the controversial "aim to permit" rule under Section 153 of the Gambling Act 2005, over 20 years after its introduction by a Labour government.

Like many campaigners, affected families, and individuals who suffer from gambling harm, the Brent Green Party strongly supports ending the legal presumption that leads local authorities to believe they have no option but to approve new betting shops, casinos and 24-hour Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs).

However, the Brent Green Party warns that without a published White Paper, statutory document, or formal government policy roadmap, the announcement remains little more than a press statement. With legislation unlikely to be introduced until early next year, and heavy corporate industry lobbying expected during consultations, the "aim to permit" mandate will continue to hamstring local councils for the foreseeable future. The announcement also has no impact on the 80+ betting shops and casinos already in operation across Brent.

Furthermore, we have deep concerns about the Labour government’s true resolve to implement meaningful reform, given the government's close financial ties to the gambling industry; public records show the Labour Party and senior ministers accepted over £1 million in donations and gifts from betting executives and industry bodies in recent years, including a £25,000 leadership campaign donation to Keir Starmer from the head of Bet365 and VIP event hospitality for key Cabinet members. 

Gambling Harm Continue to Costs Brent £18 Million Annually

According to estimates from GambleAware, gambling-related harms cost the London Borough of Brent over £18 million every year. Despite these devastating economic and social impacts, local communities remain largely powerless under the current statutory framework. Where Green Party ward representatives are active, they have successfully mobilised residents against proliferation:

Willesden Green Ward: In June, a controversial Adult Gaming Centre application was formally rejected by the licensing committee following strong community opposition. This decision was unprecedented in the history of Brent.

Kilburn Ward: A major bingo hall/gaming application was forced into withdrawal ahead of its scheduled committee hearing in July due to organised local pressure.

This record contrasts with a recent decision of Brent Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee which granted a new premises licence to 312 Investments Limited to operate an Adult Gaming Centre at 574 High Road in Wembley Central, a ward represented by the Liberal Democrats at council level.

Speaking on behalf of Brent Green Party, Cllr Suzanne Gallagher said:

While we welcome the Prime Minister’s recognition that the 'aim to permit' rule is broken, a press briefing does not stop fixed-odds betting terminals or 24-hour slot machines from opening on our high streets today. Under Brent Labour, the industry has exploded in our borough with over 80 gambling venues, including ten within a ten minute walk of each other in Harlesden.

Furthermore, this announcement must be coupled with a comprehensive strategy to encourage local independent businesses to not only survive, but thrive. Small, independent enterprises present on our High Streets are currently suffering under punitive rent increases, extortionate commissions demanded by delivery platforms like Uber Eats, and a broader cost-of-living crisis impacting essential utility bills. The Green Party believes in actively promoting and protecting the local businesses that enrich our communities and drive our wider circular economy ambitions.

The recent approval of yet another gaming centre in Wembley Central where local representatives failed to even show up to the hearing to defend their residents proves exactly why we cannot wait months or years for legislative promises. The Brent Green Party will continue the good fight against gambling harms alongside our communities, pushing back against applications that threaten our town centres.

The People's Emergency Briefing + Panel Lexi Cinema 8.20pm Wednesday 19th August - Film & Panel Discussion on how to respond to the climate and nature emergency

 

 

Summer 2026 is making history in Europe for record heat, forest and heath fires, and crop failures. What better time to take a serious look at the National Emergency Briefing with other concerned citizens, back the case for a national screening on TV and discuss how to respond to the crisis.

  

The People's Emergency Briefing + Panel

 

Lexi Cinema 8.20pm Wednesday 19^th August

 

The screening will be followed by panel discussion led by Beninio McDonough-Tranza, Co-ordinator, Brent Green Party, featuring:

 

Councillor Marijn van de Geer, Green Party councillor for Ealing North Acton 

 

Paul Stephens, Protest Liaison spokeperson, Extinction Rebellion; former Met Police officer

This film sets out the National Emergency Briefing on the climate and nature emergency, given to MPs at Westminster by leading experts in November 2025.  It is now being screened in communities across the UK, bringing people together to hear the evidence on what the emergency means for our lives and our future, and to discuss how to respond.

 

 

 

 

 

BOOK YOUR SEAT/S BY CLICKING ON THE IMAGE BELOW:

 

 

Save Samovar Space & Market Square open spaces in front Of Wembley Stadium - submit objections by Friday July 31st

 

 

The campaign against the building of a 17 storey hotel in the current Samovar Space and Market square in front of Wembley Stadium and adjacent to Brent Civic Centre is gaining moment with the formation  of a WhatsApp Wembley Park Community Action Group JOIN HERE 

 

Current (from application document)

Proposed (from application document) - Brent Civic Centre now hidden
 

The campaign is asking for supporters to send in their Objections to Brent Council by Friday 31st July, the Neighbourhood Consultation Expiry Date. SUBMIT HERE

The campaign informs supporters that objection should focus on planning issues and makes some suggestions:

 You may wish to mention:

1. Loss of community space: Market Square and Samovar Space provide valuable public space for residents, markets, events and local businesses. Wembley Park needs more community infrastructure, not less.

2. Poor consultation and community engagement: Many residents were unaware of the proposal, and consultation failed to meaningfully engage the local community most affected.

3. Impact on the local area: The proposal would further intensify development in Wembley Park, increasing pressure on public spaces and changing the character of the neighbourhood.

4. Design and public realm: Consider whether replacing an active public square with a 17-storey hotel creates an attractive, welcoming and accessible place for residents.

 

Samovar Space and Market Square from above 

 

Remember: Planning decisions must be based on planning considerations. Explain how this proposal will affect you, your neighbourhood or the wider community. Personal experiences and local knowledge can be very persuasive.

 

Stop Waymo from taking our jobs and livelihoods.

 James Rossi sets out concerns over the impact of automated vehicles

 

Reflecting concerns over the potential impact of autonomous (driverless) vehicles in terms of safety and drivers' jobs, a peaceful demonstration will be held at the Waymo office, Willen Field Road, Park Royal on Tuesday 4th August from 9.30am until 6pm.

The organisers say:

We’re asking important questions about the future of automated vehicles, concerns about safety and the potential impact on jobs and livelihoods. This event is an opportunity for people to come together, hear different viewpoints and take part in a respectful discussion. Speakers will include James Rossi, Green Party Trade Union Liaison Officer for Brent and possibly others in the community. If you share these concerns, join us, bring your questions and make your voice heard. We look forward to seeing you there.

Online Lunchtime Briefing on Waymo Today

 

Get up to speed with the Say No to Waymo campaign led by Brent Green Party 💚 councillors Amandine Alexandre and Suzanne Gallagher, ADCU (App Drivers and Couriers Union) and Pull the Plug 🔌

🗓️ Thursday 18 June 
🕰️ 12.30pm-1.15pm 
📍Online 

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/332833596016648?p=UKNooZqLCpdK3fKDWh

The event is open to everyone.

The Brent Green Group of Councillors stands in full solidarity with the workers at Woodfield School in their fight against fire and rehire.

Brent Green Group of Councillors has issued the following statement ahead of Wednesday's 'Mega Picket' at Woodfield school.

  

The Brent Green Group of Councillors stands in full solidarity with the workers at Woodfield School in their fight against fire and rehire.

 

The decision by Compass Learning Partnership to issue 47 staff with fire-and-rehire notices is shameful. These are workers who support some of the most vulnerable children in Brent.

 

This dispute raises serious questions about priorities. Whilst support staff are being threatened with dismissal for refusing cuts worth hundreds of pounds a month, the Trust has faced questions over executive pay and financial management. The advertised salary for its CEO role was up to £139,891, yet low-paid frontline workers are being told they must accept worse terms and conditions.

 

We are deeply disappointed that the Labour government has failed to deliver on its promises to working people. Nearly two years into office, workers are still being threatened with fire and rehire while ministers offer little more than warm words. No school worker should face losing their livelihood for refusing to accept a pay cut. Labour has also shown no serious willingness to confront the structural failures of the academy system, which concentrates power in the hands of unelected trusts and leaves staff and communities with little meaningful accountability.

 

The academy system was sold as a way to improve education. Instead, too often it has created opaque structures where highly paid executives make decisions over the heads of staff, parents and local communities. The Green Party opposes the academy model and supports bringing schools back into a democratically accountable local authority system. Education is a public service, not a business opportunity. Yet Labour has chosen to retain the academy system, making only minor changes whilst leaving its fundamental problems intact.

 

We call on Compass Learning Partnership to withdraw the fire-and-rehire notices immediately and return to meaningful negotiations with staff and trade unions. We also call on the government to finally ban fire and rehire and begin reversing the marketisation of our education system.

 

The Brent Green Group will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the workers at Woodfield School.

 

Defending Kilburn High Road: Billionaire-Backed Media Slurs Won’t Hide the Real Pressures Destroying Our High Streets

 

Fresh Poms, 227 Kilburn High Road

       

Guest post from the five newly elected Green Party councillors for the Kilburn wards on both sides of the Kilburn High Road: Cllr Ash Atkinson, Cllr Andr Lopez Turner, (Kilburn ward Camden)  Cllr Suzanne Gallagher, Cllr Paul Ryan, and Cllr Stephen Malonga (Kilburn ward Brent).

 

GB News presenter Patrick Christys recently targeted an independent pomegranate juice shop on Kilburn High Road. In a video clip circulated online, Christys used dog-whistle rhetoric to baselessly imply that this small business was "dodgy" or operating as an illicit front.

This is a complete fabrication. We have been on the ground, met the operators, and tasted the juice (which is excellent, rich in vitamins, and highly anti-inflammatory!). They are pleasant, hard-working people who have invested heavily in a beautiful storefront. They deserve our community's support, not xenophobic tropes masquerading as current affairs journalism.

We have written a formal letter of complaint (please see below) directly to Ofcom and the editorial board of GB News. While it remains unclear whether this segment was broadcast on traditional linear TV or exclusively via podcasts and YouTube shorts, we wish to call out this behaviour. Although this may fall outside Ofcom’s linear broadcasting code, we have placed this on record to highlight the severe, real-world economic harm that irresponsible media commentary inflicts on independent traders.

The Real Threat: Corporate Greed, Not Independent Shops

The right-wing media wants to manufacture a culture war out of thin air because they want to blind people to the structural economic pressures destroying our high streets. If these journalists actually cared about Kilburn, they would look at the real damage being done by landlord greed and corporate extraction.

Across Kilburn, we are losing much-loved, family-run independent food businesses. These heartbreaking closures are not caused by right-wing conspiracy theories; they are caused by the brutal, unchecked realities of the modern economy:

Commercial Rent Squeezes: Landlords are placing an impossible burden on small traders by demanding aggressive, two-yearly rent reviews. These frequent and steep hikes offer local businesses zero long-term security, forcing viable shops to the brink or driving them out of our community entirely when the financial damage becomes too much to bear.

Silicon Valley Wealth Extraction: Independent food businesses are being squeezed to breaking point by tech intermediaries like Uber Eats, which extracts an extortionate 35% commission on local deliveries. This model bleeds wealth directly out of Kilburn and sends it straight to California. Local business owners have told us they often feel like they are working primarily to line the pockets of Uber Eats, rather than building their own livelihoods.

Hyper-Inflation: Skyrocketing utility bills, particularly punitive commercial electricity rates, have made running independent commercial kitchens completely unsustainable for small operators.

While independent shops face these immense struggles, corporate entities, including predatory gambling shops owned by offshore billionaires with zero connection to our community, are thriving. They extract profit from our neighbourhoods while contributing nothing to our social fabric.

It is the peak of hypocrisy that these factless attacks on Kilburn’s diverse traders are broadcast by a network owned by a tax-exiled, Reform UK-donating billionaire living in Dubai. Wealthy media moguls have no right to dictate what is "viable" or "legitimate" on a working-class London high street.

Building a Fairer, Circular Economy

In the Green Party, we passionately support independent businesses. Unlike multi-national corporations, independent traders keep wealth circulating within our local economy. They buy from local suppliers, employ local people, and build genuine community wealth rather than extracting it to offshore tax havens.

We support collaborative initiatives like One Kilburn, where our community is working incredibly hard to bring residents, independent businesses, and local partners together to build a resilient, supportive, and sustainable high street economy.

We will not sit idly by while so-called journalists working for billionaire-backed media outlets attempt to trash the reputation of small traders to feed a divisive political agenda. We stand with our high street, we stand with our independent businesses, and we will keep fighting for an economy that puts people and planet ahead of corporate profit.

Harlesden Says No to Waymo - read and sign the petition if you agree with the reasoned argument put forward

 

We petition the Mayor of London to:

• Implement an immediate moratorium on the expansion of the Waymo pilot until a transparent safety audit is completed.

• Publish a full log of all safety breaches, "near misses", and traffic violations involving autonomous vehicles in London to date.

Why is this important?

Over the last few weeks, American company WAYMO has been testing autonomous vehicles in Harlesden and across London. On 22 April, a WAYMO vehicle drove through a live police cordon on Harlesden High Street while officers were investigating a double stabbing.


We, the undersigned, call on the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to immediately suspend the trial and roll out of Waymo autonomous vehicles on London’s streets. We further request a police investigation into near misses and other incidents where public safety was at risk. 

REASONS FOR THIS PETITION

The current rollout of Waymo autonomous vehicles (AVs) across London, and specifically within the Harlesden area, is proceeding without adequate democratic oversight or proven safety protocols for complex urban environments. Our concerns are based on the following:

1. Breach of Police Cordons: Footage has emerged of a Waymo vehicle in Harlesden breaching a live police line. Such actions constitute "wilful obstruction" of the police. If a driver of a regular vehicle had committed this act, they would likely be under investigation and could face criminal prosecution. We cannot allow a "two-tier" justice system where corporate AI is exempt from the laws that govern Londoners.

2. Unresolved Safety Risks: Autonomous vehicles are struggling to navigate the "edge cases" of London’s busy streets, including responding to emergency sirens, physical police barriers, and the unpredictable movements of pedestrians and cyclists in high-density areas like Harlesden.

3. Lack of Community Consent: Residents in Brent have not been adequately consulted on this trial. Public streets are being treated as a laboratory for unproven technology without a clear framework for liability when things go wrong.

4. Extra traffic on our roads: if Waymo or any other autonomous vehicles are allowed on the streets of London, that will lead to extra traffic on our roads. It will further compromise the Mayor of London's traffic reduction aims, led by Sadiq Khan, focus on reducing overall traffic volumes by 10-15% by 2041 and cutting car kilometres by 27% by 2030 to meet Net Zero and health targets. We need more accessible and affordable public transport, instead of more cars on our roads.

5. Vision Zero Compromise : The Mayor’s "Vision Zero" strategy aims to eliminate road danger. Introducing vehicles that fail to recognise and respect police cordons is a direct contradiction of this safety goal.

 

IF YOU AGREE SIGN HERE 

London Mayor's Inquiry into Robotaxis - Call for evidence. Deadline June 26th 2026

 

Discussing the Waymo issues in Harlesden Town Centre

 

The London Mayor's Office has launched a short investigation (one month) on the issue of autonomous vehicles in London. These have been in the news recently with a demonstration in Harlesden over Waymo vehicles supported by Brent Green Party, the App Drivers and Couriers Union and Pull the Plug.

 The campaign is being spearheaded by Councillor Amandine Alexandre, who represents Harlesden, alongside Councillor Suzanne Gallagher, who represents Kilburn. 

They were joined byby Councillor Stephen Malonga from Kilburn and Ahmed Ahmed, who recently stood for election in Harlesden.
 

The campaign is growing rapidly across the capital. From safety incidents to the massive threat that unregulated corporate automation poses to the livelihoods of London’s 105,000 private hire drivers, they are  refusing to accept a tech first, people last experiment.

They are demanding that the Mayor of London puts a pause on the rollout until transparent safety standards and strict protections for workers are guaranteed.

SIGN THE PETITION 'SAY NO TO WAYMO' HERE

 

THE MAYOR'S INVESTIGATION

 

Investigation aims and objectives (Terms of Reference)

Several trials of autonomous passenger vehicles (more commonly known as driverless taxis or robotaxis) are underway in London in 2026, with operators aiming to launch commercial services by the end of the year. In this investigation, the Committee will: 

• Explore whether and how autonomous passenger vehicles could be licenced for commercial operations in London, and what role the Mayor and TfL should play in this.
• Understand the impact of autonomous passenger vehicles, particularly in regard to employment in the taxi and wider private hire vehicle sectors, interactions with other road users and the ambitions in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, including ‘Vision Zero’, a traffic reduction of between 10 to 15 per cent, and the target for 80 per cent of all trips to be made by active modes or public transport.

Key issues

• In June 2025, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that it would fast-track “small scale ‘taxi- and bus-like’ services without a safety driver” to take place in spring 2026 before a wider potential roll out in 2027. Several companies, including Uber and UK company Wayve, are seeking to obtain regulatory approval to transport passengers in automated vehicles in London as soon as this year.
• Waymo, an Alphabet-owned company, which is also seeking approval for passenger trials, began testing on London roads without passengers and with a driver at the wheel this year. Its current fleet comprises 24 vehicles. Other operators have not confirmed how many vehicles they are planning to deploy.
• Autonomous passenger vehicles are a common sight in some US cities. Waymo has reported that it is currently providing approximately 500,000 paid rides every week, using over 3,000 vehicles deployed across ten US cities. The company’s average weekly trips have grown tenfold over the last two years. Estimates from 2025 suggest that Waymo accounts for around one in four ride-hailing trips in San Francisco, surpassing the market share of Uber and Lyft.
• Research carried out by automotive data firm HPI found that while Londoners were the most trusting of self-driving technology of respondents from all UK regions, its survey of over 2,000 UK adults found that 79 per cent of Londoners would not trust a driverless car or feel comfortable about travelling in one, while only 21 per cent of Londoners would. The results also showed that 35 per cent of all those surveyed had concerns about the reliability of the technology.
• Some experts have also raised concerns around entrusting key elements of London’s transport system to private companies, resulting ‘proprietary lock-in’, whereby transport in a city could become overly dependent on (in some cases foreign) private companies. The Government in 2022 found that CAVs are attractive targets for cyber attacks and that ensuring cyber security is essential when developing them. There is a risk of terrorist attacks causing large-scale chaos across the transport network and cyber attacks targeting a vehicle’s hardware with the aim of disabling it until a ransom is paid.

Key questions

• Who is responsible for licensing autonomous passenger vehicles in London and what role do the Mayor and TfL play in this?
• How close are commercial operators to deploying autonomous passenger vehicles for hire in London?
• Are autonomous passenger vehicles compatible with London’s strategic transport goals in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy?
• What are the principal risks associated with autonomous passenger vehicles in London, and can they be mitigated?
• To what extent are autonomous passenger vehicles accessible to all Londoners?
• Are there any benefits that autonomous passenger vehicles could offer in London, and how likely are those benefits to be realised in London?
• What lessons can London learn from trials and deployments elsewhere?
• What role should TfL and the Mayor play in the development and oversight of autonomous passenger vehicles?
• What do Londoners think about autonomous passenger vehicles?

1. Call for Evidence

As part of this investigation, the Committee has launched a Call for Evidence, inviting those with knowledge of this topic to respond. 

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, in a professional capacity, or have knowledge of this topic, please send your submissions to scrutiny@london.gov.uk. Please use ‘Transport Committee call for evidence’ as the subject title.

The deadline for submission is 26 June 2026.

Deputy Leader of Brent Labour Group protests to the Labour NEC over its ruling that no formal or informal agreement should be made with the Green Party

Cllr Gwen Grahl, newly elected deputy leader of Brent Labour Group  posted the following on Twitter earlier this evening, writing in a personal capacity.

I have today written to Labour’s NEC regarding advice received on forming an administration at Brent Council. Labour Groups should be trusted to make political decisions in the best interest of their residents.

 

Following the post Jake Rubin, Brent Cabinet Member for Communities, Children's Services, Employment and Climate Action tweeted his support:

I agree with this - I simply cannot understand why Labour’s NEC prevented Brent Labour Group from formal or informal agreements with the Green group in Brent, when the consequences for this were obvious

Londoners mobilise against robotaxis as 150,000 private hire drivers fear for their jobs - Harlesden demonstration Friday afternoon

 A Waymo news report from the USA

One month after an incident in Harlesden, the mobilisation against Autonomous Vehicles is growing across the capital.

 

On Friday 22 May, a collective of concerned residents and workers will gather on Harlesden High Street by the Jubilee Clock at 5pm to mark a new stage in the campaign SAY NO TO WAYMO launched less than a month ago by two local mums, who became Green Party councillors on May 7th.

 

Members of ADCU (App Drivers and Couriers Union), campaigners of Pull the Plug - a movement to give ordinary people a say on how AI is tested and implemented.  Harlesden residents will gather to make their voices heard and say No to WAYMO.

 

WAYMO, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc - Google’s parent company, has been testing its robotaxis in the north west London neighbourhood of Harlesden and Stonebridge since the opening of its operations hub in Park Royal in April - and the presence of the oversized cars hasn’t gone unnoticed, particularly since April 22nd. On that day, a WAYMO AV breached a police line on Harlesden High Street. The incident was filmed by a bystander and went viral on social media, alerting thousands of Londoners to the presence of robotaxis in the capital.

 

In media reports, WAYMO claimed that the car was operating in manual mode “with a validation driver in full control” but the Harlesden incident - which has been classified as an AI incident by the OECD- was enough for Amandine Alexandre and Suzanne Gallagher, then Green Party candidates for the local elections, to do some research. They promptly decided to start a petition asking the Mayor of London to put the WAYMO’s trial on pause and, since then, have been on a mission to inform fellow Londoners about the risks entailed by the rollout of AV’s on our streets..

 

Amandine Alexandre, Green Party Councillor in Harlesden and Kensal Green, said:

 

The more we learn about those AI-powered vehicles and the more we are convinced that Londoners have nothing to gain from the introduction of robotaxis. Those oversized vehicles are clogging up our roads, collecting tons of energy consuming data and taking us one step closer to a future where human interactions become the exception rather than a rule.

 

For London’s estimated 150 000 private hire drivers, WAYMO is also a threat to their livelihoods as the AV company said earlier this year that they were aiming at launching a fully commercial service in London in September. “The fear of losing their income is a constant and growing worry at the back of drivers’ minds”, the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) said.

 

Cristina-Georgiana Ionitescu, General Secretary of the ADCU, added:

 

London cannot afford a tech-first, people-last experiment. Any move toward automation must start with rigorous, transparent safety standards, real-world environmental safeguards that reduce total vehicle miles, and protections against oversupply. Most importantly, there must be a just transition for drivers. That means legally enforceable job security, funded retraining, income guarantees during changeover, and a seat at the table for worker-led unions. Our message is simple: no rollout without public consent. And no future that leaves drivers behind.

 

Suzanne Gallagher, Green Party Councillor for Kilburn, concluded: 

 

We are not against innovation that improves our lives and our communities, but we are fiercely opposed to our city being used as a testing ground for Silicon Valley experiments. Earlier this year, New York paused WAYMO's permits and halted further driverless trials. It is time for Mayor Sadiq Khan to follow the lead of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and prioritise Londoners’ jobs and public safety over Big Tech’s extractive business model.

 

Petition on 38 degrees :

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/harlesden-says-no-to-waymo

Greens hail first Green Manifesto win with all-party support for a Housing Scrutiny Committee

 

 

From Brent Green Party:

 

This evening the Green Group proposed an amendment to the constitution to adopt a new scrutiny committee in Brent. 

Scrutiny is one of the vital checks and balances in local government, where Cllrs hold officers and cabinet members to account and work to get the best outcomes for residents.

London boroughs typically have three to five. Brent has two. This is not enough time to engage properly with all the important work that the Council does. 

Housing is under scrutinised, and is an area where numerous external bodies have called for change. Brent spends £100K a day on temporary accommodation a day. The Regulator of Social Housing gave Brent a ‘serious failings’ grade, and complaints upheld by the local government and social care ombudsman have doubled. 

This new housing scrutiny committee will give adequate time and attention to this vital area in Brent’s remint. It was a key item in our manifesto. 

We are delighted to have received unanimous support from all parties in approving this amendment and we hope that this signals a desire for cross-party collaboration in the best interests of all our residents. 

Despite the stich-up we saw this evening where the Conservatives did a deal with Labour to support their minority administration, multi-party politics in Brent is here to stay. Voters are moving away from the two-party system and all four parties in Brent are going to have to collaborate, seek consensus and work together for better outcomes for residents.

 

The proposal will be taken away by officers who will work on plans for its implementation to be brought back to the July Council for consideration,

Tories enable another Labour administration despite Labour's local election losses

 

Tonight's 'arrangement' 

Cllr Mistry, Deputy Mayor (Conservative) on the left, Cllr Agha, Mayor (Labour) on the right

 

A minority Labour administration led once again by Muhammed Butt, was installed this evening, with the help of an 'arrangement' with the Conservative Party. The arrangement saw the Conservatives installed as the official Opposition (with appropriate allowances), despite the Lib Dems having the same number of seats; being given both Scrutiny chair positions (with appropriate allowances) and the position of Deputy Mayor.

Brent Green Party issued the following statement:

   

On May 7^th  residents gave a resounding response to the question of the type of leadership they want in Brent. Labour lost twenty four seats and their control of the Council, securing under thirty percent of the popular vote. This is not a mandate to continue the status quo. Brent voted overwhelmingly for change.

 

Muhammed Butt has been leader of Brent Council for fourteen years. In any other circumstance, a political leader who led one’s party to such defeat after such long tenure would resign and pass the mantle on to a new leader. 

 

This evening, enabled by a deal with the Conservative Party, instead of change Brent residents have been given more of the same – a minority-led Labour administration under Muhammed Butt – rather than the collaborative model of governance they voted for.

 

This is not the transformation in the way decisions are made in Brent that residents voted for. This does not signify the cultural shift for cross-party collaboration, scrutiny, and accountability that Brent Green Party had hoped for, and indeed that we believe Brent needs.

 

We have been open to a formal arrangement with Labour with policy commitments and governance changes, but their national party would rather they strike a deal with the Conservative Party than the Green Party, ignoring the progressive values of its supporters.

 

What further sign could there be of the moral decay within the Labour Party?

 

Multi-party politics in Brent is here to stay. Voters are moving away from the two-party system and all four parties in Brent are going to have to collaborate, seek consensus and work together for better outcomes for residents.

 

More people voted for the Green Party in Brent than ever before, and our role here on Brent Council is vital. Opposition councillors are essential in keeping this new administration in check, and standing up for democratic decision-making and justice for Brent residents. We are not here to play political games, but to work hard to protect local services and public spaces, stand up for local communities against extractive industries, and protect our natural environment.

 

We are disappointed in today’s outcome for Brent’s residents, and what this means for democracy – but we remain ready to collaborate with anyone who shares our principles of environmental and social justice and a commitment to the best outcome for residents, rather than for a particular political party.