SAVE OUR MUCH USED & APPRECIATED PUBLIC SPACE IN FRONT OF WEMBLEY STADIUM. Object by November 19th & help build community amid the high rises

 

Note from the Editor. Below is the view provided by the developer for what the proposed hotel would look like from Wembley Park Boulevard. Captions added.

 

Brent Green Party Launches Community Fightback Against Fresh 24-Hour Kilburn “Bingo Hall” Bid and Invasive Facial Recognition Plans

 The large premises of the former Santander Bank on Kilburn High Road (Instant Streetview)

 

The Brent Green Party has launched an urgent community fightback against a fresh application by Golden Slots (Southern) Limited to open a new “Bingo” and 24-hour slot machine venue at the former Santander bank branch at 131–135 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7HS.

This latest application comes as local authorities and communities continue to wait for long-overdue statutory reform to the Gambling Act 2005—specifically the repeal of the notorious Section 153 “aim to permit” mandate, which legally pressures councils to presume approval for gambling applications. At Brent Civic Centre, the Brent Labour Party recently brought forward a Gambling Harms Emergency Motion at Full Council, finally and formally acknowledging the full scale of addiction and harm across the borough.

However, warm words and council motions do not stop predatory operators from targeting local high streets. Brent already suffers from over 80 licensed gambling premises, extracting an estimated £18 million annually from local communities and concentrated overwhelmingly in the borough’s most socio-economically vulnerable areas. Until the legal framework actually changes, Brent residents are forced, time and again, to fight every single expansion, variation, and new application from the ground up. It is in this context that the Brent Green Party is mobilising residents once again to defend Kilburn High Road.

Round Two at 131–135 Kilburn High Road: Coming Back “Guns Blazing”

Earlier this year, Macau Casino Slots applied to transform the exact same former Santander bank branch into a gambling hub. Following a powerful, multi-week grassroots mobilisation campaign led by local residents and Green Party campaigners, hundreds of formal objections flooded in. Confronted with determined, well-organised community pushback right ahead of the council licensing hearing, the applicant formally withdrew the application.

Now, the gambling industry has returned to the same site with a new applicant—Golden Slots (Southern) Limited—coming back guns blazing with a series of calculated approaches in its Local Area Risk Assessment (LARA) designed to convince Brent’s Licensing Sub-Committee that the venue will cause no harm to the community.

Despite applying for a “Bingo Premises Licence” (with bingo offered between 09:00 and midnight), the operator’s paperwork reveals plans to keep its “ancillary gaming-machine area” open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—L, operating purely as an overnight slot machine arcade between midnight and 09:00 when no bingo is even played.

Weaponising Invasive Facial Recognition Technology as “Safeguarding”

Most troublingly, in an effort to mask the severe risks of opening a 24-hour gambling venue in a high-deprivation area already saturated with at least seven other gambling premises and multiple pawnbrokers within 400 metres, Golden Slots is proposing the mandatory installation of invasive facial recognition entry screening alongside a “Verified Player Access” registration scheme.

The Brent Green Party is raising severe concerns over the deployment of biometric surveillance on Kilburn High Road:

• Biometric Mass Surveillance on Our High Street: The Green Party has consistently opposed the rollout of live and biometric facial recognition technology, both by the state and by private corporations, as a disproportionate, privacy-eroding intrusion into civil liberties. Subjecting residents to biometric face scanning and longitudinal tracking by a private gambling company raises profound data protection, consent, and human rights concerns.
• Algorithmic Bias in a Diverse Community: Facial recognition systems are notoriously prone to higher false-match and error rates across ethnic minority groups, women, and younger people. Deploying this technology on Kilburn High Road, one of London’s most multicultural and diverse corridors, risks discriminatory false alerts and unfair targeting.
• A “Tech-Wash” Distraction from Unacceptable Harm: Facial recognition is a surveillance tool, not a public health solution. It cannot prevent a person from gambling beyond their means, nor does it mitigate the cumulative impact of clustering another 24-hour slot arcade next to schools, bus stops, and cash converters.
• Unresolved High Risks & Unproven Legality: Remarkably, the applicant’s own risk assessment admits that its facial recognition system has not yet received the required Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), lawful-processing approvals, or technical sign-offs. Even more tellingly, the operator explicitly excludes facial recognition from its own risk scoring—and still forecasts 12 separate “High” target risks across child protection, concealed gambling harm, financial hardship, cumulative exposure, overnight fatigue, and local crime and disorder.

Cllr Suzanne Gallagher, Brent Green Party, said:

We are still waiting for Westminster to deliver on its promise to reform the Gambling Act 2005 and scrap the ‘aim to permit’ rules, and while Brent Labour has finally passed an emergency motion recognising the £18 million extracted from our communities every year by over 80 gambling venues, motions alone won’t stop Golden Slots. Until the law changes, residents have to fight every single application on the ground.

Earlier this year, our community came together in their hundreds and forced Macau Casino Slots to back down and withdraw their bid for the old Santander bank. Now, Golden Slots has come back guns blazing at the exact same address, attempting to dress up a 24-hour slot machine operation as a ‘bingo hall’ and dangling invasive facial recognition technology to convince the licensing committee they won’t cause harm.

The Green Party is clear: biometric surveillance is not safeguarding. Scanning people’s faces and harvesting sensitive biometric data on a diverse high street is a deeply troubling invasion of privacy and a smokescreen that does nothing to stop financial exploitation or cumulative gambling harm. Even the operator’s own risk assessment admits that 12 separate ‘High’ risks remain unresolved. We beat this proposal once, and we are calling on every Kilburn resident, business, and community group to submit a fresh objection before 2 December so we can beat it again.

How Residents Can Object (Deadline: Wednesday 2 December 2026)

Because this is a brand-new application by a different operator, previous objections against the withdrawn Macau Casino Slots application do not carry over. Residents must submit a fresh representation before 2 December 2026:

• Email: Send objections to Brent Council’s Licensing Team at business.licence@brent.gov.uk
• Reference: Application for a Bingo Premises Licence – Golden Slots (Southern) Limited, 131–135 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7HS
• Requirements: Include your full name and postal address, and link your objection to the statutory licensing objectives under the Gambling Act 2005:
  • Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling (citing the 12 unresolved “High” risks, 24-hour slot machine operation, local deprivation, proximity to schools and pawnbrokers, and the inadequacy of unproven facial recognition surveillance).
  • Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder (citing the 3,238 recorded crime and anti-social behaviour incidents in the Kilburn area over the past year and the strain of 24-hour opening on the night-time economy).
  • Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way (challenging the use of a Bingo licence to run a 24-hour gaming machine venue where bingo ceases at midnight). 

LINK

BREAKING: Brent Council opposition groups unite to fight sale of 42 acres of Northwick Park public open space

 

The red line encloses the freehold under threat

 

In a unique move Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens have joined forces to challenge Brent Council’s decision to sell the freehold of Northwick Park Golf Centre, despite 205 objections and representations.

 

Brent’s three opposition groups have united in opposition to the Council’s controversial decision to sell its freehold interest in 42 acres of public open space at Northwick Park Golf Centre.

 

Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green councillors are demanding greater transparency and accountability over the proposed disposal, raising serious concerns about the loss of public ownership, the financial justification for the sale and the long-term future of one of Brent’s significant green spaces.

 

The council approved the disposal on October 12, despite receiving 205 objections and representations during the consultation process. The decision authorises officers to market the freehold interest in the site at 280 Watford Road, which is currently subject to a long-term lease.

 

The three opposition groups believe the Council has yet to demonstrate why selling an income-generating public asset is preferable to retaining it for future generations. They are calling-in the decision for scrutiny.

 

The cross-party challenge brings together councillors from across Brent who are calling the for the decision to be reconsidered and for residents’ concerns to be properly addressed.

 

Cllr Keith Perrin, Councillor for Northwick Park Ward, leading the call-in said:

 

The Golf Centre on the A404 Watford Road forms part of an important Public Open Space with a long history of recreational use by the community. It was originally purchased in 1913 by public subscription to protect the area from development and has remained an important part and lung of North Wembley since then.

 

As a ward councillor who has followed this site since 1995, I have serious concerns about selling the freehold, especially while questions remain around the existing lease’s powers, the income the Council receives and outstanding enforcement matters relating to unlicensed waste.

 

If the freehold is sold Brent Council could easily lose control of this green space’s future. It’s designation of Metropolitan Open Land, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and Public Open Space, along with its public footpaths could all disappear.

 

This is why I believe the decision to sell deserves proper scrutiny, and ultimately, reversal.

 

Cllr Suresh Kansagra, leader of the Brent Conservative Group, said:

 

We do not believe selling this site is the right decision for Brent. The Council already receives rental income from the land, while retaining the freehold also preserves its long-term value for future generations.

 

Once the asset is sold, that opportunity is gone.  But this is not just about money. This is a large area of green and

recreational land which has been part of the local community for generations and brings real value to the surrounding neighbourhood.

 

We are using every formal route available within the Council to ensure this decision is properly examined and every opportunity for it to be reconsidered is exhausted.

 

Residents also have an important role to play. We want people who care about the future of this site to make their views known and show the Council how strongly the community feels about what happens next.

 

The council should be able to demonstrate clearly why selling is better than keeping an income-producing asset with long-term value. We do not believe that case has yet been made.

​

Cllr Anton Georgiou, leader of the Brent Liberal Democrat Group,

said:

 

The Labour council’s decision to sell this important piece of public land without proper consultation sets a dangerous precedence. The administration is opening the door for potential developers to have free reign over what this open space will be replaced with.

 

The interest of our community isn’t typically the primary concern of developers and there is a risk that this decision will allow the expansion of high-density tower blocks into the area.

 

The reason I am speaking out and supporting the cross-party call-in, despite it not being in my ward, is to help get greater transparency of the deal for residents and prevent this same opaque tactic from being used in our other green spaces. Residents deserve to have a say when these kinds of major changes are proposed on their doorstep.

 

Cllr Mary Mitchell, Leader of the Brent Green Group, said:

 

Northwick Park Golf Course is far more than a commercial asset on a balance sheet. It is one of Brent's most important green spaces, providing vital wildlife habitat, absorbing carbon, helping to reduce flood risk, and offering an invaluable sense of openness in an increasingly built-up borough.

 

As a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and public open space, it plays a crucial role in both the ecological health of our area and the wellbeing of local residents. The proposed freehold sale risks removing a key layer of public protection and stewardship from a site that has been held for public benefit for nearly one hundred years. Once public land is sold, it is extraordinarily difficult to recover.

 

Residents are right to ask why Brent would relinquish control of such a significant environmental and public health asset at a time when access to green space, biodiversity recovery and climate resilience are more important than ever. We should be protecting this space, not putting its future at risk

 

The three opposition groups are calling on Brent Council to fully explain the financial case for the disposal, address outstanding questions surrounding the existing lease and the site’s management, and reconsider whether surrendering the freehold is in the long-term interests of residents.

 

Black History Month event: Learn from the Grunwick strike! Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM ONLINE

 

 

Black History Month event: Learn from the Grunwick strike!  

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM

August 2026 was 50 years since the start of the Grunwick strike, a major struggle for workplace and trade union rights by predominantly female, migrant, South Asian film processing workers. It was a tumultuous two-year battle that, in the face of employer aggression, media demonisation and brutal police violence, saw widespread solidarity from other workers in the area and far beyond, but grossly inadequate support from the top of the labour movement - and ultimately defeat. What is the story of the Grunwick strike, why is it so important and what are its lessons for the workers' movement and left today?

For Black History Month 2026, the Green Party Trade Union Group and Brent Greens are hosting a meeting with Sundari Anitha, author with Ruth Pearson of Striking Women: Struggles and Strategies of South Asian Women Workers from Grunwick to Gate Gourmet, a book built around interviews with the strikers themselves.

 

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE 

Brent Greens go into battle again over Adult Gaming Centres as residents locked out of making comments on Silvertime's Wembley Central expansion plans despite tomorrow's consultation deadline!

Silvertime will dominate the Wembley High Road junction with Park Park Lane.Park Lane Primary, Ark Elvin and St Joseph's are all nearby schools .

  

Brent Green Party councillors have lodged objections against a proposed expansion of an Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) on Wembley High Road. These objections have been accepted as valid representations under the Gambling Act 2005 despite the fact that the Brent Green Party do not have Ward Councillors in Wembley Hill.

 

The objections relate to an application by Silvertime Amusements Limited to expand the existing Adult Gaming Centre at 446 High Road into the neighbouring premises at 8 Park Lane, Wembley, a former dry cleaners.

 

The objection, submitted by Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam and Cllr Najib Warsame, Green Party councillors for Wembley Park, raised concerns about the impact of expanding high-frequency gambling facilities in an area already experiencing significant social and economic challenges. The Licensing Team has confirmed that a hearing will now be arranged to determine whether the licence should be granted.

 

The objection focuses on crime, gambling-related harm, the concentration of gambling premises in the area, and the proximity of the proposed expansion to schools, nurseries and community facilities.

 

Concerns Over Public Access to Application Documents

 

Brent Green Party is also deeply concerned that Brent Council’s licensing portal is currently unavailable due to maintenance.

 

 

The licensing portal is expected to remain unavailable until 1 October, while the deadline for representations on this application is 30 September. This creates a serious risk that local residents may be unable to access and scrutinise the application documents during a crucial stage of the consultation process.

 

Without the opportunity to carefully review the application papers, it becomes almost impossible for residents to engage meaningfully with the licensing process and make informed representations.

 

Call for Extension of Consultation Period

 

Given these circumstances, Brent Green Party is calling on Brent Council extend the consultation period is possible.

 

Residents should have a fair opportunity to review the evidence, understand the implications of the proposal. A consultation period that effectively expires before residents can access the relevant documents risks undermining public engagement and confidence in the licensing system.

 

Alternative Methods for Making Representations

 

While the online portal is unavailable, residents wishing to submit comments or objections should use the alternative contact methods provided by Brent Council.

business.licence@brent.gov.uk

 

Residents are encouraged to ensure that any representation is submitted before the published deadline.

 

Community Members Can Contact Brent Green Party

 

Any resident who wishes to review the application papers but  is unable to access them through the Council’s licensing portal is encouraged to contact Brent Green Party. Councillors and local Green Party members will endeavour to help residents access the relevant documentation and understand the proposals being considered.

 

contact@brent.greenparty.org.uk. 

 

Statement from Cllr Suzanne Gallagher, Brent Green Party:

 

We welcome the decision by Brent’s Licensing Team to accept the objections submitted by Green Party Wembley Park councillors regarding this application.

 

However, we are very concerned that the Council’s licensing  portal is currently unavailable at a time when members of the public should be reviewing the application documents. Public participation is a fundamental part of the licensing process. If residents cannot access the papers, they cannot properly engage with the consultation.

 

We are therefore calling on Brent Council to extend the consultation period ensuring that local people are not disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control.

 

Wembley High Road serves communities across Wembley, including Wembley Park, and decisions affecting the area should be subject to full public scrutiny.

 

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.