Celebrate our Eastern Europe communities: Roe Green Park Sunday June 18th 11am-7pm

 

'Sport in Mind' activities starting in Brent on June 6th - for 16+ people experiencing mental health problems

From Sport in Mind

We are very excited to be starting 2 new sessions in Brent, a basketball session this week and a Pilates session next week, please see the timetable for more details!

 

Please find below our June timetables (starting 6th June) which detail all the sessions that are currently running in Brent. This is a link to our Activity Map which includes all the information you need to know about the sessions.

Our sessions are open to anyone 16+ experiencing mental health problems. The sessions are lots of fun, for all abilities and drop-in sessions, so no need to book and no referral required. The sessions are all delivered by a qualified instructor and all equipment will be provided. Carers, friends and family are more than welcome to accompany participants to the first couple of sessions – the more the merrier!

 

 

 

 

 

Delivering City Hall's universal primary school free school meals is 'going to be a challenge'

 The weekend announcement

 

Brent Schools Forum this week was over-shadowed by budget concerns. Schools have been hit by high energy costs, inflation, falling pupil numbers, delays in awarding funding for EHCPs  (Education Health and Care Plans for pupils with special needs) which means that schools fund extra support from their own budgets. There is now the prospect that any staff salary increases will have to be funded from the individual school budgets rather than be  fully funded by the government.

A significant number of Brent schools will have an in-year deficit in 2023-24, relying on the use of their reserves or a contribution from the Council via the Direct Schools Grant.

Against this background, although the Mayor's one year (and one-off) provision of universal free school meals was welcomed by Forum members, they also noted that there were issues around implementation.

Officers are still trying to ascertain details from City Hall but if the GLA financial contribution is just for meal ingredients, and perhaps energy costs, there are other costs involved.

One headteacher pointed out that in his school, if those children currently bringing in packed lunches, switched to hot meals, it would double the number having school meals. This would mean investing in the kitchen capacity (equipment and staffing) but as a 'windfall' provision,  without further funding in the future, this expansion would end after a year. In his school there would be double the number of pupils for whom food would have to be  prepared, served, supervised and cleared.

The impatct will vary between schools depending on how many children bring in a packed lunch at present.

Getting the expanded provision up and running by September 2023 would be a further challenge, especially if kitchen infrastructure work was needed, given current rising building costs and unreliable supply chains.

At a practical level the switch from children sitting down to their own packed lunches, basically serving themselves, and instead joining the lunchtime queue at the servery would present logistical problems that would extend the lunch break and require additional supervision.

An unintended consequence might be that because at present parents of junior aged children have to register for free school meals, and this is used as a base for pupil premium funds, universality would mean parents would no longer bother to register - reducing the amount of pupil premium allocated to the school.

Gwen Grahl, Cabinet member for  Children, Young People and Schools, responding to the discussion said:

There are definitely legitimate concerns about how this will be implemented. We have recognised for a while now that there is a need for better measures to tackle food poverty. We hear that, not only from teachers, but also from foodbanks that we visit. It (universal free primary school meals) is a positive measure in that regard and we think that the amount of money (£170m)  is something we want to use, but we have been in touch with City Hall and have raised some of the concerns.

We have made it clear that there wil be challenges with implementation. We want to have the confidence that we can implement by September and we would need support from City Hall in doing so. We would also need the confidence that the projected amount it will cost is accurate as I think that City Hall has done its own research and what they think it will cost in every borough. I think the amount is £2.71 per meal, so it is going to be a stretch. We also raised the issue of whether it would affect the pupil premium.

I am sure you will appreciate none of the details have come out yet. We want to reassure you that we have raised raised these issues with City Hall and we are looking for a lot of detail and support from them in implementation.

We will be able to disucss this with headteachers as soon as broader details have been refined for Brent.

REMINDER: Closure of some Brent & Harrow sections of Bakerloo line and London Overground next week

 

 

From Transport for London

We need to close part of the Bakerloo line and London Overground. This is so that Network Rail can carry out work to improve their track and infrastructure.

 

This means we need to close:

• The Bakerloo line between Queen's Park and Harrow and Wealdstone
• London Overground between Euston and Watford Junction
•  

These sections of line will be closed between these dates:

• Saturday 11 February to Sunday 19 February 2023

 

During the closure, a regular four to five minute service will continue to run on the Bakerloo line between Elephant & Castle and Queen's Park.

 

The track and associated infrastructure are in urgent need of upgrading. The works will make journeys more reliable in future.

 

Tube

During the closure there will be no Bakerloo line service at these stations:

Kensal Green, Willesden Junction, Harlesden, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central, North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, and Harrow & Wealdstone,

 

London Overground

During the closure, there will be no London Overground services between Euston and Watford Junction. London Overground stations will be closed at all stations on this section of line except Willesden Junction.

 

That means there will no London Overground services at:

 

Euston, South Hampstead, Kilburn High Road, Queen's Park, Kensal Green, Harlesden, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central, North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, Harrow & Wealdstone, Headstone Lane, Hatch End, Carpenders Park, Bushey, Watford High Street, Watford Junction

 

Willesden Junction

Willesden Junction will remain open to these destinations: Stratford, Clapham Junction and Richmond.

 

Alternative routes

• Map of alternative transport during the closures – weekends PDF 116KB 
• Map of alternative transport during the closures - weekdays

PDF 116KB

 

Check before you travel using our travel tools, including TfL Go and Journey Planner.

Bus

 

Use bus routes to reach your destination or connect with alternative rail routes.

• You can access the Metropolitan line at the following stations: Wembley Park, Preston Road, Northwick Park and Harrow-on-the Hill
• You can access the Jubilee line at Wembley Park and stations towards central London

 

Connecting buses

Use these buses to connect to other lines or to get to destinations on the closed sections of the Bakerloo and London Overground lines.

 

Standard TfL fares apply on these routes.

 

Route 718 Queen's Park to Harrow & Wealdstone (Mon-Fri only, all day)

Via Kensal Green, Willesden Junction, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central, North Wembley, Preston Road, Kenton

 

Route 719 Queen's Park to Wembley Park (07:00-19:00 weekdays, 10:00-19:00 weekends)

Via Kensal Green, Willesden Junction, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central

 

Route 720 Watford Junction to Harrow-on-the-Hill (all day, every day)

Via Harrow & Wealdstone, Headstone Lane, Hatch End, Carpenders Park, Bushey, Watford High Street

 

London Northwestern Railway (National Rail)

For central London, use London Northwestern Railway services from Watford Junction, Bushey, Harrow & Wealdstone and Wembley Central.

 

UPDATE: After 6 days the stricken and weakening Barn Hill heron is still awaiting rescue

 

 

Photo Credit: Amanda Rose

I could not make it to Barn Hill pond today to check on the heron that has its beak constricted by material,  as I am social isolating with Covid.

 

So far despite calls to various agencies, no official rescue operation has been undertaken to help the heron and it is inadvisable for the public to try – the heron’s beak could produce a very nasty wound.

 

 Local professional photographer Amanda Rose has been taking a keen interest in the heron's light and produced some stunning images of the heron’s plight. (Please respect her copyright).

 

Many thanks to Amanda for this update:

 

 Photo credit: Amanda Rose

 

I spent an hour and a half with the heron this afternoon, at times there were three other people who have all contacted various authorities over the past week to try and get help. We were relieved to see it today as there were no sightings yesterday.

 

The heron let us all approach closer than ever before, presumably too weak to fly, conserving its energy, or too hungry to care. Most surprisingly, it didn't flinch while a dog was running around the water’s edge, thankfully the owner kept the dog out the water.

 

 Photo credit: Amanda Rose

The heron caught a small fish and a newt but dropped both back into the pond and wasn't able to eat either. Someone produced a bag of scrap fish for the heron, and drove to the top of Barn Rise to give it to me, but by the time I'd walked to the roadside to collect it and walked back to the pond, the heron had flown away.

Barry Gardiner and local councillors join NEU picket line as thousands strike

 

 The NEU picket line at Wembley's Ark Academy was well supported this morning with strking teachers joined by Barry Gardiner MP, Cllrs Kathleen Fraser (Barnhill), Cllr Mili Patel (Harlesden & Kensal Green) and Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam (Wembley Park); Graham Durham (Brent Trades Council), myself (Brent Green Party and Trade Union Group) and staff from Chalkhill Primary whose school was closed by the strike.

The picket covered both entrances to the school and numbers built up throughout the early morning. There were plenty of supportive 'toots' from passing vehicles as well as ambulance and bus drivers.

 

Brent bids farewell to school catchment areas and moves children of staff up the priority list

The school catchment area map

 Brent Council will drop school catchment areas as part of the admission criteria for community primary schools. The council says that catchment areas, an area around a school which gives priority for pupil who live there, are of more use at times of high demand. Its abolition will make the admissions criteria simpler. When pupils are 'tied' in terms of meeting the admissions criteria, the place will be awarded on the basis of the nearest pupil to the school measured in a straight line from their home address.

More controversially the children of the school's staff will move up the priority list, ahead of children who already have siblings in the school. 

A further change is that medical and social priority is expanded to those of the parent or carer as well as the pupil.

The criteria for entry will now be:

1. Looked After Children

2. Pupil from a linked infant school

3. Medical or social needs

4. Children of staff 

5. Siblings of pupils including  half or step brothers or sisters (not cousins)

6. All other applicants, including the distance tie break.

The full document cane be read HERE.

Two new Highways Maintenance contractors take over from Conway in Brent from April

 

The familiar FM Conway vehicles seen across Brent will soon just a memory when two new contractors take over the Borough's Highway Maintenance Contract in April. This is the thrrd of the Public Realm Environment contracts to be awarded.

 

For the purposes of the contract, in an arrangement that looks quite complex in terms of responsibilities, the borough has been split into two areas with O'Hara Bros Surfacing Ltd taking 'Lot 1' and G W Highways Ltd 'Lot 2':

 

Highways Maintenance Works contract: Planned Highways Maintenance
and Highways Schemes; Reactive Highways Maintenance including emergency call-out; and Cyclical and Reactive Gully cleansing.

Scope of Highways Maintenance Works contract Lot 1:
(i) Planned schemes and maintenance work in area 1 of the borough
(ii) Reactive repairs in the whole of the borough
(iii) Occasional planned schemes and maintenance work in the area 2 of the borough – with no guarantee that any such work will be given

Scope of Highways Maintenance Works contract Lot 2:
(i) Planned schemes and maintenance work in area 2 of the borough
(ii) Occasional reactive repairs work across the whole of the borough – with no guarantee that any such work will be given
(iii) Occasional planned schemes and maintenance work in area 1 of the borough – with no guarantee that any such work will be given

 

The combined contracts will be worth £78m over their 10 year duration with an initial contract period of 7 years, with further adjustments for inflation etc.

 

Cabinet are recommended to:

 

1, Approve the award of the contract “Lot 1” for the provision of Highway Maintenance Services to O’Hara Bros Surfacing Ltd for an initial contract period of seven (7) years, with an option to extend for up to a further three (3) years on an annual basis and notes that the value of the contract is estimated to be circa £4.3m per year, or circa £43m over the 10 year duration of the contract (excluding inflation indexation).

 
2. Approve the award of the contract “Lot 2” for the provision of Highway Maintenance Services to GW Highways Ltd for an initial contract period of Seven (7) years, with an option to extend for up to a further three (3) years on an annual basis and notes that the value of the contract is estimated to be circa £3.5m per year, or circa £35m over the 10 year duration of the contract (excluding inflation indexation).

 

Lot 1 represents an increase of 21% over the current Conway contract and 16% for Lot 2. Officers state that prices would have gone up anyway if Conway had continued with the contract. 

 

Officers note an important issue (highlighted):

 

It should be noted that the cost for the Emergency Call Out service, included in Lot 1, has increased substantially from circa £50k per annum to an estimated £240k per annum (the figures are estimated as the total depends on the number of Call Outs incurred). With the current reactive maintenance budget, this will mean that the funding available for the repair of medium priority highway defects will be considerably reduced.

 

There might be some public concern that an initial 7 year contract is quite long if anything goes wrong. Officers' note:

 

The decision to extend the contracts will be based on the respective services being delivered to a minimum satisfactory standard, outlined in up to 12 Primary Performance Indicators and 5 Secondary Performance Indicators, covering the range of services. The PPI for gully cleansing, and the three PPIs for reactive maintenance, would not normally apply to Lot 2 as those services are not expected to be delivered via that contract.

 

 So councillors should be interested in the extent of monitoring of the performance indicators during the 7 years and the actions that would be taken in the event on unsatisfactory performance. The performance indicators have not been published in this report.

 

The report notes that the Highways Consultancy Service contract that inspects highway structures, carries out site investigations and provides surveys and design services is still being worked on.  

 

Names of companies that applied for the contracts have not been published.

LATEST UPDATE FROM THAMES WATER ON WATER SUPPLY IN BRENT & CAMDEN - supplies expected to return over next few hours and into the night

 

We’re starting to see water pressures gradually improving as we begin to refill our supply network, following this morning’s large burst pipe in Loudoun Road.

We’ll continue working on this and expect supplies across the area will start to return over the next few hours and into tonight.

If you’ve been affected by flooding

We have loss adjusters and support staff at Swiss Cottage Library, where Camden Council is running a rest centre. They’re talking to residents who’ve been flooded, to help get their lives back on track.

We’re really sorry for the flooding and distress this has caused.

If you have no water or low pressure

We’d like to apologise too if your water supply has been affected by this. If you’re without water you should still be able to use your heating.

As supplies start to return across the area, you can find more information about what to expect BELOW

We’re working to repair the pipe. We already have some construction vehicles on site and others on the way so we can get moving as quickly as possible.

We’ve also been delivering water to vulnerable customers in the area, and are continuing to do so.

Why did it take time to stop the burst?

It took our engineers time to stem the flow safely, as they needed to switch off a number of valves at different locations, some of which were under parked cars or submerged by flood water. They also needed to make sure when operating them that this didn’t lead to a further burst pipe elsewhere.

We’ll provide more information here as soon as we have it. 

 

WHAT TO EXPECT

 

 

We’re sorry if you’ve unexpectedly had a problem with your water. We know how difficult it is when your supply is disrupted.

Why didn’t we warn you?

Sometimes, this type of issue is impossible to predict. For example, a water pipe might burst, there could be an unexpected issue at a treatment works, or one of our pipes could have been damaged. Whenever there’s an emergency of this sort, we’ll work as fast as we can to get things back to normal.

My water looks cloudy – why is that?

If your water looks cloudy when you turn your tap back on, it’s likely to be tiny air bubbles trapped in the water, which sometimes happens when pipes burst.

This is harmless, and if you pour a glass of water you should see the bubbles clear from the bottom of the glass upwards. The cloudiness should disappear if you run your cold kitchen tap for a couple of minutes. Learn more about this on our help page.

Why is the water coming out of my tap more slowly?

Sometimes the force that pushes water through the pipes, known as the pressure, can take a while to build up again following an incident, so please allow time for this.

At first, your water might splutter out of your tap when it comes back on, but this should clear if you run your cold kitchen tap for a couple of minutes.

What should I do if I have another problem with my water?

Occasionally a burst pipe can cause other issues – for example, if a large amount of air gets trapped in your water pipes. If you continue to experience problems with your water or you notice any unusual taste or odour, please contact us.

What if I need extra support in the future?

Could you, a family member or a friend benefit from a helping hand during a similar incident – for example, due to health reasons, disability or age? Find out more about the free support we can provide when you sign up to our priority services register.

Will I get compensation?

You won’t need to apply for compensation. If you qualify for a payment under our Customer Guarantee Scheme, we’ll automatically credit your Thames Water account within 20 working days.

Conservative Motion on Flooding in Brent

 Conservative motion currently being heard

Measures to tackle Flooding in Brent

In the past few years, flooding in Brent and other areas is getting more frequent and severe. Whilst this is partly due to climate change and global warming, it also reflects the massive level of regeneration, development and building on green and brown fields sites which is detrimental to the drainage of rainwater and it is felt future planning policy must reflect.

We are losing more green and open spaces which used to soak up the rain water.

 

The Council’s policy of tarmacking footpaths also does not allow water to permeate in the ground. Just a little rain and we observe streams of water flowing on the roads and pavements.

We notice that flood water collects in low lying areas and does not recede for a few days after it rains which means that in the current situation more frequent and severe flooding will take place.

We appreciate that Brent alone cannot stop global warming and climate change and recognise that the borough has a Flood Risk management Strategy in place, however we can take further steps to mitigate the consequences and protect our residents’ lives and property.

As a result this Council calls on Cabinet to:

1) Reverse the policy of tarmacking the footways and replace with paving slabs and bricks which allows more water to soak in the ground, especially in known flood risk areas;

2) Reverse the policy of large scale developments which are reducing the green
open spaces and making Brent a concrete jungle;

3) Implement a regular gully cleaning and leaf collection program, especially in the flood prone areas;

4) Implement a regular program of inspecting all drains and gullies in areas
identified as flood risk and repair as necessary and the Council’s responsibility,
including Brent’s brooks and rivers;

5) Introduce a policy that makes it’s illegal to concrete over the whole of a rear
garden as this also impedes the draining of rainwater. We suggest a maximum
of 20% of the rear garden can be paved or concreted over.

If Brent is serious about global warming and climate change and wants to protect its citizens now and for future, it's the least it can do.

Councillor Suresh Kansagra
Kenton Ward

 

Timely new campaign launched: 'United for Warm Homes, Brent' Kick-off event 7pm November 30th on-line

 

A number of local organisations and campaign groups have joined forces as part of a new coalition calling for a response to the energy crisis that ensures no one goes cold in winter.    
 
United for Warm Homes, Brent is a new local campaign which aims to bring together communities concerned about the impacts of rising energy bills to advocate for affordable energy and demand the right to a warm home.   
 
The partnership involves a variety of organisations that work on local issues including housing, food banks, parks, faith groups and environmental protection. They hope that by working together towards a common goal, they can win the fight for warm homes that don’t cost the Earth.  
 
The average energy bill has almost doubled in the last year. Even with the government’s recently announced package of emergency financial support, it’s expected that around six million people will be in fuel poverty in the UK this winter – that’s almost double the number in 2021.  
 
In Brent alone, recent analysis found that there are 95 energy crisis hotspots, in almost 55% of Brent’s neighbourhoods – neighbourhoods where the energy crisis is most acutely felt. 
 
Clearly, the sky-rocketing price of energy is hitting some people harder than others. That’s why United for Warm Homes, Brent is calling for additional financial support to help those who need it most and to stop people going cold this winter. 
 
But financial support is only a short-term fix. To put an end to the energy crisis we need solutions that will get to the root of the problem - our heat-leaking homes and dependence on expensive and volatile gas.  
 
The UK has some of the worst insulated homes in Europe. That means they require more energy to stay warm and therefore cost more to heat.  
 
By rapidly rolling out a council-led, street-by-street insulation programme, targeted first at the most in-need households, hundreds of pounds can be saved each year on the average annual energy bill. United for Warm Homes, Brent wants this to be at the top of the agenda for local and national decision-makers. 
 
This is needed alongside getting UK homes off costly gas for good, which more than 80% depend on for things like heating and hot water. Instead of extracting more fossil fuels, boosting investment in cheap, clean renewable energy will help to bring down bills quickly, because renewables can be developed faster than more oil and gas.  
 
The solutions that will lower our bills permanently are also the same that can cut the climate-changing emissions our homes produce, so they are a win-win for both people and planet.  
 
The new local partnership will be one of many across the UK contributing to a much bigger national movement calling for the transformation of our energy system and a drive to insulate UK homes. 
 
United for Warm Homes, Brent will be holding its kick-off event online at 7pm on 30^th November for members of the public who would like to learn more about the partnership and get involved in the campaign. 

To register for the event go to https://brentfoe.com/WarmHomesEvent.

To find out more about the national campaign please visit www.unitedforwarmhomes.uk.  
 

 
Ian Saville joint coordinator of Brent Friends of the Earth, said: 
 
 

We all deserve to live in warm homes that don’t cost the Earth. But with energy bills nearly double what they were last year, and living costs such as food and rent spiralling, millions across the country are facing a bleak and miserable winter.  
 
No one in Brent should have to go cold just to be able to feed their families or pay their rent. We recognise that there are so many of us locally who want happier, healthier communities. By coming together, we want to build a powerful local partnership that wins the fight for warm homes.  
 
We believe we can achieve this by demanding the solutions that are simply common sense. Insulating our heat-leaking homes and investing in cheap, clean renewables can both save households hundreds on their energy bills and lower costs for good. The great thing is that these solutions are also what’s needed to protect our planet and ensure that future generations have a world left to grow up in.

Local campaigns that have signed up to the campaign include Brent Friends of the Earth, Sufra Food Bank, Brent Parks Forum, Divest Brent, Advice4Renters, Transition Town Kensal to Kilburn, Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum, Granville Community Kitchen and Harlesden Mums who Cycle.