Petition launched calling on Brent Council to protect our parks and green spaces from development

 

After the very unpopular decision of Brent Planning Committee to allow the building of 4 bulky houses in Barham Park, residents have been concerned that a precedent has been set which could threaten our other parks and public spaces. This is particularly the case where there are existing buildings in the park or green space that could be declared redundant or poorly maintained and the site redeveloped.

We learnt how important green spaces are during the pandemic and open access is important. Access has already been lost to the Copland Fields and green space is likely to be lost in South Kilburn. The St Raphael's green space may be eaten into in future redevelopment.   At the same time Brent's tower block building boom means that the population has increased and the new residents have no gardens, just access to a balcony or a small shared space consisting mainly of concrete. An exception will be the new Union Park near the stadium.

Barham Park is supposedly protected by covenant, a fact that the Planning Committee discounted as not a planning consideration, but unfortunately even that is not the case with other parks.

In Brent only King Edward VII Park, Wembley; Roe Green Walled Garden in Kingsbury and Mapesbury Dell in Cricklewood are protected by Fields in Trust. Their mission is to protect parks and green  spaces.  Owners can apply to Fields in Trust whether private, community or local authority for a potection agreement. Brent Council is of course the owner of our parks and public spaces apart from Queens Park which is owned by the Corporation of London.

 

Brent Council as the landowner would have to apply for a protection agreement and that will need pressure from residents to persuade them that such action is vital.

Meanwhile a petition has been launched in the wake of the Barham Park decision calling on Brent Council to uphold its Strategic Plan commitment to protecting parks and open spaces.

The petition is on Brent Council's website HERE

 

Save Brent Parks from house building & development

 

We the undersigned petition the council to uphold its long standing Strategic Policy of protecting Brent Parks and Open Spaces at all cost.

 

We are concerned that Brent Council's Planning Committee has ignored Strategic Core Policy of protecting Parks and Open Spaces and also the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan, which designated Barham Park as a Local Green Space and developed a specific Planning Policy BP1 which stated that any housing building or redevelopment in Barham Park should be refused. That decision has effectively undermined Neighbourhood Planning, ignored the views of local people and put at risk other Parks and Open Spaces across Brent.

 

New Coalition 'Warm This Winter' launch petition to Tory Leader candidates - Link to petition in the article

 

Warm This Winter, a new national coalition group, has published an open letter in The Times to all candidates in the race to become the next Prime Minister asking that they urgently set out how they plan to address the cost of living crisis driven by soaring energy bills.

The letter calls on each of the candidates to use these next precious few weeks to set out practical measures for how they will help people now, and how they will ensure we have lower energy bills in future.

The campaign, which is backed by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, is pushing for practical solutions that have the public’s support, and which are ready-to-roll out now, including:

• Providing financial support to people who without urgent action will be on the front-line of poverty this winter
• Upgrading and insulating homes across the UK to bring down bills and prevent energy waste
• Rapidly expanding clean energy, which is now four times cheaper than gas, to urgently lower energy bills
• Stopping drilling new oil and gas fields so that we can escape our dependence on volatile fossil fuels.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:

Based on current estimates, well in excess of a third of all homes will be in fuel poverty this winter, yet the candidates to be our next Prime Minister are ignoring the single most pressing issue facing families across the country.

Unless leadership candidates promise bold and decisive action, the next Prime Minister’s first act as leader will be to preside over the worst winter for millions of people in living memory.

Full letter to candidates

We are writing to you from Warm This Winter – a new national coalition representing 40 organisations and over 22 million people from across the UK during this time of national economic crisis – to ask what your plan would be as Prime Minister to address the cost of living crisis.

We are headed into a potentially catastrophic winter. In eleven weeks time, more than a third of households – many millions of British families –  may not be able to afford to heat their homes. Meanwhile, earlier this year, 2.3 million families on low income were going without enough food and were unable to keep their homes warm.

According to the latest predictions, from October 1st the average annual energy bill will be over £3200. That means, for example, that the average pensioner will spend more than a third of their state pension on heating their home – and many people, including families, will have to choose between heating and eating. In the words of Martin Lewis last week: “millions of households will be forced into poverty unless we act. This is a genuine, urgent emergency.”

So far in the Conservative leadership campaign, no candidate has put forward a credible plan to support families, businesses, village and community halls, places of worship, hospitals and schools to keep their buildings warm this winter. Indeed whilst the public has grasped the scale and seriousness of the crisis heading our way, none of the leadership candidates seems to have done so.

We believe that in these next precious few weeks – when the Government should be planning and preparing for this winter – you should set out your plan for tackling the crisis of unaffordable energy bills, which are set to remain high until at least 2025. We know that this emergency, fuelled by the spiralling price of gas and by the war in Ukraine, does have solutions that are ready-to-roll out now – and that would also help us protect the future of the natural world – these include:

• Providing financial support to people who without urgent action will be on the front-line of poverty this winter
• Upgrading and insulating homes across the UK to bring down bills and prevent energy waste
• Rapidly expanding clean energy, which is now four times cheaper than gas, to urgently lower energy bills
• Moving away from drilling new oil and gas fields so that we can escape our dependence on volatile fossil fuels

Our members and supporters want to know what your plan would be – so we can have a proper debate on the most important and urgent issue facing this country. Whilst we may not all have a say in who becomes the next Prime Minister, we can ask that any candidate has a practical plan to keep people safe and warm this winter.

We would be keen to meet with you to discuss this further.

Full list of signatories:

1. End Fuel Poverty Coalition
2. The Climate Coalition
3. CPRE The countryside charity
4. Wildlife & Countryside Link
5. Save the Children
6. WWF UK
7. The Wildlife Trusts
8. Oxfam
9. Fuel Poverty Action
10. Fair Energy Campaign
11. Robin Hood Tax
12. The Centre for Sustainable Energy
13. Energy Action Scotland
14. Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
15. Possible
16. Ashden
17. Austerity Action Group part of Social Workers Union
18. New Economics Foundation
19. Uplift
20. Camden Federation of Private Tenants
21. Regen
22. Northern Housing Consortium
23. Groundwork
24. Advice for Renters
25. Fairer Housing
26. Friends of the Earth Scotland
27. MCS Charitable Foundation
28. Fairness Foundation
29. Tax Justice UK
30. Women’s Budget Group
31. The Economic Change Unit
32. Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland
33. IPPR
34. Chartered Institute of Housing
35. The Centre for Ageing Better
36. The Working Class Economists Group
37. Greenpeace UK
38. Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
39. 38 Degrees
40. Action with Communities in Rural England

 

The Petition - SIGN HERE

In October, millions of households across the UK could be pushed into fuel poverty by soaring energy bills. This comes after oil and gas giants, like Shell and BP, announced record-breaking profits. No more.

Oil and gas companies are getting richer while people are struggling to pay their bills. Our government’s failure to act will have catastrophic effects this winter. 

It’s wrong that people in this country are forced to ride buses or visit public spaces just to keep warm – while, at the same time, oil and gas companies earn vast profits. 

We all deserve to be warm in our own home, but right now soaring energy bills mean that many millions of people will struggle to pay their energy bill. It doesn’t have to be this way.

The UK has the means to solve the energy price crisis – but it will take action from the government. We’re demanding the UK government helps those people who need it now and fixes the UK’s broken energy system for good. Here's what we're demanding:

• Emergency support now: Providing a new package of financial support to people who without urgent action will be on the front-line of poverty this winter.‍
• Help to upgrade homes: Launching a new, properly-funded programme of home upgrades and insulation across the UK to bring down bills and prevent energy waste. 
• Cheap energy:  More than triple the amount of renewable energy in the UK by 2030, including wind and solar generated in harmony with nature, so that we can permanently lower bills.
• Free us from oil and gas: Stop approving new oil and gas fields so that we can escape our dependence on volatile fossil fuels 

Enough is enough! Foodbanks urge you to sign the petition to increase benefits by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation

 

In its latest email to supporter Sufra NW write:

 

Even before the additional rise in fuel prices due in October, more and more people are finding it impossible to pay their bills and buy enough food for their families. 

 

Our benefits system should reflect the true cost of living and provide a safety net for the most vulnerable. Instead it’s leaving food banks to pick up the pieces. Sufra has seen an unprecedented level of demand from new food bank users – and so have fellow members of the Independent Food Aid Network.

 

Enough is Enough!

 

This petition calls on the UK Government to urgently increase benefit payments by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation, alongside longer term improvements to the benefits system.

 

The petition is being shared by the Trussell Trust, the Independent Food Aid Network and Feeding Britain.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

 

The Petition

 

Food banks cannot and should not pick up the pieces of UK government inaction against the rising cost of living. 

 

The cost of living is rising rapidly and increasing numbers of people are finding it impossible to cover their essential costs because their income is insufficient. A perfect storm is here and the future looks bleak with a further rise in fuel prices when the energy price cap rises again in October. People with money worries are turning to charity and being forced to take on debts. People need help now. The benefits system should reflect the true cost of living and ensure it keeps people from falling into hunger and poverty.  

 

The Chancellor has so far failed to provide enough security for people on the very lowest incomes to weather the current storm. With every day of inaction, the food bank where I work prepares for more people to be forced through our doors. Other food banks in the Trussell Trust network and members of the Independent Food Aid Network and the Feeding Britain network are telling the same story. This is no longer about the cost of living - for many, this is about surviving. 

  

The benefits system should reflect the true cost of living; instead it's leaving food banks to pick up the pieces.  And yet for the first time ever, food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided more than 2.1 million food parcels to people across the UK outside of 2020/21, the height of the pandemic. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Food banks and other charitable food aid providers which are part of IFAN and the Feeding Britain network are seeing similar devastating increases. 

 

More and more people are being put at risk of destitution, unable to afford the absolute essentials that we all need to eat, stay warm, dry, and clean. Food banks, food pantries and other food aid providers across the UK are working even harder just to keep families afloat as the essentials we all need in life are becoming increasingly out of reach and many food bank workers are feeling exhausted and over-stretched. This cannot be right.  

 

Enough is enough.  

 

Please sign this petition which calls on the UK Government to urgently increase benefit payments by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation. Longer term, it must introduce a commitment in the benefits system to make sure everyone has enough money in their pockets to prevent destitution.  

 

Steph Maxwell, Uttlesford Foodbank Coordinator  (Trussell Trust Network)

This petition is being shared by the Trussell Trust, the Independent Food Aid Network and Feeding Britain.

 

1,400 petitioners will call on Brent Council to divest from fossil fuels at tomorrow's Cabinet Meeting

 The start of the long-running patient campaign to persuade Brent Council to divest its pension fund from fossil fuels

 

From Divest Brent

For over 3 years campaign group Divest Brent have been working to persuade the Council to divest its Pension Fund from fossil fuels. In 2019 the Council declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency and specifically agreed to redirect investments to renewal, sustainable and low carbon funds. Indeed some investments have been made in this area but the majority of the Pension Fund is still invested in funds which include fossil fuels. 

 

Extract from the Climate Emergency Strategy

 

Simon Erskine, Co-ordinator of Divest Brent, said:

 

We welcome any moves by the Pension Fund to invest sustainably and to help with the transition to renewable energy – but the fact is that whatever green investments the Fund may have, while it continues to invest in fossil fuels it is part of the problem.

 

Having achieved nearly 1,400 signatures Divest Brent is now ready to submit its petition to the Council. On April 6 Councillor Matt Kelcher will present the petition to the Brent Cabinet on behalf of Divest Brent. Mr Erskine said:

 

We were originally going to present the petition to the full Council meeting in July but the Cabinet will be discussing the Council’s draft Climate Emergency Strategy. Following campaigning by Divest Brent the draft Strategy now includes a section on the Pension Fund’s investments – and we decided that this was the best time to submit the petition, when the Cabinet was anyway looking at the issues involved.

 

Divest Brent has written a joint letter to Councillor Krupa Sheth, Council Environment lead, with Brent Friends of the Earth, calling on the Council to divest the Pension Fund as part of the Climate Emergency Strategy.

 

The presentation of the petition comes hot on the heels of a report entitled “Divesting to protect our pensions and the planet” which gave a comprehensive breakdown of the extent that UK Councils were invested in fossil fuels. 3% of Brent’s Pension Fund is thought to be invested in fossil fuels - £26 million. Compared to the £40 million invested in 2017 this looks like an improvement – until it is realised that much of the reduction is due to a fall in value of fossil fuel investments. 

 

The Council has admitted that, while much of the Stock Market has suffered from Covid 19, they have lost £8 million by failing to divest from fossil fuels before the pandemic. They are not alone in this – with UK Councils having lost £2 billion altogether over the last 4 years – but £8 million is still a serious loss compared to the Pension Fund total of £800 million.

 

With the outlook for fossil fuels never worse as the electric vehicle revolution starts to kick in and governments look to move away from gas as a means of heating our homes, Pension Fund committee members could find themselves in breach of their duties to protect the value of the Fund if they do not start to move seriously towards divestment.

 

Watch the Cabinet meeting and hear the Council's response live at 10am tomorrow LINK

TFL must follow Network Rail's lead and rethink their Biodiversity Action Plan for London Underground

Guest post by Emma Wallace of Harrow Green Party and the Green Party candidate for the Brent and Harrow GLA Constituency seat

 

Just over a week since its launch, the petition calling on Sadiq Khan and the TFL to ‘Stop the Removal of Green Habitat’ has garnered over 500 signatures LINK . 

 

This response shows that the wholesale destruction of habitat along our London Underground embankments is strongly opposed by many people from across London and the rest of the country.   We have heard numerous similar stories to the one most recently reported on along the Metropolitan line near Pinner LINK, from Wimbledon Park on the District Line LINK , to Hackney Downs and stations along the Overground Line LINK  and along the West and North of the Central and Piccadilly Lines.  These reports reveal a similar lack of public consultation with local residents and the resulting distress caused by the destruction and removal of sound and visual barriers that had been provided by the lineside foliage.  There has also been an absence of ecological surveys carried out by TFL before work commences, with contractors obliterating everything in their paths and showing little awareness of the biodiversity or wildlife they are displacing, including nesting birds or badger sets.

 

Network Rail has also been accused of devastating much of its lineside embankment greenery over recent years, carrying out a “secretive nationwide felling operation”, as reported in The Guardian 2018 LINK .   

 

This has caused much upset with both residents and train passengers, who have repeatedly decried the raising to the ground of the once verdant banks running along the hundreds of miles of our national train network.  The destruction along Lincolnshire railways in 2019 even led Tory MP, Sir John Hayes to state that the trackside vegetation removal looked like “a scene from Hiroshima” and to call for an urgent meeting with the then Environmental Secretary, Michael Gove LINK.   

 

In response to public pressure, Network Rail published a new environmental sustainability strategy in December 2020, including a ‘Biodiversity Action Plan’ LINK .  This plan contains a bold vision to improve the biodiversity of plants and wildlife lineside, committing “to the key goal of no net loss in biodiversity on our lineside estate by 2024, moving to biodiversity net gain by 2035”.  This culture change within Network Rail, viewing lineside vegetation as an asset, not a liability, must urgently be adopted by TFL and the Mayor of London when managing London Underground lineside vegetation. The last London Underground Biodiversity Action Plan (LU’s BAP) was published in 2010 LINK  and consequently urgently needs to be addressed and updated.  TFL must use the recent Network Rail example to rethink its biodiversity management policies to meet their commitment to protecting and enhancing London’s wildlife and green spaces.  

 

Darren Johnson, Green Party Assembly Member 2000 and 2016 and Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee, overseeing the 2012 ‘On the Right Lines?’ report  LINK , has backed our campaign, commenting on the petition: “Very happy to support this. Something I worked on when I was a London Assembly Member. Of course, vegetation removal is vital for rail safety, but the scorched earth approach is not the way.”  We have been overwhelmed by the support for the petition and many comments left, revealing how strongly people feel about this issue and their desire for TFL to change their policy on excessive vegetation embankment clearing and the need to replace it with a more nuanced and sustainably managed policy, which recognises and values these precious green corridors.  

 

See below a selection of people’s comment on the petition:

 

·      “The opportunities for ecological enhancement and support of biodiversity along rail lines are huge and cannot be overlooked! Partner with those who know, care and have the energy and resources to support projects.” Lisa Shell       

 

·      “We’re in the midst of a climate and environmental emergency and losing wildlife and biodiversity at an alarming rate. This type of habitat loss in totally unacceptable and must be stopped.”  Jean Gerrard

 

·      “Dreadful situation! I live right next to the train lines. The noise is really bad now and I can see all the passengers on the train from my kitchen window.  Such a sad loss of greenery. The birds have been going crazy too. What is TFL doing about rectifying this? I'm heart broken.” Pauline D’Jemil

 

·      “Please stop this unnecessary assault on what is left of our green spaces.” Ann Wilson

 

·      “Green corridors whether railways, canals or rivers are vital to wildlife and mature trees reduce noise nuisance from railways and air pollution.”  Martin Francis

 

·      “You're trashing animal habitat, increasing pollution and noise nuisance. Stop it.”  Anne Heritage   

 

·      “Stop making the world into a concrete jungle!” Asha Osman

 

·      “So depressing to see. Is there any one in authority who cares about our environment?” Jean Pannell

 

·      “Please try and think more creatively. Safety is a priority but there are surely alternatives that could be adopted. Shrubs and under planting wild grasses and low growing flowers etc.” Julie Curtis

 

·      “This has to stop; the railways are a natural wildlife corridor and should be protected from excessive and unnecessary cutbacks.”  Paula Hermes

 

·      “Vital for so many reasons. We all know what they are. Please stop cutting down the beautiful vegetation. It’s always such a joy to see.” Sarah Holford

 

·      “Stop destroying everything. Everywhere I look I see deforestation, destruction, the silent absence of life. Rail verges are one of nature’s last remaining lifelines. It costs nothing just to let it live. For our children and for the climate, please just stop this mindless destruction.” Anna Scrivenger

 

·      “We need these green corridors to cut pollution, keep noise down and a respite for nature.” Linda Quin

 

·      “These are critically important wildlife corridors.” Paul Allan-Smith

 

·      “Why on earth?? Railway embankments are some of the few untampered wildflower habitats left - leave them alone!!” Kate Hopkins

 

·      “I should like to see evidence of 'problem' trees and certainly do not want ANY vegetation removed in future without a previously approved assessment.” Keith Gissing

 

·      “We are losing trees and green spaces at an ever-increasing rate. Please don’t make things even worse.” Linda McKeller

 

·      “Trees and natural vegetation provide a vital transport corridor for animals and absorb excess rainwater.” Marc Sheimann

 

·      “Yes, stop cutting our trees down HS2 is doing enough damage to our nature.” Erica Locke

 

·      “We are currently seeing an unprecedented number of wildlife habitats decimated. Clearing TfL railway corridors of trees and hedges just adds to that and our climate crisis. Please consider planting more vegetation and maintaining what you have.” Elaine Persell

 

·      “I realise that trackside trees shouldn’t be a safety’ threat, but recently the decimation of lineside vegetation has been completely over the top.” Terry Hooper        

 

·      “This is criminal. I know safety is paramount, but this is more than that. Losing pollution soaking trees, habitats, shade, aesthetic enhancement is wrong.”  Polly Mortimer

 

·      “We need every INCH of green in this supposed green and pleasant land, especially in London which would choke on its own effluent if not for the green spaces as yet untouched by speculators. In a world where homeowners are ripping up their gardens to put down gravel, we need green that produces fresh air more than ever.”  John Mangan

 

·      We desperately need more biodiversity in our cities! Please use your brains and think of what you'll be leaving for future generations.” Julie Barber

 

·      “It's very important that Sadiq Khan shows us that he will stop the degradation of our precious environment, otherwise he'll not be voted for again!” Miranda James

 

·      “Every tree possible is needed for reducing pollution and climate change and for wildlife habitat. Please stop cutting them down.” Lisa Penney

 

Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition so far.  Please sign if you haven’t yet already done so. Thank you, Emma Wallace