St Raph's £20m Pride in Place Project transparency controversy: 'Public confidence cannot be rebuilt behind closed doors'

Guest post by Asif Zamir, Independent Community Advocate

 

BRENT COUNCIL CLAMS UP: Transparency Challenges Over the £20m St Raphael’s 'Pride in Place' Board Recruitment

 

Following a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding the recruitment process for the Independent Chair of the £20 million St Raphael’s and Stonebridge Pride in Place fund, Brent Council has issued a highly evasive response (Ref: IRC-92027-V6F0K0).

 

Rather than demonstrating the "open, fair, and transparent" governance promised in its corporate guidelines, the local delivery authority has completely withheld specific candidate metrics and process logs. Instead of providing the specific information requested, the council has merely supplied generic, blank procedural policy documents.

From the perspective of community oversight, this response raises serious transparency concerns.

 

The residents of the St Raphael’s & Stonebridge are entitled to full disclosure on the following three institutional points:

 

1. The Omission of the Advertised Resident Panel

 

The original request sought the specific decision logs confirming why the publicly advertised, localised resident stakeholder interview panel was omitted from the final evaluation process. The council’s response completely bypassed this question.

 

* The Procedural Breach: While the Candidate Pack permits political figures and council officers a seat on the final panel, Page 9, Section 4.5.9 of Brent Council’s own internal Recruitment and Selection Policy explicitly mandates that “steps must be taken to involve service users [residents] in the selection process wherever possible.” By completely omitting the advertised resident selection panels, the council removed vital community-led checks and balances, leaving political leadership as the sole evaluators of the post.

 

2. The Withholding of Basic Aggregate Statistics

 

The FOI request sought basic, non-identifiable numerical data: the total number of individuals who applied for the Chair position, and the total number successfully shortlisted for a formal interview.

 

* The Overreach of Data Protection: The council has claimed that disclosing these raw numerical figures violates Section 40(2) (Personal Data) under data protection laws. This represents a significant overreach of UK GDPR frameworks. Releasing a simple, raw aggregate statistic carries a zero percent probability of individual re-identification.

 

Withholding basic statistical counts prevents the public from assessing the competitiveness and openness of the selection process.

 

3. The Conflict Management Audit Trail

 

The successful candidate's public employment record indicates they served as a senior Brent Council staff member directly inside the Brent Council Leader’s Office until August 2025. They were subsequently appointed as the Independent Chair of this multi-million-pound community board in September 2026—just 13 months later.

 

* The Mandatory Policy Window: Under Page 7 of Brent Council’s own Conflict of Interest Policy, the Declaration of Interest forms of former employees must legally be held by the department for a minimum of 2 years after leaving the council's employ. Because the appointee falls squarely within this active 2-year audit window, an internal record trail MUST exist.

 

Despite this, the council has refused to provide anonymised copies of the due diligence, political activity disclosures, or conflict management logs requested to verify how the public perception of independence is being maintained.

 

Next Steps for Accountability

 

A flagship national initiative funded by central government to be "community-led" cannot be administered behind closed information barriers.

 

Consequently, we have taken two formal steps to challenge this evasion:

 

1. Escalated to Chief Executive Kim Wright: We have officially triggered a statutory Request for an Internal Review with the Information Governance team, copying in the Chief Executive and the legal department, to challenge the withholding of this data.

 

2. Notified Whitehall Assurance: We have forwarded the entire evasive FOI file and relevant council policy pages directly to the MHCLG Communities Delivery and Assurance Unit (PiPPcorrespondence@communities.gov.uk) for an independent compliance review.

 

I have also issued a direct, formal notice response to the newly appointed Chair, Priyesh Patel.

 

Our position is absolute: we have explicitly rejected any invitations to step into closed-door or private briefings at the Brent Civic Centre.

 

We will not enter any polished boardroom to discuss the future of a £20 million community fund while the council is actively hiding the recruitment data from the public. A formal, transparent meeting under strict public record rules will only be considered after Brent Council fully complies with basic transparency regulations, overrides its faulty data protection excuses, and releases the aggregate FOI statistics.

 

Public confidence cannot be rebuilt behind closed doors; the paperwork must be fully disclosed to the community first.

 

I’ve also formally written to Councillors Aden, Knight, Blackman and Leader Councillor Butt requesting clarification on the governance and conflict-of-interest arrangements surrounding the appointment of the Independent Chair for the £20m St Raphael’s Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.

 

I’ve asked them to confirm, among other things, whether any relevant professional or political associations were declared, whether any conflict-of-interest or risk-mitigation assessments were undertaken, whether the candidate’s recent Brent Council employment was considered in assessing independence, and whether residents were involved in the selection process.

 

I’ve given them until *5pm on Wednesday 7 October* to respond.

 

 Dear Councillors Aden, Knight, Blackman, and Leader Councillor Butt,

I am contacting you in my capacity as an independent community advocate for the St Raphael’s estate and Stonebridge regarding the recruitment and appointment of the Independent Chair of the £20 million St Raphael’s Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.

Given your elected roles and responsibilities within the ward and borough, I am seeking clarification on the governance and conflict-of-interest arrangements surrounding the selection process, particularly in light of information raised through my Freedom of Information investigation.

The FOI process (Ref: IRC-92027-V6F0K0) has not, to date, provided answers to several specific questions concerning resident involvement in the selection process, aggregate applicant and shortlisting figures, and whether conflict-of-interest or independence assessments were undertaken in relation to the successful candidate.

I have also obtained information which indicates that the successful candidate was employed by Brent Council, including within the Council Leader’s Office, until August 2025. I have further identified information concerning subsequent local political activity involving ward representatives. I am not asking you to accept any allegation of impropriety; rather, I am asking for the relevant governance arrangements to be confirmed publicly.

I therefore request confirmation of the following:

1. Declaration of association

Prior to the conclusion of the Independent Chair selection process, did any Stonebridge Ward member, or anyone within the Executive Office involved in the process, formally declare any previous professional, political or campaign association with the successful candidate to the Council’s Monitoring Officer, Director of Legal Services, or other designated officer responsible for managing conflicts of interest?

2. Conflict-of-interest assessment

Were any conflict-of-interest declarations, assessments, registers, risk assessments or other governance records created in relation to those associations? 

3. Risk mitigation

If any potential conflict or perceived conflict was identified, what risk-mitigation measures were put in place to ensure that participation by elected members in relation to the Neighbourhood Board remained appropriately separated from any previous professional or political associations?

4. Independence of the Chair

Was the successful candidate's recent employment by Brent Council considered as part of an assessment of whether they met the independence requirements of the Independent Chair role? If so, who conducted that assessment and what governance framework was applied?

5. Resident involvement

Did residents or local stakeholders participate in the evaluation, interview or selection of candidates for the Independent Chair position? If not, what was the recorded rationale for not incorporating a community-led interview or evaluation element?

6. Selection transparency

What were the total numbers of applicants, shortlisted candidates and candidates who progressed to formal interview for the Independent Chair position?

For clarity, I am not requesting personal data relating to other applicants.

I am seeking aggregate recruitment statistics, procedural information and confirmation of governance arrangements.

The Council's FOI response confirms that Brent was responsible for recruiting the Independent Chair positions. It also states that individual candidate scores and assessments were withheld as third-party personal data. My questions above are deliberately framed so that they can be answered without disclosing individual applicants' personal information.

I have now formally requested an internal review of FOI Ref: IRC-92027-V6F0K0. That review specifically asks the Council to reconsider whether the unanswered questions concerning resident involvement, aggregate selection figures, independence assessment and conflict-of-interest arrangements fall within the scope of the original request and can be disclosed without identifying individual applicants.

I would therefore be grateful if you could provide a substantive response to each question above by 5:00 PM on Wednesday 7 October 2026, so that the response can be placed on the public record alongside the ongoing FOI review.

If any of the information requested is not held, please state that expressly. If it is held but cannot be disclosed, please identify the relevant exemption or governance basis relied upon.

The purpose of this correspondence is to establish a clear factual record concerning the governance of the St Raphael’s Pride in Place programme and to ensure that residents can understand how independence, conflicts of interest and community participation were addressed during the appointment process.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Asif Zamir
Independent Community Advocate
St Raphael’s Estate and Stonebridge

 

Brent Greens Raise Deep Concerns Over Independence of Board Appointment to £20m St Raphael’s "Pride in Place" project

 

 

Community celebration on St Raph's

 

Brent Green Party councillors have expressed serious concern regarding the appointment of the Independent Chair to the St Raphael’s Estate Neighbourhood Board, following growing public disquiet and formal governance inquiries over the recruitment process.

 

The £20 million government-backed "Pride in Place" initiative is intended to deliver long-term, community-led investment to support St Raphael’s Estate. However, the recent announcement of Priyesh Patel as the board’s "Independent Chair" has sparked concern from local residents, grassroots community advocates, and commentators.

 

Brent Green councillors share the concerns raised by the local community regarding whether this crucial appointment can genuinely be considered independent. Public records indicate that Mr Patel was employed directly within the Council Leader’s office until August 2025 and has actively engaged in political campaigning alongside Brent Labour candidates. Furthermore, community advocates have raised serious questions over reports that an advertised resident stakeholder interview panel was omitted from the final selection process.

 

The Leader of the Green Group Cllr Mary Mitchell said:

 

We share the deep concerns voiced by local residents and community advocates. Appointing someone who was employed directly in the Council Leader’s political office only twelve months ago and who has been actively on the campaign trail with Brent Labour severely undermines public trust in what is designated as an 'independent' role.

 

I am calling for full transparency about the appointment, the selection process and the safeguards in place to ensure that the role is genuinely independent, including through a conflict of interest and independence review.

 

A non-partisan community role must be open to scrutiny and must command confidence across the political spectrum, and, most importantly among local residents. Residents deserve concrete commitments to guarantee that St Raphael’s residents, and grassroots organisations are independently represented in choices about how the £20m fund is spent.

 

FoI aims to lift the lid on St Raph's Pride in Place Appointment

 

Priyesh Patel (Credit: Brent Council) 

A Freedom of Information request has been submitted to Brent Council by Asif Zamir, Independent Community Advocate on St Raphael’s Estate. It concerns the process involved in the appointment of the Independent Chair of the £20m St Raphael’s Pride in Place Project:

 

I am writing to make a formal request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. My request relates specifically to the recruitment, shortlisting, and final selection process for the newly appointed Independent Chair of the St Raphael’s Neighbourhood Board under the 'Pride in Place' programme.

 

Please provide the following information:

 

1. Resident and Stakeholder Involvement:

 

   * Documentation confirming whether a localised resident stakeholder panel or community interview forum was formed to participate in the evaluation, interviewing, or selection of candidates for this specific Chair position.

   * If a resident or community panel was utilised, please provide the terms of reference or the criteria by which panel members were chosen. If no resident stakeholder panel was involved, please provide any recorded policy justification or decision log detailing why community panel interviews were omitted from this recruitment process.

 

2. Shortlisting and Interview Metrics:

 

   * The total number of applicants who submitted an application for the role of Independent Chair for the St Raphael's Neighbourhood Board.

   * The total number of applicants who were successfully shortlisted and advanced to a formal interview stage.

   * The anonymised scoring matrices, evaluation criteria, or procedural rubrics used by the council selection panel to determine which applicants were granted an interview and which were excluded from the shortlisting stage.

 

3. Independence, Vetting, and Conflict of Interest:

 

   * Given that the successful candidate's public employment record indicates they were an employee of Brent Council until August 2025 before transitioning to a political think tank, please provide any recorded assessments, internal panel minutes, or governance reviews that evaluated how an individual leaving council employment approximately 12 months prior satisfies the strict criteria for an "Independent Chair."

   * Copies of the conflict of interest declarations, political activity disclosure forms, or dual-interest registers completed by the successful candidate during or immediately following the application process regarding their political campaign activity alongside ward councillors.

   * Any internal correspondence or minutes detailing how the candidate’s concurrent political campaigning activities were assessed against the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity, ensuring that public funds allocated to the Neighbourhood Board are protected from perceived political bias.

 

Procedural Instruction (Section 12 & Section 16):

 

If you determine that any part of this request exceeds the statutory cost limit under Section 12 of the FOI Act, please invoke your statutory duty to provide advice and assistance under Section 16. In that event, please fulfil all other sections of this request that fall within the limit, prioritising the production of the anonymised scoring matrices and conflict of interest declarations.

 

Priyesh Patel campaigning with Stonebridge councillors

 

 

Asif Zamir speaking to Wembley Matters said:

 

The council advertised for an 'Independent Chair' to lead a board tasked with shaping the future of a £20 million investment on St Raphael's Estate. Yet it is alleged the recruitment process completely bypassed a localised resident stakeholder interview panel that was advertised on their website.

 

Instead, the appointment went to an ex-Brent Council employee who was on the council payroll just 12 months ago, and it has been alleged that he has been actively documented on the local political campaign trail with Stonebridge Labour Councillors who are also involved in the Pride in Place appointment. Residents deserve complete transparency over how this selection was scored and verified.

 

Residents aren't a checkbox exercise. We don't need a board that is set up to manage our expectations from the top down—we need a board that actually represents us. This FOI forces the council to put their scoring and vetting records on display so the community can see exactly how this decision was made.

 

The appointee, Priyesh Patel’s  Linkedin Profile says that he worked out of the Brent Council Leader, Muhammed Butt’s, office from January 2024-August 2025 providing ‘high-level policy, communications, and stakeholder support to Brent's Cabinet Members, ensuring the delivery of strategic objectives across portfolios including housing, regeneration, health, education, and community safety.’

 

Previously he had been a case worker at the House of Commons and is currently at British Future.

 

Sandra  White, appointed to the equivalent post in Harlesden, had lived in the area for more than 20 years an active in the community including Chair of the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum.  Priyesh Patel has been on Next Door (St Raph’s) since 2024 but has not made any posts. Brent Council’s press statement on Priyesh’s appointment says:

 

A proud St Raph’s resident, Priyesh has been involved in civic and community life in Brent from a young age – including through Brent Youth Parliament and later training and presenting with Brent Youth Radio. Priyesh has a strong interest in interfaith work across the borough and has supported charitable and community initiatives within local faith spaces in Stonebridge, alongside his involvement with Brent Multi Faith Forum.

 

Asif Zamir remarked:

 

I want to make it absolutely clear that this is not a personal attack on Priyesh Patel. I do not know him, and despite years of working on the ground here, he is not someone I or other active resident groups have ever come across within our estate's community advocacy networks. This is entirely about protecting the integrity of our community's voice.

 

When an advertised resident interview panel is bypassed to install an ex-council employee who worked directly inside the Council Leader's political office only a year ago, it fundamentally undermines the word 'Independent'. Our community is fighting to ensure that appointments are made fairly, transparently, and with genuine local oversight. St Raphael's residents have waited too long for this £20 million investment to have its governance handled through closed doors. We deserve a board leader who answers strictly to the people living in these blocks, not to the political networks at the Civic Centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandra White on her 'daunting' role in the Harlesden Pride in Place project

 Sandra White (Photo: Brent Council)

Sandra White, chosen by Brent Council to head up the Pride in Place project, added some context to the Next Door link to the Wembley Matters article published recently. 

   

I am both honoured and humbled by taking on this role. The Community Panel will choose how the funds are spent - No one individual will have power, and the ideas will be presented and put forward by local residents - Obviously we can't and won't do everything, but we will have a good go at it.

 

Pride in Place Programme funding over a 10-year period is split into 63% capital and 37% revenue. Capital Funding (63%) is money used for physical assets and infrastructure.

 

Usage: Building or upgrading community facilities, parks, sports grounds, high streets, and public spaces. Revenue Funding (37%) is Money used for day-to-day operational costs and services.

 

Usage: Running local programs, community engagement events, staffing, and civic capacity building.

 

This a huge role, a daunting role, but this investment can be used to make a difference and by coming together and taking action together we can hopefully build a sustainable foundation for change for the future of Harlesden. Just to add... I'm not a politician but I am a grafter, and I am here to serve. Also just to make this clear - this is a voluntary role - there is a £5K stipend, so not a paid post.

 

Funded by City Challenge money to encourage SMEs in Harlesden (Photo: Brent Council)

The Harlesden City Challenge project, part of an urban regeneration programme initiated by Tory Minister Michel Heseltine in the early 1990s, may have lessons for the Pride in Place project. Gerry Davis was the Chief Executive of Harlesden City Challenge and was based in Challenge House in Harlesden High Street.

£150,000 was spent on artworks some of which still remain scattered around Harlesden, but the real question is what wider impact did the project have on employment, social cohesion on equality. 

The £37.5m 4 year  project is claimed to have created 2,000 jobs, mainly in Park Royal and improvements in housing in Stonebridge and Harlesden. It funded High Street improvements including new street furniture and public art and restored and expanded  adult education and community services at the Victorian Morland Gardens villa. See Philip Grant's article HERE.

Time permitting I hope to look deeper in the City Challenge experience 

 

  

 

Sandra White, Harlesden community leader, to oversee £20 million investment programme in her community

 

Sandra White

 

From Brent Council

Sandra White has been offered the role of Independent Chair of the Neighbourhood Board that will decide how £20 million will be spent to improve Harlesden – part of the government’s Pride in Place programme –over the next 10 years.

Pride in Place is a major government investment programme, designed to deliver visible improvements in places across the country that are facing high inequalities.

Subject to completing the formal appointment process, Sandra will lead the Harlesden Neighbourhood Board, which will develop a long-term plan for the area and ensure that decisions about how the money is spent are made by and for local people.

It builds on recent investment in Harlesden town centre, including the transformation of the iconic Picture Palace into a new community hub, the restoration of historic buildings on Harlesden High Street, and the celebration of cultural heritage with the Harlesden Walk of Music. Together, these improvements to public spaces provide a strong foundation for the next phase of community-led change in Harlesden.

Sandra brings extensive community leadership experience to the role. A Harlesden resident for more than 20 years, she has worked with young people and supported a wide range of community initiatives across the area. She has a longstanding commitment to Harlesden and its diverse communities and has played a key role in community-led decision-making, most recently serving as Chair of the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, said: "Pride in Place represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Harlesden. The success of the programme will depend on strong local leadership and genuine community involvement, and Sandra brings both in abundance. Her experience, credibility and deep connection to the area make her an outstanding choice to lead the Neighbourhood Board as we begin this exciting new chapter for Harlesden."

Georgia Gould MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale said: “Sandra has a proven track record of bringing people together and delivering for the diverse, creative and entrepreneurial community in Harlesden.

“I have seen firsthand her passion for Harlesden and commitment to community led change and I know she will make sure that Harlesden’s residents are leading this programme.

“I am really excited by the huge interest there has been in being part of Pride in Place, and I am looking forward to seeing their ideas come to life.”

Sandra White said: "Harlesden has been my home for more than 20 years, and it is a place and community I care about deeply, so I am genuinely honoured and excited to have been offered the role.

“This investment gives us a rare opportunity not simply to change how Harlesden looks, but to help strengthen and heal our community, build on the incredible talent, creativity and resilience that already exists here, and create new opportunities for our young people and future generations.

“I want this to be a chance for Harlesden to show what is beautiful about our neighbourhood, while also being honest about the challenges we face. I look forward to bringing everyone together to shape a shared vision and create lasting change that Harlesden can truly be proud of."

Harlesden is one of two Brent neighbourhoods selected to receive Pride in Place funding over the next decade, alongside St Raphael’s Estate. The Chair for St Raphael’s will be announced in due course.

If you have an idea for how the money should be spent in Harlesden or St Raphael’s, share it with the Neighbourhood Board by filling out an online form.