Now it appears that Brent Council will have TWO internal reviews into Euro2020 Final!

 

I reported yesterday LINK that Muhammed Butt had turned down the recommendation that there be a public internal inquiry into the disturbances at the Euro2020 Final made by Scrutiny Committee.  My report was based on the speech he made at Cabinet in response to the presentation by Scrutiny Chair, Cllr  Roxanne Mashari, in which he made no reference to accepting the recommendation, where no other Cabinet member took part and the proposal not put to the Cabinet for a vote to be taken.

This is the  Cabinet decision sheet that contains the official account of his speech LINK:

Councillor Mashari, Chair of the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee, provided an update on the discussions held at the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee meeting on 16 July 2021 regarding the scenes witnessed around Wembley Stadium in advance of the UEFA 2020 European Championship Final.  She advised that as well as focussing on the impact upon local residents, the Committee had also been particularly concerned at reports of injuries along with issues identified relating to public safety and public health and how this may affect arrangements for the hosting of future events at the Stadium.  Cabinet were advised that the Committee had taken evidence from relevant officers and stakeholders during their meeting and had welcomed the information provided.  As a result of the concerns expressed, however, the Committee had recommended that Cabinet hold a public review into the Council’s actions taken before, during and after the Final to establish the lessons learnt.

 

Councillor M Butt, as Leader of the Council, thanked Councillor Mashari for her contribution and in response began by highlighting the need for care to be taken in terms of the accuracy of any statements made relating to the events witnessed, given the current external independent review being led by Baroness Casey and nature of ongoing police prosecutions.  The Council were fully cooperating and supporting the independent review and in order to avoid prejudicing the outcome of this and ongoing criminal prosecutions he advised it would not therefore be possible to comment in any more detail at this stage on the issues identified.  Councillor M.Butt ended by highlighting the level of support provided by staff from across the Council in the staging of the tournament at Wembley Stadium and thanked all those involved on behalf of the Council for their efforts.

 

I think readers can see why I interpreted that as not agreeing to a internal public review as requested by Scrutiny. Usually decisions are recorded in  the form: Cabinet 'RESOLVED', and then a record of the action points.

 

However Cllr Mashari  tweeted this morning:

 

It is puzzling that Cllr Butt, as Leader of the Council, did not mention the two internal reviews in his Cabinet speech but they are very welcome and I am sure local residents would welcome a way to contribute.

Cllr Butt turns down public review into Brent Council’s actions taken before, during and after the Euro 2020 Final to establish the lessons learnt

 

In the aftermath of the disturbances at the Euro202 Final at Wembley Stadium the Council’s Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee added an emergency item to its agenda and discussed what had happened with council officers before agreeing a recommendation to be made to the Cabinet.

 

Cllr Roxanne Mashari presented that recommendation yesterday. She said that there was public concern in Brent about the disturbances and resulting injuries as well as concern over the public health implications of what had been called the Wembley Covid Variant. The Committee had been disappointed with the lack of detail coming from officers.

 

Cllr Mashari thanked Brent CEO Carolyn Downs for sharing an incident report with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee as well as the Chair of the Community and Well Being Scrutiny Committee but was concerned at the lack of publicly available information regarding the Council’s activities and responsibilities on the day.

 

The Scrutiny Committee resolved that the Council should hold a public  review into its actions before, during and after the Final to establish lessons learnt.

 

Responding the Leader of the Council, Cllr Butt, said that there were live cases going through the courts at present and no one from the Council or anyone else would be making any public statement about what had happened on that day.

 

He said that the Council would cooperate fully with the Casey Inquiry and went on to thank council officers for the work that they had done ‘going above and beyond what was actually required’ – work that had been in preparation over 3 years.

 

Cllr Butt reiterated that it would be wrong to make any comment or to assert any wrongdoing from anyone until investigations had concluded. He thanked everyone for ensuring that the event place in very difficult and challenging circumstances.  He added that the Government had recommended that the number of people attending the matches should be staggered slowly and that was exactly what had happened. The Council had played its full part in making sure that that everyone who needed testing and support had it. Every single service in the Council absolutely played its part and would continue to do so.

 

No other Cabinet member spoke, and no vote was taken on the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendation.

 

Will Brent Cabinet decide to set up its own review of Euro2020 Final disturbances and security breaches?

 

A month ago Brent Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee decided to recommend that the Brent Cabinet set up an internal inquiry, open to the public, into the disturbances and security breaches at the Euro2020 Final at Wembley Stadium. LINK  (The precise working is not available  as the Minutes of the meeting have not yet been published.)

The recommendation was not tabled at the subsequent Cabinet meeting but references from the Council's Scrutiny Committees are on the agenda for Monday's 10am Cabinet meeting. No reports are attached to the item.

The Brent CEO made a statement shortly after the Final but Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt was silent until the Football Association set up its own review. He welcomed the review in a statement on the Council website but did not mention any independent Brent Council review:

We welcome the independent review, announced by the FA, to get to the bottom of the scenes we saw at the EURO 2020 Final. It is important that a full and thorough review takes place and that any lessons that can be taken from the events of the England v Italy game are learnt.

The council will be fully participating in that review and will take on board any recommendations Baroness Casey has for activities under our remit.

Clearly there is a difference between participating in another organisation's review and carrying out your own. Cllr Roxanne Mashari, chair of the Public Realm Scrutiny Committee, recognised this in her own tweet after the FA's announcement:

Promising to see the FA announce an independently chaired review of security breaches at Wembley Stadium. Essential that this review includes Brent Council who have yet to commit to reviewing their own actions and producing a report on lessons learned.

Wembley Stadium mayhem on tonight's Brent_Council Scrutiny Committee agenda

 From the Independent LINK

It is worth reading the above article in full ahead of tonight's Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee. Using an innovation introduced by Committee Chair, Cllr Roxanne Mashari, the Committee will be able to have a preliminary discussion about Sunday's events, under Item 8 : Topical Item.

The meeting starts at 6pm and can be watched live HERE.

Green Jobs for Now and for Tomorrow - Public Meeting at Bridge Park September 11th

Please note that the meeting will be subject to a change of format if it falls within a General Election purdah period. Register for the meeting HERE

Cllr Mashari launches Brent Council leadership bid as 'unity' candidate

Cllr Roxanne Mashari (Labour Welsh Harp) has announced that she will stand against Muhammed Butt for leadership of Brent Council at the Labour Group’s AGM on Saturday.

Mashari told the Kilburn Times LINK:

It’s a strictly positive campaign. I’m standing to try and be a unity candidate, build on the progress we’ve made since 2010 and take the council and the borough to the next level.
 
The scale of the challenges we face, we are going to have to be more transformative in our approach.
There are huge levels of destitution and poverty in the borough which are already too high, consistent in areas like South Kilburn, Stonebridge and Harlesden for decades. We have to change the story of this borough in fundamental areas.

I’m not talking about tinkering around the edges – I’m talking about a real shift in terms of how we operate and how we focus. 

This is not about disparaging anyone. It’s not to say we haven’t made progress or Cllr Butt hasn’t done good things. We are in a critical point in time for Brent with service savings to make, the universal credit roll-out, and foodbanks at capacity – now it’s time to take things up a step and be transformative. I want to see Brent be a flagship Labour council in the UK and that’s where I want to take us.

Kishan Parshotam, who co-chaired Brent Youth parliament with Cllr Mashari said:

Roxanne has always been a champion for equal rights. She was a fantastic Co-Chair of BYP and helped it go from strength to strength. She would be an admirable, and tenacious, leader of the Council during the next difficult chapter for our borough.

Cllr Mashari resigned from the Brent Cabinet in December 2016 LINK

Previous leadership bids by Cllr Nerva and Cllr Pavey have failed to remove Cllr Butt but there is increased disquiet now over his leadership particularly regarding the issues outlined in the article below and decisions such as that regarding the Wembley Stadium steps and meetings with developers.

Local Solutions to Hunger - House of Commons April 18th 2018

Wednesday April 18th 3.30-5pm Committee Room 9, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA

Food banks have become an increasingly prevalent feature in our communities over the last few years with the numbers of food bank referrals reaching record levels.

How are local councils and organisations responding to the changing nature of emergency provision and deprivation?

With demand for food banks expected to rise further as Universal Credit is fully rolled out, what practical steps are available to tackle poverty and hunger and how can councils take a leading role?

There are two local speakers at this event.

Chair: Emma Lewell-Buck MP

Speakers: 

Roxanne Mashari – Councillor, London Borough of Brent
Sabine Goodwin- Independent Food Aid Network
Robert Tinker - Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Deidre Woods - Granville Community Kitchen
Sarah Chapman - Wandsworth Foodbank

BOOK HERE

Call for targeted interventions to address hunger and poverty in Brent

The following motion will be debated at the Brent Council meeting on Monday:

This Council welcomes the findings and recommendations of the recent Resource and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee task group report into the use of food banks in Brent.

Given the scale of the problem of destitution and food poverty and likelihood that need will increase with the further roll out of Universal Credit this year, this Council recognises the need for local public, voluntary and private organisations to collaborate on the production of a proactive strategy to bring forward targeted interventions to prevent and address hunger and chronic poverty in the borough.

This Council notes the following findings of the task group:

·      Food banks are playing, and will continue to play, an increasingly significant role in society. The corrosion of the welfare state has meant that food banks have had no choice but to step up to fill in the gap. 


·      1.2 million food aid packages were given out by Trussell Trust food banks during the last financial year and this was the ninth consecutive year in which demand has risen. 


·      In Brent alone last year an estimated 5,636 people accessed food banks 


·      Major drivers behind food bank usage locally are benefit delays and sanctions, the current waiting period before benefits are paid, inaccessibility of services and low wages. 


·      Official figures do not capture the true extent of the problem across the borough; with many residents seeking assistance from religious organisations providing informal meals and food assistance. 


·      Locally, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) moved new single claimants over to Universal Credit(UC) in2015 and have now advised full  rollout of UC across Brent will happen in late 2018. It is likely that implementation of full UC will place further demands on local food banks and information / advice services. 


·      The use of food banks includes both people in and out of work. 


·      Statements from government ministers dismissing food bank use as a lifestyle choice of those who are unable to budget properly has influenced incorrect beliefs about food bank users. This has contributed to stigma, shame, and embarrassment for the people who need to use them.


Brent Council recognises the invaluable work undertaken by food bank staff, volunteers and donors. This  Council formally extends its gratitude to all involved.

Councillor Roaxnne Mashari Welsh Harp Ward 


Foodbanks in Brent: 'Behind every number is a person' - a revealing video

In an enterprising move the Scrutiny Task Group on Foodbanks has made a video about the role of foodbanks in Brent that catered for more than five and  a half thousand people last year. The roll out of Unoversal Credit this year is likely to increase the numners neeeding to use foodbanks.The Task Grpup, led by Cllr Roxanne Mashari, made 35 recommendations which can be read in the embedded document at the foot of this article.

The Task Group reports states:

Many local authorities like Brent find themselves in uncharted territory in relation to food banks . Alongside the absence of guidance for local authorities, the task group feels that there is room for improvement and external oversight with regards to safety, hygiene and safeguarding in many of the food aid providers locally.

The task group could not find any policy framework, or guidance outlining how local authorities should work with or alongside food banks.

This lack of understanding, policy and coordination presents a significant risk to public sector organisations, food banks and food bank users particularly as we approach the wider roll out of universal credit in 2018.

Time and again our task group heard of benefit delays, universal credit design problems, inaccessibility of services and sanctions driving ordinary people to extraordinary levels of desperation and destitution. We must be clear in our collective determination in Brent that our role as public and private sector bodies is to strategically tackle poverty and increase prosperity, not to create deprivation and poverty through our own policies. The fact that actions of publically funded bodies are a major driving force behind local food bank numbers is a cause for alarm and shame.

We cannot wait for the government to decide to take action when it comes to food banks , we must take matters into our own hands by demonstrating leadership and initiative to stem the tide of destitution and desperation . It is up to us to make sure that residents are not falling through the gaps of services and that there is a coordinated, preventative and interventionist approach. 

This task group has brought to light some of the most talented, hardworking and visionary individuals who help run food banks and provide a unique and vital service that would not otherwise be provided .  We have also witnessed heart - wrenching stories of neglect, desperation and abject poverty that have been both s hocking and upsetting.

What is clear is that this level of need and poverty must not be normalised or accepted.

It is time for all of us to take stock, to not shy away from the scale of the problem and to be nimble enough to respond to the shifting shape of provision for those in destitution, whether we agree with government policy in this area or not.

Our recommendations provide a blueprint for the first few steps in organising a coordinated response to this relatively new phenomenon and we will be holding local leaders to account over the next twelve months in order to translate policy and ideas into action that makes a difference on the ground.

Petition launched against 25 metre high Welsh Harp phone mast - please sign

Cllr Roxanne Mashari (Labour, Welsh Harp) has launched a petition against the proposed erection of a 25 metre high phone mast on the Welsh Harp. You can sign the petition HERE

The petition to Brent Planning Department says:

Stop the building of a 25 metre phone mast in the beautiful Welsh Harp Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is the largest nature reserve in Greater London.

Why is this important?

The Welsh Harp is the only Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Brent or Barnet and is home to a wide and rich diversity of wildlife.

We are concerned by evidence suggesting a detrimental impact of wireless cell towers on wildlife as well as the building of such a visibly obstructive structure on the appearance and openness of this piece of Metropolitan Open Land. We believe that to give permission to this structure runs contrary to Brent Council's policy on the Protection and Enhancement of Open Space, Sports and Biodiversity.

The proposed improvement of 3G coverage resulting from the mast would appear to only benefit a very small area and is disproportionate to the greater disruption of land and surrounding wildlife.
The Welsh Harp is a truly unique and important site to local residents but also in its wider scientific, ecological and natural beauty value across London. It is our responsibility to preserve it for generations to come.

We therefore strongly object to the approval of this site for the construction of a Mobile Telephone Mast under application PA 17/4597.

To comment on the planning application individually please follow this LINK

Cllr Mashari resigns from Brent Cabinet

I understand that Cllr Roxanne Mashari has resigned from the Brent Cabinet.  The resignation follows the controversy over the Granville South Kilburn development when she appeared to have been made the scapegoat for lack of consultation when the actual decisions had been made by Cllr Butt who holds the property portfolio. LINK

Neither Butt nor Cllr McLennan, deputy leader, were at the Scrutiny Committee where Cllr Mashari had to answer critics, including Cllrs John Duffy and John Warren.

Cllr Butt, in addition to his own duties as leader, is currently temporarily holding the Children and Families portfolio.

After rancorous Scrutiny Committee a chance to move forward on Granville?

Cllr Roxanne Mashari's scalp was still intact at the end of yesterday's Scrutiny meeting on the Carlton/Granville redevelopment despite the best efforts of the cross-party combo,  'The Two Johnnies', Cllrs Warren and Duffy.

Cllr Warren had proposed that Cllr Mashari, lead member for Regeneration be stood down from the South Kilburn part of her portfolio because of 'her failure to reply to several important e-mails or to visit the Granville Centre or the school during the period July-October 2016 causing the local community to believe Brent Council was intending to demolish a community asset without consultation.'

Instead he proposed that a Task Force be set up led by the council leader and include the three Kilburn ward councillors and one or two members of the local community. The  Task Force 'should review and ensure that there is a balance (of) private sector housing, social sector housing and community services, such as Health centres, Schools, Employment Hubs and Community Centres.

The Committee Chair, Cllr Kelcher, attempted to prevent what he deemed personal attacks  on Cllr Mashari from both Cllr Warren and Duffy.

Much of the controversy hinged on the July Cabinet's approval of Option 2 on the redevelopment of Carlton-Granville which residents and users saw as approving complete demolition of the site. This is the actual record on the Cabinet decision:

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(i)        that approval be given to Option 2 for redeveloping the Carlton & Granville Centres, Granville Road, London, NW6 5RA (the subject site) to deliver 95 new homes, an Enterprise Hub and 3274sqm of additional community use space;

(ii)       that a further update be provided to formally approve final scheme plans and the required capital investment to bring forward the phased redevelopment of the Carlton and Granville Centres and ensure continuity of occupation for the Enterprise Hub within the site;

(iii)      that the site be included within the scope of the South Kilburn Masterplan review to ensure wider place making considerations are incorporated;

(iv)      that the Strategic Director for Resources in consultation with the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Finance Officer enter into a legal agreement with the South Kilburn Trust and the GLA to secure their funding contributions in return for project delivery of the Enterprise Hub by March 2018, and setting out Council commitment to underwrite the shortfall in project funds;

(v)       that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Resources in consultation with the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Finance Officer to oversee scheme development through further viability testing, local consultation, and planning consent;

(vi)      that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Resources in consultation with the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Finance Officer in respect to any works and/or professional services contracts for scheme development to agree pre-tender considerations, invite tenders and thereafter award the contract.

Reason Key: Significant expenditure/savings > 30% of budget for the function in question

Cllr Mashari pointed out that she was not the lead on the July report and admitted that consultation on it had been poor. In his contribution Cllr Nerva said that it was a pity that the councillors responsible (Ed: Cllr Butt (Property and Cllr McLennan) were not present. Certainly I got the distinct impression that Cllr Mashari had been hung out to dry by her colleagues so the proposal to make Cllr Butt the lead was a little strange to say the least.

Cllr Mashari said:

I'll be as transparent and clear and collaborative as possible going forward (on the project). We can't go back in time. I can only guarantee clarity in the future.

Away from the Warren/Duffy-Mashari battle the actual local users of the Centre made passionate speeches about the essential services they provided for the local community. Responding to officer claims that the facilities were under-used  Leslie Barson said that the Council itself had acted to limit its use leading to the run-down. The headteacher and Chair of Governors spoke about the many services offered by Granville Nursery Plus and the £800k extension that had been built for the school.

In the course of the discussion Richard Barrett, Director of Regeneration, seemed to suggest that this building would go when said that the headteacher and her team would be asked to put forward ideas for the nursery school provision and that his team would then turn it into building plans. However, during interchanges it became clear that the South Kilburn Trust would be the senior partner in the redevelopment. Cllr Mashari said that the regeneration of South Kilburn should take into account the need for 'social' regeneration.

Cllr Rita Conneely said that it was important to be clear whether the November report, which was actually the subject of the call-in, was an extension of the July report or an over-turning of that report. In response Cllr Mashari said that 'we have more or less said that complete demolition is not now an option. There is a step change from the July report and that will be shown in the coming months.'

Cllr Pitruzella called for involvement of ward councillors in proposals that affected their ward well in advance of any proposals going to Cabinet. Cllr Duffy said that the council would get more value from developers if they involved people who actually know the local area. Cllr Nerva claimed that one of the reasons for the confusion was the lack of detail of each lead member's portfolio responsibilities.

Towards the end of the meeting during tense exchanges with Cllr Duffy, Cllr Mashari stating that this was not the only occasion there had been conflict with her Labour colleague, revealed that she was asking for disciplinary action against him. She did not specify the form of disciplinary action but this could be through the Labour Party's own procedures or the Council's Code of Conduct for Members.

The Committee decided not to refer back the November decision and instead made the following recommendations:

1) Continuation of Granville Nursery Plus was paramount and the school to be involved in the full design process.
2) Mechanisms need to be adopted to fully involve ward councillors before such reports go to Cabinet (this would be referred to the Constitution Working Group)
3) A full 12 month timetable for the collaborative work on the redevelopment proposals should be constructed as soon as possible and brought back to the Scrutiny Committee
4) Scrutiny should received a full report in six month's  time from lead members and officers on moving the project forward with details of consultations and the progress of collaborative work on the project.

This morning Cllr Duffy wrote to his Labour colleagues giving his take on last night's meeting: (typos corrected)

Dear All,

Went to the Scrutiny Committee last night, to raised the issue of why the Cabinet agreed a report to demolish a thriving community centre and a local school to maximise investment from the private sector and devastate community assets.This was not a mistake this was done by the Cabinet (Neil Kinnock accent) a Labour Cabinet, knowing they had not consulted the school or community centre or local councillors.

The report was agreed in July, but because I highlighted it saying "I would not give it political cover "and a strong community campaign.They were force to reverse it in November.   

At the meeting usual stuff happen. I had put a lot of effort into highlighting the cabinet attempt to demolish the school and centre.However the Chair of the meeting ruled because the first person to call in the report was Cllr Warren he was allowed introduce it that I could only ask 2 questions, not bother I am used of it.

Cllr Warren introduce the item and questioned whether Cllr Mashari was hindering the project by her lack of action and her failure to engage with residents and local councillors, between July and November. The Chair ruled him out of order and said we can only talk about the November meeting ,the fact the November meeting was a result of the failure of the July meeting seemed to escape the Chair. .

A number of residents spoke The Granville centre,The Head of the School, The Chair of Governors, The South Kilburn Trust and both Cllr Connelly and  Cllr Pitruzzella spoke .

Cllr Mashari replied saying she was sorry about the lack of consultation and it was not her fault its was Cllr Butt's fault and various officers, one of whom had nothing to do with the July report. Neil Nevra also spoke saying it was Cllr Butt's fault and he should be called to the meeting.

As I say I was limited to 2 questions which were (1) Why did she vote to demolish the Granville Centre knowing no consultation had taken place?  (2) Why did you not answer any emails or attend any meeting or visit Kilburn between July and November to assure the local community? Cllr Mashari refused to answer the questions as she said she had referred me for disciplinary action which is news to me? The Chair said she did not have to answer the questions so we will never know why she voted to demolish the Granville centre and why she went AWOL between July and November.

The outcome was OK, I think Cllr Mashari was force to make concessions like real consultation and that consultation to be recorded before she makes a decision. Cllr Butt was found guilty in his absence so Cllr Mashari and Cllr Nerva are happy .

I am still a little bemused by the fact the person who voted to demolish Granville centre is now in charge of saving it and the same person who ignored the fact no consultation had taken place is in charge of consultation, but you can't have everything.

So on the night the Kilburn councillors and community seem to have saved the Granville centre from the clutches of the cabinet and Cllr Mashari's wings have been clipped, but did not get a Task- Force to deliver the regeneration of Kilburn ,which is unfortunate but all in all I'm happy.

 Perhaps now South Kilburn residents will be treated with due respect.

Cllr Mashari rejects call for her resignation over Granville redevelopment

Kilburn Times story

Cllr John Duffy (Labour, Kilburn) took the unusual step yesterday of circulating an email to all councillors calling for the resignation of Cllr Roxanne Mashari (Labour, Welsh Harp) who is the Cabinet member leading on Regeneration and Employment.

Cllr Mashari promptly rejected the call which was based on alleged incompetence over the redevelopment of the Granville and Carlton Centres in South Kilburn.  After a campaign by residents and users new proposals are to be put to the Cabinet on Tuesday November 15th which include, in Phase 2, proposals for the Granville Kitchen, Granville Nursery Plus and Otherwise Club. These were covered in an earlier post on Wembley Matters LINK.

Duffy wrote after coverage of the issue in the Kilburn Times which reported Zadie Smith's support for campaigners LINK: (Duffy's email appear to have been written in some haste and I have corrected typos)

All Councillors, 

This scandal attached came about because the cabinet agree to knock down a school  in Kilburn  they did not know was there . I know that is hard to believe particularly because it is a Brent school. How could anybody miss a school is beyond me.

Cllr Mashari in true cabinet style, failed to consult the school , the local community centres or local Kilburn Councillors. Her incompetency  put £2million investment in local employment from the  Soth Kilburn Trust and £750k from the GLA at risk. The incompetency also put the school and community  through unnecessary anguish . During the cabinet meeting to knock down the school not one question was raised by the cabinet about the lack of communication and consultation with users of the community centres and Kilburn Councillors.

It was only after the intervention of the local Councillors Rita Conneely, Barbara (Pitruzzella) and myself , where we demanded  a meeting  with the Leader and the CEO, did the leader agree to reconsider change the decision and consider options to ensure the future of the user groups and school.

This is not the first time the cabinet have have put funding at risk , due to their previous incompetence  , they previous nearly gave the street cleansing contractor up to £400k by failing to notice the report said all extra revenue from the green bins should go to the contractor (Veolia) and not the Brent council.

I believe Cllr Mashari should apologies  to the residents of Kilburn for  her breathtaking incompetence and resign  from the regelation portfolio .

Cllr Mashari replied:

Thank you for your email.

The decision on the future use of Granville that went through cabinet earlier this year did not come from Regeneration, but rather through property, which now sits under the Leader's portfolio. I understand that this may be confusing, but I have taken the time to sit down with Cllr Conneely to explain the division of responsibility here.

I understand that the leader has met and spoken about this matter with you on a number of occasions.

As far as the future of the building is concerned, I am now taking forward a paper through regeneration which outlines the next phase of the project in the context of the South Kilburn Regeneration scheme and I assure you that the process will be collaborative going forward.  I am happy to further discuss the upcoming cabinet paper with you and your ward colleagues.

I had also asked that Richard Barrett from our Regeneration team meet individually with each of the tenants and local stakeholders to capture their feedback and concerns. This has been done in addition to several other consultative meetings and exercises.

While I agree that the original decision could have been undertaken more collaboratively with councillors and community stakeholders, you will appreciate that I was not the lead member on this and that myself and Regeneration staff are working hard to establish a more consultative approach to make this project a success now it has passed from Property to Regeneration.

With regards to your assertion that I should resign, I feel this is a wholly inappropriate response on the back of a Kilburn Times article and clearly before you had taken the trouble to check which cabinet member led on the original decision.  

Nonetheless, I am determined to find a way forward for Granville that means all local stakeholders are at the heart of the design and function of the new enterprise hub and I hope that you will continue to work closely with Richard Barrett and myself to ensure that happens.

Cllr Duffy responded thanking Cllr Mashari for her clarification but went on to list the reasons she should resign: (typos and minor corrections)

There are four reasons I think you should  resign and apologise.

(1) It is not about the issue of who made original decision, it's the fact you left the parents and governors of the school  and users of the community centre in limbo , not knowing if the school and community centre would  close.They were left not knowing for over 3 months.During that time  there were many meetings  concerning  the centres both in Kilburn and the CC  (Civic Centre) since the July 25th meeting. You have not even attempted  to visit the school you have not visited the community centre you have not attended SKT or to my knowledge you have not even set foot in Kilburn since you were elected or since the meeting of the 25 July.

(2)Your action to ignore my plea to start consultation put £2.75 million much needed  investment in Kilburn at risk and it was only the actions and pressure of the local community and Rita, Barbara and myself that secured the funding.

(3) You say you have asked officers from the generation team to meet with local stake holders,this is true. Unfortunately you only asked officers to meet with stakeholder this week which is 105 Days after the meeting of the July 25th and 115 Days after I sent you the email outlining the lack of consultation.I find it quite disingenuous for you to  pretend  you have taken actions , when you ignored Kilburn residents for over 3 months. 

(4) I do believe you even bother to read the reports (sic) on the demolition of the Granville and Carlton on the 25th May This is borne out  by your confusion with the dates and believing you were not the lead member at the time.

Cllr Mashari you can try and blame Cllr Butt and Cllr McLennan (Deputy Leader) , but both of those along with Cllr W. Mitchell- Murray  have come to Kilburn to reassure residents while you have ignored them.

I  say again you should resign  as I believe  the residents of Kilburn will not have any confidence in you to deliver regeneration which reflects the needs of their community.