Brent Council Tax unchanged but rents increase in 2013-14 budget

The Budget Report going before the Brent Executive on February 11th recommends no change in the barometer Band D Council Tax and little change in the other rates.  This decision contrasts with early budget documentation that built in Council Tax rises over the next three years.  Since then Eric Pickles has declared that rises above 2% have to be approved by a local referendum and attacked Councils who were considering raising the tax to protect services. His mix of bribery and threatened opprobrium seems to have done the trick.

Brent Housing Partnership tenants will pay an average rent increase of 3.74% and there will also be rises in service charges. The table below shows that almost 4,000 households will face an increase of nearly £5 a week or £250 annually raising an additional million pounds.  Hillside Housing Trust (Stonebridge) rents will rise by 3.1% on average.

The new approach to social housing is explicit in the report's comment from the Brent Housing Partnership:

BHP agrees with the recommendation to increase rents on average by 3.74%. We recognise that this will place an additional financial burden on the 32% of Brent Council tenants that are currently are not in receipt of housing benefit. However BHP recognises that Brent is now operating a self financing housing business and that this increase is necessary to ensure the success of the Council's business plan.

'Stonebridge The Movie' promo launched

Poor turnout at NHS hospitals consultation

August is a curious month to have consultations, especially an exceptional August when the borough is hosting an Olympics. I was not expecting an enormous turnout at the 'Shaping a Healthier Future' road show on Tuesday but the 6-8 members of the public (some may have been from the PR company or local GPs) who had turned up by 2.45pm at the Patidar Centre was disappointing to say the least. Advertised variously as starting at 1pm or 2pm there were no NW London NHS people at the 2-4pm Q&A until one arrived at 2.45pm. Although a table had been set up for speakers at the back of the room the public chairs were arranged around the edge of the room like a school dance. There were half a dozen laptops on a table in the corner and some panel displays about the proposals. The room arrangement served to split people off from each other.

Because I had to catch a train from Wembley Central shortly after 3pm I button-holed the clinician with my questions. I first asked about the differencee between what the Urgent Care Centre offered and the service provided by A&E. I noted that the consultation document said that most UCCs were housed alongside A&E but that Central Middlesex would not have an A&E.

I was told that UCCs would deal with most cases - it could deal with broken arms but not broken legs! I was assured that cases that had gone to Central Middlesex UCC but could not be treated there would be transferred to Northwick Park by ambulance. Clearly this poses dangers for urgent cases.

I asked how school or work place first aiders would know whether cases should go to Central Middlesex UCC or Northwick Park A&E (would there be a 'menu'?) and was told that people would soon get used to the services offered by both as the changes would not be implemented for 3 or 4 years. Ambulance usage was only expected to rise by 5% (!) and NW London NHS supported the extension of the 18 bus route to Northwick Park to serve the people of Harlesden and Stonebridge.

When I reported the difficulties that a friend had with treatment at what appeared to be an overloaded A&E at Northwick Park I was told that £20m would be spent on expanding the ward, staff would be transferred from Central Middlesex A&E and additional doctors and nurses hired.

I would be interested to hear whether there was better attendance at the evening session and hear about any discussions that took place,

The roadshow is next in Brent on Saturday September 29th at Harlesden Methodist Church, 25 High Street, NW10 from 10am-4pm.