Labour Leadership incompetence in the management of the Barham Park Trust could have lost residents up to £100,000 in income, claims Paul Lorber

Another potential  failure in the effective and responsible management of the Barham Park Trust has been revealed by Brent Liberal Democrat Leader, Paul Lorber. Readers will know that the Trustees are all members of the Brent Labour Cabinet with no representation from the community that is supposed to benefit from the Barham bequest.

In an email to Brent CEO, Kim Wright, Lorber alleges that the Trust failed to arrange a lease and collect rent from a Barham Park building occupied by the Young Brent Foundation, thus depriving the Trust of income.

Cllr Lorber asks for an Internal Audit based on the following:

1.  The Council has had a Lease of the former Children Centre space in Barham Park Complex for many years.
2. When that use ceased the space was made available to Brent Young Foundation who were allowed to take occupation before a Lease was prepared and signed.
3. Officers were instructed to prepare and finalise a Lease some 4 years ago but never did. (I expect there were exchanges documenting the terms and basis on which YBF could use the building in advance of the Lease - an unusual situation not available to others). They were due to pay a rent equal to the rent paid by the Council to Barham Park Trust - originally £11,300pa but at some point subject to a review. 
4. Young Brent Foundation were in occupation until now - it is not clear if proper legal process for termination was followed and the space is still being cleared as I write. (Termination was referred to at a recent Barham Park Trust Meeting). 
5. The answers received to date (but not complete and slow in coming) suggest that Young Brent Foundation did not pay any rent, any business rates, any service charges and possibly no utility costs for electricity, gas or water or contribution to insurance.
6. It is also not clear who paid for any of the above.
7. I estimate that the loss mainly to Brent Council but also partly to the Barham Park Trust may be in the region of £100,000.
8. An independent investigation is required as Property and Finance are implicated and YBF clearly has other debts owing to the Council and others including possibly HMRC and the Pensions Authority.  Letters from all these are coming through Barham Community Library and have been passed by me to the Property Unit.
9. The investigation needs to ask a number of questions including why was occupation by YBF allowed without a lease being in place, why was no rent collected, who paid the costs of the business rates and utilities and others. What action is being taken to recover all the debts and losses sustained by Brent Council and Barham Park Trust.
10. I consider this a major failing by various Units of Brent Council. It seems that if you are well connected as people in YBF were you get anything and you get away with anything without effective scrutiny or action. 
11.  It is particularly galling because well established organisations in my Sudbury Ward or in Barham Park which have provided services to local people for years - East Lane Theatre Club, LNER Sports Club and Barham Veterans Club are under threat of closures because of unfair and unrealistic rent demands from the Brent Property Unit. All of these should have had lease renewals a long time ago well before the new Brent Council Property Strategy was out in place which fails to take into account the contribution these organisations provide for local people.  
    

 Cllr Lorber adds:

In view of the above I trust that you will instruct Internal Audit to investigate and for Property and Finance respond fully to my outstanding enquiries.

I am making my request public as part of my Scrutiny duty as the Scrutiny arrangements in Brent Council are ineffective and frankly a waste of time as recent Call Ins clearly show. Labour Councillors are cleared whipped and will never agree to refer an item back to Cabinet however flawed the original decision.

 

Chalkhill, Church End & Stonebridge summer events for young people

 Events on Chalkhill, Church End and Stonebridge estates over the Summer. Some have already started:

Get involved in our summer events at Chalkhill, Church End and Stonebridge Estates!

Places for in-person activities are available on a first come first serve basis. Please take the message received at the end of completing this form as a confirmation of your place in the selected activities.

If you have any questions about these activities, please get in touch with Jada Eduvie, at jada.eduvie@youngbrentfoundation.org.uk

Click here to register!

 

You have until April 20th to apply for a place in the Pilot Phase of the Brent Music Academy for Young People

 Young people taking part in the launch

From the Royal Philharmonic Newsletter

 

The weekend of March 26^th local partners including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), Brent Music Service, Brent Council, Young Brent Foundation, The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) and Brent Black Music Co-Op (BBMC), launched a new music academy for Brent. There is still time for young musicians to apply for a place in the pilot – deadline Wednesday April 20^th 2022.

 

This cross-genre academy will provide a pathway to careers throughout the music industry, from music production and administration to performance in any musical style or genre.

 

Created in collaboration with and for the people of Brent, discussion and research with the community will continue to inform all aspects of the academy from the format of delivery and selection of training on offer right through to the name. This unique music development programme will provide professional-level training across the music industry for young people in Brent, regardless of background, prior achievement, financial or other barriers.

 

Designed in consultation with music and youth providers in the borough, the academy will complement provision already available for young people in Brent, creating progressive opportunities and tangible links to further education and careers through training and industry connections.

 

The first major stage of the academy will be a pilot programme that will take place from May to July 2022, and we are looking for passionate young people who are playing or making music in any genre or style, or with interest in music production, business, or administration to take part. If you think that you know a young person who would be interested, please visit rpo.co.uk/brentmusicacademy to find out more.

 

We are grateful for the generous support of Stefan and Simona Voloseniuc of SF Stefan Civil Engineering who have made possible the pilot phase of the project.

 

Who is the new music academy for?

 

The academy is for passionate young people who have an aptitude for music performance in any genre, or an interest in any aspect of the non-performing side of the music industry.

 

The Performance Pathway is designed for young people who sing, play an instrument or compose their own music, working in any genre or style, with a passion for collaborating and performing with others.

 

The Industry Pathway will explore non-performance elements of the music industry, which might include audio engineering, music production, marketing, talent promotion, event management, programming, or any other related fields.

 

There are no formal entry requirements. While the academy is open to all young people regardless of genre, background, or prior experience, it will cater for participants expressing a commitment and keen interest in the music industry.

 

Eventually, the Academy will cater for young people aged 4 – 19 years old, grouped based on skills and experience.

 

During the Pilot Phase, we will work with reduced numbers of young people in order to trial the model. Cohorts we are looking to work with during the Pilot Phase are:

• Performance Pathway – 3x cohorts based on experience:
• Young people not yet learning/practicing an instrument but demonstrating good musical foundations (Suggested ages: school years 5 – 7)
• Early career players, learning/practicing an instrument for 1 – 2 years, demonstrating commitment and keenness to learn. Roughly equivalent to ABRSM grades 1 – 2 if relevant. (Suggested ages: school years 5 – 8)
• Advanced players, with good technical proficiency and an interest in developing further. Roughly equivalent to ABRSM grades 5+ if relevant. (Suggested ages: school years 7 – 11)
• Industry Pathway – 1x cohort for young people aged 14 – 18 years old with an interest in, and desire to explore one or more aspects of the music business, production or administration.

 

·       What does it cost? 

·       There is no cost for attending the music academy during the pilot phase. 

 

·       How can I apply?

 

·       You need to be referred by a teacher, music professional, youth club or group leader, faith leader, social worker or other educational professional using the form below by 20th April 2022. We are not currently accepting applications from parents or young people themselves; please speak to a trusted adult professional and ask them to complete the form on your behalf. 

 

·       The academy team will be in touch by 22nd April 2022 to let you know if your referral has been successful and with further details. Successful referrals will be invited to take part in informal ‘audition’ workshops during the weekend of 7/8 May to give potential participants a taste of the academy programme before joining the Pilot.

·       Fill in the referral form here