Preston Library urges support for Barham campaigners at this afternoon's meeting

FromPreston Library Campaign

From this Saturday, we'll be showing films in the library every Saturday night at 7.30. These films are free for members of the library (you can join at the door), and we will be taking donations towards the library's work.

Our next pub quiz is on Monday 26 October at 7.30 in The Preston. Unfortunately last month's quiz was on a cold and very wet evening - I hope to see lots more of you this month.
The library itself will continue to open and to offer the full range of library services from 11-5 on Saturdays and 1-5 on Sundays.

Finally, can I draw your attention to a meeting of the Barham Park Trust Committee at the Civic Centre this Thursday, 8 October, at 3pm. The trustees will be making a decision on Friends of Barham Library's bid to run a library in Barham Park. We at Preston Library have had a huge amount of help from library groups at Barham, Kensal Rise, Cricklewood and elsewhere, and we're looking forward to a time in the very near future when Brent will have a group of four mutually supportive volunteer-run libraries. The Barham Trust meeting is open to the public, and I'm sure Friends of Barham Library would welcome your support.

Thanks for your continuing support.

Barham Park library decision tomorrow - meeting open to the public

The meeting of the Barham Park Trust that will decide whether the Barham library campaign will be granted the lease on the Lounge for a community library takes place tomorrow (Thursday)  at 3pm at Brent Civic Centre (Boardroom 2) LINK

The meeting is open to the public but attendance will be limited by it taking place during working hours.

See Gaynor's Lloyd's guest blog on the campaign HERE

See Friends of Barham Library's bid for the lease HERE 

Preston Community Library's reservations over Council's asset strategy

This is what Philip Bromberg of the Preston Community Library Campaign presented to Cabinet yesterday evening:

I am speaking on behalf of Preston Community Library, a charity which, as I hope you all know, is currently running a library on a temporary licence in the Preston Library building on Carlton Avenue East.

As you know, Brent Labour Party made a very clear pledge before last year's election to offer the Preston Library building "at a peppercorn rent to any local group who can provide a sustainable community library....that is our pledge....We will not open to competitive tender in order to give preference to local groups."

Since last year we have done everything that you asked us to do. We've submitted a business plan for a permanent library which has been praised by Brent CVS. From a standing start barely a month ago,  we are now offering the full range of traditional library services - we have several thousand books available for borrowing, including a wide range of large print books which cater to the needs of elderly people, we have a children's library which is lending books to a local primary school, we have a range of newspapers and magazines, we offer study space and, from today, we have four public access computers and WiFi which are free to library users.

We're also already offering much more than a traditional library. We have (free) ESOL classes on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, and we're talking to a local school who want to fund us to offer these classes to their parents. We've trained two new ESOL teachers. We're running yoga classes for adults and for families. We run movement, exercise and dance classes. We host a weekly creative writing group and a Scrabble group. We've worked very closely with vulnerable adults from a local residential home who've played an important part in getting the library open. And very soon - with funding from you - we will be running a community cinema. In short, we are already doing very precisely the things which Brent says it wants community groups to be doing. Needless to say, all of this has taken a huge amount - thousands of hours - of very hard work by an extraordinarily dedicated group of people.

Bearing all of this in mind, I have a couple of observations to make about the proposed Property and Asset Strategy:

The third objective of the new strategy (p.3) is to increase ongoing revenue generation, but you do note that "clearly there will be times when these objectives will be at odds with each other". So I remind you again that your election promise was to offer the Preston Library building at a peppercorn rent.

And on pp. 7 & 11 the strategy says that "all opportunities for Community Asset Transfer should be advertised" and recommends a competitive process. Competitive tendering was, of course, explicitly ruled out in the Labour Party's election pledge last year. We're not, though, worried about an open and transparent process, provided that process takes place in the context of your very clear election pledge to support a community library in Carlton Avenue East.

Preston Community Library is the area's only secular community space; it is fully accessible and open to everyone regardless of race, religion, age or gender. In barely a month, and on a very restrictive temporary licence, PCL is already doing hugely impressive work. When we have a proper lease, we will be able to do much, much more.

No 'even playing field' when it comes to the Welsh School's bowling pavilion planning application

Tonight's Planning Committee will decide on the planning application from the London Welsh School to take over the Bowling Green Pavilion and build an adjacent single storey classroom in King Edward VII Park. The application is supported by planning officers and the Council has gone to considerable lengths in smoothing the application's passage, even to the extent of putting S106 money aside for landscaping of the bowling green which is next to the proposed school.

This is in stark contrast to the obstructiveness of the council regarding Stonebridge Adventure Playground which is also due to be displaced from the Stonebridge site to make room for the expansion of Stonebridge Primary School and the building of new houses. They have been offered no help at all to find a new site and Cllr McLellan  made an untrue statement to the local paper suggesting that the Playground had refused an alternative site.

It is not to disparage the Welsh School, which I admire, to point out that it has 30 pupils whilst hundreds of Stonebridge and Harlesden children from many schools, use the Adventure Playground particularly at holiday times and weekends when other facilities are not open.

The motivation behind this is a mystery to me.

At the same time it is worth considering the precedent of giving an approval to the building of a school in the park, albeit a small one, when there are extant free school proposals elsewhere in the borough, one of which, Gladstone, proposed to building on playing fields next to Gladstone Park.

Looking at the papers for tonight it appears that the officers' despite being reminded of the Qiueen Elizabath II Fields in Trust Agreement LINK have not fully informed committee members of the content of the  agreement it. Instead they have merely stated that negotiations about that would be a separate process. They do not warn the Committee that in addition to the S106 costs of landscaping the bowling green that Fields In Trust may seek financial investment from the Council in the remainder of the park.

The Trust said:

I can confirm that Brent Council did submit a formal request to Fields in Trust with regards to granting a lease on the disused bowls pavilion area to the London Welsh Language primary school on a 15 year term, and in addition to erect a single storey classroom block and convert the paved hard landscape area to an all weather playground. 

  We were advised that the bowling green and Pavilion are unused and the area fenced off, furthermore there was no bowls interest. 

I can confirm that the Council’s request was rejected by our Trustees in January 2015 because the site is protected for recreational purposes and the proposed new use would be outside the objects of the Deed of Dedication.  In order for the matter to even be reconsidered by our Trustees the Council would need to offer up for protection a replacement site of at least the size of the land being lost or provide a payment which is to be made available for investment in the facilities within the remainder of the site.  To date we have not received a revised application, which I believe would only be forthcoming should planning consent be granted."

60 local residents have indicated to the Council that they would be interested in resurrecting the Bowling Club but the Council gets round that by saying that they are prepared to subsidise existing clubs but not a new one.

Can you talk about 'even playing fields' regarding bowling?

Suggestions that Collins Lodge could become a school building, initially claimed to be unsuitable, are now answered with the statement that the Council wants to retain the currently empty Lodge as a possible cafe/toilets in the future. The barely used dilapidated space next to the Lodge is claimed to be needed by Veolia.

The Friends of King Eddie's Park petition has been signed by all three Preston Ward Labour councillors, Sam Stopp (Wembley Central), Cllr Wilhemena Mitchelll-Murray (Wembley Central) and Ernest Ezeajughi (Stonebridge).

The application is the first item on the Agenda after formalities. The meeting begins at 7pm at the Civic Centre  (Conference Hall).

'No prosecution' decision in Kensal Rise Library email fraud investigation provokes anger

--> Brent Council has been informed that the Crown Prosecution Service is to take no action regarding the fraudulent emails sent in support of Andrew Gillick's original planning application for Kensal Rise Library.
Arnold Meagher, Brent Council's Principal Lawyer, Housing and Litigation Team wrote:

I write to advise that the Council has been informed of the outcome of the investigation regarding Mr Gillick and the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Crown Prosecution Service has decided that there is insufficient evidence to support any prosecution against Mr Gillick and therefore, no further action will be taken against him.

The Council has been advised by the Metropolitan Police that the partnership Brent Borough Chief Inspector, Andy Jones, is aware of this decision. The Metropolitan Police has requested that any queries regarding the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service go through Andy Jones.

70 or so fraudulent emails had been sent including one using the name and address of local business woman Kirsty Slattery.

Reacting to the news this afternoon she said:

I think the whole process has been purposely drawn out and detrimental to the people and businesses it affected. 

So somehow no one is responsible for these acts of fraud (?) according to the CPS and at no point has anyone even received an apology from Brent Council. 

The fraud affected my business as it misrepresented my standing in the community. This should never have been allowed to happen, someone ought to have been held accountable for these deceitful actions and the very least I would expect is a sincere apology. 

Kensal Rise Councillor Dan Filson was even more scathing: 

This news seems released by the CPS deliberately at a time when attention is elsewhere. Shame on the CPS.

I am appalled that an attempt - by whoever, though the email thread heading may offer a clue - to pervert the planning process had not resulted in a prosecution. 

It would be useful to know if the reason for this decision is insufficient evidence linking the alleged perpetrator to the offence(s) or an unclear charge upon which a prosecution could be hung? 

A dangerous precedent has been set, that a fraudulent attempt to mislead a planning authority as to the level of support for a planning application from the community and as to who in that community is supporting it by way of impersonation. We don't now know whether this stunt has been pulled in respect of other applications in this or other boroughs.

Questions should be asked in the House of Commons

The issue of the fraudulent emails has been a long and complicated affair. In September 2013 The Save Kensal Rise Library Campaign wrote on their website:

We are expecting the council to pursue the origins of the fraudulent submissions of support for the planning submission as reported in The Kilburn Times and The Evening Standard last week.
We have been promised an investigation and report as soon as possible.

Help us to keep up the pressure on the council to find out where this dodgy support comes from by writing to the Leader of the Council and your local councillors asking them to make sure the council makes every effort to find out who is guilty of this fraudulent support. We can’t allow local democracy to be undermined  by such abuse of the consultative processes of the council.

The police later appeared to have dropped the investigation but after the demolition of the pop up library in February 2014 both the Council and Muhammed Butt made statements to the Willesden and Wembley Observer:

A spokesman for Brent Council said:

The council undertook its own detailed enquiries before referring the matter to the police and provided the police with a summary of the outcome as part of the agreed referral process through the National Fraud Reporting Centre. The council remains very concerned about the way that the planning portal was used on this occasion and has subsequently made changes to forestall future problems arising. The council wants to continue to maintain the highest level of integrity with its planning process, since the authority continues to have statutory responsibilities to consider planning applications that are submitted. 

Labour leader of the council Muhammed Butt said:

It is bitterly disappointing that the police have chosen to ignore the evidence found in the council’s own inquiries and drop their investigation. When the future of the building affects hundreds of Brent residents and the entire Kensal Rise community, any issue of alleged fraud must surely be a priority in order to maintain the trust of local people. 

Whilst I know that this Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government has cut the police force by a fifth in the last three years, I am troubled that this investigation has not been carried out as a matter of urgency. Brent Council will be writing to demand that the police review their original decision and launch an appropriate investigation.

The investigation was reinstated with various sections of the police  responsible at any one time and recently there has been a long silence on the matter despite frequent requests for information.
I agree that the final outcome is far from satisfactory.

Council tables termination of funding for Stonebridge Adventure Playground before consultation closes

Dawn Butler, Labour General Election candidate for Brent Central, is among the playground campaigners

Brent Council yesterday published its Forward Plan for the December 15th Cabinet. Headed 'Revenue Funding to Brent Play Association which supports the running costs of Stonebridge Adventure Playground' LINK it proposes to terminate the funding to the Brent Play Association (BPA) at the end of the 2014-15 financial year.

It gives the reason for termination as 'Signficant expenditure/savings > 30% of budget for the function in question'.

The future of the Adventure Playground is currently the subject of a consultation  on proposals about the expansion of Stonebridge Primary School which involves building on its 40 year old site.  The consultation does not close until Monday but the funding cut appears to preempt the consultation outcome..

The threat of closure has created enormous concern on the Stonebridge Estate and a passionate campaign by local residents. Residents were unconvinced by Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt at a recent meeting to discuss the Council's proposals.  LINK

At the meeting Butt insisted, 'Nothing has been decided yet'.

The residents were clearly right.

To support the survival of the Stonebridge Adventure Playground fill in the on-line consultation:
www.brent.gov.uk/stonebridgeconsultation

Or email your response to stonebridge.consult@brent.gov.uk

And also sign the petition HERE 

Join the campaign's Facebook group  HERE

Stonebridge has a history of fighting back as this report from 2003 shows: LINK

Stonebridge Adventure Playground gets Asset of Community Value listing but watch this space

Campaign on Facebook PleaseSupport

Campaigners for Stonebridge Adventures Playground are celebrating the granting of Asset of Community Value to the facility which has served local children and their parents seince the 1970s.

Brent Council plan to close the playground in order to extend Stonebridge Primary School and build housing. The full staffed and well-resourced playgtround which also runs special projects for children with special needs and disabilities would be replaced by a much smaller unstaffed 'kickabout' close to the main road.

As well as recognising the value of the playground to the community the listing also opens the way to a community bid for the site.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE PLAYGROUND IS SAVED AND RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT  THE CAMPAIGN,  SIGN THE PETITION AND ESPECIALLT TO COMPLETE THE ON-LINE CONSULTATION

However, this extract from the letter granting ACV status also indicates (last para) the possibility for an appeal which I would expect to come from the Planning Department - basically one part of Brent Council appealing to another part of Brent Council.  Something to carefully monitor.

A consultation process is currently underway on the Council plans with the latest meeting tonight at the The Hub in Stonebridge 7-9pm. Bonfire Night is perhaps not the best night of the year to consult with children and their parents!

Extract from Brent Council's letter signed by Cathy Tyson

-->

I am satisfied that the nomination made by the community body falls within Section 90(3) and under section 90(4) the Council is therefore required to enter the land as nominated on the Council’s list of assets of community value.

In accordance with Section 91 of the Act I hereby give notice of the inclusion of the Stonebridge Adventure Playground with the boundary shown on the maps provided by the nominee on 9^th September 2014 on the Local Authority’s list of Assets of Community Value.

The consequences for the land and for the London Borough of Brent as owners of the land of the inclusion of the land on the list of assets of community value are that

.        i)  The land will remain on the list of assets of community value for a period of 5 years unless the criteria for listing are found to no longer exist during an earlier review. 


.        ii)  It is open to the Council to remove the entry if for any reason the council no longer considers the land to be of community value. 


.        iii)  A restriction will be entered on the Land Registry and entry will be made on the Local Land Charges Register. 


iv)Under s95 of the Act the owner (London Borough of Brent) must not enter into a relevant disposal of the land unless certain conditions are met. These include notifying the Council in writing of the owner’s wish to enter into a relevant disposal of the land and complying with any moratorium periods on disposal.

v) A relevant disposal of listed land is ineffective if it is a disposal which contravenes S95. There is an exception to this in paragraph 21(2) of the Regulations.

The owner of the land (London Borough of Brent) has the right to ask for a review under S92 of the Act. A request for a review must be made in writing before the end of 8 weeks from the date of this notice. Such request should be addressed to the Assistant Chief Executive, Brent Council, Brent Civic Centre, Empire Way , Wembley, HA9 0FJ

Preston Library Fundraising Quiz Tonight

From Preston Library Campaign

We are now working hard on plans for a new library in Carlton Avenue East: these quizzes are currently our main source of funds, and we need your support more than ever. We hope to see lots of you this evening.

Event: The radical case for Scottish Independence

From Red Pepper

Event this Thursday, 26 June 2014  7pm-8:30 pm in Committee Room 14, House Of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

One of the most important events for Britain will be taking place in September: the Scots will be able to vote for independence. Yet public discussion in England has been set by political parties arguing that independence is a reactionary and retrogressive step. Red Pepper and openDemocracy are bringing Scottish independence campaigners to the heart of the establishment, Westminster parliament, to hear their case and determination to vote Yes.

Book your place for a discussion with;

Cat Boyd, Radical Independence Campaign

Pete Ramand, co-author of Yes: The Radical Case for Scottish Indpendence

Robin McAlpine, Jimmy Reid Foundation David Greig, playwright

Joyce McMillan, theatre critic

Neal Ascherson, writer

This is an opportunity to understand the importance for a whole section of the Scottish people of seizing the opportunity to establish a different state. The opposition sets a negative tone: you'll lose the pound, there will be no oil, you'll be pushed out of the EU, you will be defenceless... But what we in London have not had is any flavour of the passion and determination increasingly heard in the fervour of discussion now sweeping through Scotland.

The voices in the Yes campaign are wider and larger and more dynamic than just the SNP. Writers, dramatists, poets and artists as well as many ordinary folk are talking about their relationship to Scotland as it has developed and been expressed in the last 20 years.

A Scottish independence vote also has implications for England, and they could be liberating, opening up a dynamic to weaken the most reactionary centres of power - from the dominance of London itself, to the Treasury and the City, the monarchy and the media oligarchs.

All this is why Red Pepper and openDemocracy have organised a meeting with speakers from Scotland talking about their determination to vote Yes.

Please arrive from 6:30pm for a prompt 7pm start, and allow plenty of time to get through security at the House of Commons.

***The event is free, but please do make a donation via the ticket option above if possible, however small, so that we can cover the costs of organising this meeting including train travel from Scotland and overnight accommodation for the speakers*** Book your place.

June 3rd Meeting - Continuing the housing struggle in Brent

A message from Brent Housing Action and Housing4All

Brent Housing Action and Housing4All are co-hosting a NorthWest London Radical Housing Network meeting on Tuesday June 3rd.

The meeting will start at 7pm at Brent Trades Hall Club (aka Apollo Club), 375 High Road, Willesden NW10 2JR. Nearest tube is Willesden Green or Dollis Hill ( both Jubilee Line). The Apollo Club is a two minute walk from Willesden Bus garage.

On Tuesday 3rd June, activists from Brent Housing Action and Housing4All (formerly the Counihan-Sanchez Housing Campaign) would like to open their regular bi-monthly meeting to all those concerned with housing and related welfare issues in NW London. This is to build upon the links made during the Inequality Bus Tour of 26/4/14, to bring in new activists looking to form groups that have contacted the Radical Housing Network since that weekend and to compare ideas of how we should continue the struggle against the triple whammy of market-rent "affordable" housing, regeneration/gentrification projects and welfare state reforms.

Ideally each housing group will give a brief outline of their campaign( 5 minutes approximately).
We'd like to hear what groups would find the meeting useful for so that we can build an agenda - please respond with any brief ideas nic.lane2@googlemail.com .

The agenda - so far - could also include the following:

How can NW London best support its various Housing Action Groups? (Anti-eviction teams/ duplication of Intel etc.):
MIPIM - the international land sales/housing conference- comes to Earls Court in October: joint protests?
Interaction with European/National/London Housing Networks?
Future Priorities

Invited groups include:

Housing4All (co-host)
Brent Housing Action (co-host)
Radical Housing Network (co-host)
Jubilee Sports Centre Campaign
Barnet Housing Action
Our West Hendon
Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group
Unite Community
Stable Way Residents Association
Save Earls Court
Gibbs Green
Sutton Estate
Grenfell Action Group
Advice4Renters

Queensbury Pub in Willesden Green Saved

Community, councillors, Assembly Member and MP rally behind Queensbury Pub campaign -decision tonight

Making community representations to the Planning Committee

Brent's Planning Committee will tonight decide whether to accept the officer's recommedation to approve Fairview's planning application, subject to Section 106 conditions*, to demolish the Queensbury Pub in Willesden Green, and replace with a 10 storey block, or to refuse planning permission.

At the time of writing campaigners have not yet heard how many of the public will be allowed to speak and it could be limited to just two. Local councillors are also likely to speak.

These are the most frequent obkections made by local residents (number of objections in brackets)

Loss of the Queensbury Pub and Busy Rascals which are both important local community facilities (140)

Height of replacement building too tall with surrounding area and modern design out of keeping the character of the area (105)

Replacement building is inappropriate and detracts from the character of the Mapesbury Conservation Area and setting of nearby heritage assets including Willesden Green Underground Station (69)

Demolition of existing building (68)

Designation of pub as Asset of Community Value should require its protection and be a material planning consideration (43)

Loss of existing pub will affect the wider regeneration of the area. Reference made to loss of the Deli on Walm Lane and loss of other community facilities including the Spotted Dog Pub and Willesden Library (41)

Replacement community space within the new building does not adequately compensate for the loss of the Queensbury Pub and Busy Rascals (33)

Lack of residential parking will lead to further congestion on surrounding roads (31)

The site is large enough to be redeveloped whilst retaining the existing building for use by The Queensbury public house and Busy Rascals. Housing can be provided elsewhere within the site.(26)

Lack of affordable housing within the scheme (26)

The Planning Committe is statutorily independent of the Council and therefore not whipped but these are representations made by councillors representing Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative parties and a Labour Assembly Member and a Liberal Democrat MP :

 

Councillor Krupesh Hirani (Dudden Hill Ward) - objection raised based on a representation received from a constituent that wishes not to see the site replaced by flats.

Councillor Christopher Leaman (Mapesbury Ward) - Objections raised on the grounds of the loss of the

community facility (The Queensbury public house and Busy Rascals) and the design is not in keeping with the area.

Councillor Carol Shaw (Brondesbury Park Ward) - Objections raised for the following reasons:- (1) The Queensbury Pub has been listed as an Asset of Community value and therefore needs to be protected and not demolished; (2) loss of public house which is a community facility; (3) loss of building in a conservation area; (4) replacement building does not fit in with its surroundings and will adversely impact on setting of other listed buildings in the area; and (5) increased traffic, noise and pollution.

Councillor Aslam Choudry (Dudden Hill Ward) - Objections raised to the planning application.

Councillor Alison Hopkins (Dollis Hill Ward) - Objections raised on the grounds of the loss of the community facility (The Queensbury public house and Busy Rascals) and the design plans are not in keeping with the area.

Navin Shah Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow - Objections raised for the following reasons:- (1) Loss of public house/community facility; (2) Loss of a building in a conservation area; (3) Design - to tall for conservation area; (4) Substandard accommodation - lack of affordable housing and family sized units; and (5) development too dense for this location.

Sarah Teather MP for Brent Central- Objections raised for the following reasons:- (1) Out of character with surrounding area - too tall; (2) Loss of public amenity - building will overshadow area; (3) Substandard accommodation - lack of affordable housing and family sized units; and (4) loss of community asset, The Queensbury Pub - replacement ground floor use does not compensate for the loss of the pub and its status as an Asset of Community Value should be a material planning consideration.

The Save The Queensbury Campaign submitted a letter of objection and a petition with 4,011 signatures and objections were also made by the North london branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, Mapesbury Residents' Assocation and North West Two Residents' Association.
 
The meeting is at 7pm this evening at Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley.  Follow events on Twitter @QueensburySOS

* SECTION 106 DETAILS

The application requires a Section 106 Agreement, in order to secure the following benefits:-

(i) Payment of the Council's legal and other professional costs on completion of the deed in (a) preparing and completing the agreement and (b) monitoring its performance.

(ii) Notification of material start 28 days prior to commencement;

(iii) Affordable Housing - 10 shared ownership units (3 x one-bed, 3 x two-bed and 4 x three-bed) + £138,346 offsite contribution + financial review mechanism on an open book basis;

(iv)Community Access Plan - to secure a minimum of 18 hours per week for community use, requirement to find alternative accommodation for Busy Rascals (existing community use) during the construction period; and provision for the ancillary community space to continue to operate in the event that the A4 use is not occupied;

(v) Sustainability - submission and compliance with the Council's Sustainability check-list ensuring a minimum of 48.4% score is achieved. Compliance with Code for Sustainable Homes Code Level 3 and carbon reduction of 40% improvement on 2010 Building Regulation (with compensation should it not be delivered);

(vi) Notify Brent 2 Work of forthcoming job and training opportunities associated with the development;

(vii) Join and adhere to the Considerate Contractors scheme;

(viii) Provision of a Travel Plan for the site;

(ix) Enter into a permit free arrangement to remove the rights of future residents and visitors being able to apply for a permit to park on neighbouring streets

CIL DETAILS

This application is liable to pay the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The total amount is £1,382,214.75 of which £1,167,110.71 is Brent CIL and £215,104.04 is Mayoral CIL

Video: Kensal Rise rises up to defend their library

Determined demonstrators defy wind and rain to defend their library

Local people turned out in the wind and rain this afternoon to protest against the demolition  of their pop up community library by agents of All Souls College. It was clear that this campaign still has the energy and determination to carry on the fight despite suffering dawn raids by both Brent Council and All Souls College and fraudulent emails supporting the developer.

The books, rescued by campaigners when security threw them on the pavement, under tarpaulin

Demonstration against library busting book dumping Oxford College 3.30pm today

The pop up library before destruction

There will be a demonstration outside Kensal Rise Library at 3.30pm this afternoon following this morning's dawn raid by Cluttons, estate managers to All Souls College, which saw the pop up library destroyed and books dumped  on the pavement.

Meanwhile Meg Howarth has sent the following message to John Vickers, Warden of All Souls College:

Dear Sir John,

Link below FYI - staggering news of which you may not yet be aware:

http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/oxford-college-destroys-pop-library-and.html?spref=fb

Someone must have ordered Cluttons to send in the security guards to destroy the Kensal Rise pop-up library early this morning - unless your property agent of generations chose to act on its own initiative. 

An Islington resident, I contacted All Souls originally on 29 May 2012 in the immediate wake of that morning's shameful - and shameless - 3am raid that stripped the fine college-owned Kensal Rise Library building of its books and Mark Twain commemorative plaque. Clearly someone has learnt from that shameless tactic.

With dismay and regret that such behaviour could be carried out in the name of the once-prestigious All Souls College.

Sincerely,

Meg Howarth

Muhammed Butt, Brent Council leader, tweeted:

 Cllr. Muhammed Butt ‏@CllrButt 9m

Dismayed at destruction of @SaveKRLibrary pop-up. I've written to All Souls & @roxanne_mashari has been working w/ campaigners at site..

He added that he was arranging for storage of the books.

Preston Library Community Hub launches New Year of activity

The redoubtable Preston Library campaigners are battling on as the campaign for their library enters its fourth year.  They and campaigners from the other libraries deserve congratulations for the many varied and creative ways they have continued to fight.

This message was sent to Preston Library supporters:

First of all, can I wish you a very, very happy new year, and thank you for your continuing support. This week sees the third anniversary of the campaign to save Preston Library. The fact that the campaign - here, and in Barham Park, Cricklewood and Kensal Rise - is moving into its fourth year is a testament both to the vital importance of local public libraries and to the hard work of a very remarkable group of people. Please continue to do whatever you can to support the campaign in 2014.

We are fortunate in one respect - the Preston Library building is still in public hands, and is likely to be vacated by Preston Park School at some time in the next eighteen months. As most of you will know, there will be local elections in all London boroughs on May 22, and candidates will be seeking your votes. Please continue to tell candidates and councillors what the loss of the libraries has meant to our communities, and ask them to work with us to restore our public library in Carlton Avenue East.

The next pub quiz - our main source of income - is at 7.30 on Monday 27 January in The Preston, 161 Preston Road HA9 8NG. As usual the quiz will start promptly at 8. This seems as good a moment as any to thank all the people who have helped make these quizzes such a success - Michael, Mel, Dan, the staff of The Preston, but especially Frances, Karen, Deborah, Shelagh and Vanita, who have written the quizzes for us. Without them these events wouldn't be possible. I hope lots of you will come on the 27th.

Our Monday afternoon Community Hub events in the library building will restart on 13 January  These include English classes for those who do not have English as their first language, a creative writing group, and Scrabble. Refreshments are available. These are still early days - anyone who can offer help, or who has ideas for other activities will be very welcome. There are more details on the website.

www.brentlibraries.wordpress.com 

Kensal Rise development fake email action now in police hands

Cllr Roxanne Mashari, Brent Council Executive member and lead for Environment and Neighbourhoods, today confirmed to Kensal Rise Library campaigners that the Council has referred the matter of fake emails to the police for further action.

The fake emails were sent to Brent Planning Officers purporting to support developer Andrew Gillick's planning application for the redevelopment of Kensal Rise Library. Gillick has recently complained to the local press that Brent Council is not talking to him.

Victory for Lewisham Hospital campaigners

From Huffington Post LINK

The Court of Appeal ruled today that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt did not have the power to implement cuts at Lewisham Hospital in south east London.

Three judges announced their decision on the second day of a hearing in London.

Supporters of the highly-regarded hospital cheered when Lord Dyson, the Master of the Rolls, sitting with Lord Justice Sullivan and Lord Justice Underhill, gave their decision in an appeal brought by the Government over a High Court judge's ruling in July.

Mr Justice Silber had then ruled that Mr Hunt's move to downgrade A& E and maternity services was "unlawful".

Rosa Curling from law firm Leigh Day, who represented the Save Lewisham Hospital Group said: "We are absolutely delighted with the Court of Appeal's decision today. It confirms what the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign has been arguing from the start - that the Secretary of State did not have the legal power to close and downgrade services at Lewisham Hospital.

"This expensive waste of time for the Government should serve as a wake up call that they cannot ride roughshod over the needs of the people

Those pesky Preston people won't give up - get behind them!

Help bring Kensal Rise Library fraudsters to justice

A request from the Kensal Rise Library Campaign

We are expecting the council to pursue the origins of the fraudulent submissions of support for the planning submission as reported in The Kilburn Times LINK  and The Evening Standard  LINK last week.

We have been promised an investigation and report as soon as possible.

Help us to keep up the pressure on the council to find out where this dodgy support comes from by writing to the Leader of the Council and your local councillors asking them to make sure the council makes every effort to find out who is guilty of this fraudulent support. We can’t allow local democracy to be undermined  by such abuse of the consultative processes of the council.

Leader of the Council Muhammed Butt cllr.muhammed.butt@brent.gov.uk

You can contact your local councillors by email:
Kensal Green Ward
Bobby Thomas cllr.bobby.thomas@brent.gov.uk  Claudia Hector cllr.claudia.hector@brent.gov.uk
James Powney  cllr.james.powney@brent.gov.uk

Queens Park Ward
James Denselow cllr.jamesdenselow@brent.gov.uk  Simon Green cllr.simon.green@Brent.gov.uk
Michael Adeyeye  cllr.michaeladeyeye@brent.gov.uk

Brondesbury Park Ward
Barry Cheese cllr.barry.cheese@brent.gov.uk   Mark Cummins cllr.mark.cummins@brent.gov.uk
Carol Shaw cllr.carol.shaw@brent.gov.uk

We are expecting the council to pursue the origins of the fraudulent submissions of support for the planning submission as reported in The Kilburn Times and The Evening Standard last week.

http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/brent_council_received_high_proportion_of_fake_emails_supporting_kensal_rise_library_development_plans_1_2675302

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/faked-emails-support-flats-plan-for-library-8829637.html. We have been promised an investigation and report as soon as possible.

Help us to keep up the pressure on the council to find out where this dodgy support comes from by writing to the Leader of the Council and your local councillors asking them to make sure the council makes every effort to find out who is guilty of this fraudulent support. We can’t allow local democracy to be undermined  by such abuse of the consultative processes of the council.

Leader of the Council Muhammed Butt cllr.muhammed.butt@brent.gov.uk

You can contact your local councillors by email:

Kensal Green Ward

Bobby Thomas cllr.bobby.thomas@brent.gov.uk  Claudia Hector cllr.claudia.hector@brent.gov.uk

James Powney  cllr.james.powney@brent.gov.uk

Queens Park Ward

James Denselow cllr.jamesdenselow@brent.gov.uk  Simon Green cllr.simon.green@Brent.gov.uk

Michael Adeyeye  cllr.michaeladeyeye@brent.gov.uk

Brondesbury Park Ward

Barry Cheese cllr.barry.cheese@brent.gov.uk   Mark Cummins cllr.mark.cummins@brent.gov.uk

Carol Shaw cllr.carol.shaw@brent.gov.uk

- See more at: http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/2013/09/26/art-fraud-and-boards/#sthash.0Zz54yUH.dpuf