Stop the closure of Brent's London Overground Ticket Offices

Ticket offices marked for closure

London Overground is proposing the closure of ticket offices on the Brent section of the line. This follows the closure of London Underground ticket offices last year.

These station serve both the Bakerloo line and London Overground. Harrow and Wealdstone and Wembley Central also serve Southern (East Croydon to Milton Keynes) and some London Midland services (Euston to Milton Keynes). In addition tickets can currently be booked for through onward journeys further North and South including Birmingham and Brighton.

Apart from the issues around safety which Dawn Butler has taken up LINK, remembering the murder at Kensal Green station some years ago, these closure would seriously affect passengers'convenience.
Journeys accessing the rail network are much more complicated to book, involving peak and off-peak fares, changes, choices of routes, and use of various rail cards, reduced rates for children etc.

A booking office clerk confirmed to me today that current ticket machines would not be able to offer all these options. With only a limited number of fares on offer passengers may well lose out being unable to book the cheapest fare for maybe a grandparent and child travelling together. All the permutations are likely to mean frustrating queues at the machines.

This is the announcement on London Travel Watch

London Underground are consulting on proposals to close the ticket offices and carry out improvement works which will include installing new, improved ticket machines at the following London Underground stations, which are covered by the National Rail, Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (Schedule 17):

• Gunnersbury
• Harlesden
• Harrow & Wealdstone
• Kensal Green
• Kenton
• Kew Gardens
• North Wembley
• Queen’s Park
• South Kenton
• Stonebridge Park
• Wembley Central

To comment on these proposals and how you might be affected as a passenger, please write to London TravelWatch, 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL or email
enquiries@londontravelwatch.org.uk, with ‘London Underground ticket office changes’ in the subject line. The consultation will close on Wednesday 27 January 2016.

London TravelWatch will review all comments received, and will make a recommendation to the Department for Transport based on these and other information received.
Further information on consulations and closures can be found in the consultations section of the website.
You can also read the letter we received from TfL about the proposed closure of Regulated Stations ticket offices.

Weekend closures on Jubilee and Metropolitan lines

Jubilee line On Saturday, there will be no service between Willesden Green and Stanmore, and on Sunday there will be no service between West Hampstead and Stanmore. This is while we renew points and replace track at Neasden.

Metropolitan line Trains will not run between Aldgate and Harrow-on-the-Hill while we renew points and replace track at Neasden.

FA cap ticket sales for England Women's match at Wembley due to line closures

With ticket sales at 55,000 for England vs Germany on Sunday November 23rd the FA have stopped sales of tickets for what will be the highest attendance ever  for an England  women's football match in the UK, although more than 75,000 watched the Great Britain women's team during the 2012 Olympics.

The cap is a result of both the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines being closed on that weekend and their replacement by buses.

This normally results in confusion on normal weekends with tourists from Wembley's many hotels trying to lug multiple heavy suitcases on to the replacement buses.

Brent Council needs to ensure that TfL is publicising alternative public transport routes well ahead of the match.

One can't but think that the women's game fans are  getting second class treatment from TfL and the FA.

Demonstrations on September 10th as A&E departments close

We want OUR library back!

From the Friends of Preston Library
 

Elections to Brent Council are less than a month away. We are holding a public meeting at 7.30 on Wednesday May 7 in St Erconwald's Church Hall, Carlton Avenue East HA9 8NB (flyer attached).  We have invited all the local candidates. In three of the four wards served by Preston Library, seats changed hands at the last election. They need your votes, and this is your chance to tell them what you think.

It's over two years since Brent closed six of the borough's libraries, and much of what we said would happen has happened. Brent's libraries are now, on almost every measure in the official statistics, amongst the poorest performers in London. We know that many people in the Preston area have been deprived of their library service - only yesterday someone who lives a few hundred yards from Preston Library was telling me that her daughter now struggles to find study space in the new Civic Centre Library.

The Preston Library building is still in public hands, and will be vactated by Preston Park School next year. Please come to St Erconwald's next week, and tell the politicians that we want our library back!

Protest against Hunt's attempt to curb legal challenges to hospital closures

There was a protest today by campaigners fighting Jeremy Hunt's attempt to add a clause to the Social Care bill which would prevent communities taking legal action, such as that of the Lewisham Hospitals Campaign,  against hospital closure plans.

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

Brent to be hit by tube line closures over Bank Holiday weekend

The Bank Holiday and Carnival weekend promises to be fraught with travel problems for Brent residents:. This is the message from TfL:

Metropolitan line There is no service between Aldgate and Harrow‑on‑the-Hill on Sunday and Monday while we carry out track replacement work.

Jubilee line On Sunday and Monday, trains will not run between Willesden Green and Stanmore while we replace track on the adjacent Metropolitan line.

Piccadilly line There is no service between Acton Town and Rayners Lane while we replace track at North Ealing. (this means no service from Alperton)

To assist travel, the Metropolitan line will run an enhanced service, with trains every 10 minutes, between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.

London Overground  If the planned industrial action goes ahead, on Sunday and Monday there will be no trains between Willesden Junction and Richmond/Clapham Junction as well as no service between Gospel Oak and Barking.

That leaves the delights of the Bakerloo and the Euston Watford Overground for Brent residents.There will of course be replacement bus services on the other routes so we can look forward to crowds of confused and dazed tourists from nearby hotels at Wembley Park station on Sunday and Monday - puzzled as to why transport closes down in London for the celebration of a Bank Holiday and Europe's biggest street Carnival.

Brent Labour shrinks from supporting Ealing on hospital reorganisation

A motion referring the Shaping a Healthier Future proposals to the Secretary of State, moved by Cllr Claudia Hector, failed to find a seconder at tonight's Brent's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The proposals will mean the closure of Central Middlesex A&E.

At the Labour councillors' pre-meeting an alternative motion was amended so that it read that the Committee 'noted' Ealing Council's decision to refer the proposals in case it should appear that Brent Council supported their action. Instead the anodyne motion from Cllr Pat Harrison, seconded by Cllr Helga Gladbaum, said that 'it was right'  that the proposals should be 'thoroughly examined'  and sought assurances that services would not be  reduced or closed  unless changes in infrastructure had 'proved to deliver successful outcomes for residents'. This was passed with Lib Dem support from Cllr Ann Hunter.

The motion was in stark contrast to the earlier passionate call for arms from Sarah Cox of Brent Fightback and Brent SWP who told the Labour councillors that they were heirs to the creators of the National Health Service and, reflecting the commitment of the recently released Spirit of 45,  it was not too late for them to stand up for the NHS, and for the people of Harlesden and Stonebridge, and refer the  decision to the Secretary of State.

Her speech was loudly applauded by Lib Dem councillor Barry Cheese, who went on to make his own heart-felt intervention from first hand sources about the inadequacies of the ambulance service at Northwick Park. He had been told by ambulance workers that two stroke victims in separate ambulances had been delayed treatment because the vehicles had been behind 12 ambulances already on the hospital ramp. As presentations continued he repeatedly called out condemning privatisation. He seems to have moved to the left of the Labour group - which, let's face it, isn't hard.

There was a tedious presentation from NW London NHS on 'Improving Healthcare for people in Brent' that nearly had Cllr Gladbaum chewing the carpet in frustration.  However,  embedded in it was the tiniest hint that there may be slightest of chances that the Central Middlesex A&E decision may only be about 98% final.

One slide read:

CENTRAL MIDDLESEX A&E

• The NWL Hospitals Trust has set up a project board to consider future  options for the A&E (includes senior representatives and clinicians from the trust and stakeholders)
• Commissioners expect to be fully involved in any decisions regarding the future of the A&E and would require reassurance regarding any future change in services around:

The reasons for any changes and the evidence behind this view
The likely impact on neighbouring services (eg Northwick park and Imperial)
The alternatives that had been considered
The monitoring that would be put in place
The involvement of stakeholders inc the OSC

The litmus test is whether a change of service would be safer that the current service

I read this as an opportunity for campaigners to continue to put on the pressure and make the case for the retention of the A&E. What we should also be saying though is that the 'current service' at Central Middlesex needs to be strengthened and its running down halted. This view is somewhat reinforced by news that the number of ambulances being directed to Central Middlesex had increased recently.

So let's not give up just yet - keep up the pressure.

Action needed to save Central Middlesex A&E

It is sometimes thought that only the residents in the south of Brent and neighbouring areas of Ealing are concerned about the closure of Central Middlesex Hospital. However residents in the north of the borough, served by Northwick Park Hospital A&E are also affected as this Guest Blog shows:

I hear that Ealing Council's scrutiny panel has voted unanimously to refer a decision to downgrade A&E departments in north-west London to an independent panel and wonder what you think about the decision to close the A & E departments?

If Central Middlesex, Ealing, Charing Cross and Hammersmith A & E departments are to close what impact is this going to have on the whole of densely populated and hugely congested West London????

Ealing Council are campaigning hard against this decision and so far I can only see Navin Shah, London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow (see this LINK) campaigning against the closures I can’t understand why the local councillors and our MP Barry Gardiner* are not campaigning against the closures too?

Navin Shah's press release LINK said:

A&Es will be forced to cater for an extra 120,000 residents on average each. In 2010 there were 32 A&E departments in London, but only 24 would remain under these plans."

"The 32 A&E’s served a population of 8.17million Londoners, an average of 255,000 people each. Reducing to 24 A&Es will mean they have to cover 340,000 each, with London’s population due to rise to 9million by 2020. This will increase the number of people each A&E is due to cover to 375,000 residents - an increase of 120,000 for each A&E. This assumes that no further closures take place.

As you know in recent years every single bit of space in Wembley has had flats built on it, bringing more and more residents to Wembley and more and more traffic congestion.  Add to this the new designer outlet and French school coming to Wembley Park - these will both bring more people and more traffic to the area.

What about Wembley Stadium with 90,000 capacity plus staff and Wembley Arena with 12,500 capacity plus staff, these bring another 102,500 plus people to the area when both venues are holding events - should there be a major incident when both venues are full to capacity how would Northwick Park A & E cope???  How would emergency vehicles cope with getting people through Wembley to Northwick Park or through to the other remaining A & E departments???  When the stadium was opened traffic schemes were put in place to get people away from the stadium to the North Circular to try and stop the congestion in Wembley so would it not make sense to keep Central Middlesex A & E open???? 

Also we hear that Central Middlesex A & E will close this June well before the new larger A & E is supposed to open at Northwick Park – how can this be allowed to happen when it clearly says that the A & E departments will close in the next 2-3 years after the new larger A & E departments are open???

My friend recently broke his toe and went to Northwick Park A & E at 10.00pm on a Monday night and was told he would have to wait 5-6 hours before he was seen – he decided not to wait and went back the next day and had to wait 4 hours to be seen.  How will Northwick Park A & E cope when everyone has to go there?  Will the hospitals be reducing parking charges for people that have to wait for hours and hours in the A & E departments to be seen??? Will there be improved public transport - if you have to go there in the middle of the night there will be no public transport available.

What impact will all the extra traffic have on the area with people having to travel further for treatment - not very good for the environment!

*Barry Gardiner says Central Middlesex A & E is not in his constituency but a lot of the people who will be affected by its closure are his constituents!!!

 Since this guess posting was sent to me Cllr Lincoln Beswick  (Labour, Harlesden) has written in the Brent and Kilburn Times regarding the closure of Central Middlesex A&E and other Coalition policies::

All these areas that this affects must stand up, be more forceful, challenge nationally elected members and jointly have a march for freedom from this atrocious, blatant, obvious and odious decision. Those elected and in opposition should not stay silent on these issues.

This requires joint action by all those who are affected - elected politicians, health service, trade unionists, general community and media services

A first practical action will be if Brent Council decides to refer back the decision to close Central Middlesex A&E at the meeting of the Health Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on Tuesday March 19th 7pm Brent Town Hall. LINK

The public can request to speak at the meeting. The contact is: 

Lisa Weaver, Democratic Services Officer  (020) 8937 1358 Email: lisa.weaver@brent.gov.uk

Brent Executive to agree Community Right to Challenge arrangements

The Brent Executive is to discuss the borough's policy on the Community Right to Challenge at its April Meeting.

Although it sounds like a right to challenge some of the more dubious decisions of the Council it is in fact the right of specific groups to bid to run current services which came into being under the Localism Act of 2011. It can be seen as a further move to end local government as we know it, introduction of the Big Society by the back door, and an escalation of out-sourcing. However, some Brent services such as the special needs playscheme are already run by such organisations.

This is some of the information already available elsewhere:

Only relevant bodies can make an Expression of Interest in running a service. The Localism Act lists the following as relevant bodies: 

• A voluntary or community body
• A body of persons or a trust which is established for charitable purposes only
• A parish council
• Two or more employees of the relevant authority
• Any other person or body specified by the Secretary of State by regulations. 

A voluntary body is defined here as a body that is not a public or local authority, the activities of which are not carried on for profit. It can generate a surplus provided it is used for the purposes of its activities or invested in the community.  A community body is a body which is not a public or local authority, the activities of which are primarily for the benefit of the community. The definitions of a voluntary or a community body are intended to cover a wide range of civil society organisations. They reflect the required characteristics of such bodies rather than referring to your organisational structure. This allows for flexibility to accommodate future forms of civil society organisation. The way in which groups demonstrate community benefit will vary depending on their legal form and the associated requirements. The statutory guidance gives more information.

In fact Brent is behind other local authorities in publishing details on how it will administer the scheme. An officer in response to an FOI request earlier this year said the delay was due to officer sickness.

An example of an Expression of Interest form can  be found on the Haringey Council website HERE

It is likely that in the future this, along with the Community Right to Bid, Community Asset Transfer and Community Right to Build,  may be used by campaigners seeking to save local services but sustainability, as with the library volunteer bids, is likely to be a major issue.

Further information can be found at the My Community Rights website HERE 

NW London NHS vote to close Central Middlesex A&E with potentially life threatening consequences

Hospital campaigners from Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham assembled at a chilly 8.30am today outside the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster in the shadow of Parliament's Victoria Tower. They were protesting against Shaping a Healthier Future plans to close A&Es at Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Ealing and Central Middlesex Hospitals.

Their pleas were ignored just as were their letters, petitions and marches and the Trust went ahead and voted for all four closures.

Campaigners warned that the decision will hit many of the area's most vulnerable residents and could result  in life threatening delays for urgent treatment.

The ITN report on the demonstration and decision can be found HERE

The 'shoddy compromise' behind Charing Cross A&E ''victory'

Ann Drinkell speaking at this evening's Torchlight Vigil at Central Middlesex Hospital

No Jubilee or Met trains from Wembley Park this weekend

The key findings in CIPFA comparative study of Brent Library service

The Kilburn Times LINK is reporting  the CIPFA Report on a comparative study of Brent Library Service and that of 15 neighbouring services.

CIPFA state:

The analysis is simple and non-judgemental. You will not find any quartiles, traffic lights or subjective commentary. Instead the report seeks to visualise the data and to enable readers to draw their own conclusions.

 In that spirit I too will resist a 'subjective commentary' and leave readers to make up their minds from the graphs reproduced below. The boroughs are (s) Brent, (e) Haringey, (a) Lewisham, (d) Lambeth, (x) Southwark, (t) Hounslow, (w) Merton, (f) Croydon, (h) Greenwich, (k) Wandsworth (z) Enfield, (g) Waltham Forest, (m) Hackney, (u) Redbridge, (n) Newham. (BRENT IS BLOCKED IN BLACK)

The full report is available via the link at the foot of this posting.

Above - survey of Under 16s

Don't let the ConDems make a casualty of our NHS

Hospital campaigners from Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing converged on the NW London NHS headquarters in central London today to hand in petitions containing thousands of names opposing the closure of A&Es across West London. Some campaigners wore bandages to dramatise the threat to local people.

The consultation on Shaping a Healthier Future ends at midnight tonight. www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk  for the online consultation form  or e-mail to consultation@nw.london.nhs.uk

Northwick Park accounts for 92% of all redirected A&E admissions

Doubts about Northwick Park Hospital  A&E Department's ability to cope now, let alone when other NW London A& E departments are closed have been reinforced by data published after a Freedom of Information request.

Between February and August 16th 2012, there were 49 requested redirections of patients to other hospitals. Of these 45 were from Northwick Park, usually to Central Middlesex which is of course ear-marked for closure. In addition Northwick Park transferred to Ealing, St Mary's, Hammersmith, West Middlesex and Hillingdon. 92% of all redirections were from Northwick Park. Hillingdon and West Middlesex had two planned redirections each. Central Middlesex none.

Harlesden leads the march to Save Central Middlesex Hospital

More than 200 people joined yesterday's march to Save the NHS and Save Central Middlesex Accident and Emergency ward. They marched from Harlesden's Jubilee Clock to Central Middlesex Hospital where a rally was held which included speeches from trade unionists, patients, community activists, Navin Shah AM; Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council; and Cllr Krupesh Hirani, lead member of Brent Council for health and adult care.

Nine reasons why public libraries are vital

The fight to save public libraries is happening in the US as well as the UK. Stephen Abram an American writer on strategies and innovations in public library provision has published this list on his blog LINK

“Here are some reasons why our libraries are still the place where we as a nation will achieve our destiny:

1. The house of the 99%: The foundation of democracy is an educated electorate. When the economy is down, it is all the more vital that we the people have access to information, education, news… and now in modern times the internet, computers, and other sources of media tools as well. Libraries do that. For everyone.
2. Libraries build equity: Research shows that depressed neighborhoods and declining communities are not just culturally enriched by libraries. The institutions serve as a community focal point, like a town square, and communities that have that resource rebound.
3. Community hope chest: Libraries don’t just curate the Harry Potter series and lend copies of the latest blockbusters on DVD, they also house special collections based on the needs and unique identities of the communities they serve. The library district where I live houses a special collection on a World War II magnesium plant that helped turned the tide of the war (as well as establishing the second largest city in Nevada). That’s living history that gets lost without a public space to keep it alive.
4. Renewable resource: How much do you save by being able to borrow materials from the library? How helpful is it to have this resource — especially now that even retail bookstores, movie rental shops, and record stores are closing? There’s a calculator for that.
5. Literacy: Studies show (PDF) that children’s literacy is greatly improved by access to summer reading programs and preschool reading programs at public libraries. And children’s literacy is a building-block of adult literacy. When I was in college I interned at a non-profit that worked on illiteracy, targeting at-risk youth. I worked in their summer reading program at an elementary school with one of the lowest rates of economic depression in the state (Oregon). This meant that most of the kids who went to that school were enrolled in summer school — even if they were good students — simply because it was a cheaper alternative to child care. At the end of the program each child got to pick out one brand-new book to keep. For all but just a few of the children, it was the first book they ever owned. Maybe you don’t “own” the books at the library (although, as a tax-payer I would argue we do), but the libraries are a place where the socio-economic realities that push the starting line so far back for so many can be equalized. And that’s like a small miracle in the life of a child who has already had to learn how to be hard in the face of a world that cuts them no breaks. There are very few individuals who could buy every child a book and start them on the road to literacy. (And it’s been shown that access to books in childhood is one of the biggest predictors of literacy.) But all of us together can buy a kid a building full of books. That is a miracle.
6. Leveling the playing field: Libraries offer vital resources for communities that might not otherwise be served or feel integrated. People learning English (or other languages), the elderly, deaf people, the homeless… the list goes on.
7. Safe space: In some communities, the public library may be the only free space available that is also a safe space. Young victims of bullying, kids who live with domestic violence, LGBT youth, and many more can find a safe place (and often a caring librarian) at the library. I know from personal experience — having spent time camped at my local library when I had no other safe place to go as a teenager.
8. Cultural touchstone: Many libraries showcase art — often by local artists. Likewise, the buildings themselves are often architecturally significant and enhance the beauty and character of the communities they serve.
9. Drop in or drop out: Libraries can also be a place that means the difference between a child’s success or failure in school. Many libraries offer tutoring programs, free classes, as well as access to volumes of information and technology that a kid might not have anywhere else. Believe it or not, even in these modern times there are kids who don’t have computers at home who need to type their papers for school. There are kids who can’t afford the expensive private tutor to get through Algebra. Libraries can make the difference to a kid teetering on the edge. And high school dropout rates have a direct correlation to the health of a community.”

Executive recommended to close Treetops and Harmony nurseries

The Brent Executive will consider the following officer recommendations at its meeting on February 13th:

That members agree

2.1 That Willow nursery be restructured to enable further provision for

children with a wide range of disabilities, while retaining its character as a

mainstream nursery

2.2 That Council- run day care services at Harmony Children’s Centre be closed

from 30 March 2012

2.3 That Council-run day care services at Treetops Children’s Centre be closed

from 20 July 2012

2.4 That the building used for nursery services at Harmony Children’s Centre

be used to facilitate expansion of Mitchell Brook School in the event that a

decision is made to expand the school.

2.5 That officers invite proposals from private, voluntary and independent

providers for use of the space at Treetops Children’s Centre as a

nursery, expected to be independent of and at no cost to the council, any

such proposals to be considered on their merit.

2.6 That the decision on whether to proceed with any such proposal in 2.5

above to use the space at Treetops Children’s Centre, be delegated to the

Directors of Children & Families and Regeneration & Major Projects, in

consultation with the Lead Member for Children & Families