Community skips skipped due to General Election

 

We are all familiar with the publicity shots of Brent councillors with 'community skips' and smiling, albeit slightly embarrassed Veolia staff, but a ruling that purdah rules means that they cannot take place during a General Election suggests that these have always been a party political event rather than a council service. Community skips were in the Labour Party council election manifesto.

The rules state:

 Local authorities in Great Britain have a statutory responsibility not to publish any material which appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party. The Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity is issued under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986, as amended, and local authorities must have regard to it. Publicity is “any communication, in whatever form, addressed to the public at large or to a section of the public." This guidance applies at all times but during the pre-election period greater care is generally taken and goes beyond just publicity. Use of council facilities and resources should not be used for party political campaigning.

The fact that the guidance 'applies at all times' does raise the issue of previous publicity put out by the Council's public relations department on the council's official twitter feed. 

 

If councillor presence was just for party publicity could the skips have continued quietly without them?

Brent Community skips this weekend and through October. Full details.

 

After some community skips were postponed after the death of the Queen, they have been re-scheduled. These details are taken from the Council website today but please note the Council's advice to check with their webpage LINK before you load up your horse and cart or wheelbarrow!

From the Council website

Representatives from Veolia will join the council’s Neighbourhood Managers to help sort items and ensure they are recycled and reused wherever possible. 

Please check the location and date of your local community skip the day before you go, LINK just in case there are any last minute changes and be aware that we cannot accept builders’ materials (such as rubble), garden waste (including soil), commercial waste, pianos, or clinical and hazardous waste, tyres, fridges, batteries, oil and paint.

 

Queens Park	Harvist Road, near the junction with Chamberlayne Road, NW6 6HJ	Saturday 15 October	10am to 12pm
Kilburn	Priory Park Road, near the junction with St Julian’s Road, NW6 7UN	Saturday 15 October	2pm to 4pm

 

 

Queensbury	Old Kenton Lane, NW9 9ND	Sunday 2 October	2pm to 4pm
Kingsbury	Grove Park Recreation Ground car park, NW9 OLA	Sunday 16 October	10am to 12pm
Kenton	Masonic Centre, Northwick Circle, HA3 0EL	Saturday 22 October	10am to 12pm
Barnhill	Green space outside, Lawns Court, The Avenue, HA9 9PN	Saturday 22 October	2pm to 4pm

 

Wembley Hill	Outside 139 St Johns Road, HA9 7JP	Sunday 9 October	10am to 12pm
Preston	Windermere Avenue, outside the Church of the Annunciation, HA9 8TQ	Sunday 9 October	2pm to 4pm

 

Willesden Green	Chaplin Road, parking bays op 98 – near the junction with Villiers Road, NW2 5PR	Saturday 1 October	10am to 12pm
Dollis Hill	Vincent Gardens, near the bend, NW2 7RJ	Saturday 1 October	2pm to 4pm
Cricklewood and Mapesbury	Cedar Road, parking bays outside number 36, near the junction with Ivy Road, NW2 6SR	Thursday 6 October	6pm to 8pm

 

Wembley Park

North End Road, outside Empire Court, HA9 0AQ

Sunday 2 October

10am to 12pm

 

Autumn community skips in Brent. Details: What, When and Where

From Brent Council

Do you need to get rid of an old sofa, washing machine or mattress? Do you want to the opportunity freshen up and de-clutter your home?

With the community skips you can. You can get rid of your bulky waste for FREE and donate any reusable items to those who need them, which helps others and is great for the environment too!

The community skips are making a return from Thursday 1 September - Thursday 6 October and will be touring the borough, ready to take your bulky waste and then recycle it or give it a new home.

You can drop off up to five bulky items free of charge, as long as you can show proof of a Brent address.

Residents are also welcome to take away any items to reuse and repurpose.

Representatives from Veolia will join the council’s Neighbourhood Managers to help sort items and ensure they are recycled and reused wherever possible. 

Please check the location and date of your local community skip the day before you go, just in case there are any last minute changes and be aware that we cannot accept builders’ materials (such as rubble), garden waste (including soil), commercial waste, pianos or clinical and hazardous waste. 

 

Harlesden

Neighbourhood Manager: Ashley Cumberbatch

Ward	Location	Date	Time
Harlesden and Kensal Green	Harley Road, near the junction with Station Road, NW10	Sunday 11 September	2pm to 4pm
Roundwood	Franklyn Road, opposite number 8, NW10	Thursday 22 September	2pm to 4pm
Stonebridge	Woodheyes Road, opposite number 117, NW10	Saturday 24 September	2pm to 4pm

 

Kilburn

Neighbourhood Manager: Raakesh Shah

Ward	Location	Date	Time
Brondesbury Park	Chatsworth Road, near the junction with Mapesbury Road (Outside the Brondesbury Bowls Club), NW2	Thursday 8 September	6pm to 8pm
Queens Park	Harvist Road, near the junction with Chamberlayne Road, NW6	Saturday 17 September	10am to 12pm
Kilburn	Priory Park Road, near the junction with St Julian’s Road, NW6	Saturday 17 September	2pm to 4pm

 

Kingsbury and Kenton

Neighbourhood Manager: Shirley Holmes

Ward	Location	Date	Time
Welsh Harp	Townsend Lane, outside the allotments, NW9	Thursday 1 September	6pm to 8pm
Queensbury	Old Kenton Lane, NW9	Sunday 2 October	2pm to 4pm
Kingsbury	Grove Park Recreation Ground car park, NW9	Sunday 11 September	10am to 12pm
Kenton	Masonic Centre, Northwick Circle, HA3 0EL	Saturday 10 September	10am to 12pm
Barnhill	The Green, Lawns Court, The Avenue, HA9 9PN	Saturday 10 September	2pm to 4pm

 

Wembley North

Neighbourhood Manager: Mark O’Brien

Ward	Location	Date	Time
Sudbury	Sylvester Road, alongside the tennis courts, HA0	Sunday 4 September	10am to 12pm
Northwick Park	The Fairway, near the junction with Blockley Road, HA0	Sunday 4 September	2pm to 4pm
Wembley Hill	Outside 139 St Johns Road, HA9	Sunday 18 September	10am to 12pm
Preston	Windermere Avenue, outside the Church of the Annunciation, HA9	Sunday 18 September	2pm to 4pm

 

Wembley South

Neighbourhood Manager: Jon Ashby

Ward	Location	Date	Time
Wembley Central	Douglas Avenue, corner of Hillfield Avenue, HA0	Saturday 24 September	10am to 12pm
Alperton	Queensbury Road, outside Abbey Estate Community Building, HA0 1LZ	Sunday 25 September	10am to 12pm
Tokyngton	Monks Park, near to the junction with Harrow Road, HA9	Thursday 29 September	6pm to 8pm
Wembley Park	North End Road, outside Empire Court, HA9	Sunday 2 October	10am to 12pm

 

Willesden

Neighbourhood Manager: Phil Stagles

Ward	Location	Date	Time
Willesden Green	Chaplin Road, parking bays op 98 – near the junction with Villiers Road, NW2	Saturday 1 October	10am to 12pm
Dollis Hill	Vincent Gardens, near the bend, NW2	Saturday 1 October	2pm to 4pm
Cricklewood and Mapesbury	Cedar Road, parking bays outside number 36, near the junction with Ivy Road, NW2	Thursday 6 October	6pm to 8pm

 

Brent Elections Returning Officer steps into skips row

 

Carolyn Downs, who as well as being Brent Council CEO is also the Returning Officer for the May 5th local elections, wrote to party returning officers this afternoon:

 

Dear all

You will be fully aware that purdah starts on 24th March. All councillors including those who will be seeking re-election have been advised of this and to be very careful of any publicity used in the near run up to that date. A particular issue has been drawn to my attention.  The council has been working with the community and residents associations on a programme of community skips located in wards around the borough where people can take rubbish. This initiative is warmly welcomed by the community. We have a few more to take place between now and 24th March and we have advised all Councillors not to promote themselves through their own or party publicity in relation to these skips. I am sure that you, as agents, would agree that prospective candidates who are not currently Councillors should desist in doing so as well to avoid this valuable initiative being marred for the community by [political] controversy. I would be grateful for your cooperation.

 

Carolyn Downs

Chief Executive