See Brent Council website for what you can put in them LINK
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?
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 |
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 |
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