Brent Council is consulting on making changes in the Council Tax Support scheme. As you can see from above their drop-in sessions have attracted very few people. There is still time to take part in the consultation online that ends on December 15th 2024. Residents' Brent Council Tax bill is expected to increase by a further 5% in 2025-26.
The council is seeking savings of £2m on the scheme by revising the proportion of Council Tax paid by working families in need of support. The lowest income group would now receive a reduction of 65% rather than the 100% reduction (ie pay no Council Tax) at present:
I have embedded the full consultation document below. To take part in the consultation follow this LINK.
As Brent Council consultations have a low profile and a poor response rate I am publicising two more that are in progress. Both affect the daily lives of residents.
FROM BRENT COUNCIL
Statement of Licensing
Policy Consultation -Alcohol
Every 5 years the Council is required to review,
consult on and re-publish its Statement of Licensing Policy. The current
Statement of Licensing Policy is due to be re-published in January 2025.
The Statement of Licensing Policy is a document
that sets out the Council’s approach to issuing licences for the sale of
alcohol and late night refreshment, the management of those licences and the
expectations the Council has of licensees.
The Statement of Licensing Policy has been reviewed
and refreshed to ensure that it is up to date and relevant to Brent’s current
circumstances and how they affect the licensed economy.
We do encourage you to read the draft Statement of
Licensing Policy 2025-2030, however, we have also outlined the key changes
below:
Key changes and additions for the Licensing Policy
1. The Licensing Policy has been
updated for changes in laws and the Section 182 guidance. Including
changes in pavement licences, a link to immigration status documentation and
the inclusion of a policy to prepare for ‘Martyn’s
Law’.
2. In particular new policies
have been included to outline expectations in the following areas:
a. Addressing risks and harms to
women and vulnerable people in the night time economy;
b. Responding to the proposed
Martyn’s Law by outlining event and large venue safety and risk assessment;
c. Highlighting expectations
for ‘dark kitchens’ an their premises to improve the operation and oversight of
alcohol sales from these premises;
d. Ensuring licenses are aware of
their responsibilities in relation to drink spiking.
e. Policies outlining expectations
on delivery services and the dispersal of patrons from premises.
3. We have also removed the policy
on a voluntary Minimum Unit Price, this policy has not been used and other
approaches have had a positive impact in the
area of low cost, high strength
alcohol sales.
The policy must now be fully reviewed, and
re-published.
We have prepared a revised a draft policy for
consultation purposes. The consultation began on August 8th and ends
on September 29th. LINK
A sharp-eyed reader has drawn my attention to several Brent Council consultations that are taking place during the August holiday period. The first is on Conservation Area directions within some of Brent's Conservation Areas. These are important because they map the relevant area and set out regulations on windows, doors and front gardens. The consultation started on August 1st and ends on Friday August 30th. So far just one person has 'had their say'.
Proposed Article 4 Directions for Conservation Areas
On the 28th May 2024 Brent’s Cabinet Committee gave its authorisation to
proceed with proposals for immediate and non-immediate new Article 4 Directions
to replace the existing Directions for its residential Conservation
Areas.
New immediate Article 4 Directions are needed because the Council has
reduced the boundary of the Buck Lane Conservation Area, de-designated the
Sudbury Cottages Conservation Area and agreed to relax the Article 4 Directions
for windows, doors and front gardens in the Northwick Circle Conservation
Area.
Non-immediate Article 4 Directions are needed because the Council has
extended the Brondesbury, Mapesbury, Queen’s Park and Willesden Green
Conservation Areas. The proposed Article Directions, with the exception of
Northwick Park outside Northwick Circle, will restrict the same suite of
permitted development rights as those Article 4s that exist and as illustrated
in the bullet points above. (Editor's note: As you can see there are no 'bullet points above!)
We are inviting comments on the Article 4 Directions from 1st August
to 30th August 2024 17:00.
Please complete this survey, providing your comments on the proposed changes
to the Conservation Article 4 Directions.
Only the name of organisations represented but not any individual’s personal
details will be made public in any material related to the representations
received. The Council will only retain your personal details to inform you
of the outcome of the decision on whether to proceed with the confirmation of
the Directions. After this has occurred your personal details will be
deleted. For more information see our privacy notice.
Brent Council is currently consulting on the Staples Corner Growth Area Masterplan which would see major changes in the Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) areas in Dollis Hill, new housing, a designated high rise area and better connections with green spaces.
The Council claims:
Staples
Corner will be transformed into a higher quality and intensified industrial
area sitting adjacent to a new urban community. Regeneration and growth will
support a rich ecology of industrial and co-located residential uses to create an
exemplary 15-minute neighbourhood where people live, work and interact.
Intensification will deliver a new and varied supply of
modern industrial premises for London’s strategic and local business needs, as
well as commercial space, social infrastructure and an improved public realm to
support a mixed use
residential community.
Staples
Corner will be enhanced as an attractive, prosperous and sustainable place,
supporting
new industrial business and employment growth, as well as welcoming new
residents to the neighbourhood.
Protecting
and intensifying the majority of the industrial land solely for industrial
purposes,
but allowing some either for a mix of uses incorporating some industrial or for
residential
led development, will deliver:
• Modern,
fit for purpose industrial spaces for local businesses including logistics,
light
industrial units and affordable workspace;
•
Opportunities for employment, skills and training for local people;
• A
minimum of 2,200 new high quality homes, including affordable homes and
family
sized-dwellings;
• A range
of new local services and community spaces that support interaction and
community cohesion;
• New open
spaces, incorporating play for a range of ages, and public realm
improvements
particularly along the North Circular Road and Edgware Road;
• A high
quality environment that is safe and accessible to everyone;
• An
industrial movement network that keeps HGV and large vehicles to the
strategic
road network, with other streets encouraging walking and
cycling
over private motor vehicles, and better connect Staples Corner to the
surrounding
area;
• A place
that achieves the highest standards of sustainability to support a
low carbon
circular economy.
The plans include a tall building zone off the Edgware Road with some taller 'marker buildings':
The West Hendon redevelopment in neighbouring Barnet with its 'marker' tall building was opposed by Brent Council because of its impact on the Welsh Harp but it was argued at the time that it would set a precedent that could lead to development close to the banks of the Welsh Harp encouraged by the Council. The comment included in the above image 'building masses should consider the setting of the locally listed Welsh Harp reservoir, and also respond sensitively to suburban streets to the south' will be key for many local people and will the impact of tall buildings on the flight paths of breeding and migrating birds.
I can only include a basic outline of these massive detailed documents that can be found on the Council website HERE.
One adopted the Masterplan will used as the framework for future planning decisions in the designated Growth Area area and so it is important to comment now.
The above video was posted on Twitter yesterday revealing the state of Blake Court on the South Kilburn Estate. @DCustodians said:
Welcome to #BlakeCourtThis the airy 4th floor. Recently redecorated to a high standard by squatters.
Just needs a do not disturb sign. Tenants are a bit inconvenienced, work/school
and all but who are we to complain?
A picture of an an attempted break-in and soiled lift were also posted:
I thought it was appropriate to publish these images in the light of the Housing Report going to Brent Cabinet on Monday. The report includes a section on South Kilburn where it is proposed that some voids (empty properties) on the estate are brought into use as temporary accommodation.
The fact that only 52 of 534 properties are considered suitable is in itself telling and clearly it is not just the flats themselves that need to be suitable - safe, clean - but the surrounding 'unsuitable flats', staircases, lifts and security that needs to be considered.
Wembley Matters has revealed the £13m deficit in the housing budget caused by the rising number of homeless people in temporary hotel accommodation or expensive private rented placements. LINK The council hopes to save on the average £3,000 a night for the 52 households:
There are currently 534 void
properties across the South Kilburn regeneration site as households have either
been moved into new or alternative homes, or leasehold properties have been
bought back. Due to the increased demand for temporary accommodation and rising
hotel costs, an exercise has been carried out to assess the suitability of
South Kilburn voids for use as temporary accommodation.
However, there is a fly in the ointment. Brent Council want to avoid the 'Landlord Promise' made at the time of the South Kilburn Regeneation Ballot, applying to these households (my highlighting):
Of the 534 voids, 52 have
been identified as suitable for potential use. This is based on their condition
and the impact of using them on the regeneration programme. These are based in
John Ratcliffe, William Dunbar, William Saville, and Zangwill. Historically,
those living in temporary accommodation on the regeneration site were included
in the South Kilburn Promise (Landlord Offer), which commits to re-housing
temporary accommodation residents within South Kilburn, with the option to move
outside of the estate (with the household’s agreement) along with other
commitments. This was specifically for those impacted at the time of the
ballot. If these voids are used for temporary accommodation, this report
recommends that the South Kilburn Promise does not apply going forward. This
implications of this proposal on the 2019 ballot outcome have been discussed with
the Greater London Authority and no implications were identified.
The rational[e] for the promise
not applying going forward to temporary households, is largely based on these
households bypassing the choice-based lettings scheme, where other households
have waited for years for family sized accommodation. Additionally, these
households will not have been impacted by the regeneration scheme in the way
those involved with the ballot.
This proposal does create a
risk that temporary households will need to be decanted elsewhere, most likely
away from the estate, when blocks are due to be demolished. Plus, there will be
two tiers of temporary accommodation on the site, those who are eligible for
the South Kilburn Promise and those who are not. This risk however is balanced
by the immediate reduction in pressure for the Council as moving 52 households
out of their current temporary accommodation and into South Kilburn would save
the Council approximately £3,017 a night based on the
average nightly rate paid and subsidy loss currently being covered by the
Council. The use of these void properties has wider benefits to the overall
wellbeing of households currently facing homelessness, many of whom are having
to be placed outside of the borough which ultimately affects schooling and
work.
There is another pitfall in that the council is required to consult on any change in its Lettings Policy in order to amend the Landlord Offer.:
To amend the South Kilburn Promise (Landlord
Offer) for new temporary accommodation tenants, the Council is required to
amend the Local Lettings Policy (allocations scheme) which requires
consultation. The Council is currently seeking legal advice on how to consult
and once obtained, this will guide officers to carry out the relevant
consultation ahead of any decision being finalised.
The council had to open up bidding for council properties to homeless people after a legal judgement in 2021-22 when a teenager took them to court. LINK That was the last change in the lettings policy. It is likely that South Kilburn residents, especially those waiting for accommodation on the estate, presently in accommodation outside the area, in temporary accommodation or decanted temporarily while waiting to be permanently housed in new build will be very wary of any change in the South Kilburn Promise. If it can be done once for one group, could it be withdrawn later for another group?
This will depend to some extent on residents perception of progress on the whole South Kilburn Regeneration. A letter to Wembley Matters in November outlined the problems in terms of delivery and impact on those waiting to be rehoused. LINK
There are ongoing problems with defects to properties with L&Q one of the most notable and the ongoing Granville New Homes debacle where the cost of remediation is now put at £25m (against that budget gap of £13m) having been purchased for £17.1m by the council. Still no news on any council move for compensation from the builder. LINK
A veteran observer of the South Kilburn scene was asked for their view by Wembley Matters in the light of the latest news:
If the council were were to hold another ballot, would all those in temporary accommodation still vote yes if they were told they would not be getting a new home in South Kilburn for at least 10 years and that some of them would have to move into old blocks waiting to be demolished while they wait.
Although there are 730 households in temporary accommodation, we do not know how many of them have a South Kilburn connection but at the last consultation the ones that had it were promised a new home soon if they voted yes.
There are 370 secure council tenants waiting for a new home today and we will find out soon the exact numbers in each of the 7 blocks left and when they might be decanted.
But the next batch of new homes are for secure council tenants from both Craic and Crone Court and there are none for those in temporary accomodation. Of course the council could change their allocation policy to favour those in temporary accommodation but this is most unlikely.
There should be some more new homes available in 2029 which were for those in phases 7 and 8 but now they might go to those currently in temporary accommodation. I am not sure how many new homes will be available but there will be fewer than 100 and by then because of possible financial issues, many of the homes could be sold, or become shared ownership homes.
But with only 70 new homes available in 2029 and around a 1000 households expecting to get one of them, most of them are going to be disappointed.
I wonder if Osbornes Law will be interested in the new proposals?
There was an attempt by Brent Council a few years ago to introduce Traffic Management measures that were not popular. Another consultation has been launched. Parking permits will be £50 per year and in the first instance limited to residents. There will be a review regarding visitor permits once the scheme is operation. This was a particular concern for some residents who have a cultural tradition of visiting relatives as an extended family.
The Council warns that parking on estates will have to be suspended for a maximum of two days (weather permitting) while signs and new road markings are installed.
We
are consulting on estates across Brent regarding the introduction of
Traffic Management measures. This will mean that the council can control
parking on the estates in the same way that it does on public roads and
will make parking safer, fairer and easier.
As a part of this
consultation, we will be running a series of workshops where discussions
will take place on each of these estates. The estates and the
corresponding workshop details can be found below.
To sign up to one of the workshops, please click on each of the workshops (1-5) which will redirect you to an Eventbrite page. Booking
through the links below guarantees your entry, however if you are
unable to book through these pages, there will availability on the day
at the venue if you wish to attend.
For more information
on what is being proposed at each state, please click on the name of
the estate which will open a plan of the proposals.
(Note the workshop for Summers Close and Saltcroft Close is given as two different vekues on the website and the printed brochure. There may be other mistakes - I have not checked them all.)
If you would like to have your say on our proposals, please follow a link to our survey here (https://bit.ly/BHECS), or click on the 'Have your say' button on the top of the page. Survey closes at 23:59 on 13 December 2023.
Why do we need to make these changes?
Vehicles
parking in an unsafe and inconsiderate way blocks roads and pavements,
and are making it difficult and unsafe for residents to move around
their estates, as well as hindering access for the Council’s refuse
collection vehicles. Residents on the estates are also finding it more
and more difficult to find a space to park their car. More seriously,
unsafe parking can prevent fire engines and ambulances from getting to
the estates for emergencies.
How do the new controls work differently to the current ones?
Under
the current system, Wing Parking (enforcement agents) are not legally
allowed to access DVLA information, meaning they can only ever enforce
against estates residents, not those parking there without permission.
The new system will make it easier for the Council to enforce against
vehicles parked poorly or inconsiderately which cause problems in the
estates. These stricter controls have been proven to deter nuisance
estate parking when used by other London authorities.
What are the benefits of these changes?
Residents should find it easier to access a suitable parking space.
There should be less disruption to emergency service vehicles, allowing them to respond more rapidly to issues on the estates.
Unauthorised vehicles will be deterred from entering the estates and
parking in resident bays, which will increase parking availability for
estate residents.
Unobstructed footways will improve parking accessibility and safety
for pedestrians, the mobility impaired and pedestrians with pushchairs.
There should be an improvement in access for Council services, including a reduction in missed waste collections.
