Threatened Queensbury pub wins Community Asset status

Brent Council has issued the following statement. Well done to the Queensbury Campaigners and all, including some councillors, who supported them and the Council for listing it:

We are pleased to announce that the Queensbury Pub has been added to our list of assets of comuunity value.

Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt, said:

I am very pleased that the Queensbury Pub has been listed as an asset of community value.

As well as providing a home away from home for Brent residents to meet their neighbours and gather as a community, pubs such as the Queensbury generate jobs for local people and inject hundreds of thousands of pounds into our economy every year.

Community assets are locally nominated public or privately owned buildings that have furthered the social wellbeing or social interests of the community and can continue to do so.
Assets stay on our list for a period of five years.

Controversial school expansion plans bring accusations of skewed consultation

Princess Frederica Primary School, Kensal Rise

I have been reporting here for some time some of the controversies around school expansion: loss of play space, loss of additional rooms such as libraries and ICT suites for classroom conversion, and concerns that primary schools can become too big and lose the intimacy and family centredness valued by many parents.

Present government policy restricts local authorities' ability to build new schools where they are most needed so they instead expand existing schools to cope with increased demand.  The government argues that Free Schools can provide additional places but this is dependent on a provider setting up in an area of shortage and many actually set up where there are already enough places. In addition Free School are not democratically accountable through the local authority system and do not have to employ qualified staff.  They are also much more expensive to set up than a local authority school and thus deprive LAs of finance.

Barry Gardiner MP and Cllr Michael Pavey have both supported the campaign for local authorities to be given powers to plan and build new schools. Meanwhile the problem remains,

The proposed expansion of Princess Frederica Primary School has been particular controversial with parents raising concerns in a letter to the governing body as long ago as July.

Now a local parent and residents has written to MPs and councillors about his concerns over the way the consultation has been carried out and made a formal complaint to Brent Council:

10.30am Saturday to Stop the Harlesden Incinerator

A message from the Harlesden Incinerator Campaign

 STOP THE INCINERATOR IN NW10

The Site visit is at 10.30am this Saturday 2 November

PLEASE JOIN US at the site in Channel Gate Road NW10

FROM 10am ONWARDS to be ready to greet the Ealing councillors

Please bring your Banners and Placards –

A BROLLY, and a huge amount of POSITIVE SPIRIT

That means HOPE by the way NOT GIN!!!

WE CAN WIN……….

WE JUST NEED TO SHOW EALING THAT THERE IS COLOSSAL OPPOSITION TO THIS HORRENDOUS SCHEME

Now it’s down to each and every person to contact all their friends and neighbours

We need at least 500 people there on Saturday

then they will see how much people DO CARE

Don’t let a bit of rain keep you away, we need everyone to be there!

Don’t forget we will never have this CHANCE again !

Thanks Ian

Many thanks for all your support!

 @NOincineratorNO  and @NoNW10dump on Twitter.

Defend London's NHS demo in pictures

Brent had a good showing for the Defend London's NHS demonstration today. Fightback supporters were out in force along with a least seven Brent Labour councillors including Muhammed Butt and Brent Central parliamentary hopefuls Sabina Khan and Patrick Vernon.

London Green Party also mobilised for the event and were in evidence throughout the march. Front de Gauche were with us at the start of the march.

from Coalition of Resistance

Bob Blackman hoisted with his own 'one man, one woman' petard

Bob Blackman former  Leader of Brent Conservatives and now MP for Harrow East gets front page treatment in today's Sunday Mirror .LINK Cllr Carol Shaw, now a Lib Dem councillor but previously a Conservative councillor alleges the two had an 11 year old affair behind Blackman's wife's back, while they were both Brent Tory councillors.

Normally I wouldn't be interested in this, and the article has 'too much information' for my taste but it is politically relevant because Blackman recently came out against gay marriage, insisting that 'marriage had to be between one man and one woman'.

In this case it is a question of the personal is political.

Whilst he was leader of Brent Conservatives disputes arose which led to the formation of a 'Democratic Conservatives' group.  The disputes weakened Brent Conservatives and they were reduced to a rump at the last local elections and Barry Gardiner strengthened his position at the General Election in a seat formerly held by right wing Tory Dr Rhodes Boyson.

Many would dispute the Mirror's description of Blackman as a 'Top Tory'. However, he has attracted a lot of controversy and years ago, Ken Livingstone, in a parliamentary speech, accused him of being a ' municipal Robert Maxwell' LINK

On the other hand I found him an ally in the battle against the Ark Academy in Wembley when we were among the speakers at a public meeting at the Torch Pub in Bridge Road and both members of  a delegation to the GLA which also included Barry Gardiner MP.

Brent Labour desperately seeking council candidates for 2014

Brent Labour Party is looking for people to stand as Labour councillors in 2014. They are possibly a little desperate so I thought I would give them a hand by publicising the invite. Note you do not have to be a member of the Labour Party to attend:

The Brent Labour Party will soon be starting its selection process for Brent Council elections in 2014. With this is mind, the Brent Labour Party is holding an event on the 4th of July for people interested in becoming a Labour Councillor.

If you are interested in putting yourself forward, this is a fantastic opportunity to come along, and learn a bit more about what being a councillor really entails, and how to go about applying.
The meeting starts at 7pm with presentations by current councillors talking about their experiences of getting started and what it’s like to be a councillor.

There will then be a chance to ask questions. This will last approximately 45 minutes – 1 hour. After the presentations you will be able to talk to the councillors informally.

If you know someone that might be interested in coming along but isn’t on this email list please pass this information on – everyone is welcome to attend, even if they’re not a Labour Party Member

The information for the evening is the following::

Wednesday the 4th of July 2012 – 7pm

The Stonebridge Hub, Hillside, NW10 8BN (10 minute walk from either Harlesden or Stonebridge stations)

Let us know if you would like to attend by emailing brentlabour@live.co.uk

I will be happy to publish any suggestions from readers about questions that could be asked after the presentation.