UPDATED WITH TORY REPLY: Brent Tories asked 'Where's the money coming from?' on their schools policy

 I received an election leaflet cheekily called 'Barnhill Ward Matters' through my door last week from Brent North Conservatives last week and was puzzled by their education policy. I am awaiting a response to my email below:

I have had your leaflet through the door and would like you to clarify Point 5 of your plan for Brent:

INSPIRING FUTURES THROUGH BETTER EDUCATION

The Conservatives will invest in schools to deliver a higher quality of education to exceed neighbouring boroughs and bring aspiration to all the students in Brent, ensuring all individuals are given an equal opportunity for for life goals.

Local authority schools and academies are funded through the National Funding Formula government funding. The money for local authority schools goes to the Council who then distribute it to schools based on a number of factors agreed with Schools Forum. Academies and free schools are funded directly from the government with the appropriate amount then taken from the LA's schools budget.

There is no direct funding of the running of schools from the Council’s own Council Tax/Business Rates income.

The government is aiming to reduce the role of LAs in deciding how the national funding is allocated to schools:

Since financial year 2018-19, a new National Funding Formula (NFF) has been used to determine how much mainstream schools attract in core revenue funding. There are separate formulas for sixth form, high needs, and early years funding. Pupil Premium (additional money to support disadvantaged children) is also paid via a separate grant.

Currently, the NFF is only being used to work out notional allocations for individual schools. These are then aggregated, adjusted, and passed to local authorities, who then draw up local funding formulas for onward distribution. This is known as a soft NFF.

The government has said it remains committed to introducing a hard NFF, i.e., one with a reduced role for local authorities in deciding allocations. In July 2021, it consulted on completing the NFF reforms, proposing a gradual move toward a hard NFF, but with no deadline for doing so. A further consultation is expected to follow.

My question then is how  will a Brent Conservative administration increase investment in schools so that they exceed the quality of education of neighbouring boroughs?

This is the answer to my email received today (April 12th)  from  Sai Karthik Madabhushi of Barnhill Conservatives. Readers can judge for themselves whether this answers the question:

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your email. I take your point on the changing NFF formula, but the consultations need to run their course and I believe the government will take decisions based on the outcome of these consultations and subsequent deliberations.

Our thoughts in the Manifesto around "Better Education", are centered around the fact that the LA has sufficient funds and resources to ring-fence additional money for education in Brent. We need to help institutions move from Needs-improvement to Good and Good to Out-standing. It bothers us that we are building more homes in the area without planning ahead for more school places for children or the stresses this will place on the existing system.

If representations have already been made to DFoE and they have been unsuccessful or if the LA deems a certain request critical to care or education in a particular school, the LA should consider releasing additional funds on a case-by-case basis. This we believe is critical to helping schools in Brent achieve, if not exceed their goals. 

We are open to suggestions and guidance to do the best thing for the community.

 

When are you likely to hear results from the GLA election?

 

Brent Council pulled out the stops today to ensure that voters and their staff were Covid safe at polling stations.

The above polling station in Wembley Park had perspex screens to protect staff, a one way system with good air flow, social distance markers on the pavement, sanitiser and covid marshals on hand to ensure compliance with covid safety measures. Voters were urged to use their own pencils or pens.

Voting boxes will go to Alexandra Palace for tomorrow's GLA count which will also be constrained by strict covid safety measures including a reduced number of counting staff and restrictions on the number of party counting agents. The Brondesbury Park by-election count will also take place in a separate room at Alexandra Palace with the count by a 'super team' expected to be completed after lunch, as long as no recount is required.

The GLA Brent and Harrow constituency count takes place tomorrow but some other London constituencies will not be counted until Saturday.  The Brent and Harrow result will most likely be announced on Friday evening but as this is the first count under Covid conditions that cannot be guaranteed.

Provisional declaration times for Saturday are 8pm for the election of the Mayor and 9pm for the election of London-wide assembly members.  If the declaration is held over to Sunday morning the timings are likely to be 10am and 11am.

Guidance on how to vote can be found here: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/how-complete-your-ballot-papers

You can follow real-time election results on the electronic screens here: http://www.londonelects.org.uk

How to make Green Party communications relevant to working class voters

https://campaigns.greenparty.org.uk/executive-elections-2018/

Green Left, the eco-socialist group within the Green Party, invited members to submit questions to candidates for the Green Party leader and  deputy leader positions. There were 15 questions in all and candidates' answer can be found HERE

The Green Party is often seen as white and middle class although, helped by the campaigning of Green Left, its anti-austerity and social justice policies should appeal to both white and black and ethnic minority working class voters. My question focused on this issue:

How can Green Party communications of their policies be made more relevant to the working class (White and Black Minority Ethnic)?

Shahrar Ali (leader candidate)

Let’s make our own-branded campaign materials more representative of society. See our current spokespersons page. There is no visible ethnic diversity – which is frankly laughable, despite the brilliant people who could fill those roles (https://bit.ly/18QFrOS). You also have the opportunity to elect the first BME leader of a UK party.

Jonathan Bartley & Sian Berry (Co-leader job-share candidates)

We think it’s real Green action on the issues that matter to these groups that will win trust, not just communicating our policies. It’s vital that we are strong allies to campaigners on issues that matter to working class and BAME voters, and we should be enthusiastically backing them when they ask for our help, and seeking out ways to help them if they aren’t asking us yet. Our record of action and campaigning shows we are serious about this.

In London, Jonathan and Lambeth Greens went from one to five councillors due to their fierce campaigns supporting estate residents against demolition and fighting for public libraries that many residents depend upon. In the London Assembly, Sian has fought hard to defend injustices that particularly affect people of colour such as getting the Mayor to use name-blind recruitment to cut down on biases, and calling out the police on tactics such as stop and search, spit hoods, tasers and draconian automated facial recognition that disproportionately target Black people.

We also need to be supporting BME candidates to get elected. Jonathan just launched in Lambeth (in Brixton at the Black Cultural Archives in Windrush Square) the Deyika Nzeribe Fund. This was named after our party’s Manchester Mayoral candidate who died tragically on New Year’s eve 2017. We welcomed at that launch the first Green Mayor of Sheffield – Magid Magid and the new Green Mayor of Bristol Cleo Lake a proud Bristolian of African-Caribbean heritage. The fund – overseen by Greens of Colour - will support, engage and develop Green candidates of global south heritage.

Aimee Challenor (deputy leader candidate)

Our communications are relevant to the working class, we see mass engagement with our working class members, this should be celebrated and the hard work continued.

Jonathan  Chilvers (deputy leader candidate)

Great question. We need to be a lot better at this. By listening to residents on the doorstep, putting our principles into practical action so people can see the impact. Give people a voice when they feel powerless and make sure it’s their voice not ours.

Andrew Cooper (deputy leader candidate)

We need people to be familiar with the Green Party as part of their everyday lives. Taking up the issues and problems of working class people instead of just talking about them. Growing our Councillor base is a good way of building strong roots in communities and making ourselves relevant to people who often have challenging lives with limited incomes. I work a lot with the Muslim community in Huddersfield and it is by close contact with communities and taking up their concerns that helps build support.

Rashid Nix (deputy leader candidate)

The fact this is the 13th question shows what a priority this is! I’m dismayed at how Greens view working class and bme’s. It’s like we (I am black) are an alien species with peculiar habits and tastes. That’s prob why we lost 25,000 members! They probably joined Labour... TALK IN PLAIN ENGLISH WITHOUT TECHNO BABBLE!

Leslie Rowe (leader candidate)

By listening. When a democratic decision is made, respect it. That migration is not the problem but businesses addicted to a never ending supply of cheap labour not willing to pay the market rate for jobs is. Minimum wage too low, not enough minimum wage inspectors and we need to vastly increase vocational training.

Amelia Womack (deputy leader candidate)

Making sure we’re delivering our message into publications that are relevant to different groups. It’s no good simply getting our message in the Guardian and on Daily Politics as we simply talk to our bubble.

In the past I’ve worked with the Mirror and even Stylist Magazine to make sure our message reaches as broad a community as possible.

Also, it’s vitally important to be on the doorsteps with working class communities with a relevant message that will make a difference to the lives of people in their community. A large part of this is overcoming the rhetoric that migrants are what’s failing the NHS, housing, jobs etc and ensure we stop our government and other parties scapegoating from the issues caused by Westminster

GREEN PARTY ELECTIONS OFFICIAL INFORMATION

Labour sweeps the board in Willesden Green, Greens narrowly win second party status

Click on image to enlarge

Candidates in order of vote:

Click to enlarge

Parties in order of total vote:

Labour 4980
Green 795
Conservative 735
Lib Dem 627

Turnout was 25.49%

The overall message was of continued Labour dominance but Greens felt they had mounted a good campaign with fewer resources than other parties.

Green candidates William Relton and Shaka Lish with Martin Francis, Election Agent

Green Party Willesden Green Election Action Day Sunday June 17th

Action Day for Willesden Green by-election. Join us, take pics, help out, ask questions, grab posters & find out about @TheGreenParty! Sunday 17th June 11am-1pm Willesden Green station.

Sian Berry (Green Party Assembly Member) and Rashid Nix (Green party activist from Lambeth) will be joing us. 

Our candidates are Shaka Lish (above), William Relton and Peter Murry.

Willesden Green council election set for June 21st

From Brent Electoral Services

The countermanded poll in Willesden Green has been rescheduled to take place on Thursday 21st June.

The Notice of Election will be published on Wednesday 16th May. Nominations will be accepted between 10 and 4pm from Wednesday 16th May to Thursday 24th May. Please contact either me or Matt Willis if you would like to make an appointment to submit a nomination.

Any candidate already validly nominated in the ward does not have to resubmit a nomination. By law, existing candidates cannot withdraw their nomination at this stage.

The deadline to register to vote for this election is 5th June. The postal vote deadline is 6 June at 5pm and the proxy deadline is 13th June at 5pm.

Regarding election expenses, in a countermanded poll the candidate spending limit is doubled. All candidates should continue to record their spending and report everything in a single return after the election. There is no need to complete a separate return for spending incurred before the poll was countermanded.

Muhammed Butt re-elected as Brent Leader

Muhammed Butt was re-elected leader of the Labour Group on Brent Council at their Annual General Meeting. As Labour have 57 out of 60 seats on the Council (three to come at the delayed Willesden Green ward election) this makes him Leader of Brent Council to be rubber-stamped at the first Full Council meeting.

Butt told the assembled councillors, including 19 or so new ones, 'The terrible decisions are yet to come.' Not terribly reassuring and it is a pity he didn't tell the electorate that.

Butt defeated Roxanne Mashari comfortably but there was praise for her speech on the importance of transparency and the need to allow debate.

The Standing Orders were adopted, but not after some objections and a promise to keep them under review. As I understand it this means that Muhammed Butt will nominate members of the Cabinet and the main committees himself, rather than allocate roles from a list elected by the whole group. There may be a hustings.

I have not yet heard whether their terms of office and that of the leader will be extended.

Labour tightens its grip on Brent, Tories reduced to 3, Lib Dems wiped out

With all election results in Labour has 57 seats on Brent Council, Conservatives three and Liberal Democrats and Greens none. Three more seats will be contested in the postponed Willesden Green election.

Labour took Brondesbury Park from the Conservatives but the Tories managed to hold on to Kenton.The Brondesbury Park result was keenly awaited because of the controversy over false rumours about the death of one of the Conservative candidates.  In the event the lowest Labour vote was 1660 and the highest Tory vote, for Carol Shaw, was 1567. John Warren, the leader of the Conservative Group lost his seat.

The Dollis Hill election was expected to be close between Labour and the Lib Dems but the highest Liberal Democrat, Alison Hopkins, at 1,355 was substantially behind the lowest Labour candidate who collected 2,100 votes.

In Kilburn John Duffy only managed 412 votes with the top Labour candidate gathering almost six times as many votes.

In Queens Park  the Women's Equality candidate had 626 votes against the top Labour vote of 1,862. Of the three Green candidates, PoppyStockbridge was top at 519 votes.

The result is likely to have an impact on the contest for the Labour Party leadership due to take place at tomorrow's Annual General Meeting.  I was unable to make much of a dent in Muhammed Butt's vote in Tokyngton but the turnout was the lowest in the borough.

FULL RESULTS HERE

Will it be 'One man' Brent on top of 'One party'?

The 2014 Brent Council result

Muhammed Butt, currently Leader of Brent Labour group and Brent Council, has made no secret of the fact that he wants to sweep the board in tomorrow's election and defeat the Tories in Kenton and Brondesbury Park and the independent seat in Mapesbury.  On the one hand 'that's democracy' as Labour in Islington has argued, as they pour resources into defeating the lone Green councillor Caroline Russell.

On the other hand what does it say about respect for democracy in that they are wanting to wipe out all opposition? Does it betray a belief that all wisdom only exists in only one party and that any opposition is by its very nature an irritant or even a betrayal?

The situation is made worse by the adoption of a Cabinet system where all decisions are made by a group of 8 people.  Hitherto in Brent the only say backbench Labour Group councillors have had in that selection is to elect Cabinet members and the leader  then distributes the portfolios.

I understand that Muhammed Butt is hoping to change things at the Annual General Meeting, which is being held almost immediately after the election on Saturday.  I am reliably informed that he wants to make the leadership position a  four year term, rather than the present two years, which he successfully changed from an annual election. He is also said to want to make Cabinet positions two year, rather than the present one year,

Exploiting an ambiguity in the Labour Group's Standing Orders it is suggested that he wants to appoint Cabinet members himself rather than have the Labour Group select from their number. Sources are unclear about whether this would also extend to Chairs of the Scrutiny Committees and Chair of the Planning Committee.  The latter is statutorily supposed to be independent and it is to the advantage of democracy, as the late Dan Filson showed,  if scrutiny chairs are also robustly independent.  If they owe their position to the patronage of the leader that clearly reduces their independence - especially if that leader has a controlling personality.

It is unclear whether there will be any challenge to Butt's leadership and the closeness of the AGM to the election means that there will be little time to muster supporters by any challenger. As I understand it there is no plan at the moment to delay the AGM because of the postponed Willesden Green poll, which raises an additional issue over the posiiton of Tom Miller, a Willesden Green candidiate and currently a Cabinet member. Will he be eligible for a Cabinet position?

These are all good reasons for moving  to a Committee system rather than a Cabinet system . A Committee system, means decisions are made by a broader group of councillors - even if they are all of one party. Personally I feel that Brent is the poorer for not having an Education Committee and that some of the recent controversies over academisation would have been better dealt with if it had.

A wider question arising from the 'that's democracy' statement is, 'Is it democracy?' How are the thousands of people who voted other than Labour to be represented? This is the proportion of the vote for each party in the 2014 election. About half of those who voted, voted for a party other than Labour.  A proportional voting system would give the combined opposition sufficient seats to contribute to decision making and hold the majority group to account. Regardless of party label this would allow a wider range of people with skills and experience to contribute to the running of the Council to the advantage of the people of Brent. 

Mapesbury hustings: Greens rap Butt

Green Party candidates for Mapesbury Ward, Scott Bartle and Lenia Evans, enlivened an otherwise bland hustings, with a rap inspired by Shaggy's 'It wasn't me', aimed at Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt, who by happenstance, was seated right in front of them.

There was a lot of common ground between the four parties represented at the hustings staged by Mapesbury Residents Association - let's face it no one is going to stand up and say, 'We want more potholes in Brent', or 'We want to make our air even more poisonous.'

The words (apologies to Shaggy)

S: One of the things that really gets us about this council, is that theres been a Labour majority since 2014 yet they just blame the Tories for everything that goes wrong. It's like they’ve gone to international pop sensation Shaggy for advice

L Cllr Butt, Mapesbury caught me

S: You let them catch you?

L: I don’t know what to do…

S: Just say it wasn’t you

L: A Failed waste strategy?

S: It wasn’t me.

L: £200K lost on Kingdom Security?

S: It wasn’t me

L: An £18million giveaway in Wemberly

S: It wasn’t me

L: Potholes make me drive wobbly

S: It wasn’t me.

L: Cutting £1.2Mil from youth facilities

S: It wasn’t me

L but finding £2.3million for CCTV?

S: It wasn’t me

L Developers acting irresponsibly

S: It wasn’t me

L  Trying to demolish the Queensbury?

S: It wasn’t me.

L: Closed 6 of our libraries

S: It wasn’t me

L: Keep on blaming the Tories

S: It wasn’t me

L: You gotta take some responsibility

S: It wasn’t me.

L: The quality of the air we breathe, the condition of the pavements, the state of housing, potholes in the road, vandalism, crime and litter are all environmental issues. If anyone will solve these problems it will be us. We hope to tell you more about this through the course of the evening.

 

Harrow Green Party's 5 key election priorities

Some of Harrow Green Party's council election candidates

From our sister party in Harrow, wishing them well in the council elections on May 3rd

Harrow Green Party – 2018 Local elections 

5 key priorities:

Harrow Green Party is proud to claim to be one of the most ethnically diverse branches in the country. In addition we have an equal split of both male and female candidates standing and we also have a disabled candidate who has been selected as one of the 30 under 30 Green Party national members to lead the party of the future.  

1. Affordable and well planned housing

Harrow needs to have a coherent strategy to deal with accommodating its residents. Not only does the council need to provide fit for purpose houses and flats but also an infrastructure that can meet the needs of the residents, young and old. This includes enough affordable housing, schools, medical facilities, leisure facilities such as parks, shops and traffic management including parking. The Green Party would review all elements to ensure that the solutions chosen meet the needs of Harrow's residents. Specific examples to review include the proposed building project at Byron Park, which will reduce the amount of greenery in the only park in the Marlborough ward, as well as the development at the old Kodak site, with the impact on transport and air quality. We would also look to build more than the required minimum number of affordable homes.

2. An effective waste management strategy

Other parties are either singing the praises or bemoaning the current state of Harrow's waste management including the use of wheelie bins and fly tipping. Harrow borough has dropped below previous highs of recycling. Harrow Green Party see the problems as being symptoms of a broken waste management strategy. The council and its residents need to better manage how waste is produced, collected and disposed of. We believe what is needed is a coherent approach that brings together various elements such as education and reductions in the costs of dealing with all our waste, including garden waste, with the aim of removing the extra charge for using brown bins. In addition, better waste management would reduce the weekend queues at the Forward Drive recycling centre, with the knock on benefits of easier access to the Leisure centre and surrounding areas, reduced air pollution and less vermin.

3. Harrow - A safe and happy borough to live and work in

Our borough has been hit hard by the reductions in policing. Crime has become more visible, with a murder outside the old police station in Wealdstone and a machete attack at Harrow & Wealdstone station just being a couple of examples. Changes in the approach to local policing due partly to financial cuts imposed by central government are leading to a lack of visible policing. The proposed Tri-borough consolidation will lead to further reductions of Harrow's police infrastructure. In addition, a lack of 'bobbies on the beat' means a lack of understanding of local issues and slower response times, which all leads to a reduction in crimes being resolved. We want to work with the Met police and the Mayor of London to see officers dedicated to each ward in the borough, developing a more personal relationship with residents, allowing them to be more approachable. However, it is not just the police that can improve public safety, Transport for London can ensure that tube stations are manned for longer periods. 

4. A transport system that works and supports a healthier environment

There are growing concerns with regards to the numbers of cars driving in the borough, especially at rush hour. This causes long traffic jams along major roads and drivers resorting to using smaller roads to get around them. This has a knock on effect in terms of road safety.  For example the queues on Wealdstone High St force cars down Masons Ave and Byron Road. Badly placed speed bumps and either a lack of or inappropriately placed zebra crossings can lead to increased risks of people getting injured. These risks are increased further at the start and end of the school day, with badly parked vehicles. Not only are there risks of accidents but also increased air pollution from idling engines. Pedestrians are even at risk on the pavement, thanks to the increase in the amount of people cycling on the pavement. Air ambulances landing in Byron park is not a sight we want to see. Harrow Green party councillors will look to improve local public transport facilities to aid the move away from car ownership. Lifts at local tube stations such as Stanmore, will make the services more accessible. Our approach will look to resolve these issues, working with TFL to implement cost-effective solutions.

5. Standing up for the rights of all people (including foreign nationals)

The Green Party has a clear position on keeping a strong relationship with the EU, post Brexit. However, there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen to EU nationals living in the UK. The Green Party is keen to see a second referendum that will give people the opportunity to either accept or reject the proposed solution(s) as to how things will work after we have left the EU. Harrow has one of the most diverse populations in the UK, leading to lots of benefits. What is apparently lacking is any way of supporting all the EU citizens living and working in the borough, who add to the vibrancy and culture of Harrow. We need to ensure that these people are fairly treated during and after Brexit processes are implemented. We need to remove the 'Hostile environment' that has been set up by the current government to deal with immigration. People adding value to Harrow must be supported and protected, no matter where they are from, as long as they are eligible to live in the borough. 

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Campaign group will ensure Clean Air pledges are not just hot air

From Left to Right

Victoria Secretan - CAfB steering group member

Prof Martin Williams, Kings College London, speaker

Fiona Mulaisho, CAfB Chair

Robin Sharp, CAfB Treasurer

Jennifer Barrett, Brent Council, speaker

From Clean Air for Brent

The campaign group Clean Air for Brent (CAfB) recently challenged all party leaders to pledge to clean up the borough’s dirty air in the May 2018 local elections, and has now received clean air policy statements from the four main parties. 

At a borough-wide public meeting held in Harlesden on Wednesday 18^th April, all the party statements were made available, and chair Fiona Mulaisho urged residents to think about air quality when they go to the ballot box on 3 May.  She says:

“We as residents all need to do our part, but the Council must lead us with meaningful action to reduce air pollution and enforcement to back it up. We will hold all those elected on 3 May to their promises on clean air.  Securing clean air for Brent should be the defining issue of the next 4 years.”

The party statements can all be read in full on the CAfB website HERE

Keynote speaker at the public meeting, Professor Martin Williams of Kings College London told attendees that air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of diseases and health conditions. These include respiratory infections, heart disease, COPD, stroke and lung cancer.

The most common sources of air pollution include particulates, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide from road traffic. 

In Brent, it is estimated that at least 160 premature deaths per annum are directly attributable to air pollution, with a further unquantifiable number linked to dirty air. 

Editor's note: One rather surprising and welcome pledge is that from the Conservatives backing what has been Green Party policy for some time to divest the  Brent Pension Fund of its fossil fuel investments and ensuring that Brent makes not further investments in fossil fuels.

Duffy: It's a long way from the Civic Centre in Wembley to Kilburn

Regeneration: The Peel Project on South Kilburn Estate

John Duffy is standing against Labour and the other parties in Kilburn. On his blog Kilburn Calling he explains why. I reproduce what he has to say here. Publication on Wembley Matters does not imply agreement with what he says or endorsement by Brent Green Party.
 

Many Kilburn residents will never go the Civil Centre, They just pay their rents and council tax and get ignored by an out of touch administration who are seemingly unaware of the problems deprived areas like Kilburn face. Like every other part of Brent, Kilburn is affected by the failure of the council to develop and improve basic services.

However I will not stand back and say that Brent do everything wrong as that is not the truth. I believe the council performs well in many difficult areas like Adult Care, Housing Allocation and other stress areas but over the last few years we have failed miserably in Environment and Regeneration policy.

For some reason Environmental Improvements are not a high priority and are never co-ordinated. Brent is second from bottom in West London on recycling. The Labour cabinet wasted the last four years, failing to introduce any School Environmental Education programme for schools concerning littering /dumping rubbish/ recycling or other anti social behaviour. The cabinet preferred to squander valuable resource on a private company who took them to the cleaners.

They continue to increase environmental taxes on green bins and bulky waste collections. Recently the Lead Member put up the cost of the permits for NHS Health visitors from £140 PA to £330 PA, which is a staggering increase of 137 % ,when inflation is 3% (The NHS has enough financial problems without the Brent Labour Group putting the boot-in) at the same time they allowed contractors a Brent style diplomatic immunity parking permit allowing them to park on any road in Brent for £8 per week.

The cabinet are also planning to put up daily visitors permits from £1-50 to £3 per visit knowing this will isolate many vulnerable people particularly the elderly. I often feel because of bad policy making by the Cabinet Kilburn is the pothole and uneven pavement centre of London. On Friday I saw Brent were putting speed bumps on Willesden Lane next to potholes as big as footballs , without any attempt to repair them at the same time…… that’s what I mean by no co-ordination.

However as much as I have concerns about environmental policy, by far the worst policy being promote by the Labour Party is the regeneration of South Kilburn. The Labour Party have used every piece of land (some of it sold on the cheap) in South Kilburn, to build houses many for the private sector, which are worth up to £1million pound each. Local residents have given up green space, had to withstand thousands of lorries careering up and down their roads with the obvious air and noise pollution, while they got on with lives. The reward for putting up with these hardships was the promised a Health Centre that has not appeared and community investment. Instead the Labour Party in the Civic Centre tried to close the Granville and Carlton Centre together with Granville Plus Nursery  School to build more private housing without any local consultation.

The residents have now been told that £1.2 million Pounds the residents were promised from developers Via the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), will not be ringed fenced for Kilburn Ward instead will be used outside of Kilburn. The money from the levy is legitimately owed to Kilburn for the hardship they endured and should be ringed fenced for Kilburn. It is illegitimate for the Labour Party to try and take it away from a deprived area to spend on less deprived areas who have not suffer the hardship of Kilburn.

At the same time the local Kilburn Labour Party (at nearly every meeting) are completely disconnected to residents everyday concerns. They are busy either passing resolutions about expelling Israeli diplomats, homeopathic medicine being on the NHS or paying women for housework. Many of these issues can be important, but NOT at the cost of ignoring the residents of Kilburn. That should have stood -up to the council.

Those who know Kilburn, know the legend that the famous highwayman Dick Turpin used to drink in a local pub after robbing stagecoaches. So Kilburn is well used of dealing with robbers. Of course the different between “ Dick “ and Brent Council is at least “Dick” wore a mask.

I am standing (up) for Kilburn and hope people will support me. I will be updating during the campaign on Kilburn -Calling web-site.

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