Street protest against granting of Adult Gaming Centre licence to 1 Walm Lane, Willesden Green - Sunday June 14th 2pm

 

The Licensing Application for an Adult Gaming Centre comes up at Committee on Thursday (10.30am at the Civic Centre - public can attend, not available on line). LINK 

Brent Green Party have organised a community street protest meeting outside the premises at 1 Walm Lane (the former Lloyds Bank) tomorrow at 2pm to make the case against the granting of the licence. All are welcome to attend to make their voices heard.

Some of the 222 submissions will be read out.

 Before the May council election the three Green Party candidates  for Willesden Green ward made their views known in a submission to the Licensing Committee:     

The Brent Green Party formally objects to the application for a new Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) at 1 Walm Lane. Our objection is centered on the failure of this application to promote the licensing objectives, specifically the protection of children and vulnerable persons, in the context of Brent’s acute socio-economic challenges.

After detailing their objection (available on the link above) they concluded:

The data is clear: Brent is home to some of the most income-deprived children in the United Kingdom. Placing a 24-hour gambling venue in the heart of such a community, supported by a flawed risk assessment that fails to even identify local schools, is an unacceptable risk to public safety and child welfare. No amount of internal staffing or CCTV can mitigate the "invisible harms" of debt, family breakdown, and poverty that will radiate from this premises into the surrounding streets. We urge the Licensing Committee to put the safety of Brent’s children above corporate expansion and refuse this licence.

Other councillors, the GLA member for Brent and Harrow and Dawn Butler and members of the public have also made representations. 

Dawn Butler wrote: 

We know already that these businesses have a propensity to cluster in poorer communities,

which are more susceptible to gambling harm due to the hope that a big win will help them out of their situation.

 

This is a strong community, and it is being blighted by these shops, whose owners hold the area in complete contempt and disregard.

 

I wrote to 7,000 households in Brent, to ask them for their own experiences of gambling and the betting shops in Brent. This was going to form a response to the Government’s Gambling Review, the response to my call for evidence has been stark:

 

97.5% were opposed to betting shops

80% questioned why more shops were being given permission

75% called for the number of stores to be limited

62.5% detailed experiences of anti-social behaviour in the locale of these shops

 

I have heard from families who’ve faced financial ruin because of gambling and from so many people for whom their daily lives are blighted by the associated anti-social behaviour, in particular street drinking and drugs, which circulate in close proximity to these gambling

establishments.

 

To conclude, I strongly urge all to reject this application. The people of Willesden deserve a

vibrant, diverse high street that supports the well-being of all residents, not another exploitative gambling venue that deepens existing harms.

The Interim Director of Public Health for Brent wrote (extract only - also available on the link above):    

Brent is the fourth most deprived borough in London, with a younger-than-average population alongside high levels of ethnic diversity. Within Brent, Willesden also reports a higher than average prevalence of adults with severe mental illnesses (1.7% vs 1.2% Brent average). This demographic profile means Brent is home to a high concentration of groups known to have a greater risk of gambling-related harm. Evidence shows that these high-risk groups are much more likely to experience harm from gambling compared to their counterparts. For example:

 

• 21% of 18–24 year olds are classed as “at-risk” gamblers, compared to 10% of those aged 55–64

• 10.6% of people from minority ethnic groups are considered to be ‘problem gamblers’, compared with 3% of white groups

• Individuals who experience gambling harms are up to 15 times more likely to be at risk of suicide

 

Gambling venues are also known to be disproportionately clustered in areas of higher deprivation. This pattern applies both across Brent as a whole and within Willesden Green specifically. This is significant as research suggests a relationship between gambling behaviour and proximity to gambling venues. For example, studies have found:

 

• People living closer to gambling venues (less that 0.7km away) are twice as likely to be ‘problem gamblers’ than individuals living further away (more than 3.1km away) 

• The likelihood of young people (aged 18-21) encountering gambling problems, as opposed to never gambling, increases by 39% for each additional form of gambling operator located with their local area 

• Higher concentrations of gambling premises are associated with higher rates of ‘problem gambling’ 

• Those living in more deprived areas are more likely to gamble on faster-paced games such as scratch cards and slot machines - which are known to be more addictive.

 

The applicant’s own LARA identifies similar groups as vulnerable, supporting concerns that opening a further venue would do little to protect them from harm. It identifies numerous schools, colleges, medical centres, care homes, children’s play areas, hostels, foodbanks, and drug and alcohol support services, all within a mile radius of the proposed premises. It recognises that these groups are susceptible to out of control gambling, yet categories these risks as ‘low’. This assessment places disproportionate confidence in the proposed mitigation measures and significantly undermines confidence that the risks have been robustly or realistically evaluated.

 

In particular, the proposed controls rely heavily on staff to identify and respond to harmful gambling behaviours, yet the applicant proposes a minimum of only two staff members on site at any given time. Measures to mitigate harm also rely largely on signage and information available in-store, where there is no guarantee that individuals will take notice.

 

Public concern further reinforces these risks. Research indicates widespread anxiety about the impact of gambling venues on children and young people. The SMF report found that 44% of young people aged 14–17 agreed that the presence of gambling venues near their homes increases interest in gambling among their age group, while 27% reported knowing young people who had visited an AGC.

 

Finally, gambling is commonly described as a ‘hidden addiction’, as harmful behaviours often develop gradually without overt warning signs. Normalisation of gambling within everyday environments is therefore one of the most significant risk factors for harm, as it further obscures these early warning signs, minimising the idea that gambling can cause major harm, while increasing exposure for those who may be attempting recovery. Introducing an additional AGC in an area already saturated with gambling premises would further entrench this normalisation and intensify risk.

 

“You’ve got it in your face all the time – high road, on your phone, it’s everywhere. How do you overcome that when wherever you go, it’s right there, staring in your face?

 

 

 

 

Barham Park Trustees (aka Brent Cabinet) to face barrage of protest and criticism tomorrow at Brent Civic Centre

Anger is building amongst residents and community organisations over the Barham Park Trustees management of the park and its assets, as more issues have emerged. The Cabinet members who make up the Trustees Committee are charged with what amounts to arrogance and disdain of the local community.

Despite the 1,000 signature petition calling for the Covenant that prevents building development of the park to be honoured in the spirit of the Titus Barham bequest, and Brent parks to be protected the Committee will be making decisions on:

1. Removal of the Covenant in order allow George Irvin to go ahead with building four three story houses on the site of the present modest pair of two storey houses. The amount to be paid for the removal of the covenant has been kept secret. The removal of the covenant has previously been opposed by ward councillors and Barry Gardiner MP. There have been questions about the influence on Brent councillors of the developer, fun fair owner George Irvin.

2.  Plans for major development of the present cluster of one and two storey buildings used by voluntary  community organisations to displace most of those those organisation in favour of a development that includes  a boutique hotel/AirB&B and four retail units. There has been absolutely no consultation about the plans which have come as a shock to those organisations. The £25,000 study is framed around the Trustees' briefing aimed at achieving commercial rents for the properties.

3. A review of Governance arrangements that keeps all power in the hands of the Cabinet and rejects any independent or community representation on the Trustees Commiuee.

4. Published accounts that includes errors and omissions, particularly around income from George Irvin's uses of Barham Park for fun fairs.

As a correspondent from elsewhere in the borough remarked in an email to Wembley Matters: 

Local people and community groups being disregarded and the possibility  of losing their meeting spaces—is shameful. 

Brent Council, to me have neglected Wembley High Road over the years in terms of design and the “shopping offer” and for them then to suggest to have hotels/ supermarket in a park which was bequeathed to locals,  is an obscene idea

Parks to me, belong to Brent residents and we need the green open spaces. I am very angry about what is being considered. Also the potential for this to be replicated 

My words don’t actually sum up all my concerns but it is more than well covered in your blog. 

Unfortunately the Brent and Kilburn Times has not picked up on this issue at all so do spread the word and get along to the meeting tomorrow (Tuesday September 5th) at 10am at the Civic Centre Conference Hall to show your concern or observe on-line HERE 

Brent Tories to protest at Civic Centre tomorrow (Wednesday) against clean air measures

 

The anti-ULEZ protest that was to take place at the Brent Council AGM but was knocked on the head by Conservative councillors is now taking place tomorrow, Wednesday 24th May 5-7pm.

The only event taking place tomorrow in the Civic Centre, apart from the library, is a 6pm training session for members of the Planning Committee.  This will mean that Cllr Michael Maurice will be missing for the second half of the 2 hour protest. 

Some of the protesters may be late as they are likely to having difficulty in finding a place to park their cars.

I do not have any firm news of a counter-demonstration by clean air campaigners yet.

UK: META (formerly Facebook) ACCUSED OF BREACHING WORKERS’ RIGHTS OVER DISMISSAL OF CLEANER WHO ORGANISED PROTESTS AT LONDON OFFICE

Amnesty International has accused Meta of breaching its own employment guidelines and commitments on labour rights and has called on the tech giant (formerly known as Facebook) to undertake an urgent investigation into the 2021 dismissal of a trade union representative who organised protests against poor working conditions in its offices. 

 

The call comes as Amnesty published a 23-page report - Meta, workers’ rights matter! The case of a trade union organiser dismissed after trying to improve working conditions for cleaners - which outlines the evidence in the case and the organisation’s concerns and recommendations.

 

Amnesty’s report comes ahead of an Employment Tribunal hearing next week (7 September) in which a former cleaner of Meta’s offices and trade union representative is seeking justice for his claim that he was targeted because of his trade union activities that led to his unfair dismissal.

 

Guillermo Camacho, a father of two from Bolivia, was a contracted cleaner and trade union representative who had cleaned Meta’s offices for almost seven years prior to his dismissal, with an unblemished record. In summer 2021, after cleaners denounced an increasingly excessive workload, he led and organised protests against the poor working conditions at Meta’s London office on Brock Street. Following the protests Camacho was first suspended from his job last August, and then dismissed entirely in October under the pretext of inadequate performance.

 

The protests were prompted by a reduction in the number of cleaners which in turn led to an excessive workload for the remaining workers at Meta’s offices, which had a major physical and psychological impact on them. In mid-2021, the number of cleaners at Meta’s worksite in London dropped from 24 to 20. Simultaneously, the size of the area to be cleaned increased from five floors to 14 floors, a near-threefold increase.

 

The cleaning of Meta’s buildings is undertaken by outsourced staff employed by the Churchill Group (Churchill), which in turn has a contract with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to which Meta outsources the management of its offices in London. Camacho has filed a complaint to the London Central Employment Tribunal against Churchill - as direct employer - for an award of compensation for unfair dismissal, detriment and victimisation due to trade union membership and/or activities.

 

In his capacity as the cleaners’ trade union representative with the Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers Union (CAIWU), Camacho helped organise protests outside Meta’s offices on Fridays denouncing the excessive workload and calling for fair working conditions. 

 

Just days after the second protest was organised in August 2021, he was suspended and put on “gardening leave” after Meta and JLL requested Camacho’s removal from Meta’s building. He believes his suspension was therefore a result of what is known as ‘third party pressure’ - when a customer or client exercises pressure for a worker to be dismissed.

An investigation was opened against Camacho to evaluate the adequacy of his work as a cleaners’ supervisor and it focused on Meta staff’s allegations regarding unfilled soap dispensers, substandard cleaning of some areas, and inadequate stocking of some items leading to property damage. In the course of the investigation, Camacho rebutted the allegations, and also challenged management over the inadequate staffing levels, which had caused difficulties in cleaning to the required standards. 

 

In September 2021, Camacho was informed that the investigation was closed, and no further disciplinary action would be required. However, despite this, the decision to remove him remained in force and Camacho was ultimately dismissed from his job at Meta’s offices.

Camacho’s dismissal has created a chilling effect on the ability and confidence of his fellow workers to collectively bargain for better working conditions. 

 

Catrinel Motoc, Amnesty’s Senior Campaigner, said:

We live in a society where all too often workers who dare to speak out against injustices in the workplace find themselves in the firing line.  

 

This is a David and Goliath story, where a huge, global behemoth of a company has simply washed its hands of any responsibility to the people who work on the frontlines of its offices.

 

Meta is very keen to distance itself from this unpleasant episode, but the buck must stop with them. You can outsource a cleaning account, but not the accountability for how cleaners are treated.

 

Meta should live up to the values it claims it wants to uphold and to the commitments it has made to respect workers’ right to organise. That must start with an urgent investigation into what happened in this case and a radical overhaul of its processes to ensure that its commitment to respect workers’ rights extends to both in-house and outsourced workers.

 

No worker should fear or face reprisals when speaking up and demanding better working conditions.

Alberto Durango, General Secretary of CAIWU, said:

Guillermo’s treatment is all too familiar to us. It’s a blatant and classic tactic to intimidate other workers by making a brutal example of a trade union leader. Third-party pressure disproportionately impacts precarious workers who are too often outsourced and allows the employer to hide behind their client as workers’ rights are eroded.

Our members who still work at Meta’s offices tell us they continue to live under the cloud of Guillermo’s dismissal and the implicit threat that they too could be dismissed for speaking out.

We need to see real change and that should start with an apology and compensation for Guillermo. Employers should have to justify the dismissal of their employee in a fair and transparent way and not supress the rights of workers to collectively bargain for fair working conditions.

Amnesty’s campaign

 

Amnesty is calling on Meta to take responsibility for how its personnel are treated and to

 

1.    Respect the right of its workers to speak out and bargain collectively for better conditions

2.    Apologise to Guillermo for his treatment and provide him with adequate compensation

 

Take action here: www.amnesty.org.uk/CleanUpFacebook

 

Protest outside Meta’s London office

Date/ Time: Friday 2 September at 5pm

Address: 10 Brock St, London NW1 3FG

What: Protest in solidarity with Guillermo Camacho. People will be outside Meta’s London office holding placards and chanting ‘Workers’ rights matter, Meta!’ 

 

The 23-page briefing, Meta, workers’ rights matter! The case of a trade union organiser dismissed after trying to improve working conditions for cleaners, which outlines the evidence in the case and Amnesty’s concerns and recommendations, is available on request.

 

 

Tory audience at Wembley Arena Leadership Hustings greeted by critical demonstration

Green New Deal Rising

Brent Labour councillors (and Steven Bray)

                                                      Greens say #enoughisenough time to End Tory Rule

Self-employed demonstrate against the retrosprctive loan charge 

NEU, SWP, Stop Rwanda

The NHS - 38 degrees

The venue for the last Tory Leadership hustings was kept under wraps until the last minute so the demonstration to voice our feelings was very hastily organised.  Several groups did manage to turn up to voice their views to the Tory faithful as they queued to get into the Wembley Arena.

The Labour Group on Brent Council had their meeting at 6pm, the  same time as the demonstration, but came out of the Civic Centre, which is opposite the Arena, for a few minutes show of solidarity.

A senior policeman appeared to have decided I was organising things and came over to tell me that the boss of Quintain was okay about us demonstrating but would not be happy at us getting too close to the queueing Conservatives or at us shouting in their faces (we were at least 2 metres away).  He asked me to move 'your' group to 'stand with those ladies over there' (the women from Green New Deal Rising)!

Arena Square was surrounded by Heras fencing so we had to stand on Wembley Boulevard, the private property of Quintain Ltd. His comments were an incidental lesson in the politics of the privatisation of public space. Quintain were doing us a favour by 'allowing' us to demonstrate.

And Steve Bray was very patient with the police...

 

Nearly 40 years on the Brent battle for the NHS continues as new campaign set up - join the protest tomorrow

 

Nearly 40 years on  from the above, the battle for our NHS continues.  Last night was the inaugral meeting of Brent Keep Our NHS Public part of a national campaign against privatisation of the Health Service. Last night, as in 1982, it was supported by some Brent councillors (I am not sure if there is official backing from Brent Council itself).

Cllr Neil Nerva, Lead member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure,  introducing the Trades Council sponsored meeting said that on the doorstep there was currently more concern about  access to NHS services than privatisation, but went on to list the various threats from privatisation. Cllr Janice Long said that not only was it important that this was a cross party campaign but that it should reach a much broader audience.  She said it was important to keep the message simple and was doubtful about the effectiveness of Patient Participation Groups, but GP Jonathan Flaxman urged people to get involved with them to overcome the powerlessness of patients. Cllr Ihtesham Afzal urged more street protests: There is one tomorrow:

 

 Other councillors who attended were Cllrs Thakker, McLennan, Dar, Kabir and Hylton along with Trades Council members and other activists.

If you would like to join the campaign email:  brentkonp@yahoo.com

 A website will be set up soon.

Medirest staff to protest outside Northwick Park Hospital on Thursday 5 September over issues of wages, bullying and over work

Staff working for Medirest at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow are set to protest outside the hospital on Thursday 5^th September from noon to 4pm over poor wages and what they say is overbearing management and heavy workload.

 

Porters, cleaners, ward hostesses and kitchen staff who are employed by the multinational facility management company Medirest say that they have had enough.

A recent meeting organised by GMB heard many workers from the 80 strong crowd tell of how their workloads have increased and that many were being paid the National Minimum Wage £8.21 an hour.

Other concerns over a bullying supervisor were raised following the GMB presenting a petition signed by over half of the staff of 400.

Tahir Bhatti, GMB Regional Organiser said:

Last year we started to speak to the Medirest about increasing the wages from the minimum wage, as well as other issues.

Medirest have a lot of staff paid only the minimum wage, staff who clean up after patients, transport deceased patients and make sure the hospital functions. We feel that there should be respect and fairness for all Medirest workers. 

The union are calling for equal wages and a root and branch investigation into the concerns of the workers. 

Workers will stage a respectable protest outside the main entrance to the hospital.

Messages from the crowd at yesterday's Stop the Coup protest at Westminster

GMB London Region to protest outside Wembley ASDA tomorrow against imposed contract

News

GMB to hold Asda protests against Contract 6

GMB London Region are holding a number of demonstrations in September across London and the East of England in protest against Contract 6. Asda employees are being faced with the sack if they do not sign the contract which strips away many of their terms and conditions.

Despite having a 63 pence per hour increase on the original contracts, Contract 6 would leave GMB members on other Asda contracts worse off due to changes to paid meal breaks, the loss of hours, changes to the night shift window and a flat rate for bank holiday work.

The flexible contract also means the company has the ability to change the number of staff working days, hours and their department with just 4-week notice.

GMB have undertaken two demonstrations at Asda House, in Leeds, on 1^st May and 14^th August to make the feelings of GMB members clear that they will continue to fight for better pay, terms and conditions.

The GMB will be demonstrating outside Wembley ASDA tomorrow September 5th 9am-4pm

Angry scenes as Swaminarayan parents protest against school closure

Things turned ugly at Swaminarayan School yesterday evening as parents gathered in the school hall to protest against the shock news of its closure.

A Brent Council spokesperson said: “Brent Council has no role in the decisions of independent schools, including the decision by the Ashkar Educational Trust to close the Swaminarayan School. 

“Any parent, resident in Brent, who is seeking a school place for their child can contact the Brent Schools Admissions Service by emailing school.admissions@brent.gov.uk or by calling 020 8937 3110. 

“In November 2016 the Department for Education approved a proposal to open the Avanti Free School, an all-through (primary and secondary) free school. Under DfE rules, a new school can only be open when a permanent site is identified by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, who are responsible for securing sites for new free schools.”

'It's OUR Tricycle not YOUR Kiln!' Bank Holiday demonstration draws big crowd

It was a record breaking hot early May Bank Holiday and the heat was on the Tricycle Theatre management today when local people who attend the theatre and cinema assembled to protest outside the theatre at the name change to 'The Kiln.'

They complained about lack of consultation with the local community and the theatre and cinema's customers and lamented the loss of the historic links of the original name - ironically links that the billboard outside the theatre described. (below)  One demonstrator commented that as customers they should have been consulted and that as Brent Council had given the theatre 1,000,000 for the refurbishment the Council should also have had a say and discussed the proposal with residents.  Their council tax had helped pay for the refurishment.

'It is not the private property of the directors,' one demonstrator said, 'It is a community facility - it belongs to all of us.'

Another demonstrator, a local man who has attended the theatre and cinema for decades, went further saying that the action of the artistic director was one of a piece with other community losses in Kilburn.  He spoke about the loss of local pubs and the demise of community projects with local people feeling a loss of control as things that really mattered to them were taken away or shut down. Now, he suggested,  the community outreach work of the Tricycle seemed to be threatened in the wake of the relaunch.

Two young women spoke about what they had gained from the drama workshops held at the Tricycle and how this has increased their confidence and social skills.

It is likely that there will be more demonstrations and protests before the new season opens with a petition already gaining more than 1,000 signatures. Sign the petition HERE.

The Tricycle Theatre: 'Keep the Name!' Protest tomorrow (Monday) 11am

There will be a Bank Holiday Monday protest outside the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn High Road against the proposal to change its name to The Kiln.

People who wish to see the Tricycle’s name retained are urged to bring placards, banners etc outside the theatre at 11am. The TV programme London Tonight is expected to be there unless a more important London story breaks.

The organisers say they are protesting for two main reasons. This is what they told me.:

Firstly, there was no consultation: See this comment from one of over 100 people on nextdoor.co.uk who have voiced their opposition: 

Just went to the jazz evening at Willesden library cafe. There were 29 people there. Every single one of them signed the petition! All angered at the name change. All wanted the ‘Tricycle’ name to be retained. Most spoke of their annoyance at the change. They were a mixed group of young and mature people, men and women, 14 black people, six of whom were men and one of whom a Rastafarian young man was vociferous in his criticism of the change. The other signatures were white and also of mix gender. I am pointing this out only to show that the theatre and its name is loved by Brent residents of every ilk and to prove that there really is a whole-hearted rejection of the name change! I did not have to even try to persuade a single person to sign the petition.

Secondly, there is no support for it - literally none.  Not one person. It’s a sad case of groupthink by the management of the theatre because we’ve been speaking to hundreds of people for the last three weeks and NOT ONE has voiced support - 1083 have signed an online petition LINK 750 have signed paper petitions outside the Tricycle cinema. 

-->