Willesden Green residents and shops targeted by UKBA

Giving out 'bust cards' at Willesden Green station today

Brent Council may have targeted Willesden Green this week for probably (I hope!) good reasons, but I didn't expect the UK Border Agency's officers to join in.

UKBA officers were spotted in a Willesden Green cafe this lunchtime. They told a customer they were due to do an 'intelligence led' stop operation in cooperation with local police at the station later. They disappeared into the SNT 'shop' which is close to Sarah Teather's office.

Immediately Brent anti-racists organised a group to give out 'bust cards' which advise people of their rights if stopped by the immigration police.

It soon became clear that this was not the first UKBA visit this week. We were told by local shopkeepers of a raid two days ago when shops were the target. Officers blocked shop doorways while officers went inside to question staff on their immigration status and take photographs. Customers were put off by the heavily built officers with their all black uniforms and taciturn manner. Shopkeepers found their presence threatening and one said that he had lost 2 hours of custom as result of the raid.  We were told that there had been at least one arrest.

A young man, seeing what we were doing,  hovered near us and eventually plucked up the courage to speak to us.

He told us about a 6am raid, at his nearby address, by what sounded like combined a UKBA/local police unit. He and his friends were woken by police who had come through the front door and were battering on their door. The police said if the door was not opened they would break it down and then proceeded to do so.

The flatmates, all Italian and in their early 20s, were terrified as anyone would be in such circumstances. Their papers were demanded and checked.  They were told that intelligence had suggested there were illegal  immigrants in the flat.  The tenants are hoping that the landlord will repair the smashed door. Meanwhile they are extremely nervous and shocked by the experience.

As we were giving out the cards several people came up to express concern about what they saw as 'police state' tactics.

In the event, perhaps because of our presence, by 5pm no UKBA officers had turned but instead carried out an operation in Willesden Lane.

Motorists were stopped by the police using the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) system and then handed over to immigration officers to have their identities checked. The legality of this is questionable - immigration officers MUST have intelligence indicating an immigration crime has been committed otherwise they do not have the power make anyone answer questions - people have the right to walk away and not answer their questions. Were the people being questioned told that they were not required to answer questions?

On speaking to some of the shopkeepers in Willesden today it appears that some Council officials were present during these operations. After Councillor Butt's outspoken (and welcome) criticism of the racist van a few months ago it would be very disappointing to hear that Brent Council is colluding with the Home Office in these highly dubious and possibly illegal activities.

Is this all part of Brent Council's Willesden Week of Action? If so, it is far more sinister than we thought.

Shahrar Ali, the Green's 2010 parliamentary candidate for Brent Central said:

This is the week when a sign stationed in Willesden Green read, 'How safe is your home or business, Think burglar,'

To the contrary, local residents and shopkeepers have suffered the shocking tactics of random interrogation and smashed in doors:

'Think UKBA'

The people of Brent will not stand for it.

A £1m opportunity and challenge for Wembley Central

The £1m plus grant to improve the Wembey Central area is good news.  Attempts at reviving the area have had only limited success with the Cooperative Society closing its new Central Square store only a short time after its opening.

There are are now a number of closed shops and much office accommodation remains unoccupied with more to come when Brent council buildings are vacated next year. Current vacant spaces in the Wembley area can be seen on the Coming Soon website HERE

As a teacher in the area though, I was most aware of the poor and over-crowded housing with some of the worse short-term accommodation above the shops on the High Road.

The £1m comes from the Big Local programme funded by the national lottery and managed by Local Trust

The local focus of the project is premised on local involvement and a key issue will be how the priorities of local residents will be ascertained. Campaigning in the area during elections and by-elections I often found residents uninterested in local issues with the transient nature of the population a limiting factor. It will be a real challenge to get a representative level of involvement and a viable vehicle to share and prioritise ideas but the promise of tangible pay-offs should help.

This is what Big Local sets out about how the programme works:

What is Big Local?

Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents in 150 areas around England to use at least £1m to make a massive and lasting positive difference to their communities. It’s about bringing together all the local talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations who want to make their area an even better place to live.

Big Local is being run by Local Trust, which is working with £200m from the Big Lottery Fund and a range of partners providing expert advice and support for residents.

The four programme outcomes for Big Local are:

1. Communities will be better able to identify local needs and take action in response to them.
2. People will have increased skills and confidence, so that they continue to identify and respond to needs in the future.
3. The community will make a difference to the needs it prioritises.
4. People will feel that their area is an even better place to live.

What’s it not about?

It’s NOT about your local authority, the government or a national organisation telling you what to do.

It’s NOT about individual groups fixing their favourite problem without talking to a wide range of different people who live and work in the community.

It’s NOT about short-term thinking – you’ve got 10 years or more to plan and deliver the best options for your area.