CORRECTED: Will Brent be London's dirtiest borough after ending of residential litter picking?

THIS IS A CORRECTED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL STORY AFTER I SOUGHT CLARIFICATION FROM BRENT COUNCIL. (My original impression from the cuts document was that street sweeping in resiential streets would end completely.)

Under proposals rubber-stamped for consultation by the Brent Cabinet weeklylitter picking of the borough's residential streets  would end in 2019.  At the same time litter bins would be removed. Sweeping of the streets once a week will continue.

Cuts in 2011 LINK reduced residential street sweeping to once a week and Brent Green Party predicted this would make Brent London's dirtiest borough. Now litter picking of our residential streets would be ended completely.

The proposal is listed in the B category of the budget  deemed 'difficult' as it would impact on standards of service and  prove unpopular. However it could well be implemented as the categories range to D 'most difficult'.

The reduction would require a negotiation with Veolia, Brent's out-sourced supplier of waste collection, street sweeping and parks maintenance.

The ending of the litter pick is a cut of £180,000 and removal of litter bins £70,000.

The timetable would require a decision by late 2018/early 2019 with a communications strategy launched from January-March 2019.

The report does not give details of any job reductions presumably because these fall on Veolia rather than directly on the council.

Proposals affect other environmental areas including reducing parks to a 'reactive' service and the dimming of the borough;s LED street lights.

Details HERE

Great Forest School Opportunity in Kingsbury - November 24th

From Thames21 
 
Interested in setting up a Forest School or becoming a Forest School Leader?

We have two fantastic training opportunities coming up at the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre

Whether you're just curious about Forest School, or ready to lead your own activities, we have a training offer for you.

Forest School Awareness Training, Nov 24th 2018, 10am - 3pm: 

If you want to find out more about Forest School ethos, how it can link to the curriculum, where it can take place, and have a go at some practical activities, then this taster day is for you. Cost pp is £25 and more info can be found here

The day will equip you with an awareness of Forest School, the ethos, issues to consider and practical activities. The Level 3 training course will also be outlined.
The awareness training day will cover:

• Background to Forest School.
• How does Forest School link to your curriculum?
• What is self-concept and self-esteem, and the impact of Forest School?
• Practical activities using only natural resources.
• Where can Forest School take place?
• Health and Safety in the outdoors and your role. Clothing and equipment requirements.
• Risk Benefit Analysis and promoting risk management at Forest School.
• Forest School activities with resources.

What you need to bring on the day: You will need wellies or boots, and a waterproof coat and trousers if you have them. A packed lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Level 3 Forest School Leader Training Course, Feb 4th - 8th, Apr 8th - 9th 2019:

Feeling inspired about Forest School already and want to become a leader? Then get in touch for more information about the Forest School Level 3 Training Course taking place in February, with follow-up skills days in April.

Training venue: 

Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre, Birchen Grove, NW9 8RY (Nearest tube Wembley Park - 83, 182, 245, 297, 302 buses)

Both training opportunities are taking place at the Education Centre which provides a beautiful woodland teaching setting, full indoor facilities, free parking, and easy access to public transport.

Course information and bookings: 

This training is being delivered by the Forest School Learning Initiative Limited. For more information or to book your place contact Chris Dee on:

01242 602 476 / 07989 996 753 or office@fsli.co.uk

Brent Council to launch 'plastic free' Wembley campaign

From Brent Council

Plans have been announced to rid Wembley town centre of all plastic shopping bags and plastic cups, in a bid to become 'plastic' free.

The campaign which officially launches Thursday 15th November focuses on the borough's most visited area and aims to reduce plastic use there by 15 per cent by 2020, in time for the European Championships and the celebration of Brent as the London Borough of Culture.

The project is run in partnership with Wembley Traders Association and in Your Face Advertising and through it the Council hopes to encourage all businesses to commit to eliminating single plastic use, which for Wembley's green grocers is a staggering 100,000 plastic bags a week.

Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) cups, Vegetable Starch refuse sacks and ecoMEDIAbox's (an alternative carrier bag) are being handed out free of charge to greengrocers and bars currently piloting the scheme. It is hoped that these compostable and 100 per cent biodegradable items, made from plants such as corn, cassava and sugar cane, are taken up by all retailers and businesses across the town centre.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, Lead Member for Environment, said:

We're committed to doing what we can locally to help this greater issue. Through this innovative project we are hoping to significantly change the amount of plastic waste across the town centre, especially at larger sites such as Wembley Stadium and Wembley Park Drive, where the number of plastic cups used on one single event day averages 160,000.

Cllr Shama Tatler, Lead Member for Regeneration, Highways & Planning, said:

We are all aware of the global problem created by our use of plastic and on a local level in Brent are working with businesses to address fundamentally unsustainable habits of shopping and leisure in the borough. It's not something that we can do alone, it relies on the support of our local businesses and shoppers to get on board with what we are trying to achieve.

Businesses and residents can follow the campaign on Instagram: pfwembley, Twitter: @pfwembley #PlasticFreeWembley and Facebook: Plastic Free Wembley

Half-term technology course in South Kilburn

The youthfulness of yesterday's march for a People's Vote as significant as the numbers

I don't 'love the EU' as some of yesterday's marchers chant but neither do I think it was a 'march of the Blairites' as some have claimed.

The reasons why people were marching for a People's Vote on the Brexit negotiations outcome were complex and sometimes  contradictory as one would expect in a march of 700,000 people. Freedom to travel and work in the EU, the security of EU citizens in the UK; safeguarding of trade union, health and safety, food  and environmental standards; fear of the economic consequences of leaving the EU; concern that a 'Little Britain' would be an insular state potentially prey to the extreme right, all played a part.

The march was significant for its youth as well as the fact that it was largely made up of many individuals and families rather than blocks of politcial parties and tarde unionists. I have never been on a march with so few red flags!

Whatever one thinks of the marchers' motives a march of so many, mainly young, people is genuinely significant in the current Brexit turmoil.

Cllr Butt's bad news week as he is accused of 'social cleansing' and Brent Central CLP swings left

Kilburn Times October 18th

With Cllr Abdirazak Abdi proving to be as courageous at revealing the short-comings of Brent Council as his Kilburn ward predecessor Cllr Duffy and Brent Central Constituency Labour Party swinging to the left, this has not been a good week for Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council.

The Kilburn Times LINK followed up my story of a week ago  LINK about South Kilburn residents being faced with eviction by the council, without their councillors being informed of a crucial  meeting about the issue. Cllr Abdi minced no words when he accused the Labour council of social cleansing.

Abdi is strongly backed by Kilburn Labour Party which is still campaigning over his removal from the Planning Committee by Cllr Butt. Now the Brent Central Labour Party looks as if it too will be a thorn in Butt's side with the left winning all but one officer position in the CLP  LINK.  Significantly the left filled all 10 places on the Local Campaigns Forum (LCF) which organises councillor selections and election campaigns.  The CLP also nominated at 6 left slate candidates for the National Constitutional Committee elections.

The LCF result may be most significant in the long run as it sets priorities for campaigns over the coming period when Butt and his cabinet are putting forward a cuts budget LINK and continuing the council's unhealthy close relationship with developers.

Cllr Butt has been criticised for not doing more to fight the local government cuts and for not signing a key letter protesting against the cuts signed by other council leaders. However, he turned up this week at the Local Government's Association lobby of Downing Street over funding and managed a photo opportunity with Nick Forbes leader of Newcastle Council and the LGA Labour Group.

It will take more than the odd photo opportunity to persuade Butt's critics that he is responding to their concerns.

Hitherto, opposition to Cllr Butt's leadership has been more about his personal leadership style and controlling approach rather than policies. The relationship between Brent Council Labour Group and the three local CLPs (Hampstead & Kilburn, Brent Central and Brent North) in terms of the latters' ability to influence specific policy is ill-defined and the Council leadership have been able to shrug off or ignore critical motions.

The LCF may now become the forum for a battle over the future political direction of the council.

Willesden Green 'Foxy Mystery' solved as Yana, the guide dog, is reunited with her toys

Just a month after Wembley Matters LINK reported on the Foxy Mystery of Willesden the puzzle has been solved - by a chance chat between neighbours. Nicole Davy of Chandos Road was chatting with a neighbour from Cranhurst Road who began to tell her about the foxes that had been leaving soft toys in her garden, apparently as presents in exchange for feeding them. The gardens of the two roads back on to each other.

After hearing about two teddies and a rabbit, the penny dropped when the final present of Eeyore was mentioned.

'They're Yanna's toys! They've been missing for weeks.'

After establishing that Yana was a dog, and a very special one, and not a tearful toddler,  Liz told Nicole the whole story and they pieced events together.

While Nicole, who has been blind since the age of 19,  was away on a week's holiday the foxes nabbed the soft toys that had been left out on the lawn and presented them, one by one, over several days, to their friend Liz.

Yana, a labrapoodle, is Nicole's guide dog and usually chases the foxes out of her garden. She has never had puppies and enjoys licking and cuddling the toys.

The toys were advertised as 'Found' on street posters as well as on Wembley Matters but the real owner came as quite a surprise.

Despite the toys having been washed in detergent to remove the foxy smell, Nicole described Yanna's excitement when she was reunited with them and accepted them immediately.

Yana, Nicole and Teddy

'I took Floppy out of the bag and she leapt on it in excitement and rushed into the front room, jumping around and playing with it. When she came back and I gave her another, and then another, she was beside herself with excitement.

I had searched the house and garden when I returned from holiday and they just couldn't be found. I was going to buy replacements from a charity shop but then I bumped into Liz and here we are - I have a very happy dog.

Yana is very serious when she is in harness and doing her job, I sometimes tell her to relax, but out of the harness she is really playful and these toys clearly mean a lot to her.'

Tackling Anti-Muslim Hate Crime in Brent - October 26th

Information and RSVP to rehman@tellmamauk.org