Why were Brent workers allowed to work in Paddington Cemetery without protective clothing when specialists deem it necessary?

Photographs taken at Paddington Cemetery on Wednesday April 4th

Councillor John Duffy has returned to the controversial issue of asbestos at Paddington Cemetery. He has written to Brent Council enclosing the above photographic evidence.

In an email to Brent Council officers and members he states:

You can see from the photo the contractors are working in the area Brent Council officers were conveniently unable to identify from the original photo (albeit the area was signed posted). Again i think this highlights the cover -up that has been taking place by Brent officers to extent of the contamination by builders' rubble containing asbestos and the cost to Brent residents to clear or remediate the site.

I hope your reply will concentrate on why members of the workforce (gravediggers , gardeners) were instructed to work on section 3D without protective clothing  following the discovery of the Asbestos on May 7th (including Monday 26th June 2017).Will you please ensure officers explain why specialists still believe  they should wear protective clothing  to work on the site, when the local workforce were not provide protective clothing or training.

I also hope you will ensure officers give a full explanation of why officers deliberately mislead members of the public at a public meeting, saying  that they were unable to identify the location  "Photographs were not conclusive works and precise location not identified " when they were fully aware of both the location and work that was carried out.

Eight fire engines called to fire in North Wembley close to railway line

Photo @Sonia_Shah3 via LFB

From London Fire Brigade
 

Around 60 firefighters and officers tackled a fire in an industrial estate on East Lane, Wembley yesterday evening.

The first three floors of a commercial building were alight and firefighters worked hard to stop the fire spreading. The building also contained cylinders which can explode when exposed to heat and so crews cooled them down with water.

Brigade control officers received over 35 calls to the fire which was very visible and close to a train track and local train services were disrupted for some time.

8 fire engines from stations including Wembley, Northolt, Stanmore and Park Royal fire stations were at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.

The Brigade as called at 1849 and the fire was under control at 2248 although crews expect to  be damping down for a number of hours.

Easter Egg hunt brings Brent community together

Sheffield Tree Defenders' Stump Up Appeal has just reached its target

Guest post by Alan Story


The Stump Up Sheffield (SUS) crowdfunder, “Defend the Tree Defenders: Stump Up Sheffield” ended a few minutes ago. 

You did it. We all did it. 

We’ve been successful in meeting our target of raising £27,000 to pay the legal costs of two tree defenders that were levied against them by Sheffield City Council (SCC). 

Although the Crowdfunder states that we have raised £20,470, other funds are being pooled together and there is now sufficient money available for Calvin Payne and Alastair Wright to pay these legal costs. So it is a time for celebration.

“But of course it sticks in our craw that all of this funding will be going into the coffers of SCC and that these bills were so steep because Sheffield City Council chose some of the most expensive lawyers in the country to enforce a civil injunction,” said Alan Story, a spokesperson for SUS. 

In Calvin’s case, SCC brought in a £15,000-a-day Queen’s Counsel from London as its hired gun for a November 2017 hearing against Calvin and Green Party councillor Alison Teal. (In Alison’s case, the Labour-controlled council used dodgy evidence against a fellow councillor; this evidence and her case were thrown out of court.) But Calvin, who was defended by barrister Paul Powlesand working on a pro bono basis, was convicted of breaching the Council’s injunction and given a suspended prison sentence. 

Alan Story said:

SCC made a political decision to try and crush Calvin and Alastair financially as part of a wider strategy of trying to crush the entire Sheffield trees movement but we were not cowed. Tree campaigners in Sheffield and our many allies across the country --- and the world --- said with one voice: ‘an injury to one tree campaigner is an injury to all tree campaigners’ and have stumped up marvellously.

We think it showed true Yorkshire grit and financial sacrifice and sends the message that this chainsaw massacre of OUR street trees should be ended immediately. And that mediation with tree campaigners needs to be at the top of Julie Dore’s agenda.

Since the crowdfunding campaign began 28 days ago, a total of 796 supporters have contributed £20,470, plus more than £800 in donations via PayPal. If you scroll through the 343 comments listed on the SUScrowdfunding page , you will see both the passions (and intellect) this issue has aroused, as well as the geographic breadth of the support. Money was donated by people from places such as British Columbia, Missouri, Brussels and Australia as well as across the UK in locations such as the Shetland Islands, London, Dorset and beyond. 

A significant pot of additional money has come in to SUS from the recent benefit concert of well-known Sheffield musicians; it was quickly sold out and was attended by 800 people. As Pitsmoor-born Richard Hawley said in a SUS video shot at the concert, the Council needs to admit that it has “ f***ed up” over trees. A lifetime Labour voter, Hawley says he has backed away from supporting Labour only twice: once over the Iraq War and now over the local street trees crisis. 

The official accounting of all the funds raised by this campaign will be released next week.
But the fund-raising efforts of the SUS team have not ceased. On Sunday 22 April at the Crookes Social Club, we are hosting the “Let’s Hear it for the Trees!” benefit concert. 

More details Here’s a YouTube video of one of the talented musicians, Nancy Kerr, who will be performing that night. LINK  

Money raised from the benefit gig will go towards future legal costs associated with Sheffield tree defenders.And it may well be needed. In what is obvious harassment, South Yorkshire Police keep arresting tree campaigners on baseless charges. In the most recent shameful case, charges were dropped this week against a 73-year-old retired firefighter LINK. 

We think the campaign was successful because, first and foremost, we were working on a clear case of injustice that touched a lot of people. But, as well: 

•          We had excellent high-profile endorsers including Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot, Maxine Peake, and Ken Loach. (Many more endorsers joined later.)
•          We had a team of 17 people of many talents who worked together on a co-operative and democratic basis. (The copy for the crowdfunder went through five drafts!)
•          We produced two videos (still available for viewing) and reached out widely across various social media. For example, we posted our crowdfunding message on +50 Facebook groups, which also spread the Sheffield trees saga to tens of thousands of people. Twitter tweeted merrily. 

At a February 7th  Sheffield City Council meeting, SCC tree felling czar Bryan Lodge claimed: “I travel around to different places… and it (the Sheffield chainsaw massacre) is not a topic of conversation in Southampton.” Take another trip Bryan. 

The SUS team was pulled together by NO STUMP CITY. Sheffield Tree Action Groups (STAG) was also a listed sponsor.

On behalf of Stump Up Sheffield
Alan Story
no.stump.city@gmail.com

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Local Solutions to Hunger - House of Commons April 18th 2018

Wednesday April 18th 3.30-5pm Committee Room 9, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA

Food banks have become an increasingly prevalent feature in our communities over the last few years with the numbers of food bank referrals reaching record levels.

How are local councils and organisations responding to the changing nature of emergency provision and deprivation?

With demand for food banks expected to rise further as Universal Credit is fully rolled out, what practical steps are available to tackle poverty and hunger and how can councils take a leading role?

There are two local speakers at this event.

Chair: Emma Lewell-Buck MP

Speakers: 

Roxanne Mashari – Councillor, London Borough of Brent
Sabine Goodwin- Independent Food Aid Network
Robert Tinker - Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Deidre Woods - Granville Community Kitchen
Sarah Chapman - Wandsworth Foodbank

BOOK HERE

Foraging & Volunteering Special Event April 14th Welsh Harp Education Centre

The extensive grounds of the Centre

From Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre

April 14th 10am-12.30pm 

The Friends of Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre are a group of volunteers that meets one Saturday morning every month at the centre. They manage the habitats in the area and all activities focus on improving the natural habitat of the 15 acre woodland for biodiversity and ensuring that the outdoor teaching spaces are safe and exciting for the thousands of school children that attend the centre each year.
This month we are combining volunteering with a foraging walk where the urban forager, Michael Stuart, will be hosting a walk for our volunteers to discover edible woodland herbs. We will then continue with some practical work in the woodland.

At the upcoming event we will be working on the following tasks:

-          Gaining skills in foraging with Michael Stuart, the urban forager

-          Pathway clearance in the woodland

-          Moving a few small logs across the woodland if time permits

-          Other tasks as they come up

Booking is not essential but it would be good to have an idea of numbers for the walk.

All welcome! Under 16’s need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.  Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided.  Please meet inside the education centre.
If you are not on the mailing list and you wish to be, please email deb.frankiewicz@thames21.org.uk

The Centre is at the top of Birchen Grove, Kingsbury. Go through the big green gates and the Centre is ahead of you.

Tickets still left for Grunwick Strike play April 19th at CNWL

We Are The Lions, Mr. Manager!’ is the remarkable story of Jayaben Desai the inspirational leader of the 1976-78 Grunwick Strike that took place in Brent.

She brought the issue of workplace exploitation and racism to the fore and challenged the perception of Asian women being inherently passive and docile. She not only stood up for workers’ rights and against oppression with selfless dedication, but with her steadfast resolve, she turned the dispute into a national movement for human rights and dignity inspiring future generations.

4 stars ‘A powerful story, powerfully told’ – Clare Brennan. The Observer.

There are still a few tickets left. Don't miss it! BOOK HERE

Jamaica v Ireland dominoes fundraiser & more at Watkins Folly on Saturday

AMAZING NIGHT OF CULTURE ON SAT 7th APRIL. MONTSERRATIAN DIASPORA & FRIENDS OF IRELAND 1999 ARE HOSTING A FANTASTIC EVENING OF MIXED CULTURE, IRISH DANCING, TRADITIONAL FOOD, DOMINOES COMPETITION AND LIVE CULTURAL EVENTS. LATE BAR AND MANY DJS. COME AND JOIN IN. STARTS AT 6PM. AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS FANTASTIC STORY 


WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR 8 DOMINOES PLAYERS TO REPRESENT IRELAND. EXPERIENCE NOT REQUIRED. WILL BE GREAT FUN. CONTACT 02089029944 OR EMAIL

Brent achieves Quality Mark for work with SEND young people in the youth justice system

From Brent Council

Leading education charity, Achievement for All (AfA), has awarded Brent Council a national accolade for quality for outstanding work to secure better outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the youth justice system.

The Quality Mark Award has been developed by Achievement for All in close partnership with the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers (AYM) to help illuminate the problems that many young people with SEND in the youth justice system face.

Brent achieved the Quality Mark status for being proactive on child-centred services, ensuring young people in custody have the support they needed, and having strong partnerships with schools, health services, families, secure units, and prisons.

Gail Tolley, Strategic Director Children and Young People, said:

Achieving the AFA/AYM Quality Mark is recognition of the determined partnership work undertaken by Brent Council to improve outcomes for young people with special educational needs in the youth justice system.

The Brent Youth Offending Service embraced the benchmarking process with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to provide some of our most vulnerable young people with the quality of provision they deserve.

The Quality Mark is another example of the commitment evident amongst staff in our borough to equip young people with the knowledge and skills needed to secure a safe and successful future and make a valuable contribution to their families and communities. 

Brent's Quality Mark status will run for three years until 31 March 2021.

Is your road surface/footway due for resurfacing/reconstruction by Brent in 2018-19?

The last meeting of this administration's Cabinet on April 9th will approve spending on the borough's highways maintenance of £3.5 million. Normally TfL would contribute an additional capital sum for spending on the borough's principal roads but this has been 'paused' under their 5 Year Plan, representing a loss to the borough of £882,000. However, each London borough has been asked to submit two principal roads for consideration for maintenance work and Brent Council has submitted Wembley High Road and Kilburn High Road. A decision is likely by the end of April.

The report to Cabinet points out that Highway infrastructure is the most visible, well-used and valuable physical asset owned by Brent Council. Highway assets include:

• 505 km (315 miles) of roads; 

• 847 km (529 miles) of pavements; 

• 53 bridges and structures; 

• 24,500 road gullies; 

• 10,000 street trees; and 

• 22,848 street lights and other illuminated street furniture. 
 

The value of this asset is estimated at around £3.8 billion 

 

The £3.5 million to be spent on this infrastructure is dwarfed by the £18 million of Community Infrastructure Levy the Cabinet allocated to replacing the Wembley Stadium Pedway with steps. 

Spending will be on:

• Major and minor pavement reconstruction; 

• Major Road resurfacing; 

• Preventative maintenance; 

• Improvements to the public realm, and 

• Renewal of Road Markings

 

Previous road works in Engineer's Way

These are the Highway Maintenance plans for 2018-19. 

The 'Rhino Imprint' earmarked for Harlesden High Street and Engineer's Way, Wembley is a synthetic material. Details HERE. The Civic Centre is on Engineer's Way.

Asphalt/Brick on footways refers to asphalt replacing paving stones for the main footway and brick for dropped kerbs at driveways and junctions.

Big Garden Birdwatch Results 2018

Volunteer English teachers required in Brent - training provided by Unite Community

The air we breathe - Local Action April 18th Harlesden Methodist Church

Clean Air for Brent invites you to a public meeting

‘THE AIR WE BREATHE: LOCAL ACTION'

Speakers include Professor Martin Williams (Air Quality Scientist at Kings College) and Jennifer Barrett (Air Quality lead at Brent Council)

Wednesday April 18th 7-9pm
Harlesden Methodist Church 25 High Street London NW10 4NE entrance from side passage in High St next to Church

Please use public transport. 8 min walk from Willesden Junction station, 12 min walk from Harlesden, buses 18, 187, 206, 220, 226 and 266

FREE EVENT – ALL ARE WELCOME
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-air-we-breathe-local-action-tickets-44325338280
or email us at cafbrent@gmail.com

Brent Council apologises for day late payment of housing benefit

A Brent Council spokesperson said:

Brent Council is today apologising to Housing Benefit claimants, and to their landlords, who should have received their regular payment into their bank accounts on Monday 2nd April, the Bank Holiday. Instead, they will now receive the money due a day later, on Tuesday 3rd April, due to problems with an earlier payment run. We can confirm to any landlords who may therefore receive their rent payments a day late as a result that this was our error, and not that of their tenants, so this should not cause any tenants any major problems. We are working hard to identify what went wrong with this payment run, so as to ensure that there is no repeat in future.

BREAKING NEWS: DfE 'turn down' The Village School MAT proposal

Over 110 staff were on strike for 11 strike days

From Brent National Education Union

We are informed that the Department for Education (DfE) has turned down the proposal for The Village school, a special school in Kingsbury, Brent, to form a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) with Woodfield Academy. They say the MAT is not big enough.

A source from within the DfE informed Hank Roberts, NEU Joint Executive member and local NEU NUT section president of the shocking news.

Hank Roberts said:

This shows monumental incompetence on the part of the Governors, in particular the Executive Head Kay Charles and the Chair of Governors, Sandra Kabir who drove this project forward despite overwhelming opposition of staff, parents and the community.

The whole deeply flawed MAT idea should now be dropped. Brent Council should also use this opportunity to publicly reiterate its call for The Village school to remain a Local Authority school.

Kay Charles had written to Roberts on 7^th March stating:

Your speculation around the size of a potential Multi Academy Trust is in error. There is only discussion about Woodfield School and The Village setting up a MAT together, no other schools are being considered.

Hank Roberts continued:

 So it is clear that it was only these two schools they were consulting on. It would be shameful, if any attempts are made to go secretly scrabbling around in an attempt to find other schools to join them enabling them to make a different proposal, without a full consultation on what would be a new proposal.

Further, the NEU are studying documents that may well prove that there have been financial irregularities at one of the schools.  

Cllr Jumbo Chan, a Brent Labour councillor said:

The unnecessary decision by the majority of The Village School governing body to become an academy as part of a multi-academy trust was an unpopular one which defied a broad coalition of teachers and support staff, parents and campaigners, so it is very welcomed news that this proposal [may now be/has been] rejected.

I was incredibly proud to have supported The Village School’s outstanding, inspirational and passionate teachers and support staff from the onset of their winter campaign. As we now move forward, it is of utmost importance that any popular view is more robustly reflected and enforced.

 

NOTE I have raised the possibility that all special (non-mainstream) provision in Brent could end up academised if The Village proposal went ahead LINK. Woodfield, Manor and The Village co-operated in setting up The Avenue special free school which will eventually expand to 100 pupils. The Avenue and Manor form the Brent Specialist Academy Trust.  Woodfield is already an academy. 

The statements above by Kay Charles and Hank Roberts are important in that the DfE's opposition on grounds of size could be overcome if all four schools combined in the Brent Specialist Academy Trust.

Easter Art Workshops for Children and Teens at Northfields Community Centre

Further details of the workshops are as follows:

Tuesday 3rd April, Drop-in sessions between 11am - 4pm - FAMILIES & YOUNG CHILDREN ACTIVITIES (targeted at children between the ages of 5 and 13 and their families):

- Art and interactive activities will be running all day on drop-in basis for families around the theme of the community competition

- Parents will be informed about the Festival, Community Competition and the Northfields development project

Wednesday 4th April, 3-6pm - WIDER YOUTH COMMUNITIES ENGAGEMENT (targeted at young people between the ages of 14 and 19): 

- Local young people will be informed about the Festival, Competition and the Northfields project

- Workshop activities around competition theme to get young people engaged and ready to submit their entries

Roundwood cafe reopens in time for the Easter Weekend

The weather forecast isn't great but one bright spot for the weekend is the welcome news that the Roundwood Lodge Cafe will be open for business.  The cafe in Roundwood Park will be open 7 days a week from 8am until dusk.

Say “NO!” to hatred Join the National Happier Together Day: Tuesday 3rd April 2018

A welcome response to the Islamophobic April 3rd campaign covered earlier on Wembley Matters LINK

Say “NO!” to hatred

Join the National Happier Together Day: Tuesday 3rd April 2018 LINK

We value Britain’s rich cultural diversity. We want to live in a country that welcomes people from other places and embraces ethnic, cultural and religious difference. We reject discrimination and hatred in all its forms. We have a vision of strong, united communities based on what we have in common.

But there are a few people who don’t share our vision. They try to sow division, fear and hatred. They scapegoat migrants and refugees. They target and threaten Muslims and their places of worship.

We won’t allow their message of racism, intolerance and bigotry to weaken us. That’s why, on 3rd April, we’re holding national Happier Together Day.

What you can do:

• Join our twitter storm hastag #happiertogether at 12pm on the 3 April- encourage all your friends and followers to do the same!

• Join us outside London Muslim Centre, on Whitechapel Road E1 at 6.15pm on the 3 April, to take part in our human smile chain across Whitechapel towards the city

•like our Facebook page and share with your followers encouraging them to like and share too

• Ask your local MPs, councillors, council staff, police, fire service , NHS staff, community groups and members of the public to join your smile chain

For more information, contact:

Nozmul Hussain
CEO
East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre
Email: nozmul@londonmuslimcentre.org.uk


Who is organising this?:
East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre
United East End
Stand Up to Racism
 

Brent Council urged to re-instate childminder sessions and bring Children's Centres back in-house

Brent Council out-sourced 14 Brent children's centres to the charity Barnardo's. Now childminders are petitioning the council to demand that Barnardo's re-instate childminder sessions at Harmony Children's Centre and go further in demanding that to avoid the risk of cuts in more vital services Children's Centres are brought back in house.

This is their petition that can be found on the Brent Council website HERE. I urge you to sign.

We the undersigned petition the council to Demand that childminder sessions are protected and not cancelled or moved by Barnardos. Demand that the childminder session at Harmony Children’s Centre is re-instated immediately. Bring back children’s centres in house.

Barnardos charity were awarded the contract to run 14 Children’s Centres in Brent. In January they cancelled the childminder session at Harmony Children’s Centre which was accessed by local childminders and the children in their care. They moved the session to St Raphaels Children Centre which is across the North Circular Road from Harmony, too busy a road for a childminder to cross with very small children.

In their response to our concerns it seems as though Barnardos wish to cancel all child minder sessions from their Prime Time slots which would be useless to childminders as the morning is the only times they can go out of the house with their children due to naps and school pick ups.

The childminder sessions are well attended, run by the childminders themselves, provide excellent learning opportunities for the children, provide socialisation for the children and give the childminders the chance to meet and share best practice.

As a result, Barnardos are not fulfilling their own vision of “believe in children” as they cut these vital services for local children. Therefore, we demand that Children’s Centres are brought back in house, otherwise there is a risk more vital services will be cut by Barnardos.

Build support for a London Car Free Day

Over 50 organisations across the capital sent an open letter to the Mayor of London this week requesting he direct TfL to implement an ambitious plan for Car Free Day 2018. The letter asks Sadiq Khan to publicly commit to an ambitious Car Free Day plan for London next September. The groups believe that Car Free Day could be an important catalyst for London to address the public health scourge of air pollution, and to test out car-free zones in the city that can then be made permanently car-free as envisioned in the Mayor’s transport plan. 

The opportunity to both reduce air pollution and bolster local businesses by going car-free has already motivated Oslo to commit to permanently removing private cars from the city center by 2019. In Madrid, private cars will be removed from over 500 acres of the city by 2020 in a bid to boost local commerce and improve air quality. 

Endorsers of the London Car Free Day vision include a host of charities, think-tanks, research groups, businesses, and neighbourhood forums across 15 London Boroughs. According to the letter “World Car Free Day 2018 is a tremendous opportunity to catalyse long-term reductions in air pollution [and] improve London’s transport system.” 

Car Free Day is an annual global event held in cities each 22^nd September which encourages citizens to walk, cycle or use public transport for one day. While individual boroughs like Hackney, Lambeth, Islington, and Greenwich have all hosted modest Car Free Day celebrations in the past, it has never been a city-wide celebration of walking and cycling like it is in Vancouver, Paris, or Brussels. The letter points out that there is even a weekly Car Free Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, a city of over 10 million. 

The Mayor’s new Transport Strategy means that the world is now looking for London’s to lead the global transition to city centres free from private cars. The letter writers consider Car Free Day 2018 as the perfect opportunity to test new models for car-free urban mobility across London. The Day would provide an opportunity to test the air quality improvements of taking private cars out of the city centre. Small businesses across London would benefit from a day with streets full of customers on foot. 

Community supporters flagged the many benefits of hosting a Car Free Day. According to Marco Picardi at Green Westway, a community group working to improve the air quality and mobility options around the A40 flyover: 

“Car Free Day is an opportunity to test the transformative potential of car-free streets. New approaches are needed to address congestion, pollution, safety, and the public health. Car Free Day is a catalyst to make safe walking and cycling part of a daily routine for Londoners.”

Caroline Russell AM, Green Party Member of the London Assembly emphasised:

“No one should be left out of having streets that are safe and pleasant to use – a car-free day would give Londoners the space to breathe.”

“Paris has a monthly car-free day so it is possible for big cities to do this. I want Londoners to have a taste of fresher air and to see that streets can be for people, not just vehicles.”

“It would be great to see London open for walking and cycling to give people the freedom to choose how they want to travel without being intimidated by hostile streets.”

According to Rosalind Readhead, Chair of the London Campaign for Better Transport: 

“There is a huge opportunity to go car-free in central London and convert road spaces to higher-value activities. We already have 6.8 million parking spaces taking up almost 80km sq. across a city where space is at a huge premium. Could we remove parking spaces and build affordable housing or expand public green space? London Car Free Day is an opportunity to ask these questions and to showcase an ambitious vision for more car-free city centres around the world.”

Other supporters think Car Free Day could make London a more liveable city for all residents: “I grew up in Brussels where there has been an annual Car Free Day for many years. The day is a pleasant opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends, re-discover the city from a different perspective and get some exercise. There is something liberating and empowering about pedestrians and cyclists reclaiming the streets.” says Helena O’Rourke-Potocki, one the co-founders of Our Air Our Health, a clean air campaign in Tower Hamlets. 

A version of the letter (See below) sent to the Mayor’s office this morning is also on the online petition platform Change.org so that individual citizens from across London can express their support. 

The online petition is accessible here: http://bit.ly/LCFD_petition .

More information

Twitter: @carfreedayLDN #LondonCarFreeDay2018 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carfreedayLDN/

LETTER OF SUPPORT

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