Can we make a Food Forest in Northwick Park?

From Northwick Park Community Garden Team (FACEBOOK LINK)

A Food Forest in our London Park 

What is a food forest, why should we turn our London Park into one and how and when can this be done?

Our local park Northwick Park is a large community park near Wembley in London Brent. There are many playing fields in the park, where men enjoy playing rugby and football and even fly model aircrafts. If you know it, then you know that it is currently a very barren place, with not enough trees, although  some lovely trees are already established there, such as sloe, hawthorn and elderberry, plus hawthorn bushes, which serve the community foragers. 

Foragers can make hawthorn berry jam and elderberry cordial, for example, from the produce. It is a very time-consuming process, a labour of love, because picking these and turning them into food products is a bit fiddly. Yet, we are not able to buy these things in the supermarket. 

Where was the food before the supermarket?

It was on farms, in parks, gardens and larders and on the weekly market. Today, everything the supermarket sells contains plastic packaging. This is a problem for the oceans where this stuff gets dumped. 

We have been dumping so much plastic there that it comes back up and the fish are eating it; in fact, the fish are contaminated with plastic. Some people are already leaving all the packaging at the supermarket and letting the supermarket deal with their own rubbish. 

Why should we pay council tax to remove the plastic we don’t want?

Imagine all the council tax money being put to use for a good cause rather than on pointless rubbish removal. 

Hence, some people have started to reduce the waste they purchase. This is called ‘a journey to zero waste’.  There are many YouTube videos of young women explaining how to be prepared when shopping so that we can leave the plastic packaging behind. 

The Queen has banned plastic straws and plastic bottles from the royal household!

The Queen has banned plastic from the royal household after she saw what happens to the ocean, the beaches and the fish with all this plastic being dumped in the sea. Do you know that plastic never ever decomposes or goes away, that it is a waste which stays there forever? Long after humans disappear from this earth, our plastic waste will still be here.

Zero packaging is the lovely benefit of having food trees in the park. You have a chance to pick fruit for free and you don’t use plastic packaging. Just bring a box, basket or linen bag and pick as much fruit as you can eat. Only take what you need and leave the rest for others. 

Forest Food is better quality.

Forest food is better quality because we refrain from pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer and so on. We are looking for the ecosystem to take care of these things by itself.  The trees form an underground internet together with the mushrooms and provide a lot of nutrients to the ground. Mixing plant species can have a benefit to each plant too.

The problem with modern agriculture is that there are vast fields of the same crop, i.e. broccoli. This broccoli requires the same food and there is no other plant that can supply this food to the broccoli – there is only broccoli and its needs. So, the need for fertilizers arises. 

Then, if the broccoli is afflicted by a pest, there is no other plant that can stop it and no predator pest which can stop its spread. The pest happily munches away on broccoli as far as the eye can see. So, now there is also a need for pesticides. 

In a food forest we are mixing species and plants and the different varieties of wildlife can help each other out. Food will ripen throughout the year; everybody can pick the fruit when they want some. 

When the vast fields of broccoli are harvested, there will huge machines, which require a lot of petrol. Petrol is required again to distribute the broccoli to the distribution centres and then to the individual supermarkets. Oil is also required for making plastic packaging, pesticides and fertilizers. 

When something happens to the oil supply we will be foodless!

Since so much oil is needed to produce and supply this food, imagine something happens to the oil supply chain? We are all foodless.

With food forests in our parks and food in our gardens, we are slightly more resilient to any supply side issues and we are in control of making food healthier by avoiding pesticides, which can contain cancer-causing substances. 

Naturally grown food contains more antioxidants. This is an umbrella term for the good things that keep us feeling and looking young, as well as preventing disease and stress. On the other hand, toxins do the opposite, they make us age faster, cause stress and can lead to disease. 

Naturally grown food is better for you.

And, in case the food is not being picked, it will fall to the ground and the wildlife can have dinner. Did you know that the hedgehog is extremely endangered and that numbers have declined drastically? The latest statistic I heard was that only around a million were left in the whole of Britain. 

This is because of the pesticide use which kills the wildlife, but also because gardens are paved over or have really strong fences so the hedgehogs have no habitat. Make a little hole in your fence and allow hedgehogs to come into your garden. They mainly eat snails and are part of a well-functioning ecosystem. Bats can keep fruit trees healthy by eating moths, which would otherwise nest in the fruit trees. And[RC1]  bees are important for pollinating the plants because without this pollination we would not get any food. All three are endangered species today. A lot of animals and plants are dying out in this world because of the terrible behaviour of our human species. We must do something to rescue the world. 

If you want to join us and want to hear more, find us on Facebook.

We are happy to help you turn your garden into a food producing garden too with the help of our friends at Permablitz and if you feel as excited as we are about food forestry and gardening, then stay in touch. 

Follow us!

https://www.facebook.com/northwickparkcommunitygarden/

We are 4 food and against waste! 

Your Northwick Park Community Garden Team

This is why we don't want Chelsea to follow Spurs to Wembley Stadium

Fans doing battle at Wembley - special report on the cost of policing football in London | By @AmyLewisITV pic.twitter.com/0urhZaf0Og

— ITV London (@itvlondon) April 24, 2018

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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Brent Council Election Hustings tomorrow at St Gabriel's Church

There will be a Brent local election hustings on Wednesday April 25th at Mapesbury Residents' Association's Annual General Meeting. It will be held at St Gabriel's Church, Walm Lane. NW2 4RX LINK

The hustings will be held after a short AGM with the hustings segment of the meeting running from 8.30pm to 9.15pm. Doors open 7pm, AGM 7.30-7.55pm and stalls, bar and refreshments from 7.55pm to 8.30pm.

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.

Helen Carr: Thank you and Goodnight Mapesbury

Cllr Helen Carr has requested that Wembley Matters publishes this farewell statement. Publication does not indicate agreement with the views expressed but given the lack of other public platforms in Brent I have agreed to publication.
 

As you know, I was elected in 2014 under exceptional circumstances and in an extraordinary situation and am now standing down. Thank you everyone – residents, the staff at Brent and political veterans on all sides of the spectrum for their unfailing advice, support and good humour. The indefatigable Martin Frances’ ‘Wembley Matters’ is the go to place for matters of Brent, even for someone like me who avoids social media. I look forward to seeing the Green’s Scott Bartle, who stood against me in 2014, at his first Council meeting in May. Every Council needs a Green.    

What you may not be aware of is my work on the Council of Europe Congress – I was appointed a UK Delegate and last year elected by my European peers Vice President of the Independent, Liberal and Democrat Group. I was asked recently what I was most proud of achieving and I would say without doubt, being elected Councillor of Mapesbury allowed me to defend human rights at a time when certainties such as freedom of speech and association, freedom of the press, the right to freedom from torture – all rights bitterly fought for but taken for granted – are being insidiously eroded in the name of safety, security and stability. History is now being reconstructed to support the arguments and agendas of today’s fascists, idealists, ideologists, politicians et al. Motives and conspiracy theories vary – Germany and Austria have introduced ‘Holocaust Denial’ laws. France’s Sarkozy was accused of trying to attract the Christian Armenian vote when attempting to criminalise denial of the Armenian genocide. Turkey too – with wars within and on its borders - stifles debate not just about its role in the elimination of one and a half Armenians in the period at the end of World War 1, but its treatment and continued suppression of its Kurdish populations, as well as the recent imprisonment of elected politicians, journalists and educators. Russia criminalizes those who discredit the name of the Red Army and Poland has introduced measures imposing a fine or up to three years in prison for anyone found guilty of blaming the ‘Polish nation’ for the Holocaust. The murder of journalists in Malta and Slovakia. In the UK, Max Mosley - youngest son of wartime leader of the British Union of Fascists Oswold Mosley – is accused of trying to use data protection laws to gag the press. And so on.

Churchill said it is not for those of us who have not been occupied to condemn and judge those who have. But facts do exist and do matter. It is better to methodically and painstakingly disprove with fact and reason, than fines, force or imprisonment. Ostentatious gestures and actions might seem to make a difference, but quiet conviction in the rule of law have greater pervasive, persuasive and profound influence.  January 27 is Holocaust Memorial Day – the day in 1945 the Soviets liberated Auschwitz. ‘Genocide’ was first used in 1933 in a paper presented to the League of Nations by Polish lawyer, Raphael Lemkin, in response to the murder of the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1918. The term was then adopted by the UN convention in 1948, but continues to be controversial – what constitutes a Genocide and who are victims has become a numbers game and a semantic quagmire. Congesting various issues to an existing memorial day undermines the initial intent. Political interests sully the dignity of the event. In 1946, the term ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ was introduced by Lauterpacht, at the time, resident of 104 Walm Lane, Mapesbury. What would he make of us now that Holocaust Memorial Day also includes other ‘Genocides?’ Will Jews stand alongside survivors of the Israeli campaign in Gaza if claims of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel has committed Genocide are upheld at the International Criminal Court? What of the Poles or the Kurds? The Irish Famine? Or indeed the Nazis and German minority speakers murdered or transported to Siberia by the vengeful Soviets? January 27 is also the day in 1944 identified as the end of the siege of Leningrad where it is estimated more than one million died. What of those victims? And of course, the most recent Genocides in Europe that took place in the Former Yugoslavia. The twentieth century seems to have ended as it began. What have we practically done to prevent atrocity and protect human rights and the rule of law? Concentration camps were not liberated with daisies. 

I am sure we are all familiar with journalist, author and intellectual, George Orwell. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but his was an informed opinion – he fought against Franco’s Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. His statue stands in the BBC’s New Broadcasting House accompanied by one of his many famous quotes ‘If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear’

But are we listening? In 1986, the Romanian born Holocaust survivor and campaigner, Elie Weisel, asked the Gypsies for forgiveness for “not listening to your story.” Are we too focused on the minutiae and the quotidian? Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Council of Europe aims to prevent a return to totalitarian regimes and defend fundamental freedoms: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. But have we? Can we? Will we?  

Thank you and Goodnight Mapesbury

Dr Helen Carr is Vice President of the Independent Liberal and Democrat Group of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. She is Leader of the Independent Group of the London Borough of Brent and Councillor for Mapesbury. Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, she is a Freeman of the City of a London.  

Was Brent's £17.8m decision on the Pedway steps legal?

Paul Lorber, former leader of the Lib Dem-Coalition adminstration of Brent Council has wrotten to officers asking for a legal opinion on the Council's decision to pay £17.8 of CIL money for the replacement of the Wembley Stadium Pedway by steps.

Lorber writes:

You may be aware that Mr Martin Francis uncovered a Quintain Press Release from 2007 [Ed: see below] claiming a big Private Investment in replacing the pedway to Wembley Stadium with steps.

The Council’s Local Plan Framework from 2009 refers to the Pedway as a developer works to be funded by the developer. There was no indication of any Brent responsibility for this or any indication of S106 funding or other Brent Council contribution. The estimated cost in 2009 was £10 million. 

In view of this, and other Brent Council cost pressures and priorities (including £100 million backlog of repairs to pavements and roads) it seems odd that officers could recommend and Councillors could accept handing over £17.8 million of public money to Quintain for what they claimed to be works funded by private investment.

Can you confirm if legal opinion has been obtained confirming that this proposed payment is legal and within the powers of Brent Council to make. Have the Council’s Auditors been consulted so that they can consider the issue of value for money or/and appropriate use of scarce Council resources.

If this has not been done can you consider obtaining such a Legal Opinion and advice/guidance from the Council’s Auditors.

If you do not intend to obtain the advice please provide details (including email) of the Auditors so that I can pursue this as a local taxpayer.

Astonishing revelation as Duffy names his political hero - and it's a scream!

Cllr Duffy has written to Brent councillors about his candidacy in the Council election...

 

Dear All , 

I understand the Kilburn Labour Party are very upset that I am standing for election in Kilburn.

In fact they are doing intensive canvassing and leafleting according to a mate of mine calling me an independent candidate. This is not true I am "Standing (Up) for Kilburn" candidate  but the returning officer would not let me put that on my nomination forms.  

As everyone knows Politics is in the life- blood of everybody in Kilburn. In fact one of the main national political parties was founded by a Kilburnite and I have always secretly supported that party, albeit I was a member of the Labour Party from 1983 -2018 ( briefly leaving because of the Iraq war) .

In June 1982 this Kilburn man who was already a mega rockstar who had many hit records like "All Back and hairy" , "Monster in Black Tights"  or his sensitive love poem " I am a Hog for you"  decided to form a political party. This party went on to change the face of politics in the UK. He introduce new and exciting policies and became a national hero adored by millions ( and his mum) , but he never forgot his humble roots and beginnings in Kilburn.

This Kilburn legend came close to changing the country if not the world for good. He entered the political fray to ensure his type of  policies were implemented. Unfortunately he failed to get elected in the famous 1983  Bermondsey By - election. Albeit he manage to gather an astonishing 97 votes, alas he was pipped at the post by the winning Candidate by a meagre 17,000 votes .  Of course he asked for a recount but the returning officer (a stooge for the powers that be) refused it then became clear that he was a victim of voter fraud on a massive scale,the likes of which had never been seem in British politics. He was not put off and stood in other 33 by-election gaining nearly 17000 votes .A reported once ask him why he believe he lost so many times .He said  his policy were popular  as he had accrued 17,000 votes in the 33 by-elections  .However he said" the trick was to move all those people into one constituency and  then he would win". Wise words indeed.

I am sure you now realise the Kilburn legend is Screaming Lord Sutch  who grew up in Charteris Road ,Kilburn just a few streets from St Julians Road where I was born .The Party of course is the Monster Raving Looney Party , which he co -founded.I have had a recent conversations with the Leader of the Monster Raving Looney party Alan "Howling Laud " Hope and we agreed we will have an accreditation meeting after I win the election on May 3th . Once my accreditation has been agreed , I intend to resign immediately   unless I am given a role in the provision Monster Raving Looney Party Government as the "Shadow Minister for Beer" as I believe I have all the right political attributes including the belly.

Now that its been explained to the Kilburn Labour Party , I hope they will stop calling me an independent candidate and  bad mouthing me at the door and concentrate on what the  Labour Party will do for Kilburn around the lost of up a million pound worth of  Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), the state of the pavements and potholes which they are silent about.

The Labour party should pay me the respect and call me The Stand (up) for Kilburn candidate sponsored by the Monster Raving Looney Party.

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Refugee Resettlement: Just £2 donation from you will help Sufra win £1,000 of match-funding

From Sufra NW London

Sufra NW London is in line to win £1,000 of match-funding thanks to Lamyaa Hanchaoui, a spoken word poet, who is fundraising for our Refugee Resettlement Programme.
 
But we need YOUR help to win.
 
The charity that receives 250 individual donations wins. So please support Lamyaa by donating just £2 using on her fundraising page here. Just £2. No more.
 
[To be clear, it doesn’t matter how much you donate. It is the number of people who back us that will determine whether we win.]
 
If we win, we can help more people like Hiba, a refugee from Syria

This is what she says (translated into English):
 
“I came to this country from Syria a year ago with my husband and two daughters. After the start of the Syrian civil war, we fled our homes and lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon. The conditions were terrible. Thankfully, we were selected for resettlement in the UK as part of the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).
 
I remember the first night that we arrived. It was cold and windy, and everything looked so different. As we entered our flat, we were greeted by staff and volunteers of Sufra NW London who brought us food, bedding and household supplies. We will never forget that.
 
Since then, the charity has helped us in so many ways – whenever we have a problem we know that we can call Sufra NW London. It is very hard when you do not speak the language and you do not understand local traditions and customs. With the help of Sufra NW London, I have started English classes and my husband has found a work placement with a local construction company.
 
We may never be able to return to Syria, but I am blessed that we have a new home in the UK.”

 
Support our Refugee Resettlement Programme with a donation of just £2 here.
 
To thank you for your help, Lamyaa Hanchaoui would like to gift you a track of her spoken word poetry on the Syrian refugee crisis, which is available here. You can also read more about her motivations for supporting our Refugee Resettlement Programme on her blog, available here. 
 
Final Call

Over 70% of tickets for Sufra NW London’s Fifth Anniversary Party on Thursday 26 April 2018 have disappeared! To avoid missing out, register here. I hear there’s going to be a chocolate fountain.
 

Forum and Quadrant residents face huge service charge increases

Forum House at the weekend

Residents of Forum House and Quadrant Court, two of the first Quintain developments at Wembley Park face service charges of 47% according to well informed sources. First Port who manage the development spokesperson  denied the figure this morning and told me that the increases were actually 2.7% for Forum House and 5.1% for Quadrant Court.  He added that First Port had only been agents since April 2017 and the amount depended on what baseline was being used.

Forum House is presently undergoing works for removal and replacement of cladding following the Grenfell fire but the spokesman said that as the buildings were also most 10 years old that maintenance  would be needed anyway.

Forum and Quadrant are different from the later Tipi developments in that they are mixed tenure including housing provided by Genesis and Family Mosaic.  Clearly the increases will be less affordable for housing association tenants.  There are fears that the increases have been made to bring charges in line with Quintain's latest developments.

First Port is holding a site surgery today and in apparent contradiction of the spokesperson admit that the increase is 'significant' this year. I have sought clarification from First Port. The discrepancy may be due to the fact that First Port is switching from a financial year budget to a calendar year, charging 5% more during the period of adjustment for only a 9 month period.

The Development Manager of the develpment meanwhile does not seem to deny the extent of the  service charge increase but justifies it on the following grounds:

We are adjusting the budget to the real expenses of the development and the necessary works that have to be carried out as per examples below:

-          Fire equipment: A provision for ad hoc works including a replacement of the fire panel, replacement of fire doors and magnetic locks. As these are required ad hoc works for this year only so we anticipate a lowering of this cost line year.

-          Electricity: This budget is previous years metered usage, however we have now procured a contracted rate through First Port bulk purchasing. We will be able to achieve rates which are well below normal domestic rates and highly competitive against commercial tariffs. We have carried out a comprehensive assessment of the lighting on site and were aiming to replace current lighting with LED equivalents as part of the major works being carried out in order to reduce energy costs over the long term. Due to funding we are unfortunately unable to do this at present, however it will be undertaken in the near future.

-          Reserves: We plan to appoint a chartered surveyor to carry out a detailed Asset Management Plan for the development to ensure that future annual collections are set at sufficient levels to fully provide for all future major works and that collections are allocated to the correct schedules. We have however budgeted for an estimated required amount to be allocated to reserve funds.

-          Cleaning external areas: This is budgeted in for inner court yard cleaning, including all paving, section walls inside, steps etc. (steam and chemical). Also perimeter clean outside areas including pavement sections, plant surrounds, reception entrance.

-          Window cleaning: We have made provision for the external cleaning of windows and balconies throughout the development. This has not been budgeted previously but is needed enhancement that will deliver a much improved appearance to the scheme.

-          Building, Terrorism, Property Owner Liability Insurance: Provision for insurance for period 30 Sept 2018 to December 2018. This has previously been separately recharged to residents in the form of an additional levy.

-          Lifts: We have based our budget figure on actual previous expenditure allowing for 4 passenger lifts, this covers the relevant maintenance contracts, lift telephone lines, lift insurance and ad-hoc repairs should they be required. Our budget allows for our premium service lift contract which we are able to procure at a lower than usual rate via the Quintain Wembley wide agreement. This also incorporates the outstanding aesthetic repairs to all lifts.

-          Ground maintenance: We have allowed for a provision for an annual grounds maintenance contract and the regular  maintenance of the irrigation system as well as improvements to the landscaping in the budget.