UPDATED: Tulip Siddiq: Israeli soldiers' action unjustified & inhumane

Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn has released the following statement on the situation in Gaza (please see comments below for a qualification of this statement given to the Jewish Chronicle  by Tulip Siddiq LINK ):

The reaction by Israeli soldiers to protests on the Gaza border over the past week has been as unjustified as it is inhumane. I condemn without reservation these violations of international law and human rights by Israel. The international community should immediately act together to demand an end to the senseless killing, the bullets and the tear gas, and to urge a halt to the bloodshed.

The protest has been twofold - to highlight the shocking conditions which Palestinians are forced to live in and to demand their right to return to their homes. These issues should not be forgotten in the carnage which is now unfolding.

I dearly hope that this violence does not continue over the coming days, and I will be monitoring the situation closely.

I have written to the Foreign Secretary to raise the plight of the killed protesters and will share your thoughts when I have an opportunity. I have also signed EDM 1163 ‘Violence against protesters in Gaza’. I will also apply for a debate in Parliament to discuss this shameful situation, but it will depend on the parliamentary lottery system whether I am chosen for it. If another MP does manage to secure a debate on this topic then I will also raise the issue there.

Yesterday evening Hampstead and Kilburn Constituency Labour Party overwhelmingly passed a motion welcoming her statement ands condemning Israel’s action:

This CLP condemns Monday’s massacre of dozens of Palestinian protesters in Gaza, and the wounding of thousands by Israeli snipers using live fire and expanding bullets. The numbers of unarmed people killed during six weeks of protest, including children and journalists, is now close over 100.

Palestinians have been protesting with the Great March of Return leading up the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel and the Nakba – the uprooting of the Palestinian people as a result of the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. This coincided with the provocative decision by the US government to move its embassy to illegally-occupied Jerusalem.

We believe that these protesters – many of them refugees from areas inside the state of Israel – have the right to return to their homes and lands, as enshrined in UN General Assembly Resolution 194. We call for an immediate end to the slaughter, for Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories, for an end to all discrimination inside Israel, and for progress towards a just and peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.

We welcome the statement from Tulip [Siddiq], and Jeremy Corbyn’s call for an end of arms sales to and from Israel and urge the widest possible support for vigils and demonstrations called around the UK to demand an end to violent suppression of legitimate Palestinian protests.

We also condemn the attempts of Trump, Israel and its apologists to place the blame on Hamas and away from the Israeli soldiers and their commanders who carried out the massacre. It compounds murder with insult by denial of the agency of Gazans driven to risk death by the vicious nature of the Israeli siege and wrecking of their lives. In particular, we note the statement by Labour Friends of Israel “Tragic events on the Gazan border; all civilian deaths are regrettable. Hamas must accept responsibility for these events. Their successful attempt to hijack peaceful protest as cover to attack Israeli border communities must be condemned by all who seek peace in the Middle East.” We urge the Party to make clear that it totally rejects such sentiments.

Tulip Siddiq told the meeting that she had never signed up for Labour Friends of Israel despite being listed on their website as a supporter.

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UN World Environment Day event - Treading Lightly on the Earth June 3rd

Has the £17.8m stadium steps question already been answered by the Brent Cabinet?

Brent Council today rather belatedly published the Officer's report for Cabinet LINK on the review of the decision to spend £17.8m of CIL money on Olympic Way improvements with the majority of the money going to replace the current Wembley Stadium pedway with steps.

The Olympic Way improvements are divided into 3 zones: Zone A is the area between Fulton Road and the foot of the pedway. Zone B is from Wembley Park station to the norther edge of Fulton Road. Zone C is the pedway replacement and public works from the foot of the pedway to the stadium.

The report recommends that Cabinet members:
 

2.1  Re-examine the funding decision for Olympic Way improvements in the light of the possible change in ownership of Wembley Stadium and confirm that funding from Quintain and the Stadium owners forms a three way funding stream for Zone C. 


·      2.2  Confirm or otherwise the contribution of up to £12.1 million +VAT towards Zone 
 C improvements, such contribution being contingent on Quintain: 

a.     Not pursuing development of site NW04 (see plan above) adjacent to the Civic Centre to the extent currently permitted in the parameters plans associated with outline planning permission 10/3032 
 LINK

b.     Working with the Council to deliver a development that better complements the role and setting of the Civic Centre, in particular creating a significant new square outside the Civic Centre Library 


c.      Agreeing a business plan and agreement, between Quintain and the council, for the future sharing and reinvestment of the net income generated through assets on Olympic Way in Zones A, B and C. 


d.     Securing up to one third funding contribution from Wembley Stadium owners. 


2.3  Confirm the decision to contribute up to £5.7million+VAT for works to Zone B including Fulton Road Crossing, such contribution contingent on Quintain completing Zone A works and agreeing a business plan and agreement, between Quintain and the council for the future sharing and reinvestment of the net income generated through assets on Zones A and B of Olympic Way. 


      2.4  Note that if item 2.2 is confirmed the total contribution for Olympic Way improvements will be up to £17.8 million plus VAT. 


       2.5  Delegate agreement of the Business Plan and entering into an agreement for the future sharing and reinvestment of net income generated through assets on Olympic Way to the Strategic Director Regeneration and Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member of Regeneration, Highways & Planning. 


       2.6  Subject to the level of funding contribution from Wembley Stadium owners for Zone C improvements as detailed in recommendation 2.2 (d), delegate to the Strategic Director Regeneration and Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member of Regeneration, Highways & Planning authority to agree the adequacy of such contribution secured. 


 The report reveals the existence of a 'Statement of Common Ground' with Quintain:

 A “Statement of Common Ground” dating back to 2010 exists between the council and Quintain that allows for the application of CIL funds by LBB for the delivery of strategic infrastructure as identified in policy and the Infrastructure and Investment Framework (IIF). The above projects are within the IIF. The strategic CIL collected across the Borough, as a consequence of new development, is intended to be spent on infrastructure projects to support the ongoing development of the area, enhanced public realm falls within this, and it is proposed that a contribution from CIL to the costs of the works is appropriate.

I have requested a copy of this document. I did have access to the Section 106 agreement made between the council and Quintain but my latest search LINK returned a 'document unavailable' message. Perhaps it will reappear.

The report documents how far the work has gone so far including the reorientation of the NW04 building next to the Civic Centre which was sought by the council in exchange for funding the Olympic Way works:

Quintain have secured planning consent for Zone B works and have started 
works in this Zone at their risk as a result of the July 2017 Cabinet decision; 


Quintain and the Council have substantially agreed a draft Memorandum of Understanding for the mechanism for releasing the funding for Zones B and C and the principles of the Business Plan under which any net income sharing between Brent Council and Quintain will apply; 


WNSL/FA and Quintain have undertaken considerable technical and modelling work to validate the operational efficiency and safety of the proposed steps replacing the pedway; 


A planning application has been submitted for the reorientation of the NW04 building which will better complement the role and setting of the Civic Centre, and create a significant new square outside the Civic Centre Library; 


A planning application have been submitted for the removal of the pedway and installation of the steps and all Zone C improvement work; 


To date Quintain have spent in excess of £1m and are anticipating spending a further £1.5m to £2m (subject to Brent’s confirmation of the funding contribution and WSNL/FA or the new owners agreement to the removal of the pedway) on design fees alone related to Zone B and Zone C. 


 If officers seem to be representing Quintain in the above the following passage gives a further nudge in the direction of the Cabinet confirming the decision to fund the pedway from CIL funds:

As indicated in the Cabinet report of July 2017, the intention was to seek contribution from the Football Association towards Zone C works. Officers have been advised there has been a positive indication that the potential new owner may be willing to contribute towards Zone C works. 
In the event Zone C improvements do not proceed, the pedway will remain in place, the new NW04 building orientation and public square is not likely to progress with the existing NW04 consent taken forward to implementation and the public realm from the foot of the pedway to the stadium will remain unchanged providing an even more uninspiring and disappointing “front door” for the stadium against the new public realm in Zones A and B.

Is it the council's task to provide an 'inspiring front door' to what will be a private stadium?

Interestingly the original 2010 planning application for NW04 LINK contained the following:

.        Proposed Plot NW04 cannot be constructed in full until the existing Pedway is demolished. The eastern base of NW04 will not be commenced until the Pedway has been removed. Similarly, the eastern element of the SE Pocket will not be delivered until the Pedway has been removed. However, funds for the removal of the Pedway are not available through the Development Proposal forming part of this Application.

Remember that Press Release from Quintain that said they would pay for the 'Olympic Steps?'

The Cabinet report does not mention that and certainly does not explore all the other possible uses that the £12.1m allocated to the pedway removal and replacement could be spent on to address our crumbling roads and pavements.

The Cabinet meeting is due to last just one hour on Monday and there are other items on the agenda: hardly enough time to carefully consider the issue. I suspect the decision has been made already...

Brent's CIL information deficit

Given the controversy over the allocation of Brent's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) I have contacted Brent Council today over two issues.

Firstly the Cabinet will be discussing a review of the £17.8m allocated to Olympic Way public realm improvements, including the replacement of the Stadium pedway by steps, at their meeting on Monday. The review is in the light of the possible sale of the stadium. This is an enormous amoutn of money and of great public interest but there are no details on the Cabinet agenda - a report is promised but not yet published.  How can the public make any representations if there is no infomation available? The full agenda, including reports, should be available 5 working days bfore the meeting.  A similar issue arose with the first full meeting of the council.

Secondly there is currently a consultation on the Neighbourhood CIL underway. I have received several reminders about this and have responded asking for details of the second round of allocations - only round one is available in the council website. The council responded that there were last minute agreements to be signed off but the closing date of the consultation is now only a week away (see consultation notice below) - surely we need this information to provide a context to any consultation response.  Consultation without information is meaningless.

It would have been useful to have the information available before the local election as the Neighbourhood CIL is one of the few areas where the public and local councillors can have any influence.

I have asked for an extension to the consultation if the information is still not available.

Brent Council's message today:

The online survey for the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Review is open for just one more week. The survey will be closed on the 23^rd May 2018.

More information about the Community Infrastructure Levy in Brent can be found here and below.

This is your opportunity to tell us about your views, experiences and suggestions for the improvement.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NeighbourhoodCILReview/

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.  If you have any questions or would like further information please do not hesitate to contact us via CILadmin@brent.gov.uk.

Barry Gardiner condemns Israel's 'calculated & cynical disregard for human life'

Downing Street yesterday evening

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, and a member of Labour Friends of Israel, issued one of his strongest ever statements criticising Israel yesterday.

He tweeted:

There can be no equivocation. The action of the Israeli government has been brutal and utterly unjustified. This is not merely a disproportionate use of force. It is a calculated and cynical disregard for human life. The UN must act.

If you want to support action to help Palestinian children in Gaza there may be a few tickets left for this event on Friday:

'Wild animal' on the loose near Wembley Stadium

Residents of Quadrant Court have been warned not to approach a Harris Hawk that has been deployed by First Port Property Management Services to 'combat the  current pigeon situation.'

In a letter to resident, First Port say, 'You may see him in the next couple of weeks flying across the courtyard or having a break on your balcony. Please remember this is a wild animal. Please do not approach him without the consent of the handler first.'

First Port add that as an additional deterrent they are installing kite hawks on the roof area. These float around in the wind, you may have seen one on the roof of the Wembley Ark,  and are claimed to deter pigeons.

They may have better luck than Chalkhill Primary School where a model of an owl, installed on the sports hall roof to see off seagulls, now regularly hosts a seagull nest between its feet!

In other news, First Port, who faced sharp criticism from residents over increased services charges recently, say they are reinstating the courtyard water feature, renovating the courtyard including new flower planting and investigating a leak in the car park/gymnasium. They apologise to residents for the latter taking longer than expected because the building 'has a complex plumbing system.'

UPDATE: Butt's power grab confirmed as councillors vote themselves a 17% increase

It was ironic that the public were unable to watch last night's Brent Full Council Meeting as the meeting itself demonstrated how the Labour Council has become inward looking, revelling in the fancy dress pomp of the mayoralty, giving themselves a 17% rise and with Butt's plan to have a guaranteed four years as leader confirmed.  Perhaps it was better that the public were spared the spectacle because they would surely have been reaching for their sick bowls.

The Labour Group has developed self-congratulation and mutual grooming into a fine art and surely any suggestion that robust scrutiny will come from within their own ranks can be consigned to fairy land.

Wembley Matters covered the likely extension of Butt's power on the eve of the local election LINK as well as the appointment of Butt loyalists to Cabinet posts LINK, but even we did not predict the spiteful swipe at the opposition by the slashing of the opposition leader's allowance.

Magnanimity in victory? 'No, my friend...'

With not quite 4 out of 10 registered Brent residents voting, and only 3 out of 10 in Butt's own ward of Tokyngton, the gap between councillors and the ordinary people of Brent is widening. Surely it is time to campaign for more representative and participative local government?

UPDATE allowances at other nearby councils (from Kilburn Times):

Full details of appointments to committees HERE

This is the composition of the Planning Committee:

FURTHER UPDATE: HARROW, WEMBLEY KINGSBURY WATER PRESSURE DISRUPTION

From Affinity Water LINK


UPDATE 22:55 MAY 13th

We have successfully repaired the burst water main and anticipate full restoration of your water supply within the next 1 hour.

Should you experience any discoloured or aerated water which is not uncommon following a mains interruption, we recommend that you leave a mains fed tap running for approximately 5-10 minutes. Discolouration of the water is caused by small particles of iron which are within the mains and disturbed during interruptions.

Cloudy water is caused by air that becomes trapped in the mains, neither of these are harmful to your health. To see more about how to clear discoloured or aerated water why not watch our short video guide here 

Where it has been necessary to excavate the area we will continue to work with the local Highways Authority to return the road surface area to normal and ensure that the road or footway is safe for all vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This may mean that we have to maintain the site and any necessary traffic management until this is the case.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by this incident and would like to thank our customers for their patience today.

This message will be removed after 08:00 Monday 14th May 2018

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Update 22.05


UPDATE 18.30

Our repair team are on site, however due to complications with the repair and the need for additional fittings this is taking longer than anticipated. We will provide an update and estimate on when this work should be completed as soon as one becomes available.

We are sorry for the disruption to your supply and thank you for your patience.

We will update this message again after 20:30




UPDATE 16.00 MAY 13TH

Our team remain on site and excavation work continues. The team have worked with the highway authorities to put a full road closure in place from the junction of Kenton Lane & Kenton Road to the entrance of Sedgecombe Avenue. This road closure will remain in place to ensure the safety of our team and road users.

We will maintain access for customers living in Kenton Gardens and Totternhoe Close.
All customers are expected to remain on water until this repair is complete, however there may be periods of lower than normal water pressure.

We are sorry for the disruption this incident has caused, and will provide further updates as they become available



Harrow, Wembley and Kingsbury Area

UPDATE 12.30

In order to restore your supply during this repair, we are diverting water from other areas; however this may be at a lower pressure than normal until the repair is complete. This can take up to 30 minutes to take effect.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
This message will be updated after 14:30

________________________________________________________________________________


Our repair team have arrived on site and are currently working to isolate the damaged section of pipework. The burst water main has been identified as a 12" pipe that supplies the Harrow , Wembley and Kingsbury areas.

Due to the large volume of water on the road surface, the team will need to shut the pipework down completely and pump the water away before they can begin to safely excavate the pipework.
Any customers who are experiencing low water pressure are advised to store water for drinking as supplies will need to be interrupted to carry out this repair work.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused customers, and will update this message further after 12:50

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If you are in the above area and are experiencing problems with your water supply we have received a number of calls which suggests there may be an issue on our network. Our technician is on their way to investigate and a further update will be provided as soon as possible.

During this time we ask you not to use any electrical appliances that require a water supply, for example washing machines or dishwashers and to conserve water from storage tanks during the time your water supply is interrupted.

If you do still have a supply, we would advise you to store some water for drinking, in case your water has to be switched off for a repair to be completed.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused and aim to restore your supply to normal as soon as possible.

This message was added at 09:50 and will be updated after 11:50

Brent councillors to get £1,800 allowance rise - some responsibility allowances reduced

Brent Full Council will be recommended to approve a rise in each councillor's basic allowance from £10,201 to £12,000 at the Annual Meeting on Monday. The decision, based on an independent review, was held back until after the local elections.

Last year the total paid out on allowances was £1,135111.91. In addition to the basic allowance some members are paid a Special ResponsibilityAllowance (SRA)  with only one payable to any one member.

There are constitutional plans set out on Full Council papers that involve the merging of the Standards and Audit Committees into one, the setting up of a Licensing Committee and a proposal to abolish the Equalities Committee (on the grounds that the Pavery Report has been successfully implemented).

The main SRAs for the leadership team are unchanged and there are some reductions.  Planning Committee members will be paid an SRA of £2,177 (reduced from £3,266), Chairs of Brent Connect forums  reduced from £4,911 to £1,250, Principal Oppositiom leader allowance reduced from £13,042 to £6,000, Chief Whip of the ruling group reduced from £5,639 to £4,000, the Mayor reduced from £9,181 to £7,141 and Deputy Mayor  from £7,141 to £3,234.

The Chair of the new Licensing Committee will be paid an SRA of £3,234 and th Chair and Vice Chair of the merged Audit and Standards Committee £1,500.

Full details HERE (See Appendix 2, pages 71-71)

Butt loyalists rewarded with Cabinet posts

The Brent Cabinet is expanded to nine members in the new administration. Tom Miller loses his place with the Willesden Green election not taking place until June 21st. If elected he could enter the Cabinet at a later date with the Community Safety portfolio currently allocated to Butt. Cllr McLennan appears to have no portfolio at present but the important Finance responsibility is not yet covered despite Butt's statement at the AGM that 'terrible decisions' are yet to come.

Cllr Agha who served as Chair of Planning Committee in a period of many controversial decisions, when Cllr Marquis was on maternity leave,  joins the Cabinet as Lead Member for Schools, Employment and Skills. He is a fellow Welsh Harp councillor of Cllr Mashari who challenged Cllr Butt for the leadership. He was closely involved with pushing through the redevelopment of Chesterfield House, known locally as the Twin Towers development, and a host of the Quintain high rise developments around Wembley Stadium.

Cllr Krupa Sheth (Wembley Central)  joins the Cabinet as Lead Member for Environment and Cllr Southwood moves to Housing and Welfare Reform.

Cllr Farah moves to become Lead Member for Adult Social Care, a new post created by removing it from Cllr Hirani's brief which is now Public Health, Culture and Leisure.

With Cllr Agha leading on schools, Cllr Mili Patel is now Lead Member for Children's Safeguarding, Early Help and Social Care.  The separation of schools from children's social care is significant as the combination arose from concerns that the two aspects of child provision should be integrated for better efficiency as a result of institutional failures in preventing the deaths of children.

Cllr Tatler remains Lead Member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning.

With Cllr Marquis' pre-election announcement that she did not want to stand for Chair of Planning Committee I understand that this most has now gone to Cllr Denselow.

The chairs of the three Scrutiny Committees, Cllrs Kelcher, Ketan Sheth and Long remain unchanged.

Brent Cabinet to reconsider Pedway funding following proposed sale of Wembley Stadium

An urgent item has been put on the Brent Cabinet agenda on May 21st to re-examine th funding decisions for Olympic Way Improvements (including the replacement of the Pedway by steps) 'following the announcement of the possible sale of Wembley Stadium to a private individual/company.'

The £18m allocated to the scheme proved extremely controversial during the recent local election with residents suggesting that the money would be better used to tackle potholes and dangerous pavements throughout the borough. LINK

There have been persistent reports that the Football Association, currently owners of Wembley Stadium, have not been convinced that the replacement of the Pedway is desirable, while Quintain have cited aesthetic reasons for the replacement in the context of their overall Wembley scheme. Quintain would have been the recipient of the £18m.

To comply with the Council's Constitution on urgent decisions notice has been given to Matt Kelcher, Chair of Public Realm Scrutiny, that because of the urgency the usual 28 days notice cannot be given but 5 days will suffice:

Quintain need to continue with design development for Zone C works including the steps to be in a position to award a contract in September 2018 for the manufacture of the precast steps for installation in December 2019/January 2020. This being the only window available for the installation prior to Euro 2020. In light of recent news that Wembley Stadium is proposed to transfer from Football Association ownership to a private individual/company, Cabinet is being asked to re-examine the funding decision made in July 2017 to contribute funding for Olympic Way Improvements to enable the Council to advise Quintain accordingly.

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Anyone for tennis? Tomorrow or Sunday

Address: 16-18 Coles Green Road, London NW2 7ER

Willesden Green council election set for June 21st

From Brent Electoral Services

The countermanded poll in Willesden Green has been rescheduled to take place on Thursday 21st June.

The Notice of Election will be published on Wednesday 16th May. Nominations will be accepted between 10 and 4pm from Wednesday 16th May to Thursday 24th May. Please contact either me or Matt Willis if you would like to make an appointment to submit a nomination.

Any candidate already validly nominated in the ward does not have to resubmit a nomination. By law, existing candidates cannot withdraw their nomination at this stage.

The deadline to register to vote for this election is 5th June. The postal vote deadline is 6 June at 5pm and the proxy deadline is 13th June at 5pm.

Regarding election expenses, in a countermanded poll the candidate spending limit is doubled. All candidates should continue to record their spending and report everything in a single return after the election. There is no need to complete a separate return for spending incurred before the poll was countermanded.

Apply for Neighbourhood CIL: Workshop 17th May, deadline 30th June

Via Brent Council

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a planning charge which enables financial contributions to be made towards the delivery of infrastructure in Brent. 15% of CIL receipts generated must also be spent on projects that meet priorities agreed in consultation with the local community. Brent Council is accepting applications for Neighbourhood CIL projects that improve the local area and mitigate the impact of development. Your project could benefit from share of approximately £4 million.

The closing date for applications is 30th June 2018. The application form and guidance can be found on the following Brent website: www.brent.gov.uk/cil (scroll down to ‘spending CIL’). If you have any questions about the application process, please email CILadmin@brent.gov.uk.

A training workshop will be held to support applicants:

·       17th May at 1.30-4.30 pm;

The workshop will take place at CVS Brent Training Suite, 7 Rutherford Way, Wembley HA9 0BP. Please ring at CVS Brent (5 Rutherford Way) if no one answers at the Training Suite.
Complimentary tea and coffee provided. 

To register for the May 17th workshop register HERE


Round 1 allocations HERE  I am waiting for details of Round 2.

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Spurs help tackle a load of rubbish in Wembley

Gary Mabbutt gets down to work (Picture: Tottenham Hotspurs)

From Keep Wembley Tidy and Wembley Central and Alperton Resdients' Association

As part of Spurs commitment to the London Borough of Brent during its season playing at Wembley, Club Ambassador Gary Mabbutt joined volunteers from Keep Wembley Tidy (KWT)/Wembley Central & Alperton Residents Association (WCARA) and Alperton Community School to help pick up litter around the streets of Wembley.

Keep Wembley Tidy and WCARA are volunteer groups formed by residents to encourage the community to work together for a cleaner, greener, safer area in which to live. Both organisations are working with Brent Council to encourage residents to join community clean‐ups which are being organised as part of the ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign. The campaign calls upon Brent residents to show their love for local areas by taking small steps to create a cleaner and greener environment.

Kay Carroll, volunteer resident, said:

Our dedicated volunteers work tirelessly collecting litter and reporting fly-tipping hot sports. Each litter pick we collect 20-30 bags of waste comprising of beer cans and bottles, fast food packaging and confectionary wrappers. We have recently formed WCARA with a wider remit than KWT, and we are keener than ever to clean up our local area. We would like to thank Gary Mabbutt and Tottenham Hotspur for their support in today’s litter pick.

Gary Mabbutt said:

Looking after the area you live in and helping the environment is something we should all take pride in. With Wembley being the Club’s home for this season, I am pleased to have been able to offer a helping hand to help keep the area tidier.

 Keep Wembley Tidy and WCARA would also like to thank Lee Meaden and Milko from Veolia, who kindly donated litter pickers, bags and gloves to the resident group. Their staff also arranged for the prompt collection of bags of rubbish after the event. 

Spurs have recently announced that it will be sourcing more environmentally sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic and will continue to do so as part of its commitment to phasing out single-use plastics from all operations. The Club will not be stocking plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and all plastic disposably packaging that accompanies these items.

St Modwen sells Wembley Central Shopping Centre

St Modwen Properties today announced it had sold its 118,000 sq ft Wembley  Central Shopping Centre along with the 86 bed Travel lodge to an unnamed buyer at an undisclosed price.

The company also sold its Longbridge Shopping Park and together the sales represented 27% of their retail portfolio.

The sale occurs at a time of retail sales decline as a result of the current ecnomic situation  and consumers' switch to on-line sales.

Major companies shedding retail property raises questions about Brent Council's  strategy of creating a retail corridor from Wembley High Road to the LDO at Wembley Park. Brent planners often stipulate retail units on the ground floor of new medium and high rise developments. The new build on the High Road frontage of the old Copland High School is expected to include retail LINK.

In Wembley Park, the site of the current Stadium Retail Park that include Currys and McDonalds is ear-marked for redevelopment. LINK

Clearly the buyers of Wembley Central Square must see some prospect of an adequate return on their investment but it will be worth keeping a wary eye on the pattern of development in the future.

Brent looking for Air Quality Champions. Interested?

The recent hot weather, despite welcome sunshine after many grey days, brought along its own problem - air pollution. LINK

It seems a good time to pass on this invitation from Brent Council:

Could you be Brent's next Air Quality Champion?

Brent Council is looking for volunteers to take part in its Community Air Quality Champions Programme.

The programme aims to raise awareness of local air quality initiatives and the steps people can take to help improve local air quality.

Champions will help members of their local community to engage with local air quality initiatives, and take part in major air quality events in the borough. This includes Clean Air Day in June and sustainable travel options throughout the borough such as car clubs, cycling, and electric vehicle charging points.

Chris Whyte, Operational Director of Environmental Monitoring Team said:

This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is passionate about air quality in their area. We know that people want to get involved but may not be sure how to get started, so we're here to support and guide them. This is the next step in our close work with local residents and air quality groups, helping to make Brent a great place to live and work.

Anyone living in the borough with an interest in improving the local community can join, and give as much or as little time as they wish.

Training will be provided to Air Quality Champions by the council's Environmental Monitoring Team on local air quality issues and useful information for volunteers.

To become an Air Quality Champion email us at ens.monitoring@brent.gov  or fill in the attached registration form.

We are all in this together and can only stop air pollution together…

Seymour Zajota

Air Quality Projects Officer

Environmental Monitoring Team

Regeneration and Environment Services

Brent Council

020 8937 3027

Spanish Castles at Preston Community Library - Friday afternoon

DfE approves Village-Woodfield MAT NEU considers Judicial Review

The headteacher of The Village School, Kingsbury, told staff on Friday that the Department for Education had approved the formation of a Multi Academy Trust (MAT)  by the two schools. The MAT will come into being on September 1st 2018.

The decision follows months of campaigning and strike action by members of the National Education Union. In a press release the NEU saluted the staff at the Village School  for 'their magnificent anti-academy campaign to stop the privatisation of their flagship special school.'

The NEU announced that they are now looking at taking legal action through a Judicial Review and pledged to continue to fight academisation at every step. They said that part of the problem in Brent is that the Labour Council have 'an inadequate opposition to the loss of their schools from the Local Authority. This policy must change and we will continue our campaigning to do this.'

On a related issue the NEU has written to Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State, to express concern following  information received via  FOI requests to The Village and Woodfield over the due diligence undertaken by Mr Greg Foley who was paid as a consultant when he was also the Chair of Trustees at Woodfield School.  The NEU allege that during this time he was paid through his company School Business Strategic Services (SBSS) an average of over £7,000 a month for a period of 28 months. That fact that the school could claim 20% VAT back makes no difference to the amount SBSS was paid according to the union.

The NEU calls for an investigation by a relevant financial watchdog and has written to the DfE and Brent Council in similar terms.

The current edition of Private Eye magazine describes the financial payments outlined above with invoices totalling some £240,00 over the period, and states that the school accounts do not list the payments under 'related party transactions' (where one party has control or influence over another) as required by law.  Headteacher Kay Charles told Private Eye that the contract with SBSS had begun before Mr Foley joined the trustees and 'he took no part in decision making over its management.' She said she would raise the fact that the contract has not been listed as a related party transaction in the 2016 and 2017 accounts with the school's auditor.