R4's Any Questions? Brent broadcast will include Caroline Lucas

 Caroline Flint, Sir Menzies Campbell and Caroline Lucas

Radio 4's Any Questions? is coming to Brent on Friday 26th April. The show will be broadcast from Claremont High School and panellists include Caroline Flint MP (Labour Shadow Secretary for Energy and Climate Change) Sir Menzies Campbell (Liberal Democrat) and Caroline Lucas MP (Green Party).

Questions are picked on the evening of the broadcast but with the two Carolines on the panel are likely to include issues relating to energy policy and climate change including the issue of nuclear power.

The programme follows the 8pm News on Friday and is rebroadcast after the 1pm News on Saturday followed by Any Answers at 2pm.

For FREE ticket ring Box Office 0844 850 0093

Shelter publishes updated housing statistics for Brent

Shelter today published its detailed housing figures for the fourth quarter of 2012  LINK a selection of which are printed in the table below. The situation will become much worse as a result of benefit changes introduced from this month.

Some figures from 2011 are also relevant. Brent's working age unemployment rate in 2011 was 12.10% compared with a London average of 9.3%. In 2011 Brent had 2,370 vacant properties registered for council tax purposes. In 2011-12, 850 affordable homes were built in Brent (London 17,260)

Average weekly council rents in 2011-12 were £95.43 in Brent and £89.17 across London. In 2011 weekly housing association rents in Brent were £101.46 (London £97.46) and are set to rise towards the private level. The average price of a home in Brent in Q4 2012 was £325,000 compared with £315,000 in Q3 2011 (London average £305,000).

The home price to annual income ratio for the lower quartile of house prices and income in 2011 was Brent 11.75 and London 8.96. For all incomes and house prices  the average ratio was 10.79 Brent and 8.54 London. The annual average gross income in 2012 was £28,703 Brent and £32,509 London.

Category	Area	Q4 2011	Q4 2012
Families with children accepted as homeless	London	2398	3118
	Brent	107	120
Households accepted as homeless	London	3460	4213
	Brent	136	154
Households in temporary accommodation	London	35920	38856
	Brent	3078	3220
Households on council waiting list	London	366613	380301
	Brent	14443	16735
Households with dependent children in temporary accommodation	London	27855	28393
	Brent	2620	2704
Number of children in temporary accommodation	London	54200	5490
	Brent	5930	5934
Possession claims by landlords	London	10260	12163
	Brent	415	589
Possession claims granted to landlords	London	6580	7780
	Brent	350	477
Housing benefit claimants council and housing assn	Brent	20000	20430 (Q3 2012)
-ditto- private tenants	Brent	16820	17290 (Q3 2012)
Mean private rents	London	£1281	£1369
	Brent	£1287	£1364
Median private rents	London	£1100	£1196
	Brent	£1200	£1250

Organising to develop a strategy on the housing crisis

With the Bedroom Tax protests at the weekend and publicity over the benefit changes, the press, TV and radio have at last woken up to the issues involved.

On Tuesday April 9th there will be a meeting in Brent to discuss next steps in a  local housing campaign. A report of the inaugural meeting follows:

Around 25 people attended the initial Housing Strategy meeting called by Brent Fightback, on Tuesday 19th March at the Brent Mencap offices in Willesden.

Attendees included the lead member for Housing for Brent Council, the Somali Advice Centre, the Counihan Family Housing campaign, Mencap campaigners, a tenants representative, a housing worker, and a high school teacher concerned about the cases arising at her school. Apologies were received from the Brent Law Centre and the Brent Private Tenants Rights Group and from some who attended the Health Scrutiny Committee.

It was a constructive and serious meeting, with information and experiences shared about the current situation and the general background to housing in Brent. Potential strategies and targets for campaigning were discussed, including:

GLA powers to set Rent Caps; advice and signposting training; "Bedroom Tax" strategies; the Right to Buy discounting; helping residents speak out and organise; mutual exchanges on properties; resisting evictions; linking up with other campaigners.

Janice Long, lead member for Housing has agreed to provide current local information of how changes are expected to affect people locally.

We agreed a next meeting time: 7pm, Tuesday 9th April, Brent Mencap offices, 379-381 High Road, Willesden. We will consider the actions that were suggested at the intial meeting and any further priorities, and estabish the name and aims of a local housing campaign.

Please forward widely.

Robin Sivapalan robsivapalan@hotmail.com 07974 331 053
Ken Montague kenmontague@msn.com

Battle for Brent Central Labour nomination livens up

This morning's April Fool from website Left Future LINK which said Ken Livingstone was to stand as Labour Candidate in Brent Central revived my interest in the current selection process.

The Guardian Diary recently reported that it was to be an open (i.e. not all women) list and suggested this left the way open for Cllr Muhammed Butt to thrown his hat into the ring. This I very much doubt.

However things aren't looking so good either for locally grown talent such as Cllr Zaffar Van Kalwala and activist Sabina Khan.  Instead  there seems to be a move in favour of a high profile canadidate from beyond Brent to take on Sarah Teather in one of Labour's London target seats.

Patrick Vernon with Trevor McDonald

One name mentioned is that of  well-connected Hackney councillor. film maker and equalities campaigner Patrick Vernon. Last year he was short-listed for the Manchester Central seat but narrowly missed selection. In November 2012  Brent Central CLP invited him to show his film 'A Charmed Life' to party members LINK and mutual interest may have grown from there.

You can find our more about Patrick on his blog HERE

Amina Ali

Another outsider cited is Amina Ali, this time from Tower Hamlets. Amina is a Somali activist who would create quite a stir. She is founder of Muslim Women for Labour and Somali Friends of Labour and has signed up to distribute Labour leaflets in Brent LINK.

This is rather out-dated but Amina talks about herself HERE

Meanwhile Dawn Butler continues to pop up all over the place as she continues to campaign for her 'Come Back' but it is hard to find many who back her wholeheartedly.