Brent disturbances round-up

Also see this speech made by local black woman in Hackney yesterday calling for youth to fight for a cause (strong language) LINK

Here is a round-up of news appearing on the Willesden and Brent Times website LINK

A pawnbrokers on Harlesden High Street came under attack yesterday afternoon and most of the neighbouring shops had closed defensively by early evening. In Wembley early this morning a policeman was run down when a group attempting to rob the Comet store drove away in haste.

The England-Holland match scheduled for Wednesday at the Stadium has been cancelled. It appears likely  that Brent  police may impose Section 60 powers in the borough. This will enable them to stop and search people without having to state any grounds. There are dangers that used  insensitively such powers could make matters worse.

Ann  John, leader of Brent Council said:

If this is the young people of Brent telling us that they are angry about unemployment or poverty in the area then we are prepared to listen. But if this is just organised criminals using new technology to commit mindless act of opportunistic theft then that needs to be investigated and got to the bottom of a soon as possible.

Age UK concerned about more fuel povery deaths

From an Age UK Press Statement

When the Warm Front scheme ends in 2013, England will have no publicly-funded scheme to help households in fuel poverty, says Age UK

In 2009, 5.5 million UK households lived in fuel poverty. With every one per cent rise in energy prices adding 60,000-70,000 households to the numbers in fuel poverty, the recent announcements from major energy companies regarding price hikes make tackling fuel poverty ever more urgent. At the same time, the policy landscape is changing significantly.

From 2013, when the Warm Front scheme ends, England will have no publicly-funded scheme to help households in fuel poverty. Having been re-launched in a slimmed-down form in April, the scheme is likely to reach about 50,000 households in each of the next two years; a significant number but vastly short of the increasing numbers of households experiencing fuel poverty. The scheme no longer offers a benefit entitlement check, which in the past picked up many households who were entitled to a qualifying benefit and, as such, improved family incomes.

Of particular concern to many people in later life is the lowering of the Winter Fuel Payment back to its 'normal', first set in 2003. Pensioner households this year will receive £200, while households with one person aged over 80 are entitled to £300. The new Warm Homes discount, replacing social tariffs, will make a payment to qualifying households by way of a discount of £120 on their electricity bills. Rising energy prices are likely to wipe out much of the value of these benefits for older people, who spend disproportionately higher percentages of their incomes on fuel than the general population.

The current Energy Bill will give the government powers to introduce the Green Deal by late 2012 through more detailed secondary legislation. We believe that advice about the Green Deal for customers must be as transparent as possible, particularly with regard to handling of complaints. The government should clarify measures eligible for the Green Deal and should take into account consumer choice and preferences.
Later this year, Age UK will be launching its annual winter campaign, focusing on excess winter deaths. We will be calling on local authorities to develop strong partnerships with communities, business and the voluntary sector to coordinate efforts to prevent excess winter deaths. At the same time, we will be highlighting the contribution of fuel poverty to excess winter deaths to national government and calling for an increase in the funding available for initiatives that provide targeted support to counteract fuel poverty for households on low incomes. We will also be working directly with older people at highest risk, providing targeted information and support.

Brent lagging behind on home insulation

A council by council area breakdown of how many British homes have been insulated by the Government’s energy saving scheme is published today. Kirklees Council where the Green Party spear-headed a systematic scheme is the top performing local authority.

Lagging lofts and filling cavity walls can save households over £100 in fuel bills every year. The figures, published by the Energy Saving Trust (EST), are released on a regional, council and constituency basis. They show how much loft and cavity wall insulation was professionally installed under the Government’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) up until 31 March 2011. The CERT places requirements on energy companies to help consumers cut their emissions through energy efficiency.

Energy companies have been told by the Coalition Government to increase the help they make available to people to insulate their homes and save money. A total of 3.5 million homes are set to benefit by December 2012 as a result of a tougher CERT.
Key statistics include:

• Over the last year (April 2010 to March 2011), the largest number of insulation measures were installed in Birmingham (12,079); Leeds (11,244); Bradford (9,078); Fife (8,163); Wiltshire (7,872).
• The lowest number of insulation measures were installed on the Isles of Scilly (0); Westminster (39); Kensington and Chelsea (177); Hackney (272); Shetland Islands (349).
• The top five performing local authorities under the CERT scheme over the past three years, in terms of percentage of housing stock insulated, are Kirklees (24.8%); Isle of Anglesey (22.5%); Carmarthenshire (19.2%); South Ribble (19%); Wyre (18.2%).
• The five local authorities that have seen the lowest percentage of the housing stock insulated over the past three years through CERT are City of London (<0.1%); Westminster (0.3%); Kensington and Chelsea (0.8%); Hackney (1.3%); Hammersmith and Fulham (1.6%).

How does Brent compare?

Over the 3 years, starting April 1st 2008 the figures for Brent's 100,177 homes are:
Year 1 152 cavity wall insulation, 752 loft insulation
Year 2 1,985 cavity wall insulation, 2,319 loft insulation
Year 3 358 cavity wall insulation,  913 loft insulation


In total 6% of homes have been treated compared with 24.8% in Kirklees. Although this is a higher figures than many London boroughs the decline in numbers this year is concerning. With energy bills again on the rise and the need to tackle climate change it is clear from the example of the higher performing authorities that Brent could and should be doing much more. Brent Green Party has called for a street by street programme of insulation measures on the Kirklees model in its Green Charter submission to Brent Council.

Described by the BBC as "unique to the UK" Kirklees Council, covering the Huddersfield area,  has achieved much with its Warm Front scheme which has been strongly pushed by the Greens. Kirklees' approach has been: let's get the whole job done and in the last 2 years the Council has filled 9,000 homes with cavity wall insulation and 18,000 homes with loft insulation.


Warm Front reduces bills for people by an average of £150 a year per home and makes a huge dent in fuel poverty. The scheme also gets unemployed builders back into work - it has created an estimated 200 jobs locally - and cuts carbon emissions - with "No catch!"

The long term benefits mean Kirklees Council is saving people £4.5 million a year. The scheme is so impressive that Scotland's Greens has been trying to bring it in nationwide.

LINK to main reports

Brent Green Party's submission on the Green Charter can be found HERE

Government must take some blame for Tottenham - Jenny Jones

Brent youth at the February Town Hall protest

Green Mayoral candidate and member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Jenny Jones, has reacted to last night's riots in Tottenham by calling for swift action to restore vital youth services and a review of communications failures between the police and the community.

Jenny Jones said:

"We urgently need to examine all the factors that led to last night's events in Tottenham, a community suffering from one of the highest deprivation levels in the country [1], and take appropriate action to prevent repercussions.

"We need a full investigation into the shooting of local man Mark Duggan which seems to have been the trigger for last night's riots, and an urgent review of stop and search and what communications failures there were between the police and Tottenham's community. Violence and looting, and smashing up your own streets is not the answer. It's bad for the old, the poor, and those who run the small businesses people rely on.

"The Government must take some of blame for what went wrong last night. Cuts to local services, especially youth services [2], played a role in fomenting tensions in the area. With one of the highest unemployment rates in London, Tottenham urgently needs help. Emergency funds to stop youth centre closures and a review of policing must now be a priority."

In Brent the Council proposed cuts to youth provision, particularly in the Wembley area, but were forced to back down when youth mobilised first at the Wembley Area Consultative Forum and then in even greater numbers at Brent Town Hall at a meeting with Ann John, leader of the council and her deputy.

At the time Brent Green Party said:

Brent Green Party have always pressed for enhanced youth provision as a vital community resource and strongly back the participation of youth in the democratic process through school councils, youth councils and youth parliaments.  We welcome the mobilisation of Wembley youth over this issue and support their campaign. Their speeches last night at the Town Hall meeting were clear, confident and convincing and challenged many of the current stereotypes of young people.

Full account of the meeting at the Town Hall HERE


[1] Residents in Haringey claiming Job Seekers Allowance rose for the fourth consecutive month in February to 10,159, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figures show eight per cent of the adult population of Tottenham are on the dole, a fifth of which is under-24-year-olds.
SOURCE

[2] The local youth services budget was reduced by 75% after the Government's cut of £41m to Haringey council's overall budget.
SOURCE

Users Speak Out For Six Threatened Libraries

From Your News UKTV FACEBOOK

One of the arguments used by campaigners at the High Court was that the Needs Assessment and the Equalities Assessment carried out by Brent Council were inadequate. In just a few minutes this video shows how the closures will impact on the community.

The result of the High Court action is expected to be announced this month and there is a possibility that we will hear next week.

Watch this space.

Time for a 'Consultation Charter'?

There was an interesting exchange between Cllr Helga Gladbaum and Fiona Edden the Borough Solicitor at Monday's Scrutiny Committee. Cllr Gladbaum said that the Council seemed to be involved in a large number of consultations and asked about the statutory requirements.

Edden replied that consultation can mean a huge number of different things. She said that detailed requirements were  not clear on issues other than those such as individual care and day care and that statutory requirements were few. She remarked that three month consultations did not necessarily produce anything useful. Requirements were flexible and often nebulous and the Council tried to be as practicable as possible.

I have discussed the confusion over consultations on this blog before and how residents are often disenchanted with the results LINK . Certainly controversy over the timing and extent of consultation is a regular feature of the local press (this week over parking charges in Preston Road and Bridge Road).  Fiona' Edden's response does indicate a lack of clarity and because of the lack of statutory guidelines this may not be the Council's fault. However a 'Consultation Charter' might be useful setting out what the Council will consult about and who it will consult, and how the consultation results will be evaluated and used, may help make things a little clearer.

More support for Kingsbury student strikers

Kishan Parshotam

It was good to see Kishan Parshotam, chair of Brent Youth Parliament put Tim Loughton, parliamentary under-secretary of state for children, on the spot at the UK Youth Parliament last weekend.

Kishan questioned Loughton about academies consultation and highlighted the recent strike and protest by Kingsbury High School students.

Meanwhile Brent Fightback issued a statement of support for the Kingsbury students:

Brent Fightback, the local campaign against cuts and for  democratically  accountable public services, applauds Kingsbury High School students who  took part in the recent strike. Fightback recognises that this was a  strike for democracy by school students who had been deprived of any  voice in the decision by school governors to seek academy status.

We believe that such decisions should be made only after a full and open debate where both sides are heard followed by a ballot of staff, students and parents and taking into account the views of other schools and community organisations. It must be wrong for a school governing body to make a decision based on short-term financial expediency to the detriment of a well-funded, equitable and democratically accountable  local education system.

Europe Against Austerity takes off

 With the heebie-jeebies spreading across world stock markets and talk of more failures of both banks and sovereign states it seems apt that supporters of alternatives to this failing system have got themselves organised across Europe.

A new website has been set up called 'Europe Against Austerity and Privatisation and in Defence of the Welfare State'. Not exactly a snappy title but one that describes exactly what is is about.

A European conference has been organised in London on October 1st to begin a fresh round in the battle against solutions that penalise the poor.


LINK

Waste Statistics in Brent 2009-10

Tonnes of Municipal Waste in Brent 2009-10

England v Holland Reduced Price Tickets for Brent Residents

The Football Association has just released a special offer for Brent residents.Reduced price tickets are available for the next England match at Wembley Stadium.
England versus Holland is on Wednesday 10 August with kick off at 8pm.
 The reduced tickets are:

• £20 for adults
• £10 for children

To claim the offer please take a council tax or utility bill (gas, electricity, telephone) with your address on it to Wembley Stadium's ticket office (personal callers only) between Tuesday 2 and Tuesday 9 August from 10am to 7pm.

Ann John Steps Into 'Difficult' Negotiations with Veolia

Ann John, the Labour leader of Brent Council, is to meet with Veolia the controversial French multi-national, in an effort to resolve difficult and protracted negotiations over changes to its waste management contract.  Cllr Powney told last night's scrutiny committee that the talks had been 'complex', 'difficult' and 'complicated' and said that this was the reason Ann John was meeting with the company. Michael Read (Assistant Director, Policy and Regulation, Environment and Neighbourhood Services) quickly stepped in to say that such action was in line with previous practice. £1m was  due to be taken out of the Veolia contract. Powney said that the more time spent in negotiations the bigger the financial problem due to the delay. He was clearly vexed with Veolia who seem to have the Council over a barrel. The seven year waste contract ends in 2014 and the procurement process for the new contract will start soon. Clearly Veolia is trying to get as much out of its current contract as possible.

The protracted negotiations and Veolia's efforts to improve its profit margins, has led to further cuts in street cleaning in the borough. Outlying residential streets are to be swept only once a week from October, reduced from three times a week under the previous administration,  and weekend sweeping will stop at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. The special seasonal leaf collection will end and leaves will now be swept up once a week along with litter. It was far from clear from officers' comments whether the sweepers will be able to cope with this along with the extra litter caused by the reduction, whethjer the leaves will be kept separate from litter, and if so whether they will be bagged for composting as they are at the moment. In response to Powney's claim that the tonnage of leaves was small and an officer's suggestion that it was a 'symbolic' service, Cllr Paul Lorber(Lib Dem)  said that nonetheless it was an important part of the Council's green agenda.

There was cross-party agreement on the health and safety danger of wet and rotting leaves underfoot and Cllr Shafique Choudhary (Labour) pointed out the particular dangers on the steep streets of the Barn Hill area. Paul Lorber asked about the legal risks of the cuts. Cllr Kabir said, "A lot of us are uncomfortable, particularly as it relates to our climate change strategy, but I am pleased that the Council is avoiding redundancies." (In fact although no Brent staff will be made redundant up to 50 Veolia staff will lose their jobs.)

Several councillors, including the chair of the committee Javaid Ashraf (Lib Dem) said that ward councillors would bear the brunt of residents' anger when they realised that their streets were not being swept as often and that their condition had deteriorated .Lorber said that the Executive should have consulted with ward councillors who were expert on their own local areas before these 'high profile and highly visible' changes were introduced. Cllr Powney suggested that the proposed councillor briefing on waste management should be extended to street cleansing. All the changes are due to take effect from October 3rd 2011.

The motion asking the Executive to reconsider the cuts was lost. The press and public (that meant me as I was the only one there) were excluded from a confidential 'below the line' item on this topic which may well have revealed more about the financial risk the Council is running in this area.

As if on cue Veolia has announced today that it is restructuring and reducing its involvement in many countries.
LINK following a half year loss of 67.2mln Euros against a previous profit of 374mln Euros. The shares fell 12.5% on the news.

Festival cuts go ahead amidst confusion over equalities legislation

There appeared to be some confusion from Labour councillors members last night when discussing the cuts in funding of faith events at Scrutiny Committee.  At first Cllr Lesley Jones said it had been a financial decision  and that the Equalities Act, previously cited as the reason for stopping funding of religious festivals, did not require the cessation of funding. The required Equalities Impact Assessment had been done after the initial report and further additional responsibilities had been published in April of this year. She said that some respondents in the Consultation had  said the festival grants were divisive.Under questioning she later said that both the equalities legislation and financial issues were prime factors in making the decision. Cllr Powney said that this was an Act of Parliament and not a matter of choice. He said that the Council could not decide to ignore it because of what people said during consultation: "Someone will need to explain why funding different religious groups at different rates is not discriminatory."

Addressing the public gallery, overwhelmingly consisting of Hindus concerned about the ending of the Navratri grant, Cllr Helga Gladbaum  reminded them of the support given by Brent Council when East African Asians fled Kenya and Uganda and came to settle in Brent. She said that the Council had funded a highly qualified Language Team that had helped children as they settled into Brent schools and the outcome was that our schools are now full of highly achieving children. She told them that times had changed and the Council could no longer afford the Navratri grants: "You are a proud people and are well able to organise events without holding out your hands for money. The money is needed for the elderly and for disabled children."

Liberal Democrat leader, Paul Lorber, who had called in the Executive decision, said that all Brent councillors were aware of the kind of comments they got on these issues and they shouldn't take these few comments into account while ignoring the wider number supporting the festivals. The negative comments were from an underlying 'element' that all councillors know about 'and we wouldn't tolerate racist comments'. He asked about the wider implications of the legislation for the work of Brent Council and whether any other areas were 'at risk' from the legislation. He gave the example of Stonebridge councillors who had financed Jamaica Day from ward working funds and Black History Month.

The Borough Solicitor, Fiona Edden, said that the Council had to pay 'due regard' regard to the legislation and the impact of decisions on 'protected groups' (1) . in consultation some groups had the perception that they were not being provided for. She said that if looked at historically this could be claimed to be the case. She said that the legislation (2)  was new and case law on it was still being developed and the law interpreted. It was clear that the libraries case was casting a long shadow over her comments.

Cllr Jones said that the fact that Navratri gets far more money than other, more modestly funded groups, could be seen as divisive. It was nobody's fault but a problem that had developed over the years. She defended spending on a team to promote corporate events, and extolled the virtues of one massive community 'Brent Celebrates' event. (3)

A speaker from the Hindu Council had earlier told the Committee that Brent was renowned all over London for its Navratri celebrations which was the biggest and best in the UK with thousands attending from the different communities. He said that cessation of funding would cause a loss of respect and goodwill and end the positive community engagement involved. He said the the Hindu Council would like to work with the Council on how to deal with the equalities legislation.

Lorber's motion asking the Executive to look again at their decision and its impact on a large section of the community. He called for the money being used for a special Events Unit to be distributed instead to community groups in line with the equalities legislation. He said that such community groups would be better at putting on events than the Council. His motion was lost.

1. Protected  characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
2. Extract from the Equality and Human Rights Commission website:

With major reductions in public spending, organisations in Great Britain are being required to make difficult financial decisions. The equality duty requires public authorities to demonstrate that they are making financial decisions in a fair, transparent and accountable way, considering the needs and the rights of different members of their community. This is achieved through assessing the impact that changes to policies and practices could have on different protected groups.
The duty does not prevent public authorities from making difficult decisions such as reorganisations and relocations, redundancies, and service reductions, nor does it stop public authorities from making decisions which may impact on one group more than another group.
Assessing the impact on equality of proposed changes to policies, procedures and practices is not just something the law requires, it is a positive opportunity for public authorities to ensure they make better decisions based on robust evidence. The assessment does not necessarily have to take the form of a document called an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) but you can choose to do so if it is helpful. It will help you to demonstrate compliance if you:

• Ensure you have a written record of the equality considerations you have taken into account
• Ensure that your decision-making includes a consideration of the actions that would help to avoid or mitigate any negative impacts on particular protected groups.
• make your decisions based on evidence
• make your decision-making process more transparent

The equality duty is a legal obligation which should remain a top priority for public authorities, even in times of economic difficulty. Failure to meet the equality duty may result in public authorities being exposed to costly, time-consuming and reputation-damaging legal challenges.

3. Such events can be fraught with difficulty as it is often difficult to untangle cultural and religious strands and there is a danger of the format not respecting aspects of some cultures. It is probably an urban myth but at the extreme end is the story of the Japanese store that celebrated Christmas with a huge model of Santa on a cross. I worked for a primary headteacher a long while ago who was determined to have a 'multicultural Christmas' and was miffed when, at the height of the cultural revolution, the Chinese Embassy gave a shirty reply to her request for information on how the Chinese celebrated Christ's birth!

Veolia fails to win Ealing waste management contract

Press Release from Palestine Solidarity Campaign:

In another victory for Palestinian rights, Ealing Council, in London , has failed to select Veolia for a comprehensive tender for its domestic refuse, street cleaning and parks maintenance contract. The contract is worth approx £300m in total over 15 years and one of Ealing Council’s largest single contracts. This is even more significant given the fact that Veolia had the previous parks maintenance contract.

Veolia remains involved in the building and future operation of a light-rail tramway linking Israel’s illegal settlements with West Jerusalem, facilitating Israel's ‘grave breaches’ of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Veolia Transport Israel also runs two bus services serving the same function as the tramway: supporting and consolidating illegal settlements and tying them more closely into Israel .

Sarah Colborne, PSC Director, said: ‘Veolia’s loss of this contract, following its failure in a number of significant bids in Britain and internationally, is a clear sign that Veolia is paying a high price for its complicity in Israel’s occupation and violations of international law. West London PSC, together with other groups and individuals supporting Palestinian rights, wrote and met councillors from across the political spectrum and council officials, and submitted detailed factual and legal analysis. Veolia must realise that until it pulls out of all its activities serving Israel ’s illegal settlements, it will continue to be a target for the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). Through BDS, those committed to peace and justice are sending a message – we don’t buy into Israel ’s violations of Palestinian rights’ 

Veolia's seven year waste management contract with the London Borough of Brent expires in 2014 and the Council is likely to start the procurement process quite soon.

Labour council leader denounces street sweeping cuts

As Brent Council's cuts in street sweeping are debated at tonight's Scrutiny Committee it is interesting to note the following comment from Westminster about similar cuts there:

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said; “This is another example of frontline services and low paid staff bearing the brunt of the Conservatives’ cuts. Residents in north Paddington, Maida Vale and Little Venice are entitled to feel short-changed by the Conservatives for virtually abolishing weekend street sweeping in the most densely populated residential areas. Why are residents paying Council Tax if the Conservatives cannot even guarantee to keep the streets clean at the weekend?

“Someone once said that the streets of London were paved with gold. Now they will say that the streets of Westminster are covered in rubbish.”

Veolia in long-list for West London Waste Contract

The West London Waste Authority has announced the long-list for the new 25 year waste management contract to cover Harrow, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Brent and Richmond. Note that bidders may make proposals on sites they control or may acquire,  and that they will be invited to submit proposals on the 'most economically advantageous technologies'. Environmentalists will be watching very carefully to see what technologies will be suggested and whether incineration will be one of them:

The West London Waste Authority (WLWA) has long-listed a total of eight bidders for a long term residual waste treatment contract covering the boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, and Richmond upon Thames.

Cory Environmental Ltd, Covanta Energy Ltd, E.ON Energy from Waste AG, FCC/Waste Recycling Group Ltd, SITA UK Ltd, Veolia ES Aurora Ltd, Viridor Waste Management Ltd, and Wheelabrator Technologies Incorporated will now be invited to develop outline solutions as the next stage in the competitive dialogue process that is being employed.

The contract involves treating up to 300,000 tonnes of residual waste per year generated by a population of 1.4 million people, and covers all aspects of treatment including any necessary transport, the operation of transfer stations, and contracts for outputs such as compost, refuse-derived fuel, recyclates etc.

Bids were invited from “single entity” companies, consortia, or joint ventures. The WLWA has offered the three waste transfer stations within its direct control as part of the procurement but also welcomed proposals involving sites within bidders’ control or which they intend to acquire.

Bidders will now be invited to present whatever proposals they feel are the most economically advantageous technology to meet WLWA’s output specification but the authority is stipulating that the technology must be proven in operation on a municipal scale.

The next stage of the tender process will narrow bidders to three or four that will present detailed solutions in the first part of 2012. Two final bidders will submit final tenders in Autumn 2012, and the preferred bidder will be selected in Spring 2013.

Only a few days left to comment on Brent's Green Charter

There are only a few days left to comment on Brent Council's proposed Green Charter which stems from Labour's manifesto at the local elections. The Council sets out the brief as follows:

Brent Council’s administration is seeking to deliver a ‘Green Charter’, in consultation with local residents and other stakeholders, with the aim of the Council reducing its impact on the environment and helping residents to do the same.

Developing Brent into a greener borough needs to be done collectively with our partners, people who live, work and study here, public and private sectors and voluntary groups.
 
All the work that we do and our travelling to work or school has an environmental impact. As a Council, we need to have the policies in place to reduce our impact as much as we can and to create a better vision for the future. The Green Charter brings together all the work the Council is doing to improve, enhance and protect the environment and asks those who live, work or study in Brent, to be more sustainable in their way of life.  It also makes suggestions how this can be achieved.
 
This Charter sets out how the Council takes the environment into account in all of its work and sets out a vision of how residents and the Council can work together. In this way we can best respond fully to the challenge of climate change and reduce our carbon footprint.

 The proposed Charter can be seen HERE

 Comments should be sent by August 4th to:
Green Charter comments
Marion Hofmann
Brent House
3rd floor Brent House
349-357 High Road
Wembley HA9 6BZ

Email: environment@brent.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8937 5380

Veolia concerns should be taken seriously - Lib Dem councillor

Cllr Ann Hunter (Lib Dem) brought up the issue of the West London Waste contract at the Council meeting on July 11th with a question to Cllr James Powney. The minutes of the meeting have just been published and the exchange is set out below:

Councillor Hunter stated that she understood lead members had received representations from residents asking that Veolia be excluded from the current procurement exercise for waste disposal because they felt the company had demonstrated racist recruitment practices with reference to its activities in the West Bank and Israel. Councillor Powney replied that West London Waste was embarking on a waste procurement exercise and it could not jeopardise this by not following the proper processes. Councillor Hunter responded by saying that she would like to see West London Waste take the concerns of local residents seriously and that she had been shocked to see the advertisement for jobs on the Jerusalem Light Railway which effectively prevented the majority of local Palestinian citizens from applying. She asked how it could be allowed that Veolia was treated as a suitable contractor and felt that the matter needed to be given serious consideration.

 Residents who share the concerns should see the letter Human Right campaigners are sending to the Council HERE and if they wish to sign it send their name. e-mail and postcode to:nernier@gmail.com

Stanmore Park By-Election Result

Marilyn Ashton has been elected as the ward councillor for Stanmore Park. The Conservative candidate received 1,395 votes, 58% of the votes cast. Turnout was 28%.

Labour candidate Niraj Dattani received 509 votes; independent candidate Eric Silver received 299 votes; Liberal Democrat Sylvia Warshaw, 98 votes; Green Party Linda Robinson, 53 votes; and UK Independence Party Herbert Crossman, 48 votes.

Human Rights Activists Call for Veolia Exclusion from Major Waste Contract

Human Rights campaigners in six London boroughs, including Brent and Harrow, are seeking support for their efforts to get Veolia excluded from the current bidding process for the multi-million West London Waste Management Contract. The contract covers Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond.

The campaign is based on allegations that Veolia, a French multi-national, has demonstrated racist practices in its recruitment policies and has been guilty of grave misconduct through its active participation in violations of international and humanitarian laws and norms.

Campaigners are asking residents of the six boroughs to sign a letter to the West London Waste Authority which sets out the case LINK

If you would like to sign the letter please send your name, borough and postcode to:
nernier@gmail.com

Chalkhill is on the way up

Anyone involved with schools knows that it takes years to build up a good reputation in a community but that this can be destroyed by a single event. Unhappily a bad reputation can hang around for years becoming an unquestioned assumption locally despite any evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately a single event cannot change this overnight. Things are worse if the community around the school has a historically determined 'bad' reputation even though that community may have been transformed.  Restoring a school's reputation is a long hard slog that requires dedication from staff and governors and a group of parents who believe in the school - and a local authority that will back it.

That enormous effort  is paying off at Chalkhill Primary where I am one of the governors. Ofsted visited at the end of the summer term and deemed it a good and improving school with some outstanding features. A few years ago it had been a  'failing school'  and in special measures.

The extract from the Ofsted Report below indicates the substantial gains that have been made:

Chalkhill Primary is a good and improving school. Pupils achieve well and thoroughly enjoy learning. It is very popular with pupils, parents and carers. There is a strong commitment from all staff to provide each pupil with the best possible education. Parents, carers and pupils appreciate the excellent quality care provided by the school and good quality learning opportunities. One parental comment summed up the views of the majority saying, ‘Chalkhill has improved a lot in recent years. The school is welcoming and children are supported in their learning very effectively. There is good after-school provision. Teachers are very committed and my child really enjoys his learning.’ Pupils confirmed an equally positive view: ‘We like the way the school takes care of us and makes learning fun.’

The headteacher, governors and senior management team provide strong leadership and clear educational direction which is ensuring good outcomes.

These are the key strengths of the school.
Pupils achieve well and make good progress throughout the school in all aspects of their learning because teaching and learning are good.
Care, guidance and support are outstanding; pupils and their families feel extremely well supported by the school.
Relationships are strong and the school ethos is warm and welcoming and consequently pupils make good gains in their personal development.
Pupils gain excellent knowledge and awareness of how to stay fit and healthy and lead an active lifestyle. ‘Wake up-shake up’ is enjoyed by pupils, staff, parents and carers.
Children get off to a confident start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because provision is good.
The quality of singing is good throughout the school. The school has gained the Gold Sing Up award.
Good links with parents, carers and the local community contribute effectively to the provision.
Community cohesion is good at school, local, national and international levels.
Good partnership links with other external agencies enrich the provision and enable pupils to benefit from additional academic and cultural activities.

The Report illustrates the fact that a school is much more than its SAT results and shows that Chalkhill is providing a well-rounded education for its children. Furthermore it is becoming a positive focus for the local community and helping to raise its aspirations. Chalkhill is on the way up!

Congratulations to staff, pupils and parents.

Work on Chalkhill Park to start in October

School Councillors at Chalkhill Primary have received a response from the ward councillors to their letter asking when work on the new park on the site of the old  Chalkhill Health Centre will start and be completed:

Thank you for taking the trouble to write to us about the proposed park in Chalkhill. It was a pleasure to meet you on our walkabout and it is clear to us that you feel very strongly about this issue.

We share your concern that it seems to have taken a very long time to get things started. However, the good news is that we now expect work to start on the site in October. If everything goes to schedule, this should mean that the park will be completed by April next year to open in May 2012. This will mean that, by this time next year you should be able to look forward to your summer holidays with a lovely park to play in and enjoy.

We will let you know if there are any changes to these plans. Do get in touch again if there is anything else you would like us to look into for you.

Keeping Up with Brent Cuts

I reproduce below an extract from the weekly digest of the local press I circulate to Brent Green Party members. It provides an over-view of the latest news on cuts. The Willesden and Brent Times (WBT) e-edition can be accessed HERE  and the Harrow Times HERE

The contrast between Ann John's comments and the WBT editorial is interesting. The financial reasoning behind the Kingsbury High School academy decision is also significant.

HOW CAN WE AFFORD NEW CIVIC CENTRE WWOp14 (lead letter),  PLAN WILL COST US FOR NEXT 25 YEARS WBTp16, HOW WILL THIS BE PAID FOR? HTp24 Letter from Shahrar Ali as Green Party GLA candidate for Brent and Harrow questioning the financial and environmental claims made for the new Civic Centre currently under construction.
ROAD SWEEPING REDUCTIONS 'WILL MAKE US THE DIRTIEST OLYMPIC BOROUGH' WBTp2 Martin Francis criticises Brent Council's proposed cuts in street cleaning and the abandonment of the seasonal leaf service.
LIBRARY PLANS ARE 'UNLAWFUL' WWOp1 Coverage of the first day in court of library campaigners' application for a judicial review of the Council's decision to close 6 of the 12 Brent libraries. The claim is that the decision failed  to take into account local needs, could lead to indirect discrimination and that the decision was 'predetermined'.
LIBRARY SELL-OFFS ON HOLD WBTp4 Council plans to sell-off two library sites were deferred until August at Monday's Executive due to the judicial review.
JOBS FEAR AS HOSPITALS TRUST FACES £92M FUNDING CUT WBTp2 The NW London Trust (Central Middlesex, Northwick Park, St Marks) is to lose 24% of its budget. Doctors say that it cannot achieve these savings and will fall short by £25-40m.  Health Emergency say that 'it is the people whose care can be put off who will suffer. It is people waiting for operations, older people who need long term treatment and front line staff who will lose out. If staff do not lose their jobs, their their workload will increase....The government has asked for a cut too far'.
CALL FOR ACTION OVER HOSPITAL WAITING LISTS WBTp5 Hospital waiting lists have soared by 10% in Brent with 3,000 people on the lists.  Cllr Zaffar Kalwala (Labour, Stonebridge) says expected cuts will make it worse. The Trust confirmed the rise but said they are on track to better their 18 week target for referrals within the Trust.
NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE REVAMP IS 'NOT TO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT WBTp5 21 sergeants in the Safer Neighbourhood Teams will have to reapply for the 16 jobs that will remain after cuts. Chief Supt Gardner said that the wards to be reduced are still being considered but that the issue had been anticipated and that Brent invested in three detective sergeants and four detective constables to investigate neighbourhood crime ;so in fact this will not impact on Brent'.
HOMELESSNESS TO 'SOAR' AS CUTS BITE SAYS CHARITY WBTp9 Cricklewood Homeless Concern say that reductions to public sector provision and caps on housing benefit have led to a 'sharp increase' in homelessness. CHC after 20% cuts is struggling to deal with the average 150 people a week who seek their help. More than 10,000 people in Brent are affected by the benefit cap and are already in force for new claimants and will affect existing claimants early next year.
GOVERNORS VOTE FOR ACADEMY PLAN HTp8 The Chair of Governors of Kingsbury High says that one of the reasons for applying for academy status was their need for increased funding  because the equalisation of funding between 6th forms and further education colleges means they would lose £1,016 per student in their 400 pupil 6th form by 2013. FUNDING OF FESTIVALS WILL STOP WBTp2 Brent Executive cut the money for religious festivals in the borough on Monday saying it was unfair to give the money to certain religious festivals. Cllr Paul Lorber said the religious celebration had been open to all and were designed to improve relations between communities. In answer to his question about th Council's retention of fireworks night Cllr Ann John said this had been retained for health and safety and not religious reasons.
MANY SERVICES ARE STILL BEING IMPROVED DESPITE CUTS WBTp15 Column by Ann John, Labour leader of Brent Council who says that despite the cuts 'it is not all doom and gloom' because regeneration is continuing and they've resisted government attempts to force up council rents to unaffordable levels.  She says the Council is making Brent a greener borough through schemes to increase recycling, tackle fly-tipping and getting rid of old inefficient buildings.
COUNCIL MUST LISTEN TO VOICE OF THE PEOPLE WBTp16 Editorial which says that campaigners on various issues could 'hardly have failed to have noticed that the town hall is ignoring your views'. They cite the libraries issue, parking permits and day care centres. On the Stonebridge Day Centre they say, 'Brent council will say they had no choice; but "following orders" is no excuse, the council should have fought to keep the centre, they could have found an alternative to closing it. They could have listened to the people who pay their salaries and expenses, whose votes they canvass for at elections - the very people they are supposed to represent.'

Kingsbury High NOT Academy Campaign on Facebook

Support the students' campaign HERE

Kingsbury pupil: 'Academy status will not benefit us'

A report on the pupils' strike is now on the Willesden and Brent Times website HERE

Extract: One of the pupils, who asked not to be named, who took part in the demonstration said:

We all went into school but when the bell went everyone stayed in the playground. We stayed there for about an hour and students handed out leaflets. A meeting was called by the headteacher at 11.30am which we attended but we don’t feel our questions were answered properly. We don’t think academy status will benefit us. It can affect teachers pay and conditions and we don’t want our good teachers to leave. Funding isn’t guaranteed. Letters have been going to parents which are very one-sided.

Jenny Jones Battles Against Traffic Pollution

200 Kingsbury High School Students Strike

The school students strike at Kingsbury High School did go ahead today. Around 200 pupils stayed out of lessons, chanting and protesting when the bell went. They demanded a meeting with the Head who agreed to meet them later in the morning. At this meeting, complaints were made that once again only one side of the academy argument was given. There are plans for an important school council meeting at the start of the new term.

Note: This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Children's Strikes when pupils marched out of schools all over the country inspired by industrial unrest at the time. They made their own demands on issues such as corporal punishment and homework.

Incineration Fight: Haringey Today, Wembley Tomorrow?

As plans emerge for new waste management sites in Brent as part of the West London Waste Management Plan, some of which are likely to be incinerators, events in North London show us the way forward. The West London Waste Authority consulted on possible sites for waste management facilities but NOT on the processes and technologies which will take place in them. These will be detailed when planning applications are made to local Councils.

Things have reached that stage in the North London Waste Authority and a formidable campaign has developed around a huge incinerator at Pinkham Way.. Thanks to Haringey Greens for this Guest posting: Their interesting and informative blog can be accessed HERE

A packed public meeting organised by Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Green parties at Hollickwood School close to the proposed waste processing plant, attracted over a hundred people on Thursday (21st July) last night. As recently as this Tuesday, Haringey Council ‘put on hold,’ the plan because as they say on their website, the North London Waste Authority (NWLA) has failed to provide enough detail on the proposals. A decision on planning permission for the development will now be delayed until April 2012, by which time the NWLA should have submitted a more detailed plan.

The speakers at the event were, Colin Parish, a local resident and founder of The Pinkham Way Alliance, Darren Johnson, Green party Greater London Assembly Member, and Quentin Given, Coordinator of Tottenham and Wood Green Friends of the Earth.

Quentin, in his statement to the meeting said, “There is a problem with waste, and what we do with it. London’s Boroughs should be more self-sufficient in waste management and we need to move away from incineration, and waste sites should aim to minimise road movement of this material, which clearly this plan does not. We should also be concerned about the effects this plant will have on wildlife, which is under pressure everywhere.”

Colin, in his statement said, “This factory, will be seventy five feet high, with a chimney almost double that size. The NWLA say that this site is an ex sewage works, but that was fifty years ago, it is now lovely woodland. The plan is for over one thousand vehicle movements a day, in and out of the plant, twenty four hours a day, and we must fight it. This is the worst traffic junction in London in the daytime, and these plans will make this situation even worse.” He also made an appeal for donations to help his group’s legal costs, which he said was the best way to stop the plan going ahead.

Darren agreed that the legal challenge was very important but said “Local residents are a force to be reckoned with, and this had had an effect on Haringey Council’s action in delaying a decision.” He went on to say, “The politics is also important, the Mayor of London can, at the end of the day, decide on whether this plant is built, and with the decision delayed until April 2012, this makes it a big issue at the Mayoral and GLA elections in May next year, which is brilliant timing. This plan is based on the low levels of recycling which we have in London, but we could be achieving over 80% recycling, like they do in many countries in Europe. If we recycled more, we wouldn’t need such large plants as are being proposed. I noticed on the way here to this meeting that the recycle boxes are tiny compared to the big grey wheelie bins. It is also unfair on the people of this area to be expected to take the waste from several boroughs.”

A lively questions and answers session followed the speeches, with general opposition to the plan from all parts of the room. The meeting resolved to continue the fight against this massive scale waste plant, which would have a devastating effect on people’s quality of life in this part of north London.

UK Without Incineration Network LINK 

Animation of the Incineration Process HERE 

Shahrar Ali (Green Party GLA Candidate for Brent and Harrow ) has written up the Pinkham, Way meeting HERE

Philip Pullman: Why it is wrong to close our libraries

I think it is a bad idea for councils to close any libraries because all libraries are treasure houses which should be looked after and protected.

Children especially are the people who can be nurtured into a love for books in libraries which they don’t easily find anywhere else.

Libraries are the only place where they can get the love of books that will engender a life time love of reading.

It is important because it is the fundamental thing that makes us civilised human beings

Follow this link to see full report of Philip Pullman's comments on the Willesden and Brent Times website LINK

Brent: London's dirtiest Olympic borough

I chatted to a couple of street sweepers yesterday who had known nothing about Council plans to cut back on street sweeping with the potential loss of up to 50 jobs. This is the full statement I made to the local newspapers after Monday's Executive decision.

After these cuts Brent will be London's dirtiest Olympic borough. Once again the Council is sacking the lowest paid but most socially useful of its employees. Autumn leaves are beautiful and fun when they first fall but as they rot on pavements soon become unpleasant and slippery. Covered in a sheen of ice they are lethal. Brent Council may end up paying out an arm and leg to ambulance chasing solicitors.

Kingsbury High Pupils Strike Against Academy Plans and Lack of Consultation

Kingsbury High pupils are planning "strike action" today (Friday) at 9-9.30am to protest at plans to turn it into an academy and not being fully consulted on the plans.

At 9.15 when the bell goes, pupils were due to refuse to go to lessons and remain on the field/playground of Princes Ave (upper school site) instead.

Initial judgement on libraries case in second week of August?

"Although reluctant, the Judge said he might be able to say which party had won by the end of the second week of August, and then provide a full reasoned judgement in October."

From an account of Day 3 of the Brent Library case by I Spy in Queen's Park LINK

An excellent account of the second day from the Bookseller  LINK

Pullman pulls them in

PullmanThe excellent Save Kensal Rise Library  blog has a posting on yesterday's proceedings which include the morning session which I was unable to attend: HERE

There was a packed audience, including many young people, for the Philip Pullman event at Queen's Park School yesterday evening REPORT

Kiss Curls in Court - the latest from Brent Libraries hearing

I popped into the afternoon session at the High Court today to see how the case was progressing. Crammed on to an  uncomfortable, creaking bench and barely able to hear the proceedings my attention kept wandering to the back of Councillor Powney's head where beguiling kiss curls spread across his shoulders. Enough! Back to the serious stuff...

Brent Council's case was being presented and their basic claim was that their decision had been rational, based on 'the facts on the ground' (including their financial plight), that any view of the reasonableness of their decision on grounds of whether their library service was 'comprehensive and efficient' was for the Secretary of State and not the Court, and that their consultation had been thorough and followed common procedures.  They argued that Section 7 of the Libraries and Museums Act mentioned library services and facilities but not buildings as such so that guidance in the Section did not include premises. Their basic case was that the Libraries Transformation Project would give a better library service from fewer buildings.

The areas where the Council's case began to crumble a little under the judge's questioning was the timing and thoroughness of the Equalities Impact Assessment and the lack of detail in the Needs Assessment.  The judge said that the LA seemed to have only assessed needs at a very general level. He  asked if a high level decision has been made on data which had not been spelled out. He said that from the data you could not tell how particular groups, like mothers with young children or schools had been considered. They did not feature in an assessment of need for the particular fixed facility which they could attend. There was no analysis of how the Library Transformation project would cater for them.

Another issue which perplexed him, and Brent's answer hadn't yet satisfied him when the Court adjourned, was the matter of the criteria for voluntary groups to make an offer to run buildings. He was concerned about groups not being informed of the criteria and the evaluation process for bids changing over time. He also asked about whether such offers were supernumerary to what Brent considered (in its transformed state) a 'comprehensive and efficient service'.

The Council side seemed to get a little unhappier as the afternoon proceeded and the Campaigners slightly more confident but it appears that it may eventually be decided on quite narrow interpretations of terms like 'viable', 'robust', 'reasonable' and 'comprehensive'. Brent Council is arguing for a very limited concept of consultation, which is in line with their recent practice - emphasising it is not negotiation, but made great play of the pages of submissions, letters, area consultative forum meeting minutes etc - but did not tell the Court that they had ignored them all.

The proceedings will go on tomorrow morning when the case resumes in Court No 2 at 10.30am. Supporters are urged to get down to the Strand to demonstrate outside and then join the audience in the public gallery.  This helps demonstrate the strength of feeling in the community and the importance of the case.  If you are worried about getting a sore bottom, be reassured that speeches from the Council and Campaigners QCs are not likely to take much more than one and a quarters hours. The judge is unlikely to make an extempore judgement tomorrow and may announce his decision as late as August. Brent Council has promised to take no action over the six library buildings until the judgement is announced.

Brent Libraries Challenge: Day 1

A report on the first day's hearing is available HERE on the Brent Green Blog and there is an informative, and amusing,  posting on I Spy In Queen's Park HERE

The Evening Standard has an article about the case and an interview with Tim Lott HERE

I am sorry to have missed today but I hope to make it down to the Strand tomorrow afternoon.

Library case is underway

Outside the court this morning

ITN Report HERE

BBC Report HERE

A Message from Save Preston Library Campaign

Many thanks to those of you who asked to speak last night at the council meeting, where the executive hoped to vote through the disposals of the six library properties.

I was invited on Wednesday last week to speak at the exec tonight.

I wasn't sure what it was about, but further enquiries revealed that the sale of Preston Library for development (together with Tokyington, for a total "in excess of £1,000,000") was on the agenda.

The disposals of the other four libraries, including Neasden, which has disgracefully already been put on the market, with flagrant disregard for due legal process, was also on the agenda.

Of course, once alerted to the under-the-radar sales plan, library users asked to be represented at last night's exec meeting.

Having received a flood of requests at the weekend to speak about the premature plans to sell the properties, it was decided ONE AND A HALF HOURS before the meeting to withdraw the proposals at this meeting.

Had this not this not happened, Brent is likely to have started the £50,000 marketing campaign for Preston and Tokyngton.

So thank you so much for making your voices heard, on behalf of the thousands of people who signed our petition, and on behalf of the thousands of Preston Library users who can't or won't, for whatever reason.

Samantha Warrington

Brent's 4 Year Budget Strategy Agreed in 30 seconds

Councillor Butt summed up the 2012/13 to 2015/16 budget strategy up in one sentence, no one wanted to speak on it, and it was approved - all within 30 seconds. The budget envisages cumulative 'savings' of £67.5m by 2016. That works out as over £2m per second!

There was a much longer discussion over the Festivals and Events issue. Cllr Ann John said she had been in talks with the Hindu council who no longer wanted to speak. She claimed that the policy had to change because of new Equality legislation which meant that the events funded had to be inclusive and this ruled out financing religious festivals. Cllr Paul Lorber challenged this saying that Festivals such as Eid had always been open to people of all backgrounds and were designed to aid understanding and improve relations amongst Brent's diverse communities. He queried the funding of fireworks night in the context of the gunpowder plot, oppression of Catholics and the events celebration of a protestant victory. Cllr Ann John said that this festival would continue to be funded on health and safety grounds, not religious, because it prevented people being injured by providing an alternative to setting off fireworks in back gardens.

Cllr John  insisted that this year's festivals including Eid, Navaratri,Christmas lights and St Patrick's Day would still take place but the new policy would be implemented next financial year. There was no time however to properly organise Respect and Countryside Day.  Cllr Powney said that new equality legislation had drastically changed what the council could fund. The council was not stopping the festival, just stopping funding them..

There was no discussion of the Street Cleaning savings which will mean the loss of road sweeper jobs and huge reductions in street cleaning frequency. To his credit Cllr Moher was clear about the seriousness of the cuts but was cut off in mid-stream by an impatient Cllr John. Moker did manage to say that he hoped to claw back something from the current negotiations with Veolia.

Other high-speed decisions were made to approve the Alperton Master Plan, future ownership of Brent housing stock and the Arts development strategy. Twelve items were disposed of in 40 minutes much to Ann John's delight.

Embattled Brent Executive Delays Library Disposal Decision

Leader of the Council, Ann John, tonight withdrew the Asset Strategy for the disposal of vacated libraries from the Executive Agenda. She said that this was because of the proximity of the judicial review and  councillors were constrained on what they could say about the issue. Campaigners thought it was withdrawn because the Executive had thought they could slip it thought unnoticed but word spread quickly over the weekend with the Council inundated with many requests to speak today.

The Save Preston Library's 5,897 signature petition opposing any sale or redevelopment of the Preston Library site that does not include a Brent public library, will now be presented at the August Executive when the item is discussed - unless of course campaigner's win the judicial review in which case it will be irrelevant.

I salute Brent library campaigners

On the eve of the judicial review hearing tomorrow I would like to salute all the campaigners fighting against the closure of Brent libraries.

The campaign has involved huge numbers of people across Brent's many communities, it has organised many public meetings, much fund-raising and the involvement of many authors and musician. It has acheived publicity in the local press, national press, TV and internationally. Schools and community organisations have been involved and everyone has united to demand something very simple - our libraries are vital to the community and we intend to keep them.

This is what real democracy looks like - whatever the outcome of the judicial review you have stood up for the whole community and deserve our thanks.

Proposed Changes in Wembley Bus Routes - Have Your Say

Click on image to enlarge image

Transport for London is currently consulting on changes to the 206, 224 and PR2 routes:

• Route 206 will be withdrawn from between Brent Park and St Raphael’s Estate and re-routed  to Wembley Park, The Paddocks
• Route 224 will be rerouted at Harlesden Station running along Brentfield Road to terminate in St Raphael’s Estate.
• Route PR2 is withdrawn

Currently route PR2 operates Monday to Saturdays only with a bus every 30 minutes. The changes mean that there would be a daily service along all the roads currently served by route PR2. The frequency of buses would also increase at most times as routes 206 and 224  run every 15 minutes during the day Monday to Saturdays.

Sunday service frequency
Routes 206 and 224 both operate on a Sunday. Route 206 operates every 20 minutes and route 224 every 30 minutes.

Earlier / Later buses
Routes 206 and 224 have earlier and later buses operating along the routes. Route 206 will run between about 0520 and midnight Monday to Saturday, and 0650 and midnight on Sundays. Route 224 will run between about 0500 and 0030 Monday to Saturday and about 0645 to 0010 on Sundays.  This will provide more travelling options for bus users who require the services at these times. The current times of route PR2 are between about 0600 and 2320 Monday to Saturday.

New Journey Options
New journey options are created to/from the Wembley Stadium and the relocated Brent civic centre, St Raphael’s and Brentfield Road.

Direct journeys no longer available
No replacement for route PR2 is proposed along Hillside or at Stonebridge Park however this area is served by high frequency route 18. Additionally, many users will be close to bus stops served by routes 206 and 224.
Routes 228 and 487 will continue to link the Central Middlesex Hospital area and Willesden Junction station, with nine buses every hour. (Eight buses per hour evenings and Sundays). Harlesden Station also provides interchange with rail services.

The consultation ends on August 19th. Use this LINK to make your views known.

The Independent on Brent Library Closures Judicial Review

The following story by Kunal Dutta was  published by the Indepdent yesterday:

A landmark hearing on Tuesday will mark the first judicial review into proposed library closures in Britain as disgruntled campaigners prepare to take their case to the courts.

The High Court is examining the planned closure of six libraries in the London Borough of Brent, and its ruling will be keenly watched by councils around the country. Following close behind are Gloucestershire and the Isle of Wight, where protesters have won permission to have their cases heard by the end of the year. Experts believe they could trigger a flood of similar cases.

Brent council invited a number of "community-based rescue plans" that it allegedly did not take into full consideration in its final decision. The court will also examine whether the consultation process that decided the future of libraries across the country was conducted fairly and in line with the correct legal framework.

Experts believe that the outcome of the review could be a major embarrassment for David Cameron's government, which has hitherto distanced itself from the library closures, insisting it is a local government issue.

The Government came under fire from the author Kate Mosse yesterday over its refusal to intervene. She said: "There has been a naive belief on the part of government and local authorities that after the initial objections, public anger would wane. Instead it is the precise opposite: the anger has simply exacerbated."

In a scathing assessment she said there had been "a catastrophic failure of leadership" from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the Arts Council and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The timing of the Brent review coincides with a deadline for library tenders in Wokingham amid speculation that its library servicies could be outsourced to a private American firm by the end of this year. 

Lawyers say that they will be probing the Government's line in relation to Section 10 of the 1964 Libraries and Museums Act, which decrees that all public complaints over libraries should go to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. 

"Dozens, possible hundreds [of complaints] have been made by Brent residents which must under law be investigated by the Secretary of State. The closures will generally hit the poor, children, older people, those with disabilities and ethnic minorities far harder than others. It also examines just what fairness demands when library closures are proposed," said John Halford, from Bindmans LLP solicitors. 

"The threatened libraries are important for everyone who lives, studies or works locally, but especially for low-income families and their children," said Margaret Bailey, one of the Brent campaigners. "We are determined to ensure the libraries remain open and trust that the court will quickly see Brent's decisions are senseless. Both legally and otherwise." 

Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp are among the stars who have contributed to legal costs. 

A DCMS spokesman said: "We continue to monitor and assess proposals and decisions being made about changes to library services across England. We take very seriously compliance by local authorities with their statutory duty to understand the local needs for library services and to provide a comprehensive and efficient service to match that need. Use of ministerial statutory powers, including those regarding intervention, continues to be kept under consideration on a case-by-case basis."

A look at Hannah Close, possible new waste site

My curiosity led me this afternoon to have a stroll around  the back of the stadium to see where a possible recycling plant might be sited in Hannah Close. Careys, the local company who helped save the Welsh Harp Environmental Centre, has a lot of property in the area along with their waste management subsidiary Seneca.

Seneca's  security guards were worried about me taking photographs and denied that the company had anything to do with Careys. The Jubilee and Metropolitan lines run behind the site and on the other side is St Margaret Clitherow Primary School and residential streets which include Quainton, Verney, Aylesbury Chesham and Village Way.

Hannah Close, and Atlas Road which it joins, already have several recycling sites:

The River Brent runs flows to Hannah Close and runs beneath the railway line. Wembley Brook is also close by. Campaigners in Ealing have been concerned about possible contamination of the River Brent if new waste processing facilities are built and there must be similar concerns in Wembley.

The following photograph was taken today with waste fluid apparently flowing from Harringtons in Fourth Way.

A further concern is the proposal, in the Wembley Masterplan, to open up North End Road and join it again to Bridge Road in Wembley. At present North End Road is closed where it meets Atlas Road. If it was opened up and joined to Bridge Road a route would be established to the recycling facilities in Hannah Close, via Atlas Road, increasing lorry traffic past the Danes Court and  Empire Court flats, which at present are a peaceful haven despite their proximity to the railway.

Brent Libraries : a demolition job

The Save Preston Library Campaign has issued the following ahead of Tuesday's Court Case

Brent Council’s executive is to meet tonight to vote on disposals of half of its library properties AHEAD of a High Court hearing to decide whether its library closures are lawful.

In the first legal challenge against library closures in the country, Brent library users’ case against the council will be heard in the High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But in an extraordinary show of contempt for due legal process, the council intends to press on with the sales – and will vote on disposals on Monday night, the eve of the High Court hearing.


John Halford of Bindmans LLP, Helen Mountfield QC, Gerry Facenna and Edward Craven will argue that the council adopted a fundamentally flawed and unlawful, approach to the objective of making savings because it:

• STARTED from the false premise that library closures were an inevitability, closing its mind to reasonable alternatives

• FAILED to assess local need

• FAILED to comply with equality legislation, and its own impact assessment policies

• FAILED to disclose its criteria, and reasons, for rejecting alternative community-based means of retaining some or all of the libraries earmarked for closure.

This is a landmark case for library closures, and will define the view taken by the courts in the many legal actions that are waiting to go ahead up and down the country.  Cases from Gloucestershire and the Isle of Wight will be heard by the end of the year.

John Halford argues that the decision will have “serious, irreversible consequences” for those who rely on the six libraries.

“Given the importance of the decision for local people, the council was obliged to explore all the options carefully and make sure that it had accurate evidence about the likely impact of the decision, in particular on disadvantaged groups. If the council had approached the matter with an open mind and avoided the errors above, the outcome of the decision-making process could have been radically different.”

On the same day that Rupert Murdoch is grilled by the media select committee, this libraries hearing could heap further embarrassment on Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt, who has so far refused to intervene under the Museums and Libraries Act 1964, despite hundreds of complaints from residents and letters from Brent North MP Barry Gardiner.

This case exposes fundamental failings at Brent, which claims it needs to save £1m over two years from the libraries service, but continues to spend millions on trophy projects such as the new £100m Civic Centre at Wembley Stadium with its £3m mega-library.

Council leader Ann John has boasted of council investment in a £4m boulevard that will be created to lead visitors from Wembley Park Tube station to Wembley Stadium.

And at the same time Brent Council is spending between £1.2m and £1.5m PER MONTH on “consultants fees”.

Preston campaigners are acutely aware that the closure and sale of their library is not driven by efficiency, as Brent Council claims, but the need to push users to the new Civic Centre library (to create demand where none exists) and to increase capital receipts to pay for the project.

The outcome of the case could mean the council halting the closure programme and restarting the decision-making process.