Kilburn Unemployed Workers oppose 'Council tax on free speech'

Alan Wheatley of Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group arrived at Brent Council's Scrutiny Committee meeting last night, with just approved press statement on the leaflet licensing fiasco. He came straight from the KUWG meeting that ended at 5pm the same day on the Camden side of Kilburn. He writes of his experience of the meeting:

"The seating arrangement in the scrutiny committee room was such that we observers were effectively excluded from hearing properly, as the scrutiny committee all sat round a table and we were clearly outsiders, with extremely limited capacity to input into the meeting.

"That image seemed to be an artistic installation representing what Brent Council's Council Tax on free speech will do to our public witnessing of the impact of despotic central and local government policies on local people."

This is KUWG's press statement:

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group has joined Brent Fightback and Brent Trades Council in opposition to what it calls “Brent Council's Council Tax on free speech.”

Brent Council plans to institute licensing of organisations other than charities and political parties that deliver leaflets in the Borough of Brent. “This is not only an attack on free speech,” said Alan Wheatley, a spokesperson for the group. “It is also a way for despotic local and central government to bury disclosure of how widespread oppressive measures such as the sanctioning of benefit claimants actually are.”

“The Council say that they do not want the reputation of the Borough of Brent tarnished by littering over the time of the Olympics. As usual, the Council has its priorities wrong while at the same time it is throwing people in South Kilburn onto the street and central government's attacks on poor people exacerbate the desolation and isolation that come with poverty.

“The Olympics serve as a branding platform for global corporations such as McDonalds that are notorious for shoddy employment practices and for product that leaves loads of street litter. Our leaflets, by contrast, help counteract the desolation and isolation that vulnerable benefit claimants experience via Kilburn Jobcentre and the JobCentre Plus network. Our leafleters are not paid, and to make our resources stretch further, we display our leaflets rather than thrust them under people's noses. People ask us for the leaflets that tell of our weekly meetings at Kingsgate Community Centre on the Camden side of Kilburn, and more. Further, people who attend our meetings who have had bad treatment at the jobcentre and/or through the testing procedures of Atos Healthcare that reduce the number of disability benefit claimants without curing them of their ailments, feel less inclined to throw themselves under a bus.

“We know of people who have won their tribunals for entitlement to Employment & Support Allowance and had but a month in which to enjoy their back money before dying in this the year of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. The wait for a tribunal is about a year these days. Serial re-testing of claimants adds to their stress. The Royal Family, who cost the taxpayer much more per head, are comparatively in glowing heath.

“Through the invitation to our meetings that our leaflets represent, people who have been subjected to bullying that goes through the Chancellor of the Exchequer and ministers at the Department for Work & Pensions begin to feel better about themselves.

“Brent Council's proposed daily leaflet licensing fee of £75 is greater than the sum total of £67.50 weekly Jobseekers Allowance plus £5 per week earnings disregard for a single person aged over 25. That fee would hit us and our members hard,” s/he said. “Non-claimants generally remain blithely ignorant of the facts of how low state benefits are, and the fact that the £5 per week 'earnings disregard' has remained unchanged since 1988, but our leaflets help to set the record straight about that and the sanctions against claimants that are now routine.”

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group meets every Thursday at Kingsgate Community Centre, 107 Kingsgate Road, NW6 2JH from 3pm to 5pm. With a dearth of such groups around London, KUWG helps benefit claimants in Brent and Camden and beyond to the help they need, when they need it.

Concerns remain over leafleting after Scrutiny discussion

Although Labour councillor members of the Call In, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, clearly saw their role last night as to support the Executive and the officers, rather than scrutinise, members of the public did try and hold the Council to account with the able assistance of Cllr Alison Hopkins. At either end of the experience spectrum neither Cllr Joyce Bacchus nor Cllr Krupa Sheth spoke.

Pete Firmin speaking for Brent Trades Union Council and Brent Fightback, and a member of the Labour Party, spoke about the lack of clarity in the leaflet licensing document. He said it left lots of grey areas in terms of  exemptions based on 'political purposes' and gave the example of the Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group leafleting claimants outside the Kilburn Job Centre about their rights Was that a political purpose? .  He argued that if the scheme was aimed at commercial interests that this would leave small businesses discriminated against. He said that they key question was, 'Who decides whether a leaflet meets the criterion set out in the report?'  He said that here was no evidence from the council that littering caused by leaflets was a problem - in his experience fast food packaging was much more of a problem. He concluded by stating that only 27% of local authorities had introduced such a scheme, the legislation was enabling rather than compulsory and so Brent Council did not have to implement it, and urged the council to abandon the proposals.

Speaking as a local resident, Secretary of Brent Green Party and a committee member of the Brent Campaign Against Climate Change, Pete Murry asked that the council to entirely reconsider the necessity for charges for leaflet distribution. He said he doubted that the intention of Brent Council was to restrict freedoms of speech, information and discussion in the borough when it would be under the international Olympic spotlight. However he feared that this could be the case

He said:

I have regularly leafleted in Brent on Party political issues during elections, but also at other times on other issues such as pollution from Waste incineration, the dangers of nuclear waste being transported through the borough and to promote events such as public meetings about Climate Change. Such issues are not always well covered in the media and often people can only be made aware of their possible local impact through leafleting. None of the organisations that I have campaigned for are financially wealthy or represent profit making commercial concerns. Leafleting is often the only way for minorities and minority causes to be brought to public attention. The current proposed charges would place even this method of communication beyond the financial means of some groups, especially groups of unemployed people whose limited income would make leafleting charges unpayable.

Murry also drew attention to the ambiguities  around definitions and concluded that there were surely better ways keeping the borough clean and tidy other than restricting citizens' freedoms.

Alison Hopkins asked about a non-party political campaign such as the Brent Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Development leafleting over incinerators and whether that would be exempted. She pointed out that the lack of clarity meant that officers or the council would be making decisions about exemptions and that this may be okay for now in terms of free speech, but officers and councils change and we have to think of the future. Unwritten laws were dangerous so there needed to be detail and clarity based on real cases.

In an intervention that lacked the usual sarcasm and side swipes, Helga Gladbaum said she was relieved that the original focus on the Olympics had changed. She said the council needed to sharpen up enforcement of the rules and asked what was meant by the phrase 'harm to the community's interests'. (This latter phrase was used to illustrate when officers thought they would intervene in the leafleting process'.

Cllr Powney, who seems to be in charge of everything contentious, said that rules on leafleting had been in force since 1994 and that the new proposals represented a liberalisation. For example, the previous rules had exempted 'political parties' not 'political purposes'. He suggested that the wording in the supplementary report was 'not particularly illuminating' unless you are a lawyer. He said the proposals were not lime limited but the Olympics may result in a slightly great amount of leafleting. He said it would be difficult to define all possible cases in advance and it was better to focus on the principles behind enforcement. He said that enforcement has not been a problem in the past.

There followed some detailed officer contributions with assurances from Michael Read that in 18 years Brent Council had never used their powers to stop leafleting for political purposes. He said that there had been no prosecutions since 2006 using the existing powers but there were about 20 seizures of leaflets a year. He said that the council's enforcement record should reassure the public. Leafleting was only an issue if it did real harm, people carrying it out were creating a nuisance (thrusting leaflets at the public on narrow pavements), big corporations carrying out mass leafleting, or leaflets being left unattended or being thrown away on the street.  David Thrales gave examples of nuisance caused by leaflets about new shops opening, mobile cards, buying of gold and pawnbrokers  and these along with examples from Yogini Patel about leafleting by a big betting ship all seemed to focus on Wembley High Road, rather than the other streets designated in the report. She thought that leafleting encouraging gambling did harm. Patel said it was leafleting every day of the week by small businesses that caused the real nuisance and also gave the example of the Cup Final when Liverpool fans distributed 'Don't Buy the Sun' leaflets that were left all over Wembley High Road.

Officers favoured on the spot fines rather than the expense of going to court and also drew attention to problems about seizures where legally the council had to find the original owners and return them. They said that giving a warning or moving people on usually worked and it emerged that Brent Council has only four officers to enforce the rules.

As the discussion progress it seemed to me that the emphasis had changed from discussion about definitions of exempted activities and the dangers inherent in that to the concept of 'harm to the community' or 'nuisance'  which I saw as equally dangerous. David Thrales at one point said that hs own interpretation was that leaflets that broadly wanted to ;'progress the community' were ones that would be approved. That seems to me to be a minefield. Could a pro-academy conversion headteacher complain to enforcement officers that anti-academy campaigners leafleting parents outside her school were 'creating a nuisance' or 'doing harm to the community'?

Winding up Cllr Paul Lorber said that the discussion had justified the Call In showing how confusing the whole issue was. If councillors were confused, what about the public? He asked why,  if the key issue was littering,  was the licensing scheme and fees necessary?  Could the council implement enforcement over nuisance without fees etc? If the target was commercial leafleting then shouldn't that be stated? He said that small business should not be discriminated against by exorbitant fees. Alison Hopkins suggested a sliding scale and Cllr Powney said he would seek advice on whether that would be legal and put it into the consultation if it was.

The Lib Dem Call-in motion was then voted down.

The Consultation will take place from the 22nd May, advertised in the press on 24th May and the results made public on the 14th June. Officers would make the decisions based on the consultation and the new powers would come into effect on July 2nd in time for the Olympics.

Open letter to new leader from a Labour Party member

Graham Durham has written this open letter to Cllr Muhammed Butt, the new leader of Brent Council.

Dear Mo,

Thank you for your telephone call of 9 May 2012 in which you invited me to vote for you as Leader of the Council at the Brent Labour Party hustings on 10 May.

As you know I am opposed to the Brent  Labour Group record over the last two years of implementing the Tory /Lib Dem government cuts and thus severely damaging the life prospects of many of the most vulnerable people in Brent. Naturally I was anxious to know how you would change matters and specifically how you would propose to make the Tory/Lib Dem cuts you made clear you are committed to over the next two years 

I was pleased  to hear your response on the question of libraries which I recorded.You said

'I feel we handled libraries very badly.I always wanted to consider partnership with community groups as Camden Council has done and was blocked by Ann John who  insisted we had to be seen to be backing officers and closing the six libraries.This will change if I am Leader.'

On future budget cuts you said

'We have far too many senior officers in Brent ,a record number of Directors on very high pay and they all build empires of Assistant Directors.I think we could save £3 million a  year  on these costs by 2015 '

Whilst I do not wholly agree with these two proposals I did concede that they represented progress from the intransigence and hostility to community groups displayed by Ann John and senior officers over the last two years .As promised  I advised Labour Party members I know of your views and asked them to consider if the changes you promised were sufficient to enable them to vote for you as Leader.

You have become Leader of Brent Council  at a time when working  people across  Europe  are realising that the disastrous policy of austerity is leading to impoverishment and misery everywhere.Voters in France and Greece have realised that the solutions of  cuts in services and basic benefits and pensions are incapable of creating jobs and protecting a reasonable standard of living for working people.

In Brent we have seen the extraordinary GLA vote in which Labour heavily  defeated the Lib Dems in every single ward of Brent Central - a great opportunity exists for us to remove Sarah Teather and cuts agenda at the next General Election.

You will need to be resolute in challenging Brent Council officers on every aspect of their work.In particular Gareth Daniel,Chief Executive, must be reigned in and told to stop spreading government cuts propaganda to Brent Council staff.

I am sure that the local newspaper, the Brent and Kilburn Times, has misquoted you in stating that you now support library closures and the matter is closed. I do not believe that you would have completely reversed the promises you made to Party members during your leadership campaign nine days ago.

I know that Brent SOS Libraries Campaign have written to you asking for  an urgent meeting and I look forward to discussing this issue with you then.Labour should be embracing local campaigners not treating them with disdain.

On a wider programme Brent Fightback want to work with Brent Labour Council in opposing Tory/Lib Dem cuts.We have also requested a meeting to discuss how to work together to resist  NHS Cuts such as the closure of Central Middlesex hospital  as well as local government cuts.

I look forward to meeting you to discuss further co-operation 

Best wishes 

Graham Durham

Helga the revanchist ignores regime change

There are few checks and balances on the power of the Brent Council Executive and under Ann John's leadership they worked hard at down-grading even those that do exist.

One of the these is the Call In, Overview and Scrutiny Committee the role of which is described thus on the Council's website:

Scrutiny is the mechanism by which the Executive is held publicly to account.  Together, the scrutiny and overview functions have the capacity to give non- Executive Members a significant opportunity to influence the proposals of the Executive and to probe into the impact of policy decisions on the Borough.  The Call In Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets as and when required to consider any matter “called in”, in accordance with Standing Orders and to make recommendations thereon.

Out of the last 12 committee meetings timetabled only  three have actually been held  Yesterday the committee met to discuss the Call In of the Executive's proposals to license leafleting in the borough.

Cllr Helga Gladbaum on her way into the meeting nonchalantly told demonstrators outside the Town Hall that she was going to vote for the Executive proposal  before she had heard any of the representations. Throughout the meeting she heckled other speakers shaking her head, laughing and say 'nonsense' when Cllr Alison Hopkins was asking if a campaign against incinerators, which was non-political, would be exempted from the regulations.  Gladbaum dismissed the Call In as a Lib Dem attempt to embarrass the Executive - which is of course a heinous crime when directed at as  fine a body of intelligent, diligent and august  men and women as you could find anywhere on the planet. They are as  we should all know by now,  always right. Clearly Cllr Helga Gladbaum believes there is no need to scrutinise their decisions at all and Scrutiny is just a waste of her time

But wait - wasn't this the first meeting of the new regime under the new caring leadership of Muhammed Butt, 'Brent with a human face', a leader who according to Muhammed's BNCTV interview wishes to:

....engage with our councillors, especially between the front bench and the back benchers - get them involved in the decision making process so everyone has an input and also I want to have more engagement with out residents and the electorate, listen to them rather than just sort of blindly defending our decisions.

Helga as a member of the old guard clearly hasn't got the message. Shafique Choudhary the new Chief Whip was in the public seats: perhaps he should have a word.

Mary Arnold: Consider the wider impact of academy conversion

Cllr Mary Arnold,  Lead Member for Children and Families, London Borough of Brent has made the following contribution to Queens Park Community School's debate about academy conversion:


Brent Council is committed to continue to work collaboratively and inclusively with its Family of Schools which is a ‘mixed economy’ of maintained community and foundation schools, including a range of faith schools together with four sponsor academies and more recently three ‘converter’ academies.

The government’s school reform legislation, the huge reduction in capital spending just at a time when population increases demand school expansion in Brent (and London-wide) and the diversion of funding away from local authorities towards academies is changing the education landscape and putting significant pressure on local authorities. Brent will continue to lobby the government on the following issues

 The central importance of local authorities in the strategic planning of school places and Special Educational Needs arrangements ,the regulation of fair admissions and the development of an authority wide school improvement strategy

 The vital role that elected members and local authority governors play in a locally accountable, democratic system

 The need for fair funding allocation for all schools which does not disadvantage maintained
schools in favour of academies and free schools

 The need for a realistic level of capital funding which will address the London-wide shortage
of school places

The government has created financial incentives for schools converting to Academy status.However conversion means the Local Authority’s budget is reduced through a topslice by the Department for Education and this inhibits its ability to deliver statutory requirements particularly impacting on vulnerable children.

In Brent we have much to be proud of and a strong record to maintain:

 education outcomes are continuing to improve at all key stages
 attainment at Key Stage 4 is in the top 25% of authorities nationally within the context of high levels of deprivation
 the gap in outcomes for under-achieving groups in Brent is closing
 permanent exclusions are reducing year on year

This represents fantastic work undertaken by individual schools. However, it isn’t the whole picture. What is special about Brent and has been a key feature of success is the co-operation across Brent’s education community – schools and the local authority – and the sense of collective responsibility.

It is vitally important to maintain high levels of collaboration across Brent’s education community and avoid the risks of fragmentation from academy conversions. The Local Authority continues to have key statutory duties and responsibilities across the whole system and needs to have the capacity to discharge its duties effectively, particularly in relation to the most vulnerable. This is brought into even sharper focus with increasing levels of poverty in Brent, higher unemployment and changes to the housing benefit system.

Brent Local Authority is not standing still but is developing new ways of working in the changing landscape. We know that many services provided by the Local Authority, particularly School Improvement Services, are highly valued. We also know that many schools recognise the importance of a shared moral purpose that transcends individual schools.

Therefore Brent has developed a comprehensive Traded Services offer for 2012/13 and is also developing with schools a partnership model for future delivery of School Improvement Services from 2013/14 onwards, with schools as leading partners. Over 100 governors attended the recent meetings and there was a very positive response to partnership working between schools and the Local Authority to secure the best outcomes for Brent’s children and young people.

In summary, in making decisions about your school, we would ask you to consider the wider impact on Brent’s education community and the importance of working together in the Brent Family of Schools for the benefit of all Brent students.

Queens Park parents voice concerns over academy conversion

Queens Park Community School is currently balloting on a possible conversion to a Cooperative Trust Academy. A group of parents have put  forward their views:

Message to All Parents and the QPCS community from Parents with deep misgivings about conversion to academy status:

14 May - 2012

Many parents, long term enthusiastic supporters of QPCS, are deeply concerned at the prospect of our school becoming an academy.

Our main concerns are:

o Academies are less democratic than the current arrangements, and rules regarding oversight of governance and finance are significantly less rigorous than for Local Authority schools.

o Academies are not required to follow national guidelines for Teachers’ pay and conditions. While we do not suggest conversion would impact teacher remuneration or conditions immediately, there are no guarantees that fair pay and conditions for teachers, who are the bedrock of QPCS, can be secured.

o Brent schools – including those within the Local Authority and those with academy or foundation status – currently work together with the Council to address borough-wide educational issues. There is no certainty this will persist long-term as academies develop independence, to the detriment of the school community.

o Conversion to an academy may put the current QPCS ethos at risk because it is impossible to guarantee that future management teams will maintain values of inclusion.

o Any financial gain to the school will be short term: we shall be averting a crisis now only to encounter one in a year or two

o There is no guarantee we will get the large sum stated at the meeting with parents. Recently, the Financial Times pointed out that the Department for Education has overpaid £120 million to some schools converting to academies and those schools now face a repayment crisis – the “bribe” has been overestimated and is not sustainable. What’s more, a recent Government consultation paper suggests that the cost of academies is already £600 million more than estimated. Consequently, there is now no guarantee that schools converting will receive any additional funding at all. If the money stops next year, QPCS will have cast itself adrift in a potentially dangerous situation.

We are trying to find another way through this crisis and will meet the leader of Brent Council, Ann John, this week. We will ask Brent to explain its future policies and funding, and whether it believes it can offer an effective alternative strategy to the academies. We are also taking a letter of opposition to the Department of Education on the morning of Friday 18 May, and have also asked the secretary of state, Michael Gove, to meet us.

QPCS been transformed by the efforts of the current and previous head teacher, with tremendous support from the teaching staff, the governors, pupils and parents. We are now concerned that our high-performing and immensely popular local school is being driven down this road just because our governing body feels it has no choice.

We are also concerned that many teachers feel bad about the situation, even though they may vote for conversion in the face of threatened redundancies. Brent has not been regarded as the best borough in providing services to education. But the pressure should be on provision of better services, not privatizing the schools in a world where the comprehensive ethos is thrown out of the window!

Save Our Libraries - lobby Executive on Monday

Defending Kensal Rise Library yesterday

Message from Save Kensal Rise Library:

Date: Monday 21st May. Meet outside Brent Town Hall at 6.15pm. Meeting starts at 7pm.
Brent’s Executive will consider a Progress Report on the implementation of the library closures. Please come to Monday’s meeting to support the campaign to get our libraries back. We will be outside Brent Town Hall at 6.15; the meeting starts at 7pm, and members of the public are welcome to attend.

We were engaged in a democratic process - not a conspiracy

Ruth Moher

Jim Moher

GUEST BLOG FROM COUNCILLOR RUTH MOHER AND COUNCILLOR JIM MOHER

Muhammed Butt

The majority Brent Labour Group on Brent Council have recently had  their annual  elections for Leader, Deputy Leader and Executive. As usual,  this involved a range of contests for different positions. This democratic  process resulted in some significant changes at the top, with Cllr Muhammed Butt replacing Cllr Ann John as Leader. 

Suitable tributes were paid to Cllr John for the long and sterling service which she has given to the Labour Party and Council, which we endorsed.


As long-serving activists in the Labour Party and as senior front bench councillors, we favoured the change and indeed Ruth stood for and was elected as Deputy Leader, without challenge. Jim was returned as
Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, again without challenge.

 In the circumstances, we entirely refute the gossip which  you retailed from a BNCTV item which was based on an anonymous and mischievous source. It implied that we may have been involved in a conspiracy to bring about the change of Leader, an innuendo which your headline circulated widely.


The truth is that we took an active and open part in a democratic process, that is all. As elected public representatives we take exception to such 'sour grapes' gossip being given credibility by your blog. This leak is only an attempt to deflect from the fact that a majority of Labour councillors thought it was time for a change.

Apology to Councillors Ruth and Jim Moher

Following correspondence with Cllr Jim Moher I am happy to apologise unreservedly for any suggestion that he and Ruth Moher were involved in a 'conspiracy' against Cllr Ann John. AGMs of any organisation are an occasion for elected positions to be open to challenge and part of that process is for members to assess the performance of the incumbents and consider alternatives. That inevitably means discussion amongst the members, formal and informal, and is part of the democratic process - not a conspiracy.

Kensal Rise campaigners hope for genuine dialogue with Butt

Great footage at Kensal Rise Library yesterday from BNCTV showing spirited campaigners on their mobiles to Muhammed Butt, the new leader of Brent Council.  One campaigners says she thinks Butt is genuinely interested in a dialogue about the library's future.

LINK TO VIDEO

Statement by BNCTV on Jim and Ruth Moher

BNCTV (North West London) has put out the following statement regarding their story 'Forward Together But Who Is Behind Ann John's Deposition' which was also carried on this website.

Councillor Jim Moher strongly denies any kind of involvement in the selection process for the Leader Brent Council. He is adamant that the information revealed by BNCTV NorthWest London in our article “Forward Together But Who Is Behind Ann John’s Deposition?”, 15/05/12, is not true. He also feels that it might be damaging to his reputation, which we think should not be regarded as such.

It is only fair to say that the information included in the article stating that “A source within Brent Council has told BNCTV that Councillors Jim and Ruth Moher could be the people who played major part in this selection process” should not be regarded as a valid point. Although playing part in a selection process might not be bad in itself, regardless of any conspiracy theories one might think about, we would not want Cllrs Jim and Ruth Moher feel bad about it.

We are more than happy to clarify this.

On several occasions, speaking with and interviewing both Jim and Ruth Moher, they always came across as nice and honest people and we strongly believe that.

The selection process for the Leader of Brent Council, as put by the new Council Leader, Cllr Muhammed Butt should only be regarded as “purely democratic” process.

Brent libraries hit the headlines again: links

There has been widespread press coverage of the Kensal Rise Library battle yesterday as well as Brent Council leadership changes. Here are some of the stories and links:

Tim Lott: Brent council models itself on 'Goodfellas'
The Independent
I spent most of yesterday standing outside my library in Kensal Rise, north-west London, trying both to stop Brent Council removing the books and to work out what Kafkaesque logic brought me here. Since the decision to close the library in 2010, ...LINK



Kensal Rise library campaigners gain another day
The Guardian
Shortly after midday on Wednesday, one of the local authority workers caught up in the often bitter hostilities between Brent council and those fighting to save Kensal Rise library took it upon themselves to lighten the
mood a little.LINK



Campaigners block council's efforts to remove books from Kensal Rise library
The Guardian
Around 50 campaigners have gathered outside Kensal Rise library in north-west London after Brent council workers began removing books from the closed library, which has become a key battleground in the fight over local authority cuts.LINK



Brent Council deny claims Kensal Rise library was stripped of books today to ...
Brent and Kilburn Times
Claims that attempts to strip an axed library branch of it books was carried out today to stop the new council leader from reversing the decision has been denied. Cllr Paul Lorber, leader of Brent's Lib Dems, has accused Cllr James Powney, ...LINK


Sports charity given 'run around' by Brent Council over disused Barham Park ... Harrow Times
A sports charity for young people claims Brent Council is "dragging its  feet" over a disused library building they hope to rent as their new centre. Track Academy, run by Brent resident Connie Henry, offers sports
activities to disadvantaged children, ...LINK



Protest success as council stops library clearance
Harrow Observer
The new leader of Brent Council Muhammed Butt found himself under pressure this morning when the protesters formed a human barrier to stop council staff loading up vans full of books and IT equipment. Campaigners were "delighted" to announce this ... LINK


Angry campaigners continue library protest
Harrow Observer
More than 50 people flocked to the facility this morning to witness a team of council staff start to strip the building, one of six libraries closed by Brent Council. Campaigners have tried to form a human barricade to put a halt to the clear out. LINK



New Brent leader is urged to reverse library closures
Evening Standard
Campaigners fighting to save Brent's libraries were today given fresh hope after the council's new leader promised a “fresh approach” to running the borough. Muhammed Butt has replaced Ann John as leader of an authority heavily criticised for shutting ... LINK


Kensal Rise campaigners barricade doors
The Bookseller
Library campaigners in Kensal Rise have barricaded the doors to prevent council staff from clearing the building of books today. Around 50 campaigners have gathered outside the Brent library and prevented eight council workers accompanied by Brent's ... LINK


Brent Labour Council Leader's final day in office marred by ... Councillor Ann John's final day in office as Council Leader has been marked by Brent Council removing books and computers from the historic Kensal Rise LINK
...


Brent Council Executive 2012 / 2013 « Cllr Krupesh Hirani
Following the Brent Council Annual General Meeting of 2012 tonight, the emerging Cabinet is as follows: ... Deputy Leader of Brent Council – Cllr Ruth Moher ... LINK


Campaigners block council's efforts to remove books from Kensal ... Around 50 campaigners have gathered outside Kensal Rise library in north-west London after ... LINK


Brent Labour must now work with campaigners - Teather (London ... Local Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather has welcomed reports that Labour-run Brent Council have temporarily put a halt to the ransacking of Kensal Rise library, but ...  LINK

Mohers deny role in John's ousting and threaten libel action

I received the following e-mail yesterday from Jim and Ruth Moher.

Dear Mr Francis,

16th May 2012

On Tuesday 15th May, you republished an item on your 'Wembley Matters' blog headed, 'BNCTV names the Mohers as possible conspirators behind John's ousting'.

This is a scurrious libel on us from an anonymous 'source' by BNCTV, which you have given much wider circulation to. It is extremely damaging to our reputation in the Brent Labour Group of councillors and Party and  Brent Council. It is completely untrue.

We demand an unreserved apology from you and equally prominant space to rebut it on your blog. We are also taking legal advice as to how best to proceed in law against BNCTV and you for compensation in  respect of this very serious libel.

yours sincerely,

Jim and Ruth Moher

Ruth Moher was confirmed as Deputy Leader of Brent Council at yesterday's Annual Meeting of the council and Jim Moher continues as an Executive member.

I responded to their e-mail thus:

Dear Jim and Ruth,

I am not sure if WM has a wider circulation than a TV channel. As my blog states I am happy to publish any comments etc and will be happy to a publish any guest blog that you wish to write setting out your position and also Tweet it so that it has the same circulation.  

As I understand normal proceedings in such cases that arrangement would mean no further legal action would be taken.

If you send me your statement in the body of an e-mail or as a word document it can be put up on my blog within minutes. I will be going out about 6.30pm so if you can get it to me before then it will be published before the AGM.

Regards,

Martin Francis

No statement for the blog arrived before I went out but I will post it as soon as it is received. I look forward to it with interest.

Barred by Democratic Services from entry to Brent Council meeting

I am sorry to disappoint readers who were expecting a blow by blow account of the Annual Council Meeting tonight. Brent  Democratic Services refused me admission despite the Agenda clearly stating 'The press and public are welcome to attend this meeting'.

I was told that I could only attend by invitation and the the meeting was mainly ceremonial.  I pointed out the wording on the agenda and that  Item 5 involved changes to the constitution which affected petitions.  I also wanted to observe the vote for the new leader. I was told there wouldn't be debate on the constitutional amendment  but  if space was found I might be let in.  However the Democratic Services Officer concerned never returned to the lobby and security were not letting anyone through.

The Council were clearly expecting trouble and I heard the Democratic Services Officerr briefing the police that disruption was expected over the the vote for the new leader. Half a dozen police and about the same number of PCSOs  were present as well as AA security.

I retired to the Torch with friends and enjoyed a pint of delicious Doom Bar bitter from Cornwall which was probably more pleasurable.

On the way home I bumped into Cllr Michael Pavey, my opponent in the Barnhill by-election, who admitted that being barred by Democratic Services from watching democracy in action was 'a bit ironic'.

He told me that everything had gone through smoothly except for a spat about political representation on Brent Housing Partnership.

No a new dawn for democracy in Brent...

Kensal Rise emptying stopped after protests

Outside Kensal Rise Library earlier today

The local press are now reporting that after protesters tried to prevent council officers removing books and equipment from Kensal Rise, and after telephone conversations with Brent Council leader-elect Muhammed Butt, that the emptying has been stopped.

Further information:

KILBURN TIMES


WEMBLEY AND WILLESDEN OBSERVER

Butt: Libraries 'not an issue' in leadership change

In an interview with Michael R Goss of BNCTV LINK incoming Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt  says that the library closure controversy was 'not an issue' in the leadership change which saw him ousting Ann John.  He said the change was 'democracy in action'.

He defended the Civic Centre project and the Willesden Green regeneration and said that the library closure programme was forced on the Council by the Coalition's funding cuts. The interview was conducted yesterday before the Council emptied the Kensal Rise Library. He said that  no action can be taken on Kensal Rise until the outcome of the reverter to All Souls but that once in office he will respond the various e-mail from campaign groups.

In a key passage outlining how he would be different to Ann John he said:

What I want to do is take stock of what we're doing at the moment and see what we need to do taking into consideration the budget we've just implemented.  The we need to engage with our councillors, especially between the front bench and the back benchers - get them involved in the decision making process so everyone has an input and also I want to have more engagement with out residents and the electorate, listen to them rather than just sort of blindly defending our decisions.

I want to be able to go out to them, reach out to them, explain to them as to why we've taken the decisions we have.

Asked if this was an issue in the library controversy he said:

We should have got our messages a bit more clearer and that's why I'm saying we want to engage with people. I think our communication with the library campaigns, the electorate and perhaps within the Council, could have been a lot clearer and we could have explained things in simple terms, easier terms and expressed the enormity of the £32m cuts we had to make.

Muhammed Butt said that the resignation of the Labour Chief Whip was just a matter of taking advantage of the AGM. He expressed confidence in Cllr Shafique Choudhary, the new whip, and said he was confident that the Labour Group would get behind his leadership despite the close 21 to 19 vote.

Butt says he was not aware of Kensal Rise empyting plans but declines to visit scene

The Kilburn Times reports on today's events HERE

They quote Butt as saying:

I am in the process of trying to ascertain exactly what is going on but I am not the leader of the council yet and don’t become the leader until tomorrow so I need to work to find out why this is happening.

I will however be willing to speak to the campaigners in the future about possibly moving forward with All Soul’s and the best way to progress with this.

Ann John's last day in office - Kensal Rise Library ransacked

From Brent Liberal Democrats LINK

Councillor Ann John’s final day in office as Council Leader has been marked by Brent Council attempting to remove books and computers from the historic Kensal Rise library, so that the council can get ride of the building.

Liberal Democrat council group leader Paul Lorber, who joined protesters outside the ransacked library, said:

This is a kick in the teeth for local residents, who have demonstrated their opposition to Labour’s library closure plan at every opportunity.
It would have been appropriate to pause the process until library campaigners had a chance to meet the new council leader, Muhammed Butt. Inevitably this will lead to speculation that Ann John and libraries portfolio holder James Powney wanted to empty the library and get rid of the building quickly to make any change in policy as difficult as possible.

Despite explicit assurances from All Souls College that it was open to the idea of members of the community providing library services at Kensal Rise library, Labour councillors have up to now been determined to see the end of book borrowing at Kensal Rise and rejected the well thought out bid from local residents to run the library at no cost to the council. Because of restrictions imposed when the land was donated, the building valued at £772,034 will transfer to All Souls College for free.

Sarah Teather, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, has expressed her disappointment at Brent Council’s decision to clear Kensal Rise Library building of books and IT equipment today.
Commenting, Ms Teather said:

This is another sad day for Brent’s libraries. Campaigners have tried to work with officials to keep Kensal Rise library open, but have been ignored at every turn.
Labour leaders need to remember who they are supposed to be working for.  They must stop removing books immediately and talk to campaigners and local residents before it’s too late.
Councillor Butt has to get a grip of this matter if he wants to show that he can make a difference as Leader of the Council.

Kensal Rise library was erected on land provided by All Souls College Oxford using funds contributed by Willesden Urban District Council taxpayers, a donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and public donations. The terms of the land transfer meant that the land could be used to provide libraries for ever for the benefit of local people.

Full report into allegations against Ann John published

The report of the investigation into allegations that Ann John illegally intervened in a planning application, which exonerated her has now been published and is available below.

Apart from the findings the report gives insight into the relationships within the Labour group, concern over the the way the Planning Committee operates and the conduct of the chair, and includes walk-on parts from Navin Shah AM and Barry Gardiner MP. (Read from para 4.40)

It is possible to conclude that although she was cleared of wrong-doing the report's contents did not help Ann John in her bid to retain the leadership of Brent Council.

Save Central Middlesex (Park Royal) Hospital

GUEST BLOG

The public 'consultation' on the NW London NHS Strategy 'Shaping A Healthier Future' held in Brent at the Pattidar Centre, Wembley tonight ( 15 May) descended into chaos  as NHS bureaucrats led by Anne Rainsberry, NHS NW LONDON Chief Executive, desperately fought to prevent debate by patients hostile to the closure proposal for Central Middlesex Hospital.

The official programme of three hours of 'NHS talking heads' was forced to a vote to enable an open debate - however despite all 80  patients and patient representatives present supporting a demand from Brent NHS Patients Campaign  to hold an open debate a small majority of highly -paid NHS bureaucrats, a few Tory supporting doctors and paid NHS hirelings voted to continue with three hours of meaningless platform presentations.

Graham Durham,newly elected Secretary of Brent NHS Patients Campaign,said 

' The NHS is notorious for ignoring patient views and holding events which prevent open debate. This was the worst example yet with NHS bureaucrats earning over £200,000 a year desperately whipping NHS staff to vote to  prevent open debate on the controversial proposals to close Central Middlesex hospital and deny NHS patients their  opportunity to voice their opposition.

Whilst some of the ideas in Shaping ..are based on sound principles of locally available services they are to be achieved only by decimation of hospital services  across NW London.The preferred option of Tory GP Mark Spencer,Medical Director for NW London, was announced as the run down of Ealing, Charing Cross and Central Middlesex Hospitals.

The fight to save these hospitals starts now ..Brent NHS Patients Campaign is supporting the public meeting at Harlesden Methodist Church on 13 June (7.30pm) called by campaigners across NW London to prevent the destruction of these hospitals.

We invite all NHS staff opposed to this butchery of services in the poorest areas of NW London to join this campaign'

BRENT NHS PATIENTS CAMPAIGN 

Tel 07866 616492

BNCTV names the Mohers as possible conspirators behind John's ousting

BNCTV has published the following article speculating on the reasons behind Ann John's demise: LINK

Although Ann John has been losing on popularity greatly in recent times, this change has taken most people by surprise. A source within Brent Council has told BNCTV that Councillors Jim and Ruth Moher could be the people who played major part in this selection process. Is it a conspiracy theory? That is what people are now beginning to talk about. 

Ann John is a person respected by many, equally, a lot of people have been showing contempt towards Brent Council following their experiences dealing with its former Leader. Cllr John has received a huge amount of criticism regarding her handling of the process closing 6 of Brent’s 12 libraries and following that, she has not been seen as a constructive ‘player’ who would win votes for the Labour Party at the next elections in Brent.

Things were not looking good for Ann John after a complaint made by Councillor Paul Lorber and his request to investigate Cllr John and her ‘alleged interference with the planning process by seeking to influence a planning decision.’ This information was picked up in an e-mail sent by Labour Councillor Dhiraj Kataria to Councillor John and others. Although Ann John has been ‘fully exonerated’, many see it as a blemish on her reputation.

One of Labour Councillors in Brent has told BNCTV that he particularly did not like the process she [Cllr John] has been following in regards to the consultations with Willesden Green Library campaigners and her adamant stance to carry out the development of the new Cultural Centre as planned, and that is including the demolition of the Old Willesden Library.

So why would Councillors Jim and Ruth Moher be involved in this process? They simply could not see Labour Losing at the next elections. Ann John ‘has accumulated too much negativity’ around her handling of the issues and it would lead to Labour being ‘torn to pieces’ as put by our source who wished to remain anonymous.

By John Dempsey

Same old faces in the new Brent Executive

The new Council Executive are the same old faces with minor changes as a result of the defeat of Ann John. A fresh and dynamic approach looks highly unlikely given that there is only one newcomer - Cllr Krupesh Hirani:

Lead Member for Corporate Strategy & Policy Co-ordination – Cllr Muhammed Butt (prev Ann John)

Lead Member for Resources – Cllr Ruth Moher (prev Muhammed Butt)

Lead Member for Crime Prevention & Public Safety – Cllr Lincoln Beswick - unchanged

Lead Member for Children & Families – Cllr Mary Arnold - unchanged

Lead Member for Adults, Health & Social Care – Cllr Krupesh Hirani   (prev Ruth Moher)

Lead Member for Environment & Neighbourhoods – Cllr James Powney - unchanged

Lead Member for Highways & Transportation – Cllr Jim Moher - unchanged

Lead Member for Housing – Cllr Janice Long - unchanged

Lead Member for Customers & Citzens – Cllr Lesley Jones - unchanged

Lead Member for Regeneration & Major Projects – Cllr George Crane - unchanged

Cllr Pat Harrison will be Chair of the Labour Group and Chief Whip Barnhill councillor Shafique Choudhary.

The new Mayor will be Cllr Michael Adeyeye and his deputy will be Cllr Bobby Thomas.

Wanted - a Green leader who combines electoral and campaigning politics

Caroline Lucas has announced that she will stand down as leader of the Green Party in September but will of course continue as the only Green MP, and a very effective one at that.

This could be a positive move for the political health of the Green Party, distributing leadership and drawing on the talent of the wider membership. but has the danger of the new leader being overshadowed by our MP. Certainly the demands of being an MP with the normal constituency case work load, the sole representative of the Greens in the Commons and the Leader are great and it is characteristic of Caroline's cool assessment skills that she has recognised that.

The demise of the Liberal Democrats, the knee-jerk resurgence of the Labour Party based on very little in policy terms, and the deepening economic and environmental crisis, demand long-term strategic thinking alongside grassroots activism.  Bringing these together will be a major task for the new leader/s (co-leaders are possible in the Green Party and a positive possibility).

A leader outside the House of Commons will recognise that Greens combine electoral and campaigning politics.

Incidentally, Jenny Jones, on Twitter has said she will not be a candidate for the leadership.

Caroline's statement

In September 2012, Caroline Lucas MP will reach the end of her second term as national Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and has announced today that she will not be seeking re-election for another two-year term, in order to broaden opportunities for the range of talent in the Party and to raise the profiles of others aspiring to election.

Caroline Lucas said: "I'm hugely honoured to have served as the first Leader of the Green Party and I'm proud that during the four years of my term, we've moved Green politics forward to a higher level, with the Party by far the most influential it has ever been. We've seen significant breakthroughs in winning our first seat at Westminster and gaining our first ever local council in Brighton and Hove. These were followed by further breakthroughs onto new Councils in the recent local elections, which were among the most successful we've ever had, as well as establishing ourselves as the third party, ahead of the LibDems, in the elections for London Mayor.

"I look forward to continuing to do all I can in my very demanding role as the MP for Brighton Pavilion, representing my constituents and defending them against the Coalition Government's disastrous economic policies and its refusal to accept its environmental and social responsibilities. I will also be able to dedicate even more of my work to the political frontline, putting the Green case for change in Parliament and in all circles of national political debate."

Cllr Darren Johnson, London Assembly Member, said: "Caroline has made a huge impact in her time as Green Party Leader and has helped shift Green politics from the margins to the mainstream of British political life. She will be an extremely hard act to follow but this is an ideal time to allow new talent to come forward."

Jenny Jones, London Assembly Member and recent Green Mayoral Candidate said:
"The Green Party has made some massive breakthroughs in the past two years, since having Caroline as our Leader, in Parliament, in Brighton and most recently in London, where we are now the third party behind the Conservatives and Labour. Caroline's decision not to seek re-election at this point is entirely in keeping with Green principles: it's a strong move, allowing other talented people to come through and to take the Green Party even further forward. She has set a superb example of how to lead. Whoever is elected in her place has a tough act to follow."

Nominations for leadership candidates are now open within the Party and will close towards the end of June. The new Leader (or Co-leaders) will take up the two year post in early September. No nominations have yet been received.

Caroline Lucas added: "We're lucky to have a wealth of capability and experience in our Party. Now feels like the right time to step aside, to allow more of that ability to come forward and help the party to grow. I offer my very best wishes to the next Leader, whoever they may be."

Read what Jim Jepps has to say HERE

What did for Ann John?

From the Save Preston Library 'Wall of Shame'

As the dust settles on the Brent Council leadership changes it is worth reflecting on the reasons behind the ousting of Ann John and what it means for the future.

The libraries issue, both the closures and the redevelopment of the Willesden Green Centre, has been the most contentious aspect of Council policy. The presentation as 'transformation' rather than closure; the labelling of opponents as self-interested, unrepresentative and middle class; the ignoring of petitions; the suggestion that cheap books were readily available at Tesco; all riled local citizens and the energetic and resourceful campaigners kept the issue in the local press and crucially on the national media agenda.

Nationally, Brent Labour's library policy became an embarrassment for the Labour leadership. Brent's policy was at odds with Ed Miliband's public opposition to library closures and shadow culture minister, Dan Jarvis's championing of the public library service. Ken Livingstone, Barry Gardiner MP and Navin Shah were all local Labour politicians who distanced themselves from Brent Council's policy.

Privately back-bench Labour councillors spoke about their opposition to the closures but confessed themselves powerless and some Executive members had reservations but were bound by collective responsibility not to oppose openly.

So a combination of a personal and presentational style that alienated the public and a political control that brooked no internal opposition, backed by a close personal and political alliance with Gareth Daniel the Chief Executive that insisted there was no alternative, all contributed to Ann John's demise. Of course the libraries issue was not the only one that divided the local party. The possibility of the council entering into a partnership to open a free school in the borough and acquiescence in academy conversions reveals a similar pattern with the leadership-officer combo arguing that 'there is no alternative' being opposed by some Labour party members on political grounds.

The problem with Muhammed Butt's succession is that he has been closely identified with Ann John as her deputy leader and, although his personal style may be more open and friendly and his presentation of policy less aggressive, his actual policies may be little different. He is likely to have a more collegiate relationship with his colleagues but a lot will depend on the experience, strength and stance of the new Executive. Will they be more independent of officers and more open to debate and persuasion?

Perhaps most importantly is the question of the administration's attitude to cuts in local services. There have been differences of emphasis about the impact with the Labour Council at first arguing that their cuts had been made in such a clever way that they would not harm residents but latterly pointing to the massive cuts in local government funding, combined with central government cuts and welfare reform, that would seriously damage the quality of life of many local people.

Muhammed Butt's views on the cuts are best accessed by reading his budget speech which is available on his blog HERE

In his leadership acceptance speech Butt said that building unity across the borough would strengthen its capacity to take on the fight against Coalition cuts. The political question is about the nature of that fight. With the Labour Party enjoying some success at the polls and the Coalition increasingly unpopular, will Brent Labour be pushing for a mass campaign against the cuts and be prepared to refuse to implement them when the damage to local people is intolerable?. Will that stance be backed by Labour nationally?

I would like to be proved wrong but  am afraid that the answer to both questions is 'No'.

We may see more efforts at dialogue with residents, mollification rather than vilification of campaigners and some minor concessions perhaps on volunteer run libraries, but little change in the overall direction of council policies.

Butt: Borough unity will make fightback against government more effective

Cllr James Denselow has not waited for the niceties of confirmation by the Full Council to proclaim Muhammed Butt the new leader of Brent Council. LINK  He quotes the following acceptance speech by Butt:

It is an honour to be elected to this position. I would like to pass my deepest thanks to my predecessor Cllr. Ann John and look forward to her continuing to be deeply involved in the Borough that I know she has loved and served for many years.

These are the toughest financial times in the history of Brent. I want to develop a new approach to the relationship between Councillors and Officers, between front and back benchers and between the Labour Party and our residents. I believe that the more united we are as a Borough the more effective our fight back against this government will be.

I stand for responsibility, fairness and the values of equality that underpin the Labour party and I look forward to beginning the hard work for Brent residents in my new role.

Cllr James Powney, architect of the library closures, survived a challenge for his Executive position from Cllr Claudia Hector according to my sources.

Work on Chalkhill Park to start on Monday?

The site of the new park

 Cllr Shafique Choudhary reports on his Barnhill New Dawn blog that work is to start on the Chalkhill Park on Monday to be completed by mid-November.


I can hardly believe it after all the delays and there are many doubters on the estate who are still convinced the site is earmarked for housing,

I look forward to seeing rapid progress and hope that the giant rats rumoured to have made their homes there don't hold things up.

Chalkhill Primary School pupils will be jubilant when they see work has started

Muhammed Butt ousts Ann John as Brent Council leader candidate

Well informed sources tell me that following a challenge to Ann John's leadership that her deputy, Muhammed Butt, will be put forward as leader of Brent Council at next week's Annual Council Meeting.

The Labour Group voted for Butt by 21 votes to 19 and their decision has to be confirmed by Full Council. It is a very narrow margin...

Muhammed is currently lead member for resources and is councillor for Tokyngton ward.

The way cuts, and particularly library closures, have been handled by Ann John, appear to have been the motivating factor in the challenge. At the meeting Butt said he wanted to mend relations with the local community.

The leadership change, if confirmed,  is likely to lead to other changes in the Brent Executive at Wednesday's meeting.

Schools in crisis - assurances needed from Children and Families

There's lots happening regarding schools in Brent at the moment so it is a bit of a surprise to see that no report from the Children and Families department has been tabled for the Executive Meeting on May 21st LINK

Brent Council was featured in the Times Education Supplement on May 4th LINK in an article entitled 'Financial scandal continues to plague Brent Council'. This was followed up a front page story in the Brent and Kilburn Times this week.

The TES links four stories of financial mismanagement commencing with the Copland High School allegations of unlawful bonuses which has resulted in the arrest and bailing of seven staff and a governor , the sacking of the head of Furness Primary for 'serious mismanagement' and the suspension of the head of Kensal Primary for 'alleged breaches of financial regulation'. They are joined by Malorees Junior School this week where it is claimed that the school spends 101% of its budget on staffing compared with the 80-85% of most schools and is heading for a deficit of £0.25m within the next two years.

The TES states:

The school's chair of governors, Brent councillor Patricia Harrison, resigned in April after parents called for her departure and accused her of incompetence. One letter from a parent said the governors at Malorees Junior had "spectacularly failed the children in this school, their families and can only have left the teaching and support staff feeling vulnerable, professionally bruised and demoralised".

Presumably the Children and Families Department is undertaking some kind of investigation which will establish the facts of the matter. It should also ask why Brent Council's monitoring and auditing processes, despite the Copland case now being three years old, still seem to fail  to unearth such problems and deal with them quickly. It appears that the Malorees staff will suffer the consequences with teachers being reduced from 16 to 12 and others losing their allowances. Councillors surely need to know how the quality  educational provision will be maintained in this situation.

Another matter deserving of  discussion is the possible academy conversion of four more Brent high schools and the teaching unions' threat of strike action to secure secret ballots of staff and parents over the issue. The financial consequences to the overall education budget of such a move is a matter of great concern, particularly as the Council has warned schools about the flat budget settlements to be expected over the next three years. The possibility of Brent Council forming a partnership with a free school provider to create a new school in Brent should also be reported on.

Diminishing school budgets and the withdrawal of the authority from provision of all but core educational services have put also put the future of the borough's School Improvement Service in the balance. It is quite likely that the Service will not exist in its present form by April 2013.  This will impact on monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. Schools in danger of failing may not in future be quickly identified and remedial action taken.

It would be disastrous if cuts in experienced staff that have already hit the financial management section of Children and Families and may have contributed to the situation of Malorees and other schools, are compounded by cuts that will reduce the school improvement expertise that has raised standards across Brent.

There has rightly been a sharp focus on the provision of additional school places to cater for the increase in the borough's pupil population and this has been led by the Major Projects and Regeneration Department. Children and Families need to be assuring councillors and the public that the urgent and serious  issues outlined above are under control and  receiving the attention they deserve.

Shapps warns Brent Council over extended B&B stays

Coalition policies having exacerbated the housing crisis, the Housing Minister has now lambasted local councils, including Brent, on the way they are dealing with the consequences.  The following item is from the Inside Housing website LINK

The housing minister has warned 20 councils to improve the way they deal with homeless people. Grant Shapps wrote to the local authorities in England on 23 April after becoming worried about the amount of time they were leaving families languishing in bed and breakfast accommodation. The minister is concerned councils are breaching rules barring them from placing families in B and Bs for more than six weeks.

Hammersmith & Fulham, Bromley, Westminster, Brent and Wandsworth councils in London, as well as Cornwall Council are among those singled out.

Mr Shapps wrote: ‘While this government has removed targets… this does not mean I am relaxed about local authorities placing families in B and B for extended periods.’

He urged councils to ‘prioritise this issue’ and offered the help of his officials to reduce B and B use. ‘I am writing to you privately about this at this time, but we will be monitoring the statistics closely,’ he warned.

Nigel Minto, head of housing at London Councils, said the government’s welfare reforms, including caps to local housing allowance, have led to a reduction in affordable available private rented stock.

Communities and Local Government department figures released in March show a 37 per cent increase in B and B placements from 2,310 households in the last quarter of 2010 to 3,170 in the same period last year.

A spokesperson for Bromley Council said the authority is experiencing a significant increase in households placed in temporary accommodation.

‘This is due to a number of factors, including a very competitive private rented sector furthering the gap between housing benefit levels and market rents, fewer households able to become owner-occupiers and the impact on households of the present economic situation,’ she said.

Under the Labour government’s Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) Order 2003, councils must not place families in B and Bs for more than six weeks and must only place families with children in B and Bs when there is no alternative.

Mr Shapps told Inside Housing that breaching the six-week barrier is ‘clearly against rules and regulations that have been in force for nearly a  decade’. Councils that fail to follow the 2003 order can be subjected to a judicial review.
 
Campbell Robb, chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, said: ‘This is yet another indication of our fraying housing safety net, which is struggling to catch all those who are now in need of it.’

Brent faces 'difficult decisions' on Council Tax support

Brent Council will be consulting in June on the level of Council Tax payment for those on benefits. It is likely that many families and individuals will have to pay more.

From the Brent Council website:

The Government is abolishing the Council Tax Benefit scheme and is asking councils to replace it with their own locally run service called Council Tax Support. To ensure we have a scheme that suits our borough Brent is consulting with residents on its proposals. 

As well as having to create a local scheme that is suitable for Brent, the council will also have to work within a budget that has been reduced by ten per cent.  Early estimates suggest this represents an initial reduction of at least £3.5 million, but this gap will increase if the number of people claiming benefit goes up, which already appears to be the trend.  

This shortage in funding means we have to make some difficult decisions about who gets financial support and how much.  

To create a system that is as fair as possible and in line with the needs of the community, Brent Council is putting together proposals for a new system and is consulting with residents to see how you feel this would work in our borough.

• Why is the Council Tax Benefit scheme being abolished?
• What the changes mean
• What happens next? 

Why is the Council Tax Benefit scheme being abolished?

The benefit system is facing a radical over-haul which was kick started back in 2011 with changes to Housing Benefit For the most part reform has meant the amount of money available to councils has been reduced.

At the same time, the Government has introduced the Localism Bill, much of this bill involves the government handing over control of budgets and decision making powers to local councils. One of the many benefits to be affected by these changes is the national Council Tax Benefit scheme which will be replaced by local Council Tax Support in April 2013.

What the changes mean

• Every single council will have their own local Council Tax Support scheme, with its own eligibility criteria.
• Next year Brent will have ten per cent less money for Council Tax Support than it currently spends on Council Tax Benefit.  It will also have to manage what it spends on helping people within this budget, even if more people start to claim benefit.
• The government has specified that certain groups such as pensioners will be  protected and should see no changes to their entitlement - however, it's up to each council to consider whether to protect other groups - and how to fund any extra protections.
• The government wants councils to incentivise people to find work, by making the system support them better when they move into work.

• Brent has to decide whether to change the current rules for claiming Council Tax Benefit in order to operate the new scheme at a lower cost. However, if a council decides to keep the current scheme and continues to assess people as the government does now, then it will have to make cuts to other services in order to make up the reduction in funding.

What happens next?

Consultation starts in June and ends in early August.  A decision - taking account of your feedback for a localised version of the scheme - will be made later in the year.