Shell of Shame replaces Wall of Shame

The library foyer

Brent Council this morning removed the hoarding, known locally as the Wall of Shame, from around Preston Library. Although the Wall has now physically gone, the messages emblazoned by the local community, remain on various websites include this one.

The removal has revealed the empty shell of a once vibrant and welcoming building which was at the heart of the local community.  The haste of the removal of books is evident from the mess left behind and furniture remains. My pictures were taken in the wind and rain this morning but are a poignant reminder of Brent Council's vandalism.

Cash Flow Men

'Animated' cultural cente for Willesden Green?

The Agenda for the January 16th meeting of the Brent Executive should be available next weekend and should include the report on the proposed Willesden Green Library redevelopment.

Meanwhile you may be entertained by the Council's Vision Statement for the Willesden Green Cultural Centre HERE.

Note that the word 'Library' is missing from the title and indeed the statement, written in June 2011, makes it clear that the new building is NOT just about 'warehousing books'.

This extract sounds like something from Pseuds Corner in Private Eye:

The new cultural centre will be an animated building that celebrates and expresses local culture and community – a space of congregation and creativity. In its design and services it will reflect and support a diverse and transient population, prioritising what local people value, and facilitating a variety of activity, both serious and fun, traditional and exploratory.

It's enough to make library campaigners pretty animated!

What happens when academies fail?

A spirited anti-academy campaign. More in 2012?

A repeated theme of my postings on academies on this blog has been the lack of democratic accountability. Although he leaves out the 'democratic' bit Sir Michael Wilshaw the incoming Ofsted  Chief Inspector  recognised the problem of accountability over the holiday, acknowledging that some of the increasing number of academies are likely to fail. LINK

His solution however seemed to indicate a new layer of supervision which would expand Ofsted's role and run in parallel with the existing local authority system. This duplication (and expense at a time of retrenchment) would be unnecessary if all schools remained within the local authority system - and of course we don't vote for Ofsted but we do vote for local Councils. Wilshaw however proposes that his 'Commissioners' would report directly to the Secretary of State - centralising power further,

There is an interesting piece on this on Brian Lightman's blog LINK   Lightman is General Secretary of the ACSL (Association of School and College Leaders). He describes Wilshaw's proposal as:

....effectively an devastating critique  of government policy, based on the premise that the move  an autonomous system of academies without local accountability has massively increased the risk of school failure?

He describes how much education policy is made up on the hoof and based on policy makers' personal experience. He suggest that the Crown should appoint a Chief Education Officer, along the same lines as the Chief Medical officer whose role:

...as a leading expert with the highest levels of specialist knowledge and experience would be to evaluate proposed and existing government policies with complete independence. In such a context  a proposal of this kind be would substantiated by a robust, credible and above all independent evaluation of its merits before a Chief Inspector announced it on the front page of a national newspaper.

After 36 years in primary schools I am certainly truly fed up with the way education policy seems to change on a whim with little research to back up proposals, but am not sure that a CEO is the answer.

Meanwhile there have been some responses to my question about Coop academies on the Anti Academies Alliance website HERE

Brent Parks Review in progress

Fryent Country Park last winter

Cllr James Powney, lead member for Environment,  has now replied to my request asking if rumours of Brent Council proposals for privatisation or part-privatisation of Brent Parks Service are true:

Ground maintenance, including parks, is subject to a review which has yet to report.  The results of the review are likely to be published in the first part of next year.

We will know more when the report is published but it is likely given the Council's budgetary situation that all possible options are being considered at the review stage, which may have given rise to the rumours. I will be watching developments closely and will report any new information here.

Lib Dems select Brent and Harrow GLA candidate

The Liberal Democrats have selected a young business woman and former vice-chairman of Liberal Youth as their candidate for the 2012 GLA Elections in Brent and Harrow. Charlotte Henry joins Sachin Rajput (Conservative) a barrister and former martial arts instructor and Shahrar Ali (Green Party) philosophy lecturer and community activist in challenging the Labour incumbent Navin Shah. More minority party candidates are likely to stand.

The election will take place on May 3rd 2012

The 2008 Result was as follows:

ALI, Shahrar, Green Party 10,129 6.54%
ALLIE, James Liberal Democrats 19,299 12.46%
BLACKMAN, Bob Conservative Party 56,067 36.21%
MCManus,Pat The Left List 2,287 1.48%
SHAH, Navin The Labour Party Candidate 57,716 37.27%
SHERMAN, Zena Christian Peoples Alliance and Christian Party 4,180 2.70%
TAILOR,Arvind English Democrats “Matt O’Connor for Mayor! 2,150 1.39%
WEBB, Sunita UK Independence Party 3,021 1.95%

Video of yesterday's Preston Library seizure

Campaigners protest as Brent Council removes resources from Preston Library

Preston Library campaigners expressed disappointment this morning after Brent Council's  removal of books and other resources from the library yesterday. However they insisted that the situation was not irretrievable and they would press on with both the legal process and the mass appeal to the Culture Secretary for a public inquiry into the closure of half the borough's libraries. The latter appeal has been backed by Sarah Teather MP (Brent Central) in a letter to Jeremy Hunt.

Kensal Rise campaigners 'on watch' after emptying of Preston Library

From the Bookseller website LINK

Library campaigners on watch outside Brent's Preston Library cried "Shame on you" as books and computers were cleared from the building by council workers today (29th December), with police in attendance.

Vans arrived at 9.30am to begin clearing the library of its contents. Local campaigners had been on intermittent vigil outside the library building over the Christmas holiday, with a Christmas tree on display decorated with children's book characters.

"We campaigners are still standing here with our signs, which say, 'Children need to read,' and 'Save our libraries,'" said local campaigner and literary agent Geraldine Cooke, today. "We don't think any library should be closed."

Fellow campaigner Samantha Warrington told the Harrow Observer: "We have put an application in to the Supreme Court so while that is happening Brent should not be taking any further action to decommission the libraries. We are trying to obstruct the way but the police are moving us. I feel that Brent Council is showing contempt to the legal process and the community who have shown how much they need their local library by doing this."

Protesters are "on watch" today outside Kensal Rise Library, now the last remaining closed Brent library, which still has its books in place.

Brent council had undertaken not to clear the libraries, or board them up further, until after judgment was given in the Court of Appeal about the lawfulness of the closures. Judgment was given in the council's favour shortly before Christmas. Lawyers acting for the campaigners have now approached the Supreme Court for leave to bring a last appeal against the closures.