Taking action on the housing crisis

Following the November housing crisis meeting at the Town Hall which was organised by Barry Gardiner MP for North Brent, Jacky Peacock has circulated the following notes on behalf of the Tenants Steering Group:
Comments and additional ideas on how to take things forward for private tenants are welcomed:

email jacky.peacock@bptrg.org

WEBSITE: www.bptrg.org

 

HOUSING CONDITIONS IN THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR

FOLLOW UP ON MEETING AT BRENT TOWN HALL ON 20 NOVEMBER

What is wrong	What should we do about it?
RENTS Rents are increasing by 5.7% annually -> due to increasing demand in renting properties (fewer people can afford to buy their own) Excessive rents are pushing poorer individuals out from the capital On average, the rent for a two-bedroom apartment in London costs 1,600 pounds -> 2.5 times more than in the rest of the UK As a result, poorer people will be squeezed out from the private market People spend so much money on rent that they will not be able to afford to buy their own property in many years in the future Average salary in Brent is 22,000 pounds/year which means that due to the Housing Benefit Cuts, many people will not be able to afford housing in Brent anymore Young people can’t afford to leave the parental home	It is legally possible to challenge unreasonable rent increases If people could not afford to live in Brent, they should move out Rent control - we should not focus on controlling the initial rent, but rather on controlling rent increases
HOUSING BENEFIT CUTS As a consequence, thousands of people will not be able to afford to pay for the rent Tenants receiving housing benefit comprise about a half of all the tenants living in Brent
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS Over a third of private rented homes fall below the Decent Homes Standard Many homes are very energy inefficient There is a positive relationship between health and adequate living standards  Tenants suffer from “fuel poverty” -> individuals would rather go to bed to keep themselves warm than pay for the gas because they cannot afford it	Energy poverty needs to be eradicated Energy bill will stop landlord letting the most energy inefficient homes but not until 2018. We could be campaigning for Government to highlight need for landlords to start improving properties now.
MANAGEMENT Many private tenants face harassment by their landlord and illegal evictions are common Letting agents rip off private tenants	Implement the Landlord Accreditation Scheme Campaign to expose bad practises.
GENERAL This is the worst housing crisis during the last 80 years There is no more social housing available in Brent 350,000 individuals have been placed on the Council’s waiting list for social housing Brent Council found private lets for 548 families last year The landlord/tenant relationship is weighted heavily in favour of landlords Why does the private rented sector remain unregulated? The local authority should have more power over the housing situation Councillors do not have answers to all the questions Housing crisis has a negative impact on the education of young people Brent is focusing its cuts on middle management and will be merging Housing Resource Centre (dealing with homelessness) and Housing Solutions (advice and rehousing into private renting)  Private Housing Services  (deals with enforcement of physical standards) hasn’t been reviewed yet.	The issue of empty houses in Brent -> they could be converted into usable houses Brent is committed to developing a CPO policy with teeth Why does not the Council have hostels in Brent?  Good quality hostels for young people used to be appreciated.  They were affordable and provided social life for those who had recently left parental home. Landlords would listen to the tenants if many people organized themselves into a larger group Housing & economic growth -  create more jobs in the construction sector How do we build a consensus on the need for better standards?  Access to a decent home is a basic human right. Petitions may help to get heard Letters from bishops get published – can’t we get them on side? If we all used the social media effectively on this issue we could build a groundswell of opinion – should we organize a workshop to learn how this is done? How can we influence decision on the Council’s services?  How could enforcement be made more effective?  Selective Licensing? We need more events like this one Can we use the Mayoral election next year to be raising profile of conditions in private renting? Politicians don’t give enough priority to private rented sector because most private tenants aren’t registered.  Should we mount campaign to increase registration? Labour Party is in listening mode as it develops its housing policies – how can we take advantage of that? We need to coalesce with other campaign groups like the National Private Tenants Organisation, Housing Voice, Pro-Housing Alliance, anti-cuts campaigns.

Willesden Green redevelopment - what do you think?

Willesden Old Library - scheduled for demolition

 Following my posting on the proposed Willesden Green redevelopment several people have asked me what the new building will look like and what type of housing is proposed.  The answer is that we don't know as Brent Council has 'cascaded' these matters to the developer Galliford Try. The very tight timetable that envisages work starting in September has the planning application down for April 2012 and consultation obviously has to take place before then.

People have also asked what the Cultural Centre will contain. Again there is little detail but the Equality Impact Assessment LINK states:

At a minimum the new cultural centre will incorporate a library, extensive study space, IT provision, customer contact centre, museum, archive, archive store, entrance foyer, three creative cluster spaces (which will facilitate an array of programmed creative events), café, conference room, office space, staff toilet & shower, public toilets, data centre, hygiene areas, multi faith contemplation room, delivery and distribution area, public realm and a maximum of 8 designated car parking spaces.

Following the recent High Court action there is a long section of the report devoted to the Equalities duties of councillors. The initial Impact Assessment Completion Form is brief LINK but there is documentation in the Appendices LINK

There is a useful but not very legible mapping of  Willesden Green library users HERE

Talking to local residents at the Library yesterday another issue that came up several times was 'Why are we doing away with a comparatively new building?'

Several arguments are contained in the report going before the Executive.

• The building has failed to realise its potential as a truly local cultural destination and is 'essentially not fit for purpose'.
• Areas within the existing buiulding feel unsafe an this intesifies at night when small, dark areas attrract vandalism and anti social behaviour. This discourages 'people from Brent's diverse communities to explore or congregate wihin the WGLC especially after dark'.
• The site is a second tier building (in the jargon 'major customer facing offering') in the south which would complement the new Civic Centre in the north. This recognises that 'a large proportion of our high need customers reside in the south'.
• The physical condition of the WGLC is extremely poor and repairs would require an initial investment of £657,000.
• The redevelopment hs the potential to act as a catalyst for wider regeneration of the area

The report makes it clear that the project can only go ahead if it is self-financing, delivered at zero net capital costs to the Council and that the Council retains the freehold of the new Cultural Centre.

Some residents argued yesterday that the building had been deliberately run down and that there had been a failure of leadership in running it with enthusiasm, imagination and flair. They pointed to the recent success of an arts project in the old cafe area. Theye were against developemnt and instead wanted new management and marketing strategy.

Opinions were also expressed that the project handed too much power over to the developer and questions over whether the Council could be both a de facto partner of the developer and also make an independent decision on the developer's planning application.

A major issue that arose was the loss of study space with students scoffing at the inadequacy of the alternative provision offered in the report. Brent SOS Libraries are expected to continue to push for the reopening of the Cricklewood and Kensal Rise libraries at least during the rebuilding phase to provide study and lending facilities, although that option is rejected in the report.

Some passers-by and long-term residents were aghast when they realised that the locally listed old library building would be demolished in the new development and there was anger when it was realised that the Willesden Bookshop would go.Locally listed building don't have legal protection but existing Brent Council policy (LINK) states:

BE24 LOCALLY LISTED BUILDINGS

The special character of buildings on the local list will be protected and enhanced. Proposals for the demolition or unsympathetic alteration of locally listed buildings (including parts of buildings) will be discouraged unless alternative use of the building is unviable or the planning benefits for the community substantially outweigh the loss resulting from demolition.

Presumably the Council will be arguing the latter case although how that stands against the preservation of the facade of the nearby Spotted Dog is a matter for conjecture. There's some interesting historical background on the area, including the library and the Spotted Dog, HERE

I would welcome comments on the issues raised by the redevelopment proposals.

And this guy has the audacity to tell teachers how to teach!

Michael Gove bores the pants off Haberdasher pupils. I would have run out screaming...

Emergency meeting on forced academy conversion

Click to enlarge

 Michael Gove is trying to steamroller primary schools into applying to become academies but is encountering opposition from teachers, parents and governors. At the same time he is considering proposals to make it easier for the Church of England to take control of state-funded schools.

Haringey primary schools have been first in line but I suspect there will be moves over at least one Brent school soon.

There will be an emergency public meeting on Monday 9th January at 7pm at Downhills Primary School, Philip Lane, N.17, to discuss Michael Gove's proposal to enforce academy status on several of
Haringey's primary schools. Downhills is one of several Haringey Schools under threat of mandatory conversion to academy status, even though it has been judged an improving school in September 2011 by the last OFSTED inspectors. Normally schools have between 12 and 18 months to show carry out the expected improvement.

Not only is there no evidence that conversion to academy status ensuressuccess,  but the parents and teachers at Downhills are completely against Gove's attempt to impose his will.

Gove can do this because of the new powers which he took on through the the new education act which passed into law in November last year. Only collective public action is likely to sway him, since neither the individual schools nor the Local Authority has any power to resist.

Further details can be found HERE

Have your say on Brent council budget starting next week

Brent Area Consultative Forums start again next week. Council leaders will be presenting their budget proposals which will inevitably involve more cuts. It will be a chance to ask questions or make suggestions and you can also do a Soap Box presentation at the beginning of the session - get there early to fill in a form or do so on line. You will have a maximum of 3 minutes to present your case. Soapbox details and forms HERE .

The first Forum is in Harlesden on Tuesday 10th January.

Full details HERE

Does Navin Shah support the campaign to keep all the libraries open?

Shahrar Ali, Green Party Assembly  candidate for Brent and Harrow, has a letter in the Brent and Kilburn Times this week criticising Navin Shah, currently the Labour AM, of trying to distance himself from the Labour Council's decision to close libraries and defending them at the same time.

The Kensal Rise Library Campaign website has now published a letter from Navin Shah expressing support for the campaign. However on examination it appears to be open to interpretation: is he supporting the campaign to keep all the libraries open or just the search for alternative provision?

Dear all,
Happy New Year to you all.
I am sorry to hear of the latest judgement from the Court of Appeal regarding the closure of libraries in Brent.

Following my meeting with representatives of the Brent SOS campaign last year I wanted to reiterate my support and offer of help in pursuing alternative library projects.

Kind regards,
Navin

Winners and Losers in Willesden Green Library Redevelopment

The report (LINK) on the Willesden Green Library Redevelopment to go before the Brent Executive on Monday January 16th recommends that the contract for a new cultural centre be awarded to Galliford Try PLC. The contract includes the acquisition of additional land in the adjacent area  In return for the design and build of the cultural centre on land where the council will retain the freehold (Council Works Land) , the developer will be granted the right to develop residential units for market sale, associated public realm and car parking on the remainder of the land (Developer Works Land)  with the freehold transferred to them on a 'drip feed' basis. This will make the project 'cost neutral' the Council claim.

The report makes it clear that  neither of the existing tenants of the Willesden Green Centre, Willesden Bookshop and Brent Irish Advisory Service will be offered financial assistance following termination and states that neither will be offered space within the new cultural centre. The Council will offer 'assistance to both organisations to try and secure alternative premises within the borough'. They make the same offer to Brent Artist Resource which occupy spaces at the Willesden Green Library Centre on a service level agreement.

The report rejects what they call 'a suggestion by a very small number of members of the public supporting the continued use of the Kensal Rise and Cricklewood (library) sites' as alternate library or study sites during the redevelopment period. They say the sites are not suitable because the need would not occur until July 2012 by which time if the Council continues to be successful against legal challenges they will be administered by All Souls College and not the Council -'as owners, trustees or otherwise' ; they would be expensive to maintain and heat;  additional staff would be needed; and because the locations do not meet the needs of of the borough's residents.

During the rebuilding a temporary library will be provided in the Grange Road offices, this would have a reduced stock but 'further premises are being investigated in the Willesden area'. In terms of study facilities 10 PCs and ten spaces will be provided at Grange Road, 20 extra spaces at Kilburn librray, and 5 extra each at the Town Hall and Ealing Road. They propose to reach at agreement with Job Centre Plus in Harlesden for the provision of a replacement Customer Contact Centre.

Phase Plan

The Appendix above shows the extent of the redevelopment and acquisition of land. 1. Cultural Centre Phase 1, 2. Residential Phase 1, 3 Residential Phase 2, 4 Chambers Lane site. PDF HERE

Galliford Try PLC will undertake a consultation LINK which will start within the Council immediately after the January Executive.  In their Community Engagement Strategy Galliford state that working with communities comes as 'second nature' to them but go on:

That said it would be wrong to assume that simply by virtue of our approach, the development will be well received. Once built, it is likely that the new cultural centre will be welcomed and appreciated, but along the way existing buildings are to be redeveloped. one locally listed and another having been built only relatively recently; a high profile community group, the Brent Irish Advisory Service, is to be displaced; and new homes are to be built on scarce parking spaces - all potentially sensitive issues.

Not to mention the loss of the Willesden Bookshop....

I am now off to join campaigners who are at this moment publicising these issues outside Willesden Green Library.

Library Homework Club Teachers Wanted

I don't take advertising on this blog but I am posting this as I think this job is important and socially useful.

Library Homework Clubs’ Teacher

Salary £35p/hr

Brent Libraries are looking for a qualified teacher to plan, organise and lead homework club sessions.

The clubs run during term-time, after school from 3:30-5:30pm and on Saturdays 10.30am – 12.30pm, at 6 Libraries and will target children 8-14 years old from the local Primary and Secondary Schools. This is a Fixed Term contract ending 31 July 2012 in the first instance but could be extended.

For more information about the homework clubs contact Sarah Smith (Libraries Development Manager) on:

Tel 020 8937 3419
Email sarah.smith@brent.gov.uk

To apply, go to www.brent.gov.uk/counciljobs.nsf to download an application pack. Applications should be completed online.

Closing Date: Monday, January 16, 12noon

Interviews: Friday, January 27

*Libraries with Homework clubs

Hours: 3.30 – 5.30pm except Ealing Road Library

Monday: Town Hall Library

Tuesday: Kilburn Library

Wednesday: Kingsbury Library Plus

Thursday: Willesden Green Library

Friday: Harlesden Library Plus

Saturday: Ealing Road Library, 10.30am – 12.30pm