Bids open for Eurostar tickets sale to support community library

In honour of the rather fabulous Preston Community Library nestled in the doorway of our old one, Preston Library Campaign  have 4 single Eurostar tickets up for auction (That's either 2 x returns or 4 x one way if you fancy staying where you are!)

Bids start at £200  – e-mail bids to:

bunce.linsell@virgin.net or  text to 07905 846483

Let your friends know and let the bidding begin!

NB: 1 week will be needed to transfer the tickets to the winner's name. The campaign will  contact the winner for further details.

In addition to Paris, Brussels, Lille Eurostar now have a special service in the summer. It is a direct train to Avignon on Saturdays, leaving St Pancras at 7.17am the return leaving Avignon at 16.27.  The last direct train from Avignon is on the 8th September.

Council leader agrees to meet with Keep Willesden Green

In an e-mail received today, Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, has agreed to meet with Keep Willesden Green to discuss the 'on-going process'.

He stated: 

As you will be aware, following concerns raised by residents, Galliford Try are going through another consultation process before resubmitting their proposals. This consultation process will be lengthy and thorough, and comes on top of the statutory consultation process they will undertake at a later stage. The fact that they are consulting again and will be resubmitting their plans, because of residents’ concerns, demonstrates that we are thoroughly committed to open and transparent decision making, and in particular are focused on ensuring that communities get a full say on what happens in their local communities

James Powney: Sainsbury's is obliged to provide Town Centre parking

Councillor James Powney, commented on the Sainsbury's Willesden Town Centre parking issue, on his blog

Martin Francis has been told by Sainsburys that they have no obligation to provide parking to any but their own customers. My understanding is that the Willesden Sainsburys has a planning obligation to provide car parking to Willesden Town Centre under a deal originally laid down by planning in the 1980s.Martin

In fact the Sainsbury's e-mail, from their head office, which stated that they were under no obligation to provide parking, was passed on to me by a third party.

Kensal Rise campaigners appeal for funds to strenthen their All Souls bid

 The Save Kensal Rise Library Campaign today launched an appeal, locally and nationally, to ask for pledges to help the community secure their library. 

The appeal immediately attracted a 10,000k pledge from Daniels Real Estate Agents who have supported the campaign since it began. Other pledges so far have been made by local people.

The group who have been campaigning for almost two years to save their library urgently need financial support to strengthen their bid to All Souls, the Oxford College that ownership of the building reverted to after its closure by Brent Council. 

Paula Gomez Medina a Trustee of the group said today,

We need to raise funds to secure the first year of operations, which includes urgent repairs to the building. We have a strong business plan and are confident we can make the library self-sustaining in the long-run, but we need the help of our supporters now. We are asking residents, friends, businesses and supporters to pledge a donation towards our target of 70K. 

We need these pledges urgently - by September 7th when our proposal needs to be with All Souls College.

We will only collect payment if our bid to All Souls is successful. If we are unsuccessful people will not donate anything.

In return for support the group are offering supporters a chance to become permanent public benefactors of the library.

Name on the wall (large) £1,000 Name on the wall (smaller) £500 Name a shelf £300 Sketch (+name) of you in the library crowd £100 pp Sponsor a chair £50 Adopt a book £20 Other 
Details about how to make a pledge can be found on the campaign website www.savekensalriselibrary.org

The Co-Chair of the campaign, Margaret Bailey, added:

 Support from the local community and beyond has sustained this campaign. People cannot doubt the seriousness and commitment of this community to have a library at its heart. We have all fought hard and long. We hope we can rely on the generosity and goodwill of the many people who agree about the importance of libraries to the well being of civilised communities.

As Mark Twain who opened our library said, "Lack of money is the root of all evil". We have been put in the position where our fight is not enough, and we need to find finance to prove ourselves.

 The Appeal follows Councillor Powney's claim on his blog LINK that campaigners have given up their fight for a library on the site.

Issues in the schools sports debate

The debate about school sports intensified over the weekend as the Olympics drew to a close with David Cameron's call for more compulsory competitive sport in primary schools drawing criticism from commentators who remembered, with horror,  being forced into physical activity by what they saw as bullying PE teachers.

Others drew attention to Cameron's political hypocrisy and opportunism in the wake of Michael Gove's cuts in the School Sports Partnerships. It is worth remembering the warning issue in November 2010 by leading athletes including Olympic Gold Medal winner Tessa Sanderson about this LINK

With one ill-conceived cut you are on the brink of destroying everything schools, clubs and the national governing bodies of sport are doing to ensure this and future generations embrace sport and physical activity, not shun it.

As past and present Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European athletes, we cannot stand by and watch as your government threatens to destroy any hopes this country has of delivering a genuine London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy.

The future health of all our children is at risk if you axe this funding. We urge you to act now, please, prime minister, and look again at the permanent withdrawal of funding for school sport partnerships before you condemn millions of children to a lack of sporting opportunities and therefore a bleak future of lethargy, obesity and unhappiness.

At a school level there are issues over the difference between compulsory sports activities, other physical activities (including the dance that David Cameron derided) and physical activity in free play during playtimes. Some research has indicated that children expend more energy, in crude terms 'sweat more', during their free playground games than during PE lessons. However there are gender differences in the level of exercise and differences between schools in terms of the amount of playtime and rules governing playtime. Pressure on the school day from the academic curriculum has led many schools to shorten lunch breaks and for junior age pupils afternoon playtimes are often a thing of the past. Further pressures emerge from concerns about health and safety and behaviour which can lead to bans on particular games which are seen as dangerous or causing conflict. The expansion of primary schools to take in more pupils leading to loss of play space is an additional factor in Brent.

The National Children's Bureau LINK published a Fact Sheet in 2010 on the Benefits of Playtime which described the restrictions and also outlined the benefits that go beyond exercise to promotion of pupils' in independent  negotiating skills and opportunities for mixing across age, social and ethnic differences.

Sonia Lannaman

The euphoria over the achievements of Black British athletes which has been a major aspect of this Olympics also has another side.

In the 1970s the achievements of athletes such as Sonia Lannaman (pictured) were seen as ground-breaking exemplars for a community suffering from racism and disadvantage, where black children were failing academically. There were reports that Sonia later regretted the impact of a concentration on sports on her academic achievements but I have been unable to locate a source for this.

Concern developed amongst black  parents that teachers with a stereotyped view of their children were steering them towards sports activities, rather than academic success.  At a practical level this often meant that they missed out on lessons because of training and fixtures, were not entered for key  examinations and therefore missed out on further and higher education.

An influential book Race, Class and Education by Len Barton and Stephen Walker LINK outlined the repercussions of this arguing that although for some children participation in sport represented a 'colonisation' of one part of school life where they could succeed, it produced unrealistic aspirations and expectations, which eventually led to their exclusion from the labour market.

Tessa Sanderson with primary pupils

 It is interesting to note that Tessa Sanderson, a 1984 Olympic Gold winner, was at pains to emphasise the importance of academic achievement alongside sports achievement. She has described how her parents and teachers kept her focussed on education: 'Education is the key to success'.  She went on to found the Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy to encourage your people into sport LINK.

 There are echoes of the 70s in her recent interview where she said:

With some young people today it can be a bit touch and go. I know some young black kids feel they are not worthy because there is no work, they just go home or hang around all day, which is why I am so pleased we have this academy because when they come in here, I can tell them, 'You are bloody worthy'. I've had Asbos come in, rough kids, but I know through sport they can become great kids.

The Foundation's Mission Statement makes the importance of education clear:

 The mission statement of The Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy is to create a unique youth sport programme in the London area for disabled and non disabled youngsters to enjoy all sports and the opportunity to participate at a higher and level without jeopardising quality learning and education.

As we discuss the Olympic legacy for Brent children we need to bear in mind the complexity of the situation.  Although Brent schools are doing well there remain concerns about under achievement of some groups and the Brent  School Improvement Service, the London Challenge, and projects such as ACES are doling valuable work. It is important that we invest in them as well as sports facilities and bear in mind the pitfalls outlined above.

No right to free parking at Sainsbury's for Cultural Centre users

At last week's Consultation on the Willesden Green Cultural centre plans the Brent Council Mayor Projects and Regeneration representative stated that the Council had an agreement with the nearby Sainsbury's store to provide 2 hours free parking for local residents.  This was in response to concerns about the lack of parking at the new Cultural Centre with the current car park handed over to the developer for the building of flats. It was made clear that there was no room for negotiation on the issue.

A request for clarification from Sainsbury's at national level has produced this reponse:

Thanks for your email regarding the parking limit in our Willesden Green store.

I've spoken with the Store Manager, Jonny Magill, about your query.  He's confirmed the car park is for our customers only, and anyone seen to be using the car park to shop elsewhere will be issued with a ticket.  Jonny has said they'll of course use their discretion when customers are shopping with us and may wish to pop to the High Street for some other items.  I hope you find this information helpful.

We appreciate you taking the time to get in touch with us and hope to see you in store again shortly.

Kind regards

 

Mark Jackson | Customer Manager

Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd | 33 Holborn, London | EC1N 2HT

'Major Projects' becomes even more major with Charity project

A Windows on Willesden shop on St Patrick's Day

Brent Council will, if Executive approval is given, set up a new national charitable organisation, to help deal with the blight caused by empty properties in areas awaiting redevelopment or closed in the face of the economic down turn. LINK

The Director of  Regeneration and Major Projects, Andy Donald,  responsible for the Executive report, will be authorised to set up the Meanwhile Foundation with Locality and other partners and enter into a Framework agreement on behalf of Brent Council with the national Meanwhile Foundation to set up a Brent Meanwhile Partnership. The reports notes that the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects will most likely be the Council's representative on the Foundation Board.

Regeneration and Major Projects, already involved with the controversial Willesden Green Library Redevelopment and the Civic Centre and responsible for the upcoming massive school expansion programme, is already the most powerful Brent Council department.  The Meanwhile Project represents a further extension of this power.

Donald is keen on projects that, on the surface at least, are at  no or little cost to the Council, and that makes him popular with Labour councillors. Perhaps they should bear in mind the popular expression about free lunches.. The report states:

In partnership with Locality, Brent Council will jointly form the Meanwhile Foundation as a new national charity with Brent contributing the essential £5,000 start-up income and Locality providing development time and expertise in kind. The £5000 will be drawn from the New Initiatives budget.

The Brent Meanwhile Partnership will then contribute to the Meanwhile Foundation a sum of £10,000 per annum for 5 years. In the first two years, this sum will be paid from the council’s New Initiatives budget, but it is intended that from years 3 – 5, the contribution will be paid by surpluses generated from using assets on a temporary basis (it is these assets that the Foundation will carry the tenancies for). The council should keep under review its involvement beyond five years. The contributions will be used to meet the on-going administrative costs of the Foundation.

Clearly these are small sums in terms of initial funding but in the medium term funding is dependent on the generation surpluses from the temporary assets. However, the Foundation as well as being a charity will be a company limited by guarantee, and this will reduce their liabilities to a maximum of £1 if the company became insolvent.

The renting out of these premises would be subsidised by reductions in rates (Non Domestic Discretionary Rates - NNDR) but these are due to be replaced in April 2013 under the Localism Act 2011. The Council will have powers to reduce rates but the report notes that details are not yet available and warns that the impact on Council revenue needs to be taken into account.

Prospective tenants should be warned that a special 'meanwhile lease' will apply:

A particular characteristic of the lease is that it removes provisions in respect of security of tenure under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. For tenants this means that they have no legal right to remain in the property at the end of the term and no legal right to apply to the landlord for a new lease. The tenant might request a new lease from the landlord but the landlord is not obliged to agree to this and it will be a matter for negotiation between the parties. In this respect, the lease protects landlords from occupants claiming ‘squatters’  rights’ …

It is anticipated that the tenancy model for this scenario would be that there is a head lease signed between the landlord and the council, and then a meanwhile tenancy between the council and the Foundation. This agreement will be tilted in favour of the council so that it is not exposed to tenancy risks

These are complex arrangements and it is to be hoped that councillors study them in complex detail before the Executive before  rubber stamping them.

Below you can find further explanation from the report going before the Executive. The paragraph in bold is particularly interesting in the light of the Council's arguments over the Willesden Bookshop.

The term “meanwhile” is used to describe the use of vacant premises or land while it is not being used – it is the pause in the development process between the old and the new. This pause can be a few months or a number of years. The use of vacant premises has become an issue high on political agendas as people see the impact of the recession at street level. Vacancy often suggests an area is in decline, and vacancy often leads to further vacancy.

Using vacant premises can have cumulative beneficial impacts on high streets within regeneration areas: the reduction in vacancy can lead to further business investment in an area that appears lively and animated; the spaces can be used for business start ups or community based projects; and they can reduce the incidence of vandalism.

Empty property is now readily available. Landlords are becoming wise to the benefits of letting their premises on a ‘meanwhile tenancy’ as this relieves them of empty premises business rates liabilities and security costs. As demonstrated in Willesden Green and Wembley, these premises can be secured on favourable terms.

In the last two years, the council has embarked on a series of successful meanwhile projects to assist with delivering regeneration within South Kilburn, Wembley and Willesden Green. The South Kilburn Studios project transformed a derelict portacabin site in the estate and, now within its second year, is providing workspace and valuable training opportunities to local people. In the Wembley Triangle section of the High Road and Wembley Hill Road, a long term vacant shop unit is being brought into use

to provide people with an opportunity to explore how they want to interact with Wembley and use the high number of empty spaces to develop ideas for business and community ideas and try them in a low cost and low risk arena.

In Wembley there are also swathes of vacant land that is not due for development for several years. This could be used to help deliver the council’s regenerative objectives in the area. In South Kilburn, the council has already delivered South Kilburn Studios in partnership with the South Kilburn Neighbourhood Trust and it is likely that further opportunities for projects will be presented as the regeneration programme rolls forward. In Willesden Green, the council has delivered an Outer London Fund project

on the high street taking on vacant units, providing design advice to existing traders, using space in the Willesden Green Library Centre and forming a local town team of interested stakeholders.

 Lessons learned from these projects include:

• there is significant inherent value in property that can lever regenerative benefits by extracting social benefits from physical assets;

• business rates liabilities can render meanwhile projects unviable;

• procuring a team that can deliver the quality of outcomes can be difficult when constrained by the existing procurement guidelines and financial regulations required by the council;

• projects that intend to use privately owned commercial premises can benefit from specialist meanwhile property expertise to secure tenancies;

• imported and curated project start ups can miss opportunities to develop and foster grassroots interest to the particular local neighbourhood; and

• projects without a sustainable business model can require an on-going subsidy, albeit these can be small sums that may be justified by the quality of outcomes from projects.

In consideration of the lessons learned, it has become apparent that existing and future projects could substantially benefit from a form of governance vehicle that can be “asset controlling”, “asset using” and “enabling” to strengthen the council’s ability to set up and maintain effective meanwhile projects, and in particular:

• help to relieve the council of tenancy risks that can arise from such projects;

• allow projects to benefit from business rates relief to enable projects to be financially viable;

• ensure the quality of outcomes for projects by streamlining procurement process and allowing the forward funding of projects; and

• secure the sustainability and proper governance of successful projects.

Hard work and imagination could produce a mini food growing revolution in Brent

Spring watering on my Birchen Grove allotment

 Over 90% of respondents agreed with the vision and main objectives of Brent Council's draft allotments and food growing strategy according to a report going before the Executive on August 20th. LINK

More than 500 alloment holders and people on the waiting list responded and there was a meeting attended by 430 people.

The main messages of the consultation were:

• That the tenancy agreement is no longer fit for purpose and needs to be reviewed and reissued to allotment plot holder and the role of Site Representatives and the election process require review

• Consideration should be given to giving waiting list preference to Brent residents over non-residents

• Larger plots should be reduced in size upon vacancy to increase the number of plots available and reduce waiting list times.

• The fees and charges structure should be reviewed with consideration given to the introduction of differential pricing for residents and non-residents and the revision of concession rates to include an element of means testing.

• Options should be explored with regard to extending the number of self-managed allotment sites.

• Work needs to be undertaken on increasing engagement from under represented sections of the community as identified in the Equalities Impact Assessment.

• There is huge scope for increased partnership working and the promotion of the wider benefits of food growing to schools, social housing, health providers and arts organisations to raise awareness, increase capacity and establish a network of advocates.

• Although options for new permanent allotment sites are currently limited, there will be significant opportunities for the provision of temporary food growing sites, particularly in the Wembley and South Kilburn areas as part of regeneration projects.

• Ward working funding may be available for allotment sites and food growing projects and there is potential for closer collaboration between the council and independent food growing schemes to build on the work of the Brent Sustainability Forum.

• Future potential for the provision of raised bed schemes in parks and open spaces should be explored in appropriate areas which are identified as currently having an inadequate number of allotment sites and alternative food spaces.

• Stronger emphasis should be placed on the benefits of organic gardening, sustainable food supplies, land use and biodiversity as outlined in the council’s Green Charter.

There is much to be welcomed here and with a little imagination and hard work we should see benefits quite quickly.  

One immediate action should be to speed up the reallocation of unworked plots - there are a considerable number at Birchen Grove which are covered in grass and brambles and are harder to reclaim and cultivate the longer they are left.