Video: Kensal Rise rises up to defend their library

Determined demonstrators defy wind and rain to defend their library

Local people turned out in the wind and rain this afternoon to protest against the demolition  of their pop up community library by agents of All Souls College. It was clear that this campaign still has the energy and determination to carry on the fight despite suffering dawn raids by both Brent Council and All Souls College and fraudulent emails supporting the developer.

The books, rescued by campaigners when security threw them on the pavement, under tarpaulin

Gladstone Free School may wthdraw plans for building on open space

The Harrow Observer's reporter Hannah Bewley has posted a web report LINK quoting a Gladstone Free School spokesperson as saying about residents' opposition to build on the William Gladstone Open Space , 'We will take on board the view expressed (at the public meeting)  but it looks as though we may have to withdraw our ideas before they see the light of day.'

This clearly is not a definitve statement but welcome all the same.

3.30 today Kensal Rise protest against library destruction

Demonstration against library busting book dumping Oxford College 3.30pm today

The pop up library before destruction

There will be a demonstration outside Kensal Rise Library at 3.30pm this afternoon following this morning's dawn raid by Cluttons, estate managers to All Souls College, which saw the pop up library destroyed and books dumped  on the pavement.

Meanwhile Meg Howarth has sent the following message to John Vickers, Warden of All Souls College:

Dear Sir John,

Link below FYI - staggering news of which you may not yet be aware:

http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/oxford-college-destroys-pop-library-and.html?spref=fb

Someone must have ordered Cluttons to send in the security guards to destroy the Kensal Rise pop-up library early this morning - unless your property agent of generations chose to act on its own initiative. 

An Islington resident, I contacted All Souls originally on 29 May 2012 in the immediate wake of that morning's shameful - and shameless - 3am raid that stripped the fine college-owned Kensal Rise Library building of its books and Mark Twain commemorative plaque. Clearly someone has learnt from that shameless tactic.

With dismay and regret that such behaviour could be carried out in the name of the once-prestigious All Souls College.

Sincerely,

Meg Howarth

Muhammed Butt, Brent Council leader, tweeted:

 Cllr. Muhammed Butt ‏@CllrButt 9m

Dismayed at destruction of @SaveKRLibrary pop-up. I've written to All Souls & @roxanne_mashari has been working w/ campaigners at site..

He added that he was arranging for storage of the books.

Oxford College destroys pop up library and dumps books

 

There is consternation in Kensal Rise this morning following the destruction of the Kensal Rise  pop up library before dawn by security agents hired by Cluttons, the property agents for All Souls College, owners of the library.

The library was unceremoniously torn down and its books dumped.

The pop up library has been on the site since Labour Brent Council closed the library in its 'library transformation' project. Campaigners have bee pressing for a community library space in the proposed new development by developer Andrew Gillick.

Gillick is due to submit new plans  but the investigation into fraudulent emails submitted to the Council about his previous planning application have not yet resulted in any action despite frequent reminders from local residents to the council and the City Police.. Emails in favour of his planning application were submitted from an address that allegedly  he owned and sublet to tenants.

The action has followed quickly on the Friends of Kensal Rise Library's statement yesterday that they would be unable to support Gillick's revised planning application:

 Following refusal of planning permission last September, the developer and his architect are submitting fresh proposals for the library building to the planning committee of the council. Negotiations with regard to the space reserved for the community have been on going since before Christmas in so far as we have been shown and have commented on preliminary drawings. According to the architect these were a 'work in progress'. 

The Trustees of the Friends of Kensal Rise Library voted to agree, in principle, to accept the offer of two thirds of the ground floor, contingent on seeing the final drawings and the developer's planning application and also subject to an agreement being drawn up that would give an assurance that the Friends would be the tenants of the space in which to run a community library. We have also had the support of the Brent Council Lead Member for Libraries, Cllr Mashari, for this. 

Both the College and the Friends contributed to an agreement document that was to accompany the planning application. However, this was not agreed by the developer.

The Friends do not regard it as appropriate to approve a planning application on behalf of the community without first seeing that planning application. Furthermore, they have so far not had an assurance from the developer that in return for their support their tenancy of the library space would be assured.

We have informed both the College and the developer that we have been unable to support a planning application in this way.

Is this the consequence?

Campaigners had taken their case all the way to All Souls College in Oxfo0rd only to see the college engaged in the:shameful action of destroying a community library and its books.

A legal action that shames Brent Council

Another case has emerged where Brent Council has pursued legal action against a vulnerable member of the local community apparently without any consideration of ethical issues. In this case they pursued a recently bereaved deaf gay man for possession of his home.

The story was told by Debra Wilson for Anthony Gold Solicitors on the Lexology legal newsfeed website LINK :

His Honour Judge Lochrane in giving judgment on a possession claim brought by Brent Council was critical of the Council’s approach, in refusing to allow a cohabitee a right to succeed to his deceased Gay partner’s tenancy.

The couple had lived together in a committed relationship for several years. Brent Council relied on a Court of Appeal authority to the effect that in order to succeed to a tenancy, applicants must prove that their relationship is “openly and unequivocally displayed to the outside world”. The couple concerned were both profoundly deaf and were in a homosexual relationship akin to that of living together as civil partners, of which was known to several members of the deaf lesbian and gay community.

The Judge was concerned that the proceedings did not descend into any “unedifying” process of an examination into the private life of the defendant. The council’s lawyers sought to find a way of arguing that the defendant had not informed the local authority that he was in a Gay relationship with his deceased partner. There was a veil of silence to this case as the couple lived a life where their deafness and lack of speech clearly made communications difficult with anyone who was not “within their world”. But, Brent Council disagreed, as it was their view that any couple living together must be “open” with the local authority and not just within their own community.

The Judge made a finding that he considered that Brent Council had not assessed the case with the necessary “delicacy and sensitivity” that it required. The Judge considered that it was incumbent on Brent Council to make proper enquiries before coming to a conclusion because of the potential devastating effect that the Defendant would have been homeless. The case serves to underline that there are various reasons why some couples would wish to hide their relationship, whether because of cultural divides, age differences, disapproval from family and so forth.

Brent Council asked for permission to appeal which was refused. The Council were ordered to pay the costs of the action. The Defendant’s counsel’s parting shot was to warn Brent council that any efforts to overturn the Judge’s refusal of permission to appeal would cause undoubted outrage amongst, not only the Gay, Lesbian and Deaf community but Brent council taxpayers for bringing a case that really should not have been pursued.

Greens condemn Lib Dem support for illiberal 'gagging bill'

Last night the Lobbying Bill passed the House of Lords.One of the votes was tied 245/245 but that procedurally means the government won.

What this means is that the Liberal Democrats have helped pass another illiberal bill (one that they no doubt hope will limit the impact of students who were greatly betrayed by them). Now are we going to see the government take the Royal British Legion, Oxfam or another NGO to Court if any organisation challenges this? Meanwhile the real danger to politics, the corporate lobbyists, will remain largely unaffected.

As Home Affairs spokesperson for the Green Party,  Peter Cranie issued this response:

The coalition has tried to legally gag those who would challenge their appalling record on poverty, the environment, tuition fees and civil liberties. The Green Party will voice those concerns and we urge former Liberal Democrat voters to help us kick out the legs from under the coalition at the European Elections, by voting Green and making completely clear this attempt to end freedom of political speech for charities and campaigning groups was a step too far.