Brent Council spends £15m on temporary staff & £5m on interims & consultants

In the light of discussion on this blog over the payment and conditions of service of 'interim' Brent council staff, readers may be interested in the Council response to an FoI request:

Agency workers are recruited via our managed vendor Reed Global Limited.In the last financial year (01/04/13 to 31/03/14), expenditure on agency temporary staff was £15million.

In the same financial year, expenditure on interims or consultants was £5million. At 31st March 2014, we had 44 interims / consultants and an average of 308 agency workers. Depending on the role’s requirements and the skill-set of the interim or consultant, the average daily rate was £414.

The details of monthly expenditure of over £500 are regularly published on
the Council’s website, at the following link:

[1]http://www.brent.gov.uk/your-council/tra...

Group of 8 decide Brent's future

The small size of Brent Council's main decision making group was brought home last night when the Cabinet met for the first time: 8 councillors flanked by officers.

There was more discussion than usual in the Executive with new deputy leader Michael Pavey asking exploratory questions of other Cabinet members but unfortunately their comments were often inaudible. Contributions emphasised the need for provision of school places to be the responsibility of the whole education community and the LA to be the champion of all children and young people whatever the type of school they attend.

Christine Gilbert emphasised the need for the Council to be in close collaboration with schools rather than schools feeling that thatwere having things doen to them by the Council.

 The 34 recommendations of the Education Commission were noted and the report will go to Scrutiny in August - unfortunately when schools, teachers and parents are on holiday. An action plan on implementing the recommendations will then be devised.

New arrangements for helping rough sleepers were approved with much of the work being undertaken by Ashford Place with other partners. Cllr Krupesh Hirani said that he was pleased that the Council were working with the UK Border Agency. He remarked that some Eastern Europeans ended up rough sleeping when they found they could not earn enough here and wanted to return home: 'It is better to work cooperatively with them to help them go home rather than have something like the racist "Go Home" van.'

I would like to have heard more about how this help would avoid coercion or harassment.

The Cabinet approved plans to let two of the Civic Centre's 8 adminstraive office floors to a commercial company with whom they are in negotiations.

British Empire Exhibition at Wembley: An Imperial celebration or an urgent makeover? Talk on Tuesday.

Historian Denis Judd will give a talk on this subject at Wembley Library tomorrow (June 17th) from 6.30pm until 7.30pm.

Denis Judd is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Professor Emeritus of History at London Metropolitan University, and currently Professor of History at New York University in London.
He has reviewed and written extensively in the national and international press as well as writing several programmes for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

He is also an occasional adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is often interviewed for national and international television and radio, including BBC TV's 'Newsnight'.

His published work includes over 25 books covering a variety of historical and military subjects, stories for children, and two novels. Among his most recent books is the highly praised and best selling Empire: the British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present (new edition 2011), which will provide the focus for this talk.

Brent Council to lease out two floors of Civic Centre as staff numbers reduce

Tonight's Cabinet will consider a proposal to lease out the 7th and 8th floor of the Civic Centre to an unnamed commercial organisation. LINK

This follows a review of the accomodation. The proposed 'Partner Village space' has attracted no partners who could afford it and parts of the first floor are empty. 

The proposals will see increased density of workstations on floors 2-6 with the Council anticipating some staff transferring out of the Centre when Veolia takes over the Public Realm contract and Wates takes over Brent Housing Partnership maintenance. 120 extra workstations will be added to floors 2-6.

The report also anticipates further Brent Council staffing cuts as out-sourcing continues and reductions in staff are made as a result of budgetary constraints. Revenue from the lease will be used to supplement the budget.

The report notes:

The security aspects of having a third party commercial occupier will need to be carefully considered. Therefore the Council should not and will not accept any tenant unless deemed acceptable to the image of the Council and the Civic Centre; the one under current consideration is well known to the Council and is reputable with an International standing. However in regard to security issues it should be noted that the Civic Centre already has other 3rd parties using the building: Capita, Serco, Metropolitan Police, Europa, Wates Living Space and Brent Housing Partnership. 

Along with contractual conditions and appropriate management controls it is envisaged that as part of a HR refresh about working in the Civic Centre staff can be reminded again about the need to ensure a clear desk policy is operated and that confidential discussions should take place only in appropriate settings. Therefore at this stage it is suggested that the current physical security arrangements remain in place.

Stop the War and PSC will benefit from another successful fundraising Garden Party

What's going on beyond the borders?

Rachel Rose Reid, storyteller, entertains

Brent Stop the War and Brent & Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign held another successful fundraising garden party on Sunday. Local residents and activists turned out to enjoy the food and entertainment. Apart from Brent StW and Brent PSC there were members of the Labour Party, Green Party and SWP present. I am not sure about the Lib Dems this year, but some usually attend.

It is always good to see how political differences can be sunk in aid of a good cause.

The fundraiser attracted people from other parts of London including Jeremy Corbyn MP.

Residents and activists block Cricklewood Broadway to stop Fascist march

Anti-fascists and residents block Cricklewood Broadway

The South East Alliance are brought to a halt

Fifty or so members of the far-right group South East Alliance were brought to a halt on Cricklewood Broadway when local residents and activists occupied the road to stop them proceeding. Despite police lines trying to push them back to clear the road, residents stood firm with a little determined pushing back, and the line held.

The SEA were ostensibly protesting against what they claimed to be Muslim Brotherhood offices at 113a Cricklewood Broadway. (on their Facebook page they called it Cricklewood High Street).  In fact the group that previously occupied the offices had been minor sympathisers of the MB and not the MB itself and, as the police have stated, moved out some time ago.

The police themselves seemed rather confused as they had put up an enclosure outside 119 Cricklewood Broadway and tried to get the anti-fascists to stand there to no avail.

The SEA was about 50 strong and out-numbered 3:1 by the counter demonstrations. After making short speeches, entirely to themselves, the SEA turned round and heavily escorted by police went back to Kilburn station.

Residents celebrated what they saw as a victory over attempts to divide a diverse but united community.

Police investigation into fraudulent emails not concluded but Kensal Rise planning application goes ahead

Curioser and curioser - Kensal Rise library occupied by tenants despite no change of use granted

Despite calls for the Kensal Rise Library planning application to be postponed until the police investigation into fraudulent emails has been concluded, the new application (by the same developer) will be heard at Brent Planning Committee next week.

For those without long memories, here is how the issue was reported by the Kilburn Times at the time of the last application, just 8 months ago LINK :

Council chiefs have called in the police over claims that emails supporting plans to develop an axed library branch were faked.

The action has been taken after an investigation by Brent Council into the allegations surrounding Kensal Rise Library concluded the case should be referred to detectives.

The council’s IT officers scrutinised the emails including IP addresses which are exclusive to each computer.

Cllr Roxanne Mashari, Brent Council’s lead member for environment and neighbourhoods, is responsible for libraries.

She said: “The council compiled a report after their own investigation and we have handed this over to police.

“Abuse of Brent’s planning system will not be tolerated.

“This has now escalated into a police matter and we await the outcome of the police investigation.”

In September, a council report added strength to claims by campaigners Friends of Kensal Rise Library (FKRL) that false statements were made against its fight to retain the Bathurst Road building for community use.

The report stated that when email notifications were sent to everyone who made a statement about the plans on the council’s website 78 were returned as being undelivered with 70 of those belonged to ‘supporters’.

Andrew Gillick, the director of Platinum Revolver Limited which took over the building from owners All Soul’s College in Oxford, hit back with claims that false objections against the application had also been posted on the council’s website.

He had applied for permission to convert the site into six flats, a cottage and a community hub but it was rejected by the council.

Margaret Bailey, chair of FKRL, said:

“We applaud the action of our council and it’s willingness to take seriously this attempt to subvert local democracy and mislead the public.

“Our community is strongly against this development for the library building and these fraudulent emails of support for the development were an attempt to divide and denigrate this community.

“Fraud is illegal and we support a thorough investigation by the police.”

Cllr Mashari added: 

“We must keep our eyes on the end result of securing a community library at Kensal Rise.

“I am ready to work with the community and any stakeholder to ensure that this happens and that it is viable and sustainable.”

The alleged illegality seems to have been forgotten, or swept under the carpet, with both Brent Council Planning officers and FKRL supporting Gillick's new application.

It appears to me that whether one is for or against the revised application, until issues around the previous application by the same developer have been cleared up, it will be tainted and should not be tabled.

What price Brent Council's commitment to preventing the subverting of local democracy? Sarah Marquis, with no previous experience as a councillor, but with experience as a lawyer, chairs the Planning Committee.

What does she think?

Anti-Fascist Demonstration Saturday Cricklewood 11am

Historical precedent

Message from Brent and Harrow Unite Against Fascism

We have heard that a particularly unsavoury group of fascists known as the South East Alliance plan to invade Cricklewood on Saturday June 14th at 12.00 noon. Their pretext is to call for the banning of the Muslim Brotherhood, but they have a record of wider Islamopohobia, apparentlythey're made up of remnants of the former Essex EDL.

We are therefore calling on all anti-racists in Brent & Harrow - and neighbouring boroughs - to assemble at 11.00 am outside 113 Cricklewood Broadway NW2 6TU in defence of Cricklewood's vibrant multicultural community just as we did when Britain First came to Cricklewood in January. 

Here's their Facebook invitation: LINK

Message from the Metropolitan Police

We have been informed that the South East Alliance plan to demonstrate outside the premises of 113a Cricklewood Broadway, NW2, on Saturday 14th June.  We anticipate this will start from 11am.  They are demanding the British Government ban the Muslim Brotherhood and associated organisations.

The company that occupies 113a Cricklewood Broadway states they are not part of the Muslim Brotherhood. (My emphasis MF)

We are aware that there will be a counter demonstration by groups associated with the anti-fascist movement.

There is an appropriate policing plan in place to deal with this demonstration.  

Neil Kentish

A/Chief Inspector - Neighbourhood Policing