ASDA consumer 'riot' staged for press and TV?

There is a widespread belief in Wembley that 'Black Friday's' mini consumer riot at Wembley Park  ASDA on Friday was not all it seems.

Forewarned by the store, press and TV were all assembled in advance and wanted a good story of consumer greed. Eye witnesses say they  urged people on to fight for the TVs and other goods to ensure they got shocking footage and photographs for the likes of the Daily Mail LINK

The usual people then had a field day on the Daily Mail website denouncing the 'greed' and 'animal behaviour' of local people.  One Wembley local told me he felt 'ashamed' when he saw the way his community was being portrayed on the news.


The word on the street is that many of the large TVs were returned the next day with customers saying that they were 'rubbish'. Clearly it was a potentially dangerous situation and there are reports that some people sustained bumps and bruises.

In contrast, when the sale continued on Saturday with no press or TV present, everything was quite orderly.

Unconfirmed reports say that ASDA head office were not happy with the coverage.  

Meanwhile in the US workers at ASDA's parent company, Walmart, staged the third of what have become annual Black Friday strikes against low wages, poor benefits and union busting LINK

Cross party letter on council cuts a beginning but we must challenge austerity

Following my posts on this blog about the budget crisis faced by local councils, including Brent and Brighton, it is good to see this cross-party letter in the Observer today signed by leaders of many local councils as well as the Chair of the Local Government Association LINK

Of course a letter on its own won't solve the problem and it is not just a matter of more control of funding but also the total amount. Austerity, which led to the cuts, is supported by the main political parties represented in this letter.

Local anti cuts campaigns, trades councils and trade unions, tenants associations and other citizen groups need to step up their campaigning against what amounts to the destruction of local services under the cover of austerity.

The Observer Letter 

Funding for services provided by councils has borne the brunt of austerity while demand continues to rise. When the chancellor delivers his autumn statement this Wednesday, “more of the same” cannot be an option.

After a 40% reduction in funding during this parliament, our efficiency savings are coming to an end. Further reductions without radical reform will have a detrimental impact on people’s quality of life and will lead to vital services being scaled back or lost altogether. Services such as libraries, leisure centres and road maintenance continue to buckle under the strain of cuts and the ever-rising cost of caring for our growing elderly population. Failure to address this will not only jeopardise other services, but will pass costs on to the NHS, which will have to pick up the pieces if we cannot protect adult social care or provide the services that keep people healthy.

Last week, the Smith commission set out a better deal for Scotland, granting more control over funding and recognising the importance of devolving power down beyond Holyrood. It’s England’s turn now.

There is compelling evidence that taking decisions closer to the people affected achieves better results and saves money. It is vital that the autumn statement sets out a new settlement for England, which puts powers beyond Westminster, and shares out tax and spending across the UK on a fair basis. The people we represent, who look north of the border with envy at the greater control Scots are to get over their everyday lives, will expect nothing less.

Guide Auction Price of £1,150,000 For Kensal Rise Library

Further news is coming in regarding the sale of Kensal Rise Library by Andrew Gillick. The building has appeared on Zoopla LINK for auction on December 17th. It has a guide price of £1,150,000.

This gives very little time for Friends of Kensal Rise Library or any other community interest group to make up their minds and enter a bid.  As there is supposed to be a six week initial moratorium before sale to allow an organisation to signal their intention to bid for an Asset of Community Value the question arises as to when Brent Council were first informed by Gillick of his intention to sell.

Will the Pavey review of HR win the confidence of staff?

In this week's Kilburn Times,  Brent Green  Party candidates for the forthcoming general election reiterate the Party's call for an independent inquiry into Brent Council, This would not only cover the human resources issues, including working conditions,  but also the appointment of a permanent Chief Executive and  the restructing of the senior managment team. We felt that an independent investigation was the only way to gain the confidemnce of staff and wanted to involve residents, associations,  voluntary organisations, teneants; groups and trade unions.

Philip Grant in this Guest Blog gives his personal assessment of the  more limited internal review being conducted by Michael Pavey:

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Councillor Pavey’s Review of Brent’s HR and Equalities practices and procedures

Anyone who has been following the story of the Rosemarie Clarke Employment Tribunal case will be aware that when Brent Council announced on 26 September that they would be appealing against the judgement, they also said there would be a review. The Council said that its Deputy Leader, Cllr. Michael Pavey, would ‘take stock of our [Employment] policies and practice’, ‘to ensure that we learn lessons from this case’. 

I did wonder at the time whether this was just a PR smokescreen, to draw attention away from Brent’s unfair and unreasonable decision to appeal. However, I have recently exchanged some emails with Cllr. Pavey which leave me a little more optimistic, and (with his permission) I would like to share some of the correspondence with you.

Andrew Gillick to 'dispose of' Kensal Rise Library building

The Friends of Kensal Rise Library have announced on their website that they have been informed that the owner  of Kensal Rise Library (Andrew Gillick) has notified Brent Council that he intends to dispose of the building LINK

The FKRL assure supporters that the D1 space, set aside for community use, is protected in any disposal by the owner because All Souls College retains control and disposal includes the 'encumbrance' of the Planning Committee's decision. Any new owner who wanted to change that decision would have to submit a new planning application.

Butt suggests combined West London Authority as 40% central staffing cuts sought in Brent budget

The  Report for the First Reading Debate on the Council Budget LINK was up on the Council website by 23.45 last night. It includes a section on the Borough Plan Consultation which is fast work as the consultation only closed at 5pm yesterday.

Full Council was changed from November 17th to December 8th ostensibly to enable a report on the Borough Plan to be made.

The report states (4.3)

Between 16 September and 28 November the council, with its partners undertook a major consultation exercise to gather information on local people's views of:

• The area where they live
• Their aspirations for the future of the borough
• Their spending priorities, including those services they felt should be protected and areas where they felt we could do less
• What more they, the community group, or others could do to help build strong communities in Brent in the context of shrinking public resources 

An apology

Following complaints about a previous post I made on this blog, I would like to apologise to anyone who felt it was inappropriate, or contained inappropriate elements. It was not my intention to cause anyone discomfort, distress, or offence, which is why I have, after considered reflection, decided to remove it and the post which followed it.

Comments are closed on this post.

Cafe in the Park is Pie in the Sky - Let us have a library instead

Guest blog from Friends of Barham Library

A while back Sudbury Town Residents Association persuaded a Cafe owner to rename his business in Sudbury Town "Sudbury Tea Rooms". He spent money on new signage and promotion and invited locals for a free sampling.

They came for a freebie but rarely again. The place closed down soon after.

Amazingly someone else opened a new Cafe in the Parade in East Lane near Watford Road. Within weeks the business was under new management.

Those of us in the know were certain that the venture had no chance of success. Passing today I note the windows covered up and presumably the Cafe closed down.

A while back a girl started a cafe in Sudbury Town Station. She happens to be a relative of Merle Amory a Labour Leader of Brent Council briefly in the 1980s. She is no longer open every day as business is slack.

All of this sends a simple message - it is tough to make a success of running a Cafe in the Sudbury area - yet Brent Council officers still persist with their pie in the sky notion of a Cafe in Barham Park - even though they have done nothing about it for 13 months since the Barham Park Trustees were persuade to endorse this.

Key question is - are Brent Council Officers and Councillors so determined to stop local residents to open a Volunteer Library in Barham Park that they will pursue any delaying tactic possible or will they at long last stop wasting time and money and convert platitudes into some decisive action and let Friends of Barham Library get access to the empty Card Room in Barham Park? The Volunteers have even offered to provide refreshments besides the many other services local people need.

Paul Lorber for Friends of Barham Library