St Raphael's 'Edible Garden' needs your vote

Sufra NW London is supporting a bid for Aviva Community Funds for an 'Edible Garden' on St Raphael's Estate in Brent.

St. Raphael’s Estate is the most deprived neighbourhood in Brent, with a notorious reputation for gang-related crime and anti-social behaviour. Levels of unemployment are high, and with no permanent facilities or activities on the estate, ethnic tensions occasionally erupt in violence. Health inequalities on the estate exacerbate deprivation in the local community. 11% of residents suffer from diabetes whereas the borough average is 7% and 24% of children in Year 6 are classified as obese. Apart from a lack of physical exercise, local residents simply cannot afford a balanced and healthy diet. The cost of fruit and vegetables at the local supermarket makes fresh produce a luxury rather than an essential part of every meal.

After 3 years of campaigning, local residents on the estate have finally secured a lease on a derelict plot in the middle of the estate measuring over 400 square metres to setup a food growing project. The aim of the project is to promote healthy eating and physical exercise by encouraging local people to manage the site, grow their own fruit and vegetables at no cost, understand the provenance of food and familiarise themselves with eating fresh ingredients.

Over the last few months, the community has cleared much of the site of rubble, fly-tipping and other waste and we are now looking to develop a land-mark site that improves the appearance of the estate, gives local people the opportunity to take part in alternative physical exercise by growing their own produce and promotes conservation and recycling of food waste.

St. Raphael’s Edible Garden will strengthen this grassroots initiative by bringing together more residents to build raised beds and growing structures using recycled materials, learn to grow a variety of fruit and vegetables using both traditional and innovative techniques like hydrophonic and aquaphonic farming and benefit from seasonal produce throughout the year. Without any regular social or cultural activities on the estate, the new space will also allow residents to organise outdoor events celebrating national and cultural festivals.

Alongside a programme of food growing and social events, the Edible Garden will offer accredited learning opportunities; young people will learn practical skills in growing and gardening, families will take part in cookery classes to learn about nutrition and healthy eating and resident ambassadors will learn to promote environmental awareness and encourage local conservation on the estate. Through regular social activities, local volunteering and skills development opportunities, the project will improve health and well-being as part of a wider programme to contribute towards the economic prosperity of our neglected community.

We hope that you will support this project by helping us to fund equipment and materials to make our vision a reality.

To register with AVIVA and vote for this project go to LINK

Latest on Brent Chief Executive appointment

Following various rumours circulating about the appointment of the new Chief Executive of Brent Council last week I sought clarification from the Brent Council Press Office.  This is their statement:

The (CEO) interview process has not yet taken place therefore no appointment has been made.   The new Chief Executive will be appointed by a panel of elected members later this month and this appointment will be subject to ratification by Full Council on 22 June 2015.  As yet Christine Gilbert has not agreed a leaving date.

I can confirm that Lorraine Langham, Chief Operating Officer, has not applied for the role.

The Council will make a public statement once an appointment has been confirmed.

Parents and politicians support fight against forced academisation of St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary

 Compiled from a press release from Brent ATL and NUT

Mr Gorsia, a parent, addressing the meeting

Staff at St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary in Belton Rd, Willesden, Brent took their fifth day of strike action  on Thursday in protest at their school being forced to become an academy. The theme on the picket line was ‘Democracy denied: IEB refuses parents’ ballot’. After the picket line staff and parents went along the Willesden High Rd asking shopkeepers to display no academy notices which they were very happy to do. These notices are also being displayed in parents’ front windows and some are putting them in their cars to make sure the message is spread – no academy.

At the meeting yesterday evening in St Andrew’s Church attended by staff and parents Bridget Chapman, a speaker from the Anti Academies Alliance, said she had seen all the notices in the shops as she came from the tube station. It made a real impact. She fully supported the parents’ ballot. She said, “What are they so afraid of? She praised staff and parents for their stand against the privatisation of our education. “This is just giving away land and buildings to businesses,” she expalined.

Dawn Butler, Labour candidate for Brent Central, told parents that if Labour won the general election then she would do her utmost to get the decision to force the school into an academy reversal. She said that whatever happens on Thursday she would give full support to the campaign to have a parents’ ballot. “I say this because I believe in it. You are pushing at an open door”, she said.

Irene Scorer, parent, then handed over a petition against the academy to Dawn signed by 200 parents accounting for 290 children out of the 400 at the school. This is clearly a large majority and outstrips the 32 who said they supported the academy in the sham consultation. Many of these parents have since learning about academies changed their minds and signed the petition.

Three parents gave their views.  

Hamid El Hadi said:

I support everyone who is against this academy. This is affecting our children and the teachers are stressed. All we want is a ballot. We’re not asking for the earth.

 Bharat Gorsia said: 

We are being lied to by the school. We are told nothing will change. If it isn’t broken why fix it.

Syed Karrar told the audience that his daughter has had five teachers since Easter and that all this move to an academy had unsettled everyone. 

Hank Roberts, Brent ATL secretary also spoke and praised the commitment of staff and parents and said there was still all to win. Others who spoke from the audience agreed and there was an overall enthusiasm to continue the fight until justice prevails. Parents were informed that there would be two further days of strike action on Tuesday 12^th May and Thursday 14^th May. The unions had called off one of the strike days this week in an act of goodwill to try and reach agreement with the IEB on a ballot and TUPE negotiations. They heard on Wednesday that nothing had been agreed on any of the issues. Parents agreed that two days had to go ahead as the pressure needed to be kept up.

The unions, staff and parents have been trying to meet with key people from Brent and the LDBS to discuss things. The Bishop of Willesden declined a meeting but did say that the HMI inspection last Thursday and Friday, “they [the school] received a very favourable outcome indeed”. So, as the parents and staff say, why change the school into an academy if it has made significant improvements and likely to come out of special measures?

Messages of support from around the country were relayed to the meeting including this statement from Martin Francis, Brent Green party spokesperson on children and families.

Please convey the support of Brent Green Party for the staff and parents in their fight against forced academisation. We see academies and free schools as a form of privatisation that removes democratic accountability and prepares the way for profit making from education. Green Party policy is to integrate academies and free schools into the local authority school system.

Muhammed Butt did not attend and did not send any statement about his position with regards a ballot as he had been asked to, much to everyone’s disapproval.

Skip lorry demolishes tree in Salmon Street, Kingsbury

A tree felled by a storm is always a sad sight, it is even sadder when it has been uprooted by human agency.

This morning around 10.30 a skip lorry, driving out of a building site on Salmon Street, Kingsbury, collided with an ornamental cherry which had stood on the street's grass verge. The tree which was in full blossom, was wrenched from the ground and blocked the north bound lane for some time.

'Barry' is the elephant in the room at last Brent North hustings

What is likely to be the last of the Brent North constituency hustings was held at St George's Parish Hall in Sudbury yesterday evening.

There have been very few hustings in Brent North where Barry Gardiner is the Labour incumbent. Concerned at the lack of opportunity for local residents to hear from candidates (in comparison with the 21 hustings in Hampstead and Kilburn), Luke Parker the Conservative candidate asked St George's Roman Catholic Church if they would be willing to hold a hustings where all the candidates could be heard.

The Church agreed but Barry Gardiner refused to attend.  In a letter read out last night he declined the invitation because he claimed the hustings had been organised by the Conservatives and that the chairing would not be neutral. This was not very popular with some of the audience.

The event went ahead with Luke Parker, Paul Lorber (Lib Dem), Scott Bartle (Green) and Elcena Jeffers (Independent) . The chairing was minimal, amounting to little more than a welcome, thank you and choosing questioners from raised arms in the audience.

I have attended many hustings over the last few weeks and I can honestly say that this was refreshingly open and honest.  It was more of a conversation than a debate with different views set out and listened to with respect.  Free of pre-arranged questions (and pre-arranged answers) the result enabled ideas to be explored and candidates to speak from their personal experience, even setting out where they disagreed with their own party policy.

One questioner asked which of Barry Gardiner's actions as an MP had won candidates' approval and which they disagreed with.

It was a pity that Gardiner was not there to respond.

Tories call for Brent Scrutiny changes following delegation refusal

Following the decision of the Scrutiny Committee last night to not allow the delegation from Philip Grant, unless he undertook not to mention the Employment Tribunal case involving Cara Davani, Cllr John Warren (Con, Brondesbury Park)  has issued the following statement.

The Scrutiny Committee has  yet again failed to do its job by rejecting a hearing of the Grant deputation on the Pavey H.R.report. It is another nail in its coffin.

Effective scrutiny must surely be challenging, controversial and "go where others do not go."  

Current scrutiny is useless with an ineffective Chairman....it simply has no credibility and does not hold the Executive to account.  I am proposing changes to the Constitution at the Council AGM on May 20, including the deletion of the current Scrutiny Committee.

My thoughts are along the lines that we need more scrutiny panels who will concentrate on specific areas of expertise, but I am open to any suggestions before I submit my proposals. 

The issues resulting from the high profile ET case cannot be swept under the carpet by a lame review.It is very undemocratic to deny Philip the chance to speak on, what any reasonable person would I think agree, issues that Brent has failed to address at every stage.

Cllr Reg Colwill (Con, Kenton) was on the Scrutiny Committee last night and  did not speak but appeared to go along with the decision not to hear Philip Grant's deputation.

Electric Run: Evening road closures in Wembley Park tomorrow

The Electric Run is being held around Wembley Park on Saturday 2 May. There will be some evening road closures in the area.

Engineers Way

Between the south-eastern kerb-line of Empire Way (allowing access to Brent Civic Centre) and the western kerb-line of Wembley Retail Park entrance from 5pm on Saturday 2 May to 1am on Sunday 3 May.

South Way

Between the south-eastern kerb-line of Empire Way (allowing access to hotels opposite Wembley Stadium Station) and the junction with First Way from 7pm to 11pm on Saturday.

Rutherford Way

No access on to Engineers Way from Fulton Road from 5pm on Saturday 2 May to 1am on Sunday 3 May.

More information on the Electric Run  LINK

Brent North Hustings Tonight (Friday)

A last-minute hustings has been organised this evening at St George's Church, Sudbury. It will start at 7.30pm.

It is in the Parish Centre just behind the church in St Andrew's Avenue off the Harrow Road. LINK