Will Affordable Housing Position Statement address Planning Committee's concerns?

The Planning Committee of July 23rd (the meeting where the Minutes were mysteriously unpublished for weeks before pressure finally got them unearthed or created LINK ) considered a wide range of issues. The most prominent was a report on affordable housing which reflected concern over whether the Council was achieving a sufficient level of affordable housing in developments and in particular developers' practice of reducing the amount of affordable housing once development was underway through viability assessments. Essentially the assessments claim the developer is not making a sufficient return on the development and that the only way this can be addressed is by increasing the proportion of market price/rent housing in the scheme.

The next Planning Committee on October 14th will discuss a 'Brent Affordable Housing Position Statement' (see below) that if approved will be posted on the Brent Council website and made available to developers.

The accompanying Officer's Report by Stephen Weeks seems somewhat grudging at times over the necessity for such a statement.

Planning Committee is recommended to endorse the statement. It balances the Council's necessity to be clear about the priority it places on certain aspects in the delivery of affordable housing in association with new developments, against the need to not essentially repeat extensive existing robust policy and detailed advice that currently exists as a national, London and Brent level.

As such the Position Statement does not appear to make new policy but clarifies existing policy. It may fall short of the Planning Committee's expectations as exemplified by support at the July 23rd Meeting for Islington Council's Development Viability Supplementary Planning Document. The Brent report states:

...As such the production of a Supplementary Planning Document, essentially duplicating much of the existing relevant guidance against a background of resource constraint is recommended as inappropriate.

Finally the weight given to the Position Statement is limited:

The position statement can be regarded as a material planning consideration. However, the weight accorded to it will not be as strong as for instance Supplementary planning Documents, which have statutory status if adopted in accordance with regulations.

The background to the position statement is the stark fact that average housing prices in Brent are 12 times the average annual wage and that rents have risen by 60% over the last 5 years.  It seeks to maximise the amount of affordable housing through Section 106 obligations and states that 'the priority need in Brent is for affordable housing at rents well below market levels (social and affordable rented' with affordable home ownership and other forms of intermediate affordable housing a lesser priority although necessary for a 'balanced housing offer'.

This is contrary to the Conservative government's recently announced policy prioritising the building of ';affordable' housing for sale.

The preference for thorough viability assessments to be carried out at the pre-planning stage rather than later in the development cycle addresses some of the concerns raised at Planning Committee in July.

End this wretched sniping at Barham Library volunteers

This comment by Gaynor Lloyd was submitted in response to the comments on Wembley Matters' story on the decision abut to be made by Trustees on the organisation to be granted the lease on the Barham Park Lounge.  

Having been a very early member of the Barham Library campaign and, over the last four years a long standing volunteer at the Volunteer Library currently (and for three  years) running at 428 Wembley High Road, can I just for the zillionth time clarify that Friends of Barham Library is not a covert front for the Lib Dems in Brent? I am sick, sick, sick of this wretched sniping- and mildly resentful of  the implication for all those of us who work for the Barham volunteer community library at this end of the Borough.

Can whoever is left annoyed by  us library campaigners please get over it? I would much prefer a library service delivered  throughout Brent -  as it should be -  by a properly funded Council - but that isn't where we are. Let us add to the service - please don't be mean about us. Perhaps even join us.

Start by coming to see us in  the Library premises in Wembley or Sudbury Town Station.  We have an amazing selection of books...but there is a lot more to us! For example, go and see the children's arts and crafts workshop in Sudbury Town every Saturday - full to bursting in the limited space. As to Wembley, two days this week have provided perfect examples of what happens in premises pathetically inadequate to offer true library services. I spend a lot of my time crashing about outside 428 Wembley High Road shaking a green  bucket to raise less than the Minimum wage, never mind the London Living Wage, per hour - but, in so doing, talking to many of the people who pass by on their daily round who stop to put a bit of money in  and talk about books, services , children and their lives. It's brilliant. I may get called in to the shop  to give what expertise I have on English literature, to chat or to offer my opinion on children's books.

Yesterday a family with 5 children came in looking for English dictionaries suitable for four of the children. We were able to offer 5 varying levels of dictionary and spelling primers. While there and all chatting, the children looked for fiction. Mum was clearly a bit concerned at the amount of space they have at home for the acquisition of the collection the children  amassed. We were able to say "Well just read them and bring them back".

Then there was the lad who came in with his Mum looking for project materials on Europe, who left with books on countries and a child's French dictionary; they left really chuffed promising to bring the project in when they could. Then there was the group of lads - aged around 10 or so - who passed me three times on bucket duty and finally stopped on round 4. "Is this for the library?" one asked. "Yes" I said. "I've only got 60p. Is that OK?" And in went the 60p. Many of my donors are young people. Often parents will come in and we give them a sampler book for their babies; never too young to start with books still seems to be a message that resonates. Then there are the adults seeking to improve their English, who need study books - or just come in and talk  on topics various, including literature.

It am proud to work with Paul, Francis, Judy, Alex, Frank, Peggy, Vi and the other volunteers in the heart of the community (sorry to those ranked as others). Anyone who doubts what we are there for - please call in.

I grew up with a library -what's wrong with wanting all that a modern community library can offer for our bit of the Borough?.

Then we can extend even further the range of people  who will find in a library what I did  and still do- much better put by Bernard Kops  in his poem Whitechapel Library, Aldgate East "That door of the library was the door into me"

National Gallery strikers to return to work after dispute agreement reached

 

The strike was widely supported

From PCS Press Release

Our members at the National Gallery voted unanimously today to return to work after we reached an agreement to end the dispute.

 

The news comes shortly after we marked 100 days on strike since February.

We opposed the privatisation of the gallery's visitor services staff and regret we have been unable to prevent it going ahead.

We are however pleased to have reached an agreement with the gallery and contractor Securitas that would mean protection of terms and conditions and a return to work for our senior rep Candy Udwin.

We thank the new director Gabriele Finaldi and the company for their commitment to genuine negotiations.

Strike action is being suspended pending ministerial approval and a ballot of our members over the deal, which also includes union recognition with the company and the London living wage.

Staff will meet outside the gallery at 9am on Monday 5 October to go back in to work together.
More information will be published as soon as it is available.

Our general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement and on behalf of the union I would like to pay particular tribute to Candy, who is looking forward to returning to the job she loves, and to all our members at the gallery.

"We still do not believe privatisation was necessary but we will work with the new company and the gallery to ensure a smooth transition and, importantly, to ensure standards are maintained at this world-renowned institution."

Your chance to share in Sudbury’s history

Guest blog by Philip Grant

Next Saturday, 10^th October, everyone in the Sudbury area of Brent will have the chance to discover what an interesting place they live in. For months, local people from the Sudbury Court and Sudbury Town Residents’ Associations, Friends of Barham Library and two local primary schools have been working with Wembley History Society. Adopting old photographs and postcards (some from as early as the 1890’s), taking matching colour views of the same locations today and researching some of the stories behind the pictures, they have put together an exhibition for everyone in Sudbury to enjoy. It will be open at Sudbury Methodist Church Hall from 2pm to 5.30pm, and is free of charge.

The “Sudbury – Then and Now” display will comprise thirty-five pairs of images, taking you on a winding route through the area, from Watford Road and the Sudbury Court Estate in the north to Barham Park and Wembley Fire Station in the south. Four of these have been contributed by Sudbury and Barham Primary Schools, whose Year 5 classes used some of the old photos for their own local history projects in the summer term. As one of their teachers said: ‘The children were stunned to know how close they were to local living history, and were left wanting to know more.’

If you live in Sudbury, and would like to know more about the special history that is all around you, although perhaps without realising it is there, please come along to the exhibition next Saturday. As the poster below says: everyone is welcome!

Relay to mark 4 year annniversary of Brent library closures

World Teachers’ Day: Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies

From Education International

On 5 October, World Teachers’ Day, Education International, with its affiliates and partners worldwide, will highlight the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, and the crucial role teachers will play in ensuring it is implemented.

“Every year on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate educators and the central role they play in providing children everywhere with a quality education,” says a Joint Message on the occasion of the World Teachers’ Day (WTD) signed by UNESCO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Education International (EI).

“Today, as the global community comes together to support the new 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, that central role has never been more significant”, according to the global organisations.

Education goal

The new global education goal, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which is at the heart of the Education 2030 Agenda, calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The global organisations underline the fact that “realising this goal is critical to achieving all our global development targets … for strong societies depend on well-educated citizens and a well-trained workforce”.

This agenda can only be realised if society will “invest in recruiting, supporting, and empowering teachers”, they add. But around the world today, “far too many teachers are undervalued and disempowered”.

Quality teachers

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics further estimates that countries will need to recruit 12.5 million primary teachers to achieve the goal of universal primary education by 2020. Over four million new lower secondary teacher positions also need to be created to achieve universal lower secondary education by 2020.

Now, by committing to the Education 2030 agenda, the UN Member States agree to substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers. This will be done through various measures including international cooperation around teacher training in developing countries, especially the least developed countries and small island developing states. This is an important step and, now, “we must live up to these commitments”.

Governments should “redouble efforts to engage in dialogue with teachers and their organisations”, and “intensify efforts to provide sufficiently qualified, well deployed, motivated and supported teachers to every school, every community, and every child”, the organisations declare.

Quality conditions

The global organisations also insist that teachers should be empowered through the provision of decent working conditions, well-resourced, safe and healthy working environments, trust, professional autonomy, and academic freedom.

The organisations reiterate that the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966), the UNESCO Recommendation concerning on the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel (1997), and the ILO Policy Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work for Early Childhood Education Personnel (2014) are essential international standards and benchmarks for the teaching profession.

That is why, on the first World Teachers' Day of a new education agenda for global development, the organisations appeal to the international community to value, support, and empower teachers globally: “For it is they who will educate a new generation of children who, in turn, will carry forward all our goals to build a better world for all”.

EI affiliates celebrate World Teachers' Day

Last but not least, this year’s WTD in the context of SDG 4 will be celebrated in diverse ways by EI’s many affiliates across the world.
http://news.ei-ie.org/interspire/link.php…

The case presented by Friends of Barham Library to lease Barham Park Lounge for community library

October 6th: Lyon Park Infant and Junior Amalgamation Consultation

From Brent Council

Brent Council in partnership with the governing body of the Lyon Park Infant School and Lyon Park Junior School is consulting about proposals to amalgamate the schools to form one primary school.

If the proposals are agreed the two schools, which are on the same site, would amalgamate to become Lyon Park Primary School from April 2016 - an all-through primary school for 80 nursery pupils and 840 children.

Lyon Park Infant School in Vincent Road, Wembley, is at present a community school providing 360 school places for children aged from four to seven; there is also a nursery with 80 part-time places.
Lyon Park Junior School, also a community school, currently has 480 school places to boys and girls between the ages of seven and 11.

Two consultation meetings are taking place for parents, staff and residents to attend and discuss the amalgamation proposals. They will take place on 6 October at 3.30pm, and 7pm in the junior school hall.

For more information, call 020 8937 1061 or email judith.joseph@brent.gov.uk. The consultation closes on 9 November.

Details