Fracking Film at Civic Centre on Wednesday November 11th

Doors open at 7pm and the film will start at 7.30pm. The event will take place in Board Rooms 3 & 4 (go straight there rather than wait at reception) at Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way , Wembley HA9 0FJ.

More about fracking...

Fireworks expected for Modi's Wembley Rally

This Friday November 13th  2.30pm will see a highly unusual event at Wembley Stadium when Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will address a vast crowd.

Brent Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt,  wrote on 'Muhammed's Blog'  'Two events to enjoy and two ways to do your bit'  on the Council website. One of the 'events to enjoy' was Modi's appearance. LINK:

Hot on the heels of welcoming record breaking crowds to Wembley as part of the Rugby World Cup, Brent is looking forward to more important visitors next month.

Wembley stadium will play host to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday 13 November. The event is set to welcome around 55,000 people from all over the UK in an invitation only event. It is expected to be the largest reception any foreign head of government has ever received in the UK.

Cllr Butt, or perhaps the Brent Council communications team, blithely ignore the controversial aspect of the visit, although perhaps they should have been aware of the rage evident outside Brent Civic Centre when Barry Gardiner invited Modi to the UK before Modi's election. LINK

Since Modi came to power there have been allegations that he has created division in the country. He has just conceded defeat in the Bihar election in which he took a major role.

CNN LINK reported:

A sitting Indian PM rarely gets too involved in state elections; Bihar's vote was unusual with Modi making numerous stops and dozens of speeches on the campaign trail.

The defeat represents a second loss of face for Modi's BJP this year, after it lost state elections in Delhi in February. Only last year the BJP swept to power in national elections, winning a rare majority of seats in the country's lower house of parliament.

Bihar's vote has been a particularly divisive election, with the BJP accusing its opponents of pandering to Muslim voters, and of not being reverent of cows, an animal Hindus consider holy.

The ugly back-and-forth contributed to a larger national debate about rising intolerance. In recent weeks, as many as four Muslims have been killed across the country on suspicion of either consuming or transporting beef.

This morning the BBC Radio 4 Sunday programme had a segment about the visit which summarises the issues:

Human rights activists are holding a demonstration 'Narendra Modi Not Welcome in London' in Downing Street  and then Parliament Square on Thursday November 12th at noon  followed by a meeting in the House of Commons.

The event, deliberately timed to coincide with the Hindi festival of Diwali,  is highly unusual in Britain and although not organised by Modi or the Indian Government is aimed at securing his position as a major world statesman. It follows similar events in the US and Australia.

This is how NDTV LINK reported the event:

A starry show is planned in London next week and no, Bollywood is not headed there. Two days after Diwali, the highlight of the huge reception planned for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the famous Wembley stadium will be a spectacular fireworks show after the PM's speech.

Bollywood will be represented at the hour-event only by singer Kanika Kapoor, who has sung popular songs like Chittiyaan Kaliyaan and Baby Doll, and a performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra will be another highlight.

But mostly, organisers of the Wembley event told NDTV, the programme will feature performances by Indian school students from across London. Hundreds of students have been preparing for the last two months.

"Groups of children of about 50 from each school have come together and have choreographed their acts specially for the Prime Minister's programme,'' said Vijai Chauthaiwale, who heads the BJP Overseas Cell.

Mr Chauthaiwale flies out tomorrow to London to oversee final preparations. At least 55,000 people and 400 media persons are expected to attend the show and UK Prime Minister David Cameron is likely to accompany PM Modi for it.

"The theme is the diaspora, their journey from places like Uganda to the UK,'' said Mr Chauthaiwala, who also helped with the last two community events abroad for the PM.

PM Modi leaves for UK on November 12, a day after Diwali. His first visit to the country since he took office is likely to include lunch with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on the 13th, the same day as the reception at Wembley.

The Prime Minister has been hosted by the Indian community on most of his visits abroad, and organisers have vied to make these grander than the last.

The reception at the Madison Square Garden in New York last year has been held up by many as the gold standard so far. 18,000 people had attended that event. Almost the same number attended the reception for PM Modi at San Jose in America's Silicon Valley this year.

From: https://akodalikar.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/ukwelcomesmodi/

The over the top nature of the event, the sycophancy on display by some MPS, along with right-wing nationalism and near worship of the 'leader' leaves me with a sense of disquiet, especially after the Chinese and Egyptian visits.

Brent meeting and fundraiser on Palestine next week

Joint Brent STW and Brent  & Harrow PSC Meeting
HOW CAN THERE BE PEACE IS PALESTINE/ISRAEL?
Speaker: John Rose [Author of The Myths of Zionism]
Monday, November 9th at 7.30pm
Brent Trades Hall (London Apollo Club)
375 High Rd, Willesden, NW10 2JR
[It’s very close to Willesden Bus Garage, buses 6, 52, 98, 226, 260,
266, 302, 460 and just five minutes’ walk from Dollis Hill
Jubilee Line station]

Meeting organised by Brent Friends of Palestine
HELP   GAZA’S   CHILDREN HAVE   A   CHILDHOOD
373,000 children in Gaza need therapeutic support as a result of years of conflict.  (UNICEF 2015)
Help Brent Friends of Palestine raise funds to buy a bus for the Palestine Trauma Centre.
Come and hear   David  Harrold,  Chair of Palestine Trauma Centre
Songs by Leon Rosselson
Tuesday 10th November at 7.30pm
North London Tavern
375 Kilburn Park Rd
Kilburn Jubilee Line     Brondesbury  Overground
Buses 16,32,189,316,332

Public meeting on primaries' move to convert to academy status

So far among Brent primary schools  only Sudbury Primary School has voluntarily converted to academy status. Other primaries have been forced to academise after critical Oftsed reports often in the teeth of fierce staff and parental opposition.

In a surprise move Oakington Manor anf Furness Primary schools, part of a 'hard' federation, are reported to be looking to voluntarily convert to academy status.

Teacher unions are organising a public meeting to discuss the issue on Thursday 12th November at St Marks Church Hall, Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise, NW10 5HX

20% 'affordable' housing in new Stonebridge development

Artist's impression of the development in Knatchbull Road

A new development by the Hyde Group in Stonebridge will have just 20% 'affordable' housing, in the form of shared ownership, according to officer recommendations going before the next Planning Committee on November 18th. LINK

There will be 109 units (mainly 1 and 2 bedrooms) on the site of the former Craven Park Health centre. A community space is also proposed although planning officers are seeking clarification on the use of such space.

The development is part of the Stonebridge Regeneration Area which included proposals to increase the amount of private housing to provide social 'balance' to the area.

This proposal, taken on its own, fails to meet the recommended proportion of affordable housing but Hyde started with 0%. This was challenged by officers resulting in the 20% figure.

The report notes:

20% affordable housing is proposed as shared ownership, whilst below the policy recommendation the amount is supported by a viability report and the specific tenures proposed are supportive of the aim to diversify the housing supply in Stonebridge.

This is one of the first proposals to come forward to planning Committee since new guidelines on affordable housing were adopted.

Stonebridge councillors have made no comment on the proposal.

Brent Tories first to select candidate for Kensal Green by-election

From Brent Council website

Brent Council has announced that the council by-election is to be held in Kensal Green Ward on Thursday 17 December 2015. This follows the sad death of Cllr Dan Filson last week.

Nominations for candidates must be submitted to the Returning Officer at Brent Civic Centre by 4pm on Friday 20 November.

The person elected on 17 December will be in place for the remainder of the standard four year term of office for a councillor, until May 2018, and will serve alongside the other two councillors elected to that ward in May 2014.

Anyone eligible but not currently registered to vote has until midnight on Tuesday 1 December to register if they wish to vote in the by-election.

Anyone already registered but who wants a postal vote has until 5pm on Wednesday 2 December to submit an application form, which they can get by emailing electoral.services@brent.gov.uk.

Alternatively a form can be downloaded at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

You can also call our Electoral Services office on 020 8937 1372.

Brent Conservatives have been quick off the mark selecting Christopher Alley to contest the seat, presumably on the basis that he can handle a sandwich with panache!

Alley has 28 followers on Twitter @ChrisAlley23

Labour Party members interested in standing need to be free next weekend for interviews and have until 6pm on Wednesday 11th November to return their nomination papers. The papers are available from grover.robert2@gmail.com

It will be interesting to see Brent Momentum's impact on the selection.

Brent Green Party will issue an invitation to potential candidates shortly.

Are you eligible to stand? Details HERE

Causes for concern in Brent NHS provision

Peter Latham, Chair of Willesden Patient Participation Group and Member of the Steering Group of Brent Patient Voice, has given permission to Nan Tewari for this extract from his November 2015 Newletter to be published on Wembley Matters as a Guest Blog. It gives an interesting, and at times worrying, insight into current developments in local health provision.

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The national NHS news remains worrying.  Today we have news of junior doctors voting on a strike.  A new OECD report says that Britain now comes low in the international league tables for most categories of national healthcare.  Male expectation of life at birth comes 14^th out of 34, and 24^th for women.  Cancer 5 year survival rates are 21 out of 23 nations for cervical cancer, and 20 out of 23 for both breast and bowel cancer.  For surviving a heart attack we come 20^th out of 32 nations, and for surviving a stroke 19^th out of 31 nations. For unnecessary hospital admissions for asthma or lung disease due to poor care at home we are ranked 22 out of 34 nations.   The OECD estimate that to bring the NHS up to just OECD average performance would require an extra 26,500 doctors and 47,700 extra nurses at a cost of an extra £5 billion per year.  Britain currently spends £2,100 per person on healthcare, slightly below the OECD average.  Another report this week suggests that one quarter of all cancer diagnoses are made only when the patient goes to A&E already having symptoms so that their average survival time is poor. 

At our local Brent level there continues to be much paper activity at Brent CCG but not very much to report about actual changes put in place.

At the Brent CCG Governing Body meeting on 4 November 2015 the Deputy Chair Doctor Sarah Basham announced that the Brent CCG Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Wise is leaving.  She did not give any reason and did not announce a replacement.  This is unfortunate at a time when Brent CCG have moved from an annual financial surplus to Mr Wise’s report of an underlying financial deficit of about £1.3 million as at September 2015.  The CCG has filed a financial recovery plan as required by NHS England by 31 October 2015.  This needs to be set in the context of an annual budget of about £375 million.

Brent Community Cardiology Service & other Brent Planned Care projects.

The new Brent Community Cardiology Service provided by Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust that started in March 2015 at the Willesden and Wembley Centres for Health and Care is improving on many of its early problems.  There are now clinics at both centres each weekday.  More specialist cardiologists have been appointed although not all have started yet.  There was a gap in the contract specification with no provision for diastolic heart failure.  The CCG has now decided to issue a contract variation to cover this when the projected volume of patients and their needs have been clarified.

I have been appointed as a patient representative on the monthly contract review group for this service.  The main continuing concern for patient safety is on the 14 day contract maximum waiting time for urgent cases from GP referral to first offered appointment.  Mr Robin Sharp Interim Chair of Brent Patient Voice has waived doctor/patient confidentiality in the public interest to reveal that when referred by his GP for atrial fibrillation in June 2015 his first offered appointment was with a 62 day wait.  No explanation has been given. At the monthly meeting on 4 November with an agenda item for waiting times as at 30 October no figures were published for current waiting times.  It was said by Brent CCG that the figures will only be published after they have been verified. So patients have no confirmation that all or any patients assessed as urgent are being offered a first appointment within 14 days.  I requested the figures ‘subject to verification’ but this was refused.  Brent Patient Voice will now report this problem to Healthwatch Brent with a view to notification to the Care Quality Commission.

At the Brent CCG Annual General Meetings on 2 September and re-run on 14 October in answers to my questions the chair Doctor Etheldreda Kong confirmed that the 2012 ‘Planned Care’ business case for transferring about 13 specialist adult out-patient services out of hospital in 5 ‘Waves’ into new community clinics under the slogan ‘Better Care Closer to Home’ has been discontinued after the introduction of just the Wave 1 new ophthalmology service provided by the commercial provider BMI (who run the commercial Clementine Churchill Hospital at Sudbury Hill), and the new Brent Community Cardiology Service provided by the Royal Free whose problems are reported above.  

This project has been currently replaced by much less ambitious schemes e.g. just for physiotherapy instead of the major Wave 2 new integrated multi-disciplinary, musculo-skeletal (MSK) service project for which the procurement was discontinued in March 2015 following which  Brent CCG estimated  £713,000 had been spent on it.

Brent CCG A&E Advertising Campaign: “A&E is for life-threatening emergencies only”.

This advertisement has cropped up at bus stops in the borough etc and also carried the Brent Council logo.  Brent Patient Voice has complained that it is false and misleading and made a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.  BPV has given examples of non life-threatening emergencies that justify admission to hospital through A&E e.g. a penetrating eye injury.  Brent CCG has not challenged this and it is notable now that the wording on the Brent CCG website headline slide show has now been altered to say ‘A&E is for emergencies only’.

Brent CCG Whole Systems Integrated Care (WSIC) Project with Brent Council

This imposing sounding project has run into difficulties from lack of funding.  It proposes an integrated care plan just for elderly people with one or more long term conditions such as heart failure or asthma. Part of the aim is to reduce the need and cost for unplanned hospital admissions.  A WSIC pilot in part of the borough was planned to make sure the systems would work.  This pilot has now been abandoned for lack of funds.  The current proposal is to start the scheme across the whole borough in April 2016 without this pilot testing.

Brent CCG Commissioning Intentions 2016/17.

At the Governing Body meeting on 4 November the ‘final’ draft Commissioning Intentions (local health services purchasing plan) 2016/17 was approved.  The plans can be found on the Brent CCG website and include feedback from the patient involvement and consultation events including the Health Partners Forum on 7 October 2015.  I have been unable to discover the closing date for the online patient survey.

Wembley Matters: Normal service resumed

I have been away on the North Norfolk coastal path on a personal version of Autumn Watch. There's lots of catching up to do but meanwhile here's some pictures of life beyond Brent.