Alice and Amy at Barham Community Library later this month

Kilburn Lane/Salusbury Road/Carlton Vale gyratory system to be replaced by lights following road closure

Brent General Purposes Committee will be asked at its next meeting LINK to approve the stopping up of the un-named road(hatched above) also known as Premier Corner which runs between Kilburn Lane and Salusbury Road, close to Queens Park Bakerloo/Overground station.

The stopping up is to enable the development taking place which involves the demolition of Keniston Press, Premier House, Cullen House and the Falcon pub.

The gyratory system will be replaced by a signalled junction at Kilburn Lane/Salusbury Road/Carlton Vale. Westminster City Council withdrew their initial objection based on safety concerns at Fernhead Road )bottom right on satellite view) after assurances from Brent Council. The report says that the council intends to 'retain' the service for cyclists using the Carlton Vale cycle route.

Can any WM readers offer Brent Advocacy Concerns any advice? Councillors, Brent CCG, Brent CVS, Brent Healthwatch not responding.

From Brent Advocacy Concerns

Dear Martin,

I was informed today that our office (in Willesden Centre for Health and Care) has been designated as 'a clinical waste dispersal site'.  The building work to convert it is due to begin on the 2nd Jan. 2018.

I have contacted Brent CCG, councillors, Brent Healthwatch & Brent CVS, so far no one has replied.  We have not been informed about any of this but it looks like we will be evicted before Christmas.

Could you ask your readers if that is the way to treat a disability charity that has been providing services for free, for the last 30 years in Brent. 

Just today I had to turn down a business from NW10 who had asked us to represent one of their clients in an ESA benefit appeal next week.  They wanted to know who would be able to help them but there is no one.  I did suggest Brent CAB but they normally require a lot of notice, whereas we could have helped them now.

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The background to this distressing issue can be found HERE

Tulip Siddiq in media storm after Channel 4 News report last night

Hampstead and Kilburn MP, Tulip Siddiq, finds herself amidst a media storm today after her interview on Channel 4 News last night. Labour supporters have joined in condemnation of both her defensive reaction to questions and her parting comment to the pregnant Channel 4 News producer, although others have come to her defence. (See the comments by clicking on her tweet)

My statement on Channel 4's news report last night pic.twitter.com/fODWYgxATU

— Tulip Siddiq (@TulipSiddiq) November 29, 2017

Greens award a FAIL to Sadiq Khan's 'affordable' housing definition in London Plan

The Mayor has failed to fix the definition of an affordable home in London in his new draft London Plan, leaving average families stuck paying over the odds for so-called ‘affordable’ new homes, says Sian Berry Green Assembly Member for London.

Sian Berry said:

The Mayor’s affordable housing policies in this plan are a real let down for the average Londoner – they look set to let developers off the hook again and won’t deliver what Londoners need. 

Evidence accompanying the plan shows that so-called ‘intermediate’ housing, at only slightly less extortionate rents, will simply not do. The assessment of London’s housing needs, summarised in the plan, says that nearly half of all new housing must be at low cost social rent levels. However, in the plan the Mayor is only asking for these kinds of homes to be 30 per cent of the affordable housing provided.

With overall affordable home targets set at 35 per cent of homes, this means developers can make just one in ten homes available at social rent.

This is nowhere near what London needs. I’ve already challenged the Mayor about why he has included a definition of ‘affordable housing’ at up to 80 per cent of market rates in his draft housing strategy and yet we see this again here.

He has added a household income limit of £60,000 a year and said that affordable rents should be at 40 per cent of net income for people earning this salary, but this will leave families earning much less than this paying over £1500 a month in rent to live in what is still defined as an ‘affordable home’.

The Mayor needs to change the definition of affordable and set proper targets for homes at social rents too. Developers will always opt for the least costly option for them, and I fear this means high rents for ‘affordable’ homes will continue to be the norm under this Mayor’s plans.

Londoners can’t afford to be failed on housing by two Mayors in a row. These plans are in draft and Londoners will be able to have their say. I hope that everyone affected by high housing costs tells the Mayor that his targets for developers and his definition of affordable housing needs to change to meet their needs.

Brent Council confirm Dec 22nd extension for Wembley High Road works

Brent Council have confirmed that the Thames Water sewer works on Wembley High Road will be extended up to December 22nd. Certainly the works, which were due to be finished at the end of this week, look nowhere near completion. I understand that the concrete blockage extends further eastwards than first thought and clearing it will require further excavation.

Business on the affected closed road seeking compensation from Thames Water should follow this LINK

The final bill for the works and compensation could run into hundreds of thousands and despite their denials, Henley Homes, who are developing the  Brent House site adjacent to the sewer works, are still being suggested by locals as the most likely blockage culprit. Watch this space!

Sufra Foodbank launch Christmas Giving Calendar for children

From Sufra NW London Foodbank

Do you want to teach your children how to give and experience charity?

This year, we are publishing our Xmas Giving Calendar that is perfect for parents to encourage their children to give regularly to charity during this festive period.

Download a copy here after completing the form.

Before December, prepare a large cardboard box for your children.

Throughout the festive period, fill the box with the food items, clothing and toiletries listed on the calendar. At the end of the month, deliver your box of donations to Sufra NW London’s food bank.

We will send a certificate and present to every child who fills a collection box!

London Labour adopts radical resolutions on housing - will local Labour led councils respond?

It has been clear for some time that there is a divergence between what Jeremy Corbyn said about housing and local estate regeneration at the national Labour Party Conference and what actually is happening in London councils controlled by Labour.  Clearly national policy change is also required but councils do have some room for  action and the ability to put pressure on the government through the LGA and other bodies.

At the weekend two detailed motions on housing were passed overwhelmingly at the London Labour Party Regional  Conference which should cause some rethinking of Brent Council policy. Whether it will or not is of course a matter for the rank and file members of the Brent Labour Party and the attitude of theLabour Group on the council.

Motion 1
 

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End the freeze to local housing allowances (LHA) which is making London increasingly unaffordable to people on low incomes. Shelter’s research shows that the LHA rates have already fallen behind actual rents in nearly 70% of England, meaning families are chasing an ever smaller number of properties at the bottom of the market covered by housing benefit, or are having to make up the difference by cutting back on essential spending elsewhere. The freeze will simply exacerbate this.

Shelter’s model suggests that after two years nearly all of the country will be unaffordable and the bottom third of the market will be affordable in just 20 local authorities.

Shelter defines an area as very unaffordable to benefit claimants when LHA rates fall below the 10^th percentile. Their research shows that by 2019 60 local authorities will be very unaffordable, including most of London and large parts of the Home Counties, as well as towns like Reading.

Conference supports the following actions in the Private Rented Sector:

·       Introduce controls on future rent increases, extending or a ‘system of rent caps’ to limit rent increases and ensure predictable rents.

·       Increase security through longer term tenancies and strengthening tenants’ rights not to be automatically evicted.

·       Improve standards through measures that include borough-wide licensing schemes, landlord accreditation and guaranteed minimum standards for private tenants.

·       Councils could be encouraged to introduce voluntary Rent Stabilisation Schemes, such as Camden Council’s scheme, to control rents and make them more affordable.

·       Improve industry practices through a ban on letting agents’ fees and consider the creation of council run letting agencies to promote best practice.

·       London Labour Conference will work and campaign with our Branches, forums, Affiliates, MPs, Assembly members and Councillors to achieve these aims. 

Motion 2

The London Labour Party Conference demands access to decent housing as a human right and believes that the housing needs and aspirations of Londoners should have priority over a market approach.

Conference welcomes the overwhelming support for Composite 5 at our Party’s National Conference. We also note the bold and unequivocal statements by our Party Leader on estate regeneration where he made two clear points:

·       …people who live on an estate that is redeveloped must get a home on the same site and on the same terms as before

·       …councils will have to win a ballot of existing tenants and leaseholders before any redevelopment scheme can take place

This conference supports full binding – ballot rights for estate residents in future regeneration projects in London and calls for current regeneration schemes to be stayed until councils have held ballots of all those affected.

Conference notes Shelter’s investigation, released on 28^th September 2017, where it raised concerns that Housing developers are using viability assessments to build fewer social/council homes that they had initially promised.

Conference calls upon the Mayor of London, the Greater London Authority and Labour controlled borough councils in London to maintain the existing stock of council and Housing Association housing and to work to increase it by:

·       Retaining full ownership and control of available public land

·       Increasing publicly led and controlled investment in new and existing Council and other commonly owned housing, including housing bonds alongside other direct investment.

·       Directly delivering construction and maintenance services and to commit to a training scheme for direct labour to build and maintain council housing with guaranteed jobs within the council workforce upon successful completion.

·       We need high quality council and Housing Association housing with secure lifetime tenancies and genuinely affordable rent (i.e. council target rents or Mayor of London living rent). All future developments should ensure levels of accessibility, adaptable and lifetime homes for disabled people that are all based on a clearly evidenced understanding of disabled people’s needs in each London Housing authority.

·       Exploring and promoting, where appropriate, the use and development of 100% council-owned development vehicles to build and provide at council (target) rents.

·       Supporting communities by requiring at least 1:1 advance replacement, within the same neighbourhood of council homes sold or demolished under regeneration schemes, with a minimum of 50% of any additional housing for council rents.

·       Ceasing and prevent the transfer of land to either private developers or joint venture development vehicles which cede an ownership and /or control to property developers

·       Ensure complete transparency of viability assessments – the Government’s planning guidance should make clear that viability assessments will be considered public documents.

·       The Mayor of London, in his London Plan, London Boroughs, in their local planning polices, should include residents’ consultation, and any subsequent Ballot Process in new regeneration of Council/Housing Association stock. Residents should be given full financial information on all possible options at the “appraisal” stage, not just those assessed as “viable”.

·       Promoting Co-operative housing managed by residents; development of new co-operative and mutually owned housing where supported by local communities.

·       Campaigning for a Land Value Tax for vacant or underutilised land and seeking to end the “Right to Buy”.

We further call on the Mayor of London, the GLA and councils to ensure that brownfield land, including that owned by TfL, is made available to councils for council housing development and is not sold or transferred to private developers.

This Conference:

·       Urges CLPs to campaign on estates around the capital explaining Labour Policy to support tenants’ rights when confronted with regeneration and calls on the London Labour Party to support such campaigns through any practical means.

·       Calls for all Labour Councillors to support and campaign around our Party’s policy on estate regeneration.

·       Demands the policies outlined above be prioritised in Labour’s Manifesto for London and Borough Manifestos for the 2018 Council Elections.