Could you be a volunteer teacher of English in Brent?

From Brent Unite Community

If any readers want to do some ESOL  (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teaching in the new year in the community, Unite the Union is running free training for volunteers so we can provide free classes in the borough. It's a minimum commitment of a weekend training and a 12 week course of classes (i.e 2 hours a week). We will find venues to suit when you're free and available.

Also, if anyone is part of any community groups (especially with venues) wanting classes, please get in touch with maryado2000@yahoo.co.uk

Anger as residents frustrated by Boxing Day parking restrictions as Spurs play Southampton

Twitter and Facebook were awash with complaints yesterday as the Spurs v Southampton event at the stadium meant parking restrictions were imposed.  Residents were angered that visits by relatives and friends on Boxing Day were affected with one person suggesting that Wembley had become a no-go area for those from outside the area:

I’m going to complain. Rules need to change. Don’t need whole day restriction for a 2 hour football match/concert. It’s a stupid system and unfair to residents and people who want to visit the borough. Especially on bank holidays !!!

The 12.30pm kick-off meant that traffic built up during the afternoon and the route between Wembley High Road and Forty Lane was at a stand still with tail-backs stretching into the surrounding area.

On a personal note a friend travelling to see me in Wembley Park from Alperton for Boxing Day lunch was due at 2.30-3pm and didn't make it until 4.15pm.

Anger was directed at Brent Council for approving the increase in the number of games held at the Stadium without requiring the necessary  infrastructure improvments.  This led to discussions about what had actually happened to Section 106/CiL money.

Can you help the Wembley FC petition get to 25,000 signatories before the end of the day?

--> The petition is support of Wembley FC has now attracted more than 21,000 signatures. Brian Gumm, chairman of Wembley FC  told BBC London LINK he is determined to appeal against the decision by the European Union's Intellectual Property Office:

The petition has given me a bit of faith, seeing that people out there do care about non-league football.

The FA have not spoken to me. I want the best for my club and I will fight them. If we want to make a stance for non-league football then I think we should.

The FA in a statement to the BBC said:

We have never objected to their use of this logo in the UK or elsewhere. This case is about Wembley FC registering their logo in several countries outside of the UK, such as Russia, China and the US, and then refusing to co-exist with us in those countries. 

We have not asked and will not ask Wembley FC to pay the costs to date.

Is this the beginning of a climb down? Let's increase the pressure by persuading more people to sign. 
 
You can sign the petition HERE
Wembley FC web page HERE
Wembley FC Facebook HERE

Stand up and be counted in defence of Wembley FC - sign the petition against FA bullying

Following recent publicity about the Football Association taking action against our local football club Wembley FC to stop them using 'Wembley' in their name LINK a petition has been set up by a Wembley resident which has already attracted more than 11,000 signatories.

Please support Wembley FC by signing the petition:

Wembley FC are being told to drop Wembley from their title because it could cause confusion with Wembley Stadium.

Wembley FC have had their name for over 70 years and are in fact a Football Club in .... Wembley!

Wembley Stadium on the other hand was known as the Empire Stadium, this was changed to Wembley Stadium because .... yes it is also in Wembley!

The two have co-existed for years without any issues so why are the FA forcing this on a small local club now and ordering them to pay the cost which will cripple them and probably force them to not exist anymore.  Is this a ploy to get the land from them that they have?  It is ridiculous and just shows that big organisations and throwing their weight around yet again to crush the little guy !  

Well my fellow Wemblians let’s see how the force of a towns’ residents over the 70 years feels about it!

Stand up and be counted and support the name Wembley remaining on the local team! 

London Assembly: Residents should have final say and ballot on estate regeneration

The London Assembly is asking the Mayor to hear Londoner’s voices and give them more power to decide where and when regeneration should take place in their areas.

A motion, agreed today, called on the Mayor to include this commitment in his final Good Practice Guide, urging him to make London a place where neighbourhoods are designed to answer communities’ needs.

Sian Berry AM, who proposed the motion, said:

The Assembly has called today for something all estate residents should have: a final say on what will happen to their homes and communities.

 Full consultation is vital and a ballot over any major plan to remodel their estates is the only way to make sure councils and housing associations don’t fudge these processes.

The Mayor’s commitment that ‘estate regeneration only takes place where there is resident support, based on full and transparent consultation’ was clear and we are calling now for him to keep his promise to Londoners.

 Tom Copley AM, who seconded the motion, said:

I’m pleased that the Mayor is insisting that there must be no net loss of social housing on estate regeneration schemes in his draft Good Practice Guide. However, I want him to go further by including ballots of residents whose homes face demolition. Balloting is a vital way of ensuring residents have a meaningful say over future plans for their homes and is the best way to ensure a regeneration scheme has legitimacy.

Wherever demolition is an option, there must be a commitment to balloting residents, particularly where a sizeable number of residents have made a request for a ballot.

Through his Good Practice Guide, we now want to see the Mayor working with community groups to develop detailed guidance about a host of issues, such as when ballots take place, who participates and how differences in opinions between residents may be resolved.

The full text of the Motion is:

This Assembly notes that the Mayor’s Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration is due to be published soon which will set out key principles to be followed in estate regeneration projects.

This Assembly also notes the Mayor’s manifesto commitment that estate regeneration only takes place where there is resident support, based on full and transparent consultation.

This Assembly believes that a final say for residents is an important way to ensure that resident involvement in plans for their homes is done in a meaningful way throughout the process.

This Assembly therefore urges the Mayor to recommend in his final Good Practice Guide that ballots are used on all schemes where demolition is an option or to include clear guidance that ballots will be guaranteed where a proportion of residents ask for it. Ballots should extend to private renters from non-resident leaseholders and freeholders on estates.

See this photographic essay for an example of an estate that is due to be regenerated LINK

New Information and Advice service for people with a learning disability

From Brent Mencap

Our new specialist Information and Advice service for Brent people with a learning disability aged 18-65 is going live on Thursday January 4th at Brent Mencap. It's only for people with a learning disability (which doesn't include conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia nor other disabilities).

As well as a drop in on Thursdays we can give initial information over the phone and get our adviser to ring you back or make an appointment.

Wembley FC 'David' takes on the FA 'Goliath' over club's name

After yesterday's coverage on ITN Wembley Football Club have received massive support on Twitter in their battle with the FA over the club's use of the word Wembley. The FA are citing 'Wembley' as their intellectual property despite not objecting when the name of Wembley FC went forward in 2012.

After the EU ruled in favour of the Football Association Wembley FC were ordred to pay the FA's costs threatening the future of the 70 years old club.

I wonder if they will act against Wembley Matters, Wembley Champions and Wembley Futures?

Here is some of the scathingTwitter reaction:

Before you rent, check whether your landlord has been prosecuted

Tenants are now able to check whether the landlord or agent they want to rent a property from is a rogue thanks to the launch of a new London database.

Brent is one of the first London boroughs rolling out the Greater London Authority's Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker.

The names and addresses of landlords and agents who have been prosecuted for housing offences within the past year have been uploaded onto the database. Their information will remain searchable for a year on the publicly accessible side of the Checker, and for up to 10 years between Councils and the London Fire Brigade.
 
Brent is one of ten London Councils included in this first phase launch, alongside Camden, Greenwich, Islington, Kingston, Newham, Southwark, Sutton, Waltham Forest and Westminster. The aim is for the database to become London-wide, including all London councils.

The Checker has three key parts. The first is a publicly available list of landlords and agents who have faced enforcement action. The second is a private database accessible only to London boroughs and the London Fire Brigade, containing a greater range of enforcement actions. Lastly, there will be a reporting tool - www.London.gov.uk/rogue-landlord-checker - to allow private tenants to make a complaint about their landlord or agent to their local authority.

Cllr Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform, said:

We want to put an end to rogue landlords exploiting the housing crisis by taking money from tenants living in poorly managed properties and in sub-standard conditions. The Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker is a deterrent to any landlord thinking of going down that route. It will also empower tenants to make the best possible choice about who they decide to pay their rent to. 

Anyone is able to access the Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker through a link on the Brent Council website as well as through the GLA website. The system has been designed to allow councils to share information about rogue landlords in order to help potential renters make informed decisions about where they choose to live.