Dogs deployed at Village School as governors make decision to academise

It appears The Village School governing body decided by a majority to support academisation to form a Multi Academy Trust at last night's meeting which which was marked by the extraordinary decision to deploy dogs to keep staff and members of the public out of the meeting.

This is the statement from the NEU released late yesterday:
 

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Today, 28^th February NEU members of staff and supporters gathered in Arctic conditions outside The Village school in Brent to express their opposition to the proposed academy. Despite the weather the Governors meeting to decide on whether to convert or not went ahead.  Staff were prevented from going inside as the premises were in ‘lockdown’. This was the description given by one of the security guards, with dogs at the ready, who had been brought in by the headteacher, Kay Charles. 

Staff governors and Reps struggled to get past the dog handlers into the governors' meeting.

The NEU strikers’ response was to sing even louder and a new song was quickly added to their imaginative repertoire, “Who brought the dogs in? Kay, Kay, Kay, Kay, Kay, Who paid the bill? We, we, we, we did”. Brent Councillor Jumbo Chan addressed the protestors praising their stand and bringing the support of the Brent Council leader Muhmmed Butt, Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler, both Brent Labour MPs and the local Labour Party.

The previous day, NEU staff, both teachers and support staff were on strike yet again to prevent their school becoming an academy. Joining them on the picket and supporting demonstration was Kevin Courtney, Joint NEU General Secretary. He brought solidary from the 450,000 members of NEU.

We heard yesterday that secondary academy Heads in Brent have sent a letter supporting the Executive Headteacher Kay Charles in her move to privatise this outstanding special school. Perhaps they are lining up to join the Multi Academy Trust and thereby possibly get a position in it where they earn more money?

A letter before action has been sent to Sandra Kabir, Chair of Governors, disgracefully defying the Labour line although still the Brent Labour Group Whip. Governors have voted by a majority for the Multi Academy Trust. Legal action will likely soon follow.  

When the management of a school calls in dog vans because staff are peacefully protesting against academisation, you know they have lost the argument. Democracy and consultation academy style.

London Mayor supports plans for West London Orbital Rail that will run through Old Oak, Harlesden, Neasden and Cricklewood

Click on images to enlarge

Years of campaiging, publicity and network building by local activist John Cox appears to have persuaded the Mayor of London, TfL, Network Rail and the London Alliance of Boroughs to consider a new Overground line linking Hounslow with Brent Cross, Hendon, Cricklewood and West Hampstead via Old Oak, Harlesden and Neasden.

The West London Orbital has now been incorporated into the revised Mayor''s Transport Strategy.

Congratulations John.

Dog units deployed at The Village School as governors meet to make academisation decision

The Village School in Kingsbury appear to have hired dog units which are on site now, allegedly to keep staff off the premises when tonight's governing body meeting makes a decision on whether to convert the school into an academy to form a Multi-Academy Trust with Woodfield School.

Brent North MP, Barry Gardiner, had previously urged the governing body to hold their decision making meeting in public.

Tonight's Wembley Central and Alperton Residents' Association meeting cancelled.

The meeting of the Wembley Central and Alperton Residents' Association that was to be held tonight LINK has been cancelled because of the cold and icy weather.

I will post details of the new date when I have them.

Brent Council answers Cllr Duffy's asbestos queries

Brent Council has responded further to Cllr Duffy's queries about the Paddington asbestos issue following the statement made at Monday's Full Council meeting:

The independent testing that was done confirmed that the level of asbestos at the site is below the scientific detection level at 0.001%. This is consistent with background levels for this substance in soil in urban areas. The asbestos that you refer to as having been removed in May was found in a total of 30kg of mixed soil that was taken for testing. This subsequently confirmed the presence of asbestos at that time. It would be very inaccurate and misleading to suggest the low levels that were subsequently recorded over the wider site had been engineered as a consequence of the removal of this 30kg of mixed soil in May.

The extended audit investigation that is underway is seeking to establish the pathway, if any, of the asbestos that has been detected in the soil at trace levels at Paddington Old Cemetery. This will also determine whether there were any operational failings with respect to the transfer of the soil from Carpender’s Park in 2015 and whether that is actually relevant.

Your reference to 60kg of asbestos having been found at Carpender’s Park must again be challenged. A total of 60kg of mixed soil was removed at that time. It was thought the soil might contain a piece of asbestos.

It would also be misleading and potentially very hurtful to suggest that customers have paid £3k to have their relatives buried in builders’ rubble at Paddington Old Cemetery. The re-opening of graves has been undertaken by specialist teams as a precaution until the facts of this matter have been firmly established. We are now clear that the level of asbestos in the soil at the graves is at background levels, similar to that likely to be found in any garden in Brent.

The council has committed to consulting with the school and the workers at the site and to concluding this matter in a measured and transparent way. Further decision making will be based on the facts that have been established and we will seek to implement pragmatic solutions that are agreed with the various stakeholders.

The council has no plans for compensating grave owners. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring substance which has been detected at the cemetery at levels that are below 0.001%, and which would not draw regulatory sanction or be of any interest to the HSE. Given the concentrations encountered are typical of urban background levels, the council will carefully consider what action is merited in this case and any other cases where the contamination is present at such low concentrations. This will be considered in the context of previous decisions where Local Authorities have, under their statutory powers (Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990) determined that other sites including those with much higher concentrations of asbestos do not meet the threshold for definition as Contaminated Land.

Mili Patel accuses Cllr Warren of abusing his position, fueling fear and intimidating nursery

If the last Full Brent Council meeting was a curtain raiser was the May local elections it looks as if things are likely to get pretty nasty.

Cllr Mili Patel, lead member for children and families, is not well known for speaking at council meetings, but used the presentation of a petition about the College Green open space to launch an excoriating attack on Cllr John Warren, leader of the Conservative group.

College Green is, after all,  in Warren's ward and he had made a speech in support of residents after Jim Hogan had spoken to the petition. Cllr Warren said that residents felt they had welcomed the College Green Nursery School into the open space but it now seemed to them that the nursery was stabbing them in the back by wanting to erect a  screen around the open space. He said residents hadn't wanted to set up a petition but the nursery had refused to engage with them about the issue. The petition had been a last resort. In a conciliatory tone he asked for Mili Patel to agree to a meeting between the scouts who use the open space, the nursery and the College Green Preservation Society to resolve the issue as residents felt that this was a potential land grab. Residents didn't want a 'Berlin Wall' around the space. He asked that in her response Cllr Patel constructively engage so that residents fears could be put to rest.

Cllr Patel responded by justifying the fence on safeguarding grounds  and claiming that the council had engaged with residents but they and the Preservation Society had not attended the last meeting about the positioning of the fence. The issue was now that of the screening off of the area.

She then went on:

However the agenda for Cllr Warren was to bring it full Council rather than having a meeting outside. Brent Labour takes its responsibility for safeguarding very seriously. We know from previous comments that you see safeguarding as 'crumbs'. You are taking the opportunity to take advantage of the impending local elections, perhaps you're running scared. I ask you to stop abusing your position and fuelling the residents with fear and also the College Green Nursery with intimidation and actually working with your community and get the group together.

More calmly she agreed with Warren that they could get the group together and organise a meeting.

A somewhat stunned Cllr Warren pointed out that he had never said he regarded safeguarding as 'crumbs.'

Cllr Patel by concentrating her attack on Cllr Warren failed to address the issues that Jim Hogan of College Green Preservation Society had made in a cogent speech. He said the open space had been there for more than 100 years and enjoyed by the scouts for 50 years. In 1995 they had supported a nursery (now College Green Nursery School) moving on to the open space to preserve it. A 6ft 8inch fence had been erected around the open space by the nursery and they then fixed a screen around the perimeter of the fence - residents had got them to remove the screen.

Hogan said residents were vehemently opposed to any attempt to screen off the space and wanted the council to make an agreement that this would not be done. Hogan said that a screen would run counter to the council's own guidelines and cited:

• reduction of the sight lines of pedestrians crossing the busy junction
• impact of the loss of outlook by residents
• traffic safety
• effect on pedestrians
• effect on the character of a protected area
• effect on open spaces and nature conservation

The 1913 legal Covenant  made by All Souls college should be respected.  In the past there were real greens at Willesden Green, Kensal green and even Harlesden Green, that had been fenced, screened off and built on.  He went on:

Let's not let that happen at College Green.  The nursery refused to meet residents to discuss their concerns. Let College Green Nursery School show some respect for their neighbours. Let us enjoy the view of the open space which has never been part of their property. Let's get an agreement signed by Brent Council preventing the screening of the open space. It won;t cost the council a penny. We don't want to have to start another petition after waking up to find a screen has been put up around the open space.

There are very few open spaces left in Brent and they are constantly under attack. Most of our front gardens have disappeared as a result of off-street parking. Our open space contributes to the well-being of local residents.

We want to walk around College Green to enjoy looking at the sun going down behind the magnificent oak tree planted by the scouts in 1967. We want to watch the crows, foxes etc.

What is the meaning of community? We don't want College Green hidden from our view or stolen from us. We want to enjoy it. A simple agreement between the scouts, the nursery school and Brent Council.

 Let's hope that the upcoming election does not stop this issue being resolved.

Brent Civic Centre's 'Vanity Road' cost £852,000 and an extra £2,777 so far to repair

Collapse of the 'Vanity Road'

Brent Council has admitted that the block paving road outside the Civic Centre  on Enginereers Way cost £852k which was funded through Section 106 money. The cost of repairs to date is £2,777. In a response to Paul Lorber the Council said it did not keep records on the cost of officer time dealing with individual matters such as this. They confirmed that no costs had been recovered from the contractors and other third parties for the defects and repairs.

Following up the issue Lorber said that the cost seemed high for such a short stretch of road and asked for the comparable cost in tarmac. In addition he asked if the Council intended to pursue the contractor for the cost of repairs.

Value for money? Brent councillors' attendance record

It is interesting to look at the attendance record of our councillors as recorded on the Brent Council website before last night's last last Full Council meeting of this administration.

Attendance is recorded as how many meetings each councillor was expected to attend, how many they actually attended, and how many they attended where they were not expected. The latter may be because the councillor has a particular interest in the topic or it is of relevance to their ward.

Expected attendance is as low as 3 (Full Council  meetings) for those councillors without any committee or other responsibility to 23 for the councillor with the most responsibilities.

The councillor with the highest attendance was Cllr Shafique Choudhary with 19 out of 19 expected attendances and 3 additional ones. Cllr Pat Harrison and Cllr Janice Long at 18/18 and 17/17 had 100% attendance with the latter also attending 2 additional meetings.

Bottom of the table were Cllr Sabina Khan with only 2 attendances out of an expected 9 and Cllr Aisha Hoda-Benn with 2 out of 8. This means that they pocketed over £5,000 for each meeting.

The councillor with the highest number of expected attendances at 23 was Cllr Mary Daly and it appears that workload was too much as she only managed to attend 12 meetings.

On the Tory side Cllr Reg Colwill had the best attendance at 11 out of 11 and 2 extra meetings and  Cllr Joel Davidson who made only 5 of the 12 meetings he was expected to attend.

Table of attendancee HERE