Is your road surface/footway due for resurfacing/reconstruction by Brent in 2018-19?

The last meeting of this administration's Cabinet on April 9th will approve spending on the borough's highways maintenance of £3.5 million. Normally TfL would contribute an additional capital sum for spending on the borough's principal roads but this has been 'paused' under their 5 Year Plan, representing a loss to the borough of £882,000. However, each London borough has been asked to submit two principal roads for consideration for maintenance work and Brent Council has submitted Wembley High Road and Kilburn High Road. A decision is likely by the end of April.

The report to Cabinet points out that Highway infrastructure is the most visible, well-used and valuable physical asset owned by Brent Council. Highway assets include:

• 505 km (315 miles) of roads; 

• 847 km (529 miles) of pavements; 

• 53 bridges and structures; 

• 24,500 road gullies; 

• 10,000 street trees; and 

• 22,848 street lights and other illuminated street furniture. 
 

The value of this asset is estimated at around £3.8 billion 

 

The £3.5 million to be spent on this infrastructure is dwarfed by the £18 million of Community Infrastructure Levy the Cabinet allocated to replacing the Wembley Stadium Pedway with steps. 

Spending will be on:

• Major and minor pavement reconstruction; 

• Major Road resurfacing; 

• Preventative maintenance; 

• Improvements to the public realm, and 

• Renewal of Road Markings

 

Previous road works in Engineer's Way

These are the Highway Maintenance plans for 2018-19. 

The 'Rhino Imprint' earmarked for Harlesden High Street and Engineer's Way, Wembley is a synthetic material. Details HERE. The Civic Centre is on Engineer's Way.

Asphalt/Brick on footways refers to asphalt replacing paving stones for the main footway and brick for dropped kerbs at driveways and junctions.

Big Garden Birdwatch Results 2018

Volunteer English teachers required in Brent - training provided by Unite Community

The air we breathe - Local Action April 18th Harlesden Methodist Church

Clean Air for Brent invites you to a public meeting

‘THE AIR WE BREATHE: LOCAL ACTION'

Speakers include Professor Martin Williams (Air Quality Scientist at Kings College) and Jennifer Barrett (Air Quality lead at Brent Council)

Wednesday April 18th 7-9pm
Harlesden Methodist Church 25 High Street London NW10 4NE entrance from side passage in High St next to Church

Please use public transport. 8 min walk from Willesden Junction station, 12 min walk from Harlesden, buses 18, 187, 206, 220, 226 and 266

FREE EVENT – ALL ARE WELCOME
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-air-we-breathe-local-action-tickets-44325338280
or email us at cafbrent@gmail.com

Brent Council apologises for day late payment of housing benefit

A Brent Council spokesperson said:

Brent Council is today apologising to Housing Benefit claimants, and to their landlords, who should have received their regular payment into their bank accounts on Monday 2nd April, the Bank Holiday. Instead, they will now receive the money due a day later, on Tuesday 3rd April, due to problems with an earlier payment run. We can confirm to any landlords who may therefore receive their rent payments a day late as a result that this was our error, and not that of their tenants, so this should not cause any tenants any major problems. We are working hard to identify what went wrong with this payment run, so as to ensure that there is no repeat in future.

BREAKING NEWS: DfE 'turn down' The Village School MAT proposal

Over 110 staff were on strike for 11 strike days

From Brent National Education Union

We are informed that the Department for Education (DfE) has turned down the proposal for The Village school, a special school in Kingsbury, Brent, to form a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) with Woodfield Academy. They say the MAT is not big enough.

A source from within the DfE informed Hank Roberts, NEU Joint Executive member and local NEU NUT section president of the shocking news.

Hank Roberts said:

This shows monumental incompetence on the part of the Governors, in particular the Executive Head Kay Charles and the Chair of Governors, Sandra Kabir who drove this project forward despite overwhelming opposition of staff, parents and the community.

The whole deeply flawed MAT idea should now be dropped. Brent Council should also use this opportunity to publicly reiterate its call for The Village school to remain a Local Authority school.

Kay Charles had written to Roberts on 7^th March stating:

Your speculation around the size of a potential Multi Academy Trust is in error. There is only discussion about Woodfield School and The Village setting up a MAT together, no other schools are being considered.

Hank Roberts continued:

 So it is clear that it was only these two schools they were consulting on. It would be shameful, if any attempts are made to go secretly scrabbling around in an attempt to find other schools to join them enabling them to make a different proposal, without a full consultation on what would be a new proposal.

Further, the NEU are studying documents that may well prove that there have been financial irregularities at one of the schools.  

Cllr Jumbo Chan, a Brent Labour councillor said:

The unnecessary decision by the majority of The Village School governing body to become an academy as part of a multi-academy trust was an unpopular one which defied a broad coalition of teachers and support staff, parents and campaigners, so it is very welcomed news that this proposal [may now be/has been] rejected.

I was incredibly proud to have supported The Village School’s outstanding, inspirational and passionate teachers and support staff from the onset of their winter campaign. As we now move forward, it is of utmost importance that any popular view is more robustly reflected and enforced.

 

NOTE I have raised the possibility that all special (non-mainstream) provision in Brent could end up academised if The Village proposal went ahead LINK. Woodfield, Manor and The Village co-operated in setting up The Avenue special free school which will eventually expand to 100 pupils. The Avenue and Manor form the Brent Specialist Academy Trust.  Woodfield is already an academy. 

The statements above by Kay Charles and Hank Roberts are important in that the DfE's opposition on grounds of size could be overcome if all four schools combined in the Brent Specialist Academy Trust.

Easter Art Workshops for Children and Teens at Northfields Community Centre

Further details of the workshops are as follows:

Tuesday 3rd April, Drop-in sessions between 11am - 4pm - FAMILIES & YOUNG CHILDREN ACTIVITIES (targeted at children between the ages of 5 and 13 and their families):

- Art and interactive activities will be running all day on drop-in basis for families around the theme of the community competition

- Parents will be informed about the Festival, Community Competition and the Northfields development project

Wednesday 4th April, 3-6pm - WIDER YOUTH COMMUNITIES ENGAGEMENT (targeted at young people between the ages of 14 and 19): 

- Local young people will be informed about the Festival, Competition and the Northfields project

- Workshop activities around competition theme to get young people engaged and ready to submit their entries

Roundwood cafe reopens in time for the Easter Weekend

The weather forecast isn't great but one bright spot for the weekend is the welcome news that the Roundwood Lodge Cafe will be open for business.  The cafe in Roundwood Park will be open 7 days a week from 8am until dusk.