John Duffy stands in Kilburn against Labour & Polish Pride stand in Dollis Hill and Dudden Hill

Cllr John Duffy, who resigned the Labour whip earlier this year and was not selected to fight the May Council election for Labour is standing for election in Kilburn ward.

There is no party or independent description on his nomination and he is clearly relying on his name being known locally and his record of holding the Council to account over issues such as asbestos in Paddington Cemetery, the Kingdom Securities contract, and failures in Brent Council's waste strategy.

Neither the Liberal Democrats nor the Green Party are standing in every ward while UKIP is standing one candidate in Kensal Green and three in the Welsh Harp ward. The Women's Equality Party has a candidate in Queens Park.  Duma Polska (Polish Pride) are standing full slates in Dollis Hill and Dudden Hill. Apart from Duffy there are independents in Barnhill, Dudden Hill and Preston wards. FULL DETAILS

Duma Polska's website states:

Duma Polska aims to strengthen the position of the Polish community in Great Britain and to make its voice count. Poles are the largest national minority in London, and yet they do not have representatives in the local authorities. It is time to change this and appoint Polish councillors. All the more so because these are the last elections before Brexit and may affect how the further negotiations will take place regarding our status after the exit of Great Britain from the European Union.  Therefore, vote for our candidates, successful people, successful in business, who not only deal in the UK, but share their experience and help others. Others are born social workers, and still others are experts in many areas of everyday life. It is a symbol of our Polish solidity, reliability and credibility that we have been building on the Islands for over 70 years.

Duma Polska was founded by Jan (Prince) Zylinski, Ealing based Polish aristocrat and millionaire, who challenged Nigel Farage to a sword fight over Farage's stereotyping of Polish workers as benefit scroungers.

Where the parties are standing:

Ward	Lab	Con	Green	Lib Dem	W Eq	Polish Pr	Ukip	Ind
Alperton	3	3	1	3
Barnhill	3	3		3				1
Brondesbury Park	3	3		3
Dollis Hill	3	3		3		3
Dudden Hill	3	3	1	3		3		1
Fryent	3	3
Harlesden	3	3		2
Kensal Green	3	3	1	3			1
Kenton	3	3	1	3
Kilburn	3	3		3				1
Mapesbury	3	3	3	3
Northwick Park	3	3	1
Preston	3	3		3				1
Queensbury	3	3	1	3
Queeens Park	3	3	3	3	1
Stonebridge	3	3
Sudbury	3	3	1	3
Tokyngton	3	3	1	2
Welsh Harp	3	3		3			3
Wembley Central	3	3	1	3
Willesden Green	3	3	3	3

Community reacts quickly to remove Nazi graffiti

Residents near Dollis Hill station in Brent reacted quickly when Nazi graffiti appeared on their street. The community came together and set  to work to clean off the graffiti and were helped by a local councillor.  Worryingly some of the graffiti appeared to be outside the homes of Jewish families.

Lucy Cox, who discovered the graffiti, said:

I'm horrified to see my Jewish neighbours targeted in this way. Anti-semitism is real on the far right and we won't tolerate it in Dollis Hill.

We will be holding a vigil in solidarity on Tuesday evening at 7pm at the bus stop on Hamilton Road. (Near Dollis Hill tube). I hope lots of local people can join us to show our community is united against hate

Sadly there has been anti-semitism in the area in the past when a memorial in Gladstone Park to prisoners of war and concentration camp victims by Fred Kormis was vandalised in 2003. This too led to a counter demonstration opposing racism and anti-semitism. The memorial now has Grade 2 listed status.

Queens Parade back on the agenda but may be deferred again

The Queen's Parade development in Willesden Green returns to the Brent Planning Committee on Wednesday having been deferred on March 14th.  However, the developer has not given full details of their proposed reduction in the height of the building and this may mean further deferral.

The Planning Officers' report LINK seeks to ride two horses in continuing to advocate approval, despite the lack of information, but also providing reasons why the application could be refused - rather confusing.:

Extracts:

When considering the suggested changes, while the precise level of decrease in the height of the building has not been set out by the applicant, the changes may be sufficient to overcome the Members’ concerns. However, the amendments would need to be worked up by the applicant and the daylight analysis re-cast for the revised scheme. As such, it is not possible to present these suggested revised proposals to this planning committee meeting. Is it (sic) therefore recommended that the application is deferred to a subsequent planning committee meeting to allow the receipt of the revised proposals and supporting information and the re-consultation of neighbouring residents.

However, should members wish to determine the application at this planning committee, Officers continue to recommend that planning permission is granted. Although there are areas where the proposed development would not entirely comply with guidance, when considered on balance the benefits of the scheme would outweigh the negative aspects of the application. 
Members can however choose what weight they consider should be given to the material planning considerations within the proposal and therefore could come to a different conclusion on these matters if they do not agree with the recommendation. The matters that members have expressed concern about have been discussed in this report.  

The report concludes

   As discussed above, officers continue to recommend that planning permission is granted for the development as currently proposed. However, given that members have specified that they are minded to refuse planning consent, the applicant have requested the ability to amend the proposal as set out above (reductions in height to address outlook and daylight concerns and the provision of additional communal student facilities) and to provide further detail regarding the arrangements for student drop-off and pick up, within a student management plan. 
It is therefore recommended that the application is deferred to a subsequent planning committee meeting to allow the amendments and information to be submitted and for further consultation to be undertaken in relation to those amendments. 
However, if members consider that the application should be refused in its current form the following reasons for refusal are suggested based on the issues raised by members at the previous meeting.

.         

1.     The proposed development, by reason of its size and siting, would have an unduly detrimental impact on the amenities of the occupiers of the adjoining building, Electric House, by way of an unduly detrimental loss of light to and outlook from the windows of three residential units within that building. This is contrary to policy DMP1 of the Brent Local Plan Development Management Policies 2016 and Supplementary Planning Guidance 17; 


2.     The proposed development, by reason of failure to incorporate communal facilities appropriate to the use, would represent the provision of a poor standard of accommodation for future occupants, contrary to policy DMP20 of the Brent Local Plan Development Management Policies 2016. 


3.     The proposal, by reason of the failure to demonstrate adequate arrangements for the servicing of the building during student move-in and move-out periods, and having regard to the busy nature of the adjoining highway, is likely to result in conditions prejudicial to the free and safe flow of traffic on the surrounding highway network. This is contrary to Policies DMP1 and DMP12 of the Brent Local Plan Development Management Policies 2016. 


Wembley's frantic development: For better or worse?

Olympic Way. Public realm works are in  progress

Once in a while I like to give my Friends from the South (the south of Brent that is) a photographic update on the development around Wembley Stadium and now increasingly in Wembley High Road. It may also enable local Wembley people to keep track of these rapid developments.

Civic Centre/Olympic Way)

New blocks have narrowed the view of the Stadium

Once visible from Olympic Way, the Civic Centre is now only glimpsed between the blocks

The Pedway, soon to be replacd by steps, new build on right

The open space is now over-shadowed

Another block rises at the side of the stadium

The Civc Centre veranda used to have a view of the stadium...

Ever closer proximity

Near Wembley Stadium station

Mahatma Gandhi House, Wembley Hil Road, has been demolished. A 10/21 storey block is to be built here

Opposite, Cottrell House has been demolished, 9 storey block here

York House, Wembley Hill Road, an Ark primary free school to be built on the car park

Flats replacing Brent House on the High Road, stretch back to new Ark Elvin site

Playing fields at Ark Elvin, the academy  that replaced Copland High

Former green space set aside for Elsely Primary School expansion

The new Ark Elvin building. The old building on the High Road will be demolished & replaced with flats & retail

'Luxury' apartments on the High Road

Crane in place at junction of High Road and Park Lane. The 'Twin Towers' will be two and a half times as tall as the block to the left...

...and just three storeys short of the West Hendon tower that can be seen for miles

For relief, something on a human scale - Chalkhill Park

Why were Brent workers allowed to work in Paddington Cemetery without protective clothing when specialists deem it necessary?

Photographs taken at Paddington Cemetery on Wednesday April 4th

Councillor John Duffy has returned to the controversial issue of asbestos at Paddington Cemetery. He has written to Brent Council enclosing the above photographic evidence.

In an email to Brent Council officers and members he states:

You can see from the photo the contractors are working in the area Brent Council officers were conveniently unable to identify from the original photo (albeit the area was signed posted). Again i think this highlights the cover -up that has been taking place by Brent officers to extent of the contamination by builders' rubble containing asbestos and the cost to Brent residents to clear or remediate the site.

I hope your reply will concentrate on why members of the workforce (gravediggers , gardeners) were instructed to work on section 3D without protective clothing  following the discovery of the Asbestos on May 7th (including Monday 26th June 2017).Will you please ensure officers explain why specialists still believe  they should wear protective clothing  to work on the site, when the local workforce were not provide protective clothing or training.

I also hope you will ensure officers give a full explanation of why officers deliberately mislead members of the public at a public meeting, saying  that they were unable to identify the location  "Photographs were not conclusive works and precise location not identified " when they were fully aware of both the location and work that was carried out.

Eight fire engines called to fire in North Wembley close to railway line

Photo @Sonia_Shah3 via LFB

From London Fire Brigade
 

Around 60 firefighters and officers tackled a fire in an industrial estate on East Lane, Wembley yesterday evening.

The first three floors of a commercial building were alight and firefighters worked hard to stop the fire spreading. The building also contained cylinders which can explode when exposed to heat and so crews cooled them down with water.

Brigade control officers received over 35 calls to the fire which was very visible and close to a train track and local train services were disrupted for some time.

8 fire engines from stations including Wembley, Northolt, Stanmore and Park Royal fire stations were at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.

The Brigade as called at 1849 and the fire was under control at 2248 although crews expect to  be damping down for a number of hours.

Easter Egg hunt brings Brent community together

Sheffield Tree Defenders' Stump Up Appeal has just reached its target

Guest post by Alan Story


The Stump Up Sheffield (SUS) crowdfunder, “Defend the Tree Defenders: Stump Up Sheffield” ended a few minutes ago. 

You did it. We all did it. 

We’ve been successful in meeting our target of raising £27,000 to pay the legal costs of two tree defenders that were levied against them by Sheffield City Council (SCC). 

Although the Crowdfunder states that we have raised £20,470, other funds are being pooled together and there is now sufficient money available for Calvin Payne and Alastair Wright to pay these legal costs. So it is a time for celebration.

“But of course it sticks in our craw that all of this funding will be going into the coffers of SCC and that these bills were so steep because Sheffield City Council chose some of the most expensive lawyers in the country to enforce a civil injunction,” said Alan Story, a spokesperson for SUS. 

In Calvin’s case, SCC brought in a £15,000-a-day Queen’s Counsel from London as its hired gun for a November 2017 hearing against Calvin and Green Party councillor Alison Teal. (In Alison’s case, the Labour-controlled council used dodgy evidence against a fellow councillor; this evidence and her case were thrown out of court.) But Calvin, who was defended by barrister Paul Powlesand working on a pro bono basis, was convicted of breaching the Council’s injunction and given a suspended prison sentence. 

Alan Story said:

SCC made a political decision to try and crush Calvin and Alastair financially as part of a wider strategy of trying to crush the entire Sheffield trees movement but we were not cowed. Tree campaigners in Sheffield and our many allies across the country --- and the world --- said with one voice: ‘an injury to one tree campaigner is an injury to all tree campaigners’ and have stumped up marvellously.

We think it showed true Yorkshire grit and financial sacrifice and sends the message that this chainsaw massacre of OUR street trees should be ended immediately. And that mediation with tree campaigners needs to be at the top of Julie Dore’s agenda.

Since the crowdfunding campaign began 28 days ago, a total of 796 supporters have contributed £20,470, plus more than £800 in donations via PayPal. If you scroll through the 343 comments listed on the SUScrowdfunding page , you will see both the passions (and intellect) this issue has aroused, as well as the geographic breadth of the support. Money was donated by people from places such as British Columbia, Missouri, Brussels and Australia as well as across the UK in locations such as the Shetland Islands, London, Dorset and beyond. 

A significant pot of additional money has come in to SUS from the recent benefit concert of well-known Sheffield musicians; it was quickly sold out and was attended by 800 people. As Pitsmoor-born Richard Hawley said in a SUS video shot at the concert, the Council needs to admit that it has “ f***ed up” over trees. A lifetime Labour voter, Hawley says he has backed away from supporting Labour only twice: once over the Iraq War and now over the local street trees crisis. 

The official accounting of all the funds raised by this campaign will be released next week.
But the fund-raising efforts of the SUS team have not ceased. On Sunday 22 April at the Crookes Social Club, we are hosting the “Let’s Hear it for the Trees!” benefit concert. 

More details Here’s a YouTube video of one of the talented musicians, Nancy Kerr, who will be performing that night. LINK  

Money raised from the benefit gig will go towards future legal costs associated with Sheffield tree defenders.And it may well be needed. In what is obvious harassment, South Yorkshire Police keep arresting tree campaigners on baseless charges. In the most recent shameful case, charges were dropped this week against a 73-year-old retired firefighter LINK. 

We think the campaign was successful because, first and foremost, we were working on a clear case of injustice that touched a lot of people. But, as well: 

•          We had excellent high-profile endorsers including Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot, Maxine Peake, and Ken Loach. (Many more endorsers joined later.)
•          We had a team of 17 people of many talents who worked together on a co-operative and democratic basis. (The copy for the crowdfunder went through five drafts!)
•          We produced two videos (still available for viewing) and reached out widely across various social media. For example, we posted our crowdfunding message on +50 Facebook groups, which also spread the Sheffield trees saga to tens of thousands of people. Twitter tweeted merrily. 

At a February 7th  Sheffield City Council meeting, SCC tree felling czar Bryan Lodge claimed: “I travel around to different places… and it (the Sheffield chainsaw massacre) is not a topic of conversation in Southampton.” Take another trip Bryan. 

The SUS team was pulled together by NO STUMP CITY. Sheffield Tree Action Groups (STAG) was also a listed sponsor.

On behalf of Stump Up Sheffield
Alan Story
no.stump.city@gmail.com

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