Local Action on Clean Air - Wednesday 18th April

German Invasion - Could it have happened here? Film Preston Library Saturday introduced by the co-director

'It Happened Here' will be shown at the Preston Community Library and Hub' on Saturday. Doors open 7.15pm for 7.30pm showing. Free to members (join at the door) - donations requested to finance future films.

The film explores how the British people might have responded if Germany had successfully invaded Britain in World War 2. Kevin Brownlow, the director of 'It Happened Here' will introduce the film.

Extract from review of a book about the making of the film:

How It Happened Here tells the story of the making of a film and the subsequent reception that the film received and the controversy and alarm that it stirred up when it was first released. The film-makers were two teenagers (18 and 16) and they started out with no budget and a borrowed 16 mm camera. The project took 8 years to complete. Part of the book is a humorous and detailed account of how the boys overcame all the practical and financial hurdles of amateur film making and saw the project through to completion and national release. This in itself would qualify the book as a thoroughly entertaining read and a sound basis for a course in film making or media studies of any kind. But this was no ordinary film. Kevin and his co-director Andrew Mollo took as their theme the "what if?" idea of a conquered and occupied England, after a hypothetical defeat and invasion following the Dunkirk retreat.

Green councillors make a difference. Why you should vote Green on May 3rd

Quintain secures £36m investment loan on its ALTO development

From Quintain
 
Quintain has successfully secured a £36m, five year investment loan from TH Real Estate on its second build to rent development, Alto, at Wembley Park.

The refinancing allows Quintain to accelerate the development of the Wembley Park Masterplan and look ahead to the delivery of further build-to-rent buildings in 2018 and beyond.

Jason Rodrigues, Vice President of Debt Strategies at TH Real Estate said:

TH Real Estate recognises the long-term fundamentals driving the growth in the build-to-rent sector and is delighted to support Quintain and its best-in-class Tipi platform with the financing of this attractive, modern scheme.

Michael Jenkins, Finance Director at Quintain said: 

This financing represents an important milestone for Quintain and Tipi, marking the completion and leasing of our second build to rent development. The deal is a clear indicator of the confidence that lenders have in Quintain and our ability in the sector. We are building rental homes faster than any other developer and transforming Wembley Park into a world class destination for Londoners to live, work and visit.

More about TH Real Estate LINK

TH Real Estate, an affiliate of Nuveen (the investment management arm of TIAA), is one of the largest real estate investment managers in the world with $109bn in AUM as at 31 December 2017. Managing a suite of funds and mandates spanning both debt and equity across diverse geographies, sectors, investment styles and vehicle types, we provide access to every aspect of real estate investing.

Keep it in the Ground: Divestment and Climate Change May 8th

Meeting to discuss

What we can do about climate change

And how divestment (selling fossil fuel investments) can help

DATE AND TIME Tue 8 May 2018 19:30 – 21:30 Petition: https://tinyurl.com/DivestBrent Facebook: www.facebook.com/DivestBrent

LOCATION Meeting room Watling Gardens Estate 97-135 Shoot-Up Hill London NW2 3UB

Do you want to do something about climate change? Come to this meeting, hosted by Divest Brent and Brent Friends of the Earth, and find out what you can do. We will hear from an experienced campaigner (supplemented by video clips) about the role that divestment (disposing of fossil fuel investments) has to play generally and in particular, locally, look at ways to encourage Brent Council’s wish to divest their Pension Fund which has nearly £40 million invested in fossil fuel companies. We will look at divestment success stories and why it is so effective. We will also look at other ways to transition to clean, renewable energy – and most importantly what you can do to contribute to this transition.

Doors open at 7 pm - come then for an opportunity, before the formal evening starts at 7.30 pm, to talk to people in Brent who are already working to combat climate change - and there will be another chance for informal discussion when the formal evening finishes at 9 pm.

Please note that in order to attend, although the event is free, you must first register for a ticket online at https://tinyurl.com/KeepInGround or by writing to Simon Erskine, 61 Mortimer Road, London, NW10 5QR. The location is very close to Kilburn underground station but not that easy to find from the map – when you register online you will find a link to directions – or ask Simon Erskine as above.

Sarah Marquis announces she will not stand as Chair of Brent Planning Committee again

Cllr Sarah Marquis (Labour, Barnhill) announced at the last meeting of the current Planning Committee tonight that she will not be standing as Chair again.  The new chair is due to be elected at the Labour Group's Annual General Meeting shortly after the May 3rd election.

I understand that Cllr Marquis wishes to return to her legal career. She was always judicious in her role and mindful of the Committee's independence. For a considerable period the Committee was chaired by Councillor Amer Aghar while Marquis was on maternity leave.

The position is a bed of nails at a time when the Committee has to consider many controversial proposals, particularly those in the Quintain regeneration area.  Multi-million developments have been approved by a single vote on occasions when many of the Committee have abstained.

In the background there have also been the controversies reported on this blog over the Council leader's relationship with Quintain and the issue of unminuted meetings with developers that resulted in changes to Councillor Guidelines on planning issues.

View the Daily Telegraph's PR plug for Quintain's Wembley development

Be aware that the park shown in the opening sequence does not yet exist. Will that valuable land end up being built on? Don't mention that none of the homes are affordable for local people and there is no social housing, while there are thousands on the council's housing waiting list.

Source Daily Telegraph Business Club.

A moving story that shows why Sufra deserves your support

Sufra is so much more than just a foodbank. This is an extract from their most recent Newsletter:

Abaeze, his wife and 2 sons, aged 9 and 13, sat in our office for 4 hours. Throughout, the mother sobbed. The family are asylum seekers and had overspent on the goodwill of a local taxi driver who had been housing them for the past 8 months. In the morning, he dropped them off at the Food Bank and pointed to Ibrahim saying, “They’ll help you.”

This is not an unusual occurrence. Sufra NW London, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, was never just a Food Bank. We’re an all-encompassing safety net for everyone and anyone who can’t get the help they need. As asylum seekers, Abaeze and his family are not eligible for benefits and he is not allowed to work. If caught working, he could be deported immediately.

As Ibrahim made the usual raft of calls trying to find every possible avenue of support, I looked on as the hours passed by without any resolution. Every ounce of dignity had been stripped away from this family, and the sight of the inconsolable, sobbing mother was disturbing. And incredibly distracting. First I offered tea and coffee, but they refused. When Fahim arrived with a delivery of fruit, I asked if they wanted some. Shyly, Abaeze said no. I packed them a bag anyway and asked Abaeze to keep it with him just in case, in the hope that they would be tempted to look through the bag and eat something when I wasn’t looking.

In some ways it was a pathetic gesture. The family was homeless and I was offering oranges and bananas.

As the working day came to a close without any prospect of finding housing, I turned to Ibrahim and said, “Book them a hotel.”

”But you said there was no money,” he asked.

Whilst it is true that our emergency aid budget currently stands at zero, I told him to go ahead.

”The money will come. We’ll put out an appeal on social media.”

As the family made their way out of the office, Abaeze came to me and hugged me. And he wouldn’t let go. “Thank you”, he kept muttering. I was embarrassed.

Fast forward 8 days, Abaeze and his family now live in temporary accommodation in Kilburn. By profession, Abaeze is a chef and he’s already started volunteering at Sufra NW London. But without the right to work and no entitlement to benefits, he will be reliant on the Food Bank for months to come. Maybe longer.

There will be some that judge Abaeze when he gets a dodgy job washing dishes at a restaurant paying cash in hand. It’s inevitable. But there is something utterly unforgivable about the way our country treats asylum seekers fleeing conflict or persecution, and that policy has persisted across governments of all political persuasions.

”Maybe they’re economic migrants...” some might question. But what if they’re not? I’ve known people who have lived in this limbo for 4 or 5 years. No one would put themselves through the trauma of leaving their home country and all their possessions, unless he or she truly believes they have no alternative.

To make a donation towards our Refugee Resettlement Programme, click here. 

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