Labour sweeps the board in Willesden Green, Greens narrowly win second party status

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Candidates in order of vote:

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Parties in order of total vote:

Labour 4980
Green 795
Conservative 735
Lib Dem 627

Turnout was 25.49%

The overall message was of continued Labour dominance but Greens felt they had mounted a good campaign with fewer resources than other parties.

Green candidates William Relton and Shaka Lish with Martin Francis, Election Agent

Neglect and dilapidation at Gladstone Park allotments

The overgrown allotment plots at Gladstone Park

Following yesterday's article LINK on the state of Birchen Grove allotments, in which I asked if there was a similar issue at other Brent allotments I have received the following information regarding the Gladstone Park allotment site:

I got my plot after a 2 year wait.  Everything you wrote yesterday could have been about Gladstone Park allotments also. Had my plot been allocated back in the autumn, I could have made a good start on clearing the ground of the dense couch grass, horseradish, bindweed etc, getting them to rot over the winter and preparing the plot for planting. The council rejected my request for help with clearing it. 

I am aware of other newbies with worse plots which they have been told they must clear and dispose of the rubbish themselves – including bricks, broken glass, abandoned contents of sheds. Although there have been several waves this spring of allotments being released to newcomers, a number of allotments remain abandoned and dilapidated. I’ve attached a couple of photos of examples but there are more. As you say, you can see why newcomers become overwhelmed and give up, perpetuating the general neglect.

 

The allotment sheds

The council has no idea who rents the council sheds. 

The toilet

 The toilet apparently has not worked for some time and the internal key was lost, I don’t know the current situation. The on-site allotment offices are abandoned and locked up. More could be done to organise communally beneficial services such as bulk purchase of compost, maybe have a large polytunnel on the overgrown plot which used to be communal – like the one they showed on Gardeners World recently, where the wider community can get involved in the growing process.

Abandoned buildings

 The on site supervisor does her best with the lack of council support. There are incidents of theft. Apparently the allotment key fits every padlock on all the Brent allotments so there is no knowing who is coming in legitimately or not. Updating entry security is long overdue.

Council must tackle the neglect of King Eddie's Park and make us proud to love where we live!

Jaine Lunn wrote to Brent Council along the following lines:

The state of Edward VII Park ('King Eddies' to locals)  is no longer a joke.

It is evident it is only going to get worse now the summer has kicked in.  The level of anti-social behaviour is off the scale.  We need some serious intervention now.  Signs informing users of the by-laws in the park, no BBQ's, no fires, Single men exercising in the children's playground make families uneasy.  Scooters, cars, and ice-cream vans driving around like it's normal.  Drug dealing and drinking.   We all have photographic evidence.  Everyone knows why our only green open space municipal park is like this: lack of enforcement and shit maintenance by Veolia.  Whoever signed the contract should be fired.  

 

How dare the council have such contempt for residents who pay for public services via their Council Tax.

No doubt King Edward V11 and his wife Queen Alexander must be turning in the graves, after all this was bought by the council back in 1913 for approx £8,000 to compensate the residents for the loss of green space in Wembley NoPark when they commenced development for the Stadium and subsequent Empire Exhibition.   The fact that Brent Council signed an agreement to protect the park with "Fields in Trust in 2012 as the plaque on Collins Lodge states and has won "Borough of Culture for 2020" makes a mockery of the whole thing unless you stop this now.  I will make it my personal mission to embarrass the Council every opportunity I can find if this is not resolved asap.

Might I also add, all Brent parks had Green Flags awarded 10 years ago, now the fact that we are at no. 14 out of 20 on the 20 London Borough Park List, is shameful.  The NHS state that parks and green open spaces save them millions of ££££££££££££s in benefit to general public.  Cleaner Brent, Cleaner Air, you are having a laugh?  Practice what you preach.

We have enough CIL money in Wembley to do the job, create legacy, and make us proud to "LOVE WHERE WE LIVE".

Brent's Windrush 70 exhibition to be launched tonight at Willesden Green Library

From Brent Cultural Services:

This summer Brent Culture Service will be marking the 70th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush with an exhibition and a number of themed events.

Windrush 70 – Brent’s Pioneering Windrush Generation traces the historic journey and explores Brent’s Caribbean Heritage through the eyes of its residents. Using a mixture of photographic portraits, stories collected from residents, historic objects and unique artist commissions it celebrates 70 years of the United Kingdom’s Caribbean diaspora.

Intimate portraits of Brent’s Caribbean community by artist and photographer Nadia Nervo offer an insight into their daily lives. Two original poems by Malika Booker narrate the experiences of the community’s first arrival in the ‘Mother Country’.

A commission by Mahogany Carnival Design - made by students from Queens Park Community School, Harlesden Primary School and Alperton High School combines tradition with legacy. An installation of a traditional ‘West Indian’ living room closes the exhibition representing the many homes that have been made in Brent.

Since receiving a master’s degree in Art Communication & Design from the Royal College of Art in 2003, Nervo has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Investigating the relationship between photographer and subject, Nervo often works with strangers to explore the nature of how connections are formed.

Zerritha Brown, Cultural Operations Manager and Artistic Director for Windrush 70 said:

It was important to mark the 70th anniversary particularly as Brent has a large Caribbean community. The Caribbean diaspora is present in modern life, with influences evident in fashion, music, dance as well as the world of entertainment, sport and politics, yet still the story of Windrush is not widely known. I wanted the exhibition to provide a platform to showcase the stories of the Windrush generation.

It has been an honour developing Windrush70. We have met some inspirational people and uncovered some truly emotional stories which has highlighted the resilience, pride and courage of the Windrush community who came here to strive for a better life. 

Intern Assistant Project Producer, Kyron Greenwood said:

I already knew quite a bit about Windrush before I began work on the project , I am of Caribbean descent and have a Grandfather who came over to the UK a few years after the Empire Windrush. I am aware though, that a lot of young people, even those who are of Caribbean descent, don’t know much about this history and I think this project is a great way to raise awareness of these moving and interesting stories.

The ‘Windrush’ generation were named from the ship, Empire Windrush, which arrived at the Tilbury docks on 22 June 1948 from the Caribbean. The passengers had been invited to come to Britain to help with the post-war reconstruction. This event is often seen as the beginning of immigration from the Caribbean that would go on to have such a profound and lasting effect on the culture, fashion and music of Britain.

The people interviewed for the Windrush 70 project came here to work in a wide variety of fields. Areas of work included: medicine, transport, industry, music, construction, entertainment, sport, politics and fashion.

One of the oldest participants is 97 year old Mr Rev. Norman Watson Mitchell MBE. He came to Britain from Jamaica in 1955 to work as a Glass Quality Control Inspector. His first home in London was in Forrest Hill where for two years he lived in cramped conditions sharing a house with fifteen other Caribbean migrants, his bedroom was shared with seven other people.

Mr Rev. Mitchell moved to Harlesden in 1957 where he decided to settle as he liked Brent and found the people “social” which reminded him of Jamaica. His family, including his daughter Liz Mitchell who would go on to become an acclaimed reggae singer and member of Boney M, then came over to join him. He still lives in Harlesden and was awarded an MBE for Community Work and Service in 2014.



More details of Mr Rev. Mitchell’s story and those of many other Caribbean migrants can be discovered in the Windrush 70 – Brent’s pioneering Windrush Generation exhibition.

As well as the exhibition Brent Culture Service will be holding a series of Windrush70 events. The highlight will be Windrush Celebration Day on Saturday 23 June 12noon-4pm at the Library at Willesden Green. There will be an afternoon of free events for all ages including: live music from St Michaels and All Angels Steel Orchestra and the Reggae Choir, dance performances from Namron Dance and a specially commissioned dance theatre piece by Impact Dance along with Caribbean themed face painting and craft workshop

The exhibition will be on 21 June – 29 October at the Library at Willesden Green, entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.

Windrush 70 has been funded by Arts Council England with support from the British Library and Reggae choir.

For further information about Windrush 70 and Brent Culture please contact culture@brent.gov.uk

Clean Air Day report calls for urgent action by Brent Council

From Clean Air for Brent (CAfB)

Clean Air for Brent (CAfB)’s aim is to see air quality significantly improved in the London borough of Brent. As a tool towards helping Brent Council and residents achieve this goal, CAfB ispleased to launch ‘A Study on Air Quality in Brent’ on 21 June 2018 – national Clean Air Day. Following a proposal from CAfB, Imperial College MSc Environmental Technology students carried out this study between January and March 2018.

Chamberlayne Road in Kensal Rise and Harlesden High Street were chosen as case studies to analyse Brent’s air pollution problem and establish causes. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in both areas critically exceed the legal limit deemed fit for humans. 

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups harmed by  air pollution – including asthma, lung stunting and cognitive impairment.  John Keble C of E Primary is next to Harlesden High Street and Ark Franklin Primary is on Chamberlayne Road. Both are among the 50 most polluted primary schools in the capital that were included in the Mayor of London’s recent Air Quality School Audit. 

This report, the first deep-dive air pollution study of its kind for the two areas, not only identifies the causes but also recommends sources of funding to tackle the issue.

Unsurprisingly, the primary cause of the air pollution problems in the two areas is road traffic.

·      Traffic surveys show that a large proportion of the vehicles travelling through the study areas are diesel powered - 63% in Chamberlayne and 42% in Harlesden High Street.

·      Interviews conducted with drivers also reveal the significant role of non-local journeys – through traffic making up 50-60% of rush hour vehicles. 

·      Both routes carry traffic volumes double the national average for the time of day in question.

At a Celebration of Clean Air event held jointly with Brent Council and Brent Friends of the Earth at Civic Centre on Thursday evening, Chair of CAfB Fiona Mulaisho commented:

Today we are all signing up to a Brent Clean Air Pledge, and in keeping with that CAfB hopes Brent Councillors and officers will draw and act on this report.   As well as working with the worst affected schools to limit their exposure to filthy air in the playground and the classroom, we urge them to use all their powers to tackle the root causes and clean up the air our children and we breathe.

The full report is available on CAfB’s website: cleanairforbrent.wordpress.com.

Art Exhibition today at Yellow Pavilion Wembley

Brent Council announces Spurs have the right to play at Wembley until December 2018

Residents who breathed a sigh of relief that they could soon go about their business in Wembley at weekends without the traffic jams and suspended bus routes associated with Spurs occupation of Wembley may have to think again. Tottenham's stadium may not be  ready for the new season and an announcement on Brent Council's website clearly doesn't see that as a problem:

Tottenham Hotspur will play their first game of the new football season at Wembley, against Fulham on 18 August 2018.

With the development of their new stadium yet to be completed and a number of test events due to take place before it can be officially opened, Tottenham have asked to again use Wembley for their opening fixture.

Tottenham have stated they will move into their new stadium in time for the Liverpool fixture on Saturday 15 September 2018.

However, until that is contractually confirmed, Tottenham retain the option to play home games at Wembley up until 7 October 2018 and Champions League games up until 12 December 2018.

Any Tottenham games at Wembley next season will be accommodated within the existing planning permission for the Stadium, and be part of their agreed programme of events for the year.

The cost of allotment neglect in Brent

Birchen Grove allotments in Kingsbury

In Spring 2016 Brent Council consulted on the possibility of our allotments becoming self-managing. Allotment holders were not enthusiastic LINK and as far as I know none, apart from Kingsbury which was already self-managing, opted to self-manage.

I spoke up for the then Council Allotments Officer and the fine job she did but shortly afterwards she was gone.  Without a named officer the role was taken over by the depleted parks department - depleted after Veolia took over the maintenance contract for parks and the Green Flag scheme was abandoned.

Now the Birchen Grove site,  where I have two plots, is looking neglected and overgrown.  There seems to be no system of checking on active cultivation and  expediting the reletting of abandoned plots although I understand there is a waiting list and the Council is supposed to be encouraging local food cultivation LINK

The practical effect of plots being overgrown  is that they are much harder to bring back into cultivation and any new allotment holder can become demoralised by the sheer hard work involved. Grass and weed seeds spread over neighbouring cultivated plots and become a nuisance,

I would be interested to hear about experiences on other Brent allotments and perhaps Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet member for the Environment, could look into the issue. It would be useful for the Scrutiny Committee to review the success or otherwise of the Council's Food Growing and Allotments Strategy.

Meanwhile, following other examples of neglect of council resources such as garages on estates, there is a fear that pictures of neglect and low use rates such as those above, could lead to justification for a polocy of selling off  allotments to be used for housing developments.