Brent councillors sign unity petition following the 15,000 strong 'Free Tommy Robinson' protest

From Stand Up to Racism. I understand that so far the petition has been signed by the following Brent Councillors: Tariq Dar, Krupesh Hirani, Margaret McLennan, Claudia Hector and Thomas Stephens.

You can  join them by signing the petition HERE


The 15,000 strong violent far right protest to ‘free Tommy Robinson’ on Saturday 9 June has raised major questions for all those who value our diversity.

The racist right—from hardcore Nazis, through the FLA/DFLA to ‘For Britain’ and UKIP—are using Robinson to re-organise. Nazi salutes and Islamophobia were at the centre of the mobilisation.

This is the first serious attempt since the collapse of the English Defence League (EDL) to develop a racist street movement and give it a political form. It is supported internationally by notorious figures including Geert Wilders from the Dutch Islamophobic right and Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump.

It is absolutely vital that all who oppose this come together in a united mass movement powerful enough to drive these new developments on the far-right back.

Donald Trump has played a major role in galvanising the racist right. We will take to the streets for the Together Against Trump demonstration coinciding with his visit on 13 July. And when Robinson’s supporters take to the streets again on 14 July, we will protest against them too.

Wherever the far right’s support grows so does racism and violence. Let's come together to defend our multicultural society from those who spread hatred and division.

Initial signatories include:

Diane Abbott MP, Shadow Home Secretary /John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor / Len McCluskey Unite the Union General Secretary /Dave Prentis, Unison General Secretary Talha Ahmed, Muslim Council of Britain Treasurer  Mohammed Kozbar, Finsbury Park Mosque Chairman / Rabbi Lee Wax / Michael Rosen, poet / Kevin Maguire, Journalist / Thurston Moore, Musician / Sabby Dhalu and Weyman Bennett, Co-Convenors, Stand Up To Racism / Ged Grebby, Show Racism the Red Card Chief Executive / Richard Burgon MP, Shadow Justice Secretary / Laura Pidcock MP, Shadow Minister for Labour / Cat Smith MP, Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs / David Lammy MP / Emma Dent Coad MP / Marsha De Cordova MP / Andrew Gwynne MP / Lord Peter Hain / Claude Moraes MEP / Julie Ward MEP  Jean Lambert MEP / Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary / Kevin Courtney Joint General Secretary NEU / Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary / Dave Ward, CWU General Secretary / Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary / Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary / Ian Lawrence, NAPO General Secretary / Steve Gillan, POA General Secretary / Manuel Cortes, TSSA General Secretary / Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary / Claudia Webbe, Labour Party NEC & Islington councillor / Rakhia Ismail, Islington Councillor / Gerry Gable, Editor/Publisher, Searchlight / Julia Bard, National Committee, Jewish Socialists’ Group / Salma Yaqoob / Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary / Lindsey German, Stop the War Coalition / Shahrar Ali, Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson / Kerry Abel, Abortion Rights Chair / Asad Rehman, War on Want Executive Director / Sam Fairbairn, People's Assembly Against Austerity / Maz Saleem, anti-racism campaigner/ Stand Up To Trump / Dr Siema Iqbal Co-founder of AVOW (Advancing Voices of Women against Islamophobia) / Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah, UK Black Pride Executive Director / Roger Huddle and Red Saunders, Rock Against Racism founders / David Rosenberg, Author / Alan Gibbons, author / Tony Kearns Deputy General Secretary (postal) CWU / Ian Hodson - BFWAU National President / Harish Patel, Unite the Union National Equalities Officer / Margaret Greer Unison National Race Equality Officer / Steve Hedley, RMT Deputy General Secretary / Jane Loftus, CWU Vice President / Denis Fernando, Rainbow Coalition

-->

Angry scenes as Swaminarayan parents protest against school closure

Things turned ugly at Swaminarayan School yesterday evening as parents gathered in the school hall to protest against the shock news of its closure.

A Brent Council spokesperson said: “Brent Council has no role in the decisions of independent schools, including the decision by the Ashkar Educational Trust to close the Swaminarayan School. 

“Any parent, resident in Brent, who is seeking a school place for their child can contact the Brent Schools Admissions Service by emailing school.admissions@brent.gov.uk or by calling 020 8937 3110. 

“In November 2016 the Department for Education approved a proposal to open the Avanti Free School, an all-through (primary and secondary) free school. Under DfE rules, a new school can only be open when a permanent site is identified by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, who are responsible for securing sites for new free schools.”

Parents given one year's notice of closure of independent Swaminarayan School in Brent

The Ashkar Education Trust (AET), the charity behind the fee-paying independent Swaminarayan School in Brentfield Road, Neasden, has given parents one year's notice to find a new school for their children, following the announcement that it is to 'exit the education sector.'

The Swaminarayan is on the site of the former Sladebrook High School and next door to the Leopold Primary School Annex. It has provided all-though education for mainly Hindu pupils for 25 years. AET blamed increased regulatory requirements, difficulties in recruitment and retention of teachers, the ready availability of state-funded Hindu schools and declining pupil numbers as significant challenges that have affected their ability to invest in the necessary improvements, educational and infrastructural, needed to sustain the school. 

In 2012 Swaminarayan announced that they were looking into becoming a Free School and were looking for a site 'in the heart of the Hindu community' but this was not pursued. LINK

The AET accounts show an income of £4.35m and spending of £4.27m in the year to August 2016 and £4.48m and £4.24m respectively in August 2015. LINK

AET disclose that they have had discussions with the Avanti Trust which runs state-funded Hindu faith schools. Avanti, having been granted permission and funding by the Department for Education to run an all-through school in Brent, has been seeking a site - always a problem in land-hungry Brent.

If the DfE can be persuaded to provide the money to buy or lease the Swaminarayan site for Avanti a smooth transition may be possible although Avanti may not have the same close relationship with the Swaminarayan Mandir as the school currently enjoys. If Avanti is successful in its bid parents would be able to apply for a state-funded place there, and subject to meeting the admissions criteria, save on the current fees.

If the Avanti Admissions Criteria give priority to families who live in Brent this may not be easy but Swaminarayan apart from charging fees (although some bursaries ar available) also selects by ability and special needs children do not appear to be welcome. This is from their website:

Parents/guardians may apply for their child’s entry to The Swaminarayan Preparatory School by filling in an application form and paying £100 registration fee (non-refundable), together with a copy of the birth certificate, passport and the last school report.

In order to qualify for entry, a child must reach a certain academic standard in the Preparatory School entrance examinations in English and Mathematics. Pupils may also be asked to do other examinations such as Cognitive Ability tests. He/she will have to pass an oral and written examination.

Although Kindergarten or Nursery children are not tested academically, an informal interview is assessment is arranged with the Head of Foundation Stage. Age appropriate assessments of the child’s ability to speak, listen to instructions, solve simple puzzles, social skills and hand-eye co-ordinations are carried out.

Key Stage 2 children normally spend the whole day in school and lunch will be provided. During the day they complete the examinations and also have an opportunity to get to know the school. The decision to accept a child lies with the Headteacher of the Prep School.

A child may not be accepted in the school if in the opinion of the Headteacher the School cannot provide adequately for the child’s emotional, physical, medical or educational needs.

-->
With Open Admisisons (non-selective) in the Avanti School it may not be attractive (acceptable?) to some of the present Swaminarayan parents.

AET told parents:

The whole of the Prep School and Senior School will continue as normal from September 2018 until closure in July 2019. This applies to all pupils, except those commencing GCSEs or A-levels in September 2018 (i.e. entering Year 11 or Year 13 in September 2019) who will all be able to complete their GCSEs and A-levels at the School until July 2020. As these plans require a change in our age range, we are in the process of liaising with the Secretary of State for Education to amend our registration details.

With the staff for the academic year 2018/2019 currently in place, parents should feel confident that the School remains committed to maintaining the high standards of education until full closure.

Jitu Patel, Chair of AET said:

It is indeed very sad, particularly for our pupils, staff and parents. We explored several options before arriving at this difficult decision. We have given all parents one year’s notice to find an alternative school as well as a commitment to our staff that their employment is secure for the academic year 2018/19. 

Nilesh Manani, Head of the Senior School since it opened, said:

The children and staff are some of the very best I have had the privilege of supporting and we will strive to ensure that our education standards are maintained until the very end.

Umesh Raja, Head of the Prep School, said:

It is very sad, but the most important thing now is for everyone to work together over the next two years, especially for the pupils remaining at our school.

The school's Summer Fair which was due to be held at the weekend has been cancelled.

How Brent MPs voted on Heathrow Expansion

Barry Gardiner (Brent North) AGAINST
Dawn Butler (Brent Central) AGAINST
Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead & Kilburn) DID NOT VOTE

At last...Brent Scrutiny Task Group to investigate affordable housing in new developments

In a welcome move Brent's Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee is to set up a Task Group on Affordable Housing in New Developments.

This has been a controversial issue for some years now, not least in terms of what 'affordable' actually means. The brief of the Task Group has been widened from the original focus on Viability Assessments - the procedure in which developers make a case for providing less affordable housing on the basis that otherwise the development is not financially viable.

The membership of the Task group has not been finalised but its Chair will be Cllr Neil Nerva and Vice Chair Cllr Robert Johnson.

The draft terms of reference look promising although the penultimate one should perhaps be first:

Affordable Housing in New Developments Task Group Terms of Reference

·       To understand the policy context of subsidising housing and the barriers and solutions to affordable housing delivery

·       Examine forthcoming changes to regional and national planning policy and guidance

·       Analyse the supply of affordable homes (numbers and percentage) from new developments in Brent over the past 10 years

·       Review best practice from other London boroughs

·       Understand the full range of “affordable” and “intermediate” housing

·       Learn from case studies in Brent where planning targets for affordable housing have been met

·       Examine how land owned by public authorities can contribute to targets for affordable housing

·       Understand if Brent is maximising the affordable housing contributions from developers and whether better use could be made of late stage reviews and Section 106 payments

·       Investigate alternative models for delivery of genuinely affordable homes, such as Community Land Trusts

·       Understand what the council believes is genuinely affordable for communities in Brent

·       Gather evidence to feed into and influence the development of the new Local Plan and Housing Strategy

Brent Council calls for 'properly funded' diesel scrappage scheme & expanded ULEZ transitional arrangements

Press release from Brent Council (unedited)

The Government should bring forward a properly funded diesel scrappage scheme to help residents when the Ultra Low Emission Zone expands in 2021, Brent Council said today. The ULEZ and expanded ULEZ will replace the recently introduced T-Charge but the Congestion charge will remain.

The council has been a big supporter of the Mayor of London's campaign to bring cleaner air to the capital, but wants solid measures in place to ease the transition for residents and businesses - in some of the poorest parts of London.

The expanded zone will stretch to cover the south east of the borough, including Stonebridge, Willesden, Harlesden and Dollis Hill. Areas above the North Circular, such as Neasden, Wembley and Kingsbury, are not part of the scheme and neither is the North Circular Road itself.

Residents inside the expanded zone and vehicles with a disabled or a disabled passenger tax class will have a three year sunset period, with a 100 per cent discount ending on 6 September 2023, to give them an additional chance to meet with the standards. Also, minibuses operated by charities will have a two-year sunset period until October 2023 to replace their vehicles.

Although welcoming these concessions the Council wants protection for people who live on the edge of the zone, in addition to a discounted rate within a buffer zone along the new boundary for those residents who need to travel across it regularly to get between work and home if no cost effective travel alternative is available.

With 33% of households in Brent living in poverty, the Council wants to be sure that the expanded zone will not place an extra burden on residents.

It comes as the Council marked National Clean Air Day with stalls and activities at the Civic Centre.

A number of leading clean air groups including; Vehicle Idling Action and Friends of the Earth hosted stalls outside in the Market Square, with local MP's Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler joining Brent Councillors and others to sign a clean air pledge.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

We fully support the Mayor's commitment to getting London's air cleaner, but we need the Government to do more to encourage us all to adopt more sustainable forms of transport. The expansion of the new zone will help, but as it cuts our borough in half we want to make sure that residents won't be unfairly penalised. Hardworking Brent residents and businesses, many of who struggle to make ends meet, should not be adversely impacted.

More on the state of Brent's parks & the 'meadows' debate

There's quite a debate going on regarding the state of Brent's parks on social media.  The 'creation' of meadows  was a decision based on saving money (£0.5m) backed by a claim that it would support natural diversity LINK. It has been implemented by  simply  not cutting the grass. Some are happy for sections of the parks to be left unmown hoping it will provide diversity for nature but others point out that real wild flower meadows need proper planning and maintenance.

Local resident Jaine Lunn succeeded in persuading Brent Council and their contractor Veolia to reduce the unmown area  in King Edward VII park to enable children to play ball games

Meanwhile a reader has sent me the above photograph of the 'cricket pitch' at King Edward VII park in Wembley commenting, 'I forgot how much they spent on doing this but they shouldn't have bothered.'

There is an extensive discussion about the issue on the View from Dollis Hill Facebook page regarding Gladstone Park. LINK

As a contribution to the meadows debate here are pictures of the meadows and 'scrape' at Mason's Field in Kingsbury where the Barn Hill Conservation Group has transformed a former playing field into a meadow. The transformation involved a substantial amount of work by volunteers including planting thousands of plug plants. See LINK.

Similar work was done at the University of Westminster wild flower meadow which is hand-scythed at the end of the season.

Mason's Field on Friday:

By contrast this is a view of one of the Gladstone Park meadows:

Still time to visit Brent Mencap Open House today