Brent Council austerity cuts to hit the old, the poor, the young & the environment

Monday's Cabinet Meeting will be considering 'savings', known to most of us as 'cuts', of some £20million for 2019/20-2020/21 with cuts totally £40 million expected over the four year term of the current administration.

The Council Tax base (number of households paying the tax) is expected to rise by 2.5% per year and the Council expect to raise Council Tax itself by 4.99% in 2019-20 and 3.99% in 2020-21. At the same time there are proposals to cut Council Tax Support by up to 15% over the period.

The Council's Financial Position

Demographic Pressures

The process following the Cabinet meeting is: 

·      These proposals, together with any changes made by Cabinet, will form the basis of consultation between October 2018 and January 2019 with local residents, businesses and other key stakeholders; 


·      The three scrutiny committees will review the budget proposals and report accordingly; 


·      In November the General purposes committee will review the calculation of the council tax base; and

·      After consultation, a budget report will be presented for Cabinet to recommend a final budget and council tax to the February 2019 Council meeting.

The Officers' Report states:

The proposals have been categorised as follows:

Appendix A:

Appendix B:

Appendix C:

Appendix D:

A.  Recommended budget proposals that have relatively minor impact on residents, business and other stakeholders. Typically these proposals represent generating additional income, general efficiencies in order to reduce expenditure and transformation programmes in order to deliver services within a reduced budget envelope.

B.  These proposals are considered to be ‘difficult’ in that they will have a direct impact on residents, businesses, the voluntary sector and other key stakeholders. Typically these proposals represent a service reduction or a transformation in the way in which services are delivered.

C.  These proposals are considered to be ‘very difficult’ as they represent a greater reduction in key council services and will have a greater impact on key recipients of council services, including vulnerable clients.

D. These proposals are considered to be the ‘most difficult’ as they represent a significant reduction in key council services, including to the most vulnerable residents in the borough.

Officers’ expectation is that savings of £40m will be needed over the lifetime o f this Administration. The profile of these is broadly balanced, and so officers’ advice is that the Administration should seek to agree savings of at least £20m in order to be able to agree a balanced budget for at least the next two years. However, it is important to note that, on the current funding estimates, significant further savings will need to be agreed at the Council meeting of February 2021. As a result the current working assumptions is that anything not agreed in this budget round may need to be considered again at the point in time, and further options identified.

There are usually some items in the report that the administration  do not intend to implement but where they can claim in not implementing then that they have 'listened' to residents. (Forgive me for my cynicism!)

There are 161 pages on detail on the proposals so I cannot summarise them hear but I have embedded them below.

Headline items that will impact on the old, the young and all residents include

•  renegotiate adult social care costs to bring them down to the lowest current level (this may mean some agencies will withdraw from bidding),  renegotiate Supported Living and Housing Related Support, and reducing carer visits to 15 minutes.
•  ending Youth Service provision at the last remaining Youth Centre in Brent, Roundwood
• reduce the number of Children's Centres from 17 to 8, transforming into Family Hubs ( there is a further option of closing them all)
• reduction in Early Help Service staffing and increase in fees
• reduce Connexions Service further
• reducing Library opening hours and possibly closing one library
• making 40 full time equivalent Environmental Services staff redundant (producing 'leaner teams' !)
• ending street cleaning of residential streets (Zone 5) and removing their litter bins
• reduce the opening hours of Abbey Road Recycling Centre or close it completely
• reduce or end grants to Brent's voluntary organisations 

Details (click on bottom right square to enlarge):

Free trees for Brent community groups

Trees on the King's Drive Estate in Wembley Park

From Brent Council

Community groups in Brent are being encouraged to apply for free tree packs to brighten up their local area.

In partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) the Mayor of London is making available 25,000 trees for community groups, free of charge, to plant in their London neighbourhood.

To find out more and apply for a community tree pack, visit https://www.london.gov.uk/community-trees.

Advice from our Parks Service:

• Groups or interested residents should contact Brent through the parks service to discuss where they would like to plant the trees
• Trees can be planted on private land with the permission of the landowner, which may or may not be Brent Council
• To ensure a good spread of trees throughout the borough, we would encourage local groups to apply together and share a tree pack
• Not all trees will be suitable for all locations and trees on public land will be maintained by Brent Council, so make sure to get in touch to discuss

If you have any questions, please contact the Parks Service at brent.parks.services@brent.gov.uk

Proposed new ward structure in Brent

Proposal 1

Proposal 2

The General Purposes Committee of Brent Council, which consists of Cabinet members plus Cllr Colwill leader of the Conservative Group, will be discussing plans for new ward divisions on Wednesday LINK.

The proposals are the Council's response to the Local Government Boundary Review and would reduce the number of Brent councillors from 63 to 57. There are two options on the table with the main difference being whether there should be 3 wards with 2 councillors each or 2 wards with 3 councillors each after the great majority of wards have been allocated 3 councillors each.  There is an attempt to have boundaries that reflect existing communities with their own centre.

These are the proposals:

The following ward proposals are the same for both proposals and are for 3 member wards.

Ward 1 – Wembley Central ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of the current Wembley Central ward but incorporates some of the current Alperton and Tokyngton wards. The community centre of the ward remains Wembley Central. 


Ward 2 – Queensbury ward 
The boundary for this ward remains unchanged from the current Queensbury ward. When forecasting the electorate for 2024, it was projected to be 12,906 which represents a marginal variance from the mean electorate. There is also an established local community identity in this area.

Ward 3 – Mapesbury ward 
The ward takes in the entirety of the current Mapesbury ward but takes in some of the current Dudden Hill Ward. The community centre would incorporate parts of Willesden and Cricklewood.

Ward 4 – Sudbury ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of the current Sudbury ward but takes in some of the current Wembley Central ward. The community centre of the ward remains Sudbury.

Ward 5 – Willesden Green ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of the current Willesden Green ward as it is one of the established communities; for electoral equality it would take in some of Dudden Hill ward.

Ward 7 - Northwick Park ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of the current Northwick Park ward but also incorporates some of the current Sudbury ward. The community centre remains Northwick Park. 


Ward 8 – Queens Park ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Queens Park ward as it is one of the established communities; for electoral equality it takes in some of the current Kensal Green ward.

Ward 9 – Kilburn ward The boundary for this proposed ward remains unchanged from the current Kilburn ward. When forecasting the electorate for 2024 was projected to be 12,581 which is a marginal variance from the mean electorate.

Ward 10 – Kingsbury ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Fryent ward but also encompasses some of the current Welsh Harp and Barnhill wards. The community centre for this ward would be Kingsbury hence the suggested a name change.

Ward 11 - Brondesbury Park This ward is predominantly made up of the current Brondesbury Park ward but also incorporates some of the current Kensal Green ward. The community centre remains Brondesbury Park.

Ward 12 – Tokyngton ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Tokyngton ward but also incorporates some of the current Stonebridge ward. The current CST1 polling district has been moved into this ward as the North Circular Road forms the boundary for this proposed ward. The community centre remains Tokyngton.

Ward 13 – Kenton ward The ward takes in the entirety of the current Kenton ward and also takes in some of the current Northwick Park and Barnhill wards. The new boundary for this ward runs along the two railway lines thus forming a natural ward boundary. The community centre remains Kenton.

Ward 14 – Dollis Hill ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Dollis Hill ward but would also incorporate some of the current Dudden Hill ward. The community centre remains Dollis Hill.

Ward 16 – Neasden ward This ward is made up of the current Welsh Harp ward but also incorporates some of the current Barnhill and Dudden Hill wards. As this ward covers one of the established communities of Neasden a name change for the ward is proposed.

Ward 17 – Wembley Park ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Barnhill ward but also incorporates some of the current Tokyngton and Stonebridge wards. As this ward covers one of the established communities of Wembley Park a name change for the ward is proposed.

Ward 18 – Alperton ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Alperton ward but also incorporates some of the current Wembley Central ward. The community centre remains Alperton.

Ward 19 – Preston ward This ward is predominantly made up of the current Preston ward but also incorporates some of the current Tokyngton ward. The community centre remains Preston.

The following are for proposal 1 and are for 3 member wards

Ward 6 – Stonebridge ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of the current Stonebridge ward but also incorporates some of the current Tokyngton and Harlesden wards. The community centre remains Stonebridge. 


Ward 15 – Harlesden ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of the current Harlesden ward as it is one of the established communities for electoral equality it takes in some of the current Kensal Green and Willesden Green wards. 


The following are for Proposal 2 and are for 2 member wards

Ward 6 – Stonebridge ward 
This is predominantly made up of the current Stonebridge ward but also incorporates some of the current Tokyngton ward. The community centre remains Stonebridge.


Ward 15 – Harlesden ward 
This ward is predominantly made up of a more concentrated area of the current Harlesden ward as it is one of the established communities for electoral equality it takes in some of the current Kensal Green ward. 


Ward 20 – Church End ward 
This ward is made up of the current Harlesden and Stonebridge wards in equal measure but also incorporates small parts of the current Kensal Green and Willesden Green wards. The community centre would focus around Church End which could suggest a name change. 


 

2024 Electorate

DETAILED MAPS

Local councillors kept in the dark over South Kilburn evictions

117 families have been given eviction notices in just two buildings in South Kilburn, Hereford House and Exeter House.  Most of the families have lived on South Kilburn for some time and a few more than 5 years.  There are 92 tenants at Hereford House and 25 at Exeter Court.

Local councillors were not told of two meetings that were held in Kilburn about the evictions.

Bremnt Council's Housing Needs Service held a meeting at Granville Centre on September 25th to inform non-secure tenants of their options regarding moving on. They said the Regeneration Team needs vacant possession for the next stage of  development and they have been asked to relocate all tenants by July 5th 2019.

Residents were told that the options available depended on their circumstances such as the number of bedrooms needed and the length of time they have been accepted as homeless. Options included relocation into alternative temporary accommodation, the private sector or social housing.

The Service apologised for  not inviting any local councillors to the meeting. They said they normally invite the lead member for housing to User Forums and she can pass on the invitation to other councillors.

NEVER AGAIN! Social & private tenants demand immediate recladding of flammable homes & protection from fire and cold

An Open Letter to James Brokenshire, signed by over 100 organisations, MPs, councillors, architects and other relevant experts, and by residents of blocks affected by this national disaster, will be delivered with a demonstration at Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government between 1 and 2 pm on 17 October.  The letter will demand immediate recladding of flammable homes, and that residents must be kept safe both from fire and from cold, until this work is completed. During the re-cladding process tower blocks can be left freezing without cladding and insulation for months or even years.  

The letter will be delivered by tower block residents from both social housing and private blocks, including residents of social housing blocks in Salford that have been denied access to government funding. 

They will be supported on the day by Fuel Poverty Action, who initiated the Open Letter and organised this Day of Action,and by members of the Grenfell community, trade unionists, housing organisations, and many others who fear more deaths this winter.

Demonstrators will then go on to an event at the House of Commons from 3 - 5 pm hosted by Grenfell MP Emma Dent Coad.

Also part of the Day of Action are a solidarity demonstration outside the UK embassy in Brussels, organised by the Right to Energy Coalition, and a public meeting organised Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations focusing on how residents’ organisations are being bypassed and disempowered, even as everyone acknowledges that residents’ voices are key to keeping buildings safe.   

Ruth London from Fuel Poverty Action says:

No one can claim that tower block residents are responsible for the cladding on their buildings, yet they are the ones who are paying for this disaster in UK housing, with their health, with their food money or savings, and with their lives.  No wonder so many people are saying ‘No - never again! No more deaths from fire, no more deaths from cold!.’ The pressure on the Secretary of State will only increase until the government fulfills its promise to keep people safe in the homes where they live and put their children to sleep.  

Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union has supported this initiative:  

The Fire Brigades Union called for a universal ban on these flammable materials. Many firefighters and residents of high rise residential buildings wanted more comprehensive action taken against flammable cladding.  Flammable cladding needs to be removed and banned. But it also needs to be replaced before winter. If insulation is removed without being replaced, some of the most vulnerable members of our society will be left freezing, in poor health or in poverty due to extortionate heating bills.  That’s why this Open Letter is so crucial.

Elizabeth Okpo from Spruce Court in Salford says:

We still have the cladding on our building and other issues just the same as Grenfell Tower and we are living in terror.  I look at the children in our block, and I can’t bear to think of what could happen.  I go to bed with a bible, and wake up thanking God I am still alive.  They have only taken the cladding off the bottom three floors, and on those floors people were freezing last winter because there was no insulation.

The Open Letter can be seen online here; the final list of signatories will be available on Tuesday 16 October.  

Children's half-term activities at Welsh Harp Centre

Brent Council brickwalls Cllr Abdi's second complaint against Muhammed Butt

Brent Council's Chief Legal officer, Debra Norman, has turned down Cllr Abdirazak's reformulated complaint against Labour Leader, Cllr Muhammed Butt.

Norman refused the first complaint, breach of Members' Code of Conduct, on the grounds that Butt's actions were a Labour Party issue. Cllr Abdi then issued a second complaint, this time of political interference in the planning process, and Norman again says this is not a Council matter as Butt was operating in his party role:

Your complaint is in essence the same complaint as the previous one.  It remains the case that decisions about nominations to the Labour Group’s allocated seats on the Panning Committee are a party group matter.  Involvement by Cllr Butt in that process was a party group activity and not activity in his capacity as a councillor. 

I can only consider an allegation of political interference in Brent’s planning system by Cllr M Butt on the basis of evidence of actions in his capacity as a councillor.

As indicated in my decision in respect of your complaint, my decision on it was final, as provided for in the council’s procedure for dealing with such complaints.  There is no available appeal or complaint mechanism in relation to that decision.

It now appears that the only route open to Cllr Abdi is through the Labour Party's own disciplinary and complaints procedure.

This may seem to be a storm in a Labour Party tea cup but it has great significance for Brent residents who feel the planning system is out of control with high rise blocks being approved across the borough, often not complying with the borough's own planning guidelines, and in the teeth of opposition from local people.

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Brent Disability Forum 6-8pm tonight Harlesden Methodist Church

Book: sophia.thompson@brent.gov.uk