Islington shows Brent Council the way on Climate Emergency

Declarions of a Climate Emergency

Brent Council are due to debate a Climate Emergency motion at Full Council on Monday July 8th, joining other councils across the country that have declared an emergency LINK. The declarations are quite varied with some very broad brush and others going into detail on specific actions.

I have not yet had sight of the motion for Monday but below I print the Islington motion which was passed on June 27th. It is particularly impressive for the list of actions the borough has already taken and could contribute to discussion about future policy at Brent Labour's meeting which is taking place on Saturday.

Islington is a Labour Council and the motion was supported by the lone Green Party councillor, Caroline Russell, who is also a member of the London Assembly.

Tackling the environment and climate emergency by achieving a
net zero carbon Islington by 2030

This Council notes that –

·      Climate change and the effect it is having on our planet, and will have in the
years to come, has been scientifically proven and this Council fully recognises
the need for society and all levels of government to respond urgently to
prevent and lessen the damaging effects of human activity driven climate
change.

·      The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report
published in October 2018 confirms that the world has until 2030 to avoid an
increase in global temperatures above 1.5˚C, at which point the impact of
global warming would have devastating impacts on the planet and people’s
lives.

This Council further notes that already –

·      Islington Council has been at the forefront of efforts to reduce carbon
emissions in the borough, including from its own operations, and that Islington
is on target to reduce carbon emissions in the borough from 2005 levels by at
least 40% by 2020.

·      The existing Local Plan and the Draft Local Plan (2019-2034) seek to minimise
the borough’s contribution to climate change via the built environment and
future development in recognition that emissions relating to buildings or
building systems/processes consistently represent over 80% of all carbon
emissions in the borough; and that existing policies and new policies proposed
in the Draft Local Plan have been independently assessed and are forecast to
reduce carbon emissions in the borough by 66% by 2034 and by 91% by 2050
from 1990 levels, including significant reductions delivered through high energy
efficiency standards from new development and through expansion of the
borough’s decentralised energy network.

·      The Council was one of the first to establish a Carbon Offset Fund, which uses
planning agreements to require developers to make a payment to offset any
carbon shortfall from developments, which is then used to fund projects that
reduce carbon emissions. To date, the Carbon Offset Fund has made
allocations of £4.8 million to projects across the borough that have delivered an
estimated reduction in carbon emissions of 375 tonnes per year.

·      The Islington Community Energy Fund has been established to commission
innovative energy projects delivered by communities and local organisations
which benefit local people and tackle climate change, with £786,000 from the
Carbon Offset Fund being made available to support projects so far.

·      The Council-supported Islington Sustainable Energy Partnership has helped 40
organisations in the borough across the private, public and third sectors to cut
their carbon emissions by over 25,200 tonnes, saving an estimated £4.3 million
in avoided energy costs.

·      The Archway Zero Emissions Network has produced energy saving
recommendations for local businesses in excess of 1.5 million kWh.

·      The Council’s Pension Fund is taking bold action to decarbonise its investments
by 2022 by reducing the fund’s exposure to carbon emissions by more than
half, reducing the fund’s equities’ exposure to fossil fuel reserves by more than
three quarters and decarbonising the fund’s holdings in other asset classes.

·      Angelic Energy, Islington Council’s not-for-profit energy provider and London’s
first new municipal energy provider for over 100 years, has helped over 2,000
local people access fairer prices for their energy and provides electricity from
100% renewable sources.

·      800 homes, two leisure centres and offices have been connected to the Bunhill
District Heat Network, a ground-breaking scheme that uses waste heat to
deliver more efficient, cheaper and greener energy to local people, and work is
ongoing to deliver a new energy centre that will extract waste heat from the
London Underground to supply a further 1,000 homes.

·      Work to insulate cavity walls in the Council’s building stock has led to annual
savings of 8,600 tonnes of CO2 and financial savings of £1.5 million per
annum, in addition to further savings in emissions and costs from boiler
replacement works, loft insulation and the installation of solar panels.

·      All streetlights in the borough have been converted to LED versions, reducing
carbon emissions by the equivalent to removing almost 1,000 cars from the
road each year and saving 28,280 tonnes of CO2 over the 20-year lifespan of
the more efficient bulbs.

·      1,000 tonnes of CO2 savings have been found in schools, libraries and the
Council’s depot so far this year.

·      The Council is enabling a shift towards more sustainable transport across the
borough with the removal of dangerous gyratories and the introduction of safer
and more accessible routes for pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to installing
400 electric vehicle charging points and 400 bike hangars across the borough
to further reduce the use and impact of private vehicles.

·      The Council’s Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Streets programme has banned all
non-zero emission vehicles from the Old Street and City Fringe area at certain
times of the day and the Council will soon publish details of how it will seek to
prevent the rat-running of lorries on residential roads in the borough, further
reducing the emissions from transport travelling through the borough.

·      The Council has pioneered an emissions based parking policy to reduce the
environmental impact vehicles have in the borough, and has implemented a
Diesel Surcharge on resident parking permits and paid for short stay parking to
encourage a shift away from polluting diesel vehicles, in addition to calling for a
London-wide ban on diesel engines by 2025, whilst ensuring efforts to reduce
carbon emissions from vehicles does not impact air quality.

·      The Council recently celebrated the launch of the tenth ‘School Street’ in the
borough that restrict traffic outside schools at opening and closing times to
improve road safety, encourage active travel and reduce pollution near schools,
and will roll-out similar measures for all schools across the borough.

·      The Council is committed to reducing the impact of its fleet of essential
vehicles, with over 160 vehicles currently being replaced with vehicles that
either significantly reduce or eliminate emissions, in addition to over 150
vehicles already being Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) compliant.

·      The Council is committed to supporting people to reduce the amount of waste
they produce, reuse items wherever possible and to recycle more.

This Council also notes –

·      That meeting the challenge the environment and climate emergency poses and
achieving a net zero carbon Islington by 2030 will require a comprehensive
response from not just the Council, but also from regional and national
government, as well as private organisations, businesses and individuals.

·      That the Council has lost 70% of its core central government funding since
2010 and will have had to make savings of £275 million in total from its
budgets by 2022.

·      That significant elements of the action necessary to achieve a net zero carbon
Islington by 2030 are out of the control of the Council, such as the
decarbonisation of the national electricity grid and the absence of powers to
mandate retrofitting existing buildings.

·      That meeting the challenges of the environment and climate emergency must
be done in such a way that does not penalise local people on low incomes and
does not limit the Council’s ability to address important issues, such as the
housing crisis, whilst recognising that building a greener and more inclusive
economy with fairness at its heart can lead to better outcomes and
opportunities for local people.

This Council resolves to –

·      Declare an environment and climate emergency.

·      Pledge to work towards making Islington net zero carbon by 2030, ahead of
the current 2050 target.

·      Make representations to regional and national government to urge them to
take action to support the goal of a net zero carbon Islington by 2030,
including through the provision of the necessary resources and legal powers to
the Council and others to support the action needed to achieve this.

·      Continue to work with partners across the borough to deliver this new goal
through all relevant strategies and plans, ensuring that reducing carbon
emissions is embedded in all relevant Council decision making.

·      Publish on an annual basis details of carbon emissions reduction interventions
the Council is delivering and commissioning, including the progress these
actions are delivering in reducing the tonnage of carbon emissions in the
borough.

·      Ensure local people are able to contribute to the formulation and scrutiny of
the strategic actions needed to address the environment and climate
emergency by consulting on proposals and by organising an annual ‘Tackling
the Environment and Climate Emergency’ meeting, hosted by the Environment
and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, in addition to the wide-range of existing
opportunities for local people to make representations to the Council.

· Report to Full Council on 27^th February 2020 what strategic actions the Council
is taking to address the environment and climate emergency, including plans
and milestones to achieve emissions reductions within the Council’s control,
and to share details of representations being made to other institutions to
achieve reductions in emissions outside of the Council’s direct control.

Proposal to reduce hours at Central Middlesex Urgent Care Centre by closing it overnight

Brent NHS Clinical Commissioning Group  is proposing to close the Central Middlesex Hospital Urgent Care Centre, presently available 24/7, from midnight to 8am, saving £450,000 annually in what they admit are financially challenging circumstances.

The service is currently provided by Greenbrooks and the CCG says the provider agrees with the proposal. The CCG health, rather than financial case, is based on low usage and availability of alternative provision:

The data analysis based on “reasons for attendance” showed that from the average of ten (10) patients attending per night, the following would be the appropriate course of action if CMH UCC were to close overnight: 


o Less than 1 per night would continue to require ED either urgent treatment or referral to specialty review

o One(1)per night would need to attend an alternative UCC such as Charing Cross, St Mary’s, Ealing or Northwick Park

o Four (4) per night could access an alternative night service such as GP out of hours

o Four (4) per night could access alternative provision, including their own GP, the next day

The UCC was set up in 2014 when the Accident and Emergency service was closed at  Central Middlesex Hospital, despite widespread opposition, which included rather belated opposition from Brent Council.  The overnight closure of the UCC represents a further deterioration of the service currently offered to residents in Harlesden, Park Royal and Stonebridge.

Transport difficulties to alternative A&Es was always a factor in the original campaign against the A&E closure was a major factor so the CCG puts forward the transport timings for residents seeking overnight treatment:

The CCG argue that the change would mean a 'safer urgent and emergency offer by reducing entry points to out of hours services':

The alternative offering being implemented by the CCG will aim to drive down [] inappropriate attendances, helping to provide choice and direction to those seeking advice and care. The majority of attendees overnight are between 20 and 44, the age group most likely to have internet access at home, or own a smartphone, and therefore be best place to benefit from digital signposting.

People arriving out of hours at Central Middlesex will be advised to dial 111.

The report will be considered by Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on July 9th. The full document is HERE

 

Works on Bridge Road-North End Road, Wembley, reconnection postponed. Completion still promised for January 2020

The works to reconnect North End Road, Wembley with Bridge Road (presently connected by steps and a ramp) were due to start today but Brent Council informs Wembley Matters that they have been postponed but are still due to be finished for January 2020.

In May Brent Council announced on its 'Current Wembley Regeneration Projects' page LINK:

The council will soon start work on connecting North End Road to Bridge Road. This will benefit existing residents by providing an alternative route across Wembley Park to access the North Circular Road, improving the traffic flow in the area. This route will not be affected by event day closures, enabling an available vehicular route at all times - particularly useful for residents of North End Road, who are impacted by the road closures on event days, and bus users.

The contractor delivering the works

VolkerLaser is undertaking the works at North End Road on behalf of Brent Council. 

A VolkerLaser team will be on site from June 2019 to start the works, and the project is expected to be completed by early 2020. During this time, the team will endeavour to undertake the works with as minimal disruption to local residents and businesses as possible. 

VolkerLaser is part of VolkerWessels UK and are one of the UK’s leading multi-functional contractors. They have a proven track record of success within the highway sector, completing some award-winning civil engineering projects across the last 25 years.

For further details about the project contact Rachel Best:
Email: Transport.Strategy@brent.gov.uk
Call: 0208 937 5600

The original timetable published on  24.6.19 in the Brent Council 'Works Bulletin' listed works on Bridge Road for reconnection starting on May 20th 2019 and finishing on June 30th 2019, lasting 42 days. Associated works for reconnection at North End Road, including the road closure, were to last for 222 days from May 13th 2019 to 20th December 2019.  Clearly Brent Public Realm Scrutiny Committee will want some explanation for the delay and completion for January 2020 looks a real challenge.

Windrush Celebrations: Brent trip to Tilbury where Empire Windrush arrived. Saturday 20th July

From Learning Through Arts

Our non-profit organisation; Learning Through The Arts is currently running a Brent-based heritage project surrounding Windrush Celebrations titled; The Story of Windrush Migrants. 

We are running a trip to Tilbury Dock, London International Cruise Terminal. This project, a partnership between Learning Through The Arts and The Brent Museum & Archives commemorates the 70th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush in 1948.

There will be a £10 cost for the trip - please do bring this along with you on the day and you will receive a receipt.

We will meet at 9:15 at The Library at Willesden Green, 95 High Rd, Willesden, London NW10 2SF for a prompt departure of 9:30am to arrive to Tilbury Cruise Terminal, RM18 7NG. 

We will aim to arrive by 11am. 

There will be time for a rest break before the tours begin at 11:15. They will last approximately 1 hour. 

There will be activities for us to enjoy after that time and the Carnival procession will arrive at the site at approximately 13:15. There will be performances, workshops and food available to purchase throughout the day with the event closing at 16:00. 

We will then take the coach back to the drop off point of Willesden Green Library hopefully arriving back by no later than 6/6:30pm.

For more information about the day do visit the organisers website  http://tilburycarnival.tott.org.uk

Brent Council rushes to spend £92m buying South Kilburn site before other buyers purchase it

Brent Council has informed Cllr Matt Kelcher, Chair of Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee LINK, that they are making an urgent decision to buy the Gloucester and Durham bocks on South Kilburn Estate for £92m - the decision to be made by July 15th.

Telford Homes took on the lease in January 2018.  The notice to Kelcher says the blocks will be sold to other buyers if 'we do not treat with the vendor before the end of July.'

It is unclear which site is earmarked for the decant of William Dunbar and William Saville House residents in 2021.  It appears the Council fully expects to win the  ballot of residents on the demolition of their homes.

Big stink in Kenton as sewage flows in Wealdstone Brook

The Wealdstone Brook flows through Kenton and Wembley eventually joining the River Brent in the industrial area south of Wembley Stadium.

Residents in Kenton have complained to the Environment Agency and Thames Water about sewage contamination in the brook with the problem exacerbated by a lack of maintenance with tree cover smothering the brook shutting out light.  They describe having to shut windows to keep out the smell and the stench spoiling walks in Woodcock Park.

Thames have cited 'misconnections' which was the case with the Gaderbrook* in Fryent Country Park where misconnected plumbing from nearby houses, particularly extensions, was allowing  sewage and waste water into the brook. Residents doubt this explanation in the case of Wealdstone Brook and suggest the problem is caused by defective manholes in the area.

They are calling for Thames and the EA to address the problem with a sense of urgency, clear the current sewage and put preventative measures in place.

Unfortunately I was at the Gaderbook this morning and this too had an offensive smell.

Call for halt to regeneration of council estates in Brent until concern over sub-standard housing addressed

Chase House, South Kilburn

Concern over the quality of housing in regeneration areas, including South Kilburn (above) first raised on Wembley Matters LINK has continued with reports of sub-standard work in Argo House,

Now Hampstead and Kilburn Constituency Labour Party has called for a halt to future regeneration in South Kilburn and across the borough, pending a Brent Council consultation with affected communities. In a motion passed unanimously last night they said that the halt should last until Brent Council and affected communities are satisfied that the housing being built is of sufficient standard and that the housing associations and property developers are taking their responsibilties to the community seriously.

The motion cited sub-standard work both externally and internally and neglect and failure to act by both developers and housing associations.

Proposals for a ballot of  residents of blocks affected by the next round of regeneration  on South Kilburn are  expected to be announced soon. Meanwhile residents on St Raphaels Estate continue to be concerned over demolition and regeneration proposals there with many preferring a programme of refurbishment.