TONIGHT: Support Roe Green Strathcona School's fight against Brent's closure decision - 4.30pm Brent Civic Centre

Tonight staff, parents, pupils and supporters from the community will converge on Brent Civic Centre in Wembley to demonstrate solidarity with Roe Green Strathcona School's spirited fight against Brent Council's decision to close the school. There will be a demonstration outside the Civic Centre from  4.30pm and then people will attend the 6pm Scrutiny Committee which is hearing the call-in of the Cabinet's decision made by eight Labour councillors.

A broad range of speakers are expected to argue that the closure decision was based on inaccurate information with the Council failing to properly consider the strength of local feeling and the alternative proposals put forward by the school.

The closure decision is important as it sets a precedent for other potential moves to close, shrink or amalgamate schools as a result of falling pupil numbers. The National Education Union will be keen to protect their members, who now include support staff as well as teachers, from compulsory redundancy. Most Brent primary schools still come under Brent Council oversight and the Council is the ultimate employer.

The last time falling school rolls hit the primary sector was in the middle and late 1970s resulting in considerable disruption and despondency. With Brent primary schools currently  performing well against national standards it is essential that parents and staff have confidence in the fairness and effectiveness of the local authority.

At a national policy level falling rolls present an opportunity to reduce class sizes in the state sector to begin to match those of private schools.

Kingsbury's surburbia under threat?

44 Queens Walk on the corner of Salmon Street and Queens Walk (view from Queens Walk)

The view from Salmon Street

Neighbours of a proposed development on a site at the junction of Salmon Street and Queens Walk in Kingsbury are expressing consternation at plans for the development of what was a single family house into a block of 8 flats.

Queens Walk has been seen as one of the most handsome suburban streets in the area with a number of different individual style houses that nonetheless blend into a  pleasing whole. Like many such streets there have been unsympathetic refurbishments and extensions which Brent Council has allowed and of course front gardens given over to car parks.

However, for many the latest application is seen as a step too far and possible opening the possibility, by establishment of precedent, to more such applications.  Number 44 Queens Walk has been empty for some time and has clearly deteriorated and was purchased at a fairly knock-down (sorry!) price for demolition and redevelopment.  The conversion from family house to 8 flats (2 three bedroomed, five 2 bedroomed and one 1 bedroom) to be sold at market prices will yield a considerable profit - tempting to other developers.

I see little reason to disagree with what one of the objectors had to say about the application: 

Queens Walk is typical of the leafy suburban character of many parts of Brent. The properties in Queens Walk are all two-storey detached or semi-detached houses, set well back from the road and of individual yet complimentary appearance. The proposed four storey development at number 44 would be significantly taller than any other property in the road and the design makes no attempt to blend in with the architectural style of Queens Walk. 

One of the reasons that previous applications have been denied is that the design, layout and appearance are out of character. The developer has come back with a design that is even taller than the previous submission and makes even less attempt to reflect the suburban architecture of the area. How can this be acceptable? 

The Brent Local Plan that is being consulted on at the moment promotes a vision of "respecting the predominantly suburban low rise character of the area" The current Core strategy states even more strongly that one of the aims is "to protect and enhance the suburban character of Brent and to protect it from inappropriate development." 

Queens Walk has a distinctive suburban character. The building is totally out of character with the rest of Queens Walk and is in fact an ugly building. Whatever is put on this plot will be there for a considerable length of time. Surely, we should be improving the environment with buildings that enhance the surrounding area, not buildings that will spoil it?

New service provider contract for Brent's most vulnerable not subject to Scrutiny

Readers of this blog will be familiar with the travails of Brent Advocacy Concerns which is going to have to close at the end of November due to the charity being unable to meet the new high rent demanded for its small premises in Willesden. The charity has no paid workers but is still helping people with disabilities. Just this week it is providing advocacy for a parent of two autistic children as well as a range of other age groups.

Now it looks as if other local charities may also be facing closure, this time due to an unscrutinised decision by Brent Council.

The Council is requesting exemption from Scrutiny of a decision to award the 'Gateway to Support Services' contract to Age UK, Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon. This would five different services, not all of which are known to be an area of expertise for the organisation:

• Care Act Advocacy
• Mental Health Act Advocacy
• Mental Capacity Act Advocacy
• Carers Services
• Social Isolation Prevention Services

These are services for some of the most vulnerable Brent residents and it is surely detrimental to their interests that the decision and contract have not been subject to rigorous scrutiny. 

The reason for the failure to add the procurement to the Council's Forward Plan is attributed to 'officer oversight.'

The decision will mean that a number of Brent organisations that were not successful in the procurement process will lose what was previously funding from the Council and if, like Brent Advocacy Concerns, are unable to find alternative funding, will have to close.

Any Scrutiny would need to look at what that would mean for residents currently receiving services from those organisation and consider whether a large contract, embracing five areas, would have the risk of losing some specialist skills and expertise of value to the community.

Large, multiple area contracts, aimed at saving the Council money, are not always as responsive as small organisations. The Veolia contract covering street cleaning, waste collection, recycling, parks maintenance and more has not been an unmitigated success!

Extract from the Exemption Notice to Cllr Ketan Sheth, chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

To award the Gateway to Support Services contract to Age UK Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon. Gateway includes five different services; Care Act Advocacy, Mental Health Act Advocacy, Mental Capacity Act Advocacy, Carers Services and Social Isolation Prevention Services.  Why it was not possible to provide the required notice (i.e. why the decision or exemption was not anticipated)  The Gateway procurement originally took place in March / April 2019. At that time it was decided not to proceed and award a contract. When the procurement was started again in July 2019, it was not added to the council’s Forward Plan. This was due to officer oversight. Once this was realised the decision was added to the Forward Plan. This was done on 16th September. The earliest the decision could be implemented if we followed the Forward Plan timetable would be 24th October. The Gateway contract is due to go-live on 2nd December.  The Gateway procurement was completed in mid-August, but award of the contract delayed because the due diligence process took longer than planned. The procurement of the service has been reviewed by Internal Audit following a complaint received by the council. This has resulted in a shorter than planned implementation and hand over period. An exemption is sought so that the implementation period is not reduced further.  § Why it is impractical to defer the decision to a later date to allow the appropriate notice to be provided.  This contract provides a number of advocacy services to vulnerable people in Brent as well as support for carers. These services are currently delivered via multiple contracts which will end on 1st December 2019. The nature of the services and the complexity of ensuring a smooth handover between a number of organisations means that it is important to maximise the period of time available for implementation prior to the current contracts expiring.  TUPE will apply to staff involved in delivering services currently. In order to make sure staff transfers are managed properly, the more time available to the organisations involved to arrange this the better. There are also implications for the organisations who have not been successful in this procurement. For some, the council has been their main funder for many years. These organisations will need time to either secure additional funding from other sources, review their operations to manage without council funding, or close their business. Again, having the time to properly manage this would be to their benefit.

Cash-strapped QPCS Academy withdraws licensing application after residents claimed 'You're turning the school into a pub or night club'

A licensing application made by Queens Park Community School that had  attracted strong opposition from some neighbouring residents as well as minority support from some concerned about education funding cuts has been withdrawn according to the Kilburn Times LINK . An application for a 3G floodlit football training pitch is going ahead. The school said it had 'heard residents concerns' about the licensing application but would use the income from lets of the pitch to the benefit of pupils.

Opponents claimed that the licensing hours of 10am to 23.30 (including 'drink up time') were unreasonable with some claiming that this amounted to a change of use from an educational premises to an entertainment venue. Noise and anti-social behaviour were cited as having a negative impact on a residential area while others questioned whether alcohol should be served when children are present on the premises.

An example of the  objectors' arguments can be found HERE.

Those supporting the application included some governors and ex-governors of the school who said that the school needed to generate an additional income in an era of education cuts and that entertainment offered at the school (live entertainment, recorded music, performance of dance, film screenings) would be to the benefit of the community as well as making an offer of a large venue for weddings, celebrations etc. They claimed that the school has promised sufficient detailed safeguards to address residents' concerns. A example of a supportive comment which details the safeguards is available HERE.

There were 67 objections and 19 supportive comments.

A key aspect of any licensing application is the view of the local police. They objected to the application and listed  conditions that would need to be met if it were to be approved. HERE

Queens Park Community School is not run by Brent Council. It is a Co-operative Society Academy.

 The applications are symptomatic of the increasing desperation of schools to win additional income streams from their premises faced with funding cuts. Brent Council recently took action against local schools that let their playgrounds out for Event Day parking cutting off that additional income stream.

Public urged to come along on October 2nd to support teachers & parents in a further round of the fight to save Roe Green Strathcona School from closure

From Brent National Education Union

Roe Green Strathcona School will be closed for the fourth time due to strike action on Wednesday 2nd October; NEU members are attempting to save their school from closure. Despite giving the go-ahead to several new free schools in the borough, Brent Council wish to close this successful local authority run school.

Jenny Cooper, District Secretary for Brent National Education Union, said:

We commend our brave members and their parent supporters for their fierce, collective campaign to try to defend this successful local authority school; our action will be suspended as soon as the council reassures us the school will be saved.

Eight councillors have opposed the decision to close the school as they believe further scrutiny is needed to look at possible alternative futures for the school.

Teachers, parents and community supporters will protest outside Brent civic centre from 4.30pm Wednesday and following this will attend and speak at the council meeting in a bid to save the school. This is certain to be a contentious meeting with strong feelings expressed.

The special meeting of the Community and Well-being Scrutiny Committee will be held in the Conference Hall at Brent Civic Centre and will begin at 6pm.  The call-in was made by an unusually broad group of Labour councillors: Cllrs Abdi, Afzad, Chan, Gill, Hector, Kennelly, Marquis and Pavey. (Alphabetical order).

The councillors' reasons for calling the Cabinet's closure decision in for further scrutiny are set out in the document below. Click bottom right for full size version.


Full documentation HERE

Requests to speak should be made to bryony.gibbs@brent.gov.uk and will be considered by the Chair of the Committee, Cllr Ketan Sheth. All requests to speak should be received at least 24 hours before the meeting.

Quintain launch 'Wembley Park Arts'

From Quintain Press Department


Quintain, the developer behind the transformation of Wembley Park, today 23 September, announces the appointment of Josh McNorton in the new role of Cultural Director.

McNorton will lead the establishment of Wembley Park Arts, a new cultural programme for Wembley Park that ensures leadership across commissioning, co-production, cultural infrastructure support and developing local, national and international partnerships.
McNorton’s appointment is timed to support the lead partner role of Wembley Park in Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture 2020.

Josh McNorton has a varied background in producing, curation and programming. Most recently, he was Head of Arts & Culture Programmes at multi-disciplinary East London arts centre Rich Mix.  Prior to this, he worked on arts and cultural festivals. Between 2014 and 2016, he was the Producer at Nesta’s flagship festival for the future, FutureFest, and then in 2017 he was Co-founder of the world’s first sensory arts and research festival, Open Senses. McNorton moved to the UK from Canada in 2012 to produce a large-scale, outdoor entertainment programme for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Wembley Park Arts programme seeks to leverage the global reputation Wembley Park has for events, entertainment and performance to invite creative and cultural industries to the area. The role of Cultural Director will see McNorton working with leading contemporary artists, institutions and festivals in the world-famous locations on site, working with cutting-edge event infrastructure, and diverse communities to create memorable cultural experiences.  The development of the role has been supported by Futurecity, the London based global placemaking and public art agency, who have expertise in creating public programmes for cultural districts such as New York City’s Times Square, London’s Exhibition Road, Sydney’s Cultural Network and Boston’s Avenues to the Arts.

The programme is core funded by Quintain, with additional funding raised through partnership, sponsorship and various other platforms. As well as its own curated programme, Wembley Park Arts will work with the area’s iconic venues and partners, including The SSE Arena, Wembley, as well as newer additions such as Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, to present a world-leading offer.
The ambitious cultural strategy for the area has already delivered affordable artist studios, run by Second Floor Studios & Arts, a public art programme and extensive cultural programming and events, most of which are available free of charge. Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, a new flexible 1,000-2,000 seat capacity theatre, opened this summer and will present the National Theatre’s production of War Horse in the autumn. Getty Images Gallery opened in Olympic Way in June, and it will feature a year-long programme of exhibitions presented by the curatorial team at Getty Images.

McNorton will join Wembley Park on 14 October. He will be joining a growing team at Wembley Park, including Claudio Giambrone who joined as Head of Marketing in February 2018 to build the area’s culture brand and bring in new cultural partners and events, from free screenings of Royal Opera House BP Big Screens and NT Live, to International Busking Day. Prior to his appointment, Giambrone led the South Bank Marketing Group, a 25 year-old consortium of cultural bodies and attractions in London’s South Bank, including National Theatre, The Old Vic, Southbank Centre and BFI Southbank.

On his appointment, Josh McNorton said:

It’s hugely exciting to be starting working in what now feels like the world’s most famous neighbourhood. There’s something special in the air at Wembley Park, from the buzz of big gigs and major sporting events to more intimate experiences in our new cultural venues and community spaces. I’m keen to build on Wembley Park’s existing cultural legacy, whilst bringing new and engaging ideas to the area.

James Saunders, Chief Operating Officer, Quintain, commented:

Wembley Park is unique - it has an amazing cultural heritage, we are creating the largest rental neighbourhood in the UK, and now we are creating a whole cultural ecosystem with the particular needs of that local community in mind. Whether a resident, a shopper or a day tripper, creating exceptional experiences every day is what Wembley Park is about. Wembley Park Arts is key to delivering that, from our brilliant free cultural programme to creating new partnership and opportunities.

Sherry Dobbin, Partner, Futurecity added:

Josh McNorton has the perfect combination of skills required for working alongside the Wembley Park team. His experience covers cultural producing at many scales, development of cultural partnership network, and an advanced understanding of the future digital arts sector to ensure Wembley Park Arts will thrive on the dynamic global cultural scene, as well as creating a vibrant place for residents, visitors and workers.

'Pearlies' at Preston Library tomorrow 4.30pm -head about the Pearly Kings and Queens

Appeal from Rumi's Cave on Carlton Centre Planning Application

Message from Rumi's Cave

Dear All,

Although the consultation period has now ended, we can still send in concerns and objections as we uncover new facts.

The building where we are homed, the Carlton Centre, has been regarded as D1 use and this is identified as 'Class D1. Non-residential institutions':

Any use not including a residential use —

(a)for the provision of any medical or health services except the use of premises attached to the residence of the consultant or practitioner,
(b)as a crêche, day nursery or day centre,
(c)for the provision of education,
(d)for the display of works of art (otherwise than for sale or hire),
(e)as a museum,
(f)as a public library or public reading room,
(g)as a public hall or exhibition hall,
(h)for, or in connection with, public worship or religious instruction.

Putting offices in these buildings requires a change of use, even if the offices are for social enterprises and startups.

The Council have not applied for change of use on the latest planning permission application and therefore the planning application is not valid.

Keeping this in mind, please email your objections to patrick.Doyle@brent.gov.uk (Planning ref# 19/2378)

Thank-you for all your support.

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