Green Party cancels Spring conference due to Covid-19

The Green Party has taken the decision to cancel its Spring Conference which was due to take place in Brighton on the weekend 20-22 March.

Statement:

As a democratic party, conference plays an important role in determining policy and the overall direction of the party, as well as providing a space for training and discussion for members. 

However it would not be responsible to continue with our plans given the ongoing situation. 

In lieu of conference, plans are already underway to provide members with access to fringe sessions and interaction opportunities online throughout the course of the weekend. 

We will be offering refunds of fees for those already booked. We hope that, given the party will face a significant financial loss as a result of this decision, those members that are able to consider foregoing this will do so.

Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry, Co-leaders

Liz Reason, GPEx Chair

Mary Clegg, Chief Executive

Amelia Womack, Deputy Leader

Sufra Foodbank: Coronavirus Will Affect Services for the Most Vulnerable - Appeal for donations & changes in service

An appeal from Sufra Foodbank

The Perfect Storm for Food Banks 

A Note from the Director

It’s the last thing we need when experiencing the highest demand for emergency food aid in our history: Coronavirus.

While people are fighting over the last toilet roll in their supermarket, our donations of food from the public are dwindling, and we are struggling to purchase the food and toiletries we provide in the quantities we need. It’s likely that the situation will deteriorate further in coming days.
Aside from a host of additional hygiene measures designed to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community, we are having to make some difficult choices about how – and if – we can run our services.

Never before in our history have we cancelled Food Bank or Community Kitchen – not even when it falls on Christmas Day or Easter Sunday. But we have now stripped back our services to ensure that we can still support the most vulnerable in a way that minimises potential transmission.

Our guests (service users) have more vulnerabilities than the average population. Many of them are refugees or asylum seekers with links to Iran, Italy and other countries which have experienced high risk of infection.

From this week, our Community Kitchen will operate on a take-away basis, meanwhile all of our advice work for food bank guests, refugees and asylum seekers will be done over the phone.

It’s likely that by next week we may need to move to Phase 2 of our action plan, which will involve shifting to a delivery-only service for the majority of our food bank guests.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. All the indications are that the UK is on the precipice of a recession, which will mean that financial donations to the charity will also start drying-up while demand for food aid rises. Add to this the impact of austerity and universal credit and you can see why this really is the perfect storm.

Families that visit food banks simply can’t afford to hoard food in the way that others have been doing in the past few days. That’s why we’re asking you to donate surplus food or toiletries to Sufra NW London (or any other food bank near you). Click here to see a list of items we need.

Please also consider making a financial donation to help get Sufra through the next few months.
Thank you.
Rajesh Makwana
Director @SufraNWLondon

Young black males event to help them connect with Brent's best jobs and training opportunities

Brent has a high number of exclusions from school that disporportionately affect black boys as well as high future unemployment rates in this group.

Press release from Brent Council

Young black males are being invited to attend ‘Moving on Up’ at the Brent Civic Centre later this month in a bid to help them connect to some of the borough’s best jobs and training opportunities.
One of the council’s key aims is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed by reaching their full potential at school and beyond and this year’s event builds on last year’s success.

Research shows boys of Black Caribbean heritage historically under-perform at school compared to their peers, and fare less well than other groups in the labour market - but the good news is that gap is closing.

Councillor Amer Agha, Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment and Skills, said:

 “We have done a great deal to address this issue and we are now seeing some positive results and so we are delighted to be supporting this important annual event once again.

 “We’re hoping that many young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years-old take up the opportunity to access some great careers advice, plus training and job opportunities.

 “This year we’re lucky enough to have once again attracted some great inspirational speakers who do a great job in connecting to the audience.

 “Brent Council is committed to making sure that everybody in Brent has access to better jobs and training.”

 Inspirational speakers, Rants ‘n’ Bants and Andrew ‘The Investigator’ Muhammed, will encourage attendees to ‘reach for their dreams’ along with discussions and workshops around:

• Negative stereotypes of young black men which create obstacles preventing them from competing fairly for good jobs;
• The importance of role models and mentors in helping young people succeed;
• Improving the employment opportunities for young black men in finance, technology and digital and construction industries; and
• Setting out how local employers and the council can help them succeed.

The first 50 young people to arrive will receive a £20 voucher for London Designer Outlet. Lunch will also be provided.

 Friday, 20 March 2020, 11am-2pm, Brent Civic Centre

 To book free tickets go to: https://movingonupengagementevent.eventbrite.co.uk

Kilburn High Party letter for residents and meeting

There have been comments from Kilburn residents (both sides of the High Road) that they have not received a promised letter about the Kilburn High Road Street Party that is due to be held in July. They were told that everyone within 100 metres  'radius' of the High Road would get a letter. This is the distribution area- not a circle!

There will be a meeting for residents to discuss the details on Tuesday 7th April 2020 6.30pm-8pm at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performanc, 18 Dyne Road, Kilburn, NW6 7X6:

The Kilburn High will be an all-day street party of art, dance, theatre, music and installations to celebrate the high road and the music, migration and social movements which have shaped it.

On Saturday 11 July 2020, Kilburn High Road will be closed between Kilburn High Road and Kilburn (Jubilee line) stations for mile-long street party.

This meeting is for residents to find out more about the plans for the day.

Tickets HERE

Here is the letter that residents should have received and residents beyond the 100metres may be interested in (click bottom right corner to enlarge):

March 17th - Women and the First World War at Preston Community Library

From Preston Community Library

We would like to invite you to special event at the library.  This is an illustrated talk from Chris Coates.  She was librarian of the Trades Union Congress and has written on various aspects of women's and trade union history. Chris will show photos and documents to detail the situation of working women in the period leading up to the First World War, the political and economic changes it brought to their lives, and what happened in the aftermath of the War.  More information is on the poster below.

This is a free event, but donations to help support the library will be very welcome.

FURTHER UPDATE: Dismay at closure of Brent Law Centre

Staff protest in 2011

After being hit with funding cuts and warnings of imminent closure for almost a decade I understand that Brent Law Centre has finally closed its doors.

Law Centres have been affected by cuts in funding via local authorities and through the Legal Aid Reform Act.  Neighbouring Barnet lost its Law Centre a while ago and Lambeth was forced to close last year.

Brent Law Centre had to stop direct applications for help due to funding cuts and only accept referrals via Brent Citizens Advice Bureau which itself was overloaded with cases LINK.  The only alternative was the mainly on-line BAM (Brent Advice Matters).

Whatever the government says austerity is far from over and it is shameful that an organisation that helped the victims of austerity is now itself a victim.  Brent Law Centre joins Brent Disability Concern that had to close its office when the NHS demanded a market rent LINK and the Council refused help,  and Brent Energy Solutions  LINK which limped along for a while after Brent Council cut its grant but eventually had to close.

This morning Cllr Ketan Sheth tweeted:

Very disappointed that the Brent Community Law Centre has closed. It was much used and appreciated lifeline for many, many residents over the past decades and is truly sad news...

While Cllr Roxanne Mashari responded:

I can't believe this was allowed to happen.

In response Brent Cabinet member Cllr Tom Miller  told his colleagues that he had outlined the issues affecting the Law Centre in the Labour Group and at Willesden Green ward meetings and said he was willing to answer their questions on the way forward.

He said:

The Council has bought the building as part of a plan aimed at rescuing the organisation and worked out in partnership with it. Brent Community Law Centre had become financially unviable for several reasons which I won't go into here.

He told Wembley Matters:

My colleagues are totally correct that this is an important institution worthy of protection. There are financial issues considerably bigger than just the relationship with Brent. I think there are short and long term solutions too, but right now it's crisis support.

Veteran campaigner Sarah Cox reacted on Facebook:

 I was dismayed the other day to see both Brent Law Centre and the nearby Citizens Advice Bureau in Willesden High Rd closed. Never has it been so necessary for people to have access to the help and advice these two organisations provided. Austerity, the new racist immigration laws, the punitive and unjust Universal Credit system all put people into terrible situations where they desperately need help.

UPDATE:

According to the Kilburn Times today (March 11th)  LINK the Law Centre building was sold to Brent Council in January:

A council spokesperson told the Kilburn Times that they could not comment on the building purchase, adding: 'We have been working with BCLC to identify alternative ways for it to deliver services to Brent residents and will continue to support them in whatever way we can.'

Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, head of policy at the Law Centres Network, said: 'With these financial challenges and other considerations in mind, the law centre's trustees have decided that closing the service at this time was the best way forward, when it is still solvent and an orderly closure could be maintained to protect clients.' 

The Brent Council statements raises more questions that it answers and given Ketan Sheth's concern I hope that the Council's decisions on this are called in for public scrutiny.

It would be a scandal if the Law Centre building, which has served Brent residents needing local support and advice for nearly 50 years ends up as a block of unaffordable flats and legal advice continuing as only a skeleton service from premises as yet unknown.

Wembley Park Station has its own paddling pool - urgent action needed!

Wembley Park Station has long had a problem puddle outside its Bridge Road exit but with the recent heavy rain the puddle has become a pool.  This was the scene during this evening's rush hour as pedestrians on their way to the bus stops tried to negotiate water a couple of inches deep in places.

Things got much worse when the Jubilee line shut down at Neasden due to a points failure. Passengers poured out of the station to use the alternative bus routes and some walked on the road on their way to the bus stops, the other side of the railings, to avoid getting their feet soaked.  I saw one man with a baby in his arms and holding the hand of a toddler  balancing along the pavement on the road side of the railings who could easily have been clipped by buses pulling up to the bus stop.

When I tweeted about this to Brent Council and Transport for London (above) on February 13th Brent Customer Services replied the next day.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will investigate the cause of the pooling of water in this location.

I don't know if an investigation has taken place but urgent action is required before there is an accident.

Brent Schools asked to help name new park in Quintain development

I apologise for the poor legibility of the above flyer from Quintain. It advertises a competition for school classes to provide a name for the new park which will be built  amidst of the high-rise development around Wembley Stadium.

 Each class entering is asked to come up collectively with one name and submit a short description of no more than three sentences,

They are advised to use the following brainstorming ideas:

History of Wembley Park
Famous person from Brent
A member (sic) of Brent that has lived/worked in the area and has made an impact on their community

The competition closes on March 31st. Entries have to be sent to skills@quintain.co.uk

Humphry Repton

 The new park at 7 acres will be much smaller than the original Wembley Park designed by Humphry Repton for the Page family but Repton's bust will will be displayed in the remnant. Quintain won a 'Sharing Landscapes' competition last year LINK which aimed to encourage 'greater inclusivity in enjoying historic parks and gardens' and was awarded the bust.

Repton Gardens is the space behind the Boxpark

Repton (for good or ill) has already given his name to the Repton Gardens development of build-to-rent flats and retail (85 acres) which you can tour  to see the excavations and groundworks as part of the Open Doors programme: LINK

 

Humphry Repton's sketch showing the view of Wembley Park from Barn Hill, if his full scheme had been carried out in 1793

Repton already has his name in rather less than verdant surroundings in the Quintain development. There's probably a minor earthquake around his grave!