Police name Preston Road murder victim as Drekwon Patterson

 

Police this evening named the victim of the fatal Preston Road stabbing as 16 year old Drekwon Patterson from the Wembley area.

Police said next of kin have been informed and a  post-mortem examination will take place in due course

They said that homicide detectives from Specialist Crime are leading the investigation and as yet no arrests have been made with enquiries continuing.

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, in charge of policing in Brent, said:

It is another tragedy that a boy of just 16 years old has died as the result of a knife crime.

My thoughts are with his family at this time and my officers, alongside homicide detectives, are doing everything they can to identify and arrest those responsible.

There will be enhanced reassurance patrols in the Preston Road area as I know the local community will have been deeply affected by the death of a teenager.

I would urge anyone who witnessed any of the events leading up to the stabbing, or knows anything about who did it, to contact police immediately.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 8167/18Feb, or information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Formidable group of unions and education organisations issue joint statement ahead of PM's statement on wider re-opening of schools

Nine education organisations have joined together to issue a statement on the wider opening of schools and colleges in England. This statement is issued ahead of the Prime Minister’s expected announcement on Monday. The signatories are the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), GMB, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), NASUWT, National Education Union (NEU), National Governance Association (NGA), Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA), Unison, and Unite.

 

STATEMENT

 

We are committed to bringing all children and young people back into the classroom as soon as possible. However, it is counterproductive if there is a danger of causing another surge in the virus, and the potential for a further period of lockdown. Wider opening must be safe and sustainable.

 

We therefore urge the Prime Minister to commit to 8 March only if the scientific evidence is absolutely clear that this is safe, and at that point go no further than a phased return of children and young people with sufficient time to assess the impact before moving to the next phase.

 

We are increasingly concerned that the government is minded to order a full return of all pupils on Monday 8 March in England.

 

This would seem a reckless course of action. It could trigger another spike in Covid infections, prolong the disruption of education, and risk throwing away the hard-won progress made in suppressing the virus over the course of the latest lockdown.

 

The science around the role that schools play in the overall rate of transmission is uncertain. Scientists have expressed different views on this point. What we do know is that the full reopening of schools will bring nearly 10 million pupils and staff into circulation in England – close to one fifth of the population. This is not a small easing of lockdown restrictions. It is a massive step.

 

These factors necessitate a cautious approach with wider school and college opening phased over a period of time. This is the approach being taken in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It allows public health experts to assess the impact of the first phase before moving to the next.

 

None of this is intended to stand in the way of the full reopening of schools and colleges. On the contrary. It is intended as a prudent way forward to ensure that once they are fully open, they stay open.

Preston Road stabbing victim, aged 16, died this morning - police statement and appeal

 

The Crime Scene

From the Metropolitan Police

A murder investigation has been launched after a fatal stabbing in north London.

Police were called to Preston Road, shortly after 23:30hrs on Thursday, 18 February by the London Ambulance Service to a report of a 16-year-old boy with stab injuries.

He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died shortly before 09:00hrs on Friday, 19 February.

Next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem examination will take place in due course

A crime scene has been put in place on Preston Road, between the junctions of Logan Road and The Avenue, affecting local bus routes.

Homicide detectives from Specialist Crime have been informed and are leading the investigation. No arrests have been made.

Enquiries continue.

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, in charge of policing in Brent, said: 

"It is another tragedy that a boy of just 16 years old has died as the result of a knife crime.

"My thoughts are with his family at this time and my officers, alongside homicide detectives, are doing everything they can to identify and arrest those responsible.

"There will be enhanced reassurance patrols in the Preston Road area as I know the local community will have been deeply affected by the death of a teenager.

"I would urge anyone who witnessed any of the events leading up to the stabbing, or knows anything about who did it, to contact police immediately."

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 8167/18Feb, or information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Conservative petitioners lose Barnhill By-Election court case and will have to pay £68,000 costs

 

The result declared on January 24th 2020

The Conservative candidates in the Barnhill by-election case today lost their case against Carolyn Downs, Brent Council Returning Officer in a Queens Bench hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice.

The recount ordered as a result of the petition by losing candidates Stefan Voloseniuc and Kanta Mistry revealed only a handful of votes difference in the by-election declaration which had given the Labour candidates Gaynor Lloyd and Mansoor Akram victory. The Conservative allegation that a 100 vote bundle had been placed in the wrong bundle was therefore unfounded.

The Court also found that Carolyn Downs' refusal of a recount in the early hours of January 24th 2020 had been reasonable and vindicated by the Court recount. Mr Justice Holgate said that the petitioners had not only requested a recount but their intention was clearly to unseat the Labour candidates. 

Mr Justice Holgate said that after the Court recount (the result of which had not been publicised) the petitioners had taken no action for 4 months which had caused Downs to seek a special case.

The by-election had been declared correctly and this was not now in dispute between the parties concerned.

On the matter of the missing seal on a bag of votes, Brent Council had been open about the matter and informed the parties immediately and the explanation that the cause was the poor quality of the seals at the time accepted.

The petitioners were ordered to pay costs of £30,000 to Carolyn Downs as Returning Officer  and a total of £38,000 legals costs to Cllr Lloyd and Cllr Akram.

When there was some delay and prevarication over the costs negotiations Mr Justice Holgate said that this should have been decided between parties before the hearing. The difference between the parties was small and a detailed assessment would add disproportionately to the costs. Clearly irritated, he said that this was a very, very. very small issue and urged those involved to get it into perspective - he had a very large planning case to decide.

Ironically, Stefan Voloseniuc had been a member of the Labour Party in Barnhill ward shortly before he switched parties to the Conservatives. Maybe not a good move.

A Crown Court judge has ordered a landlord to pay back a record £739,264 in illicit earnings made from overcrowded properties in Willesden

 Press release from Brent Council

A Crown court judge has ordered a landlord to pay back £739,263.58 in illicit earnings made from overcrowded properties in Willesden. It is believed to be the largest such order for a planning breach made anywhere in the country so far this year.

The enormous order was made against Mohammed Mehdi Ali of High Road Willesden, following a prosecution brought by Brent council's legal team.

HHJ Wood, sitting at Harrow Crown Court, made the order against Mr Ali on Friday 12 February. He was told by the court that he would face a prison term of 5 years and 9 months if he did not pay the order in full within three months.

Mr Ali was found guilty of failing to comply with planning enforcement notices in April 2018 at Willesden Magistrates Court, after investigations by Brent's planning enforcement team.  The case was then referred to Harrow Crown Court for confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Brent was represented in the crown court by Edmund Robb of Prospect Law.

Detailed investigations carried out by Brent's financial investigators and Brent's planning enforcement officers revealed the extent of the number of illegal dwellings created and the illicit earnings made by illegally renting out the properties, which were owned by Mr Ali and his father. The properties were used as houses in multiple occupation and as undersized flats.

Mr Ali was also ordered to pay Brent council £30,000.00 to cover its legal costs in the long-running case.

Cllr Shama Tatler, Lead Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning, said:

This is another huge win for Brent. The council will take robust action to prevent the creation of poor quality housing. This penalty sends a clear message that rogue landlords will not be allowed to get away with ignoring planning laws. The accommodation provided was some of the worst residential accommodation that officers have ever come across. Brent will not tolerate this type of behaviour, landlords providing such horrible conditions. Brent residents deserve better.

Sentencing for the enforcement notice breaches is adjourned until 1 March 2021.

 

Brent councillor allowances frozen as Tories propose axing 2 Cabinet posts

The basic Brent councillor allowance and special allowances will not be increased this year in line with the pay freeze in the public sector.

Meanwhile the Conservatives in their Alternative Budget have suggested a new allowance range and the deletion of two Cabinet positions. LINK 

 Conservative proposals. Note the SRAs (Special Responsibility Allowances)  are in addition to the Basic Allowance.

Basic Allowance (all Members): £10,000.00

Leader SRA: £30,000.00

Deputy Leader SRA: £20,000

Cabinet Member SRA :£20,000 and delete x 2 cabinet posts

Opposition Leader SRA: £8,000

All other SRAS to remain at current level.

 

The 3 person Conservative Group also make the following proposal which includes a smaller Council Tax rise than Labour's 4.99%:

 

Grants available to Brent communities & organisations wanting to tackle health inequalities

 From Brent Council

Grants from £1,000 to £25,000 are being made available to individuals and organisations with innovative ideas and solutions to tackle the impact of COVID-19 and health inequalities.

The Brent Health Matters Programme – a joined up approach from Brent Council, NHS partners and the community to tackle health inequalities has launched its Community Grants Scheme this week.

Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different people. The pandemic has not only exposed long-standing health inequalities, but in many cases made them worse.

Cllr Neil Nerva, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure, said:

The fund is now open to submissions from individuals and organisations that have ideas and solutions to reduce the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in the short term, and more broadly tackle health inequality issues in the longer term.

An individual can bid for up to £1,000, with a higher threshold of £2,000, whereas an organisation can look to secure up to £15,000 in funding, with a higher threshold of £25,000. The higher threshold would require the bidder to demonstrate how they will deliver significant impact in a single ward or impact across multiple wards.

The launch of the grants will complement other elements of the Brent Health Matters programme that have already led to some real examples of acting on feedback from the community. This includes the launch of a health and wellbeing telephone advice line that has been launched as a pilot for the whole of the borough through to April, with the potential for it to be extended.

Cllr Nerva added: 

Any Brent resident can now speak to locally based NHS staff to ask any non-clinical questions about health and social care. They will be helped with signposting to relevant support and assisted to access the right services. Residents can also receive advice on how to better manage their health conditions.

The Advice Line is available on 020 3114 7185, 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

To find out more, including how to apply for a Community Grant, go to www.brent.gov.uk/brenthealthmatters

Have a look at the development proposals for the O2 Centre & car park, Finchley Road and try and spot 2,000 homes

The O2 Shopping Centre close to  Finchely Road station is outside of Brent but easily accessible on the east side of the borough from the Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines and a shopping venue for many with its large bookshop and Sainsbury's as well as a cinema. The main development would take place on the car park which runs up to Homebase.

The far-reaching proposals may be of interest to locals. (Click bottom right for full screen).

Two years ago the developers envisaged 1,000 homes on the site but this has been double to 2,000 in latest proposals. You would be forgiven if you thought from the slides that there are none proposed at all. Commentators fear that this number could only be realised through the building of tower blocks.