BRENT COUNCIL ANNOUNCES A NEW WAY OF MAKING NEIGHBOURHOOD CIL DECISIONS
From Brent Council
We want to make sure you know about an exciting change to the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funding. The funding decisions are being handed to Brent residents, organisations and groups who work with and for them, and we are calling thisYou Decide.
The Five Brent Connects areas (above) will receive £400,000 each of the £2m total and residents will decide how it is spent, throughParticipatory Budgeting.
How will this work?
We are inviting residents to join forces with local groups and organisations to decide what they think their area needs. What would make a difference to the lives of people and support them? What changes could funding bids forphysical assetsmake?How could a street, estate, sports club, park or community venue provide more for local people by purchasing physical things? What do local people need?
Constituted organisations can submit a bid toYou Decidefor a share of the £400,000 for that Brent Connects area. Residents can share ideas with you.
Residents will then have the chance to vote on what they want atDecision Dayevents. Applications will be presented and voted on in each Brent Connects area. Anyone over 18 can vote.
Everyone is invited to attend the community-basedinformation evenings, as aresident and/or representative of an organisation.Please register atthis Eventbrite link.If you can’t attend your area meeting, please sign up for a different one.
Do spread the word aboutYou Decideishow £2million of NCIL funding is to be spent.Please also tell us about events we can attend to share information atyoudecide@brent.gov.uk.
KEY DATES
We want to create real buzz around this and we need your support to spend the money as you think it is best used.
We want to create real buzz around this and we need your support so the money is spent as needed, and as decided by as many people as possible.
Please share this information with friends, family, neighbours and all or any groups you belong to, and encourage them to come to an Information Evening – as a potential applicant, or voter–usingthis Eventbrite link
Brent Council last night unanimously backed Barry Gardiner's Campaign to end the practice of 'Fire and Rehire' - the method employers use to reduce their costs by sacking workers and re-eemploying them on on reduced wages and worsened conditions of service.
Conservative councillor Michael Maurice remarking that he did not often agree with Barry Gardiner supported the motion saying that some corporate employers were bullies.
The Stop Fire and Rehire Campaign is building cross-party support in Parliament ahead of the Bill's next stage which takes place on Friday October 22nd.
As well as declaring support the motion also included practical steps to be taken by Brent Council:
This council notes the unethical use of the fire and rehire tactics by certain employers, forcing their staff to accept unfair terms and conditions, leaving many having to work longer hours and for lower pay.
While the Prime Minister has called this “unacceptable” he has continually refused to take action to outlaw the practice, raising concerns that he will not intervene in this race to the bottom by some employers. This council notes that this practice has been rejected here at Brent as is specifically outlined in the procurement strategy. Furthermore, we have ensured all our serviceproviders abide by these terms.
This council stands with the campaign that has been promoted by our local member of parliament, Barry Gardiner MP who has spotlighted this unsavoury practice, working with trade union partners to defend the right of workers against unscrupulousemployers. Workers should not be scapegoated to carry the burden of lost profits.
This council therefore believes action is required to ensure local residents are protected against such unethical practices and agrees:
(1) To request that the Leader of the Council write to the Prime Minister demanding the full protection of employees subject to these terms and conditions.
(2) To continue to encourage fellow councils to exclude from their authorised list of suppliers any business’ using these Fire and Rehire Tactics and to update their procurement and social value policy to reflect that of ethical practices.
Furthermore we call upon them to update existing contracts with suppliers in accordance with this commitment.
(3) To continue to foster good working relationships with Trade Unions here at Brent.
(4) To work with our anchor institutions and key partners to bring forward plans for the introduction of a local employer charter for companies to work toward with Trade Unions. This should include worker rights, support for the TUC Great Jobs’ agenda and with the real living wage campaign at its heart. Brent council notes its records as a good and ethical employer, and truly believes thatall workers deserve well-paid secure and meaningful work.
The Wealdstone Brook flows through the recent developments in Wembley Park
The River Brent at Monks Park/St Raphaels
FLOOD ZONE 1 = low probabality of flood, FLOOD ZONE 2 = medium probability between a 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 annual probability of flooding, FLOOD ZONE 3 high probability having a 1 in 100 or greater annual probability of flood.
NB above are river flooding, in addition there may be surface water flooding.
Brent FoE will be leading a walk following (as far as possible) the course of theWealdstoneBrook and part of the River Brent from Wembley Park Station (meeting at 2pm) to St Raphael’s green space. on Sunday September 26th We will meet at 2pm on Olympic Square at the foot of the Wembley Park station steps.
The possibility of flooding due to extreme weather, both in terms of river flooding and the drainage system not being able to cope with torrential downpours, has become more obvious in the last few years as extreme weather events have increased, with some area of Brent hit by flooding recently.
We will look at natural life along the waterways, (you may be surprised) and consider
how the built environment interacts with nature, and the possible
dangers posed as climate change threatens to bring more flooding over
the next few years. We will pause (at about 3pm) on the bank of the River Brent, near theMonks Park/St Raphaels open space, to launchpaper boats with messages about climate change,and what we all need to do about it. Come along and make your own boat to launch! The boats will be caught in nets after their voyage so as not to pollute the river with litter,
Also bear in mind:
Children are welcome andd should be accompanied by an adult who will be responsible for them.
Wellies optional
Assemble at Wembley Park at 2pm. Boats will be placed in the river/or on the nearby grassy area on the St Rapahels bank at 3pm
We will have fishing nets to ‘capture’ any boats floated down the river.
Participants can choose to break the walk at Stonebridge Park
(station and buses) or do the return walk at their leisure or with the guide.
Participants should bring water, snack and any medication they may require.
There are firm paths throughout the route except for a few metres on the river bank for the boat launch.
If you intend to come to the start of the walk please let us know by emailing martinrfrancis@virginmedia.com with name etc. We will email back a mobile phone contact for the day.
Many thanks to Philip Grant for this Guest Post - Part 2 next week
This article only came about because of an enquiry
to Wembley History Society. What were the name and address of a music shop in
Ealing Road run by the Macari family around the 1960s, and could we provide a
photograph of it? The first part was quite easy, Macari’s Musical Exchange was
at 46b Ealing Road. But we can’t find a photograph of the outside of the shop. If
anyone reading this has one, please share a copy of it with us (c/o Wembley
Matters)!
An old postcard of Ealing Road, with the shop's
location arrowed. (Brent Archives online
image 8823)
Along with the shop’s address, we did receive a
number of memories of the Macari family and the shop from the Society’s members
and friends. Some of these were quite detailed. As they help to tell the story
of those times, I decided to put them together in an article, both for general
interest and for anyone who might like to know more about Wembley’s music
history. I’ve since received some more information from the family itself, and
am now including that as well.
Terry doesn’t remember the shop, but was taught to
play the guitar in 1957/58 by Anthony Macari, at the family’s home in Canons
Park. With his knowledge of Music Hall and Variety Theatre history, Terry let
me know what a musical family they were. In the years after the Second World
War, Anthony and his children, Larry, Joe and Rosa, were in an accordion band,
Macari’s Dutch Serenaders. By the 1960s, they were also known as Anthony Macari
and His Dutch Serenaders, with Larry no longer in the group.
46 Ealing Road is on the corner of Chaplin Road, at
the northern end of a small parade of shops (numbers 46 to 60). The Macari shop
is not shown in the 1958 edition of Curley’s Directory of Wembley, but that
must have been out of date, as the business had opened by January that year.
This is the top of a letter sent by Anthony to Rosa, who had a singing engagement
in Dublin at the time.
The Musical Exchange
headed notepaper from 1958. (Courtesy
of Glo Macari)
Macari’s Musical Exchange does appear in the 1962
and 1968 editions of the Directory. There were two shops at number forty-six.
46b was the music shop, while 46a was Derosa Ladies Wear. This was run by Rosa
and her sister-in-law, Jean (Joe’s wife), and took over the costume hire
business, as well as selling evening gowns and children’s clothes. Anthony
Macari is shown at 46c, the flat above the shops reached by stairs at the back,
and he lived there for a time with his wife, as well as using one room [details
in Part 2!] for the music business.
1960s street map of
Wembley, with shop's location marked. (G.I.
Barnett street plan / courtesy Zerine Tata)
The
late 1950s was a pivotal time in music history. More people had radios and
gramophones on which they could listen to music, but much of what you could
listen to had been dance bands, such as Wembley-born Victor Silvester’s. Most “popular music” came from America, and
performers like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly introduced young people to more
upbeat songs, played by small groups with guitars, which came to be known as
“rock and roll”.
Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group, late 1950s. (Image from the internet)
In England, there was a transitional stage, with
its roots in jazz and folk music, called “skiffle”. Lonnie Donegan was one of
its leading acts, but by 1958 the country also had its own “Pop” stars, such as
Cliff Richard and his backing group, soon to be known as The Shadows (which
included Jet Harris, from Willesden, on bass guitar and Tony Meehan, from West
Hampstead, on drums). By then, many teenage boys wanted to play in rock and
roll groups!
The Macaris had a shop in Burnt Oak before opening
another branch of the business in Ealing Road, Wembley. Kay’s older brother
remembered the shop:
‘It was in the parade of shops opposite
the old St Andrew's Church which is now the Wembley Mosque, not far from the
junction with Chaplin Road. There was a cycle shop next door. The shop
wasn’t that big, they had a couple of upright pianos, lots of brass instruments,
acoustic guitars and mostly “old fashioned” instruments.’
‘He was passing the shop one day and Hattie Jacques and John
Le Mesurier were coming out with instruments they’d bought for their kids.
Keith Moon who lived in Chaplin Road used to practice there, and also in the
Pavitt Hall on the corner of Union Road.’
Alan remembers the
shop well, with guitars hung on the walls. He and some friends had formed a
group as was so common in the early 1960s. He and the singer would go and ‘jam’
at the shop. He recalls the father and son running the shop being very helpful
when he needed a new bridge for one of his guitars. Musicians wanting work or
people requiring musicians would use the shop as a hub.
The 5 Stars skiffle
group, c.1959. (Photo courtesy of
Alan and Barbara Clarke)
Alan’s first group was a skiffle band calling
themselves “The 5 Stars”. As you can see from the photograph, three of them
played guitars, and their drummer, Roger, just had a side drum. A common
feature of skiffle groups was the improvised bass, often called a tea chest
bass (as that is what most of them were made from), although this one appears
to use an oil can. A single string ran from the can (or wooden box) to the top
of a broom handle. When the string was plucked, the sound resonated from the
can, and the bass note could be changed by altering the position of the broom
handle!
Three of the 5 Stars went on to form another group,
led by their singer, Alan Hayward. The two Alans would practice in the shop,
something the Macaris encouraged as it brought more interest to their business.
There was no separate rehearsal room, just an area in the shop itself. Once
when they were practicing, lead guitarist Alan was allowed to play “The Blue Moon of Kentucky” (a song from
Elvis Presley’s first record in 1954) on a maroon Gibson guitar which had been on
display, hung on the shop’s wall.
Glo Macari, listening to a record at the shop, 1961. (Courtesy of Glo
Macari)
As well as
instruments, the shop also sold records. Anthony Macari’s grand-daughter Gloria
(“Glo”) liked spending time in the shop, listening to the latest songs, and
learning the words and tunes. Her family lived in Clarendon Gardens, and she
went to Park Lane, then St Joseph’s R.C. primary schools. She was already
playing guitar by then, and the famous guitarist, Bert Weedon, who often came
into the shop, gave her some extra lessons. You can hear Bert playing his 1959
hit record, “Guitar Boogie Shuffle”, here:
Like many Wembley
children at the time, most of her Saturday mornings were spent at the Regal
Cinema, just up the road from the shop, for the children’s picture shows.
Sometimes these also included the chance for youngsters to perform on the stage
– ‘very exciting!’ Glo remembers singing “Bobby’s Girl” there, which was a big
“hit” for Susan Maughan in 1962.
The Regal Cinema, in a 1950s postcard of Ealing Road. (Brent Archives
online image 1195)
There will be more on
the music shop’s story, and the musicians who used it, next weekend. This will
include a teenager from Chaplin Road, who bought some drum sticks there (can
you guess Who?). I hope you can join me then, to enjoy more local history, and
music, from a time that played a big part in the development of modern “Pop”.
The public are able to ask Brent Cabinet members a written question at Full Council meetings and follow up the answer at the meeting itself. The questions and answers are published on the Agenda in advance of the meeting.
A key question on the Council's Climate Emergency Strategy has been asked by local r esident Pam Laurance:
About a year ago the Council launched the Brent
Climate & Ecological Emergency Strategy, with a considerable amount of
publicity, setting out specific aims and targets. The First Year Delivery Plan
2021-2022 set out 23 targets for that period. The Strategy documents states
that:
'Progress against the key objectives will be monitored and measured regularly,
and progress on the delivery of the specific actions in our yearly delivery
plans will be reported in detail, alongside a commentary of progress of the
overall programme each year. Available datasets and baselines will be measured
against the most up to date statistics at the time of the adoption of this
plan. This strategy is currently a long-term strategy, but we will keep under
review the need to refresh its aims and objectives in the years to come'.
Please will the Council say:
1) What criteria are being used to measure
progress?
2) How does the Council plan to keep the public
informed on progress?
3) Does the Council believe that any of the targets
need to be more ambitious in the light of recent climate developments?
Response:
1) What criteria are being used to measure progress?
The
overarching means for measuring progress on direct carbon emissions in the
borough is from the local authority dataset provided by the Department of Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) each year. It is from this dataset, for
example, that we have been able to ascertain that there has been a 35% reduction
in total carbon emissions on a borough-wide basis since 2005 (when this method
of accounting began) and it is also by utilising this dataset that we are able
to analyse different pathways of getting to carbon neutrality by 2030.
Unfortunately, the complexity of carbon accounting means that these figures are
only available with an 18-month timelag – and therefore the latest set of
figures for Brent is from 2019. We also have a baseline estimate of the
consumption emissions (wider greenhouse gases, not just carbon) which are
attributed to Brent and one of our key objectives is to reduce these emissions
by at least two thirds by 2030. Due to this timelag in receiving specific data,
councils are reliant in the meantime on assessing progress through other ‘proxy’
measures which will indicate the direction of travel in reducing emissions. We
are currently working on developing an internal dashboard with the council’s
Corporate Performance Team which currently includes around 80 potential
underpinning long-term indicators and datasets. These can include specific
datasets such as EPC ratings, waste statistics, TfL travel data but also
through more the practical delivery of initiatives we have set out in our
yearly delivery plans. Progress will be reported to Cabinet each year. The
current 2021-22 delivery plan for example, comprises of actions that we expect
to have a direct impact on emissions, or lay the building blocks for emissions
reduction in the future.
2) How does the Council plan to keep the public informed on progress?
The council
has been keeping the public informed of progress through regular updates via
Brent’s main communications and engagement channels. This includes the
council’s social and digital channels, through news updates, webinars and
social media feed on specific projects and themes from the delivery plan as
well as in the physical copies of the Your Brent magazine or at any in person
event where the climate emergency team has a presence. We have also developed
and established the Brent Environmental Network which is now approaching 1000
members. The network is ultimately proposed to be the key overarching mechanism
for sustained and ongoing engagement with communities on tackling the climate
and ecological emergency and achieving the council’s sustainability aims for the borough. Signed up members receive, at
the very least, a monthly e-newsletter which provides information on how
individuals can live more sustainably and contribute to tackling the climate
emergency, alongside updates about the council’s climate emergency programme
and a ‘community corner’ which seeks to shine a light on all of the positive environmental
initiatives that are happening in Brent led by brilliant individuals and local
organisations. Members also receive specific alerts about local events, issues
or new initiatives like grant funding as and when necessary. We have also
established and meet regularly with the Brent Environmental Network Advisory
Group not only as a means of providing updates, but also to gather regular
community input on how we expand our engagement to all of Brent’s communities.
As an example of an outcome of this work, we are also hoping to develop new
dedicated social media platforms for the Brent Environmental Network as a means
of providing even more regular and dedicated information about environmental
initiatives in Brent. We have also committed to providing a comprehensive
yearly report to cabinet which set out the progress made against all actions
within the yearly delivery plans, plus any key contributing actions which have
developed through the course of the year outside the formal delivery plan. This
report will also be the opportunity for cabinet to approve future yearly
delivery plans.
3) Does the Council believe that any of the targets need to be more ambitious in the light of recent climate developments?
Page 41 of the Council’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy sets out of that
this is a long-term strategy but that we will keep under review the need to refresh
its aims and objectives in the years to come. Whilst recent weather events around
the world and in London, plus the findings of the IPCC report, have been very
troubling, we are one of only twelve London councils to have adopted a carbon
neutrality target both for our own operations and for borough wide emissions by
2030. We therefore sincerely feel that we are being as ambitious as we can be
with resources at our disposal at the present time. We remain open to ideas and
suggestions from residents or communities as to what else the council can do to upscale our plans. We are very clear throughout the strategy document
that the council cannot achieve these targets alone and we need all individuals
and communities in Brent to play their part and strive for carbon neutrality.
·North End Road will be closed to traffic from
09:30 on 16 September to remove the temporary Hostile Vehicle Measures
(HVM) (Concrete Blocks) and to install the permanent HVM on the footway. It
will take up to three days to complete the works and there will be a signed
diversion route will be in place for the duration of the works
·South Way will be closed at the junction of
Wembley Hill Road from Monday 27 September to allow for gas, water and electric
connections to be made for the new development on South Way at the junction
with Wembley Hill Road. A signed diversion will be in place and we expect the
road to reopen to traffic before the 10 October
Editor's Note: These are concrete blocks that presently impede pedestrians crossing North End Road and particularly affect wheelchair users and parents with buggies. It remains to be seen whether the replacements improve access. Traffic lights are still awaited.
The existing design (figures are the number of storeys) - Kilburn High Road is top right
This is Brent Council's Press Statement
The design proposal for the new homes on Kilburn Square Estate
is set to be adapted through collaboration with residents, the council
has announced today.
This comes after extensive engagement throughout the summer
with those living on the estate and the local community. The council has
listened to people’s feedback and agreed to review the proposals taking
into account some of the most commonly raised concerns, while also
maintaining its commitment to delivering a significant number of new
council homes.
Each council housing scheme is different and will always be considered within its own specific context.
Cllr Southwood, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare
Reform, said:
Brent is in the grip of a severe housing crisis. There
are more than 1,400 families living in temporary accommodation and many
more whose home is completely unsuitable. We are doing everything in our
power to build more council homes and create a fairer and more equal
borough.
Since autumn 2020, we have been working with Kilburn Square
residents on proposals to build new homes on the estate. We have
received some helpful feedback and I want to thank everyone who has
worked with us. I also want to thank everyone for being patient with us
while we review the scheme and decide how best to take it forward.
We are keen to amend the existing design, working with the
residents of Kilburn Square. It is essential that all tenants and
leaseholders attend the workshops we will be holding shortly to have
their say. By doing this, we can make sure the new homes we build and
the changes we make across the estate are as good as they can be for the
community, for future residents and for the council.
A letter and a newsletter will be sent to all residents living
on Kilburn Square this week (w/c 13 September). This will include more
information about this decision and the upcoming opportunities for
residents to get involved in shaping the design.
The statement is partly in response to a public question posed for Cllr Southwood at Monday's Cabiner meeting on the Kilburn Square development that by the Kilburn Square Stakeholders Group, a coalition of four local Residents' Associations and the Kilburn Neighbourhood Plan Forum. The KSSG is spearheaded by Kilburn Village Residents' Association - whose territory includes the Estate itself as well as the surrounding streets.
Keith Anderson, Kilburn Village Residents' Association chair said.
·The saga of this huge "Infill" project has been running since last October. The Stakeholder Group was formed in January and since then we’ve been patiently dealing with Cllr Southwood, senior Officers and the project team, explaining why we believe the scheme is much too big.
·The drawn-out process came to a head in August, and our Question was designed to press the Council to finally deliver on its promise to heed the voices of the residents and the local community. We are grateful to Cllr Southwood and her colleagues for the written response being presented on Monday, to Council and the wider public.
·We look forward to the promised shift to a more collaborative approach to finalising a smaller scheme that can, in Cllr Southwood’s words, “work for everyone".
Local theatre performances this autumn from Brent Museum and Archives
Coal, Dole and Dinner Ladies will bring to life the untold
story of how dinner ladies and other Brent locals supported the Kent
miners during the Miners’ Strike in the 1980s. The story has been
uncovered in the Trades Union archive collection, held by Brent Museum
and Archives, and will be told on stage for the first time this autumn.
1984 - the Miners Strike was in full swing and a
group of Kent Miners, desperate in their struggle against Thatcher's Pit
Closures, marched from Kent to Nottingham. Arriving in Willesden, they were
heralded by a group of Queens Park Community School (then Aylestone School) Dinner Ladies, given a
standing ovation and served a slap up meal in the Dining Hall. Coal, Dole and
Dinner Ladies takes us back to 1984 and tells the story of a community
supporting the Miners at their darkest hour. Tea and jam roly poly at the
refectory included
Performances held at The North London Tavern, 375 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7QB
Saturday 18 September 2021 – 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm
Sunday 19 September 2021 – 3pm, 4.30pm and 5.30pm
Sunday 26 September 2021 – 3pm, 4.30pm and 5.30pm
Saturday 2 October 2021 – 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm
Fully accessible performances held in the Performance Space at The Library at Willesden Green, 95 High Road, London NW10 2SF
Sunday 3 October 2021 – 2pm and 3pm
Tickets
Tickets are by donation, with the money going to Mutual Aid Food Willesden.
We will also be collecting food donations on the days of the
productions (we will send out more information about what to bring by
email).
Each performance includes refreshments
Coal, Dole and Dinner Ladies is part ofBeing Brent – Heritage for Health and Wellbeing, a project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered by Brent Museum and Archives.
