REMINDER: Brent Right to Food Summit today 4pm - 7pm Newman Catholic College, Harlesden

 The summit is at Newman Cathloic College in Harlesden 4pm-7pm today. Tickers here:  

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brent-right-to-food-summit-tickets-268924559597

Programme:

Welcome: Alex Colás, Brent Rig ht to Food co-chair

 

16:00-17:00 - Food as Right: International and Legal Perspectives

(Facilitator: Rajesh Makwana)

Clive Baldwin, Human Rights Watch

Dee Woods, Civil Society and Indigenous People's Mechanism western Europe focal point for the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS )

 

17:00-18:00 - The Brent Food System

(Facilitator: Alex Colás )

Rajesh Makwana, Sufra NW London

Katie Pascoe, Let's Grow Brent 

Jake Thomas, JustEat Rider and IWGB union organiser

 

18:00-19:00 - Designing a Right to Food Strategy for Bent

(Facilitator: Dee Woods)

Kemi Akinola, CEO/MD of Be Enriched and Brixton People's Kitchen, and Labour & Co-operative Councillor in Wandsworth

Anne Kittappa, Brent Senior Policy Officer 

 

19:00 - Light Refreshments

Brent National Education Union (NEU) statement on Byron Court and academisation

 Brent NEU issued the following statement following yesterday's story, subsequently pulled, following doubts over its source:

We know that Byron Court Primary School are considering academisation and the NEU is completely opposed to all privatisation of state education.

As such we are engaging in meetings with our members and the school to ensure that a full and meaningful consultation takes place.

The NEU is prepared to take industrial action when there is any proposal to academise a school. However this is a last resort. The NEU will also issue press releases when we are in dispute with any school.

The article which appeared on this blog previously was not issued by the NEU or by any of our reps or officers but was deliberately written to make it seem as though it was. It is completely unacceptable to us that this "open letter" was sent out widely in the name of school staff, without consulting anyone, and anonymously.

The NEU is supporting its reps and members in the school.

Jenny Cooper

Brent NEU Joint District Secretary

Editor's note: 

I apologise for any problems caused by yesterday's publication which was deleted as soon as I was told it was not NEU's official position.

Byron Court Primary possible academisation update

 The article published last night has been taken down pending clarification.  Meanwhile the leaflet below will be of interest and demonstrates why academisation is an issue for school workers and the community.

A unique invitation to Brent local election candidates - Community Assembly Saturday 19th March 385 High Road, Willesden

 An interesting and enterprising meeting coming up with a unique perspective (Click on image to enlarge):
 

 

Metroland Festival: John Betjeman film and talks on March 12th and March 15th

 From Preston Community Library.  Please note that the meeting on the 12th is in-person at the Library's temporary premises in Ashley Gardens. (Directions below) These meetings are part of their Heritage Project's Metroland Festival.

 This event is on Zoom:

Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman in his poem Middlesex.

Gentle Brent, I used to know you
Wandering Wembley-wards at will,
Now what change your waters show you
In the meadowlands you fill!
Recollect the elm-trees misty
And the footpaths climbing twisty
Under cedar-shaded palings,
Low laburnum-leaned-on railings
Out of Northolt on and upward to the heights of Harrow hill.

Philip Grant’s Deputation for Scrutiny Committee: item 9 – Poverty Commission Update

Philip Grant's presentation to Scrutiny Committee was abandoned due to poor internet connections.  Here it is: 

The Poverty Commission Update report asks you to ‘Note progress on implementation of the Poverty Commission recommendations as agreed by Cabinet.’

You are a Scrutiny Committee, and you should be questioning this report, not just noting it. Please look at paragraph 3.7, on Housing. What progress has been made on that?

Lord Best’s Poverty Commission identified the cost of housing as a major contributor to poverty in Brent, and recommended a substantial increase in investment in social housing.

Brent’s Cabinet agreed Recommendation 4, which said: ‘We recommend that in pursuing its strategic target to secure 50% of new homes as affordable, Brent gives special consideration to achieving more social rented homes.’

Yet you look at “Housing” in the Update report, and there is not a single mention of social rented homes!

The Update report says that the Council is making great progress with its New Council Homes programme, but how many of those homes are genuinely new homes for people on the housing waiting list?

Of the 655 homes already delivered, 209 at Gloucester & Durham in South Kilburn are actually replacement homes for tenants whose flats were demolished to make way for that development.

Of the homes delivered or ‘onsite’, 92 at Knowles House are for temporary accommodation, not permanent Council homes.

At Grand Union in Alperton, the figures include 23 for shared ownership. The 92 rented Council homes there will be for London Affordable Rent, which is higher than social rent levels.

If you ask how many of the New Council Homes Brent says it can deliver by 2024 will be at social rent levels, I think you’ll find the answer is “none”.

One place where Brent could increase investment in social housing is the former Copland School site. It is vacant land, owned by the Council, which has had full planning permission to build 250 homes there for over a year.

I wrote to Cabinet members last August, when that item was on their agenda, urging them to fulfil their Poverty Commission promises, and make at least some of this development homes for social rent.

Instead, they approved a proposal which allows 152 of the new homes there to be sold privately. Of the 98 Council homes, 61 would be for shared ownership, and only 37 for London Affordable Rent.

Overall, the Wembley Housing Zone scheme claims to provide 50% “affordable housing”. But the balance of that is 54 flats at London Affordable Rent level on the Ujima House site, and only 8 of those would be family-sized homes.

There would be NO social rented homes. That’s the reality hidden in this Poverty Commission Update.

You, as a Scrutiny Committee, need to challenge that, and demand that Brent Council does better.

You can recommend that in meeting its Poverty Commission commitments, it should invest in more social rent housing as part of the New Council Homes programme, including at its Cecil Avenue development.

Thank you for listening to me. I’d be happy to answer any questions.

Tackling Food Poverty in Brent: Right to Food Meeting Saturday March 12th March - All Welcome to Share Ideas

 

A timely meeting as the Cost of Living and Health crises deepen:

We don’t think anyone in Brent should go hungry. 

 

What are the best ways to organise in Brent for food justice and security?

Brent Right to Food want to hear your ideas to develop a local food strategy.

We know there is a huge increase in demand for help from Food Banks and Brent Mutual Aid.

 

This will get worse as living costs rise and force families to choose between heating and eating.

 

WHAT IS FOOD POVERTY?

In 2005 the Department of Health defined it as “the inability to afford, or have access to, food to make up a healthy diet”.  The Food Foundation [1]  says  it is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.”

Food poverty affects so many of us - including working parents, pensioners, people with disabilities, zero-hours contract workers and anyone unemployed.

 

You may be one of the 11 million people in food poverty in the UK. Brent Poverty Commission found that in 2020 up to 1 in 3 households (17% - 33%) in this Borough live below the poverty line and 22-43% of Brent’s children live in poverty. The pandemic has made this worse.

 

Food poverty has a major impact on our health – hunger, malnutrition and obesity can lead to diet-related illness far beyond childhood and impacts on our mental health. Studies have shown that poor diet is also linked to disability and earlier death. [2]

 

Key Factors in Food Poverty

·      Low income - people simply cannot afford to buy food

·      Variable quality of affordable food on offer

·      Lack of support for nutrition, budgeting and cooking skills

·      More support needed from suppliers and regulators.

 

Most of us acknowledge the problem – so now we need to tackle it together

 

Your ideas are welcome at the Brent Right to Food Summit

on 12^th March at Newman College,  Harlesden Road NW10 3RN 4-7pm..

 BUSES 206, 226. 260, 266, 18 / Bus 187 from Harlesden station [ Overground and Bakerloo Line].

 

ALL WELCOME Free entry  - use the link for your ticket.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brent-right-to-food-summit-tickets-268924559597

Sat, 12 March 2022   16:00 – 19:00 GMT

Newman Catholic College
Harlesden Road  London NW10 3RN

 

An afternoon of discussion and debate on the Right to Food, and how it can be implemented in the London Borough of Brent.

 

With participation from:

·      Dee Woods, Granville Community Kitchen

·      Rajesh Makwana, Sufra NW London

·      Kemi Akinola, Be Enriched

 

·      Katie Pascoe, Let's Grow Brent

 

·      Clive Baldwin, Human Rights Watch

 

·      Anne Kittappa, Brent Senior Policy Officer

 

[1] [Food Insecurity Tracking | Food Foundation  says:

 “Food insecurity (sometimes referred to as food poverty) is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. To assess the impact of household food insecurity across the UK, The Food Foundation has been commissioning a series of nationally representative surveys since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. We track and report on people’s experiences of food insecurity particularly focusing on at risk groups such as families, BAME and ethnic groups, people with disabilities and children on Free School Meals.”

 

[ 2] Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 - The Lancet

Spring awakening as frogspawn arrives on Barn Hill pond

 

Frogspawn in Barn Hill Pond this afternoon

I couldn't resist getting out in the sunshine this afternoon and visited the pond at the top of Barn Hill. As I arrived I disturbed a heron that flew silently  just a couple of feet over my head. I had heard that the frogs had been spawning and sure enough the iris bed at the north end of the pond has plenty of spawn.

I put a plea out on Twitter for dog owners to keep their dogs away from that area as last year a group of dogs owners repeatedly threw their dogs stick and balls amongst the spawn, resulting in much splashing around. The owners were busy chatting and I don't think they realised what was happening.  Inevitably, as the water is shallow here, the spawn got churned up in the mud.

Later there was a late frost and more damage was done.

Frogs and toads are in decline and we must do all we can to protect them.