Muhammed Butt's poll rating dives AFTER he speaks at Environment Hustings

It's not a scientific poll and just for fun but a poll of voting intentions was taken before candidates spoke at this evening's Friends of the Earth Environmental hustings and afterwards.

This was the result:

Candidate	Party	Before %	After %
David Stevens	Green	29	31
Anton Georgiou	Liberal Democrat	21	33
Sunita Hirani	Conservative	15	14
Muhammed Butt	Labour	35	17
	Undecided	9	6

 

Principled Kilburn councillor, Abdirazak Abdi, removed from office

 

Cllr Abdirazak Abdi, elected as a Labour councillor but latterly sitting as an independent after action by the Brent Labour Group, has been removed from office Brent councillors have been informed this afternoon.

Cllr Abdi's integrity and his courage in standing up for what he thought was right earned him respect from many but the emnity of Council Leader Muhammed Butt. He follows in the footsteps of former Kilburn councillor John Duffy who was also a thorn in the side of Butt & Co who do not value independence of thought or deed.

The statement sent to councillors said:

I’m writing to inform you that with effect from Tuesday 22 March 2022, Councillor Abdirazak Abdi has ceased to hold office as an elected member of the London Borough of Brent.

Under Section 85 (1) of the Local Government Act 1972 all Members of the Local Authority are required to attend at least one meeting of that Authority within a six month consecutive period to avoid being disqualified from continuing to serve as a councillor.  Unfortunately, as a result of Councillor Abdi not being able to meet this requirement he has now ceased to hold office.  The election to fill this vacancy will be undertaken as part of the local borough elections on Thursday 5 May 2022 and the notice of the vacancy has  been posted today and can be found here: Election notices | Brent Council

 

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Care about fresh air, safe roads, green spaces, climate change? Hear from Brent election candidates at environmental hustings TONIGHT 7pm

The speakers at the the Brent FoE Environmental Hustings (in alphabetical order) will be:

Councillor Muhammed Butt (Labour) - Currently Leader of Brent Council
Councillor Anton Georgiou (Liberal Democrat) - Currently representing Alperton Ward
Sunita Hirani (Conservative) Candidate for Kenton Ward
David Stevens (Green Party) - Candidate for Welsh Harp Ward

 

Speakers will outline their Party’s policy, and answer questions from local people on environmental matters. The meeting will cover topics related to climate change, including questions on energy costs, housing, transport, the natural environment, air quality, waste and other matters of concern to local people.

 

There will be an opportunity to submit questions for candidates in advance, as well as raising questions at the meeting. If you have a question you would like to put to the panel, please email us with the text of your question, and let us know if you would like to ask it yourself or have it put to the candidates by the chair.

 

The meeting will be chaired by locally based barrister, broadcaster and author, Hashi Mohamed, who will put the questions and challenge candidates on their policies.

 

You will need to register in advance, and you will be sent a link to the event shortly before it starts. To register, go to https://www.tickettailor.com/events/brentfriendsoftheearth/664005

 

 

South Kilburn residents will have to endure a summer of 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, work on the HS2 vent. Is Brent Council concerned for their health and wellbeing?

 

Seven years ago South Kilburn residents demonstrated against the siting of an HS2 vent on the estate because of the disruption its building would cause and the fact that it was right next to a primary school.

They were even more furious when they discovered that their own council, Brent Council, had lobbied to have the vent moved to the estate, already suffering from disruptive regeneration, from the original site on council owned land next to Queens Park station.

Years of noise, dust and stress have followed so residents were even more distressed to have a warning from HS2  LINK of worse to come.  South Kilburn resident Pete Firmin told Wembley Matters:

HS2 seems to be able to work whenever it likes, doing whatever it wants, with the blessing of Brent Council. The Council itself never communicates with local residents about the works, and as far as anyone can tell, doesn't monitor whether HS2 keeps to even the few restrictions on its working hours etc. Neighbours of the vent shaft have given up complaining, because nothing happens. How inadequate protection from noise and dust really is may be indicated by the fact that HS2 lists further work on the retaining wall they already erected between the site and Carlton House as one of its next jobs. 

 

Since persuading HS2 that the vent shaft should be in the middle of the estate rather than on the empty Queens Park station car park, Brent, for all intents and purposes, has washed its hands of any responsibility. And HS2 is no longer willing to meet residents together, insisting all "consultation" is one to one.

No recognition by either Brent or HS2 of the stress and exposure to noise and dust caused by living in the South Kilburn building site for 20+ years

This is part of the communication from HS2 to residents:

Extended working hours within the Canterbury Works site

 
We wrote to you previously regarding extended hours while we build the ventilation shaft. The sprayed concrete lining (SCL) works were due to start on the 7 March 2022 and continue until September 2022.due to ongoing reviews of our working methods, these works work will now start in late March or early April and will continue until September 2022. The exact date remains subject to confirmation.

The SCL and shaft excavation works will take place throughout the day and night. This must be carried out as a continuous process to avoid collapses and ensure the safety of the workforce within the ventilation shaft during construction. This means that from late March / early April we will be permitted to carry out works 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. We will only carry out works agreed with Brent Council and will adhere to the agreed working hours, noise and vibration limits.

The diagram below shows a cut section of the shaft and how it will be constructed.

Enhancement works within the Network Rail Yard

 
Works are ongoing within the site, near the Network Rail tracks, to prepare for installation of a new site access point via Albert Road. These works will involve the construction of a new access ramp for vehicles to enter the site. As part of these works, we will be carrying out works to strengthen the retaining wall between our site and back gardens at Carlton House. These works are currently planned from May to July but remain subject to confirmation. The works will be agreed with Brent Council and we will write to Carlton House resident with more information.

Whilst we continue the works to prepare for the new ramp and vehicle access point, we will continue using the site access on Canterbury Road for vehicle entry and exit from site.

What to expect during our works

 
During the works outlined in this update you may notice the following within the site:
• Heavy good vehicles – entering and exiting site
• Excavators / excavating activities
• Cranes / lifting operations
• Lighting towers
• Concreting equipment
• Temporary traffic management and signage during work on the public highway

 

 

London Renters Union to put their demands to Cllr Butt and Cllr Southwood later this afternoon

 

Following Saturday's very successful and often moving Community Assembly  organised by English for Action, Brent members of the London Renters Union are meeting with Cllr Butt and Cllr Southwood this afternoon to discuss their key demands. Wembley Matters has documented a number of cases locally and here as background are some cases from the LRU:

A recently joined LRU member, a single parent with 6 children, 2 with disabilities, and with English as a second language, had been placed 2 years ago by the council directly into a flat with a rat infestation, thus discharging the duty. When the boiler broke down she tried to complain to the council, but was only told that she could make another homeless application, and not passed on to the enforcement team.

A property guardian facing a 75% rent increase from DotDotDot (partially as his partner moved in, and also a large rent increase on top of that). DotDotDot are a property guardianship company with a contract from Brent council to fill flats in the South kilburn estate - Labour has committe to lobbying to bring the rents down, so why are they letting DDD get away with this? The renters a proposal to run the flats as a short-life housing coop if DotDotDot say it isn't financially viable for them... - https://twitter.com/ldnrentersunion/status/1504518653290725381?s=21

This issue is really draining me mentally, I can’t focus at work, I can’t sleep well nowadays, I can’t eat well and it’s affecting my health. I am scared of being homeless.

 These are LRU's demands as determined by members real life experiences:

1.    Hold Landlords Accountable. Don't give licences to landlords until they prove the accommodation is the right standard. Use your powers to make the landlords fix our problems - and to make them pay when they don’t. Employ more workers to do this with the money from landlords. 

2.   Work with renters. Meet with Brent LRU regularly, and come to a public meeting after the election to show that you are keeping your promises. Tell local people that they can join London Renters Union for solidarity.

3.   The right to stay in our communities. Don't force people to move out of Brent when they come to the council for housing help. Never say that people are "intentionally homeless". Brent’s temporary accommodation is not good enough - tell us your plans to change this.

4.   Reduce Rents. Tell the government to Control Rents to stop landlords increasing the rent when they want.

5.    Support and solidarity. Give us the right to have appointments to see a real person. This is very important for some disabled people, and if English or reading is difficult. No long, difficult online forms. 

6.   Homes for us. Build housing for the working-class. Don't allow new buildings to be only for the rich. Learn how to negotiate with the big companies so we don't always lose and they always profit. 

You can support these deamnds by taking  E-Action to write to your local councillors HERE

 

1.Hold Landlords Accountable

LRU sees licensing as a key tool against the exploitation of renters, and wants to see a strong consultation for borough-wide licensing. However, an effective enforcement strategy is necessary for licensing to be worth it for renters as well as councils, and also for the majority of properties which are unlicensed. 

·       Expand licensing borough-wide, and expand the enforcement team in order to meet the needs of renters.

·       Ensure that all homes meet the minimum energy efficiency standards, fine landlords that are illegally renting F and G rated properties, and create a local economic recovery scheme using GLA funds and local businesses and apprenticeships to get PRS properties up to B rating as per the Climate and Ecological Strategy.

·       Use the new capacity to ensure that landlords meet the terms of the licence before the licence is issued, and through regular inspections until it expires.

·       Use the rent repayment order scheme against landlords who continue to flout the licensing laws.

2.Work With Renters

The council should meet regularly with Brent LRU, and let renters know about the union.

·       Create a liaison point who will promptly respond to any issues involving LRU members

·       The Cabinet Lead for Housing and the Leader should attend a public meeting of renters within the first 6 months of the administration to update on progress on the housing commitments.

 

3.The Right to stay in our communities

Everyone has the right to stay in their community and with their families and support networks. 

·       Brent Council should end the practice of forcing working class people to choose between leaving London or being declared ‘intentionally homeless’ and become at risk of street homelessness - support people to stay in Brent.

·       Brent Council is building temporary accommodation in order to reduce the reliance on private landlords, which we applaud. However, many renters will not be able to access this block - the council should set out minimum safety and quality standards for ‘temporary’ accommodation and take enforcement action against landlords that refuse to meet them. 

·       Councils should ensure they are giving appropriate weight to invisible disabilities such as chronic mental health issues when making housing offers.

 

4. Bring the rents down

Our demand

·       Council leaders should add their voice to the housing movement’s call for rent controls so that no one is forced to pay more than a third of their income on rent.

·       Brent Council should pass a motion calling on the Government to introduce affordable and effective rent controls, and should put pressure on the opposition to back them. Brent Council should collect and publish data on rent levels.

5.   More accessible housing and support

Disabled people, those with English as a second language and with other support needs should be able to get the advice and support they need to exercise their housing rights in a way that works for them. Councils should ensure that both housing itself and advice and support services are as accessible as possible to tenants. Councils should:

·       Ensure that council advice and support is clear, rights-based and easy to access by the individual themselves without needing to rely on another person. Support should be able to be accessed through multiple channels (such as email, telephone, face-to-face), and long and complex online forms should be eliminated.

·       Set out a multi-pronged strategy for informing tenants about their rights, recourse when they are not met, and entitlements to grants such as Disabled Facilities Grant.

·       Set out a clear expectation for landlords and letting agents within the borough to ensure that there are multiple channels of communication through which tenants can approach them.

 

6.  Development

Social housing must be prioritised in all developments. To ensure just and responsible development in Brent, the council must:

·       Prioritise housing the huge numbers of people on the waiting list in new developments. 

·       Build more, larger 4 and 5 bed houses (both council and private developer) to deal with chronic overcrowding in the borough. The waiting list for a three- or four-bedroom council house in Brent is 17 years.

·       Brent Council didn’t respond to journalists about whether it has a strategy for keeping developers to their s106 agreements - how is this happening currently?

 

 

 

 

Densification along with misleading figures on community space and green space provide ammunition for South Kilburn residents to fight for a better deal

 

As tables were being cleared after the usual community meal at the Granville Centre in South Kilburn, Leslie Barson  of Granville Kitcheh stepped forward to introduce the evening's rather special speaker.

 She said, 'I have been thinking - you can't have a project without a place to do it. And you need a project for the place.'

The Granville and Carlton Centres have done so much, so many projects, over the Coviud crisis and proved its essential role in the community along with Rumi's Cave (now relocated in Harlesden) and had kept people together: 'We now understand its relevance.'

The planning application approved at the beginning of 2020 is to be actioned over the next few months.

Dr Pablo Sendra from UCL who had led the research project 'Co-designing social infrastructure for resilient communities in post-Covid cities' addressed the crowded room full of local residents. A rare collaborative effort between community and academics.

In his talk Pablo made a number of key points:

Researchers estimated that the Granville Centre over 65 weeks had provided £344,760 worth of volunteer labour,

Quoting the Mayor of London that organisations, projects and buildings need to be more connected and relevant he asked, 'How can the community be more involved in how the building and its spaces work?'

As a result of regeneration South Kilburn had increased in density and needed more community spaces. The 'Community Hubs' hailed by the Council were places to ask the Council for support, rather than for organising activity. Bland spaces were being provided that people did not feel comfortable in. [Later I mentioned the 1970s 510 community centre in the Harrow Road with its old settees and arm chairs, kettle in the corner, that people treated as home from home and housing many organisations involved in anti-racism, immigration, education and campaigns against SuS.]

The former hall in the Granville where people used to meet has been converted into an 'enterprise space' . Overall the research showed that the Council estimate of a overall loss of  community space of 5% had not included the Granville, Carlton and Rumi's and in fact the loss was 60%.

The workspaces were rigid, enclosed office spaces but the UCL survey showed that people wanted much more creative spaces for activities such as pottery and music.  At a time when people were used to working from home the space offered had to be more than a desk and internet - otherwise people would continue to work from home.

Green spaces were also important. Brent has a very low ratio of green space per person and regeneration will decrease the amount of green space.  And of course densification is going to increase the population significantly. During the pandemic green space became an important outdoor safe space for mental and physical health as well as a place to catch up with neighbours.  It also lent itself to food production and community gardening.

Summarising the recommendations (full details below) Dr Pablo Sendra listed:

1. No loss of community space

2. Creative and well-equipped workspaces

3. Address potential conflict between users (quiet activities versus noisy or messy)

4. Welcoming space to socialise

5. Diverse types of community spaces

6. Spaces for emotional support

7. Activities for young people

8. Flexible and well-equipped green space

9. Local food production and gardening

10. Inclusive process for decision making

11. Involvement of the community in the running of the buildings

12. Work on a resilient funding model.

In discussion questions were asked about the possibility of legal action against Brent Council over its decisions in the light of the research findings. whether the council had carried out a lawful consultation and how the council's action stood regarding the Equality Act.

Asked what next Pablo said that it was now a matter for the community to mobilise itself using the research findings to ensure that they maintained, managed and improved the good space that they had.

After the meeting Leslie Barson said:

Granville Community Kitchen is  very pleased to have this research that identifies and clarifies what needs to be done and why to safeguard The Granville and The Carlton as multi purpose community spaces. We hope the Council will find it useful too and help the South Kilburn community achieve the report's recommendations.

Pete Firmin, a local resident, queried:

When Brent says there has been little loss of green space with regeneration in South Kilburn, I wonder whether they take account of the fact that much of the green space previously was open to all, yet now much of such space is reserved for residents of certain blocks. And green space now is more more patchwork - many smaller spaces, rather than larger ones which allow for ball games etc.

 

The report implies that the Granville/Carlton Centres, whatever else is going on there, are under community control. They never have been and are not now. They are under the control of Council-appointed bodies, with South Kilburn residents having very limited say in their use.

Frogs galore in Barn Hill pond as Spring bursts into life

 

 Frogs on Barn Hill pond ©AmandaRose

Local photographer Amanda Rose caught these frogs in noisy action yesterday in Barn Hill pond, Wembley.

Recent restoration work on the pond seems to have worked its magic and there is frogspawn at both ends. According to Amanda the frogs were happily singing, unaware of the heron that held them in its beady gaze.

More photographs and a video  of what Amanda called 'an army of European brown frogs' are available on the Alamy site HERE

 

What Climate Emergency? Brent Council paves over its own front gardens

 

2 and 4 Cranhurst Road, Willesden Green before refurbishment

After

Willesden Green resident Simon Campbell has written to his councillors about the paving over of the front gardens of two Brent Council properties in Cranhurst Road, Willesden Green:

I am contacting you all regarding No’s 2 &4 Cranhurst Road NW24LN and their current refurbishment.

I have checked with Brent Council who confirmed that these properties are owned/managed by Brent Council and so will be responsible for overseeing the works being done to the properties.

The issue I have identified is the builders have completely removed any vegetation/garden with water permeable materials and instead installed a large expanse of non-permeable paving. (see attached)

Victorian housing stock such as these, were designed with water permeable front gardens to allow the clay subsoil adequate access to moisture so issues do not arise from subsidence and provide a green amenity.

As can be seen, previously there was planting, some biodiversity and drainage as there should be, and contrast this with the barren sterile environment that has replaced it. Brent Council like every other Local Authority does not allow such interventions for obvious reasons, so I cannot explain why this approach has been taken?

I would hope and expect that Brent Council would lead by example as regards best practice.

Brent needs as much greenery as possible; it also needs to decrease the amount of surface runoff going into the sewer system – this intervention fails on both counts.Making the properties more susceptible to future subsidence issues is not an advisable strategy. 

Can you please investigate and find who is responsible for overseeing these works and let me know when this aspect can be remediated?

 I raised this matter on the 'chat' at last night's Brent Environmental Network event: Creating greener communities: Why nature and biodiversity is vital and pointed out that there is not even the excuse that this will be used as car parking - it is a walled frontage.