Wembley Arena Square was cut off from the public this morning by Heras fencing and heavily policed by private security guards.
When I asked them what was going on they first said, 'A conference' and asked what the conference was for replied, 'It is to make everyone's life better.' When I said, 'Oh yeah!' they added, 'That is what we are all going to tell you.'
Huh! It turns out to be the last hustings for the Tory Party leadership with 6,000 Tories expected. Enough to declare a public health emergency in Brent!
Attempts are being made to organise a cost of living demonstration. This is last minute but if you can get along assemble from 6pm outside Brent Civic Centre. Bring banners and home made placards.
I
would like to speak at the next council meeting on Wednesday 21st September
regarding Brent Council's proposal to build 7 new homes opposite existing
flats at Newland Court. My question will be directed at Cllr Promise
Knight (Member for housing homelessness and renters security), Cllr Shama
Tatler (Member for regeneration and planning) and Cllr Neil Nerva (Member for
public health and adult social care) on whether they have any concerns and have
thought about how this could have a huge impact on the mental health
and wellbeing of the existing residents if this proposal were to go ahead.
With
crippling inflation and energy prices which are already affecting mainly
elderly pensioners, those on benefits and on low income! These residents make
up a large percentage at Newland Court who are so worried and concerned
and have signed a petition and are totally opposed to Brent Council’s proposal
to build 7 new town houses opposite the existing flats at Newland Court.
Question:-
Is
Brent Council still prepared to go ahead with this proposal at the expense of
the health and mental well being of the existing residents who are already at
breaking point as it is?
Yours
sincerely,
Marc
Etukudo.
Representing
concerned and worried Newland Court residents
Warm This Winter, a new national coalition group, has published an open
letter in The
Times to all candidates in the race to become the next Prime Minister
asking that they urgently set out how they plan to address the cost of living
crisis driven by soaring energy bills.
The letter calls on each of the candidates to use these next precious few
weeks to set out practical measures for how they will help people now, and how
they will ensure we have lower energy bills in future.
The campaign, which is backed by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, is pushing
for practical solutions that have the public’s support, and which are
ready-to-roll out now, including:
Providing financial support
to people who without urgent action will be on the front-line of poverty
this winter
Upgrading and insulating
homes across the UK to bring down bills and prevent energy waste
Rapidly expanding clean
energy, which is now four times cheaper than gas, to urgently lower energy
bills
Stopping drilling new oil
and gas fields so that we can escape our dependence on volatile fossil
fuels.
A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:
Based on current estimates, well in excess of a third of all homes will be
in fuel poverty this winter, yet the candidates to be our next Prime Minister
are ignoring the single most pressing issue facing families across the country.
Unless leadership candidates promise bold and decisive action, the next
Prime Minister’s first act as leader will be to preside over the worst winter
for millions of people in living memory.
Full letter to candidates
We are writing to you from Warm This Winter – a new national coalition
representing 40 organisations and over 22 million people from across the UK
during this time of national economic crisis – to ask what your plan would be
as Prime Minister to address the cost of living crisis.
We are headed into a potentially catastrophic winter. In eleven weeks
time, more than a third of households – many millions of British families –
may not be able to afford to heat their homes. Meanwhile, earlier this
year, 2.3 million families on low income were going without enough food and
were unable to keep their homes warm.
According to the latest predictions, from October 1st the average annual
energy bill will be over £3200. That means, for example, that the average
pensioner will spend more than a third of their state pension on heating their
home – and many people, including families, will have to choose between heating
and eating. In the words of Martin Lewis last week: “millions of households
will be forced into poverty unless we act. This is a genuine, urgent
emergency.”
So far in the Conservative leadership campaign, no candidate has put
forward a credible plan to support families, businesses, village and community
halls, places of worship, hospitals and schools to keep their buildings warm
this winter. Indeed whilst the public has grasped the scale and seriousness of
the crisis heading our way, none of the leadership candidates seems to have
done so.
We believe that in these next precious few weeks – when the Government
should be planning and preparing for this winter – you should set out your plan
for tackling the crisis of unaffordable energy bills, which are set to remain
high until at least 2025. We know that this emergency, fuelled by the
spiralling price of gas and by the war in Ukraine, does have solutions that are
ready-to-roll out now – and that would also help us protect the future of the
natural world – these include:
Providing financial support to people who without urgent
action will be on the front-line of poverty this winter
Upgrading and insulating homes across the UK to bring down
bills and prevent energy waste
Rapidly expanding clean energy, which is now four times
cheaper than gas, to urgently lower energy bills
Moving away from drilling new oil and gas fields so that we
can escape our dependence on volatile fossil fuels
Our members and supporters want to know what your plan would be – so we
can have a proper debate on the most important and urgent issue facing this
country. Whilst we may not all have a say in who becomes the next Prime
Minister, we can ask that any candidate has a practical plan to keep people
safe and warm this winter.
We would be keen to meet with you to discuss this further.
Full list of signatories:
End Fuel Poverty Coalition
The Climate Coalition
CPRE The countryside
charity
Wildlife & Countryside
Link
Save the Children
WWF UK
The Wildlife Trusts
Oxfam
Fuel Poverty Action
Fair Energy Campaign
Robin Hood Tax
The Centre for Sustainable
Energy
Energy Action Scotland
Chartered Institute of
Environmental Health
Possible
Ashden
Austerity Action Group part
of Social Workers Union
New Economics Foundation
Uplift
Camden Federation of
Private Tenants
Regen
Northern Housing Consortium
Groundwork
Advice for Renters
Fairer Housing
Friends of the Earth
Scotland
MCS Charitable Foundation
Fairness Foundation
Tax Justice UK
Women’s Budget Group
The Economic Change Unit
Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Scotland
IPPR
Chartered Institute of
Housing
The Centre for Ageing
Better
The Working Class
Economists Group
Greenpeace UK
Friends of the Earth
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
In October, millions of households across the UK could be pushed into fuel
poverty by soaring energy bills. This comes after oil and gas giants, like
Shell and BP, announced record-breaking profits. No more.
Oil and gas companies are getting richer while people are struggling to pay
their bills. Our government’s failure to act will have catastrophic effects
this winter.
It’s wrong that people in this country are forced to ride buses or visit
public spaces just to keep warm – while, at the same time, oil and gas
companies earn vast profits.
We all deserve to be warm in our own home, but right now soaring energy
bills mean that many millions of people will struggle to pay their energy bill.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The UK has the means to solve the energy price crisis – but it will take
action from the government. We’re demanding the UK government helps those
people who need it now and fixes the UK’s broken energy system for good. Here's
what we're demanding:
Emergency support now: Providing
a new package of financial support to people who without urgent action
will be on the front-line of poverty this winter.
Help to upgrade homes:
Launching a new, properly-funded programme of home upgrades and insulation
across the UK to bring down bills and prevent energy waste.
Cheap energy: More
than triple the amount of renewable energy in the UK by 2030, including
wind and solar generated in harmony with nature, so that we can
permanently lower bills.
Free us from oil and gas: Stop approving new oil and gas fields so that
we can escape our dependence on volatile fossil fuels
Red Kites were re-introduced into England in July 1990 in the Chiltern Hills. They had been wiped out by by persecution but the re-introduced birds were breeding by the next year. They are a wonderful sight over the hills, easily reached by the Metropolitan and Chiltern lines.
However, I have seen them occasionaly in Brent, usually singly and high in the sky and last week asked on Twitter about sightings.
I had many replies with up to 6 seen over Northwick Park, but usually two and others seen in Wembley (by someone on their way to the Coldplay Concert), Sudbury Town, Alperton, South Harrow, Preston Road, Barn Hill, Fryent Country Park and even Wembley High Road.
You will sometimes see them mobbed by crows. Keep your eyes open and Tweet (no joke intended) @WembleyMatters to say where you have seen them.
It would be wonderful if we had our own breeding pairs in North West London.
Harlesden Library will be closed for refurbishment between 29 August 2022 and February 2023.
Reserve and collect, essential PC use and printing will be available at a library contact point in The Designworks, Harlesden, NW10 4HT fromMonday 12th September.
We will also have a small collection of children and adult stock available to borrow. All other libraries will be open as usual.
Any Harlesden Library items you have on loan can be returned to any other library in Brent. For any further information please checkour library web pages, email:libraries@brent.gov.ukor telephone 0208 937 3400.
In a time of unprecedented demand, many people are finding it difficult to
access their GP when they need to – leading to a backlog of patients who don’t
know where to go to get care. Meanwhile, doctors are struggling with long hours
and the challenge of prioritising those in greatest need while still providing
a robust service for the rest of their patients.
So what can be done? We’ve invited Dr Chaand Nagpaul CBE – a London GP,
former chair of the BMA Council and current chair of the BMA Racial &
Ethnic Equality Forum – to talk about some of the ways we can relieve pressure
on the system and keep our primary care service working for everyone.
Sharing insight from his work with the BMA and his own experience as a GP,
Dr Nagpaul will discuss the work being done to improve access to services, and
the options patients have for seeking care.
Please join us at 5.50pm for a 6pm start. After booking you will be
able to access the Zoom link through Eventbrite - it will also be sent via
email the day before the lecture. There will be plenty of time for Q&A
during the event, but please note that we will be unable to answer questions
about individuals' personal circumstances.
Legal campaign group Good Law Project, Fuel Poverty Action, and the Highlands and Islands Affordable Homes Warmth Group have announced they are planning to sue the energy regulator Ofgem, over its failure to mitigate the impact of rising energy bills on consumers.
This is likely to be the first legal action of its kind over the energy bills crisis, and others may join the action - including vulnerable individuals disproportionately impacted by Ofgem’s actions.
In response to Ofgem’s announcement today that it is raising the price cap to an eye-watering £3,549, Jo Maugham, Director of Good Law Project said:
The announcement today will devastate families. Just who and what is Ofgem for? Do not be fooled. This is a choice. And the choice they’ve made is to let low-income consumers and small businesses bear the brunt of this crisis.
We believe Ofgem can - and should do more. We intend to put the question before the High Court, and will ask for a fast-tracked timeline to reflect the urgency of this crisis.
The Ofgem announcement will push millions of people into poverty this winter and the average household bill up by £1,578 - an 80 per cent increase from the current cap.
GLP will ask the High Court to ensure theregulator upholds its legal dutiesto, among other things, carry out an impact assessment before confirming the price cap increase, including assessing the disproportionate impact on elderly people, children and people with disabilities.
Good Law Project argues that Ofgem has the power to do more to protect vulnerable people and believes before raising the cap, Ofgem is legally required to:
Provide evidence it has carried out a proper impact assessment
Consider appropriate mitigation measures for the most vulnerable, including a lower social tariff.
In July, the campaign group wrote to Ofgem, expressing concern about its decision-making. We asked it to provide proof of its impact assessments. It failed to produce any such evidence. Last week GLP put the regulator on notice of formal legal action if it failed to uphold its duties. A formal response to the letter is expected today, but today’s announcement provides no indication that an impact assessment has been carried out.
The last Dr Laptop session at Wembley Library in August had the best turnout yet with full attendance and 50% of the laptops repaired on the spot.
The September session is at the West London Waste Recycling Centre. These are the details:
We are
delighted to invite you to our monthly Fixing Factory event! Come and
get your laptop health-checked FREE with our IT specialists.
About this event Saturday September 3rd from 10.30am
If
you're having problems with your device and don't know what's wrong,
our friendly IT experts are on hand to help answer all your questions.
Don't despair - choose repair!
We've opened the UK's FIRST EVER
Fixing Factory at Abbey Road Recycling Centre in Brent to tackle the
major problem of discarded tech.
Last year, west Londoners threw
out 116,000 tonnes of electrical items – that’s over 68 Wembley arches
worth of stuff! We're fixing our relationship with tech by:
- Saving laptops & tablets from waste by refurbishing and repairing them
- Teaching FREE repair skills to local people in the process
- Empowering local communities by giving FREE fixed devices to those without access
Book
a slot to come down and receive a free diagnostics check and repair
advice on your laptop or tablet. Our expert volunteers will need the
full hour so don’t be late! We fix over 50% of devices on the spot.
Location: Abbey Road Reuse and Recycling Centre, Brent, London NW10 7TJ
#GetFixed #MakeItLast #FixingFactory
How to get here:
Stonebridge Park (Overground) - 10 min walk
Hanger Lane (Central Line) - 20 min walk
By bus: 440 or 224 to Tudor Estate, or 112 to Abbey Road
If arriving on foot please stick to marked crossings and footpaths.
If arriving by bicycle, there are secure storage racks next to the Fixing Factory
If arriving by car, the car park is the first on your left as you drive in
(You
must be over 18 to attend - please note that anyone under the age of
18, including accompanied minors, cannot attend due to site health and
safety policy)
PLEASE NOTE: if you
cannot attend your time slot for any reason, cancel it using this LINK.
Or email hello@fixingfactory.org to say you can't make it. This gives someone else a chance to use the service.
