Adult Social Care in the firing line as Brent Council seeks £18m cuts/savings and increases Council Tax by 2.99%

With its budget under pressure Brent Council is proposing £18m in 'savings' (which are often actually cuts) and raising Council Tax by 2.99%:

  The key features of the 2023/24 budget are:

· A Council Tax increase of 2.99% (consisting of a 1.99% general increase plus 1% for the Adult Social Care Precept), making a Band D Council Tax of £1,461.96 (for the Brent element). The GLA precept is unknown at this stage and is subject to their own decision making and consultation processes.
· New budget savings proposals of £18m to be delivered in 2023/24

Summary

Adult and Social Care -£4.3m

Children & Young People -£2.4m

Communities and Regeneration -£0.6m

Residents' Services -£4.2m

Finance & Resources  -£1.8m

Governance -£0.4m

Corporate -£4.1m

I have embedded fuller details below and as you read it you will see that it is likely that extensive job losses are likely to be involved, and many of those low paid workers. ethnic minority and women.

Adult Social Care

Adult social care  costs are rising across all councils but it is likely that some of the justifications made for the cuts by Brent Council, under a general argument that they will increase the independence of recipients, will be challenged.  There will be no general public consultation on the changes because of the 'personalised aspects; of the proposal. This limits the opportunity to campaign and narrows implentation to individual negotiations with recipients, family and advocate. The final paragraph on key risks is important.

 Extract from Report

There is some evidence that Brent provides more homecare hours in community care packages than other London boroughs –potentially around 1 hour per week extra per client over the age of 75 than expected.

There are a number of interventions that need to be delivered both in response to the pandemic and because they are good practice, which should reduce the overall levels of homecare. These include:

Double handed care reviews – partly as a result of the pandemic, and the reduced access to care homes for discharge we have seen a significant increase in double handed care packages (where 2 carers are needed to carry out care). Reducingdouble handed care packages, means fewer people entering someone’s home, better use of community equipment and, therefore, more independence and less intrusive care.

Reablement – the new and redesigned dedicated reablement service goes live inFebruary 2023. The new service has been designed after a full review and brings a range of new features, which have been successful in other Local Authorities,therefore, we expect to see a significant increase in the number of people supported to maximise independence and so require lower or no care packages.

High and Low costing care Packages – the purpose of social care is to assist people to live as independent a life as is possible outside the formal care system. For these cohort of service users focused reviews will be undertaken with a stronger attention on Personalisation and promoting Personal Budgets/ Personal Assistants as a means of receiving their services. For very low costing support packagers the aim will be to Promoting Independence. Looking at housing adjustment / equipment’s, telecare and digital solutions to support individual’s so that they will no longer require funded support.

How would this affect users of this service?

We carry out reviews at the end of the reablement process and on an annual basis. We will ensure that these reviews are strength bases reviews and with a focus on independence. This will also be true of double handed calls because although the person will not be full independent with activities of daily living, they may only require a single carer, which should be seen as a positive as it will reduce the number of carers and should improve the relationships.

Key milestones

The nature of this proposal means it will be part of all reviews on an ongoing basis. Individual reviews will be done with the person who receives the care, their family or advocates and the care agency. The only specific milestone is the implementation of the new reablement service in February 2023.

Key consultations

Service users and families will be consulted on a case by case basis – there will not be a wider consultation given the personalised aspect of this proposal.

Key risks and mitigations 

Reducing packages becomes harder to achieve in practice than in principle, because of a reliance on the care provided – social workers use their experience and understanding of the Care Act to promote a strength based approached to care, to mitigate these issues.

Outline of the proposals are below and fuller details are available in a 200 page document available HERE.  

Click bottom right for full page.

 

 

 

 

Last chance to attend a public consultation meeting on Islamia Primary's controversial proposed move from Queens Park to Preston ward. Wednesday November 9th, 7pm Preston Park Primary School

 

What appears to be the last public consultation meetong on the future of Islamia Primary School takes place tomorrow, Wednesday 9th November at Preston Park Primary School, College Road, Wembley. HA9 8RJ. (Nearest tube Preston Road on the Metropolitan Line).

So far the only option offered has been move to Strathcona Road site in Preston ward or close. The consultation closes on November 16th. You can comment on the Brent Council Have Your Say site HERE.

Here are a selection of the comments so far. Publication here does not represent approval of the content but it is important for everyone to know what is being said.

Strongly Oppose the relocation to this site

 

The site is most definitely not suitable for the school (any type of school for that matter).

The road itself is very narrow and Carlton avenue is already a very busy road. As many have mentioned the students of this school are not located in the local area and therefore probably won’t use public transportation. That means their parents will drive them in. Adding to traffic and local pollution. Wasn’t this the reason those ridiculous LTNs were installed.

Many of the students parents don’t even want the school relocated to this site and even started a petition. 

 

Brent council don’t seem to have the local residents in mind when proposing such ideas. It is already an over populated area where resources are being maxed out. 

 

Again I’d like to express how strongly I oppose this school moving to this site.

 

HA9 doesn't not need or want this school

 

Reasons relocating the school to HA9 / Strathcona is a totally unsuitable:

• Already excellent and undersubscribed primary schools in very close proximity
• Strathcona Road is extremely narrow and too small to accommodate the influx of extra traffic, leading to my next point..
• Original site of the school is the other side of the borough, 6 miles and 30 mins drive away.
• It's sheer hypocrisy for Brent Council to have inflicted the disastrous LTN system upon HA9 - apparently because we have so much local traffic - but then to also want to site a new, unnecessary unwanted school right in the same area.
• Unfeasible that many young children will be able to use public transport assuming they live near the Queens Park site: it is 30-45 minutes away by train or over 1 hour by bus.
• Many of the school's own parents / pupils don't want to be relocated to such a distant site, see petition at: https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=236&RPID=0&HPID=0
• Lastly but importantly, I don't believe it's right for any school to segregate itself by any religion. Why in a modern society should we want our children to not be taught equality and multiculturalism?

School at Strathcona site

We do not need another school at this site. There are already 3 schools in an around the area and it gets extremely busy in the school peak hours. Residents of the area are extremely unhappy with this proposal because this will create additional traffic, congestion and noise and air pollution.

This site is on the narrow road with parking on both sides of the road. The bus route 223 also operates through this narrow road. If you have to pass through in the school pick up and drop off times, travelling through this road is a nightmare. People are parking everywhere, hooting and not following the traffic rules and no common sense prevails whatsoever.

I strongly object to the school at this site due to all the above issues.

Disgraceful and islamaphobic

You have 1 faith based Islamic school and at a time where far right anti-Islamic sentiment is rife instead of continuing to be the “most diverse and inclusive” borough in London you choose to spit in the face of the Muslim population of Brent this is outrageous.

Not suitable to site a new school in Strathcona road

The area has three schools adjacent to this site already. Traffic is already gridlocked by these schools, residents will be blocked in as there is only one way in and out of this site.

Proposed change of location of Islamic primary school

I strongly oppose this change. I live very close to the area . Firstly no local residents have been informed of this , I got a leaflet drop today (04/11) telling me the consultation period is 28/09/22 to 19/11/22 & a consultation meeting will be held on 09/11/22. This is an event day area, Brent council ignored the residents on this issue so parking is an absolute nightmare in the area. This is a residential area with one bus route that is always delayed as you can only get one car on the roads due to heavy traffic and full capacity cars constantly parked . Most of the primary schools in the area old & new have been extended and are now undersubscribed . The proposed area is on an industrial estate not suitable for young children but we just cannot cope with the volume of current traffic or non availability of parking in this area. It’s madness that parents with young children have to travel from NW6 to South Kenton . Is there another agenda to close that school for developers to build flats to make lots of money . Not one local resident was aware of this proposal until recently . I object to this and hope Brent planners don’t approve it. I’ve also heard it’s a done deal . If this is the case it’s illegal without proper consultation.

Another school is not needed here – will undoubtedly cause more severe traffic.

This school has no link to this area and does not belong here. It will only serve to exacerbate the existing terrible traffic issues that residents like myself currently have to suffer during school drop-off and pick-up times on Carlton Avenue East and surrounding roads.

I have witnessed and taken photos of illegal parking, blocking of drives, driving on pavements etc. which were shared with the council. We have only just recovered from the ill-considered LTN schemes and now Brent Council is looking to foist this new silly proposal on long suffering local residents, which will actually increase traffic further! This will only lead to increased risks for residents, road users and pedestrians, including school children. Residents' considerations need to be first and foremost, as we will have to live with the consequences of yet another scheme serving outside interests.

There is already enough school provision in the area, and any further requirement should be met through existing schools and serve the entire community, rather than any specific group. Moreover, Strathcona Road is certainly not an appropriate location, and option 1 should be firmly rejected. Of the available options, I support option 2 – if this school continues, it should be somewhere closer to its current location, where the above issues do not exist and local links are already present.

Too many schools in close proximity

I do not agree with the proposal, there are already 2 other schools in close proximity to the location proposed. These are Byron court primary and Preston park primary. There are extreme challenges at present with parking and traffic and the introduction of another school, will add to what is already a huge problem. The increase in cars will add to traffic, pollution, noise in our area.

I would suggest an alternative location be found for the school.

I do hope this proposal is shared with the neighbourhood and proper consultation and feedback gathered before proceeding. I urge you to write to each household in the area and seek proper feedback before proceeding with what I would refer is a poor proposal with sub standard options.

Remove this school and other faith based schools

Ever since Brexit secular schools have less students than they have the capacity for. Faith based schools should be reduced as much as possible and those students integrated into the secular schools that now have space. It is important for children to experience as much diversity as possible from a young age.

We don't need another school

This area cannot cope with another school. Strathcona Road is very narrow and cannot cope with the traffic. The traffic during school times on Carlton Avenue East is terrible with people illegally parking, blocking drives, driving on pavements, numerous accidents have happened etc. It is dangerous.

When Roe Green Strathcona was closed, extra school places were allocated to surrounding schools. Most schools in the local area are not fully subscribed so we do not need yet another school in the area especially one where most kids will be needed to be dropped off by car.

Brent Council was intent on low traffic neighbourhoods and this proposal is any thing but low traffic.

Why was Roe Green Strathcona forced to close? why are all those reasons not valid anymore? Stop being so two faced Brent Council

I vote for Option 2. The options presented are terrible by the way. How can it be either close the school or relocate to where no one wants it! has brent council seriously considered alternatives???

Will Brent Council reopen the road that leads to East Lane instead of a private gate for a privileged few?

Relocate Islamia Primary School to Wembley

I think relocating the Islamia Primary School to Wembley is a great idea! Wembley is already a very multicultural area and the addition of this school will further encourage that multicultural tradition. We proudly have other faith schools such as Catholic and Jewish schools in our local areas and I think the addition of an Islamic school will reflect even more so the diversity we are so proud of.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

It’s really saddening that the Council, the Governing Body and the Foundation have all agreed on either moving 6 miles away or ceast to exist. No other options are given. How is this acceptable? The Council must and can do better!

 

 

UNICEF: Over 27 million children at risk as devastating floods set records across the world

From UNICEF

 

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 8 November 2022 - As COP27 gets underway in Egypt, UNICEF warns this year has brought overwhelming flooding to at least 27.7 million children in 27 countries worldwide. 

A large majority of the 27.7 million children* affected by flooding in 2022 are among the most vulnerable and are at high risk of a multitude of threats including death by drowning, disease outbreaks, lack of safe drinking water, malnutrition, disruption in learning, and violence.  

“We are seeing unprecedented levels of flooding all around the world this year, and with it, an explosion in threats to children,” said Paloma Escudero, head of the UNICEF delegation for COP27. “The climate crisis is here. In many places, the flooding is the worst it has been in a generation, or several. Our children are already suffering at a scale their parents never did.”  

The aftermath of floods is often more deadly for children than the extreme weather events that caused the flooding. In 2022, floods have contributed to the increased spread of major killers of children, such as malnutrition, malaria, cholera and diarrhea:  

• In Pakistan, more than 1 in 9 children under five admitted to health facilities in flood-affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan were found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition. 
• In Chad, 465,030 hectares of farmland were destroyed, worsening the already dire food insecurity situation. 
• In Malawi, torrential rains and flooding by tropical storm Ana in January 2022 caused extensive damage to water and sanitation systems, which created the perfect conditions for a cholera outbreak. The outbreak has claimed the lives of 203 people, out of which 28 are children. To date, 1,631 children have been infected with cholera. 
• Together with other climate shocks and conflict, floods have caused the projected number of children in South Sudan facing high levels of food insecurity to surpass the rates seen during the conflict in 2013 and 2016. Additionally, the United Nations recently warned that some communities are likely to face starvation if humanitarian assistance is not sustained and climate adaptation measures are not scaled-up.  

In addition to threatening the lives of millions of children, the flood waters have disrupted essential services and displaced countless families:  

• The recent floods in Pakistan damaged or destroyed nearly 27,000 school buildings, forcing 2 million children to miss school. 
• In South Sudan, 95 UNICEF supported nutrition sites have been affected by floods, hampering the delivery of life-saving and preventative malnutrition services for 92,000 children. 
• An estimated 840,000 children were displaced by floods in Nigeria in recent months.  
• Heavy rains and flooding in Yemen triggered floods causing extensive damage to shelters in displacement sites. Up to 73,854 households were affected, and 24,000 households were displaced.  

“COP27 provides an opportunity to chart a credible roadmap with clear milestones for finance for climate adaptation and solutions for loss and damage,” said Paloma Escudero. “Young people from the most affected places on Earth are drowning in climate inaction. Enough is enough. Lives are on the line – children need action now.” 

As well as pressing governments and big business to rapidly reduce emissions, UNICEF urges leaders to take immediate action to protect children from climate devastation by adapting the critical social services they rely on.Adaptation measures, like creating water, health and education systems that stand up to flooding and drought, will save lives. 

Last year, developed countries agreed to double support for adaptation to $40 billion a year by 2025. At COP27, they must present a credible roadmap with clear milestones on how this will be delivered, as a step to delivering at least $300bn per year for adaptation by 2030. At least half of all climate finance should flow towards adaptation. 

UNICEF also urges parties to find solutions to support those who will face climate losses and damages beyond the limits of what communities can adapt to. UNICEF is calling on governments to close the finance gap for addressing these irreversible changes for children. 

AT COP27, UNICEF CALLS ON ALL PARTIES TO:  

1. PREVENT. Revisit their national climate plans to cut emissions drastically and urgently to prevent a climate catastrophe. 
2. PROTECT. Secure clear action on adaptation that protects every child from the accelerating impacts of climate change through the Global Stocktake and Global Goal on Adaptation 
3. PREPARE. Advance climate change education and meaningful participation to prepare children and youth through the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Action Plan 
4. PRIORITIZE. children and youth by accelerating climate finance investment in climate-resilient social services that reach the most at-risk children, and unlock progress on loss and damage 
5. Commit to child-sensitive climate action by aligning with and operationalizing the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action  

UNICEF’s immediate humanitarian response to flood affected countries is wide-ranging across all sectors: health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, and education. A lack of funding, however, has hampered the response in many countries. For instance, the funding gap for the humanitarian response in Pakistan currently stands at 85 per cent.  

UNICEF is working to strengthen resilience of communities and health infrastructure to withstand disaster-related hazards, and increasingly linking our work on humanitarian response and longer-term climate adaptation.

Barry Gardiner intervenes in Newland Court planning application issues

 

Barry Gardiner has written to Brent Council CEO regarding concerns over the Council's planning application for Newland Court in Wembley Park:

Dear Ms Downs,

 

Our Ref: WL / ZA36316

Newland Court Garages, Forty Avenue, Wembley – Planning Application Reference: 22/3124
Alternative Reference: PP-11328951

 

I write on behalf of a number of constituents regarding their concerns for the planning proposals at Newland Court. I would ask that this correspondence be considered as part of the formal consultation.

 

As you are aware, I do not normally intervene in planning matters unless they have major infrastructure implications or where there is a suggestion that there may have been a failure of process.

 

In the case of Newland Court I refer to Brent’s Responsible Growth Strategy and Borough Plan. They set out a number of themes primarily: affordability, equity, sustainability and inclusivity. I am concerned that these themes may not have been sufficiently considered during the consultation process.

 

The proposed reduction of parking spaces from 40 to 12, will certainly affect the existing residents of the 60 flats at Newland Court.

 

I understand there are at least 5 disabled blue badge users living in Newland Court. It is my understanding that there are no plans to provide disabled parking bays. One of the primary benefits of disabled parking is that it ensures disabled residents have ease of access to their property. I am concerned that the accessibility of Newland Court for disabled residents will be severely restricted. This relates to the principle of inclusivity.

 

Many residents in Newland Court are reliant on vehicles for their work, and their salary does not typically permit a sudden increase in monthly outgoings. I am concerned that there may be significant financial implications for these groups should they be forced to seek parking elsewhere, aside from the inconvenience and impact it will have on their employment. This relates to the principle of affordability.

 

Security has been a long-standing issue at Newland Court and Grendon Gardens, particularly in relation to non-residents using communal areas and engaging in anti-social behaviour. I am concerned that the proposals will encourage greater use of the area and lead to increased problems of unauthorised access impacting on the security of vulnerable residents.

 

I am also informed that there have been long-standing issues at Newland Court and Grendon Gardens regarding refuse collection and that the proposal would reduce the number of refuse bins from 14 to 6. Given that the current bins already regularly overflow residents are unhappy with this aspect of the proposal. This relates to the principle of sustainability.

 

Please advise what weight was given to residents’ concerns in this regard when considering this application and how it conforms to the principles set out in the Borough Plan and Brent’s Responsible Growth Strategy.

 

Thank you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to your response.

 

Yours sincerely,

Barry Gardiner

Member of Parliament for Brent North

 

Only limited response by Labour Group members to Whip's survey aimed at listening to them

Brent Labour Whip, Steve Crabb, is trying hard to improve 2-way communication with his Labour Group colleagues, with limited success.

A recent survey of the 49 strong group achieved only 27 responses. 

Of the 27 most felt the length of Labour Group meetings and content  was about right but wanted more financial debate and data that would help them measure the Council's performance standards.

Ahead of the Labour Group Away Day, that will include a personality assessment, ('how our character, our outlook and our lived experience, shape the way we work individually and as part of a team;) the survey found only 8 members had not undertaken any personality questionnaire  and 11 had completed the Myers Brigg test LINK.

Brent MP to speak at West London Enough is Enough! Rally at Willesden Green Mosque, Friday November 11th 7pm

 

Brent Central Labour MP, Dawn Butler is to speak at the West London Enough is Enough! Rally on Friday, alongside Mick Lynch of the RMT and Jo Grady of the UCU.

Reserve FREE tickets HERE. 

The Rally begins at 7pm. The Mosque (Central Mosque of Brent)  is at the end of Station Parade.  Turn left when you leave Willesden Green station and walk along Station Parade,  parallel with the tube line.

 

 

Another blow for Brent Council's Newland Court in-fill scheme as Brent Transportation recommends 'resistance' to the plans

 Brent Transportation has submitted  comments that support the objections of local Newland Court and  Grendon Gardens residents over the effect of the application on parking. These are some key extracts:

'When coupled with future demand from the proposed houses, it is likely that 31-35 cars would seek parking within the estate. With only 12 spaces proposed, a considerable amount of parking would be displaced onto surrounding streets.'

'The only locations with reasonable parking capacity are Barn Rise and Grendon Gardens, but only limited stretches of these roads are within a 200m walk from the development. As such, there is considered to be insufficient spare on-street capacity to accommodate displaced car parking from this development.'

The conclusion is:

'RECOMMENDATIONS:- This proposal should be resisted as it stands, on the grounds that the development would add to on-street parking demand in an area that is unable to safely accommodate a significant amount parking, to the detriment of on-street parking conditions and contrary to Local Plan Policy BT2.'

This follows critical comments LINK by Julie Hughes, Brent Principal  Trees Officer that also

I have significant concerns relating to the impact that this development will have on protected trees…it is my belief that there will still be a significant amount of pressure on the Council to allow works to lop, top and fell trees which are currently protected by virtue of growing within the Conservation Area boundary, if the proposals go ahead as planned. The current spread of the trees is as would be expected for trees of this maturity, although it is likely that the Lime trees forming G4 and G6 will be re-pollarded at intervals. The construction of these dwellings in such close proximity to these trees is likely to lead to future pressure to lop, top or fell these trees due to concerns from the residents for their safety and for other associated general nuisance issues.

 
The scale of the proposed units is such that there is very minimal useable amenity space most of which will be overhung by tree canopies, as will most of the units.

In summary I have some significant concerns regarding the increased pressure that will be placed on the Council to permit lopping, topping or felling the trees within the rear gardens of Grendon Gardens, and the impact that this will have on both the visual amenity of the local area, and specifically the adjacent Barn Hill Conservation Area,

The full Brent Transportion report  is below:

 

 Philip Grant has been campaigning energetically on this blog and in correspondence with Brent Council for planning applications from the Council itself, to its own Planning Committee, should be treated  with probity and subject to the same scrutiny and standards as applications from external developers.

When Wembley went to the dogs!

 Guest post by local historian Philip Grant

 

A few weeks ago, during cleaning work by Wembley Park in Olympic Way, some black paint or plastic peeled off of a wall. At first the workers thought they’d uncovered a picture of a rabbit. Then someone realised it was a hare, and that it might be something to do with the greyhound racing which used to take place at the old Wembley Stadium. 

 

Sure enough, further removal of the black coating over the tiles revealed the greyhounds, and a scene which was part of the original 1993 Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals. This part of the design used the slope of the ramp down from Bridge Road on the east side of Olympic Way. Unfortunately, all three greyhounds were partly hidden behind steps which TfL had installed in 2006, as part of pedestrian access improvements ahead of the opening of the new stadium.

 

Two views of the greyhound racing tile mural, October 2022.

 

Greyhound racing played a very important part in Wembley’s history, as without it, the stadium built for the British Empire Exhibition might not have survived the 1920s. I shared the story of how Arthur Elvin saved the stadium from demolition in Part 4 of The Wembley Park Story, in 2020. 

 

A single-day “booking”, for the F.A. Cup Final, would not have paid the cost of the stadium’s upkeep each year. But Elvin saw the potential of a new sport, which had proved popular since its introduction to England at Belle Vue, Manchester, in 1926. The clue was in the name of the company through which he, with friends, purchased the stadium from the Exhibition’s liquidator: Wembley Stadium and Greyhound Racecourse Company Ltd.

 

On top of the £122,500 they paid for the empty concrete building, the company spent a further £90,000 on improvements to the stadium facilities, and on the track, lighting and kennels. They started to see a return on their investment when over 50,000 people turned up for the first evening of greyhound racing on 10 December 1927.

 

Greyhound racing at Wembley Stadium, December 1927. (From an old book).

 

Part of the appeal of greyhound racing was that it was more accessible to ordinary people than horse racing, often seen as “the sport of Kings” and the upper classes. But the big greyhound tracks wanted to keep some of the horse racing glamour. White City Stadium had already set up its “Greyhound Derby”, so Elvin introduced a competition called the “Greyhound St Leger”, which became the sport’s long-distance autumn “classic”, and a Wembley Gold Cup.

 

An advertisement for and photo of greyhound racing at Wembley in the 1930s.

 

A 1937 poster for Wembley Stadium as “The Ascot of Greyhound Racing”. (Image from the internet)

 

With up to three evening’s racing a week, 1.5 million people had passed through the stadium’s turnstiles in the first year. Part of the attraction was that strict controls at Wembley meant the races were fair (unlike at some of the smaller, less regulated tracks), so that punters could be sure the results of each six-runner race were honest, and the betting was not “fixed”. Another attraction was that Wembley always put on a good show.

 

A parade of the greyhounds before a race. (Brent Archives – Wembley History Society Collection)

 

 
Uniformed attendants open the traps at the start of a race.

(This and remaining images from an old book)

 

Some of the most important greyhound racing meetings were held on a Saturday evening. But what about when this clashed with an F.A. Cup Final? No problem, as far as Arthur Elvin was concerned. The Cup Final always kicked-off at 3pm, and there was no extra time or penalty shoot-outs in those days. As soon as the Cup had been presented and the spectators had left, 400 men (Elvin among them, with his sleeves rolled up) would be clearing the tons of litter, restocking the bar and refreshment kiosks, and putting up the lighting around the track, ready for the evening’s race meeting at 8pm.

 

Three leading greyhounds approach the finish in a tight race.

 

The original Wembley greyhound track was 463 yards long and on grass. The artificial hare which the greyhounds chased was electrically powered, and ran on a rail around the inside of the track, at speeds up to 40mph (64 kilometres an hour). Some races were held during the Second World War, in daylight (because of the “blackout”), but a number of dogs were killed when a V1 flying bomb landed on the kennels, just to the north-east of the stadium, in 1944.

 

When the 1948 Olympic Games were held at the stadium, greyhound racing was suspended for a few weeks. The greyhound track had to be dug up, to prepare a cinder track for the athletics events, and after this Wembley had a sand track 436½ yards (399 metres) around, with its hare on the outside.

 

Preparing the running track for the 1948 Olympic Games.

 

From the 1950s onwards, greyhound racing at Wembley continued two or three times a week, all year-round. It was still very popular, and attracted large crowds, not just from the local area. It was so popular that when the football World Cup was held in England in 1966, one of the Group 1 matches, France v Uruguay on 16 July, had to be played at the White City Stadium, because Wembley refused to cancel its regular Friday evening greyhound meeting!

 

A greyhound race over hurdles at the Wembley track.

 

However, by the 1990s fewer people were attending greyhound racing, and the Wembley track began to make a loss. The news that the ageing stadium was going to be demolished, and a new one built, hastened the end of a sport at Wembley which had lasted for over 70 years. The last greyhound racing meeting was held there on 18 December 1998.

 

Do you have any memories of “going to the dogs” at Wembley Stadium? If so, please share them in a comment below.

 

Philip Grant.