Government's Affordable Homes Grant funding can now be used to fund replacement homes as part of estate regeneration plans. Will Brent Council apply?

This announcement from Homes England is likely to make a major impact in Brent if the Council makes a successful bid.

Homes England has today announced that grant funding provided through the Government’s Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 can now be used to fund replacement homes, alongside new affordable homes, as part of wider estate regeneration plans.

This means that the housing and regeneration agency can better support its partners to replace housing that is outdated and no longer fit-for-purpose, with a larger number of high-quality, energy efficient new affordable homes.

Housing Minister Rachel Maclean said:

We remain committed to building the affordable homes this country needs and a key part of this is improving the quality and supply of social housing.  

The changes I am announcing today will unlock more affordable housing by ensuring we replace old homes with ones that are fit for the future. This is absolutely critical in helping us regenerate communities, speed up housing delivery and provide high-quality homes for more families.

I’ll continue to work with Homes England and developers to get delivering through this scheme as quickly as possible.

Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:

The affordable housing sector has always had to balance the investment it makes in existing homes with the investment in makes in building new homes. Over the past year, increasing financial pressures have made achieving that balance even more difficult to manage.

This change is something the sector has been calling for, and with it there is a real opportunity to accelerate the regeneration of social housing and help level up communities across the country.

We’ll be working quickly to make this funding available to ensure partners can get the maximum benefit from this change, and are ready to use all of the tools, capacity and capability we have available to us to support delivery. We encourage all affordable housing providers and local authorities to come and talk to us as early as possible if they need support to develop their proposals – we’re here to help.

This change to the Affordable Homes Programme has been agreed with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and is part of the Agency’s wider efforts to help bolster the affordable housing sector and maintain housing supply.

It also aligns with the agency’s five-year strategic plan, published in May, which clarifies its mandate to drive regeneration and housing delivery to create high quality homes and thriving places across England.

Grant funding for estate regeneration is available to partners looking to replace existing homes with new affordable homes and build additional new affordable homes. Grant funding from the Affordable Homes Programme is also still available to those looking to only build new affordable homes. Providers can apply through Homes England’s continuous market engagement route, while existing Strategic Partners will be able to use grant already allocated to them.

The change will come into effect immediately and funding decisions will be made on a regular basis up until the end of March 2025, subject to availability of funding. Homes England is keen to see proposals that can deliver at pace, maximise the number of new affordable homes, and enhance wider efforts to level up and regenerate communities. All schemes must start on site by 31 March 2025 and will need to complete within the Affordable Homes Programme’s current timeframes.

How you can hold the authorities to account. Effective FoIs with Martin Rosenbaum Preston Community Library Tuesday 7pm-9.30pm

 

 

It may seem a dry topic but this is a absolutely vital topic for anyone wanting to hold the authrities to account and ensure honesty and transparency. You may well be able to think of a number of issues locally where the effective use of FoIs may well be useful.

This is is the invitation from Preston Community Library

An Evening with Martin Rosenbaum Tuesday 27th June 7pm-9.30pm.

Dear All, We would like to invite you to join us for an evening with journalist Martin Rosenbaum, who will be talking about his new book Freedom of Information: A practical guidebook. Until recently Martin was an executive producer in the BBC's political programmes department, and for sixteen years was BBC News's leading specialist in freedom of information. The book is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the UK's freedom of information legislation, and will be an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to be better informed about the activities of government, councils and the public sector.  Refreshments available. Parking and Finding Us:  It is not an event day , but it is better to park along Preston Road, on the left as you go uphill towards Wembley.  A map of where we are is below, with directions and details of buses. With Regards, Philip Bromberg, Preston Community Library

 

 

Green jobs - or dangerous green wash? Zoom meeting 6.30pm July 4th on Zoom

 

Campaign Against Climate Change Meeting July 4th, 2023 6:30 PM  to 8PM on ZOOM

BOOK

Speakers: Ellen Robottom, Campaign against Climate Change trade union group, 

 

Stuart Boothman, Stop Burning Trees Coalition,

 

Don Naylor, HyNot (campaigning against HyNet greenwash and the Whitby hydrogen village) 

 

Claire James, Campaign against Climate Change 

 

Greenwash is not always easy to challenge: the claims to offer climate solutions; the PR offensive in local communities; and promises of 'green jobs' that in reality are neither as numerous or as environmentally friendly as promised. But whether it’s a ‘zero carbon’ coal mine, heating homes with hydrogen, importing wood to burn in power stations, ‘sustainable aviation growth’ or offsetting, there are common themes that can enable a reality check on greenwash claims and misleading jobs promises. In this meeting we'll aim to draw these out with the aims of challenging greenwash more effectively, supporting local campaigns, and working towards a genuine Just Transition.

UPDATE: Some restoration of supply. No water in parts of Wembley HA0 and HA9 - likely cause burst water main in Preston Road

 From Affinity Water

 UPDATE

No water in Wembley

We’re really sorry you haven’t got any water. We’ve been made aware of a burst water main on Preston Road in Wembley which may be causing this. Supply has been restored to most of the area and repairs are still underway to restore full supply

What we’re doing

Our repair team are working hard to fix the burst pipe and get your water back to normal. Once we know how long this will take, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

We’re really sorry about this and thank you for your patience.

We updated this message at 09:45 and we'll update it again after 11:45

---

What's happened so far

(06:40) Technician on route to investigate.

(07:10) Our repair team are fixing the burst pipe.

(09:30) We’ve restored the supply to most of the area but some customers still may be experiencing low pressure or no water.

 

 

Interruption to your water supply - Wembley - HA0 and HA9

Sunday 25th June 2023

No water in Wembley

We’re really sorry you haven’t got any water. We’ve been made aware of a burst water main on Preston Road in Wembley which may be causing this.

What we’re doing

Our technician is on their way to your area to investigate and get your water flowing again soon.

What you can do

Until we’ve sorted this, please avoid using your:

• Washing machine
• Dishwasher
• Electrical appliances that use water

If you still have water, we recommend you put some in your kettle or fridge for drinking in case your water needs switching off for the repair.

We’re really sorry about this, we’re working to get your water back to normal as soon as possible.

We added this message at 07:02 and we'll update it again after 09:02

 

AFFINITY WEBSITE FOR UPDATES

LETTER: Announcing the 'Decolonising Wembley' project

 Dear Editor,

 

I hope you're doing well - I thought I would reach out to you, hoping that you might be able to support our campaign. I am looking to spread the word about ‘Decolonising Wembley.’

 

This project aims to address the imperial nostalgia among urban professionals involved in the construction of Wembley. Specifically, it involves retroactively renaming the streets and buildings that commemorate the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. We're approaching the 100-year anniversary of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley where the famous Kings Speech took place - by addressing modern commemorations at Wembley, we hope to raise awareness about the legacy of British imperialism and encourage people to reconsider their relationship with it.

 

There will be a few high-profile public talks that we'll be delivering on this.

 

The figure below highlights the 22 known commemorations of the British Empire Exhibition.

 

 

‘Decolonising Wembley’ is a project aimed at challenging the celebration of British imperialism and the legacy of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. The project aims to investigate the realities of British imperialism, the raison d’etre of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, and the nomenclature of assets such as roads, buildings, open spaces, etc. at Wembley, London that commemorate and celebrate this contested event in history.

The project dissects the act of naming a street or building after an event, person, or building as an act of celebration that honours and memorializes the Exhibition’s legacy. Thereby preserving and romanticizing a contested narrative in Wembley’s history for generations to come.

Decolonising Wembley is a collaborative project that brings together academics, historians, activists, and community members – that seek to challenge the imperial nostalgia among urban professionals involved in the construction of Wembley and to promote a more critical understanding of the past. One of the key aspects of the project is the retroactive renaming of streets, open spaces and buildings that commemorate the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. This renaming process is an important step towards acknowledging the complexities of history and the impact of colonialism on the world.

The project also investigates the raison d’etre of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition and its role in promoting British imperialism. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the event and its impact, and to provide a more nuanced perspective on the legacy of British imperialism.

The launch of the Decolonising Wembley project is an important initiative that seeks to challenge the celebration of empire and to promote a more critical understanding of the past.

This is a serious cause of concern, especially as Brent is one of Britain’s most diverse boroughs – British imperialism has caused much strife and pain for our communities, Lord Woolley CBE said it best:

“For many, including me, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to revere about the empire. It means slavery, murder, theft, barbaric cruelty and colonialism. We cannot and must not attempt to erase our history, but we can choose which parts we put on a pedestal.”

 

For more information about the Decolonising Wembley project, please visit our website at www.decolonisingwembley.com and visit the socials @decolonising.wembley

Kind Regards,

 

Nabil Al-Kinani

 

Urbanist // Cultural Producer // Creative Practitioner

 

 

Willesden Neighbourhood Health and Wellbeing Workshop - June 29th from 1pm at Ashford Place Community Centre

 We would like to hear from you!

 

Join us for an interactive afternoon discussing care, wellbeing and health provision in Willesden Green, Cricklewood & Mapesbury, and Dollis Hill. This workshop is a key opportunity to share your thoughts and experiences on the current state of services in our neighbourhood, and work collaboratively to address and prevent health inequalities.

 

The event will take place on Thursday, June 29th, 2023 from 1 PM at Ashford Place Community Centre, 60 Ashford Road, London, NW2 6TU. We will start the event with half an hour of lunch and networking before beginning our discussions.

 

During the workshop we want to hear from you on a range of topics including the challenges faced by children, young people and their families today, what you want to see from the future of health and care in the Willesden neighbourhood, and potential solutions to improve the quality of wellbeing, health and care in our community.

 

This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and contribute to the ongoing conversation about wellbeing, health and care in the Willesden neighbourhood. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

TICKETS

Windrush Day 75 events with Brent Council - first starting soon at Brent Civic Centre with more to come

From Brent Council

This year marks the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain with more than 800 passengers from the Caribbean, ready to embark on their new lives.

Brent Council is proud to celebrate Windrush 75 with a host of events around the borough this summer.

Kicking off the celebrations, on Thursday 22 June, Brent Civic Centre will come alive with a free flagship Market Place to celebrate the legacy and contribution of the African-Caribbean community with music, live performances, and food stalls.

There will also be a Windrush exhibition, charting what it was like to settle in a new country from those who experienced this firsthand and what it meant to be British. The event is set to attract hundreds of visitors throughout the day so mark it in your diaries – there is no need to book in advance.

This will be followed by a Tea Party in Gladstone Park on 24 June to celebrate the elderly survivors of the Windrush generation. There will be live performance with a reggae choir, and the opportunity to learn from the wisdom of elders in the community as they share more about their lives. Get your tickets from Eventbrite.

Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Reform, said:

Celebrating seventy-five years of Windrush is a hugely significant and special way to honour our African-Caribbean community.

Time goes by very quickly, but a lifetime of memories, service and contribution is never forgotten. It is a privilege to celebrate and acknowledge the work, sacrifice, and achievements of the Windrush seniors.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council said: “The Windrush Generation holds a significant place in Britain and Brent’s history and must becelebrated and respected for their vast contribution to society.

The legacy of the Windrush community will continue for many more years to come through the many talented Brent residents who are direct descendants of Windrush pioneers.

This is what sets us apart from so many other London boroughs and I am incredibly grateful to all those who came to Brent and continue to call this borough their home.

Windrush Workshops
Englan' Voice: Celebrating Windrush Generation Artists
Thursday 22 June
Kilburn Library
10:30am to 12noon
Harlesden Library
1pm to 2:30pm

Discover the work of three Windrush-era artists painter Tam Joseph, writer Beryl Gilroy and musician Aldwyn Roberts and their influence on British culture.

Harlesden Library Coffee Morning

 
‘You called, we responded’: Celebrating 75 years of Windrush and the NHS
 

Thursday 6 July
11am to 12noon
2023 marks both the 75th anniversaries of the arrival of the Empire Windrush and the start of the NHS. Join local Dr Joan St John to explore some of the impacts of that shared history.

Windrush 75 – Family Craft
2.30 to 4.30pm
Wembley Library – Wednesday 16 August
Kilburn Library – Friday 18 August
Age 3+. Drop in.

For more information: brent.gov.uk/libraries

Man arrested after stabbings at Central Middlesex Hospital

 From Brent Police

Armed officers were among those responding after calls at 13:18hrs on Wednesday, 21 June to reports that two people had been stabbed at Central Middlesex Hospital.

Officers found two people with stab injuries.

The first victim has injuries that are being treated as life-threatening.

The second victim's injuries are not being treated as life-threatening.

Police arrested a man outside the hospital. He has also been conveyed to hospital having received injuries that are believed to be self-inflicted. His condition is being treated as life-threatening.

Officers will remain in the hospital as further searches are conducted but at this time they are satisfied that no one else is sought.

Police are working to establish the circumstances. At this time the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

The hospital was temporarily locked down but has now re-opened and will be operating services as normal. There is a heightened police presence at the hospital while we investigate.

On Twitter Cllr Ketan Sheth, Chair of Scrutiny Committee said:

Shocked and saddened to hear of a stabbing incident at Central Middlesex Hospital… My immediate thoughts are with the patients and the wonderful staff at the hospital. I’m pleased that the incident was swiftly dealt with by the emergency services.