WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Thursday, 29 June 2023
Pam Laurance steps up to try to answer all those questions about doing your bit on climate change but were afraid to ask - Chalkhill Radio, Saturday 10am-11am.
No, it's not about legalising drugs but a chat with Brent Friends of the Earth's Pam Laurance who will be tackling some of those thorny questions people find themselves asking (or being asked) when it comes to taking action on climate change.
What do we think about cutting down on flying when many people in Brent want to keep in touch with family back in their home countries and attend important weddings and funerals? Should you ration holidays by air or stop completely - particularly when it can be such a hassle? Stop short-haul?
Many people are changing their eating habits to cut down on meat and significant numbers of people, especially in the north of the borough area, are already vegetarian, what are the pros and cons of a vegetarian or vegan diet? How should you start to change your diet and how does it work with changing the diet of a young family keen on fast food?
I am sure that driving (including the school run and shopping), low traffic neighbourhoods, reducing air pollution, cycling and much else will be raised by listeners.
Pam will be asked to choose a record to be played on the show. Speculation is rife about which song she will choose but I don't think it will be this one.
https://www.chalkhillcommunityradio.com/
Well done PCS: Court of Appeal rules the government's Rwanda plan is unlawful
From PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union)
PCS welcomes today’s Court of Appeal ruling that the UK government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.
The court agreed with PCS’ argument that Rwanda was not a safe country to deport refugees to; and that there was a serious risk that they could be sent back to a country in which they may be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In July 2022, PCS, alongside Care4Calais, Detention Action and eight refugees, launched a legal challenge by way of judicial review to the governments Rwanda policy, which is designed to deport refugees to Rwanda without allowing due consideration of their asylum claims.
PCS was clear that we were taking action on behalf of our members in the Home Office, in order to improve their working environment by removing the hazards and hostility created by the policy; and in solidarity with refugees who were being subjected to its inhumanity.
In September 2022, the High Court ruled that the policy was lawful, but it quashed the decisions to deport the eight refugees and ruled that they should be reviewed. An application was made by the refugees to the Court of Appeal, adopting our generic grounds of argument as to the general unlawfulness of the policy.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of PCS, said:
Although we welcome this decision from the Court of Appeal, PCS recognises that the fight against this government’s disgraceful anti-immigration agenda is far from over.
It is not immigration but political choices by this government that have driven down wages and starved public services of the resources they need to prosper. Instead of facing up to the consequences of their actions, it acts to criminalise and scapegoat refugees who are fleeing from death, torture and persecution.
As we have demonstrated through our work with Care4Calais and Detention Action, our union will not stand idly by as refugees are subjected to inhumane policy proposals and inflammatory rhetoric by this government.
PCS Head of Bargaining, Paul O’Connor, who has been leading the campaign for the union, said:
The decision of the Court of Appeal is a vindication of our position. We do not take litigation lightly, but we could not stand by and allow our members to be subjected to stressful, dangerous and hostile working conditions; nor could we stand by and allow refugees to be subjected to this inhumanity.
The government is consistently pouring money down the drain in its attempts to stop the Channel crossings – none of its plans are working. In fact, since the Rwanda policy was announced, far from being a deterrent, the number of crossings has increased.
It is time for the government to adopt the Safe Passage policy put forward by PCS and Care4Calais. That is the solution to the Channel crossings. It is the only way to prevent tragic deaths in the Channel. It would allow refugees to have their asylum claims properly and safely considered; and would allow our members to do their jobs without consistently ridiculous political interference.
Wembley Event Day Saturday July 1st - avoid stadium area unless you have tickets for Def Leppard & Motley Crue
From Brent Council
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Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Excellent Letter from headteachers to the Chancellor. Save Our Schools. Will your headteacher sign?
I hope Brent headteachers will sign this letter that sets the issues out with great clarity:
We the undersigned, all being head teachers at state schools in England, are very concerned about the damage being done to the education system by the worsening problem of teacher shortages. Recruitment and retention have never been so challenging as they are at this present time. It is becoming increasingly difficult to put a qualified teacher in front of every class. We fear that educational provision and standards are at risk unless urgent action is taken to address this gathering crisis.
At a time like this, it is more important than ever that we have certainty that the pay award for 2023/24 will begin to address these problems. We are aware that you are in possession of the School Teachers’ Review Body recommendation. According to media reports, this recommendation is for a 6.5% pay uplift. It is of the utmost importance that you publish this report at the earliest date, together with confirmation of whether the government will agree to this recommendation. It is also vital that the government commits to funding any pay award for every school. This must not be based upon a notional assessment of what is affordable for an average school. There is no such thing as an average school and our concern is that many schools will once again be left in a position of having to cut staffing numbers in order to afford the pay award.
We must have certainty over the pay award and associated funding in order to give us some degree of confidence that the government is committed to addressing the deepening problems with recruitment and retention, and so that schools and trusts are able to budget for the new academic year. The late publication of the STRB report that we have seen in recent years makes it impossible to plan with any degree of financial certainty. No business could operate in an environment in which staffing costs were decided at the last minute and without sufficient funding to pay those costs, and yet this is how the government expects to run a vital public service.
This is a time when the government must act in the interests of children and young people by urgently putting in place a funding and pay settlement which eases the immediate crisis and establishes a foundation on which to build. Parents will rightly expect the education system to be properly resourced, and the workforce deserves a better deal which rebuilds morale and properly values the importance of teaching to the future of the country. We call upon you to show vision by backing education.
Final Boundary Commission constituences published. Brent wards will be covered by a total of 4 MPs. Brent East returns.
The Boundary Commission has published its final recommendations today. Brent East, formerly Ken Livingstone's seat, is back and largely covers the current Brent Central while Brent West covers the current Brent North.
Harlesden and Kensal Green, Kilburn and Queens Park become the minority Brent wards in the Queens Park and Maida Vale constituency. The Camden side of Kilburn is in another constituency, Hampstead and Highgate.
Poor Queensbury, often seen as a bit semi-detached, is on its own in Harrow East.
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'Why buy when you can borrow?' Library of Things to open at Willesden Green Library for all Brent residents
Why buy, when you can borrow?
Start saving money this summer by borrowing items like drills, carpet cleaners and angle grinders, rather than forking out for a brand new one.
Brent's first ever Library of Things opens at Willesden Green Library this summer, offering a great opportunity to save money and help the planet by contributing to a more circular, sustainable economy.
80% of household items are used less than once per month, so it is worth checking out the prices on the Library of Things website, as it might be cheaper for you to rent rather than buy.
Although the installation will be physically based in Willesden Green, it will be open and available for all Brent residents to use. The library will include a whole host of items, many of which can be rented for £10 or under. It will store high quality brands, with everything from:
- DIY tools
- Pressure washers
- Hand sanders
- Hedge trimmers
- Or even projectors, games consoles and waffle makers.
Sign up today and get 10% off your first Library of Things booking: CLICK HERE
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
More than 400 people have signed petition calling on Brent Council to protect parks and green spaces from development. Please sign and circulate.
The petition calling on Brent Council to protect parks and green spaces, launched following public disquiet over the recent Planning Committee decision to approve four 3 storey houses in Barham Park, has reached more than 400 signatures.
As non-party political Philip Grant said in a comment on Wembley Matters:
Although the petition is shown in the name of Paul Lorber, the discussions leading up to it involved people from across political parties.
It was not just Lib Dems who stood up for the importance of the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan in considering the application affecting Barham Park.
As well as Cllr. Lorber, the Labour councillor for Sudbury Ward, Teo Benea, also spoke against the application.
The Labour councillor for Wembley Central ward, and former Chair of Planning Committee, Cllr. Ketan Sheth, had a statement read out at the meeting, in support of tje Neighbourhood Plan and the importance of upholding its Local Green Space policies.
A link to the petition has been circulated by Brent Parks Forum, Brent Green Party and Brent Friends of the Earth.
Meanwhile it has been established that the Covenant on Barham Park is still in place and Brent Council officers are looking at the process required if it is to be removed, which should include the price developer George Irvin would have to pay. Readers will remember that Brent Council said previously that no steps had been taken to seek a valuation of the Covenant and thus establish the amount George Irvin would have to pay.
The Covenant protection is managed by the Barham Park Trustees, chaired by Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt, and with a membership consisting only of members of his Cabinet. There is no independent community representation on the Trustees Committee. The Trustees are charged with protection of Barham Park which was left to the people of Wembley for their enjoyment by Titus Barham.
The Barham family made representations to Brent Council opposing the development as against the spirit of the bequest.
I urge people to sign as with an expanding population, and lessons learnt from the pandemic, we cannot afford to lose any more green space. Stonebridge is still smarting from the loss of the green spaces around Stonebridge Adventure playground and outside Stonebridge Primary School.
Signing on Brent Council website is a bit of a palaver but please persevere as loss of space will affect generations to come who will be hit by cliamte breakdown.
We the undersigned petition the council to uphold its long standing Strategic Policy of protecting Brent Parks and Open Spaces at all cost.
We are concerned that Brent Council's Planning Committee has ignored Strategic Core Policy of protecting Parks and Open Spaces and also the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan, which designated Barham Park as a Local Green Space and developed a specific Planning Policy BP1 which stated that any housing building or redevelopment in Barham Park should be refused. That decision has effectively undermined Neighbourhood Planning, ignored the views of local people and put at risk other Parks and Open Spaces across BrentFields in Trust Interactive Map of Green Spaces LINK
Brent area
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