LETTER: Does Brent Council realise its councillors and CEO may be heading to prison for non-compliance?

LINK TO ARTICLE

 

Dear Editor,

After reading the agenda for the next council meeting it seems that no one is aware of this issue.

Brent Council has three months left to collect all the data to meet the requirements of The Building Safety Act by the 30th September 2023.

Failure to comply could see the council being fined, or officers and councillors being imprisoned for up to  2 years.

There are three issues that the council have to comply with:

1) Registering all their high-rises

2) Within 28 days of registration, applying for a safety certificate, including Resident Profiles.

3) Publishing a safety case,.including Resident Engagement Strategies.

FIRNTEC consultants have reported that it will take 2 months per building to collect all the data to prepare  a 'safety case' and a further month to draft a safety case.

So as Brent has around 40 buildings in scope (18metres or higher) they need to start collecting all the information to be compliant by the deadline.

FIRNTEC also say that after the safety case has been published, there needs to be 'an action plan' published for each building but they have not given any timeline for this issue.

 

Letter composed by a concerned Brent resident (details supplied)

Good Law Project takes sewage scandal to High Court next week

 From Good Law Project

On Wednesday 5 to Thursday 6 July, the High Court will hear a legal challenge that aims to force the Government to toughen up its plan for reducing sewage dumped in England’s rivers and seas. Good Law Project is supporting the Marine Conservation Society, Richard Haward’s Oysters and surfer and activist Hugo Tagholm as they argue that the Government’s strategy is inadequate, allowing water companies to pollute waters and beaches for another 27 years.

England’s sewers were designed with 14,500 storm overflows to stop them becoming overwhelmed, allowing a mixture of surface water and sewage to be discharged during heavy rainfall. But according to the Environment Agency, these overflows are now used on a routine basis. Water companies discharged untreated sewage through storm overflows more than 300,000 times in 2022 for a total of 1.7 million hours.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to tackle this in August last year. It imposed a deadline of 2035 for reducing the sewage flowing into bathing waters and areas of ecological importance, but gave companies until 2050 to stop discharges elsewhere.

This legal challenge, which has been backed by cross-party MPs, aims to force the Government to bring forward these deadlines and introduce tougher targets. 

Facing pressure from this case, DEFRA has already announced a consultation on expanding its storm overflows plan to include protections for coastal and estuarine waters. This initial win for the claimants, which the Marine Conservation Society hailed as “a huge victory for our seas”, means that one of the legal grounds has already been settled before even being heard in the courtroom.

Success in this case could set a landmark precedent, which would allow others to use an ancient English legal principle called the Public Trust Doctrine to compel those in power to protect the natural environment.

Legal Director of Good Law Project, Emma Dearnaley, said:

The public is - rightly - angry and upset and calling for urgent action on sewage pollution.

This hearing is a huge moment for the future of our rivers and seas. This is our chance to force the Government to put in place a robust plan to put an end to the sewage scandal blighting our country.
 

Success in this case could also set a significant legal precedent by reviving an ancient legal principle that would require the Government to take positive steps to protect our shared natural resources. This is a potential game changer for future environmental challenges.

CEO of the Marine Conservation Society, Sandy Luk, said:

This is a momentous court case to hold the UK Government to account for our right to a clean and healthy ocean. 

This is achievable, but we need urgent and decisive action from the Government to make it happen. For the sake of people and planet, we need sewage-free seas.

8th generation oysterman, and Director of Operations at Richard Haward’s Oysters, Tom Haward, said:

For eight generations the Haward family have grown oysters in Essex and sold them throughout the UK and beyond. Our livelihood balances completely on water quality. 

We work hard to protect and nurture the environment we rely on to produce our oysters, and the relentless dumping of sewage into our seas risks destroying something so precious. 

Just as we invest in our business so that my daughter and future generations can be proud of and continue our legacy, so too should water companies be held accountable and invest in ensuring British waterways are flourishing and safe ecosystems that future generations can enjoy.

Thames Water - great video from Led by Donkeys

 Thanks to Led by Donkeys for this video:

July 4th London Renters Union Day of Action to end Rent Hike Evictions

 

 

From Brent Renters Union

 

END RENT HIKE EVICTIONS ACTION  

Too many of us have been made to face the trauma and upheaval of eviction. On July 4th, LRU members are taking action to resist the government's failure to protect us from huge rent increases. Too many of us have been forced out of our homes by landlords hiking up our rent. The more members joining the action, the bigger impact we'll have! 

 

SIGN UP

REMINDER - BRENTXTRA International Reggae Day in Harlesden tomorrow (Friday)

 

BOOK: https://AfricanHistoryPlus.eventbrite.com

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

Def Leppard & Motley Crue: The World Tour

Wembley Stadium will be hosting a Def Leppard & Motley Crue: The World Tour music concert on Saturday 1 July. Timings Def Leppard & Motley Crue: The World Tour is on at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 1 July. Doors will open from 4pm and road closures will be in place from 2.45pm. We expect the area around Wembley Stadium to be very busy before and after the event so please avoid the area if you can, unless you have a ticket. Event day parking Event day parking restrictions will be in place from 8am to midnight on main roads and from 10am to midnight on residential roads on Saturday 1 July. If you have a paper permit, please make sure you clearly display it in your vehicle. If you have an electronic permit, you do not need to display this.