Staff and students left in the lurch after Wembley Skills Training Centre goes into liquidation

 

Skills Centre 328 Wembley High Road

A watchful Wembley Central resident got in touch with Wembley Matters earlier today saying:

The Skills Centre (housed in what used to be adoption/fostering service on the HIgh Road opposite Elizabeth House) is no longer in operation. There is a sign on the front door to the effect that no education studies are to be conducted in the near future.  This has been operating for about 3 years, mostly 16-18 year olds, mostly children from recently settled families (very nice young people from Iraq, Afghanistan, India ) wishing to take GCSE's again or trying to achieve a passing grade, or access to BTEC in English and Maths.

Someone mentioned to me that they believe their funding has been withdrawn or they lost it?

She is not wrong. The parent company Skills Training UK has gone into liquidation.

 According to FE Weekly LINK  staff were old a week ago that they would only be paid for 7 days work in August. 

The article was written before the appointment of a liquidator and FE Weekly reported:

 

While they wait for the appointment of a liquidator, employees can’t make a claim for unpaid wages, notice pay or redundancy pay. Meanwhile, staff are also worried learners could miss out on getting their qualifications this August as they’re not at work to liaise with awarding organisations.

 

Stunned staff, some in tears, told FE Week they had been “left drowning” and out of the loop at a time when living costs are spiralling and after they have worked at the provider for years.

 

“We’re just broken, some of us have children and mortgages, it’s completely crazy. Management went completely quiet on us.”

 

More than 200 staff members will be made redundant if the provider does go under. In an update issued on its website, Skills Training UK said it expects to appoint liquidators on August 2, and that all delivery to all learners has stopped. 

 

Importantly the students, some vulnerable, have been left in the lurch with the report continuing: 

 

There are also concerns that learners will not receive the qualifications they were studying for, as staff have been locked out of their computers and systems and are not able to communicate with the learners or awarding organisations such as Pearson. As emails were shut down, staff could not tell learners that the provider is about to shut its doors.

 

“They’ve abandoned them,” one staff member said. “Some of the learners that I started working with a year ago have behavioural issues, and now they are going to get nothing after a year’s work. And there’s no one to be held accountable.”

 

For the benefit of local businesses who may be owed money, staff and students, this is infromation from the liquidators LINK :

 

Appoinment of Liquidators Matthew Roe and Richard Hawes were appointed join liquidators over the Company on 2 August 2023, accordingly the Company is no longer trading. If you have any queries, please contact STUKCreditors@teneo.com
	Guidance for former Skills Training UK learners Guidance for learners, apprentices and employers undertaking an Apprenticeship or other ESFA-funded training programme (such as study programme or Traineeship) with Skills Training UK Limited, is available on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/termination-of-esfa-funding-agreements
	If you were undertaking a Gateway Qualifications’ qualification, please visit: https://www.gatewayqualifications.org.uk/learners/ If you were undertaking a Pearson qualification, please visit: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-for-you/results-for-students.html If you were undertaking a City and Guilds qualification, please visit: https://www.cityandguilds.com/teaching-learning-assessment-and-results/students-and-parents If you were undertaking a Ascentis qualification, please visit: https://www.ascentis.co.uk/news/arrangements-for-assessing-and-awarding-qualifications
	If you are a London resident and were undertaking an adult course, please direct any enquiries to:  aeb@london.gov.uk
	Apprentices If you were being supported on an Apprenticeship with STUK you will be contacted directly either by your employer who will help you find an alternative supplier, or you may receive contact directly from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). If you are an employer who has been working with STUK, the ESFA are making direct contact with you to identify a new provider to support you.
	GCSE Resit Result Contact Information: Please note results will be released on Thursday 24th August 2023. London Learners: your results should be emailed directly to you by London Brookes College. Exam Office: exams@londonbrookescollege.co.uk

RAAC affected St Gregory's School desperately searching for portacabins for next week's school start

 St Gregory's Catholic Science College - Kenton

 

inews is reporting that St Gregory's Catholic Science College is desperately trying to get portacabins for Tuesday's return to school after being informed that they are one of the school's affected by the  government announcement on lightweight concrete (reinforced autoclave aerated concrete - RAAC)  in school buildings. 

I understand that it is the Maths Block at the school that is affected.  Brent Coucil said that efforts are being made to prop up the affected areas and children should be able to return on Tuesday as planned.

Help from the Department of Education has not been quick enough, Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, told inews.

The MP said the Department of Education should have been working to help the school, and others affected, to put measures in place swiftly over the summer break.

That work is going on tomorrow and over the weekend – but this is what I mean, the department is leaving this absolutely to the last minute and is trying to say it’s the responsibility of the schools.

No it’s not, it’s the responsibility of the department to be helping the schools. The schools have no budget for this.

 He said three other schools in his constituency were suspected of having RAAC – St Joseph’s Primary, Michael Sobell Sinai School and Kingsbury High School. Those schools require survey work to investigate whether they contain the at-risk material.

Wembley Matters has contacted the school for a statement once parents have been informed of arrangements. 

None of the school's named are the direct responsibility of Brent Council being voluntary aided or academies, but the council does have overall responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of the borough's children.

URGENT REMINDER: Save Our Ticket Offices March Thursday 5pm onwards

 

From the RMT

RMT members, supporters and campaign groups will march on Parliament and Downing Street on Thursday to save our ticket offices.

They will be joined by passenger groups and disability rights campaigners ahead of the consultation on the future of ticket, offices, closing on September 1.

 

There have been up to half a million responses with the overwhelming majority showing support for RMT‘s campaign.

 

Train operating companies alongside the government are seeking to close up to 1000 ticket, offices and slash 2300 jobs from stations around the country.

 

The demonstration and rally by the union and campaigners will mark the next phase of the campaign. We shall see, increase lobbying of MPs and possibly further industrial action.

 

RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch said: 

 

“We are sending a clear message to the government and profiteering rail operators that our ticket offices must not be closed.

 

“The campaign to save our ticket offices has amassed widespread public support and forced an extension of the consultation.

 

“However, our campaign will continue beyond the consultation deadline.

 

“We need to pressure politicians in every constituency and to highlight the critical role that ticket offices and station staff play in supporting passengers of every type to reach their destinations.

 

“Closing ticket offices will lead to the widespread de-staffing of stations and make the railways inaccessible to thousands of disabled, vulnerable and elderly passengers.

 

“We will not quietly sit back and allow this to happen.

 

“Our members will continue their industrial campaign to save their jobs and to protect railway passengers.”

 

LETTER: Labour's Barham Park Betrayal

 

View through the community library window

Dear Editor

Thank you for exposing the latest attack on Barham Park by the people who run Brent Council.

It is more than 10 years since  Labour Councillors closed the Council run Library in Barham Park.

They will not find it so easy to close Barham Community Library that local volunteers have worked for over 10 years to create and develop as an active hub for our local Community.

THE FIGHT TO SAVE OUR COMMUNITY FACILITIES IS ON!

The attack is not just on the Community Library as the Barham Veterans Club and the Gurkhas are under threat too - as are all the other local Community Groups which use our space at affordable rates:

The Dementia Support Group attended by 40 people every week
Muslim Prayer Group attend by over 60 every week
Tamil School Classes
Our Knitting & Crochet Sewcial Group
Our Yoga, Pilates and Exercise Dance Groups
Our Book Club
Our Art Club
Our Rhyme & Story telling under 5s group
Our Chess Club
And all the people who love to borrow books from us that others have donated

PLUS all the other local organisations & groups, such as Brent Friends of the Earth, Wembley Central & Alperton Residents Association, Carribean Muslim Group and many others who use our space for their social meetings and activities.

The Labour Cabinet Plan being presented at the Barham Park Trust Meeting on 5 September proposes replacing all the Community facilities with:

1. A Hotel or Rbnb accommodation for visitors  to Wembley Stadium - despite the fact that there are hotel rooms above the Pub opposite Barham, Park already
2. A Restaurant - despite the fact that the Pub opposite already has a Restaurant and there are many food places in Sudbury Town 5 minutes walk away.
3. Supermarket & Shops - despite a Tesco Express & 2 other supermarkets and many other shops in Sudbury Town already.
4. A Cafe taking up the whole of our Library space - despite attempts to open a Cafe in nearby station failed twice in the last 5 years.
5. Offices 

None of these proposals meet the Barham Park Charity objects of providing recreation and enjoyment for local people as the local benefactor Titus Barham intended.

If the Council Leadership gets away with building their Hotel & Supermarket in Barham Park then it will open the door to building on other Brent Parks too - as the local environment and recreation is sacrificed for money making ventures irrespective of how much damage they cause.

Over 1000 local people signed the Petition to Protect Barham Park from over development recently. The message from local people to the out of touch Leadership of Brent Council is loud and clear. HANDS OFF OUR PARKS & OUR COMMUNITY FACILITIES 

Come and support us by attending the Barham Park Trust Meeting at the Brent Civic Centre. Engineers Way Wembley on Tuesday 5 September at 10a.m. (bus No.92 stop outside and other buses nearby) and help us send a message to the Leadership of Brent Council that our Parks are for public enjoyment and our recreations and NOT for Rbnb or a "Boutique" Hotels, or Shops and Supermarkets that local people have not asked for and do not need.

Thank You for your support.

With best wishes

Paul Lorber
Volunteer & Trustee of Friends of Barham Library

 

Brent Council seek to commercialise historic old buildings in Barham Park at expense of community groups

 

The Harrow Road frontage

The community library space

The attractive cluster of buildings - including artists' studios

The Veterans' Club

Nepalese Community Centre

The Children's Centre

When the planning application for the building of four 3 storey houses in Barham Park was approved there were warnings about setting a precedent that could be a threat to other parks and gave rise to a 1,000 plus petition calling on Brent Council to protect our parks. The news that the Barham Park Trustees were seeking to revise the covenant preventing building on the park reinforced fears and these seem to be borne out by a new threat.

Brent Council (not the  Cabinet members under the leadership of Muhammed Butt but who call tell the difference?)  have commissioned a feasibility study to refurbish the site to allow commercial development in order to maximise income by charging market rents. 

In the process it would  the whole feel and purpose of the buildings which once housed the Brent Council Parks Department and a Brent Council public library, closed by a previous Labour administration. The volunteer community library set up by a 'Save Our Libraries' campaign group, and offering many more community activities than just a library, would not be able to afford a commercial rent and its future would be threatened if the plans went ahead. A similar fate would await the other community groups that use the various buildings.

The brief is set out below with a key factor highlighted.

The key items considered within this report are:

•   Location of additional parking (including EV charging)

•   Partial demolition & rebuild of certain elements of the building (eg. the flat-roofed areas towards the rear) have insufficient potential to add value to the project as a whole and has been excluded from the project scope.

•   No full demolition & rebuild - design to relate to & incorporate existing building.

•   Not to consider existing tenancies and to consider the building as vacant.

•   Tracking and tracing of all underground drainage / pipe routes.

•   Topography survey and levelling to ensure sufficient drainage.

•   Structural constraints of the Barham Park Trust building

•   EPC C to be targeted.

•   Trees located within a conservation area that are not protected require written notice to the local planning authority.

 

When I visited this morning it was clear that few of the user groups had any knowledge of the plans that will be discussed by the Barham Park Trustees Committee at its meeting on Tuesday September 5th at 10am in Brent Civic Centre  The public can attend in person or on zoom LINK and everyone who cares about the future of Brent parks is urged to attend.

 

 AGENDA

 

The Feasibility Study suggests that the construction costs would be £3,161,537.50 but many key items are left out and it is likely to be more that £4m.

 

 

 

The suggested occupants of the site, rather bizarrely, include an Air B&B, when many councils are discouraging them as they take away permanent local housing provision. Four retail outlets including a supermarket are  proposed when this section of the Harrow Road has little footfall other than park users, and a restaurant (there is a large restaurant opposite that has recently been converted from a pub.  

 

The only non-commercial uses mentioned are a community hub with local information and a library. Whether the latter would be at an affordable rent and affordable service charges will be vital for the continuation of the Barham Park Community Library.  Considerable financial investment and volunteer hours have been invested in the current library as can be seen in the photograph above, taken just after a morning yoga session, one of many activities that take place there.

 

 

Like many Brent Council properties the buildings have been allowed to run down and fall into disrepair, although users have done their best to rectify the defects spending their own funds. This run down strategy can sometimes be used to justify demolition and rebuild as happened with the previous Willesden Green library, and on a smaller but widespread scale with garages on council estates.

 

There are buildings in many Brent parks with development planned in King Edward VII   Wembley pavilion and the Bowls Court in Roundwood Park being offered to potential users. Watch this space!

 

Boarded up windows

To enable the users I met today and other members of the public to see the full study I have embedded it  below.

 

 

 

Save Our Ticket Offices - March to Downing Street Thursday - Assemble 5pm

 

From Private Eye

Trustees set to rubber stamp process to remove covenant restriction on building in Barham Park

The proposed George Irvin development of four 3 storey houses in Barham Park that would require the removal of the covenant

Trustees Meeting Agenda September 5th 2023

Reader will be familiar with the controversy over the proposal by funfair owner and property developer George Irvin to replace two  modest two storey park workers' houses  in Barham park with 4 three storey houses. At Planning Committee the elephant in the room was the restrictive covenant on developing the site, dismissed by officers as not a planning consideration. Planning permission was granted despite massive resident opposition.

Readers will also remember that the Trustees of Barham Park consist of Brent Council Cabinet members, chaired by Brent Council Leader, Muhammed Butt. Readers will also recall disquiet over Irvin giving free tickets away to councillors and concern over alleged social connections between Irvin and councillors, including Muhammed Butt.

Now the elephant in the room is due to make an appearance at the Barham Park Trustees meeting at the Civic Centre on Tuesday September 5th. 

The proposal by the existing owner, contrary to the terms of the restrictive covenants, is to seek consent from the Trust Committee to amend the restrictive covenants to enable him to demolish the existing buildings and erect 4 houses on the combined plot, whereas currently the restrictive covenants allow for only 2 dwellings on the combined plot.

However, the public and backbench councillors will not be allowed to know the size and value of the elephant/covenant as the result of an Independent Valuation has been 'restricted':

"Appendix 3 is not for publication as it contains the following category of exempt information as specified in Paragraph 3, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, namely: “Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information."

There is a clue to how it could be worked out in the papers for the meeting:

The varying of the restrictive covenants is a matter for the Trust Committee and Charity Commission. As beneficiary of the restrictive covenants, the Trust Committee can negotiate a monetary consideration for varying the restrictive covenants. Simply put, the monetary consideration is usually determined by what the market value of the 2 additional completed properties might be and deduct from that the estimated development costs to arrive at a gross development value. This gross development value is then typically split 50/50 between the Covenantor and Covenantee by negotiation and is the formula used in the valuation for varying the restrictive covenant.

Developer, George Irvin,  will of course be a beneficiary as well but the report attempts to sweeten the pill by suggesting that the proceeds from varying the  covenant will be used to the benefit of the park, which as Trustees would have to do anyway, although they only refer to 'potential':

Officers will explore the potential to reinvest the proceeds from varying the restrictive covenants in respect of 776-778 Harrow Road back into the Estate as part of developing a multi-faceted investment strategy for the refurbishment project. Accordingly, the proceeds would count as permanent endowment funds (capital funds which are held in trust for the benefit of the charity over the long term and are subject to restrictions as regards how they may be used).

Those proposals on  refurbishment are a separate part of the agenda for the meeting and will be covered in a separate blog post.

So is there any mention of the 1,000 signatures plus petition calling for the covenants to be upheld? No - neither in the report or as as a Petition Presentaton Agenda item. A new elephant in the room!?

A key question is whether the Agenda or accompanying reports leave open the possibility of the Trustees deciding not to vary the covenants at all and thus fulfill their role in protecting the Tutus Barham legacy. The answer is already implied - they will protect the legacy by using the covenant variation monies to improve the park not by refusing to negotiate  a variation.

So what do officers' recommend to the Barham Park Trust Committee?

Recommendation(s)

 

That the Barham Park Trust Committee RESOLVES

 

Agree for the Director for Environmental and Leisure Services in consultation with the Chair of the Trust Committee to negotiate in principle the variation of the restrictive covenant in respect of 776 and 778 Harrow Road for the best terms that can reasonably be obtained, subject to final approval by the Trust Committee, and any approval required by the Charity Commission under the Charities Act 2022 and 201l.

 

So the Committee is asked to agree to hand over negotiation to Muhammed Butt and the Director and, subject to Charity Commission approval,  will then rubber stamp it. All done by a small group of cabinet members, albeit wearing trustee hats - with, as I said at the beginning no resident or backbencher input.

 

There is one other area that may be considered by supporters of the covenant and critics of the process regarding whether the owner/developer is a 'connected person' and thus a conflict of interest arises. This is the relevant section of the report:

5.7 Use of s117, pre-supposes that the owner of the cottages is not a “connected person” within the meaning of section 118. Connected persons2 includes:

 

“Who at the time of the disposition in question, or at the time of any contract for the disposition in question are, for example—

(a) a charity trustee or trustee for the charity…

(c) a child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister of any such trustee or donor,

(d) an officer, agent or employee of the charity…

(f) a person carrying on business in partnership with any person falling within any of paragraphs (a) to (e)”

 

5.8 In accordance with s120, any disposal of Trust land over seven years to a third party is also subject to similar requirement imposed by s119 above.

 

Furthermore, the disposal of charity land, or letting for more than two years to a third party or connected person requires consultation in the form of being notified in the local press and onsite and providing for at least one calendar month, from the date of the notice, for members of the public to make representations.

 

5.9 Accordingly, if the owner of the cottages is a connected person, or a conflict of interest is deemed to exist in the decision making process re the disposal (for example, amongst other things because payment of a capital sum to the Council (as trustee) for releasing the covenant would reduce the contribution required to be made in practice by the Council (as local authority) to subsidise the running of the charity), the Trustees should request the Charity Commission consider the Qualified Surveyor’s Report (referred to under the 2022 Act as the Designated Advisor’s Report (DARs) (valuation) and release or varying the restrictive covenant pursuant to their s105 Charity Act powers, to authorise dealings with the charity property.

 

On the same Agenda there is an item on governance which proposes the first update since 2013. The item makes clear that Brent Council is the corporate Trustee of Barham Park but must ensure that the management of the Charity and its interests is separate from its responsibility as the Council and its interests Decisions have to be made solely on the basis of the former. What is in the interests of the  Charity may not be in the electoral interests of the Council. See 10a Appendix A for the changes.

Interesting...

Review of Barham Park Trust Governance Document PDF 137 KB

• View the background to item 10.

This report sets out for review proposed updates to the Barham Park Trust Governance and Guidance Document. Primarily designed to reflect changes following organisational restructures in the council and updated guidance issued by the Charity Commission.

Additional documents:

• 10a. Appendix A - Reviewed Governance and Guidance Document 2013 PDF 865 KB
• 10b. Appendix A(i) Cllrs Guide to a Councils Role as Charity Trustee (Appendix B Trust Governance Document) PDF 253 KB
• 10c. Appendix A(ii) Charity Commission Guidance Conflict of Interests (Appendix C Trust Governance Document) PDF 511 KB
• 10d. Appendix A(iii) Charity Commission Essential Trustee Guidance (Appendix D Trust Governance Document) PDF 943 KB

 

 

BREAKING: St Mungo's workers win 10.74% pay increase

 

Unite the Union in a press release today hailed a victory in the long running St Mungo's strike. The strikers won support locally for the workers at their Willesden facility, close to the bus station. LINK

 

Unite secures inflation beating pay deal to end long running strike at St Mungo’s 

 

Hundreds of workers employed by homelessness charity St Mungo’s have ended their long running strike victorious after accepting an inflation beating pay increase.

 

After three months of strike action and tireless campaigning the workers have agreed to a pay increase which works out at 10.74 per cent based on a median wage or £3,125 in cash terms. Plus, the total financial gain includes a one-off payment of £700 for most workers.

 

The cash-based deal also means the lower paid workers will get a bigger share of the pot and Unite’s campaign of industrial action has made certain that executive directors at the Charity agree to a pay freeze for 2023/24.

 

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said:  

 

This was a hard-fought battle resulting in victory for St. Mungo’s workers who are dedicated to helping the homeless.

 

The workers took action because they were under huge financial and mental pressure and they weren’t being listened to by management.

 

Unite will continue to defend workers when employers refuse to do so, in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions for our members.

 

St Mungo’s workers’ pay is normally pegged to local authority pay rates under the NJC agreement but the strike action has, for the first time, delivered a pay increase above the NJC rate.

 

Unite national lead officer, Onay Kasab said: 

 

The reps and activists have delivered a fantastic result plus hundreds of new Unite members. The pay deal isn’t just inflation beating it goes above and beyond previous pay deals at St Mungo’s which always matched local authority agreements.

 

The workers are to be congratulated for their resilience and determination.