That's entertainment! Muhammed Butt's second quarter Gifts and Hospitality valued at £420

 Second Quarter Hospitality and Gifts - Note nothing from funfairs!

Click bottom right to enlarge.

Some October local history to look forward to

Guest blog by local historian Philip Grant

 

The Opening Ceremony for the 1948 Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium.

 

Brent Culture Service always has a good selection of events for both adults and children in the Council’s local libraries. You can find out about them, and book your place (usually free!), on their Eventbrite website. I thought you might like to know about a few highlights from its programme for October 2023.

 

I must declare a personal interest in the first of them, as I’m presenting the illustrated talk on “Wembley’s 1948 Olympic Games”, at an Ealing Road Library coffee morning on Tuesday 3 October, from 11am to 12noon. I did write a short piece about it last July, when I was giving the talk at Wembley History Society to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the Games. The October listing wasn’t available then, but you can reserve your free place at this talk now, and you will be very welcome if you are able to come along to it.

 

Poster for “Tracing Black Ancestry” by Paul Crooks.

 

The following day, Wednesday 4 October from 6.30 to 8pm, Paul Crooks will be sharing his experience of discovering his roots, and the history of the transatlantic slave trade, in “Tracing Black Ancestry”. This free event is at Willesden Green Library, and you can “click” here for more details and to reserve your place.

 

Willesden Green Library is also the location for “Home from Home: Exploring the legacies of British-Nigerians in the UK”, on Tuesday 24 October. There will be two 1-hour sessions, beginning at 12noon and 2.30pm, with story-telling and arts and crafts workshops for children and families, ages 7+. Again, this is a free event, but you need to reserve your spot. You can do that here for the 12noon to 1pm session, and here for the 2.30 to 3.30pm session.

 

“Mary Seacole”, reading her story to children in a library.

 

Another event during the October half-term week, suitable for children and families, is “The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole”, the 19^th century Jamaican nurse who lived the latter part of her life locally, and was buried in St Mary’s R.C. Cemetery at Kensal Green. These half-hour story-telling sessions, presented by the Florence Nightingale Museum, will take place at Kilburn Library. The date(s) and time(s) are not yet shown, but you can get further details and reserve places here.

 

A composite of Anti-Apartheid images.

 

On Tuesday 31 October, from 12noon to 1pm, there will be a lunchtime illustrated talk at Willesden Green Library on “Brent, London, and the struggle against Apartheid”. Long time Brent resident Suresh Kamath was Vice-Chair of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and chaired the organising committee of the two Mandela concerts at Wembley Stadium. I was privileged to hear him give this talk at a Wembley History Society meeting in January 2019, and wrote a piece for “Wembley Matters” ahead of it. If you have not heard Suresh speak about this important, and ultimately successful, struggle I can really recommend this talk. You can reserve your free place here.

 

 

It's not just Brent Libraries which offer history-based events, but the borough’s local history societies as well. Willesden Local History Society’s monthly meeting, at 7.30pm on Wednesday 18 October, has an illustrated talk on “Willesden’s Post-War Prefab Homes” (I must declare an interest again!). The meeting will be held in St. Mary’s Parish Church Hall, Neasden Lane, London NW10 2TS, and is free for the Society’s members. Visitors are also welcome, for a small charge.

 

Wembley History Society’s October meeting, on Friday 20 October at 7.30pm, is an illustrated talk, with some “finds”, by Dr Will Rathouse (Senior Community Archaeologist with the Thames Discovery Programme) on "The Archaeology of the Thames Foreshore". This meeting will take place at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Lane, Kingsbury, London NW9 8RZ. Again, visitors are very welcome to attend, for a contribution of £3 towards expenses of the meeting.

Philip Grant.

Appreciating Ken Livingstone and his contribution to Brent and London

 

 

 

 I tweeted the above this afternoon when I saw the image on the Brent and Kilburn Times website and the accompanying story was little better. The quote was from a short-term Liberal Democrat councillor who was later disowned by her own party. She made no impact on Brent politics, certainly not on national politics and did little for the Brent people. To choose her to comment on someone who for all his faults did make one hell of an impact is beyond belief. To use the quote as a headline just leaves me speechless.

 

As someone who spent a considerable amount of time caring for a parent with dementia I would like to express my personal sympathy, support, solidarity and respect to Ken Livingstone and his family.

The story https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/23801998.ex-london-mayor-ken-livingstone-suffering-alzheimers/ does not even mention his period as an MP for Brent East or his leadership of the GLC where he became, from his office across the river from Parliament, a highly effective thorn in the flesh of Margaret Thatcher with his criticism of her politics and a powerful banner campaign.

It was a sign of his efefctiveness that the Tory Government moved to abolish the GLC and the Inner London Education Authority.

Ken pioneered policies that tackled racism, sexism and homophobia and funded grassroots groups at the forefront of those issues.  I was one of a group of teachers, called All London Teachers and Racism (ALTARF) that won a  GLC grant that enabled us to employ a full-time worker to spearhead our work on an anti-racist curriculum, producing several books and even a BBC Open Door programme. It is work, along with that of other funded groups,  that has stood the test of time.

 

To give a fuller picture I reproduce below, with permission, an article from Jewish Voice for Labour. First published on their websute HERE. 

 

 

On Ken Livingstone

We publish here a tribute by Graham Bash to Ken Livingstone, who has sadly been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. 

Graham recalls Ken’s achievements as leader of the Greater London Council until its abolition by Margaret Thatcher in 1986 and as Mayor of London 2000-2008; his immense talent as an intuitive practical politician; his uncompromising anti-racism;  his ability to cut across political divisions and build alliances. Graham notes Ken’s weaknesses, which at times infuriated left-wing friends almost as much as his successes enraged adversaries on the right. He also records the shameful behaviour of many erstwhile allies who failed to show Ken the solidarity he deserved when facing totally unfounded allegations of antisemitism.

 

 

 

by Graham Bash

Breaking the mould of British politics

The news that Ken Livingstone has Alzheimer’s disease and is now in retirement is very sad and we in JVL send him our very best wishes.

It is all too easy to forget the enormity of the achievements of the Greater London Council of which he was leader in the 1980s. It broke the mould of British politics, gave hope to millions of the most disadvantaged people in London and showed that a determined socialist administration could take on the Tories and win mass popular support.

And this was achieved against Thatcher’s vicious Tory government -and with a GLC Labour Group that had nowhere near a left wing majority. That was testimony to Ken’s greatest strengths – his immense talent as an intuitive practical politician and his ability to cut across political divisions and build alliances.

His other great achievement as leader of the GLC was his commitment to equalities and the liberation of the oppressed – to Black people, women, Irish, lesbians and gays. He played a pivotal role on the issue of Ireland, tirelessly fighting for peace and building links with Sinn Fein.

He helped to introduce a new vocabulary into our political discourse. As he was later to write: “It was only with the 1981 GLC administration that they [equalities] finally took their rightful place alongside and integrated with the traditional agenda of the left”.

And those of us old enough to remember will recall those wonderful banners on County Hall facing the Houses of Parliament, such as “74% of Londoners Oppose GLC Abolition: LONDON’S NOT FOR TURNING”.

Ken had his political weaknesses. He was a wonderful practical politician – but he lacked that ideological tempering that would have avoided the worst mistakes of his volte face on rate-capping, for example, and ended up in an alliance on this critical issue against the left.

But there was a second and third coming of Ken – as a left wing Labour MP for Brent East (1987-2001) and as Mayor of London. As Mayor, he again showed his political weakness when he urged RMT members to cross a picket line in a London Underground dispute, a move which angered many trade union and party activists. Yet also as Mayor, he had the considerable achievement of introducing the Congestion Charge – in the teeth of opposition which involved fighting a court action.

The congestion charge raised revenue that was used to increase the numbers of buses, their routes and timing. That shifted transport provision towards low-income and no income people, who proportionately rely more on buses than trains and tubes. Other transport improvements were improving cycle routes and giving interest-free loans to buy bikes – even though he didn’t know how to ride a bike himself!

He was perhaps the greatest anti-racist leader the Labour Party has ever produced. So the allegations of antisemitism were in my opinion an obscenity. His crime was telling the truth about the Haavara Agreement in the 1930s – in which some Zionist organisations played a role in breaking the anti-Hitler trade boycott that threatened to bring the new Nazi regime to its knees.

Yes, his formulations were clumsy and his intervention was tactically unhelpful. But his essential point was true, as can be seen from the book by the Zionist, Edwin Black, The Transfer Agreement.

Ken was let down by the Labour Party and by many of his comrades on the left who forgot the simple word – “solidarity”. It is a shame we must not forget.

We wish Ken well in what we hope will be many years of retirement.

Mike Cushman adds:

As a Londoner, I celebrate how Ken changed the city I live for the better in many more ways than those already mentioned in Graham’s appreciation. These are just three

1.    The transformation of the South Banks (in cooperation with much missed Tony Banks) from an arts centre for an elite who were already immersed in prestigious culture to an arts and social space enjoyed by a vast swathe of Londoners exhibiting artistic endeavours reflective of many experiences. This turned spaces, cold and empty outside performance times, into somewhere warm, lively and busy

2.    The development of a bike hire scheme that was only due to be completed after he left office and were misnamed Boris Bikes

3.    The Popular Planning Unit which transformed how local authorities could get involved in economic development with the engagement of local communities and which supported many initiatives with environmental aspects thirty years before they became common concerns

And of course the Olympics which only came to London because of his hard graft and which he was spitefully excluded from in 2012

Madeleine Kingston adds:

I worked with Ken for several years when he was Mayor of London. I was a middle aged woman and he was always lovely to work with, extremely egalitarian, never patronising and always generous, courteous and respectful. He always related to me as a comrade and a friend.

 

The Barham Park Trust – Brent’s “answer” to my two important questions.

Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

On 21 September, Martin published an open email I’d sent to Brent’s Chief Executive, seeking replies to two important questions I’d asked in an open letter of 4 September. My email said: ‘These two questions are still fundamental ones, which need to be answered, and the answers considered, before the Trust, or Brent Council, spend any more money on the Strategic Property Review.’

 

 

On 22 September, I received the following reply from Kim Wright, and as I have publicised my questions, I think it only fair that you should be able to read her reply. It is set out in full below:-

 

 

Dear Mr Grant,

 

Thank you for your email. I apologise that your previous correspondence has not been responded to.

 

You make reference to the proposal to redevelop the buildings at Barham Park, and ask two specific questions in relation to that. 

 

At this stage the proposal is hypothetical, intending only to show what might be possible and/or necessary in order to upgrade the buildings and safeguard their future over the longer term. There is nothing definitive or decided at this stage so there is no actual development against which to ask those questions.

 

As you are aware, the buildings are in poor condition and need significant investment so, at the Trust meeting on the 5th September, it was simply resolved that officers should seek to further develop these plans to establish whether an improvement project is even viable. They are some way off completing that work, given that decision was only made a couple of weeks ago.

 

It was further resolved that a more detailed business case, which will of course take into account any relevant legal and planning obligations, should be brought to a future meeting for consideration. Any decision at that point will be fully informed by advice on lawfulness and alignment with the Local Plan/planning policies.

 

Next week’s meeting will not consider this matter, not least because it is too soon. The meeting is convened simply to consider the Trust’s accounts.

 

I hope this is helpful background and I thank you for your ongoing interest in Barham Park.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Kim Wright
Chief Executive
Brent Council

The Barham Park Trust – two important questions that still need answers!

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

On 4 September, ahead of the Barham Park Trust Committee meeting the following day, Martin published (with my permission) a copy of an Open Letter I had sent to Brent’s Chief Executive and the members of the Committee. I will ask Martin to attach the letter again, below.

 

Ground floor plan for the “Silver”, preferred option, redevelopment of the Barham Park buildings.

 

The Trust had already spent £25,000 of Brent Council money on a feasibility study, described as a Strategic Property Review. This was basically a plan to redevelop the Barham Park buildings, estimated to cost £3.2m, to generate more income for the Trust. It would do this by creating offices (in blue), shops (pink), a café (orange, where the present Barham Community Library is located) and two community spaces (light green, but which would be expected to pay commercial rents). The first floor plan showed all commercial business uses.

 

My Open Letter had raised two fundamental questions, which Council Officers and Trust Committee members did not appear to have asked themselves. If the answer to either of those questions was “No”, then any expenditure on this project (which the Trust still claims is ‘hypothetical’) would be a waste of money, because it could never happen.

 

Although Cllr. Muhammed Butt, the Chair of the Trust Committee, had acknowledged receipt of my Open Letter, I’ve received no answer to the questions, and there is no evidence that they have even been considered. With another meeting of the Barham Park Trust Committee scheduled for Tuesday 26 September, I sent this email to Kim Wright, Brent’s Chief Executive, this morning (Thursday 21 September):-

 

‘Barham Park Trust Committee on 26 September - Fundamental Questions to which answers are still needed

 

This is an open email

 

Dear Ms Wright,

 

I am addressing this email to you, as you are the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Brent, which is the Sole Trustee of the Barham Park Trust.

 

I'm attaching again a copy of an open letter which I sent to you, and the members of the Barham Park Trust Committee, on 4 September. I realise that time was very short to answer the two questions my letter raised, before the Trust Committee meeting on 5 September, and they were not mentioned or answered at that meeting. ( And they have not been answered since then.)

 

These two questions are still fundamental ones, which need to be answered, and the answers considered, before the Trust, or Brent Council, spend any more money on the Strategic Property Review. 

 

1. Would it be lawful for the Trust to carry out the proposed redevelopment? 

 

2. Would the proposed redevelopment comply with Brent’s Local Plan? 

 

The 5 September meeting resolved to allow the Director for Environment and Leisure Services in consultation with the Chair of the Trust Committee to spend more money, without considering these key points. If the answer to either, or both, of these questions is "No", spending more money on this "hypothetical" project would be a reckless waste of Council and/or Barham Park Trust funds.

 

These two questions need urgent consideration, and I would urge you to arrange for the relevant Council Officers to consider them, honestly, and present reports, and any recommendations, on them to the Barham Park Trust Committee meeting on 26 September. 2023.

 

I realise that these questions are not on the agenda for the meeting, but I am sure you can arrange with the Head of Executive and Member Services (I'm afraid that I don't know who she is now) to include them under item 7, Any Other Urgent Business. The urgency is to avoid the risk of unnecessary and wasted expenditure.

 

I would hope that the Committee Reports on these two questions can be published, with the agenda on the Council's website, by Monday afternoon, 25 September. Thank you. Best wishes,

 

Philip Grant.’

 

Second 'Friends of Barham Park' announced at Monday's Council Meeting to collaborate with the Trustees

 

The Sudbury Matters Forum Friends of Barham Park 'official' website

The Sudbury Matters Forum made a presentation to the Brent Council meeting on Monday in which they announced,because of the feasibility plans being explored for Barham Park by Brent Council, they had set up a Friends of Barham Park.

On September 15th I had received first notification from Francis Henry, of Barham Community Lbrary  that a Friends of Barham park had been set up to protect the park.

 

 

The Sudbury Matters presentation emphasised that their FoBP would be 'independent, inclusive, non-partisan and representative of the diverse communities that make up Brent' perhaps hinting that they felt the other FoBBwas none of these things.  However, it appears that some current and former Brent Labour councillors have been involved in setting up the second Friends.

Sudbury Matters  revealed that they had already engaged with the Trustees and council officers and said, 'We are committed to ensuring this (their oral emphasis) Friends Group is managed by residents whose sole aim is to preserve the integrity of this inheritance for current and future generations.'

Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, could not have been more effusive (in stark contrast to how he later reacted to the presentation by Liberal Democrat Paul Lorber of the 1,000 Save Our Parks petition) welcoming the 'hand of friendship', the 'positive' initiative' and 'embracing the culture of collaboration'.

He swiftly tweeted his gratitude:

Although, the Sudbury Matters FoBP styled themselves 'official' it is unclear what this means and whether there is any established procedure regarding recognition by the council or other relevant organisations.

As I suggested to people from both FoFB groups outside of the meeting, it is really important that they work together to avoid classic divide and rule tactics by the council.

A Wembley Matters reader contacted me to  ask me to add these questions to any piece I was writing about the situation.

 I'm puzzled. 

• Has the Sudbury Town Residents' Association, which was effectively the neighbourhood forum for that area, ceased to exist?
  
• If not, what do they think about it? 
• Is Brent Council, and its leadership, trying to sideline STRA, and replace it with a more compliant body?
  
• Is the name, Sudbury Matters, an acknowledgement that residents have come to trust what they read on Wembley Matters, rather than anything issued by Brent Council, and attempt to hijack that trust for itself?

A Musical Journey along the Danube – at St Andrew’s Church, Kingsbury, Saturday 23 September at 7pm

 

Following on from its successful Heritage Open Day last Saturday, St Andrew’s Church in Kingsbury is opening its doors to the local community again next Saturday evening, for a concert. The Magic Violin String Trio and Mihajlo Stojanov Gruen will be performing music from along the River Danube, “From Vienna towards the Black Sea”.

Tickets are £10 each, either in advance on Eventbrite or at the door, and the proceeds will go towards the restoration of the beautiful Victorian building you will be sitting in as you enjoy the music. The concert begins at 19:00hrs (7pm), and you can find out more and book tickets via the Rekindling St Andrews website.

Kilburn tower block fire shows the necessity for Brent Council to engage with tenants - contribute to the engagement strategy and make it REAL!

 

 

Yesterday I asked a supplementary question on the Building Safety Act following the written answers provided prior to the meeting LINK. I will leave readers to judge whether the question was answered. 

Coincidentally, a fire broke out on the 13th floor of the tower block in Kilburn Square as the Council Meeting went on and Kilburn councillors left the meeting to go to the scene.

Life in Kilburn tweeted that there had been previous warnings about fires in that particular flat and these had gone unheeded by Brent Council.

 

The Daily Mirror followed this up and published a full piece HERE.

Three people have now been arrested in connection with the fire.

 

 

 

In 2017 I wrote an article on Wembley Matters about how the Kensington and Chelsea Council tried to silence a local blog, the Grenfell Action Group that had written about their concerns over the risks at Grenfell LINK prior to the fire and deaths. If one major lesson has emerged it is that residents who actually live in the blocks should be listened to and councils should engage with them.

 

That is being implemented six years on through a Resident Engagement Strategy. The council have a legal duty to set up a Resident Engagement strategy for each of the 41 Brent high-rises, including Kilburn Square.

 

Each strategy will allow anyone living in each building to engage with the council in making any decisions on both fire safety and structural issues in each high-rise.

 

These Resident Engagement strategies come within The Building Safety Act with most of it coming into force on the 1st October 2023.

 

The council are currently holding a consultation into what each strategy should include and they want to hear from anyone who lives in any of the 41 buildings in scope.

 

The Consultation can be found HERE. Brent Council explains:

 

The Building Safety Act (2022) introduced new requirements for building owners to demonstrate their ability to identify and manage safety risks in the properties they have responsibility for.

The Act specifically requires landlords to establish an engagement strategy for 'higher risk buildings' (18m in height OR seven storeys or more and containing at least 2 flats) and the document attached is a proposed engagement strategy for the 41 'higher risk buildings' owned and managed by Brent Housing Management.

 

The strategy details:

• What information will be provided to residents
• What decisions they will be consulted on
• How residents views will be taken into account; and
  

How the appropriateness of consultation undertaken will be measured

 

The draft strategy is embedded below: