Towards the end of October, we are planning to carry out a five-month programme of essential maintenance work at Brent Reservoir Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), also known as the Welsh Harp.
What will this include?
The reservoir works, which are supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery,
will include repairs to the chains and rods that operate the
reservoir's sluices; and repainting the Valve House Tower from where the
sluice gates which control the water levels in the reservoir are
operated.
To complete the statutory works, which are required
under the Reservoir Act 1975 and were identified during an inspection in
2021, the reservoir will need to be fully drained.
A fish rescue
will be carried out whilst the reservoir is being drained. As well as
employing our own dredging contractor to clear debris from the
reservoir, we are planning to work with volunteers and our partners to
clear the rubbish that is expected to be revealed when water levels are
reduced.
A significant urban wild space
Ros
Daniels, our director for London & South East, explains: “The Welsh
Harp, with Brent Reservoir at its heart, is one of London's most
significant urban wild spaces. We are planning to carry out these
essential statutory repairs to the reservoir's structures over the
winter months so as not to impact nesting birds, including great crested
grebes.
KEEP YOUR CHILDREN OFF THE MUDDY DRAINED AREA
“The Reservoir will remain open to the public throughout
the works, but signs will be up warning people not to walk onto the
Reservoir's drained area and mud.
“Sadly we are expecting to see a
lot of rubbish again when the Reservoir is fully drained, just as we
did back in January 2021, when we partially drained the reservoir to
inspect the dam and Valve House.
“We’d like to work with
volunteers and our partners to take the opportunity to clear as much of
the rubbish that will be revealed as possible, and we are planning to
launch a Crowd Funding campaign to help support that work”
A joint vision
Also known as The Welsh Harp, Brent Reservoir was built in 1835 to supply water to the Grand Union Canal. Today, surrounded by buildings and fast roads, it provides valuable green open space for people and wildlife.
Made
up of representatives from us, the Greater London Authority, London
boroughs of Brent and Barnet, London Wildlife Trust, Thames21, the Welsh
Harp Strategy Group was formed in 2019 to work together to create a
Joint Vision for the future of the site as a place for wildlife and
people. The group is planning to publish its Joint Vision for the site
on 28 July.
Timeline
Monday 25 September
We
started two-week programme of reed marsh habitat improvements at the
East Marsh, using our specialist contractor Land & Water Services.
Monday 2 October
Our Crowd Funding campaign is live, and we're asking for your support for rubbish removal once the reservoir is drained.
Monday 30 October
We
plan to start draining the reservoir ahead of statutory maintenance
works, including repairs to the chains and rods that operate the
reservoir’s sluices and repainting the Valve House tower.
Wednesday 1-3 November
Our contractor Rothens will begin a three-day programme of debris removal from the reservoir.
Friday 10 and Wednesday 22 November
We are planning some volunteer clean-up events. People will be able to sign-up to take part via our Eventbrite links.
Video created from photographs provided by the letter writer
I reported on last week’s Brent Renters meeting calling on Brent Council
to take action on bad landlords, but what happens when it is the council itself that is the bad landlord? Wembley Matters has received this letter.
Dear Editor,
South Kilburn is a lively and friendly community.
My neighbours are quiet but ever so respectful.
We look out for one another.
With a predominantly Black and African community the English language is
not the first language of most residents however, it does not create a barrier.
In fact, it sometimes draws people together in support for each other, whether
it be housing, schooling, benefits, or young people’s needs. We support each
other where we can.
There is a great deal of deprivation and poverty.
With many temporary tenants living in council properties and being
charged £440pw, the cost of living crisis, is nothing new to them. Many of them
have been living in such conditions for 9+ years, hardly temporary?
They were promised that, should they vote for the regeneration bid, upon
its succession, they would be placed in new-build properties with a choice of
paint colour, kitchen fittings, flooring, and new white goods, some even a dish
washer!
However, this has not been the case. The council carried out housing
needs assessments for every individual to gain knowledge of exactly what was needed
but, they failed to deliver many of their promises and continue to do so.
Many tenants have been forced to move to new areas outside South Kilburn
despite being promised they could stay.
Not enough new-builds and not enough of the required bedroom sizes!
But didn’t the council carry out assessments? Yes they did?
What happened to the planning and the order of blocks to be-rehoused?
After the succession of the bid, it all changed – it all fell apart and
promises were broken.
So, the people moving to new-builds received the promises of flooring
and paint etc. However, the others
forced to take re-lets are being failed.
They must move urgently- within 1 week, to properties with no flooring
down, an empty shell.
Where are they supposed to find the money to start all over again?
There are disruption payments to be had according to the council yet,
many are refused and if they are lucky enough to be chosen to receive it, they must
wait up to 3 months to receive it!
Some are reimbursed for their flooring and white goods, some even for their
curtains but some are not, with the council picking and choosing who can and
can not be reimbursed. It this discrimination?
But Countryside and the Mayor’s office are providing the council with
this money to take care of the tenants. If it’s not going to tenants, where is
it going?
They are not even following their own promises and despite the tenants
complaining to heads of departments, they are simply passed from pillar to post
with no answer.
The council have no fear of breaking the law as the tenants have no-one
fighting for them. Even MP Tulip Siddiq is doing nothing to assist vulnerable
tenants.
Is it because Labour can not fight itself?
The electricity bills in the blocks are huge and the saddest part is,
regardless of how much they do spend on heating, the properties are ice cold.
The health risks to tenants living in damp and mould riddled flats are
at an all time high.
One of the residents, a mother of 4 and 3 asthmatics had pneumonia three
times in one winter and the year before 2 pneumonia and sepsis. Still, she was
afraid to put the heating on because she could not afford the bills and was
falling deeper and deeper into utility debt. How could she find a way to clear
it when all avenues seemed to be closed?
They are left in thousands of pounds worth of debt because of the
electricity bills. The properties are insufficient, no insulation and ineffective
heating units.
Go and earn more money you say?
With the majority of residents having at least one person working, it’s
impossible to up your income.
Why? As the wage increases the more hours you work, the council simply reduce
the Housing Benefit top-up that is essential to pay the £440pw rent. They trap
you into the Benefits system with no hope of getting out unless you become
secure tenants paying council rents.
The more you earn, the less Housing Benefit you receive and the family’s
chance of living better is diminished.
We have hard working families paying £440pw rent and £1000/£2000 pm
electricity! That’s without council tax, water, food etc
What happens then? The children suffer.
Less food on the table, freezing cold mould and damp living conditions, parents
constantly stressed because they can’t make ends meet and provide even
essentials for their children or themselves.
No talks of holidays, new clothes, toys or even a day out!
We have knife, gun and gang crime around every corner - but it’s the norm.
The last three to four months have taken a turn for the worst, become
more dangerous due to the high number of squatters living in the blocks.
All night long it’s screaming, fighting, cursing and break-ins.
Parents and children are fearful to step into the blocks and afraid to
open their front door! Cannabis farms growing, pipes and boilers being stolen
and sold for money resulting in tenants homes being flooded and their few
positions ruined.
Whilst we are fearful, we are concerned with the amount of squatters who
have nowhere to turn. They run their own rings, charging other squatters to
live in abandoned houses in the blocks. When they can’t pay up, they beat them
up and throw them out. It’s horrifying, the wails and screams, the sounds of
blows to the bodies of desperate and destitute men and women.
Prostitution, it’s also included in the list, men coming and going all
night because the women are being pimped out and beaten.
The council put two security guards outside for four days. Whilst they
are in their car with no toilet or place to get a warm drink, the squatters are
upstairs in the blocks and there’s no change.
Then we have the schools, they seem to run the same ethos as Brent Council,
ignore complaints and carry-on?
Despite receiving petitions and concerns of safeguarding from parents, they
simply choose to ignore it. The governors simply refuse to hold meetings with
parents?
They take the case to Brent education and the same response?
They take it to Ofsted who agree based on information received, it needs
to be investigated.Ofsted write to
Brent Council and raise concerns requesting investigation and Brent reply to
Ofsted with ... No further investigation needed!!
What do we expect to produce in South Kilburn?
The next generation thriving and positively optimistic about a bright
future?
Where would they ever get this impression from when all they see is doom
and gloom?
Parents working hard but never having enough.
Parents, that when chidlren look at them, their faces are etched with pain and
struggle.
From where are the young people given hope and is it the faults of the
parents, or the people with whom the responsibilities and power is given to
make a change?
Poor housing, poor schools and
poor finances.
No opportunities to thrive yet still, you see the smiling friendly faces
of the South Kilburn tenants toward each other, while secretly, their hearts
and hopes are broken.
I love living in South Kilburn, the residents are very special people
who deserve more.
A large house at 26 Salmon Street, Kingsbury NW9, built within the last 10 years, is set to be replaced by a four storey block of 13 flats.
Wembley Matters warned that the approval of Krishna Court, a block of flats that replaced a family house on the opposite corner of Queens Walk, could lead to similar applications. Krishna Court, claimed to have been an addition to Brent housing stock, is in fact an AirB&B and despite being notificed as far as I know Brent Council has taken no enforcement action on it. Krishna Court is 8 flats. The application for 26 Salmon Street (image below) is for 13 flats.
Developers are consulting with the public this evening and tomorrow about their plans. See LINK
We are proud to bring forward
this development of much need high quality homes, having undertaken a
significant design process for this new building. We are looking forward
to meeting our neighbours, hearing your comments, and considering them before
submitting an application in the autumn.
This proposal, for much-needed homes, is for
a four-storey building with 13 new homes including:
Two studio flats
Three 1-bed flats
Four 2-bedroom flats
Four 3-bedroom flats
Community Amenity Area and Play Space
We are including a secluded courtyard and community amenity area and play space at the rear of the site.
At the ground floor, large amenity areas for all residents are
provided fronting onto Salmon Street and adjacent to 43 Queens Walk.
Parking
Parking will be provided at the side of the property on the Queens
Walk elevation. We are including 7 car parking spaces and 23 cycle
spaces.
When residents commented that this post was the first they had heard of the proposal I rang the PR company and they say they wrote to neighbours on Salmon Street,
Queens Walk, Deanscroft Avenue, Tudor Close, Bruno Place and part of
Kingsmere Park.
On the other side of Salmon Street at Number 39. It says it is a family home...
I am publishing the Agenda for tonight's Kilburn Connects on-line meeting as it was not published on the above Brent Council website page.
There are several important items including an update on Kilburn Square Regeneration proposals and an interesting 'New Community Review Panel for Planning'. After recent events it would be good to see some specific actions under Keeping Young People Safe'.
In a unique event in Brent, around 100 people gathered in Willesden yesterday to negotiate the demands of Brent Private Renters for action by Brent Council against landlords who failed to remedy damp and mould in their properties. The meeting was a mixture of a detailed questioning akin to a Scrutiny Meeting, and a US style Town Hall meeting with passionate testimonies by renters about their treatment at the hands of their landlords and Brent Council officers.
One contributor said that this was an attempt to hold the council to account and to their credit Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council and Cllr Promise Knight, Lead member for Housing, took on the challenge. It is a strategy that other campaigns may do well to sdopt.
The councillors and representatives from Brent Renters sat around a large table on the stage and the lively audience witnessed the proceedings from the floor. The recording below gives you a taste - it is dark because slides were projected to show the evidence that had been gathered.
Images of damp and mould projected on the wall
It was clear that Brent Renters had managed to organise a very broad cross-section of the community and I was struck by the passion and eloquence of the several Somali women who spoke, sometimes in Somali, with controlled righteous anger about their experiences.
Brent Renters had set out the basic facts and their demands:
Most of the
Private Rented housing stock in Brent is old and very badly maintained. 65.7% is preWWII
(relating to more than 100,000 residents), much of that 19th century. Landlords
have no incentive to do repairs when the power to evict is so great, the demand
is so high, and the punishment is so lacking.
The council
estimates that 10,108 family homes have a serious health hazard in them, In the
areas with the most dangerous housing (those that a selective licensing scheme
has just been agreed within - Willesden Green, Dollis Hill, and Harlesden and
Kensal Green) the council aims to deal with at most 10% of the most serious
hazards this year.
.
In the vast
majority of the borough (everywhere outside Wembley Park) 1 in every 5 private
rented homes contains a serious danger to the health and safety of tenants,
more than double the London average (9%).
In the worst
wards, there are an estimated 2374 properties with at least one Category 1
hazard. The council’s plans for this year involve dealing with 250 hazards of
any severity- many properties have multiple hazards, and many hazards are
category 2, so in fact the council is likely to make far less than 10% of these
properties free from serious risk this year.
It’s
outrageous that many of us are paying £2000 a month in rent to get asthma and
mould poisoning - our housing shouldn’t make us sick.
We are all
paying the price for dangerous housing. Because landlords aren’t reinvesting
rental income into maintaining their properties, taxpayers are footing the NHS
bill for the health problems they are causing. We can’t go through another
winter like the last - our children deserve better.
Poor housing
cost the NHS £340 million last year. The average cost of dealing with damp in a
property is £3590 (BRE report). The total annual cost to the NHS is over £38
million, which would be paid back within 7 years were damp to be remediated.
The total annual cost to society of damp is £96 million, which would be paid
back within 2.8 years.
Brent
Council must:
○Agree a timeline with the London Renters Union for dealing with the 10,000
unsafe private rented homes in Brent, and recruit the staff to do it.
○Ensure
that Environmental Health cases can never be closed before sending a report on
what has been done to the tenant and confirming it with them.
○Make
interpretation available for the PRS enforcement team, especially in,Arabic, Somali, Portuguese, Romanian, Urdu
and Hindi.
○Inspect
ALL properties where a landlord has applied for a licence within 1 year,
instead of 50% over 5 years.
○Issue
Improvement Notices that protect us
from eviction while dealing with disrepair, and fine the landlords that refuse
to fix up.
The renters wanted faster action on the Category 1 homes that include a danger to life and pointed out that many homes have multiple hazards at Category 2. Renters spoke out about their own illnesses and those of their children as a result of damp and mould and the sometimes unhelpful assessments that has been made. One example was a claim by officers that the condition of one property was due to 'condensation' when they had been sent video of a leak.
Responding Cllr Butt referred to government cuts in council funding and £18m savingsthe council had to make. Cllr Knight said that the council were going to increase the number of enforcement officers by double the existing number (12 instead of 4) which would enable more inspections to be made. Cllr Butt said that rather than instantly fine landlords they had to give them the chance to remedy defects.
Renters said that upping the number of fines would raise funds that the council could reinvest in enforcement, creating an income stream enabling employment of more enforcement officers. At present monies raised were not reinvested in the service. They also suggested an extension of landlord licensing across the borough and a higher licensing charge in line with other boroughs (£640 vs £750). Muhammed Butt said the 2024-25 budget was in the first stages of drafting and without promising anything he would look at the possibiltiies.
It was clear from the contributions that intimidation from landlords and threat of eviction if they complained was a real problem. If evicted, homeless families then had to deal with housing officers who had a huge workload. The council was urged, 'Put more people out there so officers are not so over-stretched that they treat people badly.'
At present the licensing system covers only three wards: Harlesden and Kensal Green, Willesden Green and Dollis Hill. Renters wanted to see the number increased but Prmise Knight said that this would have to be agreed by the Secretary of State. She urged that residents provide evidence to the council to help them make their case.
800 people have signed the Brent Renters petition and this shows the strength of feeling. One renter summed up, 'People have complained and feel like Brent Council doesn't listen to them. Perhaps, here today, maybe they are listening.'
After the meeting London Renters commented on what they had gained from the meeting:
What did we win in our negotiation?
🔰 A plan with targets on dealing with Category 1 hazards and unsafe homes for borough-wide licensing by the end of the year
🔰 A commitment to a pilot project in Harlesden and Kensal Green, Willesden Green and Dollis Hill, including increasing current targets for dealing with unsafe homes.
🔰 Council leader Butt to talk to finances side of council about increasing enforcement capacity, and whether income from fines can be included to increase budgets.
🔰 Improvement notices to be issued every time there is a Category 1 hazard!
🔰 Interpretation to be offered for main languages so that people can access the Private Housing Service and complain, and forms reworked in plain English.
🔰 An aim to ensure that cases are not closed before speaking to the tenant, by discussing with senior officers and creating a concrete plan.
I wrote about concerns over the Government's Anti-Boycott Bill some time ago LINK so I was pleased to see that Islington Council last night approved a motion opposing the Bill and pointing out its difficulties. The initial motion was moved by two Green councillors, and amended by Labour. The final motion (below) was passed unanimously:
This Council notes:
The “Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill”, otherwise
known as the "anti-boycott bill", is slowly making its way through Parliament,
and passed its second reading in July.
The government’s planned anti-boycott bill poses a threat to local democracy,
freedom of expression and civil society campaigns. It will shield states involved
in practices that many people in this country find abhorrent, including genocide
and occupation.
If approved, the bill will restrict the ability of public bodies such as local
authorities, universities, and some pension funds to make ethical decisions
about investment and procurement. It will violate the rights of individual pension
holders to invest their pensions in line with their values.
The Labour Party tabled an amendment to the bill which sought to allow public
bodies to make their own investment and procurement decisions and remove
the threat of fines, ensuring that that such decisions are in accordance with an
ethical investment framework that is applied equally across the board. This
amendment was defeated in the House of Commons
A broad coalition of over seventy organisations including charities, trade
unions, human rights and faith organisations are working publicly to stop the
bill, alongside the Scottish government.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK's Chief Executive, called the bill
“pernicious” and said “it will close off a key means to hold companies to
account and once again show that this Government thinks little of the plight of
persecuted communities around the world.”
Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan, revealed that the Labour Party has taken legal
advice over the bill, calling it “bad law” and stating that lawyers had raised
concerns that the bill could lead the way for endless litigation in the courts over
the practice of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
This Council further notes:
Procurement of goods and services is an important part of councils’
expenditure with third party revenue expenditure totalling around £60 billion a
year across local government. This council spends £650million with almost
6,000 providers.
In our progressive procurement strategy – adopted in 2020 – we seek to
encourage and amplify the award of work, supply and service contracts to
companies and professionals that perform public contracts with a business
model based on ethical behaviour, and to promote democratic participation and
drive social innovation.
The framework incorporates a series of mandatory ethical requirements that we
expect of ourselves and from those who want to do business with the council.
By ethical behaviour, we define this as decent wages, fair employment
practices, safeguards against modern slavery and environmental sustainability.
In 2018, Islington became the first council nationally to sign the Charter Against
Modern Slavery
Over 80 local authorities across the UK have now signed the Charter, which
Islington Council helped draft. Addressing modern slavery is a key priority for
the council, with work on it overseen by the Safer Islington Partnership. We
have an ongoing training programme to assist staff and partners to identify the
signs of modern slavery.
We use our leverage as a major commissioner to encourage suppliers to
support and endorse accreditations and charters such as ethical procuring and
supply chain visibility.
Trade Unions have an important role to play in the fight against modern slavery
and exploitation by supporting and championing workers’ rights. Workers and
providers are frequently not aware of their rights and responsibilities. It is for
that reason that the Council has taken a stand against blacklisting of trade
union members and emphasise this requirement as mandatory.
BDS has a centuries-long tradition as a successful method of peaceful protest
and local government has played its part in following this democratic political
practice.
BDS campaigns have been used by social movements to change the course of
history for the better.
Concerned members of the public and local authorities have championed BDS
tactics in prominent campaigns such as the 1963 Bristol bus boycott, the
rejection of sugar produced on slave plantations, led by nineteenth century
British citizens, and divestment from fossil fuel companies. The best-known
boycott was the campaign to end apartheid in South Africa.
During the campaign to end South African apartheid, similar limitations were
introduced. Nonetheless, millions of people, including local councils, continued
their support for the movement.
In 2016, a UK High Court ruled that the boycotts of Israeli settlement goods by
local authorities in Leicester and Wales were not anti-Semitic, nor did they
contravene laws on equality.
Restricting the ability of local councils to engage in BDS in wrong. In a world
where Uyghur’s, undergoing ethnic cleansing, are forced to produce garments
and commodities, where local government pension funds are invested in arms
companies known to be complicit in violations of Palestinian human rights, and
where Saudi Arabia, accused of crimes against humanity, is the world’s largest
oil exporter, we need these tactics to hold those complicit to account.
This Council resolves to:
Write to the Prime Minister to share, and ask him to consider, the legal opinion
published by the Labour Party on the rights of councils to boycott oppressive
regimes and illegal practices, emphasising the need for councils to make their
own decisions on procurement and investment matters.
Continue to ensure that our own ethical procurement strategy doesn’t include
procuring goods and services produced by oppressive regimes,
The weekend's stabbings in Wembley Park and Neasden, as well as the death in Croydon, were very much on our minds last night at the Brent and Harrow hustings for the Green Party candidate for the GLA constituency.
The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee chaired by Green Assembly Member Caroline Russell, has launched an investigation into preventing violence and protecting young people. It will consider the root
causes of violence affecting young people in London and what the Mayor and
Metropolitan Police are doing to prevent violence in communities.
You can submit your own evidence to the investigation. Details from the GLA below.
How to respond
The deadline
for submission is Friday 13 October 2023.
The
Committee would like to invite anyone with knowledge or experience of violence
affecting young people to submit views and information to the investigation,
including those working to protect young people and prevent violence, giving
you the opportunity to inform the Committee’s work and influence its
recommendations. Therefore, this call for evidence is open to all who would
like to respond.
1.What are the
root causes of violence affecting young people in London?
2.What role do
non-policing solutions, including projects run by youth services, community
organisations and charities, play in preventing violence and protecting young
people in London? How do these projects help to reduce violence affecting young
people?
3.What more
should schools and education providers be doing to protect children and young
people at risk of violence in London?
4.What impact
has London’s Violence Reduction Unit had on reducing and preventing violence
since it was established in 2019?
5.How well
does the Met work with partner organisations to prevent and reduce violence
affecting young people? What more should it be doing?
6.What actions
should the Mayor be taking to build trust and confidence among young people and
protect communities that are most impacted by violence?
7.What action
should be taken to engage young Londoners in initiatives to protect and support
young people affected by violence?
The responses to this Call
for Evidence will be used to inform the Committee’s discussion with invited
stakeholders at its meetings in September and October 2023 and any subsequent
recommendations. These are open meetings which will be held in City Hall, and
anyone is welcome to attend as an audience member to watch the discussions.
They will also be broadcast online.
Following the
investigation, the Committee may produce an output in the form of a published
letter or report. Information and/or quotations from submissions to this call
for evidence may be used in this output, and we will ensure we cite you. We
generally inform those who have submitted evidence about the outcome of the
investigation in the form of link to a report or output when it is published.
