Not so 'simplistic' after all! Cllr Butt takes up Lib Dem suggestion on CIL with the Labour Government

 

 

From the Brent Infrastructure Funding Statement that went to Brent Cabinet in December 2023

Despite having dismissed Liberal Democrat Leader Anton Georgiou's suggestion that Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) could be used to bridge the funding gap ahead of a new local government finance settlement as 'simplistic', Cllr Butt Labour Leader has written to the Government asking for the flexibility to do just that.

Butt had told Cllr Georgiou, 'To make a simplistic statement that we can use CIL is counter-productive to the conversation.'

He has had been asked straightforwardly, 'Would you support asking the Government  to change the way CIL can be spent?'

There was no direct answer but just over a month later Cllr Butt and Cllr Tatler have written to the Labour Government stating that diminishing budgets meant that councils were looking for innovate ways to raise income:

 

I am therefore writing today to put forward an additional case for flexibility to ease restrictions around the usage of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds, devolving the decision making to local councils to decide how to invest in their local aras, as they see fit. It’s our responsibility, as a dual Labour administration, to get these funds to where they need to go.

 

Infrastructure projects alone cannot address the challenges which local areas and residents face. Greater flexibility in the use of CIL funds would mean that councils can address urgent non-infrastructure needs, allowing this council to pilot and pay for new projects that would meaningfully make a difference. Today, CIL funding cannot be utilised for investing in a new waste enforcement team, or community safety officers, for example. We therefore ought to expand the criteria if what we mean by infrastructure and impact mitigations, allowing for the recruitment and retention of additional staff to keep our borough safe and clean.

 

Easing restrictions does not mean abandoning fiscal responsibility, rather adapting to current realities and the challenges councils are facing. Councils can still practice sound financial management while using CIL more flexibly. Establishing clear guidelines and accountability for the use of CIL funds would ensure that the funds are used effectively and responsibly.

 

I urge the Government to implement these reasoned flexibilities and help us to unlock funding that is sorely needed today

 

This is not so very difference what Anton Georgiou had written earlier to Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Councils and Local Government:

 

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) has the potential to deliver improved infrastructure within local areas but there is a long wait for this. The stringent criteria imposed on the use of CIL makes it far too difficult to use.

 

As a result in the case of the London Borough of Brent the Council in its 2024/25 budget estimates that it will have a staggering £250 million of unused CIL in its reserves at the end of its financial year on 31 March 2025.

 

For years Councils have been pleading with the Conservative Government to set longer term Local Government financial settlements to provide some element of certainty and the ability for Councils to plan ahead. This has fallen on deaf ears.

 

There will inevitably be appeals to the new Labour Government to address this and more importantly to provide more money for local Government. Judging from the statement from the Chancellor this week the financial outlook is tough and the chances of more money for local Government are very slim.

 

There is however something very simple and quick that you could do for Local Government without extra money from the Treasury at this time:

 

Give local councils greater freedom and greater flexibility on how to use CIL for essential services (Revenue and Capital) in their area.

 

Currently the use of main CIL is extremely restrictive and expenditure which is normal in the course of everyday Council business cannot be funded. Brent for example has a massive backlog of road and pavement repairs due to decades of past underspending. Why cannot part of the large CIL pot not be used to tackle this backlog? Who benefits with the money being unspent and simply accumulating and ever growing reserves? It makes no sense at all.

 

At present 15% of CIL is allocated to a Neighbourhood Pot for local residents to allocate. Why not change the rules so that say 42.5% of the remainder is allocated to the expected infrastructure projects and the other 42.5% freed up to be used on essential Revenue and Capital spending to meet the Council’s own priorities.

 

Brent is not the only borough with large amount of unspent CIL. I am convinced that across Local Government the unused CIL pot will amount to many £Billions.

 

So why not do something positive and quick to help Local Government from its current funding crises and at no cost to the Treasury.

 

My colleague Councillor Paul Lorber wrote on this same issue to Michael Gove a few months ago. You won’t be surprised to learn that he received a negative answer which failed to address the issue – which Mr Gove probably failed to grasp.

 

I am hopeful that you not only understand the point I am making but that you are more sympathetic to the plight of Local Government and therefore more determined to free up some of the CIL money and thus help local Council’s to start tackling the backlog of accumulating neglect in their areas.

 

Hopefully, this is a sign of new maturity on Cllr Butt's part. After some reflection and perhaps discussion with colleagues and officers he has recognised that there was merit in the Opposition's suggestion of 'reasoned flexibilities' in the use of CIL. 

 

 

Perhaps it is not too late for a bi-partisan approach to the challenges facing Brent Council and its residents.

BURST WATER MAIN IN HARROW: Interruption to your water supply - HA0, HA3, HA7, HA9, NW8, NW9

 

Interruption to your water supply - HA0, HA3, HA7, HA9, NW8, NW9

Saturday 24th August 2024

UPDATE 16.00

What we’re doing

Our technician has assessed the burst and a repair team are on their way to help.

 

FROM AFFINITY WATER

No water

We’re really sorry you haven’t got any water. We’ve been made aware of a burst water main in Harrow which may be causing this.

What we’re doing

Our technician is on their way to your area to investigate and get your water flowing again soon.

What you can do

Until we’ve sorted this, please avoid using your:

• Washing machine
• Dishwasher
• Electrical appliances that use water

If you still have water, we recommend you put some in your kettle or fridge for drinking in case your water needs switching off for the repair.

We’re really sorry about this, we’re working to get your water back to normal as soon as possible.

We added this message at 14:35 and we'll update it again after 16:35. 

---

 

SIGN UP FOR TEXT ALERTS FROM AFFINITY WATER HERE: https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/alerts?id=10693

Brent Council consultations on alcohol and gambling licensing

 As Brent Council consultations have a low profile and a poor response rate I am publicising two more that are in progress. Both affect the daily lives of residents.

FROM BRENT COUNCIL

Statement of Licensing Policy Consultation -Alcohol

Every 5 years the Council is required to review, consult on and re-publish its Statement of Licensing Policy. The current Statement of Licensing Policy is due to be re-published in January 2025.

 

The Statement of Licensing Policy is a document that sets out the Council’s approach to issuing licences for the sale of alcohol and late night refreshment, the management of those licences and the expectations the Council has of licensees.

 

The Statement of Licensing Policy has been reviewed and refreshed to ensure that it is up to date and relevant to Brent’s current circumstances and how they affect the licensed economy.

 

We do encourage you to read the draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2025-2030, however, we have also outlined the key changes below:

 

Key changes and additions for the Licensing Policy

 

1.   The Licensing Policy has been updated for changes in laws and the Section 182 guidance. Including changes in pavement licences, a link to immigration status documentation and the inclusion of a policy to prepare for ‘Martyn’s Law’.

 

2.   In particular new policies have been included to outline expectations in the following areas:

a.   Addressing risks and harms to women and vulnerable people in the night time economy;

b.   Responding to the proposed Martyn’s Law by outlining event and large venue safety and risk assessment;

c.    Highlighting expectations for ‘dark kitchens’ an their premises to improve the operation and oversight of alcohol sales from these premises;

d.   Ensuring licenses are aware of their responsibilities in relation to drink spiking.

e.   Policies outlining expectations on delivery services and the dispersal of patrons from premises.

 

3.   We have also removed the policy on a voluntary Minimum Unit Price, this policy has not been used and other approaches have had a positive impact in the 

 

area of low cost, high strength alcohol sales.

 

The policy must now be fully reviewed, and re-published.

 

We have prepared a revised a draft policy for consultation purposes. The consultation began on August 8^th and ends on September 29^th. LINK

 

Draft Statement of Licensing policy 2025-30.pdf

(1.8 MB)

 

 Gambling Licensing Policy Consultation 2025 - 2028 - Gambling

Under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005, we must review the licensing policy statement every three years.

 

We base this policy on the three licensing objectives, which are:

• a) Preventing gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime.
• b) Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair an open way
• c) Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gaming.

 

The purpose of the policy is to share:

• the guiding principles that direct us in making licensing decisions
• issues that applicants will need to consider when making an application.
• the ways we will issue licenses
• the role and influence of representations
• how we will communicate with others and undertake our enforcement role in relation to gambling

 

This information is for residents and businesses and those who wish to run gambling establishments.

 

This policy was comprehensively reviewed last year and only minor amendments have been made.

The policy must now be fully reviewed, and re-published.

 

We have prepared a revised a draft policy for consultation purposes. Consultation began on August 5^th and ends on September 29^th.

 

Please fill out the consultation questions via our survey. LINK

 

Draft Statement of Principles for Gambling 2025.28.pdf

(1.3 MB)

Brent launches its campaign to encourage homeless families to move out of the borough: 'little prospect that temporary accommodation will lead to social housing'

 

Brent - Housing Crisis

 

On the 1st July Wembley Matters ran a story LINK  revealing that Brent Council were to run a campaign to urge people on the Council housing waiting list to 'up sticks and move somewhere else where private rents are lower'. 

That campaign was launched today with a video and website. At one level it can be seen as admitting that Brent housing policy has failed, along with government housing policy. Not enough council or social rent homes are being built to match the demand.

At another level it may be claimed that this is a form of social cleansing: poorer people with local connections are being forced to move out of London to find somewhere decent to live, but will also have to find jobs and school places. Brent Council has offered to help them with the move but will only make a ' one time' offer in the private sector to end homelessness.

A worry for some, perhaps underlined by the recent 'race' riots, is that families from ethnic minority backgrounds, will not feel welcome, or worse, in the towns that they move.

If the offer is taken up by the hundreds of families on the housing waiting list it will have implications for school rolls and therefore school finances. A school places review is already in progress with forms of entry reduced in some schools.

The 'child yield' of new developments (the number of children expected to move in or be born into the new developments) is expected to be low.

Another long term repercussion will be on the number of potential workers available to work in the borough, including those in the NHS and school, due to the unavailability of low cost housing.

Moving people out of Brent is not new. Back in 2017 research found that Brent was one of the worst councils for forcing people out of London. LINK

This is the Brent Council press release on the scheme:

Homeless people trapped in temporary accommodation for months on end are being urged to ‘find a place you can afford’ by Brent Council.

 

Brent has experienced a 23 percent increase in the number of homelessness applications – up from 6,000 to more than 7,300 – over the past three years. Each week, an average of 140 households are becoming homeless in Brent. Of all homeless households, around half are trapped in very basic and costly ‘temporary’ accommodation.

 

Government data shows that London accounts for 57% of England’s total number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation. Around 175,000 Londoners – equivalent to one in 50 residents of the capital – are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation arranged by their local borough. This figure includes one in 23 children, meaning on average there is at least one homeless child in every London classroom. The homeless emergency is being driven by a perfect storm of rising rents, which have soared by nearly 34% in Brent over the past year, a backlog of people being evicted since the pandemic, reduced supply of private rented housing and cost of living pressures.

 

“The number of homeless families we have in so called ‘temporary’ accommodation has now reached critical levels,” says Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council. “Sadly the reality is children are growing up in temporary accommodation, coming home from school to do their homework on the floor of a shared bathroom of a hostel and eating dinner perched on the side of their bed. This is a human tragedy but it’s not a situation of Brent’s making.

 

“Despite building more new homes than almost any other borough in the capital over the past decade, Brent is one of the places worst affected by London’s homelessness emergency. We just can’t build quickly enough to meet the tsunami of demand.”

 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of residents in temporary accommodation will eventually end up in the private rented sector outside of London due to the sky-high rents in London and lack of affordable housing in the capital. However, some homeless people believe that staying in temporary accommodation increases their chances of securing a council home.

 

“Some people think that becoming homeless increases their chance of a council home, it does not,” continues Cllr Butt. “Right now, there are more than 34,000 families or individuals on our social housing waiting list. Some have been waiting since the last century and they are still waiting. An average of just 650 council homes become available each year, with 40% of them being 1 bed properties, so this queue is moving very slowly and waiting times are getting longer. It is important that the council is honest with people and that homeless households don’t have unrealistic expectations.”

 

Brent overspent it’s budget by over £13m last year and is forecast to overspend by more than £10m this year mainly due to the cost of temporary accommodation such as hostels and bed and breakfasts. Meanwhile London’s councils are spending more than £90million a month on temporary accommodation.

 

Cllr Butt concludes: “As well as the terrible human cost, this homelessness emergency is completely unaffordable for taxpayers. This is why we are launching our ‘Find a place you can afford’ campaign. If you find yourself homelessness, for most people your housing options will be in the private rented sector. Rather than being stuck in temporary accommodation for months on end and still end up in the private rented sector somewhere outside of London, we are advising homeless families to take control of their housing situation and find a place they can afford.

 

“We will be able to help families secure a home financially, ensuring that the rental property is safe and checking that it is affordable in the long-term. We are here to help.”#

Brent launched its Find a place you can afford campaign with a video (above), booklet and webpage with more housing advice.

This is a transcript of the video:

 Did you know Brent is one of the worst affected places in the UK by the housing crisis? One part of the problem is we've got private landlords selling up and leaving the rental market because of rising mortgage costs.

There's been a 41% decline in private rental listings since 2017, combined with a 50% decline in 4 bed properties.

At the same time, there has been a rapid rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness.

In the last three years, we've had a 23% increase in the number of applications from homeless households. And today, it's more than 7,300. That's 140 households becoming homeless, every single week.

This has resulted in over 2,000 households living in temporary accommodation, more than 900 of whom are in emergency B&B accommodation.

This can mean families living in a single room, in cramped accommodation, sharing kitchens and bathrooms with other families for months on end. And because the housing emergency leaves many families competing for the same pool of homes, it often means that we're forced to use accommodation that's outside the capital.

Cramped conditions in temporary accommodation can create, and worsen, health problems and affect the health and well-being of children in particular.

That's how we know that living in temporary accommodation isn't a good long term solution.

Sadly, there's also no guarantee that you'll receive permanent housing in Brent. There are currently 34,000 households on our social housing waiting list. That's nearly 1 in 10 of all Brent residents.

Some families have been on the list since the last century, and only an average of 650 social homes become available each year with 40% of them being one 1 properties.

Even though Brent has been leading the way in building new homes with the second highest number of new builds completed out of all the London boroughs over the past ten years, put simply, supply cannot cope with this surge in demand.

The average wait time for a 2 bed home is more than a decade. For 4 bed properties, the wait is over twenty years.

If you're homeless, your best option is to find a place you can afford in the private rental sector as quickly as possible. Regrettably, most private rental properties in London are becoming unaffordable.

Rather than wait for years in temporary accommodation, we can work with you to find a more cost effective property outside of London where rents remain more affordable. We can help you to secure a rental property in a place that's affordable to you.

If needed, we can financially help you to secure a rental home.

We can talk to your landlord for you and we can support you to move into your new neighborhood.

We know that relocating to a new area may seem daunting. There are school and work moves to think about as well as changes to your commute, but we'll help you to find a place you can afford to end your homelessness.

We'll support you and your family with the option to change location and help to make your move into your new home as easy as possible. We can only make you a one time offer of a home in the private rental sector to end your homelessness.

Sadly, there is a high probability that it will be outside of London due to the lack of affordable housing. With only a small supply of council homes, most routes lead to the private rental sector. So, take control of your housing situation today and work with us to find a home you can afford. 

Another Harlesden Off-Licence Application to be heard. Opposed by Licensing Inspector and Police.

An application for another off-licence  premises in Harlesden comes before the Licensing Committee on Thursday August 22nd.

The premises is in Harlesden Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) which takes into account the number of similar premises in the area.

The Licensing Inspector report states:

The Statement of Licensing Policy states that any licence application in a CIZ area will need to demonstrate with evidence that its operation will not add to any cumulative impacts that the CIZ is seeking to address.

Further, new applicants and those applying for variations would be required to demonstrate how their premises will not contribute to street drinking in those areas.

The effect of adopting a CIZ is to “create a rebuttable presumption” that applications for licences which are likely to add to the existing cumulative impact will normally be refused (or subject to certain limitations) unless the applicant can demonstrate that there will be no negative cumulative impact on the licensing objectives.

The operating schedule fails to demonstrate that a grant will not lead to a negative cumulative impact on one or more of the licensing objectives and to the contrary add to the issues of an existing saturated area.

It is on this basis, that the Licensing Authority ask that the application for a new premises licence is refused by the Licensing Sub-Committee. Adding conditions to a premises licence, in the Licensing Authority’s opinion is not adequate when the application does not demonstrate what is being put in place in order to avoid further cumulative impact. Adding an additional off licence to the eight that already exist in the immediate area, will no doubt be detrimental to the local area.

The report includes a very interesting Q & A with the applicant LINK.

The Police Representation also recommends rejection and focuses on crime in the area of Craven Park.

The Police objection states:

These crimes are based around violence, sexual offences and public order issues quite often generated by excessive alcohol consumption.

Below is a list of venues in Craven Park Road with off sales as their main licensable activity. As you can see Craven Park Road is already saturated with Off Licenses. The list below does not include restaurants and nights clubs all of which sell alcohol.

Corner Shop 98, Craven Park Parade Off License

Craven Park Off License 102, Craven Park Road Off License

Housewife Cash & Carry 14, Craven Park Road Wholesalers

Kotoko Mini Market 126, Craven Park Road Convenience Store / Off License

Metro Supermarket 72, Craven Park Road Convenience Store / Off License

Save Food and Wine 46, Craven Park Road Convenience Store / Off License

Tamirez Deli 24, Craven Park Road Convenience Store / Off License

The Liquor Store 43, Craven Park Road Off License

Who’s Next Food & Wine 6, Library Parade Off License

New Atlas Café 69-71 Craven Park Road Café / Off License

Supersave 68, Craven Park road Convenience Store / Off License

 

Adding another bog standard Off License to this area is not required. Doing this will just add to the ASB, street crime and public nuisance. Police are of the opinion that allowing this application to go ahead will be detrimental to all four of the licensing objectives Prevention of crime and disorder, public nuisance, public safety and the protection of children. Therefore police oppose this application in full.