Letter: I am not willing to jump into a pond for Lime Bikes

Dear Editor, 

I found a Lime bike thrown in the pond at Barham Park. See above photo. I tried contacting Lime but all contacts expect you to quote a plate number and I am not jumping into pond to read it.  

 

Shame that Brent Council decided to still allow them to operate in the area.  They appear to be dumped everywhere around the borough. Perhaps more residents could send photos of this.

 

David Johnson 

 

Something to look forward to in 2025! We Wear Heritage March Exhibition.

 

From Brent CVS

Happy New Year from We Wear Heritage!

Save the date! Our March 2025 exhibition will be a living archive of Brent's diverse clothing and community stories, inspired by our video series

Police Public Meeting on recent Willesden Green violence. Friday January 3rd 6pm-8pm Willesden Green Library

 

Police Public Meeting. Friday 3rd January 6pm-8pm, Willesden Green Library. To discuss the recent serious incidents in Willesden Green. An opportunity to share views and concerns with Police and Council representatives. They will give information on how they are working to reduce violence.

1 Morland Gardens – hoping the Victorian villa has a Happy New Year! Here's how it could be so.

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

“Altamira”, the landmark villa at the entrance to Stonebridge Park, in 1907 and 2023.

 

For 150 years the Italianate-style Victorian villa called “Altamira” has stood at the entrance to an estate which gave the name Stonebridge Park to the surrounding area. Five years ago, Brent’s Cabinet approved plans which should have seen it demolished by now, even though it is a locally listed heritage asset in good condition. But it is still standing, and has the chance for a secure future as a community facility, as part of new redevelopment plans for the site.

 

The Council’s future options for its Morland Gardens property have been under review since November 2023, but with little progress on display when the public were asked for their input at the Bridge Park / Hillside Corridor exhibition on 28 and 30 November 2024. The consultation exercise launched then is still ongoing, but ends on Monday 6 January, so you still have time to express your views.

 

The consultation questionnaire for Morland Gardens was mainly a tick-box list of possible community facilities you would like to see provided, along with new Council homes on the site. That was not enough for my comments and suggestions, and I have submitted the detailed document which I hope that Martin can include at the end of this article.

 

 

The plan above is at the heart of my proposals, showing what I believe is a sensible outline redevelopment suggestion for the site, including the retained Victorian villa as the community facility and a housing layout which would provide around 27 Council homes, 25 of them as two, three or four bedroom properties to rent for local families with children. (It wasn’t until after I had finished preparing this plan that the lyric, ‘Little boxes on a Hillside’, flashed into my mind!) You can find further details of this suggested layout in section 3 of the document.

 

As well as sending my document to the agency handling the consultation, and the Council Officer in charge of the Morland Gardens review, I sent a copy to the Stonebridge Ward councillors. I invited their support for my suggestions, if they believed they were a sensible way forward for the site. I also reminded them of what Cllr. Aden had said, on their behalf, at the August 2020 Planning Committee meeting (which was ignored by the five councillors who voted to approve the Council’s flawed, and now failed, original Morland Gardens plans).

 

Extract from the minutes of the August 2020 Planning Committee meeting for application 20/0345.

 

My December 2024 proposals are for a redevelopment that would be very much in line with the wishes of the then Stonebridge Ward councillors (two of whom are still the same). I was pleased to receive an early reply from one of the councillors, although a little surprised that he did not appear to be aware that Brent Council have been reviewing its future plans for Morland Gardens since November 2023, or that it was part of the “Bridge Park” consultation!

 

While not expressing a view either way on my suggestions, he has indicated that the Council do need to hear from local people about what they want to see provided at Morland Gardens as part of the consultation. Copying in a fellow Ward councillor, he finished with the words: ‘As representatives of the community, we are here to represent the wishes of the wider community, so I believe all options will be considered.’

 

If you want the Council to consider your wishes for the Morland Gardens site, please send them, by next Monday 6 January, by email to: bridgepark@four.agency , with a copy to: neil.martin@brent.gov.uk . If you have read the document below (or at least section 3 of it), please feel free to mention it, and say whether you agree with my suggestions.

 

Philip Grant. 

 

Previous election results in Alperton ward and the changing ward population profile

An area undergoing rapid development

 Alperton ward had, until Cllr Georgiou's resignation yesterday, two Liberal Democrat councillors and one Labour so a by-election will be highly marginal.

COUNCIL ELECTION RESULT MAY 2022

 It was a winter by-election on January 23rd 2020 that gave the  Liberal Democrats their breakthrough:

Labour was hit when their candidate became embroiled in controversy over his alleged support for Bob Blackman, a right-wing Conservative MP LINK

A major issue in the ward is recent  and rapid high-rise developments and an issue that Cllr Georgiou was vocal on in the Council speaking at Planning Committee meetings on the problem of densification and lack of infrastructure.

The new developments have grown the population from 11,009 at the 2011 census to 15,056 in 2021. The population will have grown further since then.

The ward has a high Asian population and the majority religion is Hinduism. Those statistics may change when new comers move into the high rises.

Source: https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/london/wards/brent/E05013496__alperton/

 

Anton Georgiou on his personal reasons for resigning as a Brent councillor

 

Cllr Anton Georgiou (Centre) speaking to residents in Alperton

From Cllr Anton Georgiou

Personal news from Anton Georgiou

 

Being the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Alperton has truly been the honour of my life. I became a campaigner locally in 2013 when I was 18 years old and have spent over a decade doing what I can to better the borough I love so much. For the last 5 years I have had the privilege to represent residents in Alperton on the Council - initially as the only elected Liberal Democrat and for the past two and a half years as the Leader of our small, but effective opposition group.

 

It has been quite a ride, with many highs and some lows, but I look back at this time with one overriding feeling - gratitude, for having been given the opportunity to do the role. 

 

It is with sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to resign from Brent Council. This is a personal decision, that has not been easy and in part due to a very traumatic experience that I have previously spoken out about.

 

Since my initial election in January 2020, I have been a strong opposition voice against a Labour Council in Brent that I continue to believe is failing local people and not delivering the level of service our community deserves. 

 

I have stood up to the Brent Council leadership time and time again, and have regularly faced attacks, some personal, that no one in public life should have to endure. The job of elected officials is to find the best solutions for residents and different views and opinions should be debated in an open and transparent way - there should be no place for these sorts of attacks, particularly from the leadership of the Council.

 

The Leader/ Cabinet model of Brent governance puts power in too few hands and stifles genuine open debate. This is leading to bad decision making in all areas.

 

But the opposition has not been for oppositions sake. I believe that mistakes continue to be made by the Labour Council that are having a detrimental impact on the lives of local people.

 

I have consistently opposed what seems to be never-ending development of monster tower blocks in Alperton and in the Wembley area. They are not delivering the type of housing local people desperately need and are causing misery for residents both newly moved into blocks and others in residential streets close by. Ongoing construction works cause traffic havoc in the area, parking chaos and persistent noise and othernuisance.

 

But above all, as I have said over and over – these new units are broadly not genuinely affordable to local people or in my view what Brent should be buildingwhich is - Council homes for Council tenants. Brent like every other local authority in London and across the UK is having to deal with record numbers of families on housing waiting lists and hundreds presenting at the Civic Centre every month as homeless or at risk of homelessness. 

 

Brent Council is far too weak in their dealings with developers. Both in terms of demanding a larger number of genuinely affordable units, this does not include Shared Ownership – which is not and should not be deemed as affordable, and also when holding them to account for poor quality build in new developments.

 

I commend the work Martin Francis (Wembley Matters) and others do in seeking to highlight Brent Council’s failings when it comes to bad and the wrong type of development. It is sad that many Labour members feel unable to stand up for their residents on this issue. Alperton has endured more than its fair share of large development, perhaps when the Council starts looking at development in other parts of the borough, members will feel obliged to speak out too.

 

The Labour administration is also failing to deal with the bread-and-butter issues. Our streets are dirtier than ever, a record confirmed by the BBC just last year, roads are riddled with potholes and pavements are broken and dangerous. I am not naïve to the financial situation local authorities face. But the promise of change that swept Labour into power in July has so far delivered very little for Brent Council or indeed local government generally. Keir Starmer’s government need to urgently address the crippling underfunding of local government and agree on a long-term financial settlement so that Brent and other Councils can better plan and manage finances.

 

One way the Labour government could immediately make the situation for Council’s better, is by easing restrictions on the use of Community Infrastructure Levy. In Brent, this could unlock tens of millions currently in the CIL pot that could be spent on dealing with local issues. I hope that the government will respond favourably to our suggestion that these changes should be made.

 

I want to commend the voluntary sector in Brent for everything they do. Picking up where local and national government is failing. Whether that is in delivering youth provision, providing care and support to the elderly, making community spaces available for all. It has been a pleasure to work with so many local groups and organisations – and I will miss this. The latest attack on the voluntary community sector from the Labour leadership in hiking up rents to un-affordable levels is a disgrace. I just hope the Council will better recognise the value and importance of volunteers and the voluntary sector and give it the genuine recognition and support it deserves.

 

I want to thank residents in Alperton. I have always given my all to the role of Councillor. It is a privilege to be elected and to represent local people. I have loved being able to help people, and proud of the work I have done to support some of the most vulnerable in the area. I have always tried my best and always given 100%. I am hopeful that residents in Alperton will lend their support to the prospective Liberal Democrat candidate, Charlie Clinton, to succeed me. I know he will be the type of Councillor Alperton needs and deserves.

 

Finally, to Brent – this is a very special borough. I was born here and have lived here my whole life. My family initially moved to Kilburn from Cyprus in the 1950’s. There is so much history and culture here – but I fear it is being lost and under attack by a Labour Council pursuing a gentrification agenda that does not take into account the communities that have called this part of London our home for decades. Many young people, like me, are being forced to consider moving out of the borough, we are being priced out. This is tragic and wrong. It is why we need elected Councillors in Brent who are willing to speak out, challenge and stand up for residents. We do not need more of the same, members whose loyalty is to the Labour Party, the leadership, rather than the people who elect them. 

 

It is my sincere hope that at the next set of Council elections in 2026 a wide range of people are elected in Brent who feel able and are willing to be strong voices for their communities. The role of a local Councillor is to serve and represent everyone in the ward they are elected to and always put residents first. I have done my best to fulfil this responsibility.

 

I wish the readers of Wembley Matters and everyone in Brent all the very best. 

 

Anton Georgiou

 

Wembley Matters top 10 stories in 2024 - a review

These are the stories on Wembley Matters that gained the most views during 2024 and represent a cross-section of the issues covered by the blog. Remember if you have a story you wish to share that you don't think has received the attention it deserves contact Wembley Matters at wembleymatters@virginmedia.com

If you have missed stories during 2024 remember that you can subscribe for free daily updates. See the side panel.

Thanks you to readers and contributors who have supported Wembley Matters with number of page views since the start of the blog approaching 7,000,000.
 

Brent councillor Shama Tatler moves into national spotlight as she is parachuted into sacked candidate Faiza Shaheen's seat 

 

Cllr Shama Tatler came under fire from local members of the Labour Party in Chingford and Woodford Green when she became their centrally imposed General Election candidate. They pointed to her record as 'Towerblock Tatler' in Brent as well as accusing her of opportunism. Towerblocks seems to over-shadow her career because they also caused problems in Watford when she sought that nomination. Labour there were campaiging against the Lib Dem Mayor and calling him 'Tower Taylor'. 

Faiza Shaheen stood as an Independent and the split vote enabled Tory Ian Duncan-Smith to retain the seat. Cllr Tatler moved to a new job in the Labour Office of the Local Government Association and resigned as Brent Council lead member for planning, regeneration and growth buts remains a councillor. She wished her succesor well: 'Thank you to all my Cabinet colleagues, past and present and I wish my successor all the best in continuing to deliver progressive Regeneration and Planning for Brent's residents.' Her successor? None other than the Leader of Brent Council, Muhammed Butt who awarded himself the portfolio.

Is Muhammed Butt's attempt at increasing the number of councillors required to call decisions in for scrutiny an abuse of democracy?

Muhammed Butt himself ran into difficulties when he tried to make changes in the rules regarding 'Call-In' when backbenchers can refer a Cabinet decision for further consideration by the council's Scrutiny Committee. In a move to reduce the number of call-ins, whether for financial or political reasons, he wanted any call-in to be valid only if it was signed by some Labour members in addition to the Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition. (10 signatories would be required and the total opposition councillors is 8) Observers noted that with Labour members whipped this was very unlikely and there was an outcry that this undermined democracy and reinforced Butt's tendency to want to gather more and more power to himself.

The proposal was watered down but still means that without support from councillors from  other parties that the Liberal Democrat Group cannot call-in a decison on their own.

UPDATED: Organising in process to defend Harrow from right-wing disruption 

The country was rocked in the summer by far right rioting mainly organised over social media.

The riots followed misinformation spread about the identity of the person responsible for the terrible murder of young children in Southport.

Rumours spread about plans for an attack on a Muslim Centre in North Harrow and as in other areas of the country a community counter-demonstration  was rapidly organised. In the event the far right did not turn up, or if they did rapidly retreated when they saw the size of the resistance.

Concerned by the anti-Muslim nature of the far right attacks a group of young Muslims, wrote a guest post on Wembley Matters about their concern that Brent Council was not doing enough to combat Islamophobia: 'The community want to meet the council leadership, speak to them and hold them to account. They want to know what are their short and long term aims in fighting Islamophobia.'

 

Village Mews: A story of neglect, lack of maintenance and poor communication by a series of housing associations that leaves residents in a desperate situation 

  

 The case of neglect by the housing association at Village Mews was just one of many cases covered by Wembley Matters which highlighted poor conditions in both housing association and council properties.

Failing to get satisfaction from the managers of their properties they have turned to Wembley Matters in desperation. Concerns are not just about old properties but new build by groups such as L&Q with failing heating systems and fire safety issues. 

Temporary accommodation in private rentals for homeless families continues to be a source of some appalling conditions particularly affecting the physical and mental health of children,

Letter: Brent Council is using heavily biased language in its Paddington Old Cemetery dog PSPO consultation - what are their real plans?

Wembley Matters publishes the occasional letter from individuals or groups that want to bring an issue to the attention of readers.

Paddington Old Cemetery is a much appreciated green space that has long been championed by local people and many will remember the campaign by Cllr John Duffy about asbestos that was dumped there.

The Cemetery is used by dog walkers to exercise their animals but the Council is seeking to end an exemption that allowed them to be walked off leash.

There are a range of opinions on the proposal as can be seen from the many comments on the story, but a major contention was the wording of the consultation that campaignrs claimed was biased.

 

Northwick Park's development into a small town begins 

 

One of the reasons I started the Wembley Matters blog was that I realised many people were not aware of what was happening in the borough as it underwent rapid change. There used to be three local newspapers that covered the borough but only one, reduced in size, remains and a local TV channel was shorted lived.

The Northwick Park 'One Public Estate' development involvedsBrent Council, NW London NHS, University of Westminster and Network Housing is a project that seems to have crept up on people. Some have been puzzled, shocked or intrigued when visting Northwick  Park to see the beginning of a major development that will see tall blocks on the perimeter of the site and the area undegoing substantial change. 

An emerging issue is the financial viability of the project by Countryside pictured in its early stages above. Vistry the parent company has issued three profit warnings recently and is reviewing its portfolio. This may mean that to ensure profitability the tenure of developments may change in favour of private sales.

 

BREAKING: Application for 3 day Korean Pop Music Festival in Northwick Park summer 2025

 

Wembley Matters broke this story just before the holiday and comments are still open on the Licensing application. Up to 15,000 might attend. There are concerns about possible issues around congested access to the site from Northwick Park and South Kenton tube stations as well as loss of a major part of the park to the public during the summer.  Others of course welcome something to entertain us during the summer holiday.

A previous application for a different festival in Fryent Country Park in the summer was withdrawn twice - first because it coincided with a Wembley Event Day and when changed to a different day due to the large number of objections.  Brent Council has a policy to earn money from its parks due to its financial crisis so this issue may continue on a number of fronts in the future.

 

Dreams and Nightmares on the South Kilburn Estate 

 

Wembley Matters regularly hears from both long-term and new residents on the South Kilburn estate as the major regeneration continues.  The original residents are experiencing the joys of living long-term on a building site, with noise, dust and disruption part of daily life as well as an increase in anti-social behaviour with some blocks broken into by squatters who light fires or sleep in the public areas.

New residents battle with what they see as flats that have been built quickly with corners cuts and resulting issues over  heating, condensation  and unsafe balaconies and windows amongst others. 

 

Bobby Moore Bridge – formal complaint submitted over advertising lease award 

 

Philip Grant is a regular contributor to Wembey Matters as a local historian and in his private capacity. Philip has no party political affiliation but in his private capacity is a passionate believer in adherence to the Nolan Principles of public life. 

He is committed to ensuring that Brent Council sticks to these principles and demonstrates transparency and integrity. 

The Bobby Moore Bridge mural has featured in many of his posts, most recently concerned the procurement of advertising that replaces part of the mural and the use of the funds earned from that advertising. He has also taken up the lack of social housing on the Cecil Avenue site and the future of the Altimira Victorian Villa in Stonebridge.

I would like to publicly thank Philip for all his contributions and for his painstaking work as a proactive Brent Citizen.

 

Another South Kilburn disaster revealed - £15m claim on Swift House and George House goes to mediation 

 

This is a fairly typical story from South Kilburn illustrating the building problems outlined above and the problems with deciding who is responsible for remediation of building defects. The problem is particularly complex when a building changes hands and new owners are faced with defects that they claim are the responsibility of earlier owners.

Granville New Homes was an early example when Brent Council purchased the buildings but later found that the cost of remediation was more than they paid for them.  Changes in the law could mean that Brent Council, given the will, could claim compensation on behalf of Brent council tax payers.

 

 

Man arrested for murder in Willesden Green stabbing incident will appear in court today. Police renew call for information.

 

Murder Victim Recorda (Ricardo) Davey-Ann Clarke

From Metropolitan Police

A man has been charged with murder following the death of a man in Willesden Green on Saturday, 28 December.

Police were called at 04:16hrs following reports of a stabbing in Linacre Road, NW2.

The victim sustained a stab wound and died on the way to hospital. The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Recorda Davey-Ann Clarke, known as Ricardo to friends and family. His family are aware and continue to receive support from specialist officers.

An investigation was launched, and a man was arrested on Saturday, 28 December.

Elyas Moussa, 29 of no fixed abode, has since been charged with murder. He will appear in custody at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 30 December.

Officers continue to appeal for anyone with information and any witnesses yet to speak with police to call 101 and quote CAD 1013/28dec. To remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers.