Council bid to increase food waste collection

Brent Council is to bid for government funding to extend the collection of food waste to326 blocks of flats  (8,600 households) and to distribute biodegradable caddy liners to street level homes to sustain and increase recycling of food waste.

The bid is worth £312,638 over three years and is part of the government funding to encourage weekly waste collections. Brent officers in their report reject that as a proposition for residual waste and recycling claiming that the present scheme fortnightly scheme is a success and saves a projected £1m annually. Food waste is collected weekly alongside garden waste.

Officers warn that the funding is already over-subscribed so it is by no means certain that Brent's bid will be successful.

Although the extension to flats is welcome I would hope that in line with the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle slogan that the Council will also encourage the reduction of food waste through an educational process that could involve families and retailers. There are many ideas on Love Food Hate Waste LINK

I would also be interested to find out if food waste is collected for composting from all Brent's schools.

Preston Library Garden reclaimed by campaigners

In an expression of love and care for their closed down library, Save Preston Library campaigners restored the garden in front of the building over the weekend. The building is soon to be used to provide extra classrooms for reception pupils and will be managed by nearby Preston Park Primary School. Coincidentally campaigners were also doing a spot of guerilla gardening in the children's playground at Willesden Green Library Centre which is due to disappear if the planning application for flats and a 'cultural centre' are approved this summer.

"Make a stand for public libraries," RSL urge All Souls

All Souls College, Oxford

Maggie Fergusson, Director of the Royal Society of Literature has sent this message from the President, Chair and Council of the Royal Society of Literature  to Sir John Vickers, Warden of All Souls College, Oxford, ahead of its property meeting today.

Dear Sir John,

The Council of the Royal Society of Literature has for many years actively campaigned against the closure of public libraries. We write to express our concern over the plight of Kensal Rise Library, recently stripped of books, commemorative plaques and furniture in a night raid by Brent Council. As we understand it, their action means the library building may revert to All Souls’ ownership.

The Friends of Kensal Rise Library is a charity set up last year to keep the library running, backed by our Vice President and former Chair, Maggie Gee, and by a committed local population who have, it seems, proved their mettle by maintaining an improvised “pop-up library” on site since the doors of the library closed in October 2011.

The defence of Kensal Rise Library, opened by Mark Twain in 1900, is a cause which has caught the imaginations of many writers and intellectuals. All Souls College is of course renowned both for its intellectual traditions and for its Codrington Library.

We now urge you to make a stand for public libraries and education at this vital juncture by exercising your discretion under charity law in favour of the Friends of Kensal Rise Library.

Yours sincerely,

Colin Thubron (President)

Anne Chisholm (Chair)

Robert Binyon, Anthony Gardner, Romesh Gunesekera, David Harsent, Paula Johnson, Caroline Moorehead, Andrew O’Hagan, Peter Parker, Piers Plowright, Fiona Sampson, Helen Simpson, Ali Smith, Jeremy Treglown, Timberlake Wertenbaker (Council)

The Royal Society of Literature

Somerset House

Strand

London WC2R 1LA

020 7845 4676

www.rslit.org

Let local people decide our health needs - not accountants

Guest blog by Pete Firmin, Chair Brent Trades Union Council

Central Middlesex - soon to be down-graded despite recent investment?

Sarah Cox wrote last week in the Brent and Kilburn Times about the consultation which NHS North West London is carrying out into the future of health services across the area. As she says, there is a strong feeling that this “consultation” is merely window dressing for decisions which have already been taken, such as the downgrading of several hospitals in the region, including Central Middlesex. Central Middlesex has already lost its night-time Accident and Emergency service, an indication of things to come.

Although the Health Authority claims its proposals will improve services, much of what they say is purely speculative – relying on new forms of health services which are not yet in place without proposals (including financial) as to how this will change.

Because of these serious worries about the future of the health service across the region, the Trades Union Councils in the boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Harrow are working together to build a campaign to ensure we have the health services the people of the area need and not ones which managers and accountants – let alone private health companies – think are appropriate.

We have commissioned a report from Dr John Lister of Health Emergency, looking at the effects of the NHS’s proposals in detail, both in terms of the loss of services and the effect on jobs in the NHS. This report will be launched early in June, and Brent Trades Union Council is holding a public meeting on the issues involved on Wednesday 13th June at Harlesden Methodist Church, 25 High Street, NW10 4NE. As well as John Lister, speakers will be from the campaign Keep Our NHS Public and the unions organising health workers. All are welcome, and there will be plenty of time for discussion.

Commons Act application for a Willesden Town Green

Parachute games in the open space last May

Relaxing on the proposed Town Green last weekend

An application has been made to register the open space outside the Willesden Green Library as a 'Town Green'. This has been done under the Commons Act 2006 and involves demonstrating that the space has been used for sports and lawful pastimes for the last 20 years.

The space will be lost if the proposed Willesden Green Redevelopment goes ahead.

Meanwhile on-line comments so far on the development application by Galliford Tri have been overwhelmingly critical. Campaigners will be out at the library again this Saturday and welcome support from local residents.

Comments on the planning application cane be see on the Keep Willesden Green blog: HERE and HERE

Library campaigners Executive presentations

The Council has published the Minutes of the May 21st Executive at which various campaigners spoke:

EXTRACT

Philip Bromberg representing the Save Our Libraries campaign referred to the report from the Director of Environment and Neighbourhood Services which set out the current position on the Libraries Transformation Project. He referred to the acknowledgement in the report that there had been a reduction in usage since the closure of six libraries in 2011 and he did not think this situation was likely to improve.  He challenged the view that active borrowers previously using one of the closed libraries had moved to one of the six remaining libraries. Mr Bromberg welcomed the decision of the recently appointed Leader of the Council to meet with Kensal Rise Library supporters and hoped that he would speak to the supporters of all the closed libraries.

Martin Redston speaking on behalf of Keep Willesden Green referred to the Willesden Green Library development project. He stated that plans appeared to have changed from the original proposals with the loss of the 150m of playground and less library floor space. He felt that the current proposed urban design would not enhance the area and compared it to the former Willesden Library building at the frontage of the site, built in 1894 whose value was recognised by English Heritage. Mr Redston called on the Executive to stop and reflect as he felt that most of the community were not in favour of the development as currently proposed.

Sonia Nerdrum addressed the Executive in support of Cricklewood Library which she reminded the meeting was a gift from All Souls College, Oxford and which had been closed as part of the libraries transformation project. Cricklewood Library was a valuable community resource particularly to families who lived in cramped accommodation and it was not always possible to travel to Willesden Green Library. Ms Nerdrum stated that All Souls College would be open to new approaches from the Council and she hoped for a new relationship with the Administration.

Melvyn Hacker (Preston Library) encouraged the Chair, as the new Leader of the Council, to meet with library campaigners and hear their views. Statistics showed that Preston Library had been very busy and alternative facilities were some distance away, especially for those living in the South Kenton area. The former library building was due to be used for primary schooling and he urged the Executive to consider its use as a library after the school day.

Councillor Lorber (Sudbury Ward councillor, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group) reported that library facilities were being provided by volunteers from the former Barham Library premises, benefiting children from across the community. Regarding the transformation project, he referred to the increase in the estimated cost of refurbishment of Kilburn Library from £117,000 to more than half a million pounds and questioned the extent to which, had this been known last year, it would have impacted on decision-making. He referred to mounting on-going costs which he considered must also be having an adverse effect on budget estimates. Councillor Lorber also raised the matter of the shortage of affordable accommodation for local groups and questioned why the previously donated Kilburn and Cricklewood Library buildings could not be made available. He urged the Executive to recognise the contribution of local people and to make good use of available assets. Councillor Kansagra (Leader of the Conservative Group) expressed a wish that the libraries issue be revisited in the light of the change in political leadership. He suggested that funds were earmarked in the budget for Ward Working projects which were not a priority and should be reallocated to libraries. He also stated that before libraries were closed replacement services should be in place.

June 13th: NHS under the knife

Enormous changes to our local health services are being proposed. They include the merger of Ealing Hospital with Central Middlesex and Northwick Park, permanent closure of A & E at Ealing or CMH, or both, and moving many services out of hospitals into the community.

Unless we campaign to oppose them, these changes will open up even more services to the private sector to be run for profit. The population is growing and health needs are increasing, while NHS budgets are being cut.

Community health services are already understaffed and overstretched. If new services are not put in place before hospital services are withdrawn, the most vulnerable patients will suffer

Further union action planned on Alperton academy conversion

60 NUT members at Alperton Community school in Wembley were on strike on Thursday 31st May against their school becoming a Co-operative academy. Pickets at the Upper and Lower school sites reported that things were very quiet both in numbers of staff from other unions going in and the number of pupils. Obviously many pupils had decided to take the day off unless they had exams. Leaflets had been distributed to pupils for their parents the day before to explain why the teachers were on strike.

Martin Allen, one of the NUT Reps, said: “There is opposition among staff to academies and with how decisions have been made. There’s no evidence academies benefit students. We feel the consultation process at Alperton has been imposed rather than discussed.”

Hank Roberts, joint secretary of the Brent Teachers Association, said: “It was a successful strike with hardly any pupils or teachers turning up. We are seeking a resolution with the head teacher. Our members voted for discontinuous industrial action in a ballot which means we do not need another ballot to take further action.”

Jean Roberts, joint secretary of the Brent Teachers Association, added, "We left staff planning their next moves over breakfast in a local cafe. It was clear that this strike was only part of their campaign to stop the school becoming an academy and further action would follow in the near future".

NUT members will be meeting after half term to plan their next moves.