Join us for an interactive afternoon discussing care, wellbeing and
health provision in Willesden Green, Cricklewood & Mapesbury, and Dollis
Hill. This workshop is a key opportunity to share your thoughts and experiences
on the current state of services in our neighbourhood, and work collaboratively
to address and prevent health inequalities.
The event will take place on Thursday, June 29th, 2023 from 1
PM at Ashford Place Community Centre, 60 Ashford Road, London, NW2
6TU. We will start the event with half an hour of lunch and networking before
beginning our discussions.
During the workshop we want to hear from you on a range of topics
including the challenges faced by children, young people and their families
today, what you want to see from the future of health and care in the Willesden
neighbourhood, and potential solutions to improve the quality of wellbeing,
health and care in our community.
This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and contribute to
the ongoing conversation about wellbeing, health and care in the Willesden
neighbourhood. We look forward to seeing you there!
This
year marks the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush arriving in
Britain with more than 800 passengers from the Caribbean, ready to
embark on their new lives.
Brent Council is proud to celebrate Windrush 75 with a host of events around the borough this summer.
Kicking off the celebrations, on Thursday 22 June, Brent Civic Centre
will come alive with a free flagship Market Place to celebrate the
legacy and contribution of the African-Caribbean community with music,
live performances, and food stalls.
There will also be a Windrush exhibition, charting what it was like to
settle in a new country from those who experienced this firsthand and
what it meant to be British. The event is set to attract hundreds of
visitors throughout the day so mark it in your diaries – there is no
need to book in advance.
This
will be followed by a Tea Party in Gladstone Park on 24 June to
celebrate the elderly survivors of the Windrush generation. There will
be live performance with a reggae choir, and the opportunity to learn
from the wisdom of elders in the community as they share more about
their lives. Get your tickets from Eventbrite.
Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Reform, said:
Celebrating seventy-five years of Windrush is a hugely significant and special way to honour our African-Caribbean community.
Time goes by very quickly, but a lifetime of memories, service and
contribution is never forgotten. It is a privilege to celebrate and
acknowledge the work, sacrifice, and achievements of the Windrush
seniors.
Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council said: “The Windrush
Generation holds a significant place in Britain and Brent’s history and
must becelebrated and respected for their vast contribution to society.
The legacy of the Windrush community will continue for many more years
to come through the many talented Brent residents who are direct
descendants of Windrush pioneers.
This is what sets us apart from so many other London boroughs and I am
incredibly grateful to all those who came to Brent and continue to call
this borough their home.
Windrush Workshops Englan' Voice: Celebrating Windrush Generation Artists Thursday 22 June Kilburn Library 10:30am to 12noon Harlesden Library 1pm to 2:30pm
Discover the work of three Windrush-era artists painter Tam Joseph,
writer Beryl Gilroy and musician Aldwyn Roberts and their influence on
British culture.
Harlesden Library Coffee Morning
‘You called, we responded’: Celebrating 75 years of Windrush and the NHS
Thursday 6 July 11am to 12noon
2023 marks both the 75th anniversaries of the arrival of the Empire
Windrush and the start of the NHS. Join local Dr Joan St John to explore
some of the impacts of that shared history.
Windrush 75 – Family Craft 2.30 to 4.30pm Wembley Library – Wednesday 16 August Kilburn Library – Friday 18 August Age 3+. Drop in.
Armed officers were among those responding
after calls at 13:18hrs on Wednesday, 21 June to reports that two people
had been stabbed at Central Middlesex Hospital.
Officers found two people with stab injuries.
The first victim has injuries that are being treated as life-threatening.
The second victim's injuries are not being treated as life-threatening.
Police
arrested a man outside the hospital. He has also been conveyed to
hospital having received injuries that are believed to be
self-inflicted. His condition is being treated as life-threatening.
Officers
will remain in the hospital as further searches are conducted but at
this time they are satisfied that no one else is sought.
Police are working to establish the circumstances. At this time the incident is not being treated as terror-related.
The
hospital was temporarily locked down but has now re-opened and will be
operating services as normal. There is a heightened police presence at
the hospital while we investigate.
On Twitter Cllr Ketan Sheth, Chair of Scrutiny Committee said:
Shocked and saddened to hear of a stabbing incident at Central Middlesex Hospital…
My immediate thoughts are with the patients and the wonderful staff at the hospital.
I’m pleased that the incident was swiftly dealt with by the emergency services.
After the very unpopular decision of Brent Planning Committee to allow the building of 4 bulky houses in Barham Park, residents have been concerned that a precedent has been set which could threaten our other parks and public spaces. This is particularly the case where there are existing buildings in the park or green space that could be declared redundant or poorly maintained and the site redeveloped.
We learnt how important green spaces are during the pandemic and open access is important. Access has already been lost to the Copland Fields and green space is likely to be lost in South Kilburn. The St Raphael's green space may be eaten into in future redevelopment. At the same time Brent's tower block building boom means that the population has increased and the new residents have no gardens, just access to a balcony or a small shared space consisting mainly of concrete. An exception will be the new Union Park near the stadium.
Barham Park is supposedly protected by covenant, a fact that the Planning Committee discounted as not a planning consideration, but unfortunately even that is not the case with other parks.
In Brent only King Edward VII Park, Wembley; Roe Green Walled Garden in Kingsbury and Mapesbury Dell in Cricklewood are protected by Fields in Trust. Their mission is to protect parks and green spaces. Owners can apply to Fields in Trust whether private, community or local authority for a potection agreement. Brent Council is of course the owner of our parks and public spaces apart from Queens Park which is owned by the Corporation of London.
Brent Council as the landowner would have to apply for a protection agreement and that will need pressure from residents to persuade them that such action is vital.
Meanwhile a petition has been launched in the wake of the Barham Park decision calling on Brent Council to uphold its Strategic Plan commitment to protecting parks and open spaces.
Save Brent Parks from
house building & development
We the
undersigned petition the council to uphold its long standing Strategic Policy
of protecting Brent Parks and Open Spaces at all cost.
We are concerned that Brent Council's Planning
Committee has ignored Strategic Core Policy of protecting Parks and Open Spaces
and also the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan, which designated Barham Park as a
Local Green Space and developed a specific Planning Policy BP1 which stated
that any housing building or redevelopment in Barham Park should be refused.
That decision has effectively undermined Neighbourhood Planning, ignored the
views of local people and put at risk other Parks and Open Spaces across Brent.
As previously reported, Geoff Rowley and David Hudson of specialist business
advisory firm FRP were appointed as joint administrators to Henry Construction
Projects Limited on Thursday 8th June 2023.
Since the appointment, the administrators have been assessing the position
of the business with support from sector professional advisors.
The business is no longer trading and most of its 40 staff have been made
redundant. A small number has been retained to assist the administrators in
their duties.
Gateley Vinden, the property and construction consultancy, is supporting the
administrators as they contact developers across sites in progress along with
Hilco Valuation Services, the asset valuation, advisory and sales practice of
Hilco Global, which is assisting with the asset recovery and disposal strategy.
Mark Henry’s own personal property portfolio is understood to be unaffected
by the collapse.
David Hudson, partner at FRP and joint administrator of Henry Construction
Projects Limited, said:
Henry Construction was a significant player of scale
in the UK market. Unfortunately, given its financial position, it was not able
to continue trading and so all operations have ceased. Regrettably, the
majority of staff have been made redundant and we are supporting them in making
the appropriate claims to the Redundancy Payments Office.
We continue our work to gather information about the assets and liabilities
of the business and understand the events leading up to the insolvency. As part
of that process, we are engaging with developers regarding the status of each
site.
I first told you about 'Safety Cases'
in 2021 when they were required for contractors presenting their new
developments for planning but now it is a legal requirement for all of Brent's
buildings in scope (7 storeys or higher) who must publish a safety case by the
1st October 2023.
Several commentators reported on the
Grenfell anniversary last Wednesday that almost every landlord in England has
not published their Safety Case yet and that includes Brent.
It can take between 2 to 3 months to
assemble all the information needed to make a safety case and Brent will need to make
one for all the 40 buildings that I know of.
Brent must also register all their
buildings in scope and apply for a safety certificate by the 1st Oct. 2023.
Are you aware that some Council employees
could end up in prison if they fail to comply with all the requirements before
the 1st October 2023?
The government said all landlords
should publish a Resident Engagement Strategy 12 months after it became the law
and many councils across London have published theirs, but Brent has not
published anything yet.
The government also gave a 2 month
extension to all landlords to set up their Resident Panels, which are now due
to be implemented on the 28th June 2023 but once again Brent seem not to be
doing anything about them.
London Politics show (BBC 1) had a
story about Grenfell and mentioned all the recommendations that are due to come
in over the next 3 months but Brent seems to not be aware of any of their
responsibilities over this issue.
There is a budget available for
Residents' Panels, with £1,300 p.a. being available for Residents' Associations
to co-ordinate them.
But you probably have guessed by now,
the government give the money to the council who in turn pass it on to the
Residents' Associations to hold at least one meeting a year with a maximum of
4, to explain how to prevent fires & other hazards in their buildings.
Wembley residents have probably seen the two towetrs emerging behind the Twin Towers (Uncle Bulding) on Park Park, wedged between the High Road and the Chiltern railway.
This is the 'Wembley Link' two towers of 16 and 18 storeys being built on the railway embankment by Henry Construction Projects for Hub (developer of the Uncle building) which will provide 256 apartments.
The Construction Enquirer LINK reports that Henry are having problems in paying sub-contractors and suppliers. London drylining contractor Ozel Group issued a winding-up
petition against Henry Construction in an attempt to settle outstanding
payments.
The Enquirer, in their story published 2 weeks ago about the builder struggling to complete their schemes, quotes a source regarding the Wembley Link:
There are problems at Henry’s Wembley job for developer Hub. A lot of firms
have not been paid. And the scaffolders turned up last week and took their kit
away.
The 16 and 18 storey towers have reached second-fit stage but firms are complaining
about not getting paid. Several subcontractors are in the same position.
The Link is so-called as it is part of a scheme to link Wembley Central new deveopments with the Quintain etc developments around the stadium.
Apologies for sound quality - not very good PA combined with traffic noise. Speech summaries below.
Workers for the homelessness charity St Mungo's, currently striking for a decent wage when the charity's executives are paid large salaries, received support in Wembley on Friday when a solidarity rally took place outside Brent Civic Centre.
Dawn Butler, Brent Central MP, spoke first but had finished by the time I got there. Brent North MP Barry Gardiner told the rally that the government was trying to make people insecure in their employment as a way of keeping them down. He said, 'We won't buckle down, we won't touch our forelock and say if that's all you can afford, thanks very much then. Because that's not the way trade unions operate, so I stand with you, keep up the fight and solidarity.'
Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, in a speech that was hard to hear, said that the work at St Mungo's was important. He said that as a council they would take the dispute up with St Mungo's to make sure that the dispute process was open, fair and transparent. He, councillors and the Labour Group were commited to fair pay: 'We'll make sure you guys get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.' [St Mungo's get a good proportion of their income via contracts with local councils.]
A Unite organiser said that the workers had a mandate for indefinite industrial action. He said that there had been other issues as well as the current pay dispute with the charity including a glass ceiling on pay, bullying and harassment and dismissal and attemnpted dismissal of their union members. They had made it clear to the employer that enough was enough and they were not going to put up with it anymore.
The employers thought the strikers would buckle within a couple of weeks and brought in agency workers, ahead of the workers being forced to return. Instead the strike and the momentum of the campaign had grown.
The union was now looking at what extra steps they could take and had a plan to take the fight to the directors, the trustees, and the funders who hold the purse strings. They would be contacting those with whom St Mungo's had business links, the City of London, and other charities linked to St Mungo's.
He concluded by saying that a 10% salary increase was needed at the very minimum/
Jonathan Ffuxman, Secretary of Brent Trades Council and a member of Doctors in Unite, said that this was a battle for control of the charity. He said that it beggared belief that a respected charity was a cash cow for its executive while the workers, who helped people off the street to restore their lives, got the minimum wage, were bullied and harassed and were completely over-worked.
As a GP he had seen the work St Mungo's did from his Practice. Life expectancy for homeless people was just 45 years. St Mungo workers are the people who are picking them up from the street, giving them somewhere to stay and helping them. It was an essential service and, 'What do they get? The minimum wage.'
He appealed for support from the labour movement against the background of strikes by doctors, nurses and others who are fighting back.
'If you are not in a union - join one. If you are in a union - get active. Make your union do stuff. Every union needs to be fighting hard and showing solidarity.'
Cllr Gwen Grahl, a member of the Brent Cabinet with a background in working for charities said that over the last few decades the charity sector had become more like corporations with executive earning big salaries while there were povery wages for the workers and the use of fire and rehire and zero hours contracts. She said some charities then undermined the permanent workers by introducing agency staff: 'I fully support you and will join your picket line on Friday.'
Cllr Jumbo Chan, who is a member of the NEU which is also currently in dispute, said that workers were being blamed for other crises that were going on at the moment including the economy.
He told the strikers, 'The bosses think they are getting away with it, but by say "No!" you are doing something powerful. You are puncturing not just the bosses but a powerful narrative that is supported by politicians, economists and academics. There is no law that says bosses can earn whatever they want and workers always have to take what they are offered.'
Chan said that the strikers were facing a titanic struggle but have the labour movement behind them and full support.
Responding to the speeches a St Mungo's worker thanked the speakers and those attending and said it really meant something to the strikers. He said they were fed up with the lie that they had to accept 3% a year when price rises were in double figures. 'Enough is enough' had to start meaning something. They had gone into a meeting with management on Tuesday really hoping that there would be a sensible offer but nothing came. It was a waste of time and they now had no option but to escalate the action.
He concluded, 'We are getting more confident as this dispute goes on and we are not going back in there until we have won.'
Supporters are asked to join the picket line from 8.30am on Friday at the St Mungo's facility in Pound Lane Willesden, just opposite the bus garage entrance.
