Still time to respond to Brent Council's proposed service cuts and fees increases

 Brent Council is running a consultation on its Draft Budget that includes some increases in charges as well as service cutbacks. Council Tax is to be increased by 4.99% and Council Tax Support for the vulnerable reduced.

The Council's website explains:

Councils across London are facing a series of unprecedented financial challenges, caused by a perfect storm of continued high inflation, rapidly increasing demand for services and reduced government funding since 2010. 

Across all budgets and service areas, London Councils estimates that boroughs will overspend on their original budget plans by over £600m in 2024/25. 

Brent is not immune to these pressures, with an expensive adult social care bill getting more so every year because of an ageing population as well as soaring levels of homelessness, with around 150 new families presenting as homeless most weeks. 

On top of £222m of cuts made since 2010, a further £16 million must be saved in 2025-26 to balance the books.  

The council has pulled together budget proposals which aim to protect the services residents rely on most as far as possible and protect the organisation’s longstanding healthy financial position. It is now asking for local people’s views on these proposals. 

Proposals in the draft budget include: 

• Increase charge for bulky waste collection from £40 to £55 
• Increase garden waste annual subscription from £65 to £69 
• A 4.99% increase in council tax, with 2% ring-fenced for adult social care 
• Changes to our Council Tax Support Scheme: https://www.brent.gov.uk/news-in-brent/2024/october/council-tax-support-scheme-consultation-gets-the-green-light

View draft budget proposals: Issue - items at meetings - Draft Budget 2025/26

 

BUDGET CONSULTATION ONLINE SESSIONS
THE WEBSITE SAYS CONSULTATION WILL RUN UNTIL DECEMBER 15TH BUT AS YOU CAN SEE THE WILLESDEN EVENT IS IN JANUARY!

Harlesden Connects Online November 26^th 6pm to 7pm

Kingsbury and Kenton Connects Online December 2^nd 6pm-7pm

Kilburn Connects Online December 12^th 6pm-7pm

Willesden Connects Online January 9^th 6pm-7pm

The Wembley Connects took place last week attended by 5 people.

Apart from the charges above there are other charges in the proposal including charging the elderly monthly  for Telecare services (they vary widely across councils) and increases for mortuary and bereavement services.  A £1m cut is based on wider use of reablement services to keep people from reliance on long-term care services and additional respite capacity for individuals with learning disabilities and reduce reliance on residential respite placements.

Care leavers aso suffer  with proposals to halve the number of weekends offered at Gordon Brown Centre for courses to support their independence and a reduction in spend on the SafeBase that supports the health and wellbeing of care leavers in higher education. Given the concerns about the vulnerability of care leavers this seems short-sighted.

 Apart from the Environment Services fee rise above there is a proposal for a £5 delivery charge for new or replacement binsand a proposal to cease the subscription to the online Recylopedia  resource which recieves 12,000 clicks a month.

A staffing and structural review of Public Realm posts results in the deletion of 3-4 posts which apparently will lead to 'local solutions for local problems.'  I hope Scrutiny Committee will explore what that means.

It is proposed to use an agency for occupational health service:

It is anticipated that a saving £100,000 could be delivered through the outsourcing of the OH contract.  By switching to an external provider, we would only pay the costs for our actual usage. We also pay high agency rates as OH specialists are hard to recruit and there is a national skills shortag. There is a downside in the Risk Assessment:Reduced service and longer waiting times to be seen by an OH professional as the service won’t be inhouse and bespoke. This will be mitigated as far as possible through close monitoring of performance. 

The deletion of 5 posts in Finance and Resorces is mitigated by 'automation'.

Check the list in Appendix below for the proposals  and if you want more details note the reference number and go to Appendix B. Click bottom right corner for full page.

 

 Appendix B - detailed proposals with risk assessments.

 

 

 

Even the lowest income families will pay some Council Tax next year Brent Council proposes. Consultation in progress ending on December 15th.

 

Brent Council is consulting on making changes in the Council Tax Support scheme. As you can see from above their drop-in sessions have attracted very few people. There is still time to take part in the consultation online that ends on December 15th 2024. Residents' Brent Council Tax bill is expected to increase by a further 5% in 2025-26.

The council is seeking savings of £2m on the scheme by revising the proportion of Council Tax  paid by working families in need of support.  The lowest income group would now receive a reduction of 65% rather than the 100%  reduction (ie pay no Council Tax)  at present:

I have embedded the full consultation document below. To take part in the consultation follow this LINK.

 

Does London Mayor's new guidance on purpose built student accommodation address recent concerns in Brent?

 Marketing  video for purpose built student accommodation in Wembley Park

 

There has recently been discussion about the amount of purpose built student accommodation in Brent, with some disquiet even in the Brent Planning Committee. (See LINK) Rather than reflecting an anti-student prejudice it is often about the loss of sites that could otherwise be used for family housing and questions about balancing local communities.

Brent planners have insisted that the need for student accommodation both in Brent and London as whole has been established and contributes to housing targets,

The London Mayor has recently published London Plans guidance for London local planning authorities which reviews some of the issues. The full document can be found HERE and key extracts follow (my highlighting):

 

The Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) London Plan Guidance (LPG) provides advice on how to apply London Plan Policy H15 to best meet London’s needs. This guidance applies to a specialist form of housing designed and managed for students. This typically comprises a mixture of flats for 6-8 students with shared living spaces, and larger studio flats, plus additional communal social spaces and other facilities.

As well as providing students with a place to live, PBSA can play an important role in alleviating pressures on the wider private rental sector. Indirectly its provision also helps underpin London’s higher education sector as a global player, and the wider knowledge economy of the city.

The LPG sets out detailed advice on siting, designing and developing such housing, including balancing it with other housing types. It aims to ensure that these developments are designed and managed to be of good quality, safe and inclusive and integrated into their neighbourhood. The guidance is aimed at those designing PBSA schemes and decision-makers assessing them as part of the planning application process.

 

London’s universities are disproportionately concentrated in a few areas, including within the CAZ (Central Activity Zone) . PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) has clustered in similar areas, particularly in inner London. This has diversified the student accommodation offer from the traditional, university-built PBSA, and private rented homes. Several boroughs where this is the case have sought to limit further growth in such (purpose built) student accommodation, as well as in some cases, HMOs Homes of Multiple Occupation). This reflects their concerns about housing mix in their neighbourhoods and the potential ‘crowding out’ of conventional housing, given other types of housing need amongst their population. However, in turn, other boroughs (including within outer London, some distance from where London’s universities are concentrated) have since seen a particularly high influx of PBSA schemes, giving rise to similar concerns.

 

PBSA in relation to neighbourhood housing mix can be considered in two ways:

 

• In support of PBSA proposals that help disperse from traditional concentrations to alternative, suitable locations – perhaps adding an element of student housing to existing residential stock that is primarily conventional housing. This may be particularly relevant where there is a shortage of family homes, which students are currently occupying as HMOs or which they could be in future, in light of PBSA shortages.

 

• As a more negative consideration, where there are long-standing or more recent concentrations of PBSA, or similar, non-self-contained accommodation, relative to conventional housing. This may be spatial (in particular neighbourhoods) or as a proportion of housing delivery, where PBSA may be considered to be ‘crowding out’ conventional housing schemes. Such dominance may be particularly acute under certain market conditions; and where development sites are limited (which would ordinarily be equally attractive for conventional residential use).

 

PBSA should form part of a wider positive strategy in delivering mixed and inclusive neighbourhoods in most Local Plans. It should be acknowledged that what is considered an appropriate balance of PBSA and conventional housing will differ across London, and within boroughs. Local Plans should identify if and where spatial concentration of PBSA, or proliferation of PBSA delivery compared to conventional housing delivery, is impacting the ability to ensure mixed and inclusive neighbourhoods. They should also identify more positive opportunities for PBSA to help contribute to local and strategic objectives.

This could be used to develop spatial policies; or to indicate the significance of neighbourhood or pipeline housing mix in decision-making.

 

LETTER: A Wembley airman and wartime POW, 1940-45

My father in the first weeks of captivity, when razors were not available, and consequently (as he wrote home) 'most of the fellows here look like Biblical characters'.
 

Dear Editor,

An article written by me about my father G.C.G. 'Todd' Hawkins is about to appear in the November 2024 issue of Bristol Blenheim magazine. I've taken the liberty of writing a 288-word description of the article, which is attached to this e-mail, and which might perhaps appear on the Wembley Matters blog if you thought it of sufficient interest to readers.

In the first half of last century Todd's family was well known to such Wembley personages as G. Titus Barham, the Rev. J.W.P. Silvester (who as vicar of St John's church married my parents), and his son Victor, the prominent dance-band leader. Todd's own career ended in a stroke of extraordinarily bad luck after nearly five years in captivity.

 

‘Todd’ Hawkins, 1911-45

An RAF airman, from a family once well known in Wembley, was shot down over occupied France on the first day of the Battle of Britain and spent nearly five years as a prisoner in Germany, only to be killed by ‘friendly fire’ a few days away from liberation.

‘Todd’ (Gordon Cyril George) Hawkins flew as a navigator/bomb aimer in Blenheim bombers. His story, illustrated by photos and his own drawings, is now told in an article by his son Richard in the latest issue of Bristol Blenheim, the magazine of the Blenheim Society. The article is based on material preserved by Todd’s family, including letters he wrote home and cartoons he drew while a prisoner, as well as wartime mentions in the Wembley News.

Todd was born in 1911, left school at fourteen, and became a clerk in the Workers’ Travel Association. His life before the RAF was nearly all spent in Wembley, while its population grew from 10,000 to 100,000. His parents were Henry Frederick Hawkins (shopkeeper, organiser of the Wembley town band, and active in the Wembley Tradesmen’s Association and sports club) and Susannah Jane Hawkins, eldest daughter of James Wood Blackmore, the first LMP policeman to be stationed in Wembley.

Todd met many Canadians among his fellow prisoners, and might have emigrated to Canada if he had survived the war. Over 200 of the cartoons he drew as a POW did survive. It is hoped that they will have a permanent home in the RAF Museum at Hendon.

Copies of the Nov. 2024 issue of Bristol Blenheim with the article on Todd can be obtained from the editor, Ian Carter, through the Blenheim Society website, https://blenheimsociety.com/contact

 

 

Richard Hawkins

 

 

UPDATE: Bridge Park Consultation Newsletter - what sites are involved?

 Bridge Park Consultation Newsletter

The Newsletter gives the impression that the consultation is just about Bridge Park and Unisys but as Philip Grant says in a comment below it is about more sites that this. 

The map below indicates the other sites involved in what Brent Council is calling the 'Hillside Corridor'. Residents of Roy Smith House and Bernard Shaw House should make a special effort to find out what plans are in the pipeline for their homes.

Conduit Way is not included in the map but Brent Council in the past suggested tall building there. LINK

For Stonebridge Park an additional area adjacent to the site allocation BSSA7 Bridge Park and Unisys Building has been identified. This incorporates the Conduit Way estate. This extension is justified on the basis that the existing estate is of low density, lower quality homes which has the potential to be intensified to a higher density reflective of its higher public transport accessibility. This is particularly so along and in the areas adjacent to the Brentfield frontage. This will complement the taller buildings proposed on the Unisys and Bridge Park site and reinforce the gateway role from the North Circular of those entering the borough from further afield. 

 

UPDATED: Are things moving at last on the Bridge Park and dormant Unisys site in Stonebridge? Brent Council launches consultation

 

Unisys buildings

 Unisys and Bridge Park from above

 Site ownership

I have prompted Brent Council several times recently over the Unisys/Bridge Park development. The twin Unisys buildings have been empty for decades.     In answer to a series of questions I tabled in September 2024  to Full Council LINK Brent Council said that the immediate priority was to progress scheme plans for a pre-planning resident consultation towards the end of 2024 which would include the latest on the New Bridge Park Centre and target dates for planning submission, determination and on-site delivery.

The resident consultation was launched yesterday on the Brent Council website and although the focus is on Bridge Park Centre  the wider major development that includes 1,000 homes and  a hotel is also important. The consultation closes on January 6th 2025.

From the Brent Council website:

Residents are invited to have their say on the future of Bridge Park Leisure Centre as part of an ambitious plan to invest £600 million into the Hillside Regeneration Corridor in Stonebridge.

Brent Council is working with the owners of the Unisys buildings, Stonebridge Real Estate Development Limited (SRED), to redevelop Bridge Park and the neighbouring land currently occupied by the Unisys buildings which have been derelict for more than 20 years.

The proposals, which will be shown at two exhibitions in November, show the new Bridge Park Leisure Centre will be more than double the size of the current building. Residents are being asked for their views including on a new state-of-the-art swimming pool, a new sports hall, a larger gym, a function hall, meeting rooms and a café.

The proposals include more than 1,000 high-quality homes, including family homes and affordable options; new parks and green spaces; a new 263-room hotel, commercial and affordable workspace. The designs are worked up to maximise the environmental benefits of the new buildings and encourage sustainable and active travel.

The redevelopment is part of a wider plan to invest in a number of sites, including Bridge Park, Morland Gardens, Twybridge Way, and Bernard Shaw House, along Hillside corridor.

The existing Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre has reached the end of its useable life. The current condition of the building demands substantial investment to keep the site open, including major and expensive works to the lifts and other parts of the building, which is not affordable. The proposal is therefore for the building to close next year with a decision expected in early 2025.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council said:

Bridge Park has always been a symbol of community and togetherness. So, as the building comes to the end of its life, it’s important that we do justice to both its history but also to what comes next. We take that responsibility very seriously.

We’ve listened to what residents have told us they want in a new, state-of-the-art centre. Our proposals not only provide a new Bridge Park Leisure Centre but expand and improve it for future generations. Wider plans for investing in the site will create new opportunities for everyone in Stonebridge, as well as desperately needed new homes.

Please take part in the consultation, we want to hear what you think of these proposals. Together, we can make sure that Bridge Park continues to serve and unite our community.

Mr. Mohammed Al-Miqdadi, SRED Director and Senior Director of International Development of GMH General Mediterranean Holding S.A., SPF. said:

Stonebridge Real Estate Development is excited to be working with Brent Council to bring forward a transformative vision for Bridge Park and the Unisys site. These plans focus on creating vibrant green spaces for everyone, with a commitment to inclusivity, ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities, older adults, and neurodiverse individuals. This project underscores our dedication to sustainable, community-centred spaces that enhance quality of life for local residents."

We’re proud to be delivering much-needed new homes, including affordable housing options, as well as creating hundreds of job opportunities across the hotel and leisure sectors. This major investment into Stonebridge will enrich the area and catalyse wider regeneration, whilst building on Bridge Park’s legacy as a place for connection, activity, and opportunity for all.

• Have your say at two exhibitions to find out more in person at Brent Start, Twybridge Way, London NW10 0ST on Thursday 28 November, from 3 to 7pm or Saturday 30 November, from 10am to 2pm
• There will also be an online version, which will be live from Monday 25 November on the website
• Email the team at BridgePark@four.agency

Get involved and have your say by Monday 6 January 2025.

SOME BACKGROUND ON BRIDGE PARK/UNISYS ON WEMBLEY MATTERS

 

November 2024 Unanswered question on viability of Bridge Park/Unisys development

 

September 2024 Question on Brent Council’s Mediterranean relationship with General Mediterranean Holdings

 

January 2024 What is happening with the Bridge Park/Unisys development?

 

October 2017 Controversial Bridge Park consultation + questions over General Mediterranean Holdings Chair, Sir Nadhmi Avichi’s links with the Labour Party

 

July 2015 Cllr Dan Filson warns Brent Council over making deals with a ‘convicted fraudster’

 

 

Brent Council to consider a formal twinning arrangement with Nablus after enabling motion passed

 

 The Labour Group motion to 'consider a formal twinning agreement between Brent and the city of Nablus, which sits under the governance of the Palestinian National Authority, and receive a report considering the proposal at a future council meeting' was passed by a large majority at last night's meeting.

An amendment by the Conservative Group (see video) was defeated and a Liberal Democrat move to get both withdrawn,  because the issue was 'divisive' failed. Legal officers ruled that both the substantive motion and the amendment were in order.

I have asked the Liberal Democrat to confirm how they voted as the Mayor does not summarise the vote and the council video does not pan across the chamber to show the voting. Cllr Neil Nerva removed himself from the council chamber before the vote was taken and returned afterwards.

A large group of Palestine supporters cheered as the motion was passed. 

STOP PRESS: Brent Liberal Democrat Group confirm that they voted against both the Conservative Amendment and the Labour motion.

 

All aboard the Lioness and Mildmay overground lines from Willesden Junction

 

 

TfL will complete the renaming of the London Overground lines by the end of the year. LINK There have been criticisms that this will involve unnecessary expense. TfL justify the changes thus:

London Overground was created in 2007, when TfL took over a series of under-used suburban rail lines and transformed them into a high frequency metro-style service.

Since then, the network has expanded, improved connectivity for millions of people and supported new jobs, homes and economic growth.

The Overground network covers 100 miles of railway, 113 stations and all 9 London zones.

Now there are more than 3 million passengers using the service each week, connecting some of London's most historic and diverse neighbourhoods.

Giving each of the 6 London Overground routes an individual line colour lets us improve the way our customers experience our network. It also gives them their own name and identity.

Benefits

 

Specific improvements will include:

• Increased usability and understanding of the network
• Greater customer confidence  
• Clearer wayfinding
• Clearer service disruption information 

 

It also brings a positive and unique opportunity to engage customers and communities and showcase London's rich diversity.

Two Overground lines serve Brent and pss through Willesden Junction. TfL explain why they have chosen the names.

The Lioness line Watford Junction to Euston

 

The Euston to Watford Junction line runs straight through the heart of Wembley, where the Lionesses enjoyed their greatest triumph when they won the UEFA Women’s EURO final in 2022. The team are creating a lasting legacy that continues to inspire and empower the next generation of women and girls in sport. 

 

Following their triumph at the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2022 and their memorable run to the FIFA Women’s World Cup final a year later, the Lionesses’ success has attracted millions of fans and had a significant impact on the sport’s participation numbers. Following the EURO success, 2.3 million more women and girls were inspired to play the season after the tournament. Showing the remarkable impact the squad have on the next generation. 

 

The Mildmay line  Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford (via Willesden Junction)

The name celebrates Mildmay, a small but crucial charitable NHS hospital serving the NHS in Tower Hamlets, with a long history of helping Londoners in need. Mildmay opened in the 1860s as an informal help centre organised by the Reverend William Pennefather and his wife Catherine at St Jude and St Paul’s church in Islington. William organised Mildmay Institutions to care for the sick and Catherine trained well-educated young women – ‘deaconesses’ in nursing. When cholera broke out in 1866, two Mildmay deaconesses volunteered to assist in the East End’s poorest slums, an area strictly avoided by other Londoners. In 1892, the first purpose-built Mildmay Hospital opened in Shoreditch. 

In 1982, Mildmay was closed owing to its small size and a lack of funding. After a six-year battle, it reopened as Europe’s first hospital for people with HIV- and AIDS-related illnesses. It was visited by Princess Diana a total of 17 times. The press coverage of some of these visits helped break the stigma at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The name cherishes the role of the NHS and its smaller healthcare centres in caring for all Londoners. To this day, Mildmay is still an internationally renowned centre for the rehabilitation of and care for patients with complex HIV. It a valued and respected place for London’s LGBTQ+ communities.

 The new Overground Map