Greens call on Brent Council to scrutinise proposed reduced hours (21 hours per week) at Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre

 

The PFI funded Central Middlesex Hospital - are its services being gradually run down?

 

From Brent Green Party

 

In 2014, Central Middlesex hospital A&E department closed following a decision from the then Conservative Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt. At the time, we were told that the opening of an Urgent Care Centre at Central MIddlesex hospital would mitigate the loss of the A&E department. However, in 2019, the hours of the Urgent Care Centre were reduced  when the overnight service was withdrawn.

 

Six years down the line, we are faced with yet another reduction of the now named Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Central Middlesex hospital. The Centre currently closes at midnight but, if London NW University Healthcare Trust go ahead with their proposal, it will close at 9pm.

 

The curtailing of the services at the Central Middlesex hospital is even more incomprehensible because it runs contrary to the evolution of the demographics in Brent. The Brent population went up by 9.2% between 2011 and 2021. This is a significant increase which is both higher than the population rise in England (+6,6%) and the population of rise London (+7.7%). How is Brent's growing and ageing population supposed to cope with a reduction in urgent care treatment?

 

Brent Green Party is therefore firmly opposed to a further reduction of the NHS services that will undoubtedly put more pressure on Northwick Park Hospital A&E and its Urgent Care Centre and will lead to fewer people getting the required medical attention as quickly as necessary, in the best-case scenario.

 

We call on the current plans to reduce the Urgent Treatment Centre hours by 3 hours each evening to be added as an urgent item to the Agenda of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee taking place on Wednesday November 19th. Failing this an Extraordinary Meeting should be called to consider the issue as the next Scrutiny will not be until January 2026 – too late to affect the decision.  We note that the 2019 proposals were considered by that Committee on July 9^th 2019 setting a precedent for the views of the Council and residents to be represented.

 

The reasons for the reduction in hours put forward this time are almost the same as previously, gradually taking away the service from Brent and nearby boroughs.

 

Zengha Wellings-Longmore, Green Party candidate for the Harlesden and Kensal Green council ward said:

 

The cut is now proposed at a time when the Urgent Care Centre and A&E at Northwick Park Hospital are encountering heavy demand with extremely long waits outside the recommended parameters.

 

At the same time the local population is expanding through developments at Old Oak and Park Royal Development Area, Grand Union, Neasden Stations, and Alperton. Alongside this are potential critical incidents at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena and on the Park Royal Industrial Estate.

 

It is vital that the impact of the reduction in service be considered and that the cost and long-term benefits of upgrading late night resources at the UTC be considered instead.

 

We note that the closure of the Hydrotherapy Pool at Northwick Park Hospital recently took place without any Scrutiny by Brent Council.

 

 

 

 

Celebrate, Educate, Empower: Brent Islamophobia Awareness Month Experience Islamic art, food, dance, and culture on 25 November from 5:30-7:30pm.

 

 

Celebrate, Educate, Empower: Brent Islamophobia Awareness Month

 

Experience Islamic art, food, dance, and culture on 25 November from 5:30-7:30pm.

Join us for Brent Council’s Islamophobia Awareness Month event on Monday 25 November, an evening dedicated to celebrating Islamic culture, educating against Islamophobia, and bringing communities together in solidarity and understanding.

 

Held in the Civic Centre Grand Hall, the event will feature a vibrant mix of live performances, interactive stalls, and a thought-provoking panel discussion. From traditional Nasheed and Sufi music to calligraphy and henna art, attendees will experience the richness and diversity of Islamic heritage.

 

A highlight of the evening will be a panel discussion chaired by Councillor Teo Benea featuring barrister and broadcaster Hashi Mohamed, human rights lawyer and former Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain Zara Mohammed, and a representative from the Met Police. Together, they will explore lived experiences of Islamophobia and discuss how Brent can continue to stand united against hate while celebrating the borough’s rich diversity.

 

Hot food will be available, and stalls will showcase local initiatives, health services, and cultural contributions from across Brent. Whether you're coming to learn, connect, or celebrate, this event promises to be an engaging and inclusive evening for all.

 

Tickets are Free HERE 

LETTER: Q: 'When is a Brent Council fire door, not a fire door?' 'When it's ajar and they will only be "in touch" within the next 7-10 days!'

 

 In fact it is the front door - both fire and security.

Dear Wembley Matters

You recently posted on Brent Council's plans for dealing with problems in social housing. Included was: "Emergency hazards (for example, dangerous electrical faults, damaged external doors or windows, or major leaks) will be investigated and made safe within 24 hours."

 

One of the external doors in Gorefield House in South Kilburn has been damaged (and reported) for some time. (see photo) Since nothing has happened, I went online and reported it again this morning. This is the email I have just received from Brent Housing Management: 

"Dear PETER FIRMIN,

Thank you for contacting us. Your query has been reviewed and passed to the relevant specialist team to look further into and they will be in touch with you within the next 7-10 working days. Should you need to follow up on this case, please contact us by replying to this email."

 

nuff said.

 

Pete Firmin

Brent Council: End the Silence: Stand Together to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls 16 Days of Activism. DON"T STAND BY: REGISTER

 

Image: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Brent Programme

From Brent Council

 

Violence against women and girls affects us all, and it’s time to come together as a community to stop the abuse.

 

During the global 16 Days of Activism (25 November – 10 December), Brent is joining forces with community partners to host a powerful series of workshops, panel discussions, and events designed to raise awareness, support survivors, and create safer communities for everyone.

 

These events, both online and in person, and are open to people ready to learn, engage and take action.

 

Cllr Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Jobs and Skills, urges everyone to get involved. 

 

Violence against women and girls is a serious, widespread crisis that impacts people from all backgrounds. By recognising the signs, supporting survivors, and holding perpetrators accountable, we can make a real difference. Now is the time for all of us to join the conversation and take action.

 

Topics include honour-based abuse, forced marriage, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, and how violence affects mental health and children. Workshops will also cover trauma-informed language and effective multi-agency responses.

 

A highlight event on 2 December at St Raphael’s Family Wellbeing Centre offers residents a unique chance to speak directly with local police, gender abuse experts, and community leaders  about women’s and girls’ safety, concerns, what support is available and how we can work together as a community to increase the safety of women and girls while bringing perpetrators to account.

 

Brent’s 16 Days of Activism also features the Prisoners’ Liaison Information Advisory Service (PLIAS) in-person Summit on 28 November spotlighting the connection between mental health, domestic abuse-related deaths, and the criminal justice system.

 

Don’t stand by – register now to join Brent’s 16 Days of Activism and help build a safer future for women and girls.

 

 

Brent Planning Committee unanimously approve Argenta House development opposite Stonebridge Park Station

 

Brent Planning Committee has unanimously approved the part 27 storey/part 30 storey replacement for the 2 storey Argenta House on ex-railway land opposite Stonebridge Park station.

It will form  part of an urban 'island' of tall buildings next to the North Circular road and opposite the proposed development of Unisys and Bridge Park. The development, in the elbow of Wembley Brook and the River Brent, includes a 32 storey building just behind Argenta House.

See LINK 

Plans announced for Kings Court and Carmel Court in Wembley Park

 

Gardens at the front of Kings Court in Kings Drive, Wembley Park

Many readers will be familiar with the flats in King's Drive, WembleyPark,  next to the old  Brent Town Hall, now the Lycee Winston Churchill.

I am not sure of the exact age of the flats but Kings Court and Carmel Court were there in the late 1930s when the Town Hall was built.

Now the flats and the mature gardens that surround them  are due for a change. Wisestates Ltd, a small family trust, who have owned the freehold since the 1980s, are putting forward plans for 28 additional homes on the estate including extensions, homes on the garage sites and one new block.

The grounds have been better maintained recently and there are some beautiful mature trees and lawns. Wisestates say that improvements to the exisitng flats and grounds will be  paid for by the new homes.

Gardens at the back - a tribute to the foresight of the original architects

 

The garages are shrouded in black

 

 The disused bomb shelter appears to be on the proposed site for the new block

 

The extensions will be built at the back of existing blocks

The consultation with residents has only just begun. Details: www.keimprovementprogram.com

Brent West MP Barry Gardiner pulls no punches over Starmer inadequacies

 

The people's Gardiner going in on Keir Starmer is👌🏼pic.twitter.com/cseRyMYGBU

— Cllr Martin Abrams 🕊️🍉 (@Martin_Abrams) November 12, 2025

Morland Gardens – (Happy?) Anniversary Brent! Why the delay?

My redevelopment proposal, submitted during the December 2024 consultation.

 

It is two years since Brent Council began an “urgent review” of its plans for the former Brent Start college site at 1 Morland Gardens in Stonebridge, after its ill-conceived and ill-fated 2020 project for the site failed, because its planning consent expired without construction having commenced. I was led to believe at the time, by the Council Officer leading the review, that new recommendations for the site’s development would be put to Brent’s Cabinet for approval by the early summer of 2024 at the latest.

 

Monday 10 November 2025 was the second anniversary of the letter sent to me by Brent’s Director of Property and Assets, telling me about the review. As there is still no sign of any definite proposals for the site, and its landmark heritage Victorian villa, I thought it time to send him a reminder. This is the text of my open email (with the personal names of Council Officers removed):

 

‘Dear [Director of Property and Assts]

 

Proposed Morland Gardens Development

 

Two years ago, on 10 November 2023, you wrote to me in response to an open letter on this subject which I had sent to Brent's Chief Executive on 31 October 2023. Brent Council's original scheme for the redevelopment of the Brent Start college on this site, which had been given the go ahead (as subsequently shown, without proper consideration) by Brent's Cabinet in January 2020, had failed when its planning consent expired at the end of October 2023, without construction having commenced.

 

Paragraph 2 of your letter, headed "An urgent rethink on original proposals", stated:

 

'We are always reviewing and updating schemes across the board as part of our usual governance arrangements, and we are doing that with even more rigour given the underlying economic conditions. Following the expiration of the planning permission, the Council is reviewing its options for the Morland Gardens site, including the Altamira building.'

 

[The Head of Capital Delivery] began that urgent review in November 2023. A year later, as part of the Bridge Park consultation, it had concluded that the site should be used for "affordable housing and community facilities". After further consultation, this had been refined to "affordable housing and youth facilities", an outline for the future redevelopment which Cabinet approved in June 2025. 

 

Despite two years of review, there is still nothing in the Forward Plan to say when detailed recommendations for the Morland Gardens site will be put to Brent's Cabinet for a decision. During all that time, an architecturally and historically important local heritage building has been sitting empty, and the land behind it which could provide 25-30 much needed affordable Council homes is being left unused. That is a waste of two valuable Council-owned property assets!

 

Please let me know the date by which Council Officers intend to make their detailed recommendations to Cabinet for the redevelopment of 1 Morland Gardens.

 

Please also let me know (as some decision on this point must surely have been reached after two years of review) whether those recommendations will include retaining the heritage Victorian villa building, Altamira, as requested in the Willesden Local History Society petition which was presented to September's Full Council meeting, and supported then by councillors from across all three political parties.

 

I look forward to receiving your clear replies on both of those points. Thank you.’

 

I can’t help wondering why it should take Council Officers so long to come up with detailed proposals. Are they deliberately allowing the empty heritage building (which the Council restored in the 1990s to provide an inspiring home for the borough’s adult education students) to deteriorate, so they can claim that it can’t be saved, and must be demolished? Or could it be that they plan to recommend demolition, but their political masters don't want to make that unpopular decision in the run up to the local elections?

 

Whatever the reason, the delay is costing Brent Council (and therefore Council taxpayers) further money (on top of an estimated £4m for the failed 2020 project!), as well as further delaying the much needed affordable homes and youth facilities which they say they want to provide at Morland Gardens.

 

I’ve received an automated response to my “Service Request”, and a short email from an unidentified Officer signing themselves as “Brent Council”, advising that they hope to provide a reply by 21 November, so I will let you know what they say!

 

Philip Grant.