In response to requests from readers here is my leaflet for the Barnhill by-election:
WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Thursday 19 April 2012
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Willesden Green issue remains on the boil
Robin Willow caught the public mood tonight when he thundered, 'Who owns Fryent Country Park? Is it the Council? No, it is us the people? Whose are the trees in Carlton Vale that have been chopped down by the Council? Not the Council's, they are ours - our heritage."
Turning to the platform at the Willesden Area Consultative Forum he said, "The Old Victorian Library belongs to the people of Willesden, not the Council. It is part of our heritage and you haven't the right to take it away from us."
Robin had heard a rumour that Brent Council were trying to overturn the covenants on Fryent Country Park in order to build on it but that was later denied by Richard Barrett leader of the increasingly powerful Regeneration and Major Projects Department - and he should know.
However the fact that it is now possible to suspect Brent Council of planning such a move is indicative of the lack of trust residents now have following recent machinations over library closures and other issues.
Speaking about the Willesden Green Library regeneration Elizabeth Proud said that if people wanted to comment on more that cosmetic details of the proposals they were effectively told to 'shut up'. She spoke about the loss of open space, the Victorian Library building and the reduced size of a replacement building that looked like an airport building or a warehouse: 'We know an eyesore when we see one'.
Indeed when Beth Kay and Richard Barrett presented the revised plans the building looked worse than in the earlier artist's impression and there were little more than cosmetic changes to the internal layout and the floor plan. There was slightly more space between the building and the High Road and an indication that the cafe area might include retail space, that 'could' be a bookshop, but would be let at market rates.
One resident said that the plans had been underhand and imposed on residents. The Victorian Library and the open space were the heart of Willesden. She claimed the Council had deliberately run down the cafe and cinema and the 80s library had only been refurbished 5 years ago. She said that the way the Council had behaved was more like something from the old Soviet Union.
She was followed by a woman who said that the Victorian Library and open space were the heart of Willesden and in response to Richard Barrett's claim that the landmark Victorian Library would be replaced by a new landmark building, the Cultural Centre, she said something that looks like a circus marquee will never be a landmark building. Warming to her theme she said that in removing the open space the Council were not getting rid of anti-social behaviour but of social behaviour it was a space where people could congregate and mix in all their diversity and one where people new to the area could observe local life and feel part of the community. The Neighbourhood Bulletin from Brent ward working had said that (contrary to the Council's claim that the space encouraged ant-social behaviour) 'the area outside Willesden Green library is no longer a haven for anyone causing anti-social behaviour' because 'a dispersal order is now in place...'
She said that the real failure had been one of 'management and marketing' and the problem could have been solved with a proper management plan.
In a corrective to the presenters' statement that local councillors had been consulted, Liberal Democrat councillor Gavin Sneddon said that they had warned officers that demolition of the Victorian Library would be controversial and that his colleague Ann Hunter had asked for two plans, one with the Victorian building and one without. The decision to proceed with the plan for demolition did not involve local councillors.
A potential bombshell was partially revealed when Richard Barrett said that he understood that local historian Phil Grant had been in contact with the Secretary of State for Communities over whether Brent Council was the appropriate body to make the planning decision. Brent Council thought they were but would find out more. Phil said that the issue revolved around Conservation Area consent which would involve Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State, and predicted that the Council would not have a smooth ride with its planning application . He called for no amenities to be closed until full planning consent had been obtained.
No member of the public spoke in favour of the proposals, if anything the opposition has broadened and deepened.
Turning to the platform at the Willesden Area Consultative Forum he said, "The Old Victorian Library belongs to the people of Willesden, not the Council. It is part of our heritage and you haven't the right to take it away from us."
Robin had heard a rumour that Brent Council were trying to overturn the covenants on Fryent Country Park in order to build on it but that was later denied by Richard Barrett leader of the increasingly powerful Regeneration and Major Projects Department - and he should know.
However the fact that it is now possible to suspect Brent Council of planning such a move is indicative of the lack of trust residents now have following recent machinations over library closures and other issues.
Speaking about the Willesden Green Library regeneration Elizabeth Proud said that if people wanted to comment on more that cosmetic details of the proposals they were effectively told to 'shut up'. She spoke about the loss of open space, the Victorian Library building and the reduced size of a replacement building that looked like an airport building or a warehouse: 'We know an eyesore when we see one'.
Indeed when Beth Kay and Richard Barrett presented the revised plans the building looked worse than in the earlier artist's impression and there were little more than cosmetic changes to the internal layout and the floor plan. There was slightly more space between the building and the High Road and an indication that the cafe area might include retail space, that 'could' be a bookshop, but would be let at market rates.
One resident said that the plans had been underhand and imposed on residents. The Victorian Library and the open space were the heart of Willesden. She claimed the Council had deliberately run down the cafe and cinema and the 80s library had only been refurbished 5 years ago. She said that the way the Council had behaved was more like something from the old Soviet Union.
She was followed by a woman who said that the Victorian Library and open space were the heart of Willesden and in response to Richard Barrett's claim that the landmark Victorian Library would be replaced by a new landmark building, the Cultural Centre, she said something that looks like a circus marquee will never be a landmark building. Warming to her theme she said that in removing the open space the Council were not getting rid of anti-social behaviour but of social behaviour it was a space where people could congregate and mix in all their diversity and one where people new to the area could observe local life and feel part of the community. The Neighbourhood Bulletin from Brent ward working had said that (contrary to the Council's claim that the space encouraged ant-social behaviour) 'the area outside Willesden Green library is no longer a haven for anyone causing anti-social behaviour' because 'a dispersal order is now in place...'
She said that the real failure had been one of 'management and marketing' and the problem could have been solved with a proper management plan.
In a corrective to the presenters' statement that local councillors had been consulted, Liberal Democrat councillor Gavin Sneddon said that they had warned officers that demolition of the Victorian Library would be controversial and that his colleague Ann Hunter had asked for two plans, one with the Victorian building and one without. The decision to proceed with the plan for demolition did not involve local councillors.
A potential bombshell was partially revealed when Richard Barrett said that he understood that local historian Phil Grant had been in contact with the Secretary of State for Communities over whether Brent Council was the appropriate body to make the planning decision. Brent Council thought they were but would find out more. Phil said that the issue revolved around Conservation Area consent which would involve Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State, and predicted that the Council would not have a smooth ride with its planning application . He called for no amenities to be closed until full planning consent had been obtained.
No member of the public spoke in favour of the proposals, if anything the opposition has broadened and deepened.
Brent to charge for licenced leaflet distribution in designated streets
Brent Council is seeking approval for new powers to restrict the distribution of leaflets, flyers, free newspapers and other materials on Brent's streets ahead of the Olympics.
They see this as reducing litter and nuisance and state that it does not include materials promoting charities or for religious or political purposes. I can see that there may be problems of definition here.
There are three parts to the plans:
1. Designating particular areas or streets where it will apply
2. A licensing process with a list of charges
3. An enforcement system.
1. The proposed designated areas are:
It will be a criminal offence to distribute materials in designated areas without a licence and material can be seized. The definition of distribution includes on vehicles and in telephone boxes. Fines will not exceed £2,500. However it is unclear how, and by whom, this new law would be enforced and the alcohol ban enforcement problem is not a good precedent.
The proposal will be discussed at the Council Executive on Monday.
They see this as reducing litter and nuisance and state that it does not include materials promoting charities or for religious or political purposes. I can see that there may be problems of definition here.
There are three parts to the plans:
1. Designating particular areas or streets where it will apply
2. A licensing process with a list of charges
3. An enforcement system.
1. The proposed designated areas are:
Kilburn/Cricklewood – Kilburn High Road, Shoot-Up Hill, Cricklewood Broadway, Willesden Lane
Willesden/Harlesden – High Road (Willesden), Walm Lane, Craven Park Road, High Street (Harlesden), Dudden Hill Lane, Station Road (Harlesden).
Wembley – Bridge Road, Wembley Hill Road, Wembley Park Drive, Park Lane, Empire Way, South Way, Rutherford Way, Engineers Way, Olympic Way, Fulton Road, Brook Avenue, Great Central Way, First
Way, Fourth Way, Fifth Way, High Road, Harrow Road, St John’s Road, Lancelot Road, Ealing Road, Ecclestone Place, London Road, Dagmar Avenue, Linden Avenue, Mostyn Avenue
Kingsbury/Kenton/Edgware – Kenton Road, Kingsbury Road, Edgware Road
2. The licences will be subject to:
- An application fee of £175 to cover administrative and part enforcement cost;
- A £75 re-submission fee will be applied to cover administrative cost.
- A discount of £25 will be applied to applicants that apply and pay online.
- The discount is applicable to both applications and resubmissions
- A fee for each distributor employed for each day of £75 except where the distribution takes place after 1800 hours or before 0800 hours where the fee will be £100 per distributor per day, or for Sundays and bank holidays where the fee will be £165 per distributor per day.
The licence may be limited by:
- Reference to the material to be distributed;
- Reference to a particular period, or particular times or dates;
- .Reference to any part of the designated area/road; or particular distribution
It will be a criminal offence to distribute materials in designated areas without a licence and material can be seized. The definition of distribution includes on vehicles and in telephone boxes. Fines will not exceed £2,500. However it is unclear how, and by whom, this new law would be enforced and the alcohol ban enforcement problem is not a good precedent.
The proposal will be discussed at the Council Executive on Monday.
More primary schools to get bigger
The Brent Executive is will approve the expansion of three Brent Primary schools on Monday.
Barham Primary in Wembley will expand one form of entry, moving from a total of 630 pupils Reception to Year 6 to 840 at a cost of £4.8m.
Fryent Primary in Kingsbury will double in size from 420 to 840 pupils at a cost of £8.3m
Michell Brook Primary in Neasden will expand from 420 places to 630 at a cost of £3.8m
Brent Council says all three are 'popular and high performing schools'.
A decision on the expansion of Furness in Harlesden has been postponed until a new headteacher has been appointed.
It is not clear from the documentation whether the amount of outdoor play space has been reduced as a result, noting only that it has been 'reconfigured'.
Barham Primary in Wembley will expand one form of entry, moving from a total of 630 pupils Reception to Year 6 to 840 at a cost of £4.8m.
Fryent Primary in Kingsbury will double in size from 420 to 840 pupils at a cost of £8.3m
Michell Brook Primary in Neasden will expand from 420 places to 630 at a cost of £3.8m
Brent Council says all three are 'popular and high performing schools'.
A decision on the expansion of Furness in Harlesden has been postponed until a new headteacher has been appointed.
It is not clear from the documentation whether the amount of outdoor play space has been reduced as a result, noting only that it has been 'reconfigured'.
Shakespeare gets behind libraries campaign
If you are nifty on your feet on Monday you will be able to attend the Town Hall demonstration and this event organised by the Save Preston Library Campaign.
Will Brent Council dismiss thousands more petitioners?
Supporters of the petition should arrive at the Town Hall around 6.45pm and bring banners and placards to persuade the wholly Labour Executive to act on this petition which is the third on the issue.
At present the Council has not tabled a report for the Executive dealing with the issues raised by the petitioners.
The petition consists of 331 names on the e-petiiton, 3,108 on the paper version and 170 names from Queens Park Community School.
Keep Willesden Green supporters will also be at the Willesden area Forum this evening where the redevelopment is on the agenda. The Forum starts at 7pm at the College of North West London, Denzil Road.
Tuesday 17 April 2012
Jenny Jones gets Wembley talking about the need for change
 |
| With Jenny Jones in Wembley High Road this morning |
Two parents of former pupils of mine stopped to say, 'We must get rid of this government. They have no idea of how people like us live. They are doing so much damage'. Younger people wanted to talk about the EMA and tuition fees and the cloud hanging over their futures.
Among the reporters and cameramen there were a team from BBC London News and Jenny (and Wembley) will be on that tomorrow evening at 6pm.
Our Green mayoral candidate was particularly keen to talk about the environment and how she wants to make London lead the word in addressing climate change, reducing waste and securing a shared future.
She promised to help Londoners in four key areas:
- Making sure food waste is collected on a weekly basis
- Working with boroughs and central government to make sure all Londoners canm recycle in the same way
- Working with central government to ban carrier bags. reduce unnecessary packaging and use more recyclable and biodegradable materials
- Rolling out the RE:NEW home insulation programme to over a million homes
- Expand the RE:FIT workplace refurbishment programme to cover small and medium sized businesses
Sunday 15 April 2012
Brent homelessness on the rise and worse to come
The extent of Brent's housing crisis is set out in stark terms in a report going before the Council Executive on April 23rd. LINK
Brent Council is expecting to receive 440 homeless applications in the final quarter of this year, the highest since 2007-8. The rise in demand follows government changes in the Local Housing Allowance which caps the maximum payable for different sizes of accommodation.
While some landlords have accepted a decrease in rental income as a result, others have not and are have evicted tenants; withdrawing from the market or letting to other types of households.
Total current demand on the Housing Register, including homeless households in temporary accommodation and the Transfer list is just over 18.500 households. In contrast the Council expects only 871 lettings into permanent housing tenancies (Council and Housing Association) by the end of 2011-12. At the end of February 2012 there was a total of 3,136 households in temporary accommodation and this is expected to rise. At the same time the amount of subsidy the Council receives from central government for self-contained temporary accommodation has been capped and the Council has to meet any shortfall. The Council has hitherto sought to provide such accommodation within the borough but to minimise costs there has been an increase in out of borough placements, particularly for larger households. Between February 2012 and March 2012 out of borough placements rose from 104 to 120 and the figure is forecast to rise significantly in the future.
As a result of these pressures Executive members are being asked to approve letting projections based on different demand groups. (Appendix D) of the document.
The report assesses the likely impact of the Overall Benefit Cap. The Department of Work and Pensions forecast that in Brent around 3,500 households would be affected. Brent initially though that larger households in the private sector would affected but having worked through some examples they think it wlil be smaller households. For example a couple with three children living in the south of Brent in a 3 bedroomed property could have a £100 weekly shortfall in their housing benefit.
The Council's revised 2011-12 budget for expenditure on temporary accommodation is £2,306,000 which includes a housing benefit subsidy budget loss of £500,000. As a result of the pressures outlined officers are now forecasting an overspend in the current financial year of £354,000. The temporary accommodation budget for 2012-13 is £3,440,000 in order to mange cost pressures and increased demand. Although the Council expects to break even they state: 'there continue to be significant risks attached to the Council's ability to control demand led pressures..while ensuring statutory duties are met'.
Brent Council is expecting to receive 440 homeless applications in the final quarter of this year, the highest since 2007-8. The rise in demand follows government changes in the Local Housing Allowance which caps the maximum payable for different sizes of accommodation.
While some landlords have accepted a decrease in rental income as a result, others have not and are have evicted tenants; withdrawing from the market or letting to other types of households.
Total current demand on the Housing Register, including homeless households in temporary accommodation and the Transfer list is just over 18.500 households. In contrast the Council expects only 871 lettings into permanent housing tenancies (Council and Housing Association) by the end of 2011-12. At the end of February 2012 there was a total of 3,136 households in temporary accommodation and this is expected to rise. At the same time the amount of subsidy the Council receives from central government for self-contained temporary accommodation has been capped and the Council has to meet any shortfall. The Council has hitherto sought to provide such accommodation within the borough but to minimise costs there has been an increase in out of borough placements, particularly for larger households. Between February 2012 and March 2012 out of borough placements rose from 104 to 120 and the figure is forecast to rise significantly in the future.
As a result of these pressures Executive members are being asked to approve letting projections based on different demand groups. (Appendix D) of the document.
The report assesses the likely impact of the Overall Benefit Cap. The Department of Work and Pensions forecast that in Brent around 3,500 households would be affected. Brent initially though that larger households in the private sector would affected but having worked through some examples they think it wlil be smaller households. For example a couple with three children living in the south of Brent in a 3 bedroomed property could have a £100 weekly shortfall in their housing benefit.
The Council's revised 2011-12 budget for expenditure on temporary accommodation is £2,306,000 which includes a housing benefit subsidy budget loss of £500,000. As a result of the pressures outlined officers are now forecasting an overspend in the current financial year of £354,000. The temporary accommodation budget for 2012-13 is £3,440,000 in order to mange cost pressures and increased demand. Although the Council expects to break even they state: 'there continue to be significant risks attached to the Council's ability to control demand led pressures..while ensuring statutory duties are met'.
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