How is Brent Council doing in providing good parks for residents?

Good Parks for London has published its 2017 report comparing parks provision across London boroughs. Brent comes out with a midway score at 13, compatred with 19.5 for Lanbeth, Lewisham and Southwark. Neighbouring Harrow is bottom of the table at 5.5  Lack of dtata exp;ains some low scores.

Provision is based on 10 criteria.  Brent's rating in brackets

1. Public satisfaction with parks (3/4 at least 75% satisfaction)
2. Awards for quality (0/4 Brent opted out of Green Flag awards when park maintenance was out-sourced to Veolia)
3. Collaboration with other boroughs (4/4 Brent supports Parks for London and the London Parks Benchmarking Group)
4. Events ('Making progress' 2/5)
5. Health, fitness and wellbeing (5/6 20% of gyms per ha)
6. Supporting nature ('Making progress' 1/4)
7. Community involvement (5/5 40+ parks friends groups etc)
8. Skills developments (inc apprenticeships) (0/5 no data)
9. Sustainability (2/4 switching from diesel to electrical equipment)
10. Strategy planning (4/4 straget and assess management plans both achieved).

The full report is below:

Brent school closures today

Brent River College

Ashley College
Manor Special School
Phoenix Arch School
The Village School

Anson Primary
Ark Franklin Primary Academy
Barham Primary School
Braintcroft Primary School
Byron Court Primary School
Carlton Vale Infants School
Chalkhill Primary School
Curzon Crescent Nursery School and Children’s Centre
Donnington Primary School
Elsley Primary School
Fawood Nursery School and Children’s Centre
Fryent Primary School
Harlesden Primary School
Islamia Primary School
John Keble School
Kilburn Grange School
Kilburn Park Junior Foundation School
Leopold Primary School
Lyon Park PrimarySchool
Malorees Infants and Juniors School
Mitchell Brook Primary School
Mora Primary School
Newfield Primary School
Northview Primary School
North West London Jewish Day School
Oliver Goldmsith Primary School
Preston Park Primary School
Princess Frederica C of E VA Primary School
Roe Green Infant School
Roe Green Junior School
Roe Green Strathcona School
Salusbury Primary school
St Joseph's RC Primary School
St Marys CE Primary School
Sinai Primary School
Stonebridge Primary School
Sudbury Primary School
Uxendon Manor
Wembley Primary School

Alperton Community School
Capital City
Claremont High School
Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College
Crest Academies
Kingsbury High School
Newman Catholic College
Preston Manor School
Queens Park Community School
St Gregory's Catholic Science College

The Village School governors vote to form multi academy trust with Woodfield School

Cllr Jumbo Chan speaking before the governing body's decision

The governing body of The Village School has released a statement confirming that they voted last night to form a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) with Woodfield School. The MAT will only go ahead if Woodfield governors vote for it on Monday evening.

The statement said:

The governing body concluded that the trust was in the best interests of the school and its pupils.

This is because of the opportunities it allows to embed and deepen collaboration within the security of a long term partnership.

This collaboration can help to increase educational opportunities, reduce costs, and improve our ability to influence other partners because we can speak with a single voice.

Staff terms and conditions would be protected as previously stated.

Dogged Duffy pursues Brent Council on asbestos contamination

Not satisfied with the Mayor's statement on the Paddington Cemetery asbestos issue at Full Council on Monday, Cllr John Duffy, who relinquishes his councillor role in May, has returned with further questions to Chris Whyte of Brent Council:

I wrote to the Mayor and he informed me my questions would be answered. I had hope that Brent council would be more transparent and rely on evidence not hear say. To me its important that any investigation is fact based so residents, the school and grave-owners would be satisfied that the council are transparent and has not reverted to their original position of deny everything , just ignore the evidence and rely on secret internal meetings to keep information from the public.

Mr Whyte you were not at either Carpender Park or Paddington Cemetery when the asbestos was discovered. The only witnesses at Carpenders Park are the operatives who discovered the Asbestos who have not been interviewed, the only evidence is the waste transfer certificate which confirms the fact  that 60kgs of hazardous waste was sent for disposal. The only witnesses at the discovery of the Asbestos found in Paddington Cemetery have not been interview, the only evidence is the asbestos discovered on May 9th was sent for analysts to Tersus Asbestos specialist and they confirmed  it was Asbestos Cement(Cyrysotile)  the remaining Asbestos was sent to Brentwood Essex and weighted 30kgs and the waste consignment note further confirms the fact that is was Asbestos cement (Chrysolite).Just to put the amount of asbestos in prospective 90Kgs is the equivalent of 90 plaster boards (2m x sq) broken up. So Mr Wythe as you were not present at either find , I suggest we concentrate on the evidence which speaks for itself.

I understand all operatives will now be interviewed 10 months after the discovery of the Asbestos. I Have told Brent legal department I am happy to wait until all the operatives have been interviewed to  determine what were  the operational failings with respect to the transfer of the soil/ rubble from Carpender’s Park in 2015 . I believe the evidence will supports me that  the soil/ rubble was knowingly transported  to Paddington Cemetery. It beggars belief that  you are suggesting officers cannot not tell the different between soil and rubble. However we must agree to wait until after all the witnesses have been interviewed.

Mr Whyte I asked the Mayor for the CEO or the Lead Member for the Environment to make a statement. I asked that" the statement should also include plans for compensation to the grave -owners who have buried love ones in section 3D who have paid for soil /earth interment and ended -up with builders rubble". I believe that head of finance should also give an estimate on the total cost to the council, which I believe will be somewhere around the 1 million pound mark ". You have not answered those questions. Instead you inferred I am  misleading grave -owners  with a hurtful suggestion .This is nonsense and is yet another attempt to undermine me and stop any questioning of  how the councils managed to deliver the  rubble ( including Asbestos) instead of the soil / earth  which is normal for  graveyards to Paddington Cemetery.

I assume Brent council officers have read  the reports concerning  the description of there soil / rubble on the mound. If not I suggest you look at the evidence. We known there was three finds of Asbestos one in August 2015 ( Carpenders Park ) and two in Paddington Cemetery in May 2017. We known the soil / rubble for Paddington Cemetery came from Carpenders Park after the original 60 KGs of Asbestos was discovered. We know that 30 Kgs of Asbestos was found in May 2017.  In August 2017 Eton Environmental took 60 sample (appendix 3 of their report ) and they give the exact location and description of the samples taken .Of the 60 sample taken 17  were found to have asbestos this confirms 28% of the sample had Asbestos including one sample that had several large chunks of asbestos cement. We also know that of the 60 samples 57 contained rubble ,that is 95% of samples contained rubble, some called cement  or bitumen ,but all identified as rubble. Officers can also visible verify  the present of rubble by inspecting the  residue from the graves, where they will witness boulders as big as footballs which are clearly visible.

I would suggest officers stop making smears against me and concentrate on the facts. I ask again now that I have pointed out the evidence that 95% of samples contain  (you would be hard put to get that level on a bomb site ) rubble will the CEO or Lead member for the Environment  now confirm that  they will compensated the grave -owners who have buried love ones on the mound and who paid for soil /earth interment (as per their contract)  and ended -up with builders rubble (Q1)? The council position that the mound is not heavily contaminated with builders rubble is unsustainable and the longer the council  remain  in a state of denial, the more I believe it undermines their credibility with the public .If the Mayor, CEO and Lead member  for Environment believe that is OK to buried people in ground , which sample show is  95% of rubble instead of soil is acceptable they should confirm that to the residents of Brent. I would also like confirmation on the full cost to  the council of this fiasco  and hope the Head of Finance will confirm the  cost the council tax-payer, which I believe is around the million pound mark (Q2)?

Mr Whyte as well as the financial cost and the health and safety aspects of the officers reckless decision not to halt the transfer of  soil/ rubble to Paddington cemetery after the discovery of asbestos. The council have destroyed pathway to bury people and have buried people in areas with no proper drainage. All this because of the failure of officers to condemn the waste at Carpenders Park and halt the transfer. Yet I see no humility from officers concerning  the actions  undertaken by officers which have led to the Council turning  parts of a  beautiful  Victorian listed graveyard into a brown field site full of rubble.

Please ensure you answer the 2 questions mentioned above concerning compensation and the full cost.

Mr Whyte I have copied in the CEO, as I am not sure she was aware of the high level of rubble present in the sampling

Brent Council suspends bin collections to deploy staff on snow clearance

Brent Council has suspended bin collections and instead deployed workers on keeping pavements and roads clear.

The council says it will resume bin collections as soon as it is safe to do so.

Brent school closures today

Reflecting health and safety concerns regarding school sites and the difficulties some staff have in getting into work from outside London, the following schools are closed today. Most schools now have a text service to inform parents and also use Twitter and website announcements. Brent Council receive updates from schools and places them on their website HERE:

• Alperton Community School for years 7-9
• Anson Primary
• Ark Franklin Primary Academy
• Ashley College
• Barham Primary School
• Brent River College
• Carlton Vale Infants School
• Capital City for years 7-9
• Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College
• Crest Academies closed for years 7,8,9,10 and 12
• Chalkhill Primary School
• College Green Nursery School
• Curzon Crescent Nursery School and Children’s Centre
• Donnington Primary School
• Elsley Primary School
• Fawood Nursery School and Children’s Centre
• Fryent Primary School
• John Keble School
• Kilburn Grange School
• Kilburn Park Junior Foundation School
• Kingsbury Green Primary School
• Lyon Park PrimarySchool
• Malorees Infants and Juniors School
• Manor Special School
• Mitchell Brook Primary School
• Mora Primary School
• Newfield Primary School
• Newman Catholic College
• Oliver Goldmsith Primary School
• Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
• Phoenix Arch School
• Preston Park Primary School
• Princess Frederica C of E VA Primary School
• Queens Park Community School for years 7-9
• Salusbury Primary school
• St Andrew and St Francis Primary School
• St Marys CE Primary School
• Sudbury Primary School
• Uxendon Manor
• Wembley Primary School

Dogs deployed at Village School as governors make decision to academise

It appears The Village School governing body decided by a majority to support academisation to form a Multi Academy Trust at last night's meeting which which was marked by the extraordinary decision to deploy dogs to keep staff and members of the public out of the meeting.

This is the statement from the NEU released late yesterday:
 

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Today, 28^th February NEU members of staff and supporters gathered in Arctic conditions outside The Village school in Brent to express their opposition to the proposed academy. Despite the weather the Governors meeting to decide on whether to convert or not went ahead.  Staff were prevented from going inside as the premises were in ‘lockdown’. This was the description given by one of the security guards, with dogs at the ready, who had been brought in by the headteacher, Kay Charles. 

Staff governors and Reps struggled to get past the dog handlers into the governors' meeting.

The NEU strikers’ response was to sing even louder and a new song was quickly added to their imaginative repertoire, “Who brought the dogs in? Kay, Kay, Kay, Kay, Kay, Who paid the bill? We, we, we, we did”. Brent Councillor Jumbo Chan addressed the protestors praising their stand and bringing the support of the Brent Council leader Muhmmed Butt, Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler, both Brent Labour MPs and the local Labour Party.

The previous day, NEU staff, both teachers and support staff were on strike yet again to prevent their school becoming an academy. Joining them on the picket and supporting demonstration was Kevin Courtney, Joint NEU General Secretary. He brought solidary from the 450,000 members of NEU.

We heard yesterday that secondary academy Heads in Brent have sent a letter supporting the Executive Headteacher Kay Charles in her move to privatise this outstanding special school. Perhaps they are lining up to join the Multi Academy Trust and thereby possibly get a position in it where they earn more money?

A letter before action has been sent to Sandra Kabir, Chair of Governors, disgracefully defying the Labour line although still the Brent Labour Group Whip. Governors have voted by a majority for the Multi Academy Trust. Legal action will likely soon follow.  

When the management of a school calls in dog vans because staff are peacefully protesting against academisation, you know they have lost the argument. Democracy and consultation academy style.

London Mayor supports plans for West London Orbital Rail that will run through Old Oak, Harlesden, Neasden and Cricklewood

Click on images to enlarge

Years of campaiging, publicity and network building by local activist John Cox appears to have persuaded the Mayor of London, TfL, Network Rail and the London Alliance of Boroughs to consider a new Overground line linking Hounslow with Brent Cross, Hendon, Cricklewood and West Hampstead via Old Oak, Harlesden and Neasden.

The West London Orbital has now been incorporated into the revised Mayor''s Transport Strategy.

Congratulations John.