Preston Library site planning comments close on May 21st - details of the plans here

The frontage of the new Preston Library building on Carlton Avenue East

Consultation on the planning application for the Preston Library building on Carlton Avenue East, Wembley,  officially closes on Tuesday May 21st, although I understand that in practice comments may still be sent in up to the Planning Committee hearing which may not be until July.

 The application is for a 2-4 storey building with a library/community space on the ground floor and 12 self-contained flats (6 one bedroom, 2 two bedrooms and 4 three bedrooms). The housing would be 100% affordable and used for people and families currently in temporary accommodation.  The documentation does not give a definition of 'affordable' - as readers will know there are several definitions.

The library space is reduced from 250 square metres to 206 square metres but the developer claims it will be a more flexible space suited to the activities currently carried out by volunteers at the community library.  It will have a 'live' frontage with toilets etc at the back:

The proposed ground floor plan

 The planning documentation uses the following opening hours although the library may choose to increase these in the future:

The Council has promised that the community library could operate temporarily from the Ashley Gardens building, which is no longer required for education, during the building period.

So far there has been only one comment on the Council's planning portal with none in favour and nothing recorded from local councillors.

The objection reads:

How is it that Brent Council can flout it's own planning regulations by putting a building of this many floors in a primarily residential area? 6 parking spaces are proposed in the development. The likely number of vehicles on the site will be substantially more than this.......and they will park where exactly?

They will make an already busy junction more so. As residents here suspected all along, the "consultation" we were invited to was nothing more than an attempt to convince us that things were at an early stage, whereas, in fact, that was far from the truth.

I expect that this will get bulldozed through, and us residents will just have to put up with the building works, followed by the extra traffic. I hope the replacement library will do as good a job as the existing one.....but wonder if the volunteers who run it will still be willing and able!

All in all another example of Brent's arrogant supreme indifference to the very people it's supposed to serve.

To make a comment go to LINK

Full details below (click bottom right corner for full view):

 

Carlton Granville Final Plans on exhibition next week

Brent Council's final controversial plans for the Carlton and Granville centres will be on display on Wednesday May 15th 3-5pm and Saturday May 18th 1-3pm next week.

At The Granville 140 Carlton Vale NW6 5 HE  (Queens Park or Kilburn Park stations)

Scrutiny decides NOT to refer Alternative Provision Free School proposal back to Cabinet

Cllr Jumbo Chan presents the reasons for the call-in

There were only two dissenting votes on Brent Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee this evening when the Committee decided not to refer the proposed Alternative Provision Free School back to Cabinet.  This means the Council will go ahead and seek sponsors for the school despite official opposition from the Labour Party to the creation of any more free schools or academies. There may be a little token consultation along the way but this will not be about the principle of free school provision.

It was always going to be a difficult case to argue because of the ramifications of government legislation that (absurdly) prevents local authorities setting up new schools when they are needed. New schools have to be either a free school or an academy - both outside local authority oversight.

There is a possibility of setting provision up as part of a local authority school - rather than a new school, rather as Leopold Primary opened another site in Harlesden. However all secondary schools in Brent are either academies or voluntary aided schools so the only local authority schools left are primary.  The Chair of the Committee, Cllr Ketan Sheth, raised doubts about whether a primary school could cater for older pupils, a point denounced as patronising by Jean Roberts of the NEU when she was eventually allowed to speak having had her hand up for a long time.

Strategic Director of Children and Young People, Gail Tolley, told Cllr Jumbo Chan that she had raised with secondary school heads the possibility of them taking on the alternative provision but they had not been interested. Those recognised by the DfE as able to set up a free school could still apply during the procurement process. Cllr Chan said that an informal discussion was not sufficient and requested evidence of a formal consultation.  Union representatives protested that they had not been consulted as educational professionals on the Council's proposal.

In answer to claims that the secondary schools would welcome such provision Jean Roberts said it was these very schools, academies and free schools in the borough, that were excluding the pupils who will end up in the alternative provision.  There was a discussion among educational professionals after the meeting about the danger that the provision may end up as a 'sin bin' with disproportionate numbers of black pupils as happened with Units for Disruptive Children in the 80s. 

Simone Aspis, (see separate post below) had argued that outcomes of Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and Special Schools were poorer than for similar children integrated with support into mainstream.  There is a concern currently from Ofsted about the 'off-rolling' LINK of pupils by secondary schools. This is done so that the pupils are not counted in examination statistics thereby improving the school's league table position.

Will the existence of this provision mean that secondary schools will be tempted to off-roll or exclude even more children? (Recently a suggestion has been made that excluded pupils should be included in the excluding school's examination results to reduce the incentive to exclude.)

Will the unintended consequence of the Council decision be that a disproportionate number of black pupils will be sent to the provision - there is already a disproportion in those sent outside the borough to alternative provision? How does that sit with the principle of inclusion and Brent Council's current project to improve the educational attainment of Black Caribbean boys?

Cllr Mili Patel, argued that the Council has set out the condition that any provider would have to include a council representative and a secondary school representative on the trustees board.  She claimed it would be more accountable than academy boards who have no local authority representation. Furthermore Gail Tolley argued that because these were vulnerable pupils the authority did have powers to intervene as it had a safeguarding duty for all children in the borough regardless of the type of provision.

Asked what would happen if the authority was not satisfied with the performance of the provider Cllr Patel said that the contract could be terminated. One councillor rightly asked, 'what will happen to the children in the event of termination?'

One feature of the hearing was that three out of the six representations made at Committee were from the Young Brent Foundation, a registered charity LINK that claims to support 122 Brent young people's projects. They were led by their new CEO Chris Murray, who called on the committee to 'force through' the Cabinet's proposal.  The YBF was set up by Brent Council after they closed the Youth Service. They help voluntary organisation find funding as a replacement for council funded youth provision. It is largely funded itself through the John Lyon's Trust, the charity arm of Harrow public school. LINK

When it was set up it was emphasised that the Foundation itself would not directly provide youth services but would help others to do so.

Their contributions focused on the benefits of the wrap around youth provision proposed for Roundwood now that the free school will pick up the bill for the maintenance of the site itself via a separate funding stream. They  paid little attention to the reason for the call-in, which was not to oppose youth provision, but to ensure the quality and accountability of the alternative provision.

CONSULTATION

I submitted a Freedom of Information request to Brent Council regarding consultation on the proposal for Roundwood Centre and am still awaiting a response:

The Cabinet is making a decision on the future use of the Roundwood Centre at its meeting on April 15th including alternative provision via a free school sponsor and youth work.

The Cabinet paper lists the followign consultations:

"9.1 The council has consulted with young people at Roundwood Youth Centre (including young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), council staff and other stakeholders on the proposed Alternative Provision schools and Youth Offer. See time-line below:
 Youth Offer consultation with Brent Youth Parliament, January 2018;
 Youth Offer consultation with Youth Offending Service, February 2018;
 Design of the Youth Offer site (Hackathon), March 2018;
 Consultation with Roundwood Youth Centre (RYC) staff about budget
proposals and changes to delivery at RYC, October 2018;
 Feedback on Youth Offer final design, October 2018;
 Children’s Commissioner takeover day (re Youth Offer), November 2018.
 Consultation with RYC service users, January 2019;
 Consultation with RYC service providers, January 2019;

Young people’s views have been sought from the Roundwood Youth Centre as well as from Brent Youth Parliament, Care in Action / Care Leavers in Action and other young people’s focus groups (as above). Young people were also previously consulted as part of the Council’s Outcome Based Reviews related to Gangs and Children on the Edge of Care, which have fed into proposals."

However there is no report on the outcomes of these consultations. Please supply all available reports/minutes on the above consultations before the Cabinet meeting.

Brent should invest in mainstream support for disabled pupils to ensure better outcomes - not alternative provision free school

This is the presentation made on behalf of Simone Aspis at theis evening's Scrutiny Committe which discussed the proposal for alternative free school provision at the Roundwood Centre:

Establishing an Alternative Provision Free Special school, which is just another special school for disabled pupils with special education needs will only limit future opportunities for this group of pupils. The evidence shows that disabled pupils, often with undiagnosed mental health issues, autism or neuropsychological conditions, educated in the segregated education system, such as in PRUs, are more likely than their mainstream school peers to experience poorer outcomes.

The government’s latest destinations data, focusing on pupils finishing their GCSEs in 2012/13, shows that nearly half (45 per cent) of young people leaving PRUs were not in education, employment, or training six months after the end of their compulsory schooling, compared to only 6 per cent of students leaving mainstream schools, and 11 per cent leaving special schools.

Furthermore, more than 50 per cent of Disabled young people with learning difficulties entering the criminal justice system said they had attended a special school at some point in their education, and similar numbers had been excluded from school. Thus, the evidence shows that Disabled pupils are at least twice as likely to be engaged in education, employment, or training if they attended a mainstream rather than a special school for Disabled pupils. What is needed is greater investment in mainstream education that is inclusive of everyone including disabled pupils.

This investment will ensure that disabled pupils will remain in mainstream education where they have better outcomes.

Simone Aspis Brent Resident in Willesden Green and Changing Perspectives Director

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Jellyfish: the life of a young carer is hard until she discovers her hidden talent - special film showing May 28th Lexi Cinema

Dudden Hill meeting with Dawn Butler on crime and anti-social behaviour TONIGHT 7pm

From Willesden Green Residents' Association

TONIGHT 7pm: Community meeting with Dawn Butler MP (Brent Central) to discuss crime and Anti Social Behaviour in the Dudden Hill area at Learie Constantine Centre, 43-47 Dudden Hill Lane, NW10 2ET. (Nearest tube Dollis Hill)

Also attending are Transport for London, British Transport Police, Metropolitan Police and Brent Council. Please attend if you can!

End drug-related crime - Public Meeting: How drugs affect us and our community - Brent Civic Centre May 21st

End drug-related crime - Public Meeting Drugs affect us and our community

7pm-9pm Tuesday 21 May 2019 Brent Civic Centre Grand Hall Tea and coffee from 6.45pm

How can we stop the violence and exploitation caused by drugs? Have your say – make a difference 

Find out:

• whose lives are affected by drugs

 • how drugs fuel exploitation, crime and violence 

 • what the police are doing 

 • how mentors with first-hand experience can help 

What can we all do now and in the longer term?

How can parents help?

How can young people help? 

How can schools help?

How can policy and legislation help?

 Hear what the panel say. Ask them questions. Make suggestions.

 PANEL

•  Louis Smith, Police Superintendent, North West London
• Tom Sackville and Mary Payne, Brent substance misuse service
•  Danny Coyle, Headteacher of Newman Catholic College 
•  David MacKintosh, drugs policy adviser
•  Brent Youth Parliament member 
• St Giles Trust mentor for schools

 Organised by Brent Safer Neighbourhood Board

After Sufra, putting young people first in Tanzania. Guest post by Mohammed S Mamdani

There was surprise when it was announced that Mohammed S Mamdani, the dynamic force behind Sufra Foodbank was leaving. Mohammed has given Wembley Matters permission  to repost his blog post about the new project in which he is involved in Tanzania LINK.

Here he reflects on his experience:

Kijana Kwanza (Young People First)  is a new youth organisation based in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. Our aim is to empower a new generation of Tanzanian youth to acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in life.

 

Whilst I have worked in the not for profit sector for over 15 years, until now my experience has been limited to projects in the UK. But following a trip to Tanzania in July 2017 to meet my uncle who had fallen unwell, I was reacquainted with a part of my heritage that I have not always recognised. My paternal great-grandparents moved from India to East Africa at the turn of the 20th century and my father was born in Moshi, a small mercantile town at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest summit.  

I had not visiting Tanzania since I was a child. Twenty year later, as I set foot on the tarmac of Kilimanjaro International Airport, I felt a certain affinity to this part of the world. And as the days passed, I began to recognise that so much of my upbringing - my mother tongue and the food we ate at home - had been influenced by the cultural traditions of East Africa. 

But I was also conscious of a less pleasant truth. Since the middle of the 19th century, hundreds of thousands of Indians escaped poverty in their home-country to build a new life in East Africa (and other parts of Africa), at the invitation of the colonial powers. Soon, many began to prosper and acquire huge wealth, often to the neglect, and dare I say, exploitation of the local African population. 

I have no idea what role, if any, my ancestors played in this project, but when I look upon the graves of my grandparents in Moshi's cemetery, I know that the privileges I enjoy today, bear some relation to the opportunities they discovered in Africa. And possibly, at the expense of local Africans. 

Throughout my short visit to Tanzania, I was deeply moved by the plight of so many local Africans and humbled by their hospitality and willingness to share what little they had. This was despite the racial inequalities (that continue to this day) between East African Indians and locals, and the stubborn contempt that some Indians continue to display - whether openly or discreetly - for natives. 

Whilst such a public critique may offend some within my community, it would be dishonest on my part to perpetuate the romanticised history of Indian minorities in Africa, which I was fed as a child. 

Motivated and determined to right the wrongs of the past, I made several further trips to Tanzania over the next year or so - visiting NGOs, meeting charity leaders and volunteering in different organisations. And through these trips, I made new friends who invited me to their homes and villages to better understand the cultural context of poverty in Tanzania.  

On my last trip to Tanzania in July 2018, I sat down with my good friend Mujibu and proposed some ideas for a new project, based on my critical assessment of the needs of Tanzanian youth and the gaps in current provision. Mujibu affirmed the conclusions of my research and responded with great enthusiasm. He promised to help me setup the project. From that day, Mujibu become my partner in crime.  

Mujibu is an impressive young 'leader' with his own story of growing up in poverty. After completing a vocational course in ICT, he invested in a library pass and taught himself the full A-level syllabus, without the help of a tutor. And a few years ago, he graduated from the University of Dodoma as a qualified teacher. Initially he worked as a manager at the same NGO in Moshi that had sponsored his vocational education, but now he works as a civil servant in a nearby village. In everything he does, Mujibu has a can-do attitude. He's an ambitious grafter, a prolific networker and much more sensible (and tactful) than me!  

After the summer, we continued our conversations on WhatsApp, speaking almost every other day. The first few opportunities just passed, as I hesitated on how to go proceed. How could I hold a full-time job in the UK and setup a charity abroad? 

But eventually, I decided to take the risk. Last month, Mujibu rented a house in Njoro, one of the most deprived districts of Moshi Town, which will soon become the base of our new project - a hostel that will be home to a small group secondary school students. Aside from sponsoring their education and providing for all their welfare needs, we will deliver a diverse programme of extra-curricular activities and life skills training to help our young residents make a successful transition into adulthood. A future where they have the means to overcome all the social, cultural and financial barriers they face in order to become skilled, globally aware and economically independent members of society. 

This is our goal. And I look forward to sharing our story with you. 

Mohammed S Mamdani

You can donate to the project HERE