Call for halt to regeneration of council estates in Brent until concern over sub-standard housing addressed

Chase House, South Kilburn

Concern over the quality of housing in regeneration areas, including South Kilburn (above) first raised on Wembley Matters LINK has continued with reports of sub-standard work in Argo House,

Now Hampstead and Kilburn Constituency Labour Party has called for a halt to future regeneration in South Kilburn and across the borough, pending a Brent Council consultation with affected communities. In a motion passed unanimously last night they said that the halt should last until Brent Council and affected communities are satisfied that the housing being built is of sufficient standard and that the housing associations and property developers are taking their responsibilties to the community seriously.

The motion cited sub-standard work both externally and internally and neglect and failure to act by both developers and housing associations.

Proposals for a ballot of  residents of blocks affected by the next round of regeneration  on South Kilburn are  expected to be announced soon. Meanwhile residents on St Raphaels Estate continue to be concerned over demolition and regeneration proposals there with many preferring a programme of refurbishment.

Brent's Journey to Justice - Willesden Green Library

Joyce Bacchus funeral arrangements

From Brent Council

The funeral of former councillor and Mayor of Brent, Joyce Bacchus MBE will take place this Saturday (29 June).

There will be a funeral mass at St Erconwald Catholic Church, Preston Rd at 10am. Her interment will then take place at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green.

This will be followed by a reception at Brent Civic Centre at 1pm.

Mayor of Brent, Cllr Ernest Ezeajughi said:

Joyce set a wonderful example not only for her successors as Mayor, but also for all of us in her dedication to public service and the many ways in which one person can make a difference.

She will be sorely missed by everyone at the council and the communities she so tirelessly represented.

Petition launched asking Brent Council to declare a Climate Emergency

Dawn Butler MP, members of Brent Friends of the Earth and constituents at the #Time Is Now Climate Emergency lobby at the House of Commons today

 An e-petition has been launched by Brent XR  calling Brent Council to declare a Climate Emergency - a measure already taken by many local authorities.

The petition reads:
 

We the undersigned petition the council to declare a Climate Emergency and develop an action plan to decrease carbon emission accordingly and make Brent more resilient to climate change.

Due to human activity, the global average temperature of the planet has increased by 1 degree compared to pre-industrial levels. According to the IPCC, an increase by 2 degrees Celsius will be dangerous for mankind and 1.5 is still in reach but urgently needs drastic measures. However, we are en route to an increase of 3 to 4 degrees by the end of the century.

Cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions as carbon emission results from both production and consumption. Cities are also easier to decarbonise than rural areas.

Individuals cannot make the necessary reductions on their own. The UK parliament has declared a Climate Emergency but all governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of Climate Breakdown. Local Governments that recognise this have an obligation to implement the necessary measures and incentives to work towards carbon neutrality by 2025.

We call on Brent Council to include the following points as part of the action plan;

- invest in the appropriate infrastructure,

- develop residential and commercial incentives,

- develop guidelines for businesses and provide resources to assess carbon footprint,

- protect and prosper natural habitat,

- report every 6 months on measures taken, accomplished progress and results.

The petition can be found HERE

I understand that a motion declaring a Climate Emergency may be debated at Brent Full Council meeting in July.

Works to demolish Wembley Stadium pedway & replace with steps will now not take place until AFTER Euro 2020

Controversial works to replace the Wembley Stadium pedway with steps will not now take place after Euro 2020 despite Brent Planning Committee being told in September 2018 that they would be completed for the Euro 2020 matches to be played at Wembley.

EXTRACT FROM COUNCIL MINUTES LINK

Members heard that the steps were intended to be in place for 2020 when Brent would become the Borough of Culture and Wembley National Stadium would host European Nations League finals.

-->The European Nation Leagues Final final will be held on July 12th 2020. One of the reasons cited for the urgency over pedway replacement was it would would provide a fitting modern gateway to European matches at the stadium as well as contribute to public realm 'improvements' to showcase the Brent Borough of Culture 2020. Now they won't be in place until after both events.

Brent Council told Wembley Matters today that works are scheduled to start in late 2020 and will be completed in Summer 2021.

The works will be complex and disruptive. Unfortunately the Site Management Plan no longer seems to be available on the Brent Council website but I published extracts on Wembley Matters HERE

Controversy was not just a matter of whether the pedway replacement was needed, and whether steps would be safe, but also the fact that Brent Council was using money paid to the Council (almost £18m) by Quintain in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to spend on the pedway replacement, reconnection of North End Road to Bridge Road and other Olympic Way improvements when many felt it could have been spent on infrastructure improvements elsewhere in the borough.

The commencement date for the North End Road-Bridge Road reconnection works has been postponed from the July 1st start date but is still expected to be finished by January 2020.

HEY, BRENT! LEAVE OUR SCHOOL ALONE! - Strathcona 'family' picket Brent Civic Centre over school closure

Stratcona pupils deliver a very cxlear message to Brent Council

Staff, parents and children from Strathcona school in Brent descended on Brent Civic Centre, waving colourful homemade placards. Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council was caught on the hop as he came into work. There was a very lively exchange. Cllr Butt will be meeting further with Unions and Staff Reps tomorrow.

Cllr Muhammed Butt addresses the picket line

Parents put their point of view to Cllr Butt

Butt at Bay VIDEO

Brent Councillor Jumbo Chan said:

 I offer my complete and utter solidarity to the striking Roe Green Strathcona staff.

The proposed closure of Strathcona and subsequent loss of jobs concurrent to the proposed opening of further free schools and academies, represents another shameful attack on public education and indeed community ownership in Brent.

The staff’s brave action is a defence of public education itself, and I implore Brent Council to defend and grow - rather than again surrender - our valuable community assets.

 Strathcona was opened by Roe Green Infant School at the request of Brent Council when the authority was unable to place all primary age pupils in local schools. The two schools are managed as one so staff on both sites are affected.
 

Other local schools were expanded to meet rising demand but despite demand levelling off, and reducing in some areas, Brent still plans to open an Ark primary free school in the car park at York House, on a busy road near Wembley Stadium station.  Some of the expanded schools have been unable to fill all their additional places. This produces a strain on school budgets already affected by the failure of government funding to keep up with inflation, pay increases and school pension costs.

Primary schools last suffered from falling pupil numbers in the 1970s which led to some schools closing, some merging and others being reduced in size.  Staff were often compulsorily deployed to other schools and some made redundant.

Hear about the PCS union's pay campaign Wednesday 26th June - civil servants fight back on pay & restriction on TU rights

FIGHTBACK IN GOVERNMENT SERVICES’

Speaker Cathy Cross – PCS officer

Brent Trades Council open meeting on

Wednesday 26^th June 2019 7.30pm

 

PCS pay campaign-Repeal the Trade Union Act

Hard working civil servants have seen the value of their pay fall through the floor over the past decade. They need a pay rise. 

Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)  members in the civil service voted by four to one in favour of strike action and action short of strike over pay. The ballot turnout of 47.7%, was the highest ever achieved, but is still just under 3,000 votes short of reaching the required 50% threshold.

In a politically motivated attack on workers’ rights, the coalition government introduced an undemocratic restriction with the Trade Union Act 2016 requiring a 50% turnout threshold and other restrictions.

 

Willesden Trades and Labour Hall

375 High Road

London NW10 2JR

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Willesden Trades and Labour Hall

375 High Road

London NW10 2JR

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Exposure to toxic air on the way to school