Strathcona staff to strike again as Butt refuses to budge ahead of formal CONsultation

From Brent NEU

NEU members at Roe Green Strathcona will take a second day of strike action next Wednesday 10th July in defence of their school. Brent Council did not listen to the 490 (99.4%) responders who said No in Brent’s first informal ‘consultation’ on the proposal to close Strathcona. They have now issued statutory notices. The NEU members have submitted detailed proposals for additional educational uses for the site - such as much needed places for autistic children- but are not confident they will be listened to. 

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council was asked what sort of response would be needed to make the council change its mind - he said “It's not about numbers or percentages” - indicating that however many constituents say no to closure, be it 500 or 5000, with even 100% objecting, it won’t make any difference. He also refused to guarantee that staff would not lose their jobs.  The same staff who bent over backwards in 2014 to help him find places for primary aged children. Brent has now opened its second ‘consultation’ which closes on 24^th July. 

Lesley Gouldbourne, Brent NEU Secretary, said “What sort of consultation is it when the numbers saying no don't count for anything? This consultation is a CONsultation.”

Brent Cycling Campaign calls for Council action to make cycling in the borough safe for all after survey results

Local cycling campaign group, Brent Cycling Campaign is calling on Brent Council to make local streets safe and inviting for all, including for those who choose to cycle. Progress is far too slow to meet the Council’s own target of 5% cycling modal share by 2025 as detailed in its own Long Term Transport Strategy. 

A survey carried out between February and April 2019 confirmed that people do want direct and convenient cycle routes with protected space on main roads with 80% of respondents seeing this as a high priority. The main barrier to cycling uptake is the lack of safety on our roads. This was quickly followed by a lack of a continuous network. This is an important aspect as the majority (37%) cycle for practical reasons such as going to work, to the shops or meeting up with friends.

Brent Cyclists, renamed themselves Brent Cycling Campaign (BCC) in January 2019. The new name better reflects its affiliation with London Cycling Campaign. It also explicitly indicates they are predominantly a campaigning group. In particular, they want to attract people who do not currently cycle, including those with mobility or accessibility needs.

Councils control over 95% of London’s roads. They have the power to create safe space for walking and cycling. New Brent Cycling Campaign coordinator and cycling school run mum, Sylvia Gauthereau. says: “ Change is well overdue in Brent especially as it is home for some of the worst levels of pollution in the UK.

Half of the households in the borough do not own a car. There are thousands of us making work, school and shopping trips every day and we demand better conditions for making cycling, alongside with walking, the obvious transport choice.”

The local London Cycling Campaign branch speaks up for a greener, healthier, happier and better-connected borough, urging Brent Council to align itself with the core principles of the Healthy Streets approach as detailed in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.

BCC’s coordinator says: “Brent suffers from particularly poor cycling links and what are called “severance lines” – which are the horrible, nasty big road systems like Staples Corner and the Neasden underpass, which deter all but the bravest from cycling short local journeys. We need low traffic neighbourhoods, safe routes to school, inclusive infrastructure, liveable high streets where people walking and cycling are prioritised over motorised traffic”

A recent ride in Wembley and Neasden with London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner left Will Norman admitting that these were “some of the worst places he had ever cycled”.

There are engineering solutions for these problems and Brent needs to step up and prioritise them” adds Brent Cycling Campaign who produced a comprehensive document highlighting these solutions.

“It’s clear that many more people in Brent, especially children, would like to cycle but are put off by the lack of safe routes and cycling conditions. This is serious – it is stopping people getting out, being independent, getting healthier and even being happier” BCC ride coordinator Charlie Fernandes continues.

“The case for active travel has been made many times over. There is a sea of evidence demonstrating that pollution and lack of activity will bankrupt local authorities for years to come, if not addressed urgently. Brent Council leaders must make active travel including cycling a top transport, health and environment priority now” says Sylvia Gauthereau.

Brent Cycling Campaign meet regularly alternating between Cricklewood and Wembley. “Join us and meet us at one of our monthly meetings and together let’s make Brent a borough where cycling is a choice anyone can make regardless of their age, ability or gender”, she concluded.

Results of the survey can be found here.

Brent Council deprives local primary schools of much needed extra funding

The Kilburn Times LINK reports that Oakington Manor Primary School has lost the High Court case brought by Brent Council against the school.  The school had earlier won a Planning Inspectorate appeal against the Council's order to stop letting the school playground out for car parking on Wembley Event Days. The Council decided to invest its (our) funds in taking the case to the High Court  The revenue was used to supplement provision for pupils.

Oakington Manor is now a Multi-Academy Trust with Furness Primary and receives its funds directly from the government rather than via Brent Council.  It does however suffer the same funding deficit experienced by all state funded schools.

Declaring an interest as Chair of Governors at Chalkhill Primary School in Wembley I can also reveal that Brent Council took similar action against us and despite our receiving support from local councillors and Barry Gardiner MP, Brent Council Planning Enforcement took action against us. Local primary schools are in effect also part of Brent Council and so we had one part of Brent Council taking legal action against another part of Brent Council - an action that would deprive the school of additional income at a time of budget cuts and increased costs arising from higher pension and national insurance payments.

Chalkhill lost its case with the Planning Inspectorate and decided not to take any further action because of the legal costs involved.

Ostensibly, the Council's case is based on the need to reduce car use and subsequent pollution and traffic congestion in the area. Readers may think it might be more to do with maintaining its own and partners income stream from parking charges.

Not far from Chalkhill and Oakington Manor, the fee-paying Lycee International at the old Brent Town Hall, is letting its car park on Wembley Event Days. Brent Council argue that this is over-spill from official car parking near the stadium which has been reduced temporarily by the building works in the vicinity.

Thirteen 3 councillor wards and nine 2 councillor wards confirmed for Brent's 2022 election of 57 councillors

Brent Council Press release

The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England has published its final recommendations for new electoral arrangements for Brent Council.

Today’s publication follows two rounds of public consultation and draws new boundaries for each council ward across Brent.

All but one of Brent’s current council wards will change as a result of the review.

The Commission’s final recommendations propose that Brent should be represented by 57 borough councillors in the future: six fewer than the current arrangement. The recommendations also propose that those councillors should represent thirteen three-councillor wards and nine two-councillor wards across the borough.

Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said, “We are extremely grateful to people across Brent who took part in the review. The Commission has looked at all the evidence that was put forward during the consultation.

“We believe these recommendations deliver electoral fairness for voters as well as reflecting community ties.”

In response to local feedback during public consultation, the Commission has made changes to some of the proposals it published in February 2019.

In east Brent, the Commission had proposed to name one of the new wards Kensal Green East & Kensal Rise. Local people argued that Queens Park would be a better name for the ward and the Commission has made the change as part of its final proposals.

The Commission had also proposed Dudden Hill as the name of another ward in the east of the borough. Several local people contacted the Commission to propose Willesden Green as a better name for the area covered by the ward. The Commission has accepted the arguments made to it and has changed the name as part of the final recommendations. Similarly, the Commission has listened to local views and has changed the name of its proposed Gladstone ward to Dollis Hill ward.

The Commission has also decided to amend the boundary it proposed between Willesden Green ward and Roundwood ward as local people and organisations argued that it divided Willesden town centre between wards. The Commission believes its new proposed boundary is a better reflection of communities around Willesden High Road.

In a similar way, the Commission has changed its draft recommendations so that the Roundwood estate will not be divided between wards as previously put forward and will be entirely contained in Harlesden & Kensal Green ward.

In the west of the borough, the Commission has agreed to change its proposed boundary between Sudbury and Northwick Park wards to include both Woodfield Avenue and Stilecroft Gardens in Northwick Park ward to recognise their ties to that ward. In its draft proposals, the Commission had included the area in Sudbury ward.

Following local feedback on its draft plans, the Commission has also decided that its proposed Preston North ward should be renamed Preston and that Preston South & Wembley Hill ward be renamed Wembley Hill. This is on the basis of the evidence received that argued that these names were more reflective of local communities.

The Commission has made further minor amendments to the wards it originally proposed after listening to local feedback. The changes, and the full recommendations, are available on the Commission’s website.

The proposed new arrangements must now be implemented by Parliament. A draft Order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be laid in Parliament in the coming months. The draft Order provides for the new electoral arrangements to come into force at the council elections in 2022.

Read full report for further information (.pdf, 3.56MB).

Islington shows Brent Council the way on Climate Emergency

Declarions of a Climate Emergency

Brent Council are due to debate a Climate Emergency motion at Full Council on Monday July 8th, joining other councils across the country that have declared an emergency LINK. The declarations are quite varied with some very broad brush and others going into detail on specific actions.

I have not yet had sight of the motion for Monday but below I print the Islington motion which was passed on June 27th. It is particularly impressive for the list of actions the borough has already taken and could contribute to discussion about future policy at Brent Labour's meeting which is taking place on Saturday.

Islington is a Labour Council and the motion was supported by the lone Green Party councillor, Caroline Russell, who is also a member of the London Assembly.

Tackling the environment and climate emergency by achieving a
net zero carbon Islington by 2030

This Council notes that –

·      Climate change and the effect it is having on our planet, and will have in the
years to come, has been scientifically proven and this Council fully recognises
the need for society and all levels of government to respond urgently to
prevent and lessen the damaging effects of human activity driven climate
change.

·      The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report
published in October 2018 confirms that the world has until 2030 to avoid an
increase in global temperatures above 1.5˚C, at which point the impact of
global warming would have devastating impacts on the planet and people’s
lives.

This Council further notes that already –

·      Islington Council has been at the forefront of efforts to reduce carbon
emissions in the borough, including from its own operations, and that Islington
is on target to reduce carbon emissions in the borough from 2005 levels by at
least 40% by 2020.

·      The existing Local Plan and the Draft Local Plan (2019-2034) seek to minimise
the borough’s contribution to climate change via the built environment and
future development in recognition that emissions relating to buildings or
building systems/processes consistently represent over 80% of all carbon
emissions in the borough; and that existing policies and new policies proposed
in the Draft Local Plan have been independently assessed and are forecast to
reduce carbon emissions in the borough by 66% by 2034 and by 91% by 2050
from 1990 levels, including significant reductions delivered through high energy
efficiency standards from new development and through expansion of the
borough’s decentralised energy network.

·      The Council was one of the first to establish a Carbon Offset Fund, which uses
planning agreements to require developers to make a payment to offset any
carbon shortfall from developments, which is then used to fund projects that
reduce carbon emissions. To date, the Carbon Offset Fund has made
allocations of £4.8 million to projects across the borough that have delivered an
estimated reduction in carbon emissions of 375 tonnes per year.

·      The Islington Community Energy Fund has been established to commission
innovative energy projects delivered by communities and local organisations
which benefit local people and tackle climate change, with £786,000 from the
Carbon Offset Fund being made available to support projects so far.

·      The Council-supported Islington Sustainable Energy Partnership has helped 40
organisations in the borough across the private, public and third sectors to cut
their carbon emissions by over 25,200 tonnes, saving an estimated £4.3 million
in avoided energy costs.

·      The Archway Zero Emissions Network has produced energy saving
recommendations for local businesses in excess of 1.5 million kWh.

·      The Council’s Pension Fund is taking bold action to decarbonise its investments
by 2022 by reducing the fund’s exposure to carbon emissions by more than
half, reducing the fund’s equities’ exposure to fossil fuel reserves by more than
three quarters and decarbonising the fund’s holdings in other asset classes.

·      Angelic Energy, Islington Council’s not-for-profit energy provider and London’s
first new municipal energy provider for over 100 years, has helped over 2,000
local people access fairer prices for their energy and provides electricity from
100% renewable sources.

·      800 homes, two leisure centres and offices have been connected to the Bunhill
District Heat Network, a ground-breaking scheme that uses waste heat to
deliver more efficient, cheaper and greener energy to local people, and work is
ongoing to deliver a new energy centre that will extract waste heat from the
London Underground to supply a further 1,000 homes.

·      Work to insulate cavity walls in the Council’s building stock has led to annual
savings of 8,600 tonnes of CO2 and financial savings of £1.5 million per
annum, in addition to further savings in emissions and costs from boiler
replacement works, loft insulation and the installation of solar panels.

·      All streetlights in the borough have been converted to LED versions, reducing
carbon emissions by the equivalent to removing almost 1,000 cars from the
road each year and saving 28,280 tonnes of CO2 over the 20-year lifespan of
the more efficient bulbs.

·      1,000 tonnes of CO2 savings have been found in schools, libraries and the
Council’s depot so far this year.

·      The Council is enabling a shift towards more sustainable transport across the
borough with the removal of dangerous gyratories and the introduction of safer
and more accessible routes for pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to installing
400 electric vehicle charging points and 400 bike hangars across the borough
to further reduce the use and impact of private vehicles.

·      The Council’s Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Streets programme has banned all
non-zero emission vehicles from the Old Street and City Fringe area at certain
times of the day and the Council will soon publish details of how it will seek to
prevent the rat-running of lorries on residential roads in the borough, further
reducing the emissions from transport travelling through the borough.

·      The Council has pioneered an emissions based parking policy to reduce the
environmental impact vehicles have in the borough, and has implemented a
Diesel Surcharge on resident parking permits and paid for short stay parking to
encourage a shift away from polluting diesel vehicles, in addition to calling for a
London-wide ban on diesel engines by 2025, whilst ensuring efforts to reduce
carbon emissions from vehicles does not impact air quality.

·      The Council recently celebrated the launch of the tenth ‘School Street’ in the
borough that restrict traffic outside schools at opening and closing times to
improve road safety, encourage active travel and reduce pollution near schools,
and will roll-out similar measures for all schools across the borough.

·      The Council is committed to reducing the impact of its fleet of essential
vehicles, with over 160 vehicles currently being replaced with vehicles that
either significantly reduce or eliminate emissions, in addition to over 150
vehicles already being Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) compliant.

·      The Council is committed to supporting people to reduce the amount of waste
they produce, reuse items wherever possible and to recycle more.

This Council also notes –

·      That meeting the challenge the environment and climate emergency poses and
achieving a net zero carbon Islington by 2030 will require a comprehensive
response from not just the Council, but also from regional and national
government, as well as private organisations, businesses and individuals.

·      That the Council has lost 70% of its core central government funding since
2010 and will have had to make savings of £275 million in total from its
budgets by 2022.

·      That significant elements of the action necessary to achieve a net zero carbon
Islington by 2030 are out of the control of the Council, such as the
decarbonisation of the national electricity grid and the absence of powers to
mandate retrofitting existing buildings.

·      That meeting the challenges of the environment and climate emergency must
be done in such a way that does not penalise local people on low incomes and
does not limit the Council’s ability to address important issues, such as the
housing crisis, whilst recognising that building a greener and more inclusive
economy with fairness at its heart can lead to better outcomes and
opportunities for local people.

This Council resolves to –

·      Declare an environment and climate emergency.

·      Pledge to work towards making Islington net zero carbon by 2030, ahead of
the current 2050 target.

·      Make representations to regional and national government to urge them to
take action to support the goal of a net zero carbon Islington by 2030,
including through the provision of the necessary resources and legal powers to
the Council and others to support the action needed to achieve this.

·      Continue to work with partners across the borough to deliver this new goal
through all relevant strategies and plans, ensuring that reducing carbon
emissions is embedded in all relevant Council decision making.

·      Publish on an annual basis details of carbon emissions reduction interventions
the Council is delivering and commissioning, including the progress these
actions are delivering in reducing the tonnage of carbon emissions in the
borough.

·      Ensure local people are able to contribute to the formulation and scrutiny of
the strategic actions needed to address the environment and climate
emergency by consulting on proposals and by organising an annual ‘Tackling
the Environment and Climate Emergency’ meeting, hosted by the Environment
and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, in addition to the wide-range of existing
opportunities for local people to make representations to the Council.

· Report to Full Council on 27^th February 2020 what strategic actions the Council
is taking to address the environment and climate emergency, including plans
and milestones to achieve emissions reductions within the Council’s control,
and to share details of representations being made to other institutions to
achieve reductions in emissions outside of the Council’s direct control.

Proposal to reduce hours at Central Middlesex Urgent Care Centre by closing it overnight

Brent NHS Clinical Commissioning Group  is proposing to close the Central Middlesex Hospital Urgent Care Centre, presently available 24/7, from midnight to 8am, saving £450,000 annually in what they admit are financially challenging circumstances.

The service is currently provided by Greenbrooks and the CCG says the provider agrees with the proposal. The CCG health, rather than financial case, is based on low usage and availability of alternative provision:

The data analysis based on “reasons for attendance” showed that from the average of ten (10) patients attending per night, the following would be the appropriate course of action if CMH UCC were to close overnight: 


o Less than 1 per night would continue to require ED either urgent treatment or referral to specialty review

o One(1)per night would need to attend an alternative UCC such as Charing Cross, St Mary’s, Ealing or Northwick Park

o Four (4) per night could access an alternative night service such as GP out of hours

o Four (4) per night could access alternative provision, including their own GP, the next day

The UCC was set up in 2014 when the Accident and Emergency service was closed at  Central Middlesex Hospital, despite widespread opposition, which included rather belated opposition from Brent Council.  The overnight closure of the UCC represents a further deterioration of the service currently offered to residents in Harlesden, Park Royal and Stonebridge.

Transport difficulties to alternative A&Es was always a factor in the original campaign against the A&E closure was a major factor so the CCG puts forward the transport timings for residents seeking overnight treatment:

The CCG argue that the change would mean a 'safer urgent and emergency offer by reducing entry points to out of hours services':

The alternative offering being implemented by the CCG will aim to drive down [] inappropriate attendances, helping to provide choice and direction to those seeking advice and care. The majority of attendees overnight are between 20 and 44, the age group most likely to have internet access at home, or own a smartphone, and therefore be best place to benefit from digital signposting.

People arriving out of hours at Central Middlesex will be advised to dial 111.

The report will be considered by Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on July 9th. The full document is HERE