Wednesday 16 September 2020

Somali protest over Brent social services actions in removing children from family


The Somali community organisation Gaashaan held a protest outside Brent Civic Centre yesterday alleging that Brent social services had 'unfairly and unjustly' removed chidlren from their parents.

In a leaflet distributed to passersby Gaashaan  claimed matters had been misinterpreted by the local authority and it had misused its powers.  They said, 'Many, many people  including the family's friends, relatives and others from the wider community are questioning  the motives behind this absurd and unjust decision which they believe harms the family and their children's welfare and wellbeing.'

 Gaashaan are demanding an investigation into all involved in the action and the reasons why children are removed 'when there were other ways to engage with and help this poor family.'

Brent Council has not yet responded to a request for a comment. 

 


Toxic Tunnel set to cost Londoners £2bn, nearly three times original cost undermining aspirations to build back better

The Mayor of London has committed Londoners to paying £65 million a year for a quarter of a century for the Silvertown Road Tunnel, Caroline Russell AM revealed today raising doubts over the commitment to 'build back better' as a result of the lessons learned during the Covid19 shutdown.

 

Last year, Transport for London (TfL) signed a contract with Riverlinx which committed them to the Silvertown Road Tunnel project, but it was only in March after months of requests being stonewalled that the Mayor published the contract in highly redacted form. The entire document on ‘Payment Mechanism’ simply consisted of a contents table and a note stating the details were ‘excluded commercially sensitive information’.

 

A small, discreet note in TfL’s recently published accounts reveals, along with further commentary from TfL auditors Ernst and Young, a failure by the Mayor to be straight with Londoners on the cost of this polluting motorway tunnel.

 

The £65m annual cost included in TfL’s accounts indicates that the total cost from 2025 to 2050 could be £1.6bn before including inflation, which even at 1.6 per cent RPI (the current figure for July) would lead to a total payment by TfL of £2 billion by 2050.

 

Caroline Russell said:

The Mayor has not been straight with Londoners. Last year he told us Silvertown Road Tunnel would cost £1 billion, in March it was £1.2 billion, and now we finally see what TfL will actually pay and it’s heading for £2 billion. This is outrageous.

I have stood alongside many communities in opposing this tunnel which would run a belching, polluting road through the heart of some of London’s most deprived areas. 

 

The real financial cost has been hidden to avoid further opposition from the public and local politicians.
 

When my predecessor on the Assembly first started opposing this scheme in 2012 Transport for London described the cost as being about £600 million, we are stratospheres above that now and TfL will be saddled paying for this, even in our uncertain future.

 

The Mayor should have been clear about this cost implication for TfL from the start. As things stand, he should do the decent thing and cancel this polluting motorway tunnel now.

Tuesday 15 September 2020

Thank you from 'chicken shop basement' blogger

Chicken Shop Basement Update

 
Following an update posted on Wembley Matters earlier I'd like to thank the readers and responders of Wembley Matters for their kind support and action.

I knew that it was an unfair and unsuitable offer but didn't know how to move past that.
 
I haven't yet heard from the Housing Department but will keep you updated on the outcome.
 
Whilst I'm delighted that the Council have apparently withdrawn the offer - ie not forced me to be intentionally homeless - it is us as Council Tax payers who are better served when the Council is held to account.
 
In the meantime I'm just so pleased that it's off their books and that no another family will be forced to live there - thank you again Martin for being an incredible and dynamic local resource.

Works on Olympic Way Bridge Rd/North End Road connection and Stadium Steps underway

Access ramp from Bridge Road to Olympic Way and North End Road on bottom left 

 
 
View of North End Road, Michaela School, Victoria Tower from access ramp (Olympic Way


Notice closing pedestrian access to ramp and stairs

Works started on Monday on the construction of the new access road and footpath connecting North End Road with Bridge Road, Wembley Park.  The notice said that the stairs and ramp would be closed to pedestrians from  yesterday but they were still open today.  The works are due for completion in April 21st 2021.

 

The view of the steps from the far end of Olympic Way

Work in progress

A view of the new steps was also available today.  They will replace the pedway as part of the £17.8m 'improvements' to Olympic Way approved by Brent Council, paid from Quintain's  Community Infrastructure contribution.


Chicken shop basement flat offer withdrawn by Brent Council after widespread public concern

Concerned residents rallied in support of the writer of yesterday's post who publicised the unacceptable state of the Harlesden chicken shop basement offered to her and her son as the final offer to a family accepted as homeless.

On Twitter, Facebook and email people made suggestions re possible actions and some wrote directly to Brent Council asking for action to be taken.

Leader of Brent Council, Muhammed Butt, wrote yesterday evening to say that he was asking Cllr Southwood (Lead Member for Housing and Welfare) to work with officers to look look into the matter.

By this morning Carolyn Downs, CEO of Brent Council, had written to another concerned residents to say that the offer had been withdrawn and another offer would be made. She went on to say that the property was managed by a housing association on Brent Council's behalf and that they are investigating that now.

Thank you for everyone who offered advice and contacts and who made representations to the council.

Monday 14 September 2020

Shame on Brent Council: 'Today I intend to make myself voluntarily Homeless!'

A Wembley Matters reader tells us about her housing offer from Brent Council

 

Today I intend to make myself voluntarily Homeless!

 

I have been accepted as Homeless by Brent Council and they have made me an offer of accommodation that is totally unsuitable.

 

It is a two bedroomed flat in the basement of a chicken shop in Harlesden High Street and is only half a step up from a bed in a shed.

 


 

The outside door to the flat shows evidence of having been nibbled by rats and leads into a corridor shared with the kitchen of the take-away. At the end of the corridor is an extremely narrow stone staircase (down which is would be impossible to bring any furniture) which leads to a yard used by the chicken shop as an extra storage/preparation area.

 

Stepping over what look to be a permanent puddle you finally gain access to the flat which is dark and unfurnished - probably because no furniture could be brought into the flat - in fact there is no room for any furniture.

 

The lounge is so small that you'd have to choose between putting in a mini sofa or a table in as there is not room for both.

 

In the 'master' bedroom there is no room for a bed and a wardrobe and in the second bedroom you might just about be able to fit in a single bed and a bedside table.

 

There is no storage space in the place and any furniture would have to be brought in flat packed as nothing could fit down the stone steps.

 

It is a health and fire hazard and totally unsuitable for a person of my advanced years and arthritis. My son is an adult with autism, agoraphobia and anxiety issues and his mental health could only be compromised by such conditions.

 

Brent has made no concessions to my son’s condition and has told us we must move there and then appeal against our allocation from there. Failure to sign the lease and move in will result in our being intentionally homeless.

 

They will not even consider any medical circumstances or appeals under The Equalities Act until I sign a years lease on this hell hole.  The pressure to sign has been enormous.

It's quite possible that you'll read the above and think I should be grateful for any offer but Brent's use of substandard private rentals effects all of us as Council Tax payers.

 

The rent which Brent is guaranteeing the landlord - whether the flat is occupied or not is £346 per week or £17,992 per annum coming directly out of our Council taxes to line the pockets of a landlord who would be unable to rent that property at that price on the open market and which has been empty for some time.

 

I'm sure that there are light and airy 2 bedroom flats in Harlesden for which the market rent of that magnitude would be fair but a subterranean cupboard with rodent and hygiene issues should not be allowed to be rented under the umbrella of 'market rate' in the area.

 

If, as I will, I refuse to take this flat I will be bounced off the Council's waiting list despite having been on it for 8 years and having lived in Brent for 43 years. I have been desperate to get secure housing for myself and my son; as in common with most parents of disabled children I worry what will happen to him in the long term. However I genuinely believe that I would be causing him more harm by taking that flat than I will be doing by refusing it.

 

The only winner in this situation is a landlord who thinks it is acceptable to charge the Council such an extortionate rent to house the most vulnerable in society in such sub-standard accommodation.

 

MMCL

 

Sunday 13 September 2020

Shocking report on impact of Covid19 on Brent's BAME residents will be scrutinised on Tuesday

 



With warnings of a second wave of Covid19 infections a report going to the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday September 15th (Virtual 6pm) assumes great importance LINK. The committee continues under the chairmanship of Cllr Ketan Sheth but with some changes in personnel including the inclusion of veteran health campaigner Cllr Gaynor Lloyd, elected at the Barnhill by-election. They will have the huge responsibility of assessing lessons from the way the pandemic has been handled so far, preparations for dealing with a second wave, and addressing the health and social inequalities revealed by the disproportionate impact on Brent’s BAME population. A task, I would suggest, much more of  a priority for Brent Council than the renaming of a local park.

 

These are some key extracts from the report:

 

BAME populations in England and Wales are younger than white populations and as age is a strong influence on death rates, it is important to take account of age. When this is done:

·Black males are 4.2 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related death than White males;

·Black females are 4.3 times more likely to die from a COVID-19 related death than White females

 

As BAME populations tend to be more deprived, it is important to adjust for the influence of deprivation in looking at the impact of ethnicity. Doing so allows us to compare the risk for a black male living in an area of deprivation compared to one living in an affluent area: 

 

·Black males are 1.9 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related death than White males;

·Black females are 1.9 times more likely to die from a COVID-19 related death than White females.

 

After taking into account age and socioeconomic circumstances or deprivation:

 

·Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic group males are 1.8 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related death than White males;

·Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic group females are 1.6 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related death than White females

 

Possible reasons for the disproportionate impact

 

There are three possible reasons for the disproportionate impact of COVID on BAME communities:

1.Increased exposure to the virus

2.Increased susceptibility to severe disease

3.Access to and use of health care

 

Exposure to the virus

1.Brent BAME population are high users of public transport. Buses in particular remained crowded during the pandemic as did bus stops in the Wembley and Harlesden area.

2.Brent BAME communities have high levels of inter-generational living with those at risk including the elderly and those with long-term conditions being exposed more than those in smaller households.

3.BAME communities have high attendance to temples, churches, mosques and other places of worship with large communal activities such as services, weddings and funerals. These were implicated in spread elsewhere and it is likely were these were factors in the early part of the epidemic

4.BAME community members are less likely to be working from home and often in zero hour contracts or cash in hand situations therefore less likely to be able to social distance or self- isolate.

5.BAME community members are more likely to be frontline workers and less likely to be managers and able to influence their working conditions.

 

Susceptibility to severe infection

1.While levels of adult obesity are relatively low in Brent (compared to England), 50% of residents are overweight or obese. It is estimated that over 11% of the adult population has diabetes, compared to an England rate of 8.5%. Diabetes is more prevalent in Black and South Asian patients, and our high levels of diabetes may be one reason for the higher death rate seen locally.

2.Fewer patients are recorded on their GP records as having high blood pressure than is the case for England (12.4% compared to 14%). While this may indicate a lower prevalence, the size of our Black and South Asian communities who would be expected to have higher rates of hypertension might suggest under diagnosis. Of those who are diagnosed, significantly fewer patients have their blood pressure controlled in Brent than nationally.

 

Access to and use of health services

1.It has been hypothesised that more deprived communities may have poorer access to health care and that this could have played a part in the pattern of mortality (the inverse care law). Early in the pandemic, NHS England instructed primary care to move away from face to face appointments in favour of telephone and on line access. There was a concern that this model of care may have disadvantaged the digitally excluded.

2.There is some evidence from elsewhere that Black men were particularly unwell on presentation to hospital and more likely to be admitted direct to ITU. This could indicate a reluctance to seek help earlier or a more rapid progression of disease in this group of patients. There is no evidence of poorer outcomes for BAME patients admitted to secondary care locally. However the completeness of recording ethnicity limits our ability to analyse this.

 

Themes from the Church End and Alperton community engagement events

 

Church End

 ·Participants praised Northwick Park Hospital’s response to the pandemic.

·People are still afraid to visit public buildings.

·Some of are not fully informed of information/advice therefore educating residents is crucial.

·Many people are not wearing masks, particularly on Church Road. Messages around facemasks need to be clear without offending people.

·Question of whether health services play a key role for self-care and those with long-term conditions (such as diabetes and hypertension)

·Need to invest in Church Road and the local community, as the area is unappealing. This is reflected by local drug dealing, crime, poor employment opportunities and run down businesses.

·Many people face multiple issues even before the pandemic including stress and financial issues.

·New people are approaching foodbanks.

·People tested for Covid-19 are not reflective of the local community – question of what we are doing to encourage people to take tests.

·Young people face mental health issues, which is a primary reason for large gatherings and house parties in the area. Young people are aware of the risks but they are battling with their mental health. Need role models/influential people from area through to communicate through songs and messages. Need to think about education, prospects and access to networks.

·Access to GPs online has been difficult, especially for those whose first language is not English. Confidence in services is low.

·Older people are more isolated now.

·Worry that people are being forgotten about if they need medical help but don’t engage with health services or local support. A helpline was suggested so people’s needs can be explored to signpost them to support and services. Need to build local people’s knowledge.

·Concern over people who are not eligible for support services but housed in HMOs.

·Educating and raising knowledge of landlords will help maintain hygiene standards.

·Need to hear from those who have lost people. ·Attendees are happy to be a part of the solution by working with us as community champions.

 

Alperton

·Messaging needs to be reinforced and shaped for people who do not speak English as their first language.

·Channelling tailored messages through places of worship and Asian radios would be effective. Could work with the Multi-faith forum.

·Measures are not being followed on high road - displays and signboards are insufficient. Signs on shops are usually handwritten. Some shops are doing well which could be replicated by other shops.

·Need to work with community leaders to identify vulnerable people eg create register of HMOs.

·Strategy needs to focus on prevention and long-term outcomes.

·Community is pessimistic as opposed to central government, which changes guidelines frequently.

·Many organic community groups exist which need to be engaged with.

·More enforcement needed where people aren’t following measures.

·Easy to get GP appointments, however many people are nervous. They need health services but uptake is low. Lack of internet and no phone line is another issue.

·National Covid-19 test system was down and busy highlighting the barriers to securing a test. Testing may not be reflective of local communities – may need to encourage people to take tests and raise awareness of sites.

·Issue of people having symptoms but not getting tested due to risk of losing job or income.

·There are opportunities despite the negatives – people are walking and being active whilst maintaining social distancing measures.

·Attendees look forward to working with us to find solution

The meeting can be observed here: https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-council/democracy-in-brent/local-democracy/live-streaming/

 


Saturday 12 September 2020

The Welsh Harp Reservoir Story – Part 4

Fourth of the guest series by local historian Philip Grant


The Welsh Harp Reservoir Story – Part 4

Thank you for joining me again, as we sail towards the finishing line of our local reservoir’s story. If you missed Part 3, you will find it here.


1. A sailing race on the Welsh Harp Reservoir, 2011.

Sailing became an important use of the Welsh Harp in the years after the Second World War. Several large companies, such as Handley Page and Smiths Industries from Cricklewood, set up their own sailing clubs for employees. Others were local organisations, such as the Wembley Sailing Club (formed in 1953) and the Sea Cadets. The various clubs have since come together under an umbrella organisation, the Welsh Harp Sailing Association, based at Birchen Grove, which leases the reservoir for all water-based sports and leisure activities.


2. Sir Frederick Handley Page (left) at a dinghy naming ceremony for his company's sailing club, c. 1954.
    (Photo courtesy of the Handley Page Association)

The reservoir had come into public ownership in 1948, as part of the post-war Labour Government’s nationalisation of transport industries, which eventually saw it managed by the British Waterways Board. Under another environmental innovation from that time, the reservoir and its shoreline were made a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1950, particularly for their importance to rare bird species, but also for the plant life at the water’s edge.

Most of the land around the Welsh Harp was still in a mixture of private and local authority ownership. I mentioned in Part 3 that Willesden Urban District Council had purchased 40 acres of land on the north side in 1928. We saw in the articles on Church End and Chapel End that Willesden had opened a new cemetery in 1893, but because of the district’s large population, this was already filling up. It planned to put a cemetery here, but Kingsbury Council objected, saying that it wanted the area used for housing. After a public inquiry, the Government agreed to loan Willesden the money for a cemetery, but said it must sell Kingsbury 14 acres nearest to the reservoir for recreational use. This later became the Welsh Harp Open Space.

3. Willesden's 1950 plans for its Kingsbury Lawn Cemetery, and Garden of Rest. (From the National Archive)

After Kingsbury merged with Wembley in 1934, Willesden’s plans were further delayed, as the new council tried to buy the land from it, for its own cemetery needs. The only thing that the two councils managed to agree on, when war came in 1939, was that they could both use what is now the Birchen Grove allotments site for mass civilian burials, if the need arose (thankfully, it didn’t!). Under the new post-war planning regulations, Willesden applied again in 1950 to use their land as a burial ground. Approval was eventually given and their Kingsbury Lawn Cemetery was consecrated in 1954, with the superintendent’s house and chapel built by 1956. Despite this, the ornamental gates at the top of Birchen Grove have never welcomed a funeral! 
 

4. Sculling finalists and the British eight at the Women’s European Rowing Championships, 1960.
    (Source: Brent Archives – Willesden Chronicle photographers’ negatives)

On some websites, you will read that the Welsh Harp was the venue for the rowing events at the 1948 London Olympic Games. That’s incorrect (in fact, they were held at Henley, on the River Thames), but the reservoir did host the 1960 Women’s European Rowing Championships (“click” for a detailed article on these). That event was organised by Willesden Borough Council, and the competitors were accommodated at the then recently opened John Kelly Girls School (now part of Crest Academy), just up Dollis Hill from Neasden Recreation Ground.

5. Brent Regatta ad. from 1966, and the 1969 inter-Council rowing race. (Brent Archives online image 9787)

The Council had run a Whit Monday Willesden Regatta on the reservoir for many years, and this continued as the Brent Regatta after it merged with Wembley in 1965. One of the highlights for the crowds was watching teams of local councillors from a number of London Boroughs taking part in rowing race over a 500-metre course. The photo above shows the Brent boat winning the 1969 race – I wonder who would be in the crew if the race was still held today (any nominations?). This annual bank holiday regatta ended in the early 1970s.
 

 6. Two views of activities at the Youth Sailing Base. (Images from Brent Archives)

It was not just adults who could enjoy water sports on the Welsh Harp. In 1964, the year before it was disbanded, Middlesex County Council opened a Youth Sailing Base on the northern arm of the reservoir, where thousands of young people learned to sail or canoe safely. Another important facility for local youngsters came in 1973, when Brent Council opened the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre (“WHEEC”) on part of the proposed cemetery site. A large nursery, to grow plants for Brent’s Parks Service, also opened on the site in 1977.
 

 7. The 1956 cemetery chapel building, later used by the WHEEC and (here in 2011) by Energy Solutions.

The importance of the Welsh Harp for nesting water birds had long attracted ornithologists to the area. When proposals for a marina, close to a key nesting area near the Welsh Harp public house, were put forward in the early 1970s, a number of them came together to oppose this. The Welsh Harp Conservation Group was formed in 1972, and their volunteer members have helped to look after the habitats on and around the reservoir ever since (in a similar way to the Barn Hill Conservation Group, featured in my Fryent Country Park Story).

 8. Welsh Harp Conservation Group volunteers at work, winter 2008 and summer 2011. (L. by Roy Beddard)

As well as looking after nesting rafts and bird hides, and the wider vegetation of the area to encourage wildlife of all sorts, the group has played an important part in recording the natural history of the reservoir, and sharing this with visitors. From a first guided walk on a bank holiday in 1976, they expanded this to provide monthly wildlife walks. When my children were young (in the late 1980s or early 1990s) our family benefitted from one of these walks. For the first time in my life I got to see beautiful Great Crested Grebes, an unforgettable sight!
 

9. Great Crested Grebes, courting and nesting on the Welsh Harp. (Photos by Roy Beddard and Leo Batten)

While there was relative peace and quiet for the bird nesting grounds at the eastern end of the reservoir, there were major developments taking place not far away, at Staples Corner. The narrow roadway under the Victorian railway viaduct was causing major traffic problems on the North Circular Road, especially when it was planned to start the M1 motorway from here. A massive Brent Cross flyover was built in the 1960s, to carry east-west through-traffic over the top of this bottleneck. You can see this in the photo below, and I have added part of a 1921 image to help show the line of the viaduct, which you can just see in the modern picture.
 
 
 10. Staples Corner, with North Circular Road flyover and the railway viaduct (including 1921 comparison).

You may be wondering what happened to the Welsh Harp public house, which featured in Part 2 of this story. It had been replaced by a more modern building in the 1930s (the fate of a number of historic inns in our area), but it fell victim to more roadworks when the north-south A5 flyover was built over Staples Corner in the 1970s. It was demolished in 1971, and its site was where the north-bound slip road, from Staples Corner towards West Hendon, passes the entrance to Priestley Way, a service road for a small industrial estate. What a sad epitaph for the inn which gave the Brent Reservoir its more popular name!


11. The 1930s Welsh Harp public house in 1971, and the site as it is now. (1971 photo by Geoffrey Hewlett)

Going back to the reservoir, this does have to be drained occasionally, both for major maintenance work on the dam and to remove the rubbish which unfortunately gets dumped in it. One remarkable feature when this happens is that the original winding course of the River Brent can still be seen, just as it was when it marked the boundary between Kingsbury and Hendon parishes to the north, and Willesden parish to the south, when the land was first flooded to create the reservoir in 1835.
 

12. The River Brent flowing through the drained reservoir in 1974. (Photo by Leo Batten)

In 2012, responsibility for the reservoir was passed to the Canal and River Trust, a charity set up when the Government abolished the publicly-owned British Waterways Board. Questions were raised about how safe the reservoir might be in the event of a severe storm, after a similar Canal Age dam at Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire was in danger of collapse in 2019. Luckily, it emerged that as well as regular checks, further reinforcement of the dam with concrete had been carried out in 2005-07, following detailed studies of how extreme heavy rainfall might affect the Welsh Harp reservoir, and the river downstream of it. Brent Council also issued a statement following the Toddbrook Reservoir emergency, with links to information for anyone who feels the need for reassurance.

Earlier, I mentioned facilities that had been set up for young people near the reservoir. Sadly, Barnet Council closed the Youth Sailing Base, which they inherited from Middlesex County Council, in 2004, and sold off its site to a developer for building luxury waterside apartments. Instructors from the Base went on to set up the Phoenix Canoe Club, so that there is still a place on the Welsh Harp where youngsters can enjoy this sport.

13. Pond dipping at the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre. (Photo courtesy of Harry Mackie)

The Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre went from strength to strength. Back in the 1980s, my daughters were among the thousands of local school children each year who have enjoyed learning about nature in a hands-on way, from enthusiastic experts. But the squeeze on local authority spending has also hit the former cemetery site. By the 1990s, Brent Council had closed its Parks Department nursery, which later reopened as the private Greenhouse (now Birchen Grove) Garden Centre. 


During the past ten years, cuts to funds allocated to youth services first saw the WHEEC receive financial support from the Careys construction group, then its threat of closure. Luckily this environmental “jewel in the crown”, celebrated in a 2015 Council video, was saved when Brent passed the Centre to the Thames 21 charity, under a Community Asset Transfer in 2016.
 
 

 
 
 
I hope you have enjoyed discovering more about “the Welsh Harp” in this series of articles. With all Brent’s Libraries now open again (with restricted hours), you can find even more information and pictures in Geoffrey Hewlett’s 2011 book, “Welsh Harp Reservoir Through Time”, in the local history section at ref. 942.185. 

14. The reservoir in 2010, and the cover of Geoffrey Hewlett's book. (Photo: London Canal Museum)

But it’s also a place to visit and enjoy, on our doorstep, if you can do so safely, whether for a walk, some wildlife watching or perhaps to learn to sail or paddle a canoe. After all, it is (officially) the Brent Reservoir!

Philip Grant

Next weekend we’ll take the No.32 northbound from the Priestley Way bus stop (by the site of the Welsh Harp Inn) for a one-off special article, then ride the same bus route southbound for a new local history series. Hop aboard “Wembley Matters” to find out where these journeys will take us.