A date with the young Jane Austen – courtesy of Brent Culture Service

 Guest post by Philip Grant

 

Karin Fernald as Jane Austen

 

Jane Austen is one of our great British women writers, who more than 200 years ago had a number of novels published (anonymously, at first). Many of you will recognised the opening words of “Pride and Prejudice”, either from reading the book or seeing it portrayed on TV or film:

 

The opening line from an early edition of “Pride and Prejudice”.

 

But even great authors (as well as much lesser ones who write blog articles!) have to develop their writing skills over time. Jane’s father, the Reverend George Austen, recognised his young daughter’s joy in writing. When she was a teenager, he gave her a notebook in which to write down her stories and short plays. He inscribed at the top of the first page:

 

“Effusions of Fancy by a very young Lady,
consisting of tales in a style completely new”.

 

Jane performed many of her stories to entertain her family. Now local residents have the chance to enjoy some of them too, in an event put on by Brent Culture Service at Willesden Green Library. “We fainted alternately on the sofa – Jane Austen in the Making”, performed by actor and writer Karin Fernald, is on Tuesday 26 April, from 6.30 to 7.30pm. Tickets are £3, and can be booked HERE

 

Heartless property company evicts church, nursery and foodbank

 The Pentecostal City Mission Church, long time occupier of 2 Scrubs Lane, Willesden, has been evicted by developers, Fruition Properties. The Mission is a registered Community Asset and operates a nursery, foodbank, dementia care and other local community services which leaves this vital community lifeline in jeopardy. See previous coverage of the threat to the church HERE.

 

The Mayor’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), local MP Andy Slaughter, the GLA’s Culture at Risk team and other community groups have been campaigning to save the church and the services it provides to one of London’s most disadvantaged communities. 

 

Fruition Properties, the developers who are looking to redevelop the site, sought planning permission in 2018. Critical to that permission was that Fruition secured replacement space for the Pentecostal City Mission Church and associated community services as part of the new development. 

 

OPDC, as the local planning authority, has always been very clear that its planning policy requires the re-provision of community floorspace for the Pentecostal City Mission Church within any future scheme on the site. 

 

It is understood that Fruition evicted without warning, on Wednesday 23rd March, entering the building at 7.30 in the morning and changing all the locks, leaving parents unable to drop off their children at the nursery and staff unable to retrieve personal belongings. 

 

Reverend Desmond Hall of Pentecostal City Mission Church said:

We are shocked and saddened that Fruition took possession of this beloved church and vital lifeline for so many community members. As well as a valued place of worship, many families and young children rely on us for support services and food donations. During busy times, we can cater to up to a 1,000 people across one day. What will they do now that Fruition have changed the locks? 

 

We won’t give up hope and with the support of the community, we’ll continue to fight for Pentecostal City Mission Church.

 

David Lunts, CEO of OPDC said: 

 

It is shocking that Fruition Properties have evicted the church. It's hard to believe that with so much local need for services such as this, especially at a time of increasing hardship, any developer could act with such heartlessness. It’s all the more outrageous as our planning policy makes quite clear that space for the church and its community facilities must be part of any redevelopment.

 

I have attempted to engage with Fruition to seek an amicable resolution with the Church, but they have refused to meet.

 

Andy Slaughter MP for Hammersmith said: 

 

It’s unacceptable and quite frankly unbelievable news to hear that a developer has evicted a church, nursery and foodbank at a time where so many families are under financial strain to put food on the table. I have made my position to Fruition abundantly clear on numerous occasions and they have refused to meet to reach a solution, despite the planning policy clearly requiring provision for the church. 

 

 Cllr Matt Kelcher said:

Councillors, Brent Council, the OPDC and local MPs are all in agreement on this issue and Fruition are doing themselves terrible damage by pursuing this – but there is currently a legal process that needs to be gone through first. When this is resolved we’ll be best placed to plan any next steps.

 

I’m pleased that in the meantime, Brent and OPDC are helping the church to find alternative local premises where possible.

 

Thames Water baulks at cost of clearing worst ever sewage pollution of the Wealdstone Brook

From Brent and Harrow Rivers Alliance  BHRA -  Harrow Friends of Wealdstone Brook  Supported by Brent Parks Forum.   

 

 

 

 From This:  Ducks and Wagtails feeding...

 

 

 To This:  60m and growing raw sewage left untreated with no source yet found  

Since around the 6th March there has been a constant flow of sewage into the Wealdstone Brook from a still unidentified site in Harrow.

The Environment Agency were immediately advised and have not responded to repeated updates of  the incremental thick raw sewage flow that continues unabated.   Thames Water - were also advised in the correct manner direct to their office after the contact Pollution Line was in effect blocked with calls about pollution events (we assume).

Brent Officers; and the CEO of Thames Water attended an unprecedented meeting at the Brook at Woodcock Park on 28th March and took part in a morning walkabout of the site and  saw for themselves the worst, longest running pollution event since recording has begun.

We are awaiting action from Thames Water who were concerned that they would have to deploy operatives from another job to attend the site and the cost of the job itself - which involves flushing a tank of clean water into the brook to move the daily increasing 50-70 m of sewage along! 

There was no  reaction from Thames Water to the imminent threat to the wildlife all the way along past the Civic Centre, three schools and into the River Brent through the Wildlife restoration Project that Thames21 runs. The pollution will slowly increase and move along the waterway!   Unless the source is found and remedied the threat to wildlife will be compounded.   As it has been left since the 10th March - 'vacuuming' - out the pollution is now out of the question - Thames Water do not have tanks large enough to cope with the volume that is increasing steadily.   A factory misconnection is suspected......

Now over 400 food packets (we think out of date), have been thrown into the Brook at the trash screen in Kenton - which has now got thoroughly stuck in the midst of the sewage and the bags are exploding open to feed the sewage fungus in the gel - sludge.   This amount of plastic in the sewage will act as fungus and e-coli carriers as they move towards the wildlife water improvement projects further downstream.   

Volunteers cannot reach them where they are located and have come to rest!  

Thames Water could send in operatives but they are concerned about the cost!   

We await some action to stop the sewage flow into what was a duck filled brook!  

We thank the Brent Engineer - who has visited and has now written a full report of the Brook and his findings.    We also thank Brent Parks Officers who are and continue to be supportive, within their capacity.   

It is possible that that the first signs of sewage were on 17th, 23rd and 27th February when reports to the Environment Agency mentioned murky brown water and silt. The sewage outbreak was reported on February 28th.  If an early warning system was in place Thames Water might have investigated much earlier and resolved the issue.

A Thames Water officer has indicated that the cause of the sewage  flow has been located and Friends of Woodock Park have emailed to confirm the location and the need for flushing.  They assume that the sewage currently visible from Becmead Avenue may indicate an equivalent amount underground at the source.

The Wealdstone Brook, marked in blue on an extract from an 1895 Ordnance Survey map

UPDATED: South Kilburn: Flagship or neglect?

Guest post by Pete Firmin, chair, Alpha, Gorefield and Canterbury Tenants’ and Residents’ Association.

 

Brent Council – with the support of planners and architects - likes to praise its regeneration of South Kilburn as a model for others.

 

Yet, beyond the issue of the dubious quality of some of the new housing built in the area, raised in Wembley Matters many times, there is also a big issue around general neglect of the area.

 

To be clear, the area described here, a small part of South Kilburn, is not due for `regeneration’ anytime soon. It does not figure in any masterplan. Not that, even if it was, this would excuse the level of neglect shown here.

 

Everything here has been reported to Brent Council, individual officers and Councillors dating back to November of last year if not earlier.

 

To start at the steps at the corner of Coventry Close and Kilburn High Road. These broken steps have been reported with no response received.

 

 

This rubbish dump has been growing steadily for the best part of a year and reported many times on the Cleaner Brent App. It just gets closed quickly with no explanation. It is not directly on Brent land but is clearly a health hazard.

 

 

This patch of ground (known to residents as the Bermuda Triangle) was created when regeneration hit the area 7 years ago. They still haven’t sorted out whether Brent or Catalyst is responsible for its upkeep, so it just accumulates rubbish.

 

 

Clearly Brent’s responsibility, overflowing like many bins along Cathedral Walk footpath.

 

Mattresses abound, this one was photographed by an estate officer two weeks ago. It is propped up by the metal frame for previous recycling bins. We were promised when they were replaced (a year ago) that they would be removed.

 

 

Broken pane of glass in door of Gorefield House, reported last November.

 

The wonderful bin store next to Gorefield House. Erected by Catalyst during regeneration. For their residents they put up a brick  bin store, but Brent tenants only get a wooden one, which has been falling apart since it was put up. Too near the flats, overflowing bins, never fully cleared. We’ve been told someone in an office worked out how many bins are needed for the number of households…..

 

 

5 of these 7 lights along a footpath created in regeneration have been out for more than 5 months. We’ve been told the issue has been escalated…..

 

 

Damage caused by the flash flood last July. Brent had to be pestered to do anything at all, but we have been left with this botched job which is causing accidents. 

 

 

I could go on, like the numerous street lights not working (one of which has never been connected to the mains), the lift out of order for over a year, and much else, but I hope you get the picture one of a Council which doesn’t seem to care.

 

Pete Firmin

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Pete's problems in getting responses is well illustrated by this exchange that took place only yesterday.

 

 

 

Greens back teacher unions in opposition to White Paper proposals on forced academisation, increased hours, narrowed curriculum and oppressive targets

 The Green Party has responded to the government’s new white paper on education which calls for all schools to join a multi-academy trust by 2030 and to be open for a minimum 32.5 hour school week [1]. Greens are backing teaching unions in challenging the lack of ambition for young people in this document, the focus on academic targets without the extra resources and oppose the academisation of schools.

Green Party Education spokesperson, Vix Lowthion, who is a working secondary school teacher, said:

The government is using the disruption caused by Covid as a way to push through their damaging educational agenda of tough academic targets and more testing, rooted in a longer school week and Ofsted inspections.  

This White Paper also resurrects the previously unpopular policy to force the academisation of our schools, when there remains no evidence that academies and free schools raise standards overall. By contrast, there is plenty of evidence that multi academy trusts, in particular, are syphoning public money without the accountability offered by local councils.

This is not the way to support children and teachers to recover from the disruption caused by the pandemic. A comprehensive recovery plan would include a focus on the rounded needs of children and students and an inclusive, creative and collaborative curriculum. Instead, we will see even more pressure heaped on teachers and students to achieve higher targets in English and Maths, resulting in even more school hours spent away from lessons in music, PE, humanities, technology and the arts. Young people need to be offered a broad and balanced curriculum to learn, show their potential and to succeed.

Young Greens co-chair Kelsey Trevett said: 

A focus on maths and English means the government once again fails to recognise the value of creative and humanities-based subjects, creating exam factories for the sole purpose of preparing young people to enter an exploitative profit-driven workplace.

Young Greens co-chair Jane Baston added: 

These standards also place an extra burden on teachers, taking them over their annual hours and placing them under even more pressure within a system which only sees academic achievement and grades, not people.

Notes

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/mar/28/plans-for-englands-schools-include-national-behaviour-survey 

 

How to save on your energy bills. Chalkhill Community Centre 1pm-2.30pm Wednesday 30th March

 

Brent Council's confidential waste 'secure' during Veolia suspension

Brent Council CEO, Carolyn Downs, has confirmed that Brent Council's confidential waste is securely stored at Brent Civic Centre in Wembley, following the suspension of the confidential waste disposal aspect of the Veolia contract.

The suspension followed the spillage of confidential documents on the Croydon roadside during transit for shredding by Veolia.

Downs assured Wembley Matters that there was plenty of storage space at the Civic Cente. The council are now investigating the purchase of their own shredding equipment so that it will go to Veolia in unrecognisable form.

Dawn Butler assures constituents of continuity of service as she takes time out to recover after successful cancer operation

 Dawn Butler MP (Brent Central) issued the following statement today.  I am sure readers will join me in wishing her a successful return to her usual full fighting strength.

Back in early November, I attended a routine mammogram and a few weeks later the hospital informed me that they had identified breast cancer cells at a very early stage.

Of course, everything stood still as it does when you hear the dreaded C-word – it is a shock but an early diagnosis means that it is something that I will get through and over. The NHS has caught my cancer early, the operation was a complete success, and I will make a full recovery.

However, I now have to take time off work for my recovery. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a workaholic and I love what I do – but unless I listen to medical advice and recover well, I will not be able to give my best. I would like to thank Parliament, the Labour Party, local members and my team for their support throughout.

I would like to reassure people that my office remains functioning in my absence; my dedicated staff will continue to support constituents, make representations and will still hold regular surgery appointments. If you live in Brent Central and need advice or support, you can continue to contact me via: dawn.butler.mp@parliament.uk and 020 7219 8591.

Hopefully, my recovery won’t take too long. But in the meantime, please bear with me and thank you very much in advance for your support.

I want to end my statement by thanking the NHS and everyone who is soldiering through. I have seen first-hand how the NHS is under enormous pressure – The Royal London seemed full, people were waiting on chairs in A&E for beds, the staff were exhausted in the NHS and many were suffering from PTSD.

Covid-19 has taken a lot out of them. So many people have missed appointments (many through no fault of their own), results are delayed and operations postponed. If we are to show our appreciation for the amazing NHS workers and rebuild our health service then we need to properly invest in the NHS, both structurally and in the very people who keep it functioning.