WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
The BBC yesterday LINK published government data which showed that the London Boorough of Brent had the highest number of flytipping incidents of all Ennglish boroughs.
The news that there were 35,000 incidents of flytipping in Brent in 2022-23 was greeted with a distinct lack of surprise on local social media.
The Kilburn Times has followed up LINK the letter published last week on Wembley Matters about bank closures in Willesden Green and the impact on the elderly, disabled and those without a smart phone or internet access LINK.
It reports that Willesden Green councillors have written to both National Westminster Bank and Lloyds Bank about the impact on residents:
In a joint letter to Lloyds and NatWest, Willesden Green ward councillors Saqhain Choudry, Janice Long and Tom Miller called the closures "deeply disappointing" and asked for cash machine operator LINK to open a ‘banking hub’ so customers of all banks have a physical premises.
The councillors said: “Willesden Green has now fallen victim to the surge of branch closures that is blighting local small businesses, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups.”
Guest post by Philip Grant
1. Goldfinch eating sunflower seeds.
Next weekend (26 to 28 January) is the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, and a chance for us all to take part in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. I’m lucky enough to live in a house with a garden, but you don’t need one to take part. You can watch, and count, on the balcony of a flat, or in a local park or other open space that birds visit. It just takes an hour of your time, plus a bit more reporting your results, and you can find out how on the Big Garden Birdwatch website.
2. Greenfinch and Goldfinches around a seed feeder.
You are likely to see more birds if you are able to provide them with some food during the winter. Some types of small birds seem to gather in small flocks at this time of year, and recently we’ve enjoyed having a mixed group of Goldfinches and Greenfinches coming to our feeders. Although we have a nest box each for Blue Tit and Great Tit pairs (at opposite ends of our back garden), they also sometimes come to the garden with Coal Tits and the beautiful little Long Tailed Tits (I’m sorry that I don’t have a photograph of these to share – they are rather shy!).
3. Great Tit eating seeds, with inset showing its front markings.
4. Blue Tit and Goldfinch near fat ball feeder.
5. Goldfinches waiting while a Starling feeds on fat balls.
A garden bird that isn’t shy is the Starling, and they will make smaller birds wait while they feed. Occasionally only a single Starling will arrive, but usually they appear in a posse – I think the most I’ve counted at one time during a birdwatch is seventeen. They may look black, but up close, their markings and colours are amazing, with greens, purples and lots of little white speckles across their breasts.
As you can see from some of the other photos, many small birds have some intricate and colourful markings too. That even goes for the Robin (only one pair in the garden, as they are very territorial!) and the occasional Sparrow that we see, usually on the ground under the feeders, picking up what other birds drop.
Although we had seen Ring-necked Parakeets flying around the area (particularly on Barn Hill) for a number of years, it was only in 2020 that the first one landed briefly on a tree in our garden. Now they are regular visitors, often arriving in pairs, and the most we have seen at one time is six. They seem ready to wait patiently for their turn, unless something scares them away first. Sunflower seeds are more popular, but some will also peck at the fat balls.
6. A pair of Parakeets feeding, while another waits.
7. A Ring-necked Parakeet on the fat ball feeder.
The Parakeets are very agile for their size. The Feral Pigeons and Wood Pigeons that visit our garden usually can’t get at the feeders, unless there is a conveniently located branch next to the fat balls. But when other garden birds are busy feeding, we often see pigeons on the grass underneath, eagerly making the most of the seeds or bits of fat ball that are dropped.
One Feral Pigeon, who like the others was too big to use the small bird perch on the seed feeder, was so keen to get at the food there that it tried to fly up from the ground and hover. Over a number of days, it gradually developed this “skill”, until it could spend a few seconds beside the feeding hole. I doubt whether the seeds it got were worth the energy used in getting them, but it was interesting to watch this “humming bird” pigeon!
8. The “humming bird” pigeon in action.
Our local Kingsbury Feral Pigeons usually spend their time, and get their food, in Kingsbury Road and Roe Green Park. However, one thing we do provide for the birds all year round is their other vital need, water. I think all the different types of birds that visit our garden have drunk from our water bowls, but that is not all they need them for. And when fresh water is put out, it is often Feral Pigeons who arrive to enjoy it first.
9. Feral Pigeons drinking and bathing in fresh water.
10. A Jay, with its crest up, enjoying a bath.
Jays are not the only less usual “garden birds” that we are lucky enough to see. We also have occasional visits from Green Woodpeckers and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Water is especially important during dry periods, like those we often get during the summer, or when the ground is frozen. One of the first jobs in the morning, in weather such as we’ve had last week, is to put some extra water in the kettle, when making a cup of tea, so that there is some available to remove the ice from the top of the water in our bowls. Having water to drink, when none is available elsewhere, was probably why we had a rare visit from a Pied Wagtail, last time we had snow lying.
11. Pied Wagtail walking through the snow, after drinking some water.
I would not have thought of Crows as a garden bird, until one started visiting us five or six years ago. Within months, the male’s mate was also coming, and since then they have been a regular part of our garden bird life. Watching their behaviour has given us a fascinating insight into crow family life, and I will share a little of that with you.
12. Mr Crow having a bath.
Crows like to have a bath, sometimes coming back into the bowl several times and splashing about. On some summer days, Mr Crow gets so wet that he cannot take off, so hops down the garden and up into our apple tree to preen and dry off, before flying away. But drinking and bathing is not all that Crows use the water for.
They have a varied diet, including making use of dropped takeaways, and food found (from bins?) behind shops and restaurants. Crows can carry surprisingly large items in their beaks. Sometimes they bring food to wash if they don’t like something on it (such as peri-peri sauce on their chicken), or if they have buried it and then dug it up again. At other times, it is to soften up the food - bread, pizza, meat on bones and dog biscuits (stolen from a neighbour’s garden) are some examples.
13. Mr Crow with a chip that needs softening.
14. A Crow washing and breaking up a cooked chicken leg.
Softening food is particularly important when there are young to feed. Bread or meat needs to be broken up at the bowl, then swallowed into a pouch in their throats to carry back to the nest. The young Crows, usually two each year, are dependent on food provided to them for many months. When they do start flying, we often see them first in a nearby tree. It will be weeks before they are finally confident enough to come to the garden, still begging food from their parents.
For the rest of their first year, the young Crows are steadily educated (and disciplined, when necessary, to know their place in “the pecking order” over food). They must learn the skills of preparing food, bathing (watching their first attempts can be amusing), and what the various calls mean, and how to make them. Mr Crow is a very patient teacher.
Each year, one of the young Crows, it can be either a male or a female, is trained to be a helper. While the other one (or occasionally two) are made unwelcome by the end of their first year, the helper stays as part of the family, to assist Mr Crow in bringing food while Mrs Crow is on the nest, and in looking after the next year’s young Crows during their early months.
15. Mr and Mrs Crow having breakfast, January 2024.
Although the Crows can usually find their own food, and come to the garden mainly for the water, we do provide some for them during the winter. As Starlings would take the opportunity to gobble up any food, if the Crows were not quick enough to arrive, we’ve started putting it on a plastic plate, with a bowl over it. Mr Crow has the guile and strength to tip up the plate, so that the food is there on the grass for the family to eat.
16. A squirrel eating from the Crows’ plate.
While there are few garden birds who would dare steal the Crows’ food while they are there, a cheeky squirrel will sometimes have a go (the local squirrels visit all of our feeders!). While most of the family would not take on a squirrel, we’ve seen Mr Crow creep up behind one, and dash in to peck its tail! Our garden is certainly part of this Crow family’s territory, and they can often be seen and heard, cawing as a group from trees or rooftops to warn neighbouring crows away from it.
I hope this article has encouraged you to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, but more than that, to spend more time watching, and feeding if you can, the garden birds where you live. They can be a great source of natural beauty, interest and fun.
Philip Grant.
A copy of this article can be downloaded from HERE
If Philip's article has encouraged you to take part see the RSPB video below or visit the website HERE
The case reported yesterday on Wembley Matters continues today. Katharine Birbalsingh has issued the statement below:
The replacement of leasehold by commonhold came up yesterday when Martin Boyd, chairman of the Government's Leasehold Advisory Service appeared before the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill Committee LINK.
Asked about the risks in the switch Boyd said:
Yes, there are risks. Currently, we do not have a viable commonhold system. Even if the Government were to come forward with the full Law Commission proposals, those had not reached the point where they created all the systems necessary to allow the conversion of leasehold flats to commonhold flats. I see no technical reason at the moment why we should not move quite quickly to commonhold on new build for extant stock. I think it will take longer—and, at the end of the day, conversion will be a consequence of consumer demand. People would want to do it. On my side, I would not want us to convert to commonhold, because I could not yet be sure that it would help to add to the value of the properties. It would make our management of the site a lot easier, but I could not guarantee to anyone living there that it would add to the value of their property—and that is what people want to know, before they convert.
Later in the session he added:
I am proud to say that it was LKP that restarted the whole commonhold project in 2014. At the time, we were told, “The market doesn’t want commonhold.” The market very clearly told us that it did want commonhold; it was just that the legislation had problems in 2002. One of our trustees, who is now unfortunately no longer with us, was part of a very big commonhold project in Milton Keynes that had to be converted back to leasehold when they found problems with the law.
I think the Government have been making it very clear for several years that they accept that leasehold’s time is really over. I do not see any reason why we cannot move to a mandatory commonhold system quite quickly. What the developers had always said to us—I think they are possibly right—is that they worry that the Government might get the legislation wrong again, and they would therefore want a bedding-in period where they could test the market to ensure that commonhold was working, and they would agree to a sunset clause. They had fundamentally opposed that in 2002, and we managed to get them in 2014 to agree that, if commonhold could be shown to work, they would agree to a sunset clause that would say, “You cannot build leasehold properties after x date in the future.” I think that that is a viable system.
Earlier in the Committee hearing Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North, had asked about a potential right of leaseholders' right to withhold service charges:
You nicely lead me to my other question, which concerns something else that was in the 2002 Act but was never brought into effect: the provision that, if the landlord had not complied with the rules around service charges and the charges were unfair, leaseholders should be able to withhold their service charge. I have no idea why that was never brought into effect, but would it be a good idea? The Bill sets out extensive obligations that have to be followed in relation to service charges. If those are not followed, should leaseholders have the right to withhold the service charge?
Martin Boyd replied:
I can tell you why it did not move forward. One of the reasons it did not move forward is that, when there was a consultation, the organisation that I now chair argued very strongly against the implementation of that section. That was one of the things that annoyed me when I found out about it over a decade ago. It is not something that we would argue for now.
Asked by Gardiner if this would be a good clause to insert into the Bill, Boyd replied, 'It was a very good provision, yes.'
Schools Week LINK reports today the Michaela Free School's request that the school not be named was reject edby Judge Linden in today's High Court hearing regarding a Judicial Review requested on behalf of a pupil.
The Judicial Review is over the alleged banning of Muslim pupils from taking part in prayer rituals at the school that resulted in a public petition with more than 4,000 signatories in March 2023. LINK
Judge Linden said:
I do not accept the that the evidence in this case shows a risk to the lives or safety of members of the school staff or its wider community which would justify holding this hearing in private.
The petition is no longer on the Change.org website but said in part regarding the alleged ban:
A school that prides itself on being “multi cultural” and “multi faith” is treating their Muslim students in this way?? What’s worse is that this school is majority Muslim students and there is no prayer room designated for them. Students have requested for a prayer room which has been refused by the school and so they have to pray on the floor outside.
Judge Linden accepted the application for the claimant, a pupil, to be referred to as “TTT” and another person involved in the litigation, to be referred to as “UUU”.
As the hearing is in progress I will not publish any comments until the case is over.
There was a fire in a 21 storey block in Wembley Park at the weekend, not far from Wembbley Stadium. It is very concerning that the block had no working fire alarms.
London Fire Bridge Press Release
Five fire engines and around 35 firefighters were called to a fire at a block of flats on Fulton Road in Wembley.
A small part of a first floor flat in a 21 storey building was destroyed by fire.
Fire investigators found the property didn't have working smoke alarms and the fire was most likely caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:
This incident shows just how vital it is to have working smoke alarms. It's also a timely reminder for smokers to ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t, you risk causing a fire which could not only destroy your home, but also cost you your life.
Smoking safety top tips
The Brigade was called at 1805 and the fire was under control by 2034. Fire crews from Wembley, Park Royal and Stanmore fire stations were in attendance.
A spokesperson for Quintain Ltd said:
I can confirm this was not a Quintain building, nor is it managed by Quintain Living.
This fire came after one in South Kilburn on Friday which again had no working fire alarms:
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire at a maisonette on Stafford Road in Kilburn.
The whole of the fourth floor of a split level maisonette was destroyed by fire.
Fire investigators found the property didn't have working smoke alarms and the fire was most likely caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said
This incident shows just how vital it is to have working smoke alarms.
It's also a timely reminder for smokers to ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it.
If you don’t, you risk causing a fire which could not only destroy your home, but also cost you your life.
Landau House and Joules House are twin Brent council blocks close to the Jubilee line at Kilburn Station. I understand they were initially built as short-term (6 months) accommodation for police cadets training at Hendon Police College but after the builders failed the block were purchased by Brent Council. That initial intended use would explain why the flats are so very small,
I had heard concerning reports about the state of the blocks and was invited to see for myself.
Michael* has lived in a one-bedroom ground floor flat in Landau House for more than 22 years. He told me in that time he had never seen a housing officer although in regular contact over problems in his flat and on the estate.
The flat is approached along a corridor of industrial style pipework which hardly gives a welcoming or homely feel.
I had disturbed Michael when he was in the middle of sweeping up dust from the floor of his tiny flat. It was dust distributed, he said, by a noisy but inefficient air ventilator. Dust had to be swept up several times a day and aggravated his emphysema. So much so that he preferred not to be in his flat during the day.
The dust on floor
The pictures below show dust around the cover of the air vent and inside the air vent.
Michael was also concerned that asbestos had not been properly removed from his flat and removed a panel to show me:
There had been problems with sub-contractors not carrying our work properly on rewiring (not completed, gluing, rather that screwing fittings into the wall) and installation of new kitchens (poor quality and poorly fitted units).
Michael said, ‘The council seem to think they are doing a good job but the whole place has been neglected for years.’
Adding to the nuisance from dust was noise from the flat above where the flooring had been replaced by laminate with no sound proofing. This was despite rules saying that this should not be done. The result was unbearable noise from people moving around above, noise from the ventilation system and a tremendous racket when a vacuum cleaner was used on the laminate flooring.
Regarding the block as a whole there were problems with anti-social behaviour, mainly at night. Keys had been copied so outsiders could get access to socialise, deal or sleep. The council had taken action by issuing a ‘Closure Notice’ last summer which has now expired. The problem continues although I understand there are plans for increased security systems.
Another notice advertises a pest control company. The block is infested with bed bugs. Initially residents had to pay for treatment themselves, but I was told that the infestation is so bad that the Council is now footing the bill. There is also a problem with cockroaches, and I heard about one flat that had been empty for a period and had to be entered through a window. There were so many cockroaches crawling over everything that the man who had crawled through the window shot back out double-quick.
ASB in the past includes someone setting fires outside people’s front doors and the burn marks remain in places.
Along the corridor from Michael’s flat I met a family, a couple and their three children, who live in a flat the same size as Micchael’s – a kitchen/lounge and one bedroom. The flat also suffers from dust.
The family had painted over the walls in the kitchen and bedroom with thick paint to cover over damp and mould, but it was still evident in corners.
They said the damp would come back through after a few weeks.
One of the children suffers from breathing problems and must use a respirator The father thought the conditions in the flat, despite all he had done to tackle the damp and mould, were making the condition worse.
Throughout the interview the smiling and welcoming mother, clearly trying to remain positive, had frequent bouts of coughing.
Adding to these problems was the unreliability of the common heating and hot water system with residents often left without heating, or without hot water, and sometimes without both.
I was told that workmen carry out work on what appeared to be a void flat found 10 sleeping places - presumably mattresses on the floor.
Outside the air of neglect continued. Michael said it was not just the council’s fault but that of the people who did the dumping.
I asked Michael what he wanted from the Council:
I would like the problems fixed and then just a bit of peace and quiet.
*Not the tenant’s real name name - changed for security and privacy
