Brent Council Explain What's Happening

Chris Whyte, Head of Environmental Management at Brent Council, has responded to the story below with this statement:

"Compaction vehicles support the recycling collection vehicles by relieving them of bulky mixed cans and plastic bottles. This frees up space so the vehicles can continue with their rounds without returning to the depot. The bottles and cans are collected mixed and are separated at a MRF. This is standard practice and has been agreed with the council. It is a measure of the amount of waste that we collect for recycling. No waste is landfilled."

ARK WILL SINK OR SWIM ON TUESDAY

The next episode in the Wembley ARK Academy story will take place at Brent Town Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 28th April. The Planning Committee will meet to consider the planning application for a permanent academy on the Wembley Playing Fields site.

Opponents of the scheme, including local residents associations, the Wembley Park Action Group and the Brent Green Party will hope to derail the controversial scheme. Their arguments will centre on a less than democratic planning process, poor and faulty documentation, increased traffic congestion, loss of playing fields to the community and the need for a new school in the south of the borough rather than the north.

ARK recruited to their primary school before formal planning position for a temporary building had been granted and has advertised secondary places before the approval of this application. They were reduced to giving out recruitment material at the nearby ASDA supermaket and attempting to sign up parents as if they were selling double glazing. Brent residents have never been fully and openly consulted on the principle of privately sponsored academies but firmly rejected such provision when they were consulted about school places provision.

MARK THOMAS ENDORSES THE GREEN PARTY

Follow this link to hear Mark Thomas make the case for the Green Party

HAVE YOUR SAY ON NEW TRAUMA AND STROKE SERVICES

Healthcare for London is currently consulting on proposals for two new services. The consultation closes on May 8th 2009:

• new trauma networks based around three or four new major trauma centres



• new hyper-acute stroke units and transient ischaemic attack (TIA sometimes called mini stroke) services

The first proposal is for three or four networks centring around one hospital designated a major trauma centre, serving local hospitals designated trauma centres. The major trauma centre would provide 24/7 immediate treatment for the most serious injuries. Local trauma centres will treat people with less serious injuries.

TRAUMA OPTIONS

1. Four trauma networks - Major trauma centres at Royal London Hospital, King's College, St George's (all working by April 2010) and St Mary's (by April 2012). Northwick Park and Central Middlesex linked to St Mary's Paddington.

2. Four trauma networks - The first three as above and the fourth, the Royal Free, working by April 2012. Northwick Park and Central Middlesex would be linked to the Royal Free.

3. Three trauma networks- Just the first three with Northwick Park and Central Middlesex linked to the Royal London.

Option 1 is the preferred option as it would give wider coverage and St Mary's would deal with a small number of local hospitals. It is also closer to central London, Heathrow and Brent. Option 3 may be preferred as it would be quicker to set up. You can express an option preference.

STROKE OPTIONS

Healthcare are proposing:

1. 8 Hyper-acute stroke units - these will provide immediate response to a stroke for the first 72 hours or until the patient has stabilised.

2. 20 Stroke units - these will provide ongoing care once a patient is stabilised including multi-therapy rehabilitation

3. TIA Services - these Will provide rapid assessment and access to a specialist within 24 hours for high-risk patients or 7 days for low-risk patients.

Northwick Park is a preferred option for all three services.

Further details

Questionnaire

BY-ELECTION SOON IN WEMBLEY CENTRAL?

Brent Green Party is ready to fight a vigorous campaign to win the Wembley Central seat in the event of a by-election.

A by-election is possible following Cllr Vijay Shah's decision to plead guilty to 11 counts of financial fraud at St. Alban's Crown Court. Cllr Shah is currently an independent councillor having lost Liberal Democratic Party support when charges were first brought against him. The other two councillors in the ward are Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Shah will be sentenced on May13th and if sentenced to three months or more , without the option of a prison sentence, would automatically be disqualified from holding a council seat. According to Wembley and Kingsbury Times sources he is expected to get a prison sentence.

Now that Cllr Shah has admitted fraud reportedly totalling around £50,000, it would be best for the electorate if he stood down immediately to allow a by-election to take place. He should not remain in public office. The Wembley Central electorate facing all the problems of the recession need to be represented by a fully engaged councillor of good standing.

The 2006 Local Election was closely fought between the Lib Dems and Labour:

Daniel Bessong (LD) 1709, Valerie Brown (LD) 1738, Vijay Shah (LD) 1824

Dhirajlal Katana (Lab) 1619, Navaratnam Paramakumaran(Lab) 1443, Zaffer Van Kalwala (Lab) 1420

Candidates from other parties all polled less than 500 votes each but the political landscape has changed considerably since 2006 and it could be an open and exciting contest.

GREEN VICTORY ON ASDA HAZARD

Brent Green Party's success in forcing Wembley ASDA to act on concerns over pedestrian safety wins substantial local press coverage today.

Following a two year campaign ASDA has made changes to the access road to its Wembley depot that means lorries will no longer block the pedestrian road crossing. Brent Greens wrote to police, Brent Transportation Unit, local councillors and the ASDA CEO; gained publicity in local papers through letters and demonstrations and put photographic evidence of the danger on the party's website and YouTube channel. They put their case to the manager of the Wembley ASDA at a meeting in December 2008 and were promised action.

A new gate (see photograph) was finally completed on Sunday 5 April, with the specific intention of allowing pedestrians safe passage.

Shahrar Ali, Green Party candidate for the European Parliament and Brent Green Party spokesperson for environment and planning welcomed ASDA's action: "We are delighted that ASDA has finally taken action to remedy the dangerous parking of lorries outside their loading bay, which until today presented pedestrians with a serious obstacle to the safe crossing of a slip road. It is notable that no other official body that we impressed upon, from the council officials to the highway police, were instrumental in getting the result the pedestrians and other road users were demanding."

An ASDA spokeswoman told the Willesden and Brent Times, "We are pleased to say now that this problem has been brought to our attention, it has now been resolved and we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused customers or local residents."

CONSUMING TO DESTRUCTION

Dr Shahrar Ali, Green Party candidate for the European Parliament London region said,"The government may be busy congratulating itself for facilitating consensus at the G20 summit. But there has been wanton disregard of the climate change emergency."

"By ignoring the systemic causes of financial instability and promoting economic growth at all costs, the G20 leaders unwittingly conspire to bring the devastating harms of climate change ever closer."

Dr Ali continued, "The recent film Age of Stupid showed just how oblivious go-getting entrepreneurs could be to the unsustainability of their actions. Just see how the managing director of a low cost airline could have his supposed moral purpose coloured by the prospect of a fast buck."

"No, G20. Until or unless the cost to the earth is factored into the economic equation, through the promotion of sustainable green industry and a rejection of over consumption, there can be little cause for celebration."

The churchyard at Old St.Andrew's Church, Kingsbury has been undergoing a big clear-up recently. The work is being done under the Community Payback scheme where offenders do six hours a day unpaid work, rather than serving a prison sentence. Serious offenders are not eligible and most of those serving a community sentence have been found guilt of theft, traffic offences or public order offences. The scheme was recently in the news over proposals to make offenders wear high-visibility vests while at work. The scheme is run jointly by the Probation Service, Safer Neighbourhood Teams and the Local Authority.

St Andrew's Old Church dates from the 11th century and it is thought there has been a church on the site since Saxon times. It is Brent's only Grade 1 listed building and has suffered from vandalism. The church is owned by the Churches Conservation Trust but the graveyard is the responsibility of the Parochial Church Council of Kingsbury who have worked hard at clearing the churchyard in recent years.

Today in the Spring sunshine, paths had been cleared and there were masses of violets amongst the graves. The workers are constructing a hurdle type fence around the graveyard constructed from the trees and shrubs they have cut down. They explained that they hoped the ubiquitous ivy would climb over the hurdles and form a solid barrier. It was clear that the work had been done with sensitivity and perhaps even a little enthusiasm - surely better than languishing in a cell.

G20 A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Darren Johnson AM, Green Party spokesperson on trade and industry, reviewing the G20 Statement said Gordon Brown had delivered a “kick in the teeth for British industry and global sustainability.” He said Brown had “managed to pull off a global stimulus that includes less than seven per cent climate-friendly investment.”

He went on, “Britain’s over-reliance on financial services has been a spectacular failure. It’s time we re-built the real economy. There are a raft of emerging technologies waiting for government investment to kick-start the Green industrial revolution that will give us the economy of the future - a balanced economy that includes heavy industry and self-reliance on energy. We have a golden opportunity to beat the recession and the climate crisis in one - and we’re wasting it.”

He concluded, “Every time we see evidence of progress we also see evidence that governments are dragging their feet. They don’t seem to understand that the policies we need for tackling climate change will bring huge social and economic benefits. “We need more Greens in elected office, because we need to push parliaments and assemblies and local councils towards a better understanding and a better set of policies.”

Full Statement

LAST CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON LONDON'S AIR QUALITY

A survey on air pollution in London closes tomorrow. The Environment Committee of the London Assembly is asking Londoners to say what air pollution is like where they live and work, and how air pollution has affected them.

About 1,000 premature deaths annually in London are attributed to poor air conditions and Brent has the busy North Circular Road running right through it. Boris Johnson's dropping of the low emissions zone and the Western Extension of the Congestion Zone means opportunities have been missed to improve air quality.

Have your say by filling in the short survey. Follow this link: Air Quality Survey

Brent MPs Criticise Omission of Climate Change From G20 Talks

Two of our local MPs spoke out in the House of Commons yesterday G20's failure to include the issue of climate change in their talks.

In the debate that followed the G20 statement, Barry Gardiner asked Alistair Darling, "Given that the world currently consumes each year the resources that the planet takes one year and four months to renew or replace, does my right hon. Friend agree that it is just as important that the G20 should have examined not only the credit bubble and fallout in the global economy, but the credit bubble in the global environment?"

Sarah Teather put the failings of the G20 more baldly in the Easter Adjournment Debate where she made an extended contribution. Reflecting on the Brent screenings of The Age of Stupid she said, "As the G20 meets today, having bumped climate change off the agenda, I cannot help but think that we almost certainly do live in the age of stupid. Not only has the G20 bumped climate change from the agenda, with the decision to look at it at the Copenhagen conference later this year, but it will have failed—at least I expect that it will have failed; we await the Chancellor's statement later this afternoon—to link the fiscal stimulus that so many countries are arguing for with the green economy. That most certainly is a very stupid thing indeed."

Later in the debate she said, "The G20 may have junked the environment this week, but we have time before Copenhagen in December to lay the groundwork for a serious climate deal that could make a huge difference. We need our Government to take a lead on that now, and to be at the forefront of climate negotiations. We must have a serious commitment to cut emissions by at least 30 per cent., not the 20 per cent. with time off for carbon trading that came with the European Union deal. We must also put developing countries' concerns at the heart of the climate change deal. We have grown rich in part by polluting. We must now repay that debt to the developing world by financing and sharing technology so that countries can access clean and green energy and develop in a sustainable way, and we must help developing countries to adapt to the damaging consequences of climate change that will, unfortunately, happen regardless of what we do."

Link to Barry Gardiner's Question and Darling's answer

Link to Sarah Teather's Contribution to Adjournment Debate 1

Link to Sarah Teather's Contribution 2

ACADEMY PLANNING CONDITIONS VIOLATED

When planning permission was given for the temporary ARK Academy on playing fields it was only done so on the condition that the playing fields were accessible and maintained. The conditions, set out in Schedule B (08/0799) said that the departure from Policy OS8 state that 'there would be no overall loss of playing fields and access would be regulated via a Community Use Scheme to the benefit of the local community and in accordance with the requirements of Sport England.'

The pitches were closed off during the building of the temporary Academy on the grounds of security and it was stated that they would be made available once the building work was completed. This was not done and the pitches have remained out of use, despite council claims that they are available but that no one has requested permission to use them. Peter Moring counter-claimed in the local press this weekend that three local senior teams have asked to use the pitches but have been 'flatly refused access by Brent Council's Park Service'. If true this is in contravention of Condition 11 which states, "...the development shall not be occupied unless prior thereto, the football pitches have been re-provided in accordance with details submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority".

A glance at the photographs show that the pitches are not fit for use: there are no goal posts or pitch marking and the field resembles medieval ridge and furrow. Sports England would not be impressed and the condition of the pitches is in direct contravention of conditions 12 and 13. 13 states, "Prior to the commencement of the use a Management and Maintenance Scheme for the football pitches and the existing pavilion for a period of 3 years, to include measures to ensure the standard of pitch surfaces over the next 3 years, and management responsibilities, a maintenance schedule and a mechanism for review, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority after consultation with Sport England".

The Planning Authority and Sport England have clearly not kept their eyes on this particular ball and the result has been a loss of facilities to the local community.

THIS FILM WILL LEAVE ITS MARK ON OUR PSYCHE

Brian Orr, Chair of Brent Green Party, saw The Age of Stupid at the Tricycle Cinema last week and took part in several of the discussion sessions. This is his view of the film:

I was very taken by the The Age of Stupid. I saw it as a 'collage' of seven fascinating documentaries, cleverly woven together by a bit of science fiction that allowed for some seductive 'climate change facts' to be slotted in. It provided little in the way of answers, nor did it provide an orderly analysis along the lines of An Inconvenient Truth, but the material would stimulate most people into thinking, 'Hey, there's something fundamentally awry here."

It is pretty clear that a high proportion of those who have seen the film were moved emotionally. Only time will tell how far the film will leave its mark on our collective psyche, but it certainly won't be forgotten for a long time. It should remain in the environmentalists' armoury for a good few years yet.

Click here to see what Ed Miliband thought of the film

NOT SO MASTERFUL!

Consideration of the Wembley Masterplan by the Brent Executive, due to be table at its meeting on Monday April 6th, has been put off following intervention by the Conservative Group.

The Masterplan has been been heavily criticised by the Wembley Community Association, Brent Green Party and Quintain Estates on the basis that it is unaffordable and undeliverable.

The reconnection of North End Road to Bridge Road at an estimated cost of £20mln (the cost of two new primary schools) which has been a particular bone of contention in the Plan has been thrown into doubt. At present the closed off road provides a low traffic haven which is safe for children from the nearby flats. The Masterplan envisaged the demolition of the present pedestrian footway linking Bridge Road and Olympic Way which provides access to North End Road. (see photograph) However the Planning Inspectorate last week over-ruled Brent Council and approved the building of a 20 storey student accommodation tower on a nearby site, raising issues about the practicality of the Masterplan proposals.

Click here for the WCA's Submission on the Masterplan

Click here for Brent Green Party's Submission on the Masterplan

ARK PLANNING CONCERNS

Meanwhile ARK Academy campaigners have raised concerns about missing essential documentation on the council planning site ahead of the re-scheduled planning hearing on Tuesday April 28th. They argue that they are unable to make an informed submission if essential documents are unavailable for detailed perusal.

SUPPORT FOR PRIMARY SATS BOYCOTT

I fully support the move by the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Head Teachers to boycott next year's SAT tests in primary schools.

The independent Cambridge Primary Review has already said that SAT tests and league tables are incompatible with their curriculum reforms (see February 20th posting) and the less far-reaching changes advocated by the government initiated Rose Review make little sense within the constraints of a narrow exam-orientated curriculum.

The two unions are putting identical resolutions to their Easter conferences that state they will conduct this year's tests for 11 year olds, which take place in the week beginning May 11th, only on condition that they are the last.

My experience as a teacher and head teacher on the negative impact of the tests on children's enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning was endorsed by the NAHT's general secretary Mike Brookes, when he said, "There is high stress for children children; some will already be spending up to 10 hours a week rehearsing these tests. It's a complete waste of time. It is unconscionable that we should simply standby and allow the educational experience of children to be blighted."

I couldn't agree more. The Green Party remains the only main-stream political party to support the abolition of SATS and League Tables in order to return creativity and a love of learning to primary schools.

THE WEMBLEY MASTERPLAN AND THE RECESSION

“The Masterplan is a long term plan that should reach far further than the current economic down turn. A wide range of studies have been conducted that provide confidence that the proposals within the document can be delivered.”
Brent Council response to concerns about the Wembley Masterplan, December 2008

Brent Green Party and other objectors to the Wembley Masterplan called for Brent Council to put the Plan on hold until a full analysis of the impact of the recession on the local economy had been carried out and the Council’s Climate Change Strategy was in place.

A report entitled ‘The Local Impact of the Recession’ was tabled at the Council Executive on 16th March 2009. The Climate Strategy is long overdue and there appear to be concerns over the adequacy of the Consultant’s report. It is essential that a long-term project should be based on such a strategy. Despite this vital missing ingredient the Executive is due to make a a decision on the Masterplan at its meeting on Monday April 6th.

RECESSION OVERVIEW
The Recession Report resists engaging in detailed economic forecasting but states, “In short we face possible deflation, continuing low interest rates, a continued lull in property and housing markets and unemployment rising and possibly peaking in 2011-12…….At the same time, the government borrowing to defend the economy and provide fiscal stimulus will put huge pressure on public finances.” (4.5)

The Council faced with challenges on the financial viability of the Masterplan had earlier said that funds would be available from the government or the GLA in the event that Section 106 funding was not available.

RETAIL
The Wembley Masterplan envisages 47,000m2 of retail, restaurants and bars and a ribbon of retail running from Wembley High Road to Wembley Park. The Recession Report reveals that employment in wholesale and retail in Brent stands at 22%, a greater proportion than the British average (5.5.2) which ‘therefore may be an area of concern’. Brent has a greater proportion of firms involved in wholesale and retail than the British average: “This may be an area of concern, as the retail-related industry is predicted to be one of the sectors most severely hit by the recession.” (6.1.2)

So retail is already disproportionate, is likely to be hit most severely by the recession, but forms the backbone of the Wembley Masterplan. The Masterplan stated that further retail development was dependent on the successful completion of Quintain’s Phase 1 Wembley Boulevard development. A ‘success’ that looks unlikely in the present economic climate and the competing attractions of Westfield and a refurbished Brent Cross.

HOUSING
The Report suggests that with the fall in house prices and sales at a 30-year low, there may be an increase in demand for temporary and social accommodation. “A consequence of this could be that more people will turn to renting or seeking council housing. Brent already has one of the highest levels of demand for housing in the country, where we are unable to meet even a small proportion of the existing demand.” (8.2.1)

The Wembley Masterplan envisaged the provision of 3,727 new homes of which 1,400 were to be affordable. Much of this would be financed by Section 106 receipts (money paid by developers to the local authority towards infrastructure improvements). However the Recession report notes, “A quarter of the local authorities surveyed by the Audit Commission state that they have seen falls in Section 106 receipts of more than 5%, which is of particular concern because about half of the affordable housing supply in recent years has been provided under Section 106 agreements.” After noting that school building improvement plans will also be affected the Report states, “Opportunities to generate improvements in public sector infrastructure through regeneration projects will also be affected. (10.5.4)

The Report notes that the current forecast is that, “Brent will struggle to achieve the LAA target to deliver 458 affordable homes annually between 2008 and 2011 by 17.4% due to delays or terminations of development schemes. Wembley regeneration schemes were also expected to contribute to the supply targets, but some of these sites will be delayed, as developers such as Quintain concentrate on the non-housing part of their development.” The Report expects new starts to “drastically slow” and “in some cases where construction has commenced developers are delaying internal fit outs that allow new homes to be habitable in the hope that the market will improve”.

So housing, and particularly affordable housing, is essential and a major part of the Masterplan but unlikely to be completed in the short or medium-term, and some, already largely completed, will not be coming on the market. The Report pins its hope on government action to stimulate the housing market despite the constraints imposed by the huge long-term debts incurred by the government’s recent interventions to stabilise the economy.

REGENERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
It is worth quoting the first paragraph of this section in some detail:
“The construction industry has been severely hit by the squeeze on credit, and delays in development schemes have had a negative effect on the pace of Brent’s major projects, for example timetables have been put back for Wembley development….The lack of credit and economic recession may well both stop and delay private development, which may adversely affect our regeneration ambitions in Brent.” (11.1)

This throws the whole rationale of the Masterplan into doubt. The argument that the Plan is a long-term vision beyond the current crisis cuts both ways. If it is long-term there is no need to approve it at present when the Report recognises that the extent, depth and longevity of the economic downturn is unclear. The argument that, “…the council use this as a period of opportunity in terms of the regeneration agenda through undertaking detailed planning work and establishing clarity of vision, so that development projects can be kick started when the upturn occurs” (11.2), seems to be based on an assumption that things will soon be back to normal – an assumption as we have seen that is not well supported by other statements in the Report.

QUINTAIN ESTATES
Despite the council’s claim to the contrary when Quintain Estates criticised the Wembley Masterplan for unaffordability, they remain the council’s main developer partner.

Quintain have themselves been badly affected by the economic situation and their strictures need to be taken seriously in the context of their ability to provide Section 106 funding for the Masterplan proposals.

Quintain has recently negotiated a three-year deal with its lenders to manage its debts of £620,000,000. This involved increasing the firm’s maximum gearing ratio (the ratio of debt to net worth) from 110% to 150%, allowing for expected further falls in the value of its UK properties. This stabilised the firm’s stock, which has fallen 58% this year. However the arrangement provides protection only for a 20% fall in property valuation from September 2008 levels and the decline in property values has accelerated since then. Quintain is likely to seek further investment to help stabilise its finances.

CONCLUSION
The council’s own report, ‘The Local Impact of the Recession’, reinforces objectors’ criticisms of the Wembley Masterplan. The Plan based as it is on expansion of retail, housing, hotel and office space at a time of economic recession and long-term economic uncertainty is irrelevant in its present form. As a long-term Plan it should also take into account the council’s yet to be published Climate Change Strategy.

The Wembley Community Association will be attended the Executive on Monday April 6th to press their case for a realistic and sustainable Masterplan.

ARK, what's happening?

There has been a further delay in the Ark Academy application to the Brent Planning Committee. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday April 7th but there were protests that this was during the school Easter holidays and many interested residents would be away.

It is now scheduled for Tuesday 28th April and submissions can be made up to Thursday April 2nd.

BRENT HOSTS AGE OF STUPID DEBATES

The Age of Stupid season at the Tricycle Cinema got off to a good start on Friday. The screenings of this incredible film about climate change are organised by Brent Friends of the Earth and supported by Brent Green Party.

There will be a chance for Brent residents to make their views known to local and national politicians and hold them accountable. Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change secretary will be taking part in a Q&A session after the 5.30pm showing on Sunday March 22nd, Ken Livingstone after the 6pm showing on Monday March 23rd, Shahrar Ali (Green Party Euro candidate) after the 6.30pm showing on Tuesday 24th and Sarah Teather Lib Dem MP 2.30pm, and Jenny Jones Green Party AM 6.30pm on Thursday March 26th.

Meanwhile Brent Council's Strategy on Climate Change has still not been published and is now long overdue. The film underlines the extreme urgency of the situation. We need a Brent councillor to champion the climate change issue and challenge the Council's lethargy and complacency.

Brent Friends of the Earth: www.brentfoe.com

Click here to see the Age of Stupid Trailer.

Details of screenings: http://www.tricycle.co.uk
Film information: http://www.ageofstupid.net

COALITION UNDER STRAIN

The alliance of Labour, Conservatives and Democratic Conservatives that out-voted the Liberal Democrats recently on the Kingsbury Road issue indicated increased strains in the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition as parties position themselves ahead of the next local election.

The Labour Group have said that they will seek a vote of no confidence in the current Council Executive, which raises the question of whether a new coalition is possible.

The Conservative opposition to the Wembley Academy is hardening and they have involved the GLA and the Mayor's Office in the issue, undermining their Lib Dem allies in the process. Cllr Bob Blackman has reaffirmed his opposition to a school on that site and has stated his personal opinion that schools should be democratically accountable through the local authority. If the Tories pushed their opposition to the limit, threatening withdrawal from the coalition, the Lib Dems would rely on Labour support to get the policy through. This has been the de facto situation for some time but a more open and vigorous debate would make the position more public.

Meanwhile many Labour activists are less than keen on the academies programme and support local authority provision, despite Cllr Ann John's championing of the ARK Academy. Barry Gardiner MP has supported the academies programme in general but consistently opposed one on the Wembley Park site.

Cllr Bob Wharton of the Lib Dems and lead member on the issue, said during the first round of Academy consultation meetings, that he is personally in favour of locally accountable comprehensive education. He reluctantly supported the Academy because government funding would not be forthcoming for a community school - a claim recently denied by the government.

Meanwhile, the planning consultation process for the permanent academy building in Wembley has re-opened with documents revised in the light of GLA and other comments. The traffic report is particularly important (see photograph of traffic in Forty Lane at 8.50am on a recent weekday morning).

The new consultation immediately ran into trouble when documents were not available on the council website and the council was forced to change the deadline for responses to March 25th. The council was also challenged on their timing of the Planning Committee which they fixed for April 7th - during school holidays when many teachers and parents will be away. They denied this scheduling had been deliberate but the pressure to have it changed continues.

Will the Tories blow the coalition apart? Will Labour ride to the Lib Dem's rescue.
Will the Tories and Labour unite against the Lib Dems? Watch this space.

SUSTRANS DITCHES COUNTRY PARK CYCLE ROUTES

Following the campaign by Barn Hill Conservation Group, Brent School Without Walls and others, Sustrans has announced that it will not propose a cycle route through Fryent Country Park/Barn Hill.

In a letter to Barn Hill Conservation Group, Sustrans say they have received a 'great many' responses regarding the proposal and that 'many respondents have clearly stated that they do not want the greenway network to run through Fryent Country Park and Barn Hill. We will suggest alternatives.'

Sustrans also say that they never proposed a hard surface path through the Park and reaffirm their commitment to biodiversity.

Opponents of the scheme were not hostile to cycling but thought that the unique character of the Park and its designation as a nature reserve and site of metropolitan importance for biodiversity meant it should be protected. They will await the final report to see what alternatives Sustrans proposes before relaxing their vigilance.

ARK on the rocks?

Tuesday April 7th has been fixed as the date when the Planning Committee will hear the revised Planning Application for the permanent ARK Wembley Academy. Letters went out on the 6th March giving 14 days to respond giving a deadline of Friday March 20th. However the Council said later submissions will be considered if a decision has not yet been made.

However, potential respondents soon found that the promised revised documents were not available on the council website www.brent.gov.uk/planning.nsf (reference 08/2842) as of Sunday March 8th. The planning application is also available for inspection at the One-Stop Shop on the ground floor of Brent House, 349 High Road, Wembley, HA9 6BZ (9am-5pm Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday, 9am-1pm Thursdays). The Planning Service is also open on Wednesday evenings between 5pm-7pm at the One Stop Shop to give advice to the public on town planning matters. There is no reference to the documents being available at other One Stop Shops or Brent Libraries as is normally the case.

The documents were revised following criticism from individuals, the Wembley Park Action Group, Barn Hill Residents Association, Brent Green Party and other local groups, and the GLA. They include the Design and Access Statement, Flood Risk Assessment and Landscaping and most importantly, according to the Council, the Transportation Assessment and Travel Plan.

SUSTRANS CONSULTATION CLOSES MARCH 6TH

This is your last chance to respond to the consultation for possible cycle tracks across Fryent Country Park. Consultation closes tomorrow.

Follow the title link to fill in an on-line copy of the form or paste this into your browser:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ARPLAq0Cxsce0uMDSLzayA%3d%3d

PALESTINE: CONTINUOUS SUPPORT - NOT JUST SHORT-LIVED RAGE

Monday's meeting on Palestine could well have been an occasion for hyperbole and ranting after recent events in Gaza, but instead was impressive, sober, passionate and educational.

Sarah Teather who was in Gaza last week with a parliamentary delegation showed a film of her trip which gave ample evidence of the huge amount of damage done by the Israeli attacks, not least the destruction of schools, hospitals and mosques. Her accounts from families showed the intimate, personal affect on ordinary people. Sarah told the story of a family whose home and possessions had been destroyed. The young son held on to a football, his remaining possession, for dear life. Sarah equipped only with the usual parliamentary gifts described the helplessness she felt when she left the boy sitting amidst the ruins holding on to a tin of House of Commons biscuits, the only thing she had to offer the family. Sarah stressed how important it was to support MPs making a stand on the issue and said that the wave of public pressure on MPs had contributed to David Miliband eventually coming out and saying that the Israeli action had been 'disproportionate'.

Audrey Bomse, from the National Lawyers Guild, who was on the second Free Gaza boat, said that as a child of holocaust survivors she had no hesitation in likening the situation to the Warsaw Ghetto. She said Israel had the ability and technology to target accurately so that the killing of civilians that took place was either deliberate or the result of indiscriminate firing. She said that however illegal the rockets fired at Israel may have been, there was no justification for the collective punishment of the Gazan population. She described the various possible legal remedies via different international courts and said Israel was already bracing itself for such action, describing them as 'legal terrorism'. She finished by saying the people of Gaza need medicines, they need food but most of all they need friends.

Sultana Begum, who spent seven months as a Human Rights Observer for a World Council of Churches programme described the work she had undertaken in Hebron on the West Bank. This included escorting Palestinian children at the Cordorba School who faced attacks from settler children on the way to school. 69 different check points in the inner city area created huge problems for routine movement of Palestinians who lived under military law while 400 settlers, subject only to civilian law, were protected by up to 2,000 soldiers. She described brave non-violent action by Palestinians to try and get access to the agricultural land on which they depended for sustenance. She told stories of ordinary families and the immense struggle they faced to maintain daily existence.

A Gazan from the audience said that it was important that there should be long-term. continuous support, not just rage that flares and dies out, leaving the situation as before.

There will be a lobby of MPs to take action in support of Palestine on March 11th at the House of Commons. Brent PSC will be lobbying Sarah Teather (Brent East), Dawn Butler (Brent South) and Barry Gardiner (Brent North). For more information and to write to your MP click here or e-mail brentpsc@hotmail.com

Brent PSC is on Facebook

ARK GETTING DESPERATE?

"Cor! You must be really desperate!" I couldn't help exclaiming when I saw the shivering figure armed with glossy brochures in the entrance hall of Wembley ASDA today. She was vainly attempting to get busy shoppers to apply for a place at the Wembley ARK Academy - just down the road from the store.

This year the Academy failed to fill all its Reception places and there were vacancies in other local schools. Applications for admission in September 2009 close on Friday. Perhaps ARK is failing to persuade parents to send their children to a school which consists of temporary huts in the middle of a building site. It would be fun if all the infant and primary schools in Brent set up a stall in ASDA - there would be no room for shoppers!

The brochure states that ARK will launch the admissions process in September for the first secondary cohort due to start in September 2010 'if planning permission is granted'. This is an important caveat as Brent Council is still waiting for revised documents that it commissioned following the GLA's rejection of the Stage 1 Planning Application for the permanent academy. The revised traffic report will be crucial and the council will be re-opening consultation only when all the documentation is complete. This adds up to a significant delay for a process that was supposed to be completed earlier this year. The earliest possible date for the application to go to committee now looks like March 24th but it it more likely to be April.

Meanwhile shoppers at ASDA should be wary of adding a pig in a poke to their shopping trolley.

CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND BRENT'S HEALTH SERVICES

The Campaign to Defend Brent's Health Services was set up originally to bring together health service workers, patients and trade unionists in opposition to the massive cuts in Brent's community health services made by the Primary Care Trust in response to their 2007 financial crisis. Now the NW London Hospitals Trust have announced that they need to make "saving", i.e. cuts, of £32 million. Although they say that they hope to make these savings without compulsory redundancies, they admit that up to 400 jobs will be lost, and campaigners are convinced that such job losses are bound to impact on patient care and lead to greater stress for the workers who keep their jobs. People's health deteriorates in times of economic recession like the one we face now, so we need more and better health services, not cutbacks.

Supporters of the Campaign gathered outside Central Middlesex Hospital on Valentine's Day, Saturday 14th February, to declare "We love our NHS". This was one of many protests across London and the country as a whole called by Keep Our NHS Public declaring support for the ideals of the NHS and opposition to cuts and privatisation. The campaign will be organising more events and activities as the effects of the cutbacks become clearer.

If you are interested in joining the Campaign to Defend Brent's Health Services, you can email Sarah Cox, the coordinator, on roundwood@redmail.com or ring 07951 084 101

LET CHILDREN ENJOY LEARNING AGAIN

The Cambridge Review of the Primary Curriculum is a chance to expel Big Brother from our classrooms.

The Review’s recommendation that schools should be freed of SATs and league tables is in line with Green Party policy on education. We want children to become eager, empowered learners who are given the chance to explore their own individual needs and interests. As a primary school headteacher I strived to promote learning but had to constantly battle the dead hand of government targets and league tables. This 'Big Brother' presence in the classroom narrowed the curriculum and turned teachers into stressed target chasers and children into passive recipients of lessons geared to maximising SAT results and the school's league table position.

Research for the report has been extremely thorough and I was pleased to meet up with its authors, alongside other local headteacher, some time ago. Its recommendations have been backed by teaching unions and major educational organisations. The government must take notice and return the encouragement of a love of learning to its vital place in primary education.

GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM PALESTINE - MEETING THIS MONDAY

Brent Palestine Solidarity Campaign is holding a meeting on Monday February 23rd 7pm at Willesden Green Library. Speakers will include Sultana Begum, a human rights observer who was recently in Hebron; Audrey Bomse, from the National Laywers' Guild who was on the Free Gaza Boat, and Sarah Teather who has just returned from a visit to Gaza and has witnessed the devastation first-hand.

On March 11th the PSC is asking local people to lobby our MPs to ask that they support the call to:

End the blockade on Gaza
Suspend the EU-Israel Trade Agreement
Bring Israeli war criminals to justice
End the arms trade with Israel
Urge the government to act to implement international law, including an immediate end to Israeli occupation

Cycle Paths Video

Barn Hill Conservation group have produced a Youtube video about Sustrans proposal for cycle paths in Fryent Country Park. Go to http://bit.ly/NDzsv

BRENT'S LOW ECOLOGICAL AND CARBON FOOTPRINTS

The Environment Agency today publishes Environment Fact Sheets for each London borough as an extension of the London State of the Environment report.

Key environmental facts from the report:

• Brent has one of the lowest ecological footprints in London at 5.02 global hectares per capita, ranking it 29th out of the 33 London boroughs. It is lower than the total London footprint of 5.48 and the UK footprint of 5.30


• In Brent housing accounts for 26% of the total ecological footprint and food 25%


• Brent has one of the lowest carbon footprints in London at 11.28 tonnes CO2 per capita, ranking 29th and lower than the London average of 12.12 and the UK of 12.08


• In Brent commercial consumption accounts for 34% of the emissions and the primary contributor is electricity


• Brent has one of the lowest recycling and composting rates in London at 20.98%. It ranks 29th out of the 33 boroughs. The recycling rate is 12.08% ranking lowest in London.


• However the household recycling/composting rate has improved dramatically since 2000/2001 rising from 6.4% to 20.98% in 2007/8- but still well below the total London rate of 25.5%


• Approximately 4% of Brent land is within flood zone 2 (1 in 1000 year probability of flooding) and 6% within flood zone 3 (1 in 100 year probability). This land is predominantly located around the River Brent, Wealdstone Brook and the Wembley Brook.


• The water quality of the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent is historically poor, with a slight improvement in the latter. This means only pollution tolerant species can survive.


• The most common invasive plant species in Brent is Japanese Knotweed found on both the Wealdstone Brook and the River Brent.


• The borough has one SSSI, the Brent Reservoir(South)/Welsh Harp (illustrated) and the Reservoir, canals and Fryent Country Park have been designated sites of Metropolitan Importance by the London Mayor.
  

For a PDF of the full report go to:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/BRENT_factsheet.pdf

SUSTRANS RESPOND ON CYCLE PATHS

I e-mailed Sustrans to try and get a more detailed map of the proposed paths on Fryent Country Park. This is part of the response:

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your email.

As you may have seen from our NW London Greenways consultation document, the idea is to promote the concept of a cycling and walking 'Greenway' network, rather than the detailed consideration of the exact alignment of particular routes. We do not have a detailed proposal for Fryent Country Park but, following site investigation, believe that it may be useful to upgrade some the existing mud tracks. To deliver this kind of improvement would require detailed local consultation and very specific plans (this process is outlined in our consultation document). We are not at this stage yet and I am aware that there is particular local interest in Fryent Country Park. Feedback from the consultation will help shape our final report on which the proposed greenway network will be developed.

Matt Winfield
Greenways Manager
Sustrans London

CYCLE TRACKS IN FRYENT COUNTRY PARK?

Sustrans is currently consulting on possible cycle routes for the North West London Greenways. Part of their proposals concern routes around Wembley.

Illustrated (in green) are possible routes in Fryent Country Park. Fryent Way is the road running from left to right down the centre of the map and the Jubilee line can also be seen. This would mean the construction of tarmac paths over meadows and grass paths.

Although, as a 'Greenie' and a member of the London Cycling Campaign I support the construction of more cycle routes and the promotion of cycling for commuting, exercise and leisure, I have reservations about these proposals because of their impact on the unique environment of the Park which includes woodland, hay meadows, wetland and many ponds. As well as being a certified organic farm the Park is also a haven for wildlife and has remained relatively unspoilt for many years. It is one of the last remaining examples of Middlesex countryside. I am also concerned that the cycle paths will disturb the peace and tranquility of the Park and will reduce the pleasure of visitors, including those primary school children who accompany me on nature walks there as part of my work with Brent School Without Walls.

Barn Hill Conservation Group, which is a voluntary organisation that helps maintain the Country Park is also concerned about the impact of the cycle paths. They are proposing that the pavements either side of Fryent Way, which are currently under-used and in poor repair, should be upgraded for use by cyclists instead. Their are also proposals for other parks and roads in Brent which can be seen on the Sustrans consultation website.

The consultation, which has received little publicity in Brent and has not been discussed in Area Forums, ends on March 6th, 2009. For documentation and to fill in a questionaire go to:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

Pictures and information about the park can be seen on Barnhill Conservation Group's website:
http://bhcg.btik.com/
or Brent Schools Without Walls website:
http://brentschoolwithoutwalls.btik.com/

BARRY GARDINER BACKS HEATHROW EXPANSION

Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North, voted against the parliamentary motion calling for the abandonment of Heathrow expansion plans despite his recent interventions on climate change. He was joined in the No lobby by Dawn Butler MP for South Brent and a candidate for the new Brent Central seat. They voted for the government despite the opposition of Brent Council and many other London local councils to airport expansion. The vote was very narrow: 28 Labour MPs rebelled, if 32 had done so the government would have lost the vote. Andrew Slaughter, MP for neighbouring Ealing, Acton and Shepherds Bush led the revolt. Gardiner and Butler should have joined him

Doubt has now been thrown on the Government's economic and environmental case for expansion by parliamentary researchers. They question some of the claims made by Geoff Hoon during the debate. His claim that only low-emitting planes would be allowed to use the runway is undermined by the researchers who say 'aircraft designs do not at the moment incorporate many of the features highlighted by the secretary of state'. They question whether emissions can be cut to meet EU targets by 2015 stating, 'unless there are some very rapid improvements in technology, it will be some time before more environmentally friendly commercial aircraft are in widespread operation'. The DfT's estimate that the runway will bring £8.2bln benefits 'does not account for various factors' and its value could be £1.5bln or less. Finally they say that the DfT's cost-benefit analysis'does not consider' alternative schemes and the investment 'might be spent on a new airport in the Thames estuary, or high speed rail.'

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5683541.ece

The government's position also reinforces doubt over the value of public consultation. Of the nearly 70,000 responses to the consultation only a little over 8,000 wanted any form of expansion. Just 11% of people. That is, nearly 90% said no. Noise and air pollution were the biggest concerns, with nearly half the people responding expressing worries about these issues. There were 306 responses from aviation and airline companies but only a total of 241 from all other businesses. HACAN commented: “These figures give the lie to the claim that business is clamouring for a 3rd runway. Outside the aviation industry, only 241 businesses from right across the UK felt the need to express their view.

http://www.hacan.org.uk/

ASDA PROMISE ACTION ON TRAFFIC HAZARD

ASDA have said that it hopes to apply for planning permission soon to move its goods depot gates back so as to end the danger posed to pedestrians by parked lorries.

Brent Greens have been campaigning about the issue for some time raising it with Brent Council, the police and ASDA head office. The Greens met with the Wembley ASDA manager in December and presented photographic evidence of the hazard.

The issue is even more urgent now that young children and their parents cross the access road to go to the ARK Academy in Forty Lane.

RE-THINK NEEDED ON WEMBLEY MASTERPLAN

The Council's Wembley Masterplan completely underestimates the present financial crisis and recession and assumes that everything will be 'back to normal' in the short-term, according to Brent Green Party.

They call for the plans on be put on hold until the Council have completed an analysis of the likely impact on the borough of a long-term recession and the subsequent restructuring of the local economy. This should include a green economics approach that would create a low-carbon economic sector in the area based on developing green technologies, providing local jobs at a time of rising unemployment.

Despite evidence of a down-turn in retail and the building industry, the non-availability of mortgages, the over-supply of office space locally, and existing Wembley hotels operating at under-capacity, the Masterplan depends on the development of more retail outlets, up-market flats, office space and hotels. It relies on developers supplying Section 106 money for projects such as the rejoining of North End Road to Bridge Road, a swimming pool and the Wembley Live! project despite Quintain Estates, Brent's main developer partner, stating that the Masterplan is 'unrealistic, undeliverable and unaffordable'. Their fall-back position of relying on cash from central government or the Mayor's office is similarly unrealistic in the current dire economic situation.

The Greens support the Government Office for London's demand that Brent provide 'strong and convincing evidence on realism and deliverability of the Masterplan's aspirations'. They also support the Wembley Community Association's call for urgent, realistic short-term action in the area rather than grand long-term schemes.

Brent Green Party strongly supports the Masterplan's approach to improving the area through tree planting, the naturalisation of the Wealdstone Brook and provision of a variety of green spaces. They call for the provision of a variety of children's play areas including spaces for team games, bike and roller blade courses, fixed play equipment and areas for adventurous and exploratory play. They oppose the rejoining of North End Road to Bridge Road to create through traffic flow in the area as this will encourage cars in the area and be detrimental to the quality of life of North End Road residents.

IS CONSULTATION A CON?

‘Consultation’ has become a buzz word – the government consults about the third runway, the post office consults about post office closures, the health service consults about ‘super surgeries’ or ‘polyclinics’, the local authority consults about graffiti, climate change, care charges for elders, planning including the Wembley Masterplan and the Wembley Academy.

Too often, consultation seems to offer us a way of affecting decisions but leaves us feeling disgruntled and rather cheated. What starts as an extension and deepening of democracy leaves us cynical about decision makers and politicians. Despite a fight post offices closed, despite a fight Heathrow expansion is going ahead.

“It doesn’t make a difference. They’ve already decided anyway.”

For Brent Council I suggest the questions should be:

1. What do we consult about? When do we decide a consultation is necessary? How do we justify not consulting on some issues? It sometimes seems that the most controversial issues are not directly consulted about. We had no consultation about whether the people of Brent were in favour of City Academies as a form of semi-private provision (publicly funded but private controlled), little about where it should be – but were asked about its name and catchment area. We weren’t asked if we wanted a Civic Centre and the subsequent loss of the Town Hall, but were asked (rather glossily and expensively) about graffiti. A new contract has been awarded for play-services but the clubs and clients were not consulted during the bidding process. The new provider, ‘Kids’ has an odd trio of patrons (David Cameron, Cherie Blair and Elton John) and its inadequacies have been exposed by Private Eye – Kensington and Chelsea have already thrown it out.
2. How do we consult? It is not just a question of Area Forums, questionnaires in Brent Magazine, meetings with the Youth Parliament, on line forms, focus groups etc but what information is made available, how and when. There are major questions of accessibility. Having to down-load tens of multi-paged documents is not an option for all, working out from cryptic list of documents on the planning site which are relevant is a full-time job, trying to get hold of documents at libraries and one stop shops can be a marathon under-taking. Timing is crucial major increases in care charges were consulted about over the Christmas holidays when day centres and voluntary organisations were closed. The most telling recent case has been the Wembley Masterplan when local residents and businesses (small and large) were forced to form the Wembley Community Association because they were so enraged by the Council’s failure to reach the people most affected. They managed to force an extension of the consultation process so that they could put their case against the opening up of North End Road and for a more realistic project to be completed sooner. An approach reinforced by Quintian’s comment that the Masterplan was ‘unrealistic, undeliverable and unaffordable and the Govt Office for London demanding more convincing evidence of ‘realism and deliverability’.
3. How good is the quality of information we use for consultation? This includes the quality of questionnaires and whether they enable credible, useful information to be gained (e.g. school places question on school size gave no opportunity to state a preferred size – only to agree/disagree with Council policy); the quality of the often expensive reports carried out by consultants; whether reports actually do the job they are supposed to (the traffic survey for Wembley Academy assume Wembley Primary and Preston Manor pattern of trips to school when children will be travelling from South Brent, flood report says no evidence of local watercourses from street names when Brook Avenue and Kenbrook are nearby - duh!)

4. How fair are our consultation procedures? This relates to accessibility of information as above but also who is consulted and to what lengths we go to reach everyone. The Climate Change Strategy, Wembley Masterplan consultation, and the Care Charges consultation have all had to be extended to give people more time to respond – and it is to Brent Council’s credit that it has bowed to public clamour and done that. But there have also been complaints about the geographical limits of consultation and the need to write to more people and involve the ‘hard to reach’. A colleague has also raised the question of payment for attendance at Focus Group meetings, whether such payments are just known to those ‘in the know’, and how such payments stand ethically. How do you get on a focus group and how are they constructed to give a fair representation?

Perhaps more important is the question:
Does consultation raise unrealistic expectations about changing or reversing decisions? If consultation is really only about small, often cosmetic changes, perhaps it is best to say that at the outset rather than mislead people into thinking they can make any substantial impact on a decision and alienate them by seeming to ignore their well-thought out arguments. After all the ultimate consultation is at election time but if people are fed up with consultations, and thus also with politicians by then, they probably won’t vote.

What we (the people) should be demanding:

Don’t be humbly grateful to be granted a small say – instead:

Demand Council learn from recent problems:

· Widen consultation
· Ensure accessible and high quality documentation
· Ensure procedures are fair with adequate time lines

To strengthen democracy and accountability

COUNCIL URGED TO REJECT ACADEMY PLANNING APPLICATION

Brent Green Party's submission to the Planning Committee due to discuss the application for the Wembley City Academy on January 14th calls on them to reject the application because of missing documentation and misleading information.

The Green Party argue that residents and other interested parties have not had access to full and accurate information for the following reasons:

*No Environmental Assessment has been made for a development that builds on playing fields, includes a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation, and will increase traffic flows in the area
*The council Screening Checklist that was used to decide an Environmental Assessment was not available on the planning website for public perusal
*Several items on the Screening Checklist were based on out of date information used for the temporary primary planning application, a key item on congestion was not completed, and the council say there are no nearby water courses when the Wealdstone Brook flows a few hundred yards from the site
*The Transport Assessment was not available on the website and only one copy of a very large document was available for study on site at Brent House
*The Traffic Assessment was based on the mistaken premise that pupil travel methods would be similar to Preston Manor High School and Wembley Primary, where 56% of pupils walk to school, when the Academy will be serving pupils from the south of the borough who will have to travel by car or public transport
*The Habitat Survey and Protected Species Assessment was carried out in mid winter when identification is most difficult

GLA REFUSE STAGE 1 PLANNING FOR PROPOSED ARK ACADEMY

The reasons for the continued postponement of the Brent Planning Committee date to consider the planning application for the proposed permanent academy on the Wembley Park Sports Ground is now clear. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has stated in their Stage 1 planning report that, “the application does not comply with the London Plan”. (Report attached) The Report gives Brent Council a long list of areas where they need to revise, review and carry out more research as to the impact of the proposed academy.

A wide range of well thought out and detailed objections have been sent to Brent Planning Department and many have also been copied to the London Mayor. It is not surprising that the Mayor’s officers are concerned about this ill thought out proposal. They question whether this is the right site for such a project, something that WPAG and Brent teachers have been saying for years.

There is also the question as to whether the academy is really necessary. Brent’s own figures on school places showed in November (report attached) that there were 205 spare reception places in the borough, 8 at the temporary ARK academy which was supposedly over subscribed! That number is now down to 100 empty places. A Brent spokeswoman claimed that “the vacancies are so scattered it disproves the idea that places are not needed.” She obviously didn’t look at her figures properly as there were, for example, 19 and 20 spare reception places in schools close to the temporary ARK school. These figures show clearly that it has undermined the local authority primary schools already and was not needed. It was a costly and cynical attempt to bolster the claim that the permanent application had to receive approval.

If the permanent academy goes ahead, then it is clear that it will also undermine the local secondaries. There are sites elsewhere including in the South of the borough. There is still time to look at these and build a secondary school at one of these places.

The academy programme itself has yet again shown itself to be making little or no difference to children’s achievement. Nearly a quarter of ‘failing’ secondary schools in London are academies! It is the first years of any new project when you would expect the best results but, despite the millions poured into them, academies have not achieved what the Government promised. The most recent Price Waterhouse Coopers report concluded that there is “insufficient evidence to make a definitive judgment about the Academies as a model for school improvement”.

It is the state comprehensives that are doing best in the value added stakes. In Brent the ordinary state comprehensives’ A* to C’s results increased by approximately twice the average of those in the Capital City Academy (See Brent’s results for last year and this year). The teachers in the Academy are adding value, but are hamstrung by the ridiculous and counterproductive system of private control.

We are faced with the unbelievable situation when the Government are nationalising the banks while privatising the education system. Campaigners against the Wembley Academy will keep up their pressure and stop this ill thought out scheme.

WEMBLEY PARK ACTION GROUP