Barham Park Commercialisation?

Martin Francis has once again set a hare running with a feasibility study on rebuilding Barham Park. It is worth recalling the history of this site. Back in 2009/2010 the then leader of the Council wanted to erect a tower block within the Park and wanted to build it on the site of the two park keepers cottages already there. This led to a lot of concern and may have been part of the reason for the defeat of his party in the Council elections of 2010. The incoming Labour administration reversed the decision his defeated administration had made in March, and installed a covenant against further building on the site. This land was sold to a local company with the the legal protection in place, but the covenant has now been abolished, so the owner can now build on the area concerned. Some people appear to think the covenant has been abolished because of a payment to either the Trust or the Council but I think this is unlikely. The rest of the Park remains (so far as I am aware) subject to the terms of the original bequest by Mr Barham “to preserve the same for the recreation of the public". I don't see how this is possible to reconcile with some of the functions envisaged e.g. AirBnB or supermarket usage. I remember being given highly restrictive advice on this by officers in the past including not using the site for a school. It will also be interesting to see how the member of the Trust Committee reconcile any vote they cast in Council with the votes they cast as members of the Trust.

Council Schools Rated Highly by Ofsted

Ofsted rates Council schools higher than academies, according to the Guardian. This cals into question the determined effort by the present government to get all schools turned into academies. It also suggests that the current role of School Commissioners based in the Education department just can't cope and something closer to the actual schools is needed.

Unaffordable Housing

ruly shocking graphic from the New Statesman above, showing the relationship between house prices and wage levels by area. It really brings home how unaffordable housing now is.

Dawn Butler Autobiography To Be Published by Penguin

I see that Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent Central, is publishing an autobiography on 24 August 2023. As someone who has known Dawn since she first went for the Labour nomination in 2005, I shall be interested in reading it.

Another Confirmation of the Value of Libraries

The Guardian once again confirms the wider social value of libraries, as evidenced in Transforming Brent Libraries.

Brent Labour Party Membership Exploited Again

I see that once again leaks from Brent Labour Party are being used to attack the Labour Party as you can see here. Given the personnel involved in that event, with one some one who actively campaigned against Labour and some one who seems to define his entire politics as being against every Labour Party Leader since at least George Lansbury (with the exception of Jeremy Corbyn). More worrying, is the apparent leak from within the Group itself. There is obviously something going wrong with the vetting procedures when a member of the Labour Group is leaking private information to a declared opponent of the Labour Party.

Kilburn Library Structural Work

I have written to the Kilburn Times with more detail about Kilburn Library which is suggested for strutural work. The letter, as sent, goes: Dear Editor Following your report that Kilburn Library on Salusbury Road (Kilburn Library in £765k revamp amid structural safety fears | Brent & Kilburn Times) needs structural work, I thought it worth explaining the longer term context. Brent Council did a major review of its library service back then that led to major investment to upgrade the building. This mainly consisted of fixing the leaky roof and windows, removing the rising damp, rewiring the places for mores computers, and revamping the heating to better environmental standards. It may be that some cracks are now appearing because the building is no longer saturated. I am intrigued to learn that the Council wants to expand facilities particularly to help serve people in South Kilburn (a need identified in 2011/12). There is scope on the first floor which I believe is empty, but expanding the footprint of the library as envisaged by the Council at the moment sounds tricky. It is an 1890s building built out almost to the limits of the plot. The only space to build on is the garden. It is also an old building in a conservation area so planning permission may be tricky. Perhaps most difficult it that back in 2012, the back was deemed inaccessible to a mechanical digger, so everything had to be done by hand. Hence the drainage is a "French drain" rather than a full one. I remember that the then leader of the Brent Liberal Democrats was so despairing of the situation that he suggested closing the library down completely. Fortunately the Labour administration in charge was more imaginative and reinvested giving the revamped library seven day access for the first time ever. Yours sincerely, James Powney

Harlesden Library Reopens

Harlesden library has reopened after a further £200k plus investment. This was not part of the Transforming project as it had been refurbished in 2010 just before the project began. There will be a "community launch" in July.

Barham Park Housing

Martin Francis has noticed the continuing efforts to build on the cottage site in Barham Park. In fact it has an older history than he realises. The first proposals for the site were put forward by Cllr Paul Lorber, who had to abandon them after opposition led by Barry Gardiner MP. That was way back in 2009. The photo above shows the latest proposal, for more family sized housing.

Allegations against Willesden College

The Jewish Chronicle has published some very serious allegations against the Islamic College of London in Willesden.

Most Borrowed Books Out

The most popular titles and authors borrowed from UK libraries are now available from the British Library.

Brent Council Budget Proposals from the Liberal Democrats

Apparently the Liberal Democrats are going to produce their own budget at the Budget setting meeting of Brent Council. That will be the first time in more than a decade. I looked briefly at their proposals and found it to be just as insubstantial as I expected with a lot of raiding the reserves and confusion between revenue and spending, just as they used to be.

Defending Brent Civic Centre Once Again

I see Martin Francis has been blogging on Brent Civic Centre once again. This time he is exercising his gift for making everything sound negative to proosed changes to Brent Civic Centre. I don't know if the changes are good, and public descriptions so far are fairly vague, but Matin seems to have decided to make any change sound bad. Firstly he seems to think spending £2 million on the changes is exorbitant. It rather depends on what you get in return for the money. Certainly £2 million is only about 2% of the original £100 cost, and it is not particularly odd to make changes to a building ten years after it opened. However Martin has always hated Brent Civic Centre. As usual he builds well known details and tries to make sound bad. It really isn't amazing that Brent Civic Centre is in Wembley as the old Town Hall was. Given that it is roughly in the middle of Brent, that site is as good as anywhere else. Certainly it is no worse than using the old Wembley Town Hall. It also a lot cheaper than the 15 buildings it replaced. At the time of opening, it was projected to generate £3-4 million a year in saved costs and revenues from rent. Those are likely to be greater now the reduced headcount of the Council has allowed more office space to be rented to third parties. I am surprised that he thinks that the heating does not work as the heating and ventilation should work through passive priniples to minimise energy use. They should only malfunction if the building controls aren't working, or if people keep opening and closing the windows. Otherwise the offices should maintain an even temperature. Power is supplied through renewable energy, which is another thing the Brent Green Party colleagues objected to. He is accurate that the atrium is unheated. This is because it is an open air court yard covered with a glass roof. Heating such a space would financially expensive and extremely wasteful in climate change terms. As to it being "overwhelming". Well that is the designed effect for a major piece of public architecture and a commonly used device is prestigious buildings. Compare for example the two Cambridge Colleges I have connections with, First the Great Court of Trinity and then the famous view from the Backs of Kings Colllege, beloved of television producers.

It seems sad that Martin only see these spaces as room for a Tower Block wasted.

Transforming Brent Libraries at Brent Archive

I notice that Transforming Brent Libraries ( LINK) is now itself available at the Brent Archive in Willesden Library, which seems appropriate.

Transforming Brent Libraries Reviewed

I see my Transforming Brent Libraries has been "reviewed" by Mike Phipps on Wembley Matters. Sadly, Mike Phipps apppears to have been so overcome with personal dislike/far left zeal that he does not seem able to review it paroperly, so I hope anyone who wants to read it goes to the original Transforming Brent Libraries instead. It is always best to go to the original if you want to know what it said. I was struck by one of the comments though. Made by Philip Grant, it reminds me of a point I made in the book about a different person who had been complaining about the poor state of Kilburn Library over many years. The Libraries Transformation project led to a major refurbishment costing almost £650,000. The quality of the library was hugely improved. Instead of being pleased, the person concerned seemed almost affronted, which I can only assume was caused by having her hobby of lamenting the neglect of Kilburn Library taken away from her. Likewise, Mr Grant seems unhappy that during the consultation on building the library the plans were changed to meet his objections about the "Victorian" street frontage. Mr Grant seems offended if the plans aren't changed but also if they are! I note that in the same post he accuses some people (not me) of telling lies. This is always a bad idea, as legally it is very hard to sustain, not least because of the difference between a lie and an inaccurate statement.

What Scots Want from the UK

A curious insight into what Scots want from a Yes vote comes to me via Eddie Barnes. Some of these majority/plurality option strike me as unlikely (UK wide pensions? no Anglo-Scots border?); other seem impossible. If there are common Armed forces who holds ultimate say in how and where they are deployed? If the British Prime Minister orders military action does get it even if Scots politicians don't want it? It seems to me, based on these figures Scots voters imagine that they can get exactly the deal they dictate without worrying about the downsides, precisely the error Brexit supports imagined for themselves.

A Quieter Scene

As can be seen below, I have been off this blog for quite a while. I am returning to it because it seems to be a necessity once you publish a book, as I now have with Transforming Brent Libraries. When I came off blogging about Brent in 2020, it seemed that Brent Council was entering a much quieter phase, as most of the most difficult reforms and spending cuts had been made. This meant that mischief makes such as Martin Francis had far less to write about. Judging by Martin Francis' (still extant) Wembley Matters, that is still the case. He seems to be reduced to commenting on the odd planning application here and there. With some very nasty budget cuts coming up, we shall see if that continues.

Robert Evans OBE

I notice that Cllr Robert Evans (Surrey) has been made an OBE in the King's New Years Honours list. Presumably the absence of a resignation Honours List for either Boris Johnson or Liz Truss is that not being allowed to put one forward. Robert is a well known figure in Brent following his lengthy stint as a MEP for North West London and then London as a whole.