3D Printing and Copyright

The Economist has an interesting piece around the copyright complications of 3D printing.  Using this technology in a way that safeguards copyright might be a way in which libraries could play a role.

Housing Depression

While trying to look on the bright side on various issues, it becomes difficult when you look at the state of London homelessness.  Brent is managing its B+B for the moment, but it is overwhelmingly likely that there will be a huge surge over the coming year, and it may well take many years to claw back the position. Meanwhile, government ministers simply appear to want to shuffle the blame rather than prevent the problem.

Tubbs Road Pocket Park Water Supply

I have had confirmation that ward working is paying for a water connection to Tubbs Road pocket park as soon as Thames Water engineers are ready.  Hopefully this will enhance the quality of the park.

Virtual and Real

I find the way the virtual world and the real world overlap still rather disconcerting, but they do, and people have started studying it.  Like it or not, the pace of change is accelerating and all institutions, including local government, have to adapt.

Fairtrade Art in Hazel Road Open Space

We are finally installing the Fairtrade artwork that Ward Working commissioned last year.  This is one of those projects that has been subject to all sorts of delays and snarl ups.  The idea was to have a Fairtrade logo made from recycled plastic visible to the huge numbers of people who pass down the Harrow Road near Kensal Green Tube.  The artwork is located in Hazel Road Open Space.

Although the project was approved ages ago, it is newly topical.  Fairtrade can be seen as a form of predistribution, which Ed Miliband has suggested could be the next Big Idea for the Labour Party going into the next General Election.

Queens Park Exposure

I notice my colleague Cllr James Denselow is planning to expose himself in Queens Park for the benefit of local residents.

Coalition Government Failing by Design

The former Cabinet Secretary has attacked the current government for denuding itself of ability, resulting in the current rail franchise fiasco.  What he doesn't say is that this is not happenstance, but a deliberate part of the plan.  The more inept government seems, the more people will lose faith in it and adopt the old private good, public bad mantra.

The problem for the likes of David Cameron is that, as the public sector employees responsible for the government as a whole, they inevitably share the blame.

Brent Council Mortuary

This morning I am going up to look at Brent Council's mortuary service at Northwick Park Hospital.  This is a shared service with Haringey, and we are looking at developing our co-operation with other London Boroughs.  It is one of those neighbourhood services that I suspect many people are completely unaware the Council runs.

Barham Park Future Options

This morning I am going up to Barham Park to look at the plans to develop the park.  This follows from the Executive decision in March to do a feasibility study on its future.  That was the same meeting where Cllr Paul Lorber confessed that Barham Park had suffered "years of neglect" under his leadership.  Indeed the only proposal I can recall for Barham Park during his leadership was to build on it. 

By contrast, we want to improve it as green space and a source of biodiversity.  The main problem is that the financial climate is much less benign than when Cllr Lorber was in control.  Therefore, we will have to take an incremental approach as and when we can obtain funding.

Alternate Weekly Collections Confirmed

Confirmation that Eric Pickles attempt to reintroduce weekly landfill collections have failed comes from Materials Recycling Week.  The magazine did a survey of all English Councils and found only one had applied for money to return to a weekly service for landfill.  The Civil servants must have seen this coming, as they swiftly broadened the fund to apply to food waste collections as well, so at least something will come out of the Pickles vanity project.

Why is the prospect of returning to weekly collections so unattractive?  Firstly, it goes against the established trend of the waste hierarchy , which is designed to reduce waste and increase the recycling of what waste is produced.  Increasing the number of landfill collections simply encourages a throw away society.  Secondly, rubbish collections need a long term infrastructure of vehicles, bins and public education.  A one off grant from a hopefully here today and gone tomorrow politician like Eric Pickles is not something anyone organising such contracts would want to rely on.

Ebook Piracy

Some interesting answers to problems of ebook piracy here.  It really is essential to solve this problem if libraries are to survive.

Recycling Publicity

A recent WRAP article reminds us of the importance of communications.  This is a widely ignored issue in local government. A huge amount of what Councils now do is about behaviour change. This is not political. Reducing landfill, promoting public health, reducing litter etc. are all heavily dependent on communications but should be pretty much non partisan. Why the myths about Council propaganda?

Brian Coleman Gets Away

The appalling Brian Coleman has had another run in with the Standards system, as reported in the Standard.  Unfortunately the new Tory government has effectively emasculated the Standards system, so that it no longer has any sanctions for non compliance, making the whole process rather pointless.

Steve Reed Response

Steve Reed has written a response to those calling for a 1980s style response to the cuts here.  I am shocked that Lambeth is still paying off £20 million in interest dating back from those times. I had no idea that the consequences were so far reaching. As he says, those who do the loony left posturing are not those who pay the price.

Brent Population Growth

The Guardian reports on the increasing population of East London.  Brent has also seen a massive increase in population.  The 2011 census shows a population figure of 312,200, an increase of more than 58,000 compared to 2001.  That is enormous, and makes us the fifth biggest Borough in London, with all sorts of spending pressures as a result.

Ebook Lending

I found the Channel 4 broadcast on ebook lending the other day too short to be informative, but they now have a longer item online (appropriately).  Some of the comments on the piracy issue are interesting.

Willesden Social Club Update

I had a recent conversation to confirm that the development of the old Willesden Social Club is going ahead.  This site has been a centre for anti social behaviour for so many years and I have campaigned for it to be sorted for so long, I shall be delighted when it finally comes to fruition.

Legal Actions and Planning

Eric Pickles is eager to encourage people to sue their local Councils over planning.  He seems to think that relaxing planning restrictions will be popular; much as he assumed alternate weekly collections would be unpopular.  I suspect, however, that more people will find new developments objectionable than will want to build them.  It also strikes me as being rather beside the point. The economy is in recession because of lack of demand, not because we have had planning laws all these decades.  Still, one should not expect Eric Pickles to want to be confused by the facts.

Word up in Brent

Word Up had its first event at Kilburn Library last night.  Unfortunately, I had to attend the Planning Committee, but the programme has events at Brent libraries throughout the Autumn.

Planning Committee Again

I find myself attending Planning Committee again tonight.  One of the cases coming up is for outdoor gym equipment in King Edward VII Park, Wembley.  This is the first of several sites that have been put forward for outdoor gym equipment around the Borough.