Community Libraries Come Back to the Brent Council Cabinet

Coming up at the next Brent Cabinet is a paper on Brent's policy on Community Libraries, which strikes me as being very similar to the one passed in the Libraries Transformation Project back in April 2011.  Given the obvious success of Brent Libraries that is probably unsurprising. 

The new document tells us that:

"The Council has reviewed its working relationship with the four independent community library groups in the borough in order to agree and implement partnership arrangements. These libraries are constitutionally and operationally independent of the Council and do not form part of its statutory provision of library services. They are run by local voluntary and community sector organisations who have a strong sense of independence and individual visions for their community libraries." (3.1)

In other words they are in no sense part of Brent Council, and the Council has no financial liability for them, and no committment to manage them in any way.  That is thoroughly sensible.

Two of the groups faced up to this long ago, with both the Cricklewood (FOCL) and the Kensal Rise (FKRL) organisations raising their own funding and making their own decisions without any reference to the Council.  FOCL have not released any figures on their funding but they have largely completed their building, which (unlike the old Cricklewood Library) is DDA compliant.  FKRL have reportedly raised £160k in capital, an impressive sum which has come almost entirely from sources other than the Council and therefore directly adds to the social capital of the Borough.  The altered Kensal Rise building should also be DDA compliant.  Again this will be an improvement on the old building. 

However there are still worries about the other two buildings.  It is no coincidence that the Council remains entangled as the landlord in both cases.  In Barham, Paul Lorber appears to be trying to play the Council for either financial gain or as part of his political manoeuvrings prior to the 2018 elections.  In Preston, the existing group appears to be given an undue influence that does not sit easily with either the Council's financial obligations or the building's ACV status.  Such arrangements can lead to ugly rumours about the integrity of Council decision making even where there is no legally proven case against them. 

General Election 2017

Assuming that the General Election goes ahead, Brent is likely to see its three incumbent MPs stand again.  More interesting will be the position of the parties without incumbent MPs.  Will the former candidates restand?

Incidentally, those to whom this General Election comes as a surprise should try rereading Yvette Cooper's labourlist column in 2016.

Can Tokyngton Keep Moving?

Brent's Planning Committee is considering a formidable range of building projects near the Stadium next Wednesday.  This is on top of quite a range of projects that have already been approved.  If they all go ahead at once there will be an impressive amount of construction going on in northern Tokyngton, just as the area tries to cope with the effects of the extended use of the Stadium. 

I think residents are right to fear the consequences in terms of the impact on their lives, and I shall be very surprised if it does not become a major issue in the 2018 elections.

Assets of Community Value

I have been wary of assets of community value (ACV) as they appear to add a whole new layer of complexity to the fate of a particular property without really really having much in the way of benefits.  Local Government Lawyer goes through some of these here. 

The limitations of the approach are indicated by the inclusion of the Stonebridge Adventure Playground on Brent's ACV list despite its demolition.

Brent's Bleak Housing Record

The Guardian has a bleak report on housing in Brent and elsewhere here.  It is based on a fuller report here.  I am struck how once again the Council is simply portrayed as villainous in the report, rather than an organization responding to its only limited powers and resources.

Of course the debate on BHP on 20th April will address none of these issues, which are ultimately about the mismatch between supply and demand.

Brent Libraries Visits and Loans Up Yet Again

The annual figures for Brent libraries visits and loans are up yet again.  Visits went up by 1.3% on the previous year and loans increased by 0.5%, so a more modest increase than in previous years.  Here is a graph showing visits since the decision to pursue the Libraries Transformation Project in 2011. 



That is a contrast between 1,506,982 visits when there were twelve libraries in 2011, and 2,436,698 visits with six libraries today.  That represents a rise of just over 61% over the course of the entire period.

A similar graph for loans shows a more modest rise from 985,590 loans from twelve libraries back in 2011 to 1,063,996 loans in 2016/17.  That is an eight per cent rise. 

Manor Park Road Works

I see the Manor Park Road development appears to have been withdrawn.  I hope a new proposal comes forward as soon as possible.

Willesden Library as a White Elephant

At a Labour Party meeting recently, I encountered someone who was still virulently against the new library in Willesden Green, referring to it as a "white elephant".  This is the first time I have encountered criticism of the new library since it opened.  Most of its critics went quiet once it was up and running, and many of their objections were shown up as just illusory. 

The "White Elephant" line is just untrue.  It is reasonable to call it a prestigious development, from the same architectural practice that has just produced New Scotland Yard.  Yet it is cheaper to run than the old building, and was always designed as self financing.  In other words, the sale of housing at the back paid for the nice new building at the front in a similar way to Clapham Library.

It is also worth remembering what the old Willesden Library was actually like.  Here is a description form November 2009 by the "Willesden Herald":

Friday, November 20, 2009

Willesden Library Centre: Filth and dereliction in Brent

Gigi's closed months ago and is still empty. Now the Bellevue Cinema has closed and the fitments have been ripped out. Last night the centre's mens' toilet was in the most nauseatingly filthy condition. Dirty paper was strewn around the floor, there was fluid underfoot. In one cubicle somebody had closed the lid and defecated on top of it. In the other the bowl was clogged and foul. The word disgusting is inadequate to describe the state of the place. The people responsible for the filth are horrible lowlifes but what about the people who run the place, i.e. Brent Council? The council tax this year for a house near the library centre, in Band E, is £1672.93. It's not rocket science - compare the Tricycle Theatre in neighbouring Camden council control also in Brent [correction], or the Southbank Centre or even a typical motorway services, or the loos at Victoria Station. Then ask yourself why Brent gives us nothing like that and instead something more like the opening scenes from Slumdog Millionaire.

Sounds disgusting doesn't it?

Both the cafe and the cinema ceased to operate long before the building was demolished, and it really had a rather run down look.  The commercial failure of the old building had a lot to do with its dead frontage, which contrasts with the new shared space outside the building (more images here).     

The Complexity of International Trade

I only recently caught up with this piece by Paul Krugman. Partly it is interesting for what it says about international trade. 

In the several large economies he cites, a large proportion of the apparent value added element of export goods actually comes from other countries.  So, for instance, he argues that cars assembled in Mexico and exported to the USA have a large proportion of their components actually made in the USA.  Hence a Trump protectionist policy would have the effect of damaging US component manufacturers as well as the assembling plants in Mexico. 

That is rather the opposite of what Trump supporters assume, but it is also something in line with what the Select Committee for Exiting the EU found about Brexit.  A UK car assembler might also find many of the components are sourced from around the EU.  Higher tariff would damage both the assembler and the supply chain.  Again that seems a rather more sophisticated view of how the modern economy works than the way it appears to David Davis, who seems to have a more zero sum view of trade.

The other striking point is his suggestion that Trump is in an impasse from which he might seek a "Malvinas" solution, in an article posted some time ahead of the attack on Syria. 

We Too Are Giants

As I write We Too Are Giants is going on in Willesden Library.  This is part of the Tricycle Theatre's 2017 takeover programme.  It is also the kind of thing I find very hard to imagine happening prior to the Libraries Transformation Project, not least because the old Willesden Library would be unable to accommodate such activity.

The Tricycle is doing this kind of outreach partly because their capital project is underway.  This involves remodelling the Tricycle auditorium around such radical concepts as having the seating angled towards the stage and having access for disabled people.

Queens Parade, Willesden

Queens Parade, Willesden, is best known as an experimental meanwhile space, an experiment that was very successful.  It is now part of a planning application that I suspect will will be far less popular.  The proposal is for a seven and eight storey building that will be used for student accomodation.

I think that is frankly too big.  Brent has a policy of concentrating tall buildings in its five growth areas for a reason _ to protect the lower density developments in the rest of the Borough.  There is a creeping pressure on Willesden to accept bigger and bigger blocks.  Electric House was one of those, which I can accept because of its position at the head of a street.  Similarly with the Erin Court development from a much earlier time, but The Queensbury redevelopment was rightly refused as much too big. 

The provision of more student housing is also questionable in an area that already suffers from an extremely transient population.  In the past, Brent planning committee refused student accommodation at the former Spotted Dog development citing this as a reason.  The logic behind this has not changed.

Brexit's Dangerous Direction

Yesterday's Observer carried a story that the former Tory Party Leader has raised the threat of war against Spain.  Doesn't this illustrate just how much damagethe referendum vote has done, and how much damage the "negotiations" are doing?  Who would have thought a few years ago that a former Tory Leader would be seriously threatening war against a fellow democracy, EU member and NATO member in Western Europe?

Willesden Library Cafe Open

As I mentioned yesterday, Willesden Library finally has an open, functioning Cafe.  Cafe facilities have been an important part of the success of Wembley Library, and I have no doubt will contribute to a rise in usage at Willesden as it gets going. 

Willesden Library Cafe Opens

At last, the cafe at Willesden Library is actually open.  It has been a long time coming. I shall try to post some pictures later on.

The Return of Wembley Stadium's Transport Blight

The proposed increase in matches at Wembley Stadium due for consideration at Brent's Planning Committee on Thursday has rightly raised disquiet. 

The increased number of full scale events plus an unknown number of smaller events are bound to lead to more congestion in the Wembley area.  Last time I used the Jubilee line when a weekday match was on the overcrowding stretched from Westminster all the way to Wembley Park.  Dozens more events will impose significant extra burdens on residents in terms of littering, ASB and so on. 

What gets mentioned less often is the possibility of economic blight for businesses.  Constantly impassable roads will make it very hard for non-Stadium related businesses to operate near the Stadium.  There is a real risk that, rather than brave the congestion, the customers of the LDO and other outlets will simply go elsewhere.  The effect might be to create the monoculture around the old Stadium of gross overcrowding whenever a match is on, combined with dereliction outside those hours.  That would be a real step backwards.

I hope therefore, the Planning Committee defers the decision until they have had a chance to analyse the transport impacts thoroughly.

Willesden Jewish Cemetery Lottery Award

No one locally appears to have picked up the good news about Willesden Jewish Cemetery.  It has been awarded a more than £300k grant for improvements.  It is hoped that this might be augmented by further grants.  The plans sound ambitious:

"The ‘House of Life’ project will restore the eight hectare graveyard and create a new visitor centre, café, learning centre and permanent exhibition about the cemetery’s history."

It also sounds like there could be a natural tie in with the Brent Museum to work upon some educational projects celebrating Willesden's rich Jewish history.

Willesden Library Cafe Finally Arrives

Willesden Library has finally got a cafe, or at least some one has signed a contract to rent the space.  The tenant is called Delipod, and tends to do "pop up" cafes.  I notice it is locally based, very close to the Library.  Finally seeing something open there will be a great thing to see after so many false starts.  The advantage lies not much in the rent as the sense of extra activity that would be brought to the whole centre. 

Scrutiny Improvement at Brent Council

The forthcoming Full Council meeting has a short review of Scrutiny arrangements as part of its business.  I dare say this will be widely overlooked as the Budget is debated the same night.  The conclusion appears to be that the new dual committee structure will be rather more effective than the single committee structure rammed through by Cllr Butt in 2014.  However, the short review available doesn't seem able to find any examples where the Scrutiny process has actually produced better outcomes. 

ARK Academy Award

Good to see that the Ark Academy in Wembley is getting an award for acting as a sports venue for the local community.  Not enough schools act in this way, in some ways for understandable reasons.  Aside from the sheer bother of managing a sports venue for hire, there is the issue of who bears the costs.

In the case of ARK, as I recall availability to the local community was part of the planning permission back in 2009.  It is also an outcome of that process in the sense that at the time the site was merely a muddy field, with a tendency to become water logged in winter.  Building the school upgraded the facilities to the ones described by the Kilburn Times as:

"On site facilities at the academy include a high-quality 3G astroturf pitch set against the backdrop of the famous Wembley Stadium.  There is an outdoor 11a side pitch and a 5a side pitch and during the colder months, visitors can book the indoor 5a side area.  The Football Association partly funded the project to create an excellent grassroots venue for Londoners to book online."

The application, and hence the facilities available to the wider community, were bitterly opposed by the Conservative Party and the Tory Party at the time, as Martin Francis' contemporaneous account recalls.  Incidentally, Martin was highly critical of me in that for voting in favour of the planning permission.  He seems to have regarded disagreeing with him as being an inherently unprincipled thing to do, which it is not.

Brexit Comes Home

Brent Council's Equalities Committee should congratulated for its work on European Union minorities in the Borough.  In a report tonight, the Committee is trying to get to grips with the scale of the problem.  Unfortunately, this is an area where even trying to work out many people are affected by Brexit is quite hard. 

Nor do we have any real control over whether such people want to stay or leave the UK.  The present Tory government, led by a woman who has followed a pretty nasty anti immigrant policy for several years as Home Secretary, seems to want to make their life as nasty as possible. 

All this strikes as really a very illiberal and unpleasant approach that most people in our Borough will find deeply disturbing and conducive to poor community relations. 

At least Brent is trying to quantify the problem, which is the first step to doing something about the issues involved.

Polish Businessman Mysteriously Disappears

I came across a curious reflection of Brent Council's use of photographs recently.  In looking at a short story on the West London Business awards covered by getwestlondon, we see an image of people from The Polish Bakery based in Park Royal. 

The image shows three employees of The Polish Bakery, which won an award, and Konnie Huq (who was the presenter at the ceremony).  I am sure that everyone will be pleased at their success as Company of the Year.

A similar photo appears on the Brent Council web site, which covered the same story.  Can anyone spot the difference?

 

London School Cuts

Truly grim figures are being produced for schools across London in terms of funding cuts.  Brent seems to sit roughly in the middle of the London distribution.  These cuts are likely to reverse one of the really big achievements of the last Labour government in London, a vast improvement in educational standards in the late 1990s and early in this century.  I know other parts of London are protesting to the Secretary of State, but little seems to be happening in Brent.

Bulky Items Yet Again

Another option I see in the Brent Council budget papers is the return of charging for the bulky item collections.  This has been brought up many times, and I simply don't believe the officer estimates of income are credible.  Indeed there are a number of reasons why I think such a policy does not make sense. 

Public Realm Improvement

I was interested to read in the Brent Council Budget papers from Monday that:

"However, these changes are specifically intended to improve environmental standards overall.  They will ensure the most persistent and most noticeable problem areas are eliminated once and for all." (page 71)

That is a pretty bold claim.  I hope it turns out to be true.  If so it would be a vindication of the amount of work that went into the new contract. However, the same report plans to save £900k from envionmental operations so I would like to the "improvements" before deciding how credible they are.

Progress at Moberly Sports Centre

Moberly Sports Centre is well under way, with works clearly visible above ground.  Brent residents will be able to access the Sports Centre at the same rates as Westminster residents once it opens in May 2018, which demonstrates the importance of paying attention to planning permission at the right time.  I hope that pay similar attention to other developments. 

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Allocation

One report at today's Brent Council cabinet meeting should attract attention but hasn't.  The proposals for a new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) allocation mechanism had the potential to make the allocation of planning gain monies far more transparent and obvious.  /since the document proposes delegating the powers to the Lead member and the Director (and whichever individuals those two choose to talk to), the effect is the opposite.

Keniston Press Site

Tucked away at the very back of tomorrow's Brent Council Cabinet papers are the latest plans for the Falcon/Keniston Press site in South Kilburn/Queens Park.  The site was earmarked for housing years ago, but development was blocked in case the site was needed for HS2.  The Council now plans to start building on it in 2017.  This really should be the subject of debate by local people, especially given previous controversies there.  At the moment, I see no signs of such a debate.

Bleak News for Local Government Budgets

The continuing cuts to local government are now reaching the point where local authorities are in danger of becoming insolvent.  This was predicted at the time of the graph of doom debate long ago, and has been predicted since.

It is now affecting all areas of Council services, of which parks are merely the latest example.

What surprises me is that not only did Ministers literally plan the break down in local government, but even now they seem to be devoting more time to avoiding blame for it than staving it off.  The well publicised Surrey buy out shows that the Tories continue to favour the areas where Cabinet Minister sits, but will do nothing for the wider local government crisis. 

Brent Council Cabinet Resignations

I suppose one should congratulate Cllr Mili Patel on joining the Brent Cabinet as the Lead member for Children & Families, but she might well wonder what she is getting herself into as this is the third resignation since the Executive were elected by the Labour Group in May. 

Libraries and Mental Health

Just catching up with this Guardian piece on the importance of libraries to young peoples' mental health.  Nick Poole seems to have vastly improved CILIP's lobbying by moving beyond a just say no to change approach to demonstrating the value of public libraries to various fields.  Libraries can be used in a huge number of different ways, and if they are kept in-house, the Council can retain flexibility as to whether they are focusing on public health, digital literacy, reassuring minorities, promoting the arts, general community space or (indeed) straightforward library services.  Something that might be lost if they were spun off.

Brent's First Romanian Book Collection

On Saturday I went to the opening of Brent Libraries first Romanian book collection at Willesden Green Library (also in Romanian).  Cllr Tom Miller made an excellent speech emphasizing Brent's diversity and our continuing welcome to Romanian people despite the Brexit vote.

Some parts of the countries have seen a rise in xenophobic prejudice as a result of the Brexit referendum, and Romanians have been particularly targeted by the likes of Nigel Farage.  Having a Romanian book collection is a practical symbol of how these are not our values.

Comments on Manor Park Road Development

I must say the sheer number of comments on the new Manor Park Road development surprises me.  At the time of writing more than 200 comments have been made.  The number and the similarity of the comments makes me wonder if they have all been made by different people. 

Harlesden Post Office Closure

I am surprised that this Post Office closure story has not had more attention.  In the past, Post Office closures have been a hot topic, with the Liberal Democrats and Labour both campaigning on the issue.  Although I recall the Liberal Democrats confessing their ineffectual nature, and the Tories actually welcoming closure.

Unless the services are relocated nearby, the closure could have a negative impact on Harlesden Town Centre, which is already suffering from the Royal Oak closure.

Bridge Park Sports Centre Redevelopment

The next Brent Council cabinet meeting on Monday has, buried at the back, an update on the redevelopment of Bridge Park Sports Centre.  The partner companies for this are based in Luxembourg and the British Virgin Islands, which seems unfortunate, as the only reason I can think for them to be based there is aggressive tax avoidance.  Reading the reports, it sounds as if it makes enforcing the contracts much more complicated.

Camden Libraries Adopt Open Plus

Camden libraries are going to use Open Plus technology at five of their branches from tomorrow, as well as ending Sunday opening at Swiss Cottage Library.  I am afraid I have to regard that as a retrograde step, which I imagine is driven by budget needs and a desire to keep branches "open".

Casual Library Use

The problem, as I see it, is that what might call passing trade will be excluded.  People will have to be signed up users of Camden libraries before they can enter.  That is likely to deter many users, who may be reluctant to sign up or simply not have their card with them.  Over time, I suspect it might have quite a broad effect in putting people off since I imagine that Camden like Brent has a fairly high churn of residents.  The result would be falling usage for a service that is already seeing visits and loans on a downward trend.

New Manor Park Road Development in Harlesden Town Centre

Following from the negative news that the Royal Oak has closed, some potentially good news of a new development has emerged.  The site behind the Salvation Army site on Manor Park Road is proposed for development. 

Affordable Housing

The proposal is for housing, in line with Brent's planning documents.  At 51 units, the proposal is denser than the suggested figure in the guidance (30), and the type of housing suggested is 15 "intermediate" units which probably means some sort of shared ownership.  The  market units, to pay for the overall scheme, amount to 34, which would mean an affordable element of roughly a third, although no rented.  Both market and affordable units are mainly one or two beds.  There are only three three bedroom units, all intermediate.  I suspect that the mix of units will be one of the main bones of contention.

Car Free Development

The proposal is for a "car free" development, which makes sense given the Town Centre's public transport access.  Two new spaces are proposed, presumably for disabled people. 

What it Means for Harlesden Town Centre

I have noticed that one of the Kensal Green councillors has already attacked the proposal, although she is basing her criticism on objection to any new housing and an unfounded belief that there will be significant new traffic generation. 

I think in principle it would be good for this long derelict site to be developed as I did with the Park House site, the former Willesden Social Club and the alterations to the Green Man.  It should help increase the foot fall in the area which will make local shops and whatever replaces the Royal Oak more viable. 

Royal Oak Closure

The closure of the Royal Oak in Harlesden comes as a nasty shock.  It has been a key part of regenerating Harlesden Town Centre over the past several years, but the Town Centre is still moving forward and hopefully the Royal Oak will be revived as one of the Town Centre's iconic buildings..

Action or Inaction

(Cllr Muhammed Butt in a previous "Week of Action" courtesy of Martin Francis.)

What, I wonder, happened to the "Week of Action" idea? Many may have forgotten what these were.  A group of agencies from the Council and sometimes outside would gather in an area and seek to engage with the public.  Not in itself a bad idea, although I think it became discredited as no actual action seemed to follow.

However, I can't recall the last time any of these occurred.  Does anyone know?

Katherine Birbalsingh Defends Herself

Katherine Birbalsingh of the Michaela School in Wembley defends herself in the Guardian recently.  Personally, I find the idea of pupils moving silently in single file between classes like something out of A Handmaid's Tale, but she seems to be proud of it. 

Delayed Reactions

I have suggested before that NHS plans in Brent just aren't getting the kind of scrutiny they need.  An example might be the proposals for a common NHS/Council estate strategy.  This has been seen by councillors, but I don't get a sense that there has been any real input as to what the priorities should be or what the strategy should be.  This is the kind of thing that gets pushed through in a committee meeting and suddenly explodes into controversy a long time afterward. 

Brent Councillors Last to Know

Cllr Sharma Tatler was appointed to the Regeneration post vacated by Cllr Roxanne Mashari.  This appointment appears to have been made without even bothering to inform the Labour Group, a striking illustration of Cllr Butt's dictatorial style. 

What is Affordable Housing?

A lot of controversy is generated by the term "affordable housing", since in London especially, it is often far from affordable.  Here is a quick summary of the main types of housing sent to me by a senior housing officer:

Affordable Rent- for family units are usually 60-65% of market rents or the LHA (whichever is the lower), whereas 1-2 bed units are up to 80% of market rent or LHA (whichever is the lower).

 

Social Rent - averages out at 50% of market rent, may be slightly higher (usually 5%) above Social Rent target rents.

 

Intermediate Rent- above both Affordable or Social Rent, but will be below the market value, approx. 90% of market rent.

Yet Another Brent Council Executive Change

I understand that yet another member of Brent's Council Cabinet has stood down.  This time it is Cllr Roxanne Mashari.  Prior to Cllr Keith Perrin in September 2014, it was highly unusual for councillors to step down from the Executive.  Now, Cllr Mike Pavey, Cllr Wilheimina Mitchell=Murray and Cllr Roxanne Mashari all appear to have stood down having only been elected in May this year.  What exactly is going on?

Library Decline

The Guardian reports continuing decline is usage in public libraries across the UK.  As I have pointed out before, Brent's record is markedly better. Once again, Wembley Library comes out as the UK's third most visited (after Birmingham and Manchester). 

Small Business Saturday Not Coming to Brent

Yesterday was Small Business Saturday.  At least was in most places.  Brent did not seem to have any promotional events despite it being marked across the rest of the UK.  This seems a shame when areas like Harlesden Town Centre and Ealing Road are particularly notable for the ir independent shops..