Tulip Siddiq and Channel4 News

I see that Brent Green Party alongside Channel 4 News is trying to make hay out of Tulip Siddiq's confrontation with Channel 4 News.  The case is described here.  I would be truly surprised if either of them is unaware of the parliamentary convention that you only raise matters relating to your own constituents.  Under these rules, the Speaker might reprimand Tulip if she took up the case. 

As far as I can see, she is being urged to simply because she is of Bangladeshi heritage and related to eminent Bangladeshi politicians.  This is one of the subtler ways in which ethnic minority politicians are treated differently. 

UPDATE 03.12.17

In answer to the comment, I don't think Tulip was trying to threaten anybody; she was just rather clumsily trying to extricate herself from a confrontational situation.  I notice that she has apologised for the remark anyway.

The way Channel 4 has targeted her because she is Bangladeshi is because they know that she has no connection to the case they are raising.  Anybody who has ever worked in a MP's office, or had much dealing with them, knows that it is standard not to deal with the casework of people who live in other constituencies.  Thus Tulip has campaigned for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to be released as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a Hampstead and Kilburn constituent.  Ahmed Bin Quasem is not a Hampstead and Kilburn constituent.  His case should be raised by his own MP, and I am sure that Channel4 News know that full well.  They have gone to Tulip simply because she is Bangladeshi in origin.  I think it is wholly inappropriate to start expecting MPs from ethnic minorities to raise cases in Parliament simply because they involve people from the same ethnic minority.

Planning Appeal?

There is no word as yet as to whether Manor Park Works is going to be appealed or subject to a fresh application.  This is unsurprising as people have up to six months to make an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.  I would have thought given the strangeness of the decision, an appeal was extremely likely. 

House Building

Hidden away in this week's Spectator is an article giving the years with the lowest number of new homes per year since 1949.  They are: 2013 (135,340), 2010 (135,970), 2011 (140,680), 2012 (141,550) and 2014 (145,010).  The highest build years are all in the 1960s under the Wilson government, when of course Council building was commonplace.  I think the message is fairly obvious.

ExploreLearning in Willesden Library

A company called ExploreLearning has now set up an office in Willesden Green Library Centre in what used to be known  as the Long Room.  The Long Room had originally been intended for benefits advice, but was judged surplus to requirements as the Wembley Civic centre can apparently deal with all the face to face cases.  I am glad that the long search for a tenant has finally ended. 

The company specialises in English and Maths tuition (for fees).  You can get details of the Willesden branch here.  It certainly looks like a fairly natural fit with a library in terms of colocation, and should encourage usage (albeit for children who already tend to be heavy library users).  With the Willesden Cafe now open, it finally means that all the Library Centre has finally been occupied two years after it opened. 

Sexism in Local Government

According to the BBC, concerns over sexism are now spreading out to local government.  The Fawcett Society has apparently published a report on the subject.  I would have thought this kind of concern applies to any where where there is (a) a power imbalance (b) a culture of deference towards people who may commit abuses.  Brent Council would certainly qualify on both those grounds. 

Basic Bank Accounts

An important answer on basic bank accounts was recently secured by Seema Malhotra MP in Treasury questions.  Around 1.5 million people do not have basic bank accounts despite a legal duty by account providers to give them to people not eligible for standard accounts.  The importance of have basic banking facilities for tackling alienation from the normal economy cannot be underestimated. 

Time Person of the Year

There is a (disputed) report that Donald Trump was in line to be named Time Person of the Year.  Given that this was a title previously held by Adolf Hitler, perhaps it is not such a great accolade.

Libraries and Universal Credit

Universal Credit is turning into an entirely predictable human disaster, as this Guardian story confirms.  I have spoken to people who I have feared become suicidal because of it.  Tweaking the waiting time won't change that.  There are multiple reasons for that, but I just wanted to focus on one aspect, which is the assumption that libraries can tackle the problem that a number of people can't get Internet access.

In fact, using public library access is problematic.  There is a problem with keeping a record of the data on a public computer.  If it is on a memory stick, the information may not be easily accessible when the individual might want to raise a query (say on the phone with an official)  There may be an issue asking advice on a phone in a public place which may have a quiet policy.  There is the issue that library computers are not generally set up to remain confidential, so it is likely that passers by can overlook what people are doing (which may embarrass them), and there is the likelihood there that there is a time limit on usage ( as with Brent Libraries).  All these factors make public library computers less than ideal.

The Amazing Willesden Library

On this cold morning I find myself in Willesden Library where a very small boy has just walked past me repeatedly telling his parent that "This is amazing".  I think he is quite correct. 

Putting Politics Above Prosperity is Never a Smart Choice

I wonder whether David Davis has contemplated the irony of that line in his speech "putting politics above prosperity is never a smart choice".  After all that phrase sums up the Brexit decision in a nutshell.

Manor Park Works Planning Application

The minutes for the meeting of the Manor Park Works decision are now out, and make curious reading.  I really can't recall any other application where only three members of the Committee chose to vote.  Frankly, I think the Council will find that decision very hard to defend if it goes to appeal.

Planning and Ethics

Martin Francis reports that Cllr Muhammed Butt has been meeting developers and discussing planning applications with them.  He implies this reprehensible.

Such would be the case if Cllr Butt were to subsequently pressure or otherwise instruct members of the Committee as to what decision they were to make.  Indeed any such instruction might invalidate the decision altogether.  It would also be dubious if he were to seek to influence the Planning officers in their recommendations.  It is striking that Cllr Butt seems to show a great deal of interest in planning application, much more so than his predecessors.

Affordable Housing Delivery

Red Brick blog is a reliable source of illumination on housing issues, and has a recent post explaining why it is becoming harder for Councils to deliver affordable housing.  Essentially, the central government's housing policies are pushing up prices and making it much hard to get affordable properties built.  Indeed, I think it entirely plausible that central government has for several years been actively trying to destroy the country's stock of social or affordable housing.  Something that anyone reading Safid Javed's comments should bear in mind. 

Taking Back Control of Brexit

The sheer emptiness of the Brexiter case is made apparent by the latest ultimatum from Brussels.  It loks like we are finally going to see what Brexit actually means in practice at least with regard to the "divorce" payment and issues around Northern Ireland.  It will be interesting to see what effect this has on public opinion. 

Concerns over Bridge Park in Stonebridge

The Kilburn Times reports an unhappy meeting relating to the possible redevelopment of Bridge Park.  I understand the unease with which many people regard developments put forward by Brent Council in its current state.  Experiences with South Kilburn and the Stonebridge Adventure Playground don't exactly give Brent Council a wonderful reputation.  I have argued before that this is linked to the way that some councillors simply try to dodge responsibility. 

However, it is important not to neglect a possible opportunity here.  The Unisys site, next to Bridge Park, has been abandoned and derelict for at least twenty years.  Combining it with Bridge Park as a redevelopment could create something really good.  Such an idea has been floated for years.  It was even in Labour's 2010 manifesto.  Done well, the site might provide housing, a sports centre and perhaps hotel accommodation or other job generating uses.  Access by the immediate community could possibly be secured by planning conditions (as at Moberley) or continuing community management in some form.  The construction of such a development might also help local businesses as the Civic Centre did. 

All this would depend on Brent Council making decisions that incorporate such concerns, and here there are obvious fears around the companies that Brent Council has chosen to deal with.  Cllr Muhammed Butt's record in Wembley does not convince me that he is the man to deliver peoples' aspirations, so perhaps incumbent councillors and would be councillors should take a more active role.

More on Brent's Borough of Culture

More details are now available on Brent's Borough of Culture bid.  It sounds like an interesting opportunity, although also one for which competition is likely to be fierce. 

Air Quality in Brent

The next Cabinet meeting of Brent Council has space for a new air quality action plan.  Thanks to Sadiq Khan this issue has been rising in political importance, and the Plan does have good things in it such as extra tree planting in Neasden Lane, a traditional problem area.  The report does have worrying references to "greater community engagement" which can be code for leaving people to sort out their own problems.  It also doesn't say very much about the Wembley area which thanks to the unwise decisions of Cllr Butt appears to be getting a wave of construction, a slew of extra football matches which are bound to increase traffic congestion and a failure to have appropriate parking policies in place to deal with them. Such a combination may well threaten air quality in the Wembley area. 

Digital Access at Brent Council

The next Brent Council Cabinet has a report on Brent's customer services which continues to follow the trend away from face to face towards digital engagement.  In itself, that is no bad thing.  It can be quicker and cheaper and actually the preferred option of many people, but for a minority of people it may present a problem.

In particular, ministers have suggested that benefit claimants can increasingly access services using publicly available computers in libraries, but such computers tend to be in the open.  They are often sited in such ba way as to be open to public view, which is not suitable when inputting confidential data such as medical or financial information (as might well be the case with a benefit application).  This sort of thing needs to be carefully thought through if they are being increasingly relied on for such purposes.

More Thoughts on Replacing Public Libraries

Some thoughts on the agendas behind volunteer libraries are here.  I have been making similar points for some, namely do volunteer libraries actually work as libraries? No one seems to know.  Volunteer libraries may well be a form of back door privatisation, which at least in some cases means handing over a public asset to a "community" organisation who actually have no real accountability to the community and are not really effectively monitored for what they do.  The last area of danger is that they may just drain resources from the proper library service which is thereby slowly undermined. 

Brent's Culture Bid

Visitors to Brent Libraries will have seen that the Bough is bidding to be a "Borough of Culture".  I am not sure what this means, but it is nice to see some sort of objective being set for the service now that the Libraries Transformation Project is complete.  Incidentally, Culture is now officially one of the main purposes of public libraries according to the SCL.

Brent Councillors Need to Remember the Language of Priorities

With the housing crisis now so pressing that even government ministers have noticed it, it is interesting to read Brent's Housing Scrutiny agenda coming up today.  The report identifies a key lack of strategic direction in Brent Housing, stating:

“One of the key  problems previously has been the failure  to provide strategic direction and outline the  expectations  that Brent has  for the  delivery of affordable supply to its Housing Association partners. Put simply this has meant  that all development  has  been  entirely opportunity led and Brent has had no influence over development  which  has  led to a surfeit of Shared Ownership Property.” (Paragraph 3.10)

While I am sympathetic to many of the problems that Brent Council faces in trying to solve the Borough 's housing problems with a cascade of central government cutbacks, very little land and constant fiddling with the regulatory regime  that still sounds pretty damning.

There are some directions that Brent Councillors should be deciding, namely:

• What is the tenure mix?
• What is the appropriate mix of unit size?
• What adjustments to each area in terms of civic infrastructure are needed?
• What is the appropriate mix of land uses?

 I am not at all sure that the first three are getting any sort of answer, and too often the debate seems to retreat into a kneejerk defence of the status quo rather than an attempt to maximise opportunities. 

Festivals in Brent

Glancing at the Kilburn Times coverage of the Diwali festivities, I can't help but reflect on the debate a few years ago when the Council cut almost all its funding for such things.  Opponents of any change sought to portray the cessation of Council funding as a cessation of the festivals themselves.  Yet here we are, and all these festivals (Christmas, Diwali and so on)  are still being celebrated just as I argued at the time.

Tories Reunited

Brent Conservative Group is apparently continuing its tragicomic progress by re-uniting at an extraordinary Council meeting on Monday next.  This will involve some slight changes to Committee membership, but not apparently anything substantial. I see that Cllr John Warren remains leader despite his alleged "sabotaging peace" in the past.  It is interesting to speculate on the motivations of this motley crew. 

Government Hostility to EU Nationals

The government continues its creation of a "hostile climate" towards EU nationals, according to the Guardian.  I really wonder whether ministers have any plan for Brexit at all.  The whole hostile climate agenda, an effort to appease elements who seem to be hostile to all immigrants or even vaguely "foreign" sounding people seems to be in conflict with trying to keep our economy going when so much of it depends on the immigrants that ministers are trying to deter.  The end result seems to be an utterly contradictory mess with some nasty undertones.

Local Government Non-disclosure Agreements

The Harvey Weinstein scandal has been unfolding, and it is very obvious that the various incidents occurred over a long period because so many people turned a blind eye to what they knew was going on.  One of the most effective ways of making this happen appears to have been non-disclosure agreements.  Given that these are commonly used in local government, it may well be time for an investigation into what precisely some authorities are using them for.  Since the tax payer generally pays out these sums, I think the tax payer is entitled to at least a general description of what advantage is being gained, as well as an assurance that no abuses are being covered up.

Brent Libraries Compared to Elsewhere in London

Brent has had an outstandingly successful library service over the last several years, with visits and loans up in the context of a sector in decline across almost all the UK.  While users appear to be happy, there is still a political impression that the service is not a success.  This was generated during the period when all the difficult decisions were being pushed through and has been prolonged by a failure by Brent Council to promote its success story subsequently.  I have pointed out before that it doesn't seem to have translated into failure at the ballot box, but among a small number of activists that appears to be what they tell themselves.

I just I would go through some of the experiences in other areas to look at what alternative strategies might have been pursued.

The most common are handing over to volunteer run libraries.  Often, volunteers just aren't available so it just means straight forward closure.  Where the volunteer libraries stagger on, them seem less active as libraries, but are still there as community spaces of some kind.  The main danger I see with this kind of thing is that they may continue to drain the libraries budget either directly or indirectly by demanding "advice" and "support" that the statutory services has no resources to cater to.  The result can be disappointment on both sides.

A second possibility is a cut in opening hours, which was pursued in Islington at the same time as the Libraries Transformation Project in Brent.  This led to libraries being open a limited number of days a week in Islington.  From 2010/11 to 2014/15, Islington saw a fall in visits of 33.5%.

Other authorities had a mix of reduced numbers of libraries, cuts in staffed opening hours and general reductions in spending.  For example, Camden handed some outlets to volunteers, cut book stock and now maintains reduced staffed hours.  Between 2010/2011 and 2014/15 visits fell by 32.2%.

Lambeth, which initially boasted of its no closure policy has now combined a high use of volunteers in Council facilities with an engagement with Greenwich Leisure Ltd to open "gym/libraries" (still a work in progress as far as I can see).  In the 2010/11 to 2014/15 period it saw a slight rise in visits, by 0.8%.

The contrast with the massive rise in Brent visits is stark in every case. 

Various different authorities, struggling to limit the damage from central government cuts, and coming from very different starting points and with different strategies can at best tread water.  Brent is the only one to have seen a significant rise.

Cascading Cuts in Brent Housing

Red Brick confirms that there is no central government funding being made available for Council housing.  This shows several things, most notably another example of the central government using local authorities as a dumping ground and shield for the failed outcomes of government policies.  It also demonstrates the sheer folly of Brent Council stampeding into an unconsidered commitment to spend £10 million without securing any guarantees from the government or having any real idea what it is spending the money on. 

As Red Brick says this might come from reserves or the housing revenue account (HRA).  Brent effectively has no reserves of that size so any spend will come from the HRA.  Rents are kept by central government fiat at their current rate, so I guess that means cutting back on repairs and maintenance, or cutting any planned building of new housing stock.

It all illustrates how rushed decisions in one area cascade into poor outcomes in other unrelated areas of policy.

Another Odd Decision by Brent's Planning Committee

Brent's Planning Committee has been getting an increasing reputation for odd decisions during Cllr Muhammed Butt's time as Leader.  The Manor Park Works decision strikes me as another one.  Oddest about it is the voting figure that the Kilburn Times report gives: two councillors in favour, one against, three abstentions.

The Planning Committee has eight members.  To have only two vote in favour and five either absent or abstaining seems rather odd.  It suggests to me that the Committee did not entirely believe its case for rejecting officer recommendation to grant permission, in which case the Developer may well appeal. 

New Constituencies or Not?

The Boundary Commission has now published proposals for new constituencies across the UK, with dramatic effects in Brent.

Brent Central would be split, with most of it going into a new Willesden and Shepherds Bush seat.  Essentially the new seat would cover the existing Brent Central minus Tokyngton, Dudden Hill, Dollis Hill and Welsh Harp plus Brondesbury and the northern part of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Queens Park and the Brent Kilburn would merge with the existing Westminister North to become "Kilburn".

Most of Brent North would merge with the rest of Brent Central to form a Wembley seat.

Finally a Harrow South and Kenton seat would be formed with the Brent Kenton and Queensbury.

To do all this would require Parliamentary approval in late 2018.  However, there is already speculation that the whole process is going to be restarted from scratch as the Tory government thinks it might be too weak to win the Parliamentary vote.  Were the boundaries to go ahead, a number of sitting MPs including Dawn Butler MP, Barry Gardiner MP and Tulip Siddiq MP would face interesting choices about where to stand. 

Scrubs Lane Overdevelopment

Unfortunately a last minute work commitment prevented me from attending the committee hearing on 2 Scrubs Lane.  The scale of the proposal is hinted at in the architects' image above, taken looking towards Harlesden.  In reality, I think it will be still more dominant.

New Head at Jesus and Mary

I see that the Kilburn Times have managed a scoop with an interview of the new head teacher at Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Harlesden Louise McGowan.  It is nice to hear some one so enthusiastic about what they do. 

Go Straight to the High Commission

I see that Bertha Joseph is active in appealing for money for the victims of hurricanes.  I would gently suggest that, given her record, it would be best for her not to be involved.  I would suggest going straight to the High Commission instead. 

Council Tax Reduction Scheme Still in Place

One of the papers before the Brent Council Cabinet on Monday will be the annual review of the Council Tax Support scheme.  This replaced the national scheme back in 2012/13, and I had a hand in designing it.  

The report states:

"A fundamental  review of the current  Brent scheme  was undertaken in 2015, and concluded  that in terms of legal, financial  and  equitable robustness, the current scheme can be considered as a success.  There have been no legal challenges brought  against the  scheme,  and no unforeseen impact was identified.  There was no perceived appetite for radical change or a departure from the main principles governing the scheme at that time."

The report also notes that the alignment of housing benefit and the reduction scheme reduces the bureaucracy of applying, which must be welcome to many harassed residents.  However, it notes that this advantage is eroded as Universal credit is rolled out:  

"However it should be noted that as more  of the  working-age  caseload moves  onto Universal Credit (UC) over the next few years,  this advantage will be lost as claimants will be required to claim UC from the DWP and CTS from the Council."

While this may be a minor detail compared to some of the horror stories I have heard with Universal Credit, it is nonetheless regrettable.  

Finally, I have often noted that a number of people are very blase about possible legal challenges.  I think rather differently, having gone through a judicial review which was extraordinarily burdensome despite the Council being found lawful in every detail of its decision.  Nonetheless the officers writing the report give as a major reason for their "no change" recommendation "the risk opening up the scheme as a whole to challenge from external organisations and pressure groups." 

Debt and the Young

An excellent survey by the BBC has revealed some extremely bleak information on debt.  The fourth chart is particularly interesting showing a very strong link between youth and indebtedness.  It echoes work done by other organisations. 

It might cause the current government to reconsider whether its policy of refusing younger people to claim certain kinds of benefit is in fact sensible.  Not least, crippling people with more debt at a young age than their predecessors could have all sorts of effects going forward, damaging their prospects as the cohort ages, and possibly affecting a major cultural change in attitudes.  It also goes some way to explaining why many people think that age is the new class. 

Willesden Library Cafe

Judging from the half year figures I published on Monday, the new cafe in Willesden Library doesn't seem to have been as effective as I hoped in boosting numbers in the Library centre.  Perhaps, it will become more effective in drawing people in as it develops.  It is now open six days a week. 

Latest Update on Brent Library Figures 2017

The first half figures for Brent Libraries in 2017 are now published, and they show little change from the previous half year.  Loans are down slightly, and visits are up a little.  The run of dramatic increases as a result of the Libraries Transformation Project has therefore come to an end as I predicted. 

The full figures are:

First Half (1 Apr-30 Sept)               2016                       2017                       % Growth

Loans                                                532,749              528,729                            -0.8%

Visits                                              1,204,502          1,238,246                             2.8%

Wrong Report in the Kilburn Times Regarding Bertha Joseph

I have just seen this report in the Kilburn Times about former councillor Bertha Joseph.  At the time of writing, the Kilburn Times states that the allegations against Bertha Joseph were "false".  I imagine the piece is based on a conversation with Bertha herself.  Whilst that may be her memory; the reality is quite different.  

The allegations against were that she diverted donations made to charity to her own use, and failed to report them.  This led the Brent Standards Committee to suspend her for six months, the maximum penalty then available for misconduct by councillors.  This suspension occurred in late 2009, although the breaches occurred in her Mayoral Year some time before.  Bertha Joseph then exercised her right to appeal, which had the effect of the punishment being suspended whilst the legal process ran its course.  As I recall the appeal was not so much against the facts of the case as the harshness of the punishment.  That appeal was dismissed in early 2010 in a judgement that I remarked at the time was extremely strongly worded. 

Boris Johnson somewhat cynically kept her on the London Fire Authority (LFEPA) so that she could vote through a series of controversial cuts to the London Fire Service.  He widely criticised for this, but he does not appear to have challenged the result of the appeal process.  Indeed, according to the Guardian at the time, his spokesman said that ""Councillor Joseph still disputes the complaint made against her, but the mayor believes the first-tier tribunal made a compelling case against her continuing to serve on the authority. The mayor had allowed Ms Joseph two weeks to make her case to him, in the interests of natural justice and due process."  He then got rid of her, after the crucial budget meeting.

The complaint to the police was made subsequently, and does not relate to the original judgement or the outcome of the appeal.

Bertha Joseph is apparently selected to stand as a Conservative candidate in Brondesbury Park. 

A seachange over Brexit?

A new poll suggests a majority now think leaving the EU is a mistake.  One shouldn't get too excited by one poll, but the implications of a majority of the public thinking it a bad idea to leave could change political debate significantly.

I suspect it has a lot to do with the way the government is trying to suppress knowledge of the likely impact of Brexit. 

Most MPs still think that staying in the EU is best for Britain.  A faction of the Tory Party has successfully used the referendum result to railroad Parliament into voting the UK out by arguing that "the will of the people is sacred." If the will of the people changes, as in any democracy it can, that argument falls away.  A persistent poll lead in favour of remain, based on a better understanding of the likely consequence of having the worst of both worlds might make a pause or even a reversal of the exit process far more likely. 

Return to Manor Park Works Site

As I pointed out before one of the Kensal Green councillors is seeking to organise protests against the Manor Park Works redevelopment on the grounds that it is too big whilst ignoring the much larger proposed development of 2 Scrubs Lane.

This is odd, as Brent has specifically said it wants the Manor Park Works site redeveloped as housing.  According to Brent Council's documents, the site would have 45 units which is somewhat above what Brent planners had as an indicative figure, but not drastically so.  An email in circulation makes what appears to be a false claim that there will be "a hundred bedrooms" which is higher than the figures in the planning documents and states that 150 people would live there (a figure which seems to have been plucked from the air).  I really don't think that public debate is helped by inserting random and/or untrue figures.  The same document objects to the lack of green space, as if it were remotely possible to develop that site with green space.

Councillors really do not to think about development in a much more coherent and consistent manor than they appear to be currently doing.

UPDATE 10.10.17

Actually a 20 storey building on 2 Scrubs Lane would be visible from pretty much everywhere in southern Brent, including anywhere near Harlesden Town Centre.  The application is to be decided tomorrow.  I also find it odd that the councillor in question is objecting to a seven storey building as too tall but has expressed no objection to a twenty storey building in the same ward.

Brent Forced to Pay For Itself

Entirely predictably, ministers are not willing to pay fire safety improvements following the Grenfell disaster.  If they persist in their refusal, it will be the residents of those estates who are forced to fork out.

Kensal Green in City Hall

Following Michael's comment here, I have sought out the Planning Meeting concerned.  The papers and agenda are here.  The venue for the meeting is City Hall at 6pm on Wednesday 11 October, and I have written to the Committee clark to see if there is scope for verbal objections as well.  Of course, I am no longer a councillor so I haven't really kept up with the system as it relates to Park Royal.  I must say it does surprise me that none of the Kensal Green councillors appear to have objected despite the well known opposition of at least one one of them to any housing applications.

Costs at Cricklewood

Like the Kensal Rise Library, Cricklewood Library has succeeded in fund raising for its capital costs.  The next part is securing the running costs of whatever is in there.  In this, I would have misgivings about whether trying to run something resembling a local authority library is sensible.  The infrastructure of running even a small local authority library is extremely expensive and cumbersome. 

What I think many of these groups actually want is a community space and a symbol of the local area, which could be obtained far more cheaply since it would not require things like computers, staff/volunteer training etc. that add considerable complication. 

Localism, Trees and Meddling

Michael Gove, with his customary self assurance, has been looking for ways to impose his will on Sheffield Council over street trees.  The Council in Sheffield has a programme which apparently involves the removal of a number of trees on the grounds that they are "dying, diseased or dangerous."

I don't know know if the said trees actually are dangerous, but I would think Sheffield Council and whatever tree specialist they employ are better placed to know than Michael Gove.  Cases of people dying from fallen branches are not unknown as this example from Willesden illustrates.   If Mr Gove were to "save" some trees, and one of them were subsequently involved in an accident, I think it fairly likely that Mr Gove would not be accepting responsibility, but he does seem to feel it is his role to make the decision.

That shows you a lot about how the government's approach to localism is entirely cynical.

Heseltine on Tory Prospects

As one might expect, Michael Heseltine's interview with Prospect is full of insights, but I think he over estimates the Labour Party.  At present the Labour Party seem to me to be falling into a trap.  Many people in the Labour Party seem to see the 2017 election as a victory when it was a defeat, refuse to accept the scale of the task to secure a majority (more than sixty seats assuming all the existing seats are held) and don't seem to accept the need to prove to the electorate that the Party will be reasonably competent in economic matters.  The current mood in the Labour Party strikes me as worryingly close to the kind of hubris which put Theresa May where she is today, in office but not in power.

The Queensbury Controversy Returns

The redevelopment of The Queensbury site in Willesden is already being framed as a "battle" ahead of it being clear what the new developers' plans actually are.  I opposed the Fairview proposals in both their first and their second incarnations, but to oppose the new developer without seeing the actual proposal does seem over the top.  Some people just seem to oppose everything. 

That said, 48 units sounds worryingly similar to the previous rejected application.  That went to appeal, and if the developer is sensible the new proposals will take careful account of the Planning Inspector objections from last time. 

The object of the planning system is not to endlessly block development, but rather to regulate it so that it is sensible, and ensures that the area continues to develop in a balanced way.  That is essential in an area as dynamic as Brent.  To go to far in either alternative direction either leaves you with a kind of museum piece or a commercial free for all. 

Brent Library Events

After many years of downright hostile reporting on Brent libraries, it seems that the Kilburn Times has finally just published a straight piece about an event at Willesden Library (on new African writing).  Of course the staff at Kilburn Times have been turned over so the new ones are probably not as hostile as in the past.

You can see more about Brent library events here. 

Welfare Assistance in Brent

Brent's local welfare scheme appears to be staggering on.  I remember devoting a lot of time to trying to make the Brent scheme work, so I am glad that it survives when many English schemes have been done away with altogether. 

There is good evidence that the kind of cheap and early interventions made through this kind of scheme are disproportionately beneficial to the public purse, since they work to prevent problems like homelessness that can cost a lot more to solve at a later stage.  I hope therefore that Brent will maintain its scheme, or even enhance it as some lobby groups advocate.

Mismatching Politics and Economics

It looks to me that the UK's long period of mistimed austerity is about to be replaced by a mini-boom in spending.  There is no doubt that Ed Balls was quite right in criticising George Osborne for going too far and too fast in cutting spending.  The result pushed the Bank of England to make up for the government's spending cuts with historically low interest rates for an extraordinary period of time.  Ed Balls didn't get credit for his prescience, because most of the public accepted the "common sense" approach that a time of deficit was a time to cut back on spending.

Now inflation is above the UK target of 2%, and in danger of rising further.  Conventional demand management suggests that should mean limitations on spending, but the politics is now going strongly in the opposite way, with people fed up by years of austerity demanding more spending to build public service from the ruinous state they have been allowed to fall into under the Tories.  The fall of the pound following Brexit has not helped.

The result is likely to see the Bank of England raising interest rates to compensate for increased spending and the possibility of the inflation rises becoming self reinforcing.  This is going to lead to a very nasty situation, and possibly even a period of stagflation.  Again Brexit adds further poison to the mix as the Bank uses the interest rate tool to limit inflation and possibly even an old fashioned run on the pound.  Anyone holding debts is likely to get a nasty shock as the cost of servicing the debts gets ratcheted up at a quick rate.The real architects of this situation, step forward Mr Osborne, are gone, but it is likely to destroy the reputation of whoever is in office.

2 Scrubs Lane Overdevelopment

There is an appalling proposal to build a twenty storey development on the site of the church at 2 Scrubs Lane.  Anyone who knows that area will know it is wholly unsuitable.  However, as the application falls under the Park Royal Development Area, the decision may well be made by people who don't know the area.

I have written to object in the following terms:

I am writing to oppose the above application which simply appals me as an example of grotesque overdevelopment.  The proposed height of twenty stories dwarfs any other building in the area.  The very highest building in the existing neighbourhood is Cumberland House, to the South, which is eight or nine stories and part of the industrial estate.  The rest of this area is characterised by low rise residential housing, often of only two stories.  The sheer size of this proposal should mark it out as unacceptable.  I can only assume that the site's peculiar position in both Hammersmith and Fulham and Brent has allowed an obviously unsuitable proposal to slip through the net during the Summer.  It should simply have been rejected out of hand.

The proposal envisages installing a major source of traffic generation at a site where there have been significant traffic problems in the past.  These were improved thanks to TfL investment some years ago, but are likely to worsen if such a huge development goes ahead.  This is likely to damage road safety at this junction, but also significantly worsen air quality in an area where air quality is already a concern.  The creation of traffic problems at the site will also lead to knock on effects in Harlesden Town Centre, which has only recently been remodelled at considerable expense.  The usages of any successful application should be geared to minimise the addition of traffic given the site's crucial significanace to the transport network towards Baker Street and also towards White City.

The proportion of affordable housing is said to be only about 24%, which seems very low, and well below Brent's normal aspirations.

I also find it hard to imagine how such an overbearing building can be squeezed on to what is quite a small footprint, especially if it is to contribute any sort of "circulation space" or public realm element.

I further note that this post Grenfell application appears to have only one staircase for escape in case of fire.  It will also of course be determined without the benefits of the Grenfell inquiry, as that has yet to report. 

I also note the point made in Andy Slaughter MP's objection that the planning guidelines for this area are yet to be fully formed, which adds to the impression that the proposal is being rushed through in the hope of securing approval for developments that would not get through on their planning merits.

I urge other people to also object.  The email address to write to is planningapplications@opdc.london.gov.uk, and details of the plans can be found here.  At the time of writing, no one from Brent appears to have made any comment despite the negative effect it would have on our area.

Ashford Place Community Cafe

It is interesting to see how Ashford Place Community Cafe is developing.  Although Ashford Place has a long history, the community cafe idea emerged as a kind of by-blow from the Brent Libraries Transformation Project.

Business Rates

Tonight's Brent Council Cabinet report on business rates makes passing reference to a "lack of clarity" about the government's policy on business rates.  The long term aim of the government is said to be 100% retention of business rates by each area.  In practice that could mean dramatic differences between winning areas and losing areas.  A London wide approach would limit the risk considerably.

Library Improvement

It is sometimes said that the decline of libraries in the UK is inevitable and part of a wider social change.  I think the success of the Brent Libraries Transformation Project demonstrates otherwise, but advocates of that view should also explain the performance of libraries in the USA, where usage appears to on the rise. 

Research into Volunteer Libraries

The Government has finally decided to some research into whether volunteer libraries work.  Frankly, it is rather late in the day.  As I have pointed out (as have many others) this research has been an obvious gap with now hundreds of volunteer libraries in operation, but no evidence of far they really work.  The patchy evidence I have been able to find suggests that they don't all that much. 

One line that I think really hits the mark is "a small minority of stakeholders reported that, in some cases, their expectations were set low to begin with, raising the question as to whether the performance of CLs is assessed by stakeholders on an equal basis with local authority led libraries."  My suspicion is that it isn't as there is a real incentive for all concerned to big up the performance of volunteer libraries.  The volunteers themselves want to have a sense of achievement, and have to sell a story of success in order to attract support.  The Councils that have gone down this route have no incentive to argue that their policy didn't work. 

Brent unfortunately has the model about which least is known about the "Independent Library" model, where the local authority gives no real support.