Returning to the Odd Finances of Preston Library

Remarking on the odd intervention of the Secretary of State for CLG to the Planning Committee, I have been thinking more about the curios nature of the financial decisions made by Brent Council.

The "Preston Library" charity makes its financial details available via the Charity Commission.  For the year up to 1 April 2018 there appears to be an income of £10,600 and an expenditure of £8,500 for the year.  The grants of CIL money to this group seems to be vastly out of proportion to its ability to spend it.

I highlighted previously, that the Council appears to be willing to give this group more than £250,000 as a one off grant.  This reportedly includes £18,000 for a reception desk.

A Long Lease
The proposal for a 49 year lease also looks very odd.   A previous Council report estimated the potential rent of the building to a market level would amount to about £50,000 per year.  If peppercorn means zero, that means the Council is considering giving this group the equivalent of almost £2.5 million over 49 years.  That is a lot, and for a very long time.  I would expect most leases on buildings to be for say seven to ten years, why should this group be given such a long lease?

The group itself claims to be a temporary organisation, telling the Brent Times that:

"All of us at Preston Community Library agree that public libraries should be publicly funded, and run by paid professional staff.  But, as custodians - for the time being - of Preston Library we are extremely proud of what we've achieved.”

I wonder if some one at the CLG has noticed all this and is wondering just what is going on between this group and Brent Council?  It certainly is a striking difference with the way that other public services in Brent Council are being savagely cut back.

Saving Community Spaces

The Cooperative Society is helping people save communal spaces. There is huge demand for shared spaces to be maintained and recognised for their value.  Unfortunately, this is often disguised as campaigns for something else which tends to disguise how much people want it.

London's largely forgotten shipbuilding tradition

A short piece on London's largely forgotten shipbuilding tradition in On London, although it misses some of the highlights such as Brunel's Great Eastern, the importance of the naval dockyards at Deptford under Admiral Benbow (where Peter the Great came to learn more about it) and the reasons for the demise (largely the increased size of ships).

Scottish Independence

Euan McColm has constructed a possible line of reasoning for John McDonnell's ill judged offer another independence referendum North of the border.  He strikes me as being right in both his assessment of Scottish politics and of the likely effect on English voters.

Preston Library Development Controversy

Interesting take from Martin Francis on the proposed "Preston Library" development.  It sounds like a stormy and difficult meeting, not least because of the inaccurate statements being made.  In particular Cllr Hirani should know better than to condemn the Brent Libraries Transformation Project since as a member of the Labour Group at the time he repeatedly voted for it. Cllr Kennelly's position is more forgivable since he was not a councillor back in 2011 and is presumably relying on inaccurate reports.  However, his reported comments seem to be somewhat inconsistent.

Turning Down the CLG
Also interesting to have the CLG SoS ask the Planning Committee not to decide that night.  That seems like an ultra low level for an SoS to operate on.  It can't be based on the DCMS duty of supervision of libraries duty since (a) the Preston building is not part of the Library statutory service (b) that would be the job of the DCMS Secretary. 

It could be based on a planning ground, but I can't imagine what.  I think it is unhelpful if the Committee did, as in Martin's report, tell the public it was some kind of provisional decision which wasn't binding as I don't think that is really arguable under Brent's own rules (in which case he may have exposed the Council to a judicial review).

The final possibility I can think of is that someone at the CLG thinks that there is something decidedly about the way this whole development is being handled.  The relatively small group running the "Library" has been given £258,000 grant by the Council, which dwarfs most of tits budget, and is reported to be expected a 49 year peppercorn rent.  The amount of money going into such a small organisation seems to be disproportionate since the only publicly available figure about the number of users suggests that it managed 663 users in one month in 2015.  I have suggested that this might be annualised to about 8,000/yr.   Compare that to the usage of Brent public library at (say) Kilburn of about 200,000 per year.

Decline in Behavior
The reported raucous behavior of the audience is sadly a return to the way the library litigants behaved at various previous hearings and decision meetings.  There were a num,ber of incident when they just shouted at people.  In that respect, the 2011-12 process was somewhat reminiscent of the increasingly nasty behavior being normalised on twitter.  Of course, it did no good when the case was decided in the Council's favour by the High Court. 

I am saddened, but not surprised to find that Committee members made no effort to stick up for officers, who are just giving professional advice, and should not be subject to abuse as a result.

Catalyst Excessive Rents

This is a deeply concerning story of Catalyst charging rent to someone literally from the moment that their parent passed away.  This seems to be completely disproportionate and distressing for the relative, since they would have no real chance to hand the flat back without being forced to pay rent. 

Local Authorities across the UK are being pushed to reduce the length of time a property can stand empty before it is liable for Council Tax, with increasing numbers making an immediate charge from the moment of transfer.  Such a policy carries a likelihood of hitting people in distressing circumstances.  I believe that at the time of writing, Brent still allows a three month window, and I hope it remains so.

Taking Over Vacant Shops

The primary question that comes into my mind when I see the proposal to take over vacant shops is do the owners get compensated?  There has been quite a lot of work done with meanwhile uses especially for arts projects, but suggestion of forcing this policy really would be a dramatic departure, and have a major effect on landlords..

Bring in the Army

Apparently, 42% of Londoners would want the government taken over by the Army, which is a deeply scary thought.  Is this yet another deleterious effect of Brexit?

Wider Opinions on Redevelopment

Martin Francis has helpfully summarised some of the range of opinion around the proposed redevelopment of the former school buildings in Preston previously used as a library.  As one might expect local people have a broad range of views, but I am struck by the number criticised the old building as "flimsy" and "not fit for modern purposes".  I seem to recall many of the Library litigants had different views when the Libraries Transformation Project was underway.

Incidentally, I wonder whether the £268,000 of taxpayers money that is being handed over will be the last.  I suspect Brent Library Service could have used that money far more effectively.

Argenta House Proposed for Development

I see that Brent Planning officers are recommending a very large new tower block in Stonebridge.  It would be close to Stonebridge station and be 28 stories tall, as opposed to the current two storey building.  This is a surprising departure from the planning guidance of the Council which, in a legal process fully signed off, sought to concentrate tall buildings in the five growth areas of Alperton, Church End, Colindale, Kilburn and Wembley.  Of course that is guidance given to the Committee but it should be given significant weight.  As far as I can see the officers do not comment on this.

It is also striking that the planners intend a controlled parking zone (CPZ) to be introduced here.  Stonebridge and nearby Tokyngton have traditionally resisted CPZs even though parking in southern Tokyngton has been extremely crowded for many years. 

Dawn Butler MP Seeks to Protect Central Middlesex Services

Dawn Butler MP is seeking to protect Central Middlesex Services at the Urgent Care Centre.  It is a pity that Brent Council did not follow this lead earlier in the NHS plan's history.  The plan is widely regarded as unsuccessful, and has not been effectively opposed by Brent Council for its own reasons.  This despite the negative impacts on Harlesden and Stonebridge. 

Dawn Butler's petition is available on her web site. 

A Return of Estate Agent Boards

I gather that the Kensal Green and Queens Park areas are likely to see an exploding number of estate agent advertisements on billboards in the area.  This is a result of an income generation effort by " Kensal Rise Library" who say they will receive a ten pound fee for each one.  The boards will also carry an advert for their latest event.

Reportedly one of the trustees is financially linked to the estate agent concerned.

Normal estate agent boards are often the subject of complaint by local people as they are often considered to be unsightly, and they are sometimes subject to planning enforcement action as my late colleague former Cllr Lesley Jones explained.  A similar argument applies to satellite dishes. 

Saint GKC?

G K Chesterton has been rejected for canonisation because of his antisemitism, which is fair enough.  Yet I wonder who suggested him in the first place.  I have never heard of him being involved in any miracles.  He was not especially pious, and I don't know that anybody is known for venerating him.

Writing the Father Brown stories doesn't seem to be enough.

Furness Junction Finally Improved

For years I have been complaining about the junction of Harlesden High Street and Furness Road.  As a result of the recent work on the traffic lights this is now sorted and the bizarre mix of different paving has also been turned into a uniform look.

Result.

Less happy is the destruction of the community mosaic which I understand fell victim to a mix of weathering and vandalism.

South Kilburn Housing Referendum Update

Somewhat predictably, the referendum on regenerating South Kilburn is being turned into an all or nothing debate.

The anti campaign is trying to link it to alleged poor behaviour by a number of housing associations in the area, but the outcome of the vote will have no effect on those bodies one way or another.  They will do whatever they do regardless of any vote and according to their own business plans.  What this debate might do, however, is kill off any new housing in South Kilburn, leaving the area frozen in its current state. 

If that were to happen, I suspect that the only way to get things moving again would be through a fundamental change in central government.

Brexit and Control

The UK is going to stop taking part in EU decision making, even though the decisions are still of enormous consequence for us.  In what sense is that "taking back control"?

Harrowing Housing Decisions in Haringey

Haringey is currently squabbling about social housing because they want to build it themselves via an inhouse team.  The trouble with this that Councils tend not to be very good at building housing.  It is not what they do so they don't know how to do it.  Developing an inhouse company would cause delay, quite possibly over runs, expose the Council to maximum risk and quite possibly not lead to housing that was any better than what was there already.  Since any big contractor is almost certainly going to benefit from economies of scale and established expertise, that company will almost certainly be able to do things faster and cheaper.  It will also allow the Council to up the proportion of social housing via a clawback planning condition, which wouldn't really work if the Council did it all itself.

Scottish and English Parliaments

John McDonnell's comments about another Scottish referendum on Independence have rightly created controversy. 

It is hard to know what his intentions were, but I am struck by the inaccuracy of his analysis.  Firstly, he seems to think, along with Richard Leonard, that it is a Scottish only decision with the implications felt only north of the border.  In fact, any effort to separate Scotland and England would lead to years of wrangling and suck up vast amounts of political oxygen in much the same disastrous way that Brexit has.   It would therefore help paralyse the UK, surely a matter of interest for both sides of the border.

Secondly, John McDonnell refers to the "English Parliament".  As he should know, there is no such thing.  The Parliament that sits in Westminster is a UK Parliament with MPs drawn for all over the UK.  What countries does he imagine that MPs representing Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff and son actually come from?

Thirdly, he should also know that the Scottish Parliament is a devolved body under the Scotland Act.  If Scotland were made independent the Scotland Act would have to be repealed, and a new body set up.  This would all be a reserved matter debated and decided in Westminster.

The Speed of Change in Campaign Technology

I recently read Mark Pack's 101 Ways to Win Elections.  Despite the latest edition having been published in 2016, it already strikes me as somewhat out of date as it talks about the "online campaign" as a totally separate thing from the rest of the campaign whereas these days there is just one campaign with different tools, direct mail, emails, facebook, doorknocking etc. as elements.   It is astonishing and slightly scary how quickly things can change.

Brent Ward Review Submissions

Anyone curious about the submissions made in the recent LGCBE review of ward boundaries in Brent can now see them online. I notice that one of them did actually include an internal Labour Party document summarising Labour Party decisions, even though Brent Labour Party failed to submit anything itself.

Altogether a thoroughly odd way of going about things. 

Rewilding in Bristol

A rewilding project is underway in Bristol.  Whilst rewilding is an interesting idea, a much more pressing problem is getting our entire landscape better adapted to current climate change to minimise problems like flooding, maintain production as the temperature climbs, accommodate the human population (e.g. for housing) and preserve biodiversity outside "reserved areas". 

How Would You Brent Provision for Children and Parents Cut?

That is the question Brent Council is currently asking.  Today is the date of Brent Council's second consultation meeting on the development of family hubs in Brent.  This will mean the replacement of the 15 extant childrens centres with eight "family hubs".  This is part of a budget driven process based around the central government cuts.  The philosophy is similar to that followed elsewhere in the Council of reducing the number of service points people can access.

The consultation meeting is today in Brent Civic Centre, board rooms five and six from 2pm to 3.30pm.

Once the Council has decided on which sites to close, it will no doubt have another debate over how to dispose of the buildings.

More Female Labour Councillors?

There is an interesting speculation going on in the Labour Party, that the new ward arrangements may result in more female councillors.  This is if the party stays to the principle introduced in 2002 of always having at least one female candidate per ward.  If more wards become two member wards, you would expect more female candidates automatically.

There are nine two member wards mooted for Brent, and 13 three member wards, a full slate of Labour wins would result in at least 21 female councillors with possibly more than that if wards select more than one female candidate (as they have in the past).  

Priti Patel's Immigration Balance

Priti Patel is going to have a difficult balancing act to pull a viable immigration policy together.  At the moment she is still doing the standard points based system slogan.  Changing that slogan into a policy will be tough.

Firstly, many of the leave voters expected a fall in numbers and will be bitterly disappointed if they don't get one.  Promising that businesses will still be able to import Labour is all very well, but areas like hospitality or seasonal picking need huge numbers of people and that need them on a certain timescale.

The promise of requiring English might also be problematic.  Many immigrants might want to here precisely because they are learning English.  Others might have skills (musicians for example) but poor language skills.  Some of the communities that she promised might see improvements in immigration practices, e.g. making it easier for Asian people to meet their families may find that their relatives are found lacking in languages.  She will also need to find solutions to some of the "hostile environment" practices that are frankly racist and also the post referendum atmosphere where indigenous ethnic minority people are now experiencing racism. 

It is also a paradox given her "free market" approach that she now appears to want to plan and direct businesses in a decidedly non Tory way: keeping tabs on who is employed, where when and why.  The effective creation of a kind of ausländer database would alarm many libertarians, although we don't seem to have many of those left.

National Social Care?

This report from the House of Lords has not received the attention it should.  Despite being chaired by a Tory member, the Committee argued for a taxpayer funded "National Social Care Service".  This is an issue that has been repeatedly ducked.  I can recall speaking to a former Cabinet member in the Blair government who recalled the failure to create such a thing as being a major failure of that government.

Certainly it is surprising to hear Michael Forsyth, who when he was in the Commons was regard as an arch-Thatcherite, suggested such an expansion of state services.

Certainly the current system of just topping up the Council Tax bit by bit is not a viable alternative.

Council Tax Support Returns

Easy to miss that Brent Council is consulting on changes to its Council Tax Support scheme.  Councils.  The consultation started on 19 July and is supposed to last 12 weeks from then.  The new scheme will be effective from 1 April next year.

Brent Council had previously suggested this as an area to make savings. 

Central government (i.e. the coalition) forced Councils to design their own schemes back in 2012.  Brent Council, in a decision in which I was involved, adopted a tough approach. 

The current consultation is here.

Saving Libraries in Essex

The turning of the tide on library provision is really notable in my native Essex, where the SOLE campaign is fiercely hostile to volunteer libraries.  This is of course quite contrary to the experience in Brent where the library litigants actually sued the Council for not having volunteer libraries.  Since their unsuccessful litigation they have had some success in siphoning off money from the taxpayer, although fortunately not directly from the Libraries budget.

Diverting resources from public libraries is one of the real dangers of the volunteer library route, and one that the Essex campaigners are right to be wary of.

Voting and Identification

The Guardian reports that several hundred people were turned away from polling stations because they did not have identification.  This is considerably more than the numbers of people successfully prosecuted for impersonation.  It follows an initial range of trails where no one was found to have impersonated anybody.  The whole scheme, and the idea of rolling it out for all elections looks more like an effort in voter suppression than a genuine concern.

The Turn of the Tide in Library Provision

It interests me that people are now turning against the whole staffless library approach that Brent was criticized for not taking during the Transformation Project.  The main alternatives to Brent's traditional style public library service were:

1. Automated machines as in Camden and Barnet.  These allow entry to a library with no staff at all, but still require security checks to be made occasionally, and crucially to my mind exclude "passing trade".  They restrict users to the club of people who have signed up with a library card and a pin number, which is a category I suspect will rapidly dwindle.
2. "Co-located libraries" where colocation actually means try to get the service to do anything other than run a library.  These include all sorts of things like repairing computers and gym hire.  Some of these schemes may be good, but only so long as it does not become just a "nameplate" library with little in the way of actual library facilities.  
3. Volunteer libraries where I just don't believe that unpaid volunteers will be able to provide the same level of support as paid staff.  Indeed I think they probably would not have the same level of ability in terms of dealing with "challenging behaviour" and other problems.  
4. The adoption of libraries as makeshift benefit claimant points, which I think is really a specialist role that libraries cannot easily fulfil.

Peculiar Volunteer Library Grants

Northamptonshire, that poster county for poor local government practice, is alleged to be having an example of inappropriate links between the Councillors bestowing community grants and the beneficiary.  The complaint is being lodged in Desborough, and is yet another danger of volunteer libraries, that they are given public resources simply because the councillors are too close to them or too cowardly to stand up to the threat of a hostile campaign.

Is Johnson Ruthless or just a Bad Shuffler?

Boris Johnson's reshuffle is being widely depicted as a ruthless exercise of power, but those with memories of his Mayoralty might just see it as incompetence based on a failure to understand how other people work.  It is unsurprising the Jeremy Hunt did not want to replace Penny Mordaunt given she had just been fired for supporting him.  That Johnson did not see that coming reminds me of how he stumbled into firing Ian Blair.  We might also find the pattern of appointments being made without properly checking out the backgrounds of those appointed being repeated. 

The peculiar approach of putting an English MP in the Scottish Office and diverging the UK EU policy from opinion North of the Border will do no good either to the continuation of the UK or the possible Tory revival.

Brexit and Johnson in a nutshell

The cover of this week's UK Economist is a superb comment on the new Prime Minister.  He appears full of glee as he sits atop one his "new routemasters" at the head of a roller coasters.  The passengers look terrified.  The rollercoaster is clearly rickety and will after much rolling around eventually send the bus flying over a cliff edge.

Brexit and Johnson in a nutshell. 

Priti Patel Already in Trouble

Priti Patel is already at risk of resigning her job as Home Secretary as a result of accepting a job within two years after losing office without clearing it with the government according to the Guardian. 

Judging by Johnson's carelessness and cynicism in other cases, I doubt whether the rule will be enforced. 

Ward Paradox

Among the paradoxes around the ward boundary review is that on the existing figures, the boundaries aren't actually all that equal.  The sheer scale of population change in the northern part of Tokyngton in particular indicates that only by 2024 will the population represent enough voters to vote in two councillors.  If there are any delays in the building programme (as things often can be) that may leave the figures seriously awry.

In other words, it is possible to imagine a scenario where the changes make the wards less equal than they are today.

Former Cllr Pat Harrison Dies

I was greatly saddened that former Preston Councillor Pat Harrison has died.  She was well known in Brent through her work as a teacher in Jesus & Mary in Harlesden, and as a school governor at a number of different schools in the Borough.  She was also a long standing stalwart of Brent Labour Party. 

I first met her many years ago when we were both in Brent East Labour Party and worked with her closely over the next twenty years, even after she moved from there to Sudbury and Brent North.

Details on Harlesden

As part of my role at the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum, I have been looking more into Park Royal and immediate Harlesden Town Centre area.  There is a surprising, if rather indigestible amount of detail on Park Royal, but rather less round Harlesden.

I have also been asked what the boundaries of the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum are.  They are on the map below.

Failed NHS Reorganisation in West London

The Guardian, picking up on points earlier trailed by Private Eye, has reported the largely failed reorganisation of the NHS in West London.  Brent Council unlike Ealing or Hammersmith and Fulham has done very little to oppose this reorganisation.  Local concerns over the effect on Central Middlesex Hospital were not voiced.  The result is that Brent has done particularly badly whilst other areas have seen their services survive.

Bee Friendly in Kensal Green

Apparently, Friends of Kensal Rise Library have asked Cllr Krupa Sheth to plant the green space by Kensal Green Tube station with bee friendly planting.

A better site would be Hazel Road Open Space (the other side of the road) or the fringes around the Hazel Road MUGA.  The reason is that both are owned by Brent Council.

Despite appearances, the space right by the Tube is owned by Network Rail.  I know this from my previous efforts to get the land reinstated after it was left as a "moonscape".  This is what it looked like back then.

The land was left like this in the Summer and was not restored until February the following year.  Network Rail are notoriously hard to pin down to any kind of improvements, as I have often found round Willesden Junction.

Tory Government Falling Apart

Tobias Ellwood, who has been a junior defence minster since 2014, has publicly suggested that cuts to the Royal Navy have been so deep that the national interest is endangered since we cannot defend our shipping in the Gulf.

When long standing members of the government admit that the government is seriously failing on a vital national interest, is it not time to admit that the government has just collapsed?

Kensal Rise Residents Association (KRRA) In the Balance

In a few days time (29 July), Kensal Rise Residents Association (KRRA) will be voting on whether to self-dissolve.  This is a result of volunteers failing to come forward and is a constant threat to all such community groups.  A particular problem of many of the groups in this area is that they tend to be very small and resistant to looking to outside their immediate areas.

YouGov Polling of Labour Members

There is a YouGov poll of Labour members now out.  It appears to show a major change in the approval rating of the Labour Leadership with London members for the first time in a long time having a net disapproval rating.

South Kilburn Referendum

South Kilburn is being given a yes/no vote on whether regeneration should stop.  Given my past comments you might think I would welcome this. 

 This is not as democratic as it might appear since it leaves the community with a veto on whether anything happens at all but no apparent say on what might happen in future. These could include issues such as tenure mix, size of units, levels of affordability and so on.  The effects on shared services such as community infrastructure or possible district heating are unclear.  Just yes or no strikes me as an inadequate choice.

If the veto is cast, than it is unlikely that any redevelopment will be possible for many years.

Future Tory Homeless Policy

The picture below shows a Tory advert in circulation on twitter as a joke, but who can forecast the future?

How Much Does a Community Library Cost?

How Much Does a Community Library Cost?  That is the question I have occasionally asked.  Friends of Kensal Rise Library say it costs £100 a day to operate.  That would be £36,500 a year.

The trouble is that it is unclear what makes that figure up.  A proper costing would include the maintenance of the building, training for staff or volunteers, utility bills, cost of promoting events, cost of materials.  Transparently, it should also include the advice given by Brent Council  and any grants.

In the case of Kensal Rise, Brent Council has apparently given £100k which has been used for building work which should reduce the maintenance cost.  The original cost of when it was a Brent run facility are summarised in the original report. 

Wembley Troubadour Theatre

Wembley Troubadour Theatre has opened, giving Brent its second theatre after the Kiln, and marking out a major milestone in the Wembley regeneration.

This second theatre is a very different beast to the first.  It is very large at about 1,200 users in the audience, roughly four times the size of the Kiln.  It also sounds as if it will be taking shows from elsewhere and staging them rather than producing its own productions.

The new theatre is therefore in a fundamentally different business to the Kiln, but it should be an excellent thing in terms of diversifying Wembley from being just about the Stadium, and more towards a real community.

Progress on Streetlighting

Brent Council is currently installing LED lights on its street columns, which I have long advocated.  The new columns are expected to save the Council around 60% of its carbon emissions from street lighting.  I am not sure how much that is but street lighting is roughly the third biggest source of the Council's carbon emissions after property and transport.  The full year financial saving to the Council will be almost one million pounds.

Purpose of Libraries

Public Libraries News has a thoughtful piece on the core purpose of public libraries.  It is somewhat critical of the "Jack of All Trades" approach, which I think is one that Councils in themselves may particularly value.

Whilst I understand what is meant, having a service that can be flexible and accommodate all sorts of different needs is actually inherently valuable to a local authority that constantly needs to change with local circumstances.  A flexible service that can change from saying a toddler group in the morning to pensioners in the afternoon and school students in the evening is actually inherently valuable and potentially grows quite naturally out of the libraries aspirations to universalism.

I also think it is not always the case that "theatre does theatre better" and so on.  It is true that there are some theatres that do outstanding productions and some that do outstanding outreach work (our own Kiln Theatre for example), but there may well be whole groups of people who would literally never go near a conventional theatre as it may have all kinds of stereotypes associated with it.  Many people, for instance, might see the theatre as being for people of a certain class and age, whereas drama can be made accessible to all sorts of people who get a lot from it.  Some of the story telling and semi dramaticised readings that occur in Brent libraries may well fall into this category.  The same might be said of other artistic presentations such as dancing, various kinds of exercise and so on.   

Similarly, one doesn't have to approach the central aim of education/information provision in a Victorian sense of topdown "improvement.  One can easily see libraries as a form of self help and a means to give people tools to pursue their own ends. 

Where I do think the current approach is running into trouble is libraries are seen as kind of dumping grounds for activities that really need specialist.  The amount that libraries can do to help "disadvantaged groups" is easily overestimated.  People in such groups often need quite specialised support that a generalised library service simply cannot provide.  Still worse is the way that politicians have thoughtlessly just dumped public libraries with the task of providing help with universal credit.  This sort of thing really needs specialist knowledge of the benefit system, confidential IT access that libraries are seldom set up to provide and quite lengthy preparation time to go through forms whereas most libraries time-ration access to IT.

Provided that you bear in mind that you are mixing valid purposes that may have quite different rationales there is genuine value in this kind of public space.

Step Free Access at Willesden Green Tube

There is a long standing demand for step free access at Willesden Green Tube, as reported in the Brent Times.  Attaining this would be challenging and no short term project, although the Jubilee line is a natural place to put such an improvement as it already has a number of lifts at stations along the route.

The two main elements are getting the money and designing a scheme.

At present it seems quite optimistic to imagine that all the money could come from section 106 or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money.  I would think that some would have to be borne from TfL's disability adjustment grants.

As I understand it the favoured scheme at the moment would be that there be a bridge from the Station Parade side in what is now Mapesbury ward, that would stretch across to the main platform roughly half way along its length.  Thus a new station entrance would be created.  This would be expensive and disruptive to construct but it is possible.

Queensbury Appeal

The Inquiry into the Queensbury appeal I predicted has gone ahead a lot sooner than I expected.  It will be heard in the morning on 28 August.  I suspect that the applicant, given the history of refusals, had already lined up their case in anticipation of another refusal.

Queens Parade in Willesden High Road

The Queens Parade site in Willesden High Road has come back as an application, once again with a recommendation to be accepted.  The full details are published on page 77 here. 

Housing at Pharamond

I notice that a new housing block behind Pharamond, a Brent Council, housing development on Willesden Lane, is currently under discussion.  This appears to still be at an early stage.

Guidelines for Corbynista Outriders and Antisemitism

Paul Waugh has managed a scoop be getting hold of "the line" for Corbynista responses to the antisemitism crisis.  It is interesting to see the quite close connection he alleges between these unofficial spokespeople and some one in the Corbyn machine.  It is also quite striking how the matter still seems to be being dealt with as a public relations exercise rather than, you know, an actual problem in the Labour Party.

Gloucester and Durham Blocks in South Kilburn

A rumour has been started that Brent Council sold land to a developer for £3 million and has now bought it back for £92 million.  It is a classic case of data being cherrypicked to mislead people.

The land was sold for £3 million, I believe with the  empty tower blocks still on it.  The retention of the freehold by Brent suggest that buying it back was always envisaged.

Anyone familiar with the tower blocks of the old South Kilburn estate will know how awful those were.  Demolishing them could not have been a simple matter of blowing them up, since their sheer size would have risked damaging the surrounding buildings and the building dust would have been hazardous to everyone nearby.  Therefore the only way to clear the land for replacement building was through a relatively slow and costly dismantling.  This should be seen as an extra cost to the £3 million price.

There is then the cost of building the new housing blocks on the same site which further diminishes the effective gap between the cost that the land was sold at and the "buy back" price.  There was also the risk of delays, which gives an additional cost.

Further details are published on the Brent Council web site.

What is being made to sound like an outrageous rip off for the taxpayer actually makes better sense once you think about it.

The real rip offs occurring in Brent's public housing are the continuing right to buy which Eric Pickles keenly promoted and the introduction of permitted development in office space for it to be turned into slum housing.  The first results in Councils being forced to sell off property at a discount.  The property then being sold to commercial developers and then Council paid for tenants being placed there at great expense or actual repurchase of the buildings at market prices.  The second leads to poor quality housing that will lead to a series of social problems of which overcrowding is just one.

Willesden Library 125

Willesden Library will be celebrating its 125th anniversary on 18 July this year.  The original library was founded in 1894.  That library was largely demolished in the 1980s, with an updated building opening in 1989.  The 1980s building was taken down as the final part of the Libraries Transformation Project in 2012 and officially opened in September 2015. 

Bearing Grudges

In a remarkable display of bearing a grudge, Gloria De Piero's former office manager is going to stand against her in the Tory interest.

He says this is because he doesn't like Jeremy Corbyn, although Gloria De Piero is hardly known as Jeremy Corbyn's keenest supporter.  He also says that he loved his previous job working for the homeless, not exactly a cause widely identified with Tory priorities.

If he really doesn't like Jeremy Corbyn could he not find another party slightly less extreme?

Brent's Climate Emergency

Tonight, Brent Council is debating a Climate Emergency declaration, the text of which is now available. 

What I find curious about it is that it restores many of the features that were in place in 2010, but which seems to have been magically forgotten.  Thus, it doesn't mention:

• The Councils attempts to reduce transport emissions
• The very real efforts made through the planning rules to encourage renewable energy, water conservation, better insulation and generally more effective buildings in environmental terms
• The provision of monitoring to ensure that environmental targets are met although this was a feature of both the green charter and subsequently.
• The promotion of more recycling, less landfill and various waste reduction initiatives
• The more sustainable planting regime in Brent parks.

Even more oddly, it calls for a lead member to be tasked with driving a climate change agenda, which was part of my role from 2010 to 2013.  I am not sure when it was dropped as part of that portfolio.  It is possible that Cllr Roxanne Marshari who is proposing the motion for a climate emergency tonight , and was my immediate successor, might be able to say.  In any case, I welcome its return. 

I am also struck by the call for what sounds like a successor group to the climate change steering group.  This unfortunately had a chequered record as many of the participants did not seem to understand its purpose, and simply saw it as a way to

It also seems to omit some rather obvious consequences for Brent, which I would have thought relevant.  There are likely to more climate refugees in the decades to come, and such people often seem to come to Brent in preference to other parts of London or the UK.  There is no mention of the effect that many people consider likely on eating habits and food production, despite Park Royal being at the centre of many food supply networks. 

As I have remarked before, it is easy to sign various pledges, the difficult is following them up with effective action.

Restricting Car Use

A few days ago I suggested that getting serious cuts in carbon emissions was going to be a lot harder than just declaring an emergency.  Shortly afterward Martin Francis green activist and merry proponent of such declarations gave a good illustration of the problem.

Although Martin is a keen supporter of the extinction rebellion, when a school of which he is governor is required not to hire itself out for extra parking he soon complains of the lost revenue. In a separate post he implicitly decries the Tories for seeking to protect diesel drivers, which is something that raises quite similar issues.  These are quite trivial examples of the kind of changes needed to achieve zero carbon, yet a supposedly dedicated environmentalist baulks at the necessary restrictions on car use.

Rainbow Flag Raised at Brent Civic Centre

Today the Rainbow flag of Cooperation will be raised at Brent Civic Centre.  This is the first time that the Flag has been raised at the Civic Centre and the first time this flag was raised on behalf of the London Borough of Brent since the last century. 

Elected to the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum

I went to Tavistock Hall on Thursday to attend the latest Harlesden Neighbourhood forum AGM.  I am now one of the Committee.  Following the success of the referendum, it will be interesting to see which way the group goes. 

Showing Up

I notice that during the recent Tory leadership hustings in Northern Ireland, Jeremy Hunt was asked about the members of the Northern Ireland Assembly still not sitting.  He was reported in the Guardian as suggesting that:

"Hunt says it is totally unacceptable that MLA (members of the legislative assembly) are being paid when they are not sitting and not doing their job."

I wonder whether he is going to extend that logic to Westminster MPs, especially those from Northern Ireland that do not take their seats?

2022 Brent Ward Boundaries Announced

The LGCBE has reported back with its final report on the Borough of Brent.  As I expected, the final report largely follows the provisional one.  Although this could still technically be changed, it is very unlikely to be.

A lot of the debate in the final round of consultation appears to be around the ward names, with the provisional names being simplified.

The changes to the boundaries from the provisional map are slight.  The most consequential is the inclusion of more of the old Harlesden ward in to the new Harlesden and Kensal Green ward.  The LGCBE also now include the whole of Willesden High Road in the Willesden Green ward (which combines the northern part of the old Willesden Green with the southern part of Dudden Hill).  A summary of the report has been published.

It is worth noting that 12 of the wards actually contravene electoral balance limit of 10% on existing boundaries, but they are all expected to fall into line by 2024.  This might well be different if the franchise changes, as it well might, or the predicted population changes don't happen. The worst variance on current electorate figures is new Wembley Park ward which is currently  44% below what it should be.

On the submissions, only nine Brent councillors chose to make submissions on their opinions of what the boundaries should be, and only the Cooperative Party and the Conservative Party chose to make any comment.  I find that slightly odd as the Labour Party certainly agreed a response so I wonder why it was not sent in. The councillors who are listed as commenting are:

Councillor A. Aden

Councillor M. Butt

Councillor S. Choudhary

Councillor L. Colacicco

Councillor T Dar

Councillor L. Dixon

Councillor J. Long

Councillor M. McLennan

Councillor N. Nerva

UPDATE 03.07.19 (13.09 pm)

I have just heard that there was "confusion" as to who was supposed to send the submission in, and that some one has chosen to resign their officer post as a consequence.

 

Calls to Halt Housing Regeneration

I notice that there is a call to halt all new regeneration going ahead.  This is problematic for several reasons. 

Firstly, halting work on such projects creates a cash problem for whoever is funding the work.  Typically, private developers need the work to be completed as soon as possible since they don't get any funding until they can start selling the properties.  Halting regeneration is therefore a call for landbanking by another name.

Secondly a key part of dealing with the climate emergency that I suspect Brent Council is about to declare requires changes to housing stock since out of date housing stock is responsible for much of the UK's climate change emissions.  There is flat contradiction in declaring this an urgent problem and then refusing to try to reduce the emissions.   Admittedly new housing is only part of that solution, with retrofitting of huge importance as well, but anyone who just wants to block regeneration clearly doesn't believe reducing carbon emissions is urgent business.

Thirdly, the problem that seems to be complained about above is mould growing on some of the buildings.  That might quite easily be down to poor management of them rather than anything to do with construction, so the process of halting new build is unlikely to address the problem that has been identified.

Fourthly, anyone who knows Brent knows that we have (a) a massive, and I mean massive, shortage of housing supply in raw units or in types of housing (b) a crisis of affordability with many people totally unable to find remotely affordable housing.

Is this just another case of ill considered protest politics?

Brent Climate Emergency Petition

A new Climate Emergency petition has been started for Brent.  What I find odd about this is that it seems to take little notice of Brent's existing policies.  These have already seen Brent cut its carbon emissions by about 40%.  The authors sound as if they are unaware of Brent's numerous planning and transport policies to reduce emissions, or the move to reduce emissions through better street lighting, or Brent's Energy Plan, or the work in schools, or the work on waste processing.  An idea of the sheer range of things that Brent Council is simultaneously supporting can be found in the Brent Civic Centre project (at the time of opening said to be the greenest building in Europe). 

Have the people behind this petition only just woken up to the climate change issue?