Paul Krugman Optimism on the Economy

Paul Krugman has a tiny glimmer of optimism that austerity is finally being being eased out of the economic debate.  I am sorry to say that I haven't noticed that in the UK, where George Osborne seems unfazed by his spectacular wrongness on every subject.  I suspect that this is because George Osborne does not care about the economic consequences of his policy so long as the political policies are holding good.  Given the scale of the Conservative government's mismanagement, one might have expected their political state to be much worse than it is, so Labour will have to work out a way to connect the suffering people have felt with the decisions that David Cameron and Nick Clegg made.

Reducing Betting in High Streets

The sheer number of authorities demanding limits to betting (especially Fixed Odds Betting Terminals) shows how widespread the problem is.  The Tories have previously been lukewarm on this subject, despite evidence of the damage done.  Lets hope that the message is finally getting through.

Doorknocking with Tulip Siddiq

Out door knocking with Tulip Siddiq this afternoon, and going to a Brent & Harrow Co-operative meeting this evening.  Just one heady excitement after another.  Whenever I go out in Hampstead & Kilburn, I never seem to find any signs of the other parties, I wonder where they have got to?

Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt has chosen to illustrate the parlous state of the NHS with his own family.  It is difficult to know where to start with how bad this is.  He is actively encouraging the overload of A&E.  He is encouraging reliance on the most expensive form of primary care instead of following the general advice on health and social care of encouraging prevention and early intervention.  He fails to accept responsibility for cutting GP provision which has contributed to the problems.  He is accused of trying to suppress information about winter pressures on the NHS. 

When he was Culture Secretary, I speculated he would soon go.  This was based on the sheer incompetence of a minister who didn't even know what "quasi judicial" meant when he was making decisions about Murdoch's takeovers.  However, I failed to take into account that in the Conservative government we now have incompetence is no barrier to office.

Brent Museum Strategy Knocked Back

I see form the Brent Council Forward Plan that the Brent Museum strategy has been knocked back to January, having originally been proposed for November.  This seems a little odd as I had thought it was ready a long time ago.  I notice the library stock contract has also been pushed back.  Given the financial state of the Council, it would not surprise me if a significant budget cut were being planned for the books budget, which would be a great pity as maintaining the book fund was a key part of Libraries Transformation Project. 

Brent Council Budget Drifts

I am still getting a sense that Brent Council is no closer to a real long term plan for its finances than it was a year ago.  Recent moves like the proposed abolition of the Environment Department strike me as just the crudest of finance driven cuts, and the continuing ignoring of human resources failures hints at an organisation in serious trouble.

Limited Library Budgets

In a recent post, Public Libraries News pointed out that some Council are sacrificing jobs in the library service for buildings and books.  Put as directly as that it sounds pretty brutal, but in fact that has long been the choice as I have pointed out before.  In Brent, this was made clear as early as the first consultation meeting on 1 December 2010, when the audience was told an equivalent through shorter opening times (i.e. fewer staff) would require a 40% reduction across the border.  For example, instead of extensive refurbishment and opening seven days a week, Kilburn Library would have remained with its ongoing problems and opening only three days a week.

A similar logic applies to other Council budgets, and seems so obvious that I find it hard to see why people don't get it.

Brent Council, in a document not yet agreed (or possibly even read) by councillors is proposing further cuts to the libraries budget.  At the same time some campaigners seem to think they can set up private libraries and rely on the Council for some sort of funding and support.  If that were to happen, that would entail a draining away of resources from the Council's own library service in resources and quite possibly management time.  In other words, a reversal of the current successful approach and the switch by a Labour Council to a rather strange form of privatisation with no agreed monitoring of the quality of service. 

Brent Civic Centre Success

I am glad to see that Brent Civic Centre has been given another award.  More important are the numerous benefits to Brent, including of course Wembley Library.  

The Importance of Forward Planning

I see Martin Francis is taking Brent Council to task for putting Stonebridge Adventure Playground on its Forward Plan and then off again.  He concentrates on the suggestion that a report on a decision is being advertised as being taken before the consultation will have finished, which would suggest the consultation is something of a sham and that the Council is disregarding its own procedures.  Both of these could potentially lead to legal action.

The Council has a statutory duty to put items on the Forward Plan at least three months before decision.  Brent's own Constitution certainly used to demand a slightly long period of four months, although I am not sure if this has changed.  Violation of such a rule could be a ground of legal challenge, as of course could the suggestion that the Council's miond was made up prior to the decision. 

Sunderland Library Success

Sunderland is reported to consider its libraries service a success despite widespread closures.  As in Brent, Sunderland closed nine buildings without going down the community managed libraries route.  Frustratingly, I can't find a link to the original scrutiny report so details are short.

Sunderland's main measurement of success appears to be book loans, which (as in Brent) have gone up. Like Brent, they seem to have greatly expanded outreach services.  Some of the press reports seem to suggest that some residents actually find outreach easier.  However, there is less mention of ebooks, improved online service or new buildings than in Brent. 

It would be good to find more detail to see what the differences between Brent and Sunderland might be. 

Local Government Failures and Eric Pickles

The National Audit Office has highlighted the financial weakness of many local authorities, and the DCLG's almost incredible lack of preparation for the collapse of local government functions.  The scale of government cuts, and their politically motivated concentration in the areas of greatest need, make collapse in at least some areas inevitable.  As with failing schools, once a local authority gets past a certain point putting it back together is likely to far harder than saving a going concern. 

Eric Pickles seems to have made no effort to prepare for this, just waiting for things to fall apart.  When the crisis hits I suspect his previous tactic of simply blaming the local council won't work and people will be blaming the failures of his own department (who I dare say will be as overwhelmed as the Education Department in handling failing free schools. 

Sadly, it will be the people in the relevant areas who will suffer the consequences.

Planning Permission for the Former Cricklewood Library

I understand from Cllr Lia Colacicco that a satisfactory development has been given planning permission at the former Cricklewood Library.  I am glad that this has finally got through, although it seems to have taken a long time.  Hopefully, the new development will add to the animation at the southern end of Gladstone Park.

Louis Wain Cat in Willesden

Well done to the Willesden Town Team for installing a Louis Wain style cat outside Willesden Green station.  Louis Wain lived just round the corner on Brondesbury Park.  The artist who managed the project, Debra Collis, is the same that managed the very successful mosaic in Furness Pocket Park. 

St Margaret of Scotland

I was looking at a Clerk of Oxenford's take on St Margaret of Scotland the other day.  If you haven't consulted this blog, it has some fascinating pieces on medieval history.  St Margaret's mixture of Continental, English and Scottish connections might give the more simplistic Indyref campaigners some food for thought in their interpretation of Scots history. 

Brent Council and Public Health

Last Monday, Brent Council Cabinet considered a report on public health in Brent.  It was a disappointing read.  It dutifully goes through various facts and figures about public health and the good work being done, but there is little sense of an organisation grasping new opportunities. 

I think this is a great disappointment as public health is an area that has come back to local government with a ringfenced budget and there should be plenty of opportunities to rethink public health delivery in terms of synergies with other local government functions.  Brent has developed strategies in food growing, promotion of sports, regulation of unwelcome activities such as shisha or fast food that should have numerous implications for health.  An imaginative approach should be able to find new ways of tackling thesae issues that the NHS or the Council alone have not previously attempted.

Local Government Perspective

I have been reading a book recently on Edinburgh history called Capital of the Mind.  It cites a conversation of the many times Lord Provost of Edinburgh George Drummond in 1763.  In it he explained to his interlocutor that the area to the north of the city would be built on (what is now called the New Town) and that he had first envisaged this in 1725.  Local government just doesn't have that kind of perspective these days.

Barham Again

Yet another scheme for the buildings in Barham Park is being put forward, according to the Kilburn Times.  This follows a prolonged effort to stop progress in Barham Park, which came to an end with the decision of the Planning Inspector to grant planning permission for change of use in September.  That was one of a string of implausible proposals put forward by former councillor and leader of Brent Liberal Democrats Paul Lorber.   

This latest attempt is aimed at taking over a section of the buildings that had been earmarked for a possible cafe, called the cardroom.   That part of the building is in a poor state of repair.  It is quite possible that there may not be sufficient resources to repair it.  If there are any Barham Library proposals would be subject to similar concerns as the "offer" over the former Preston Library. 

Building on the old Willesden Social Club

Going past the old Willesden Social Club site recently, I noticed a huge crane so I take it work is finally underway behind the hoardings.  I have been trying to get this site built on for ages.  I think my first activity was getting a petition for development together before I was elected a councillor in 2006.  It shows how hard some sites can be to get developed. 

Edward Harvist Trust

Bids are invited for the latest rounds of grants from the Edward Harvist Trust.  Details are here.  This is the rather odd mechanism whereby some local authorities near the A5 give small grants to voluntary bodies.  Edward Harvist, after whom Harvist Road in Queens Park is named, bequeather money for the upkeep of the A5 in 1605, and this has now become a repository for grants to small community groups.  Isn't it odd how the English do things?

The deadline for applications is 15 December.  

Rising Local Government Corruption

The Audit Commission, in its last report before closure, reports that fraud in local government is rising.  One assumes that Eric Pickles regrets this, although his actions appear to promote it.  Some of the rise may be linked to people cutting corners as they get more desperate, but much is down to a running down of safeguards against corruption.  Not for the first time, Eric Pickles actions seem to conflict with his stated aims.