Brent Council Cabinet Resignations

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

Libraries and Mental Health

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

Brent's First Romanian Book Collection

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

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

Comments on Manor Park Road Development

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

Harlesden Post Office Closure

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

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

Bridge Park Sports Centre Redevelopment

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

Camden Libraries Adopt Open Plus

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

Casual Library Use

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

New Manor Park Road Development in Harlesden Town Centre

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

Affordable Housing

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

Car Free Development

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

What it Means for Harlesden Town Centre

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

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

Royal Oak Closure

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

Action or Inaction

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

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

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

Katherine Birbalsingh Defends Herself

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

Delayed Reactions

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

Brent Councillors Last to Know

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

What is Affordable Housing?

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

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

 

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

 

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

Yet Another Brent Council Executive Change

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

Library Decline

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

Small Business Saturday Not Coming to Brent

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

Kilburn Regeneration Finally Under Scrutiny

I have been worried by the lack of public engagement in the South Kilburn regeneration before, so it is good to see that the public are at last demanding a say.  But why has it taken so long?  Possibly the Scrutiny Committee, who have this as an upcoming item, might have some answers.

Butt Sticks out on NHS

In a recent dialogue with Cllr Muhammed Butt, I discovered a reason why Brent Council is apparently so relaxed about the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).  In his view, it is going to enhance service at Central Middlesex Hospital.  

This is, to put it mildly, not a commonly held belief.  Even the STP's defenders think it is being driven partly by expenditure cuts and involves shifting resources away from Central Middlesex, Charing Cross and Ealing Hospitals in particular.

NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP)

It always strikes me as remarkable what attracts controversy and what does not.  Brent Council normally has enormous rows over buildings that, whatever there merits often affect fairly small numbers of users.  By contrast, big policies that affect thousands of people like taking BHP properties back in house get little comment. 

An even more striking example is the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan for North West London.  The Cabinet minutes show little concern over this.  Yet, it is likely to see a substantial downgrading of Central Middlesex and Charing Cross Hospitals, which affects a large part of the southern part of Brent.  Why the reticent response?