One of the most striking findings of the Libraries Transformation Project was that more than 50% of respondents used the library to access periodicals. I was very surprised that the proportion was so high.
Brent Libraries is now integrating this element into its electronic offering by allowing people access to 41 titles electronically. As with ebooks, we have constraints as to which titles can be made available. The format is compatible with iPhones, iPads, Windows and various tablets.
You can learn more about Brent Council's online library resources here.
Monday, 19 November 2012
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Sarah Teather Discovers Morality
Sarah Teather is interviewed by The Observer and claims to have discovered an interest in the immorality of the government's welfare reforms. How curious that this interest should only emerge after her sacking as a government minister. She is presumably hoping that words of sympathy for the victims of the government she continues to support will help her to save her seat at the next election.
Somerset Shows the Way of the Future
A Council in Somerset has questioned its own long term viability. We are likely to see more and more of this as the "graph of doom" moves forward. At some point even the government will have to notice.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Housing and Hypocrisy
Red Brick relates the sad tale of government hypocrisy with regard to homelessness. Government cynically set standards that they know their own policies make it impossible to meet. It is now inevitable that large numbers of people will face upheaval as they are forced out of London.
What happens next? The way I imagine it, large numbers of people get dumped in the poorer parts of the UK. As these parts have fewer jobs available, they are more likely to get trapped in a cycle of poverty and benefit dependency, the opposite of what the government says it intends. Poverty also tends to encourage greater use of many public services, putting those services under greater strain. This is likely to lead to resentment among the indigenous population, and social conflict including violence which no doubt the ministers will condemn.
Meanwhile, London will see parts of its population unable to afford decent housing, but unwilling to move out to part of the country where it will be impossible to earn a living. This will encourage a black economy of overcrowded housing with probably extremely poor standards in terms of building controls, fire safety and so on. The problems of overcrowding will also encourage wider effects such as declining educational standards, poorer health and so on. This will create more problems within London's public services.
These possibilities must have occurred to government ministers. One assumes they simply don't care.
What happens next? The way I imagine it, large numbers of people get dumped in the poorer parts of the UK. As these parts have fewer jobs available, they are more likely to get trapped in a cycle of poverty and benefit dependency, the opposite of what the government says it intends. Poverty also tends to encourage greater use of many public services, putting those services under greater strain. This is likely to lead to resentment among the indigenous population, and social conflict including violence which no doubt the ministers will condemn.
Meanwhile, London will see parts of its population unable to afford decent housing, but unwilling to move out to part of the country where it will be impossible to earn a living. This will encourage a black economy of overcrowded housing with probably extremely poor standards in terms of building controls, fire safety and so on. The problems of overcrowding will also encourage wider effects such as declining educational standards, poorer health and so on. This will create more problems within London's public services.
These possibilities must have occurred to government ministers. One assumes they simply don't care.
Friday, 16 November 2012
Liberal Democrats Against Libraries
I see that, over in Islington, a Liberal Democrat councillor is complaining bitterly at the refurbishment of a library by Islington's Labour administration.
The situation is not unique. In Brent none other than the Liberal Democrat leader on Brent Council, Cllr Paul Lorber, has objected to investment in Kilburn Library. Specifically, at the Forward Plan Committee in May 2011, he suggested that we should have closed Kilburn Library in Salusbury Road and left Local residents to rely on Camden's facilities instead.
The situation is not unique. In Brent none other than the Liberal Democrat leader on Brent Council, Cllr Paul Lorber, has objected to investment in Kilburn Library. Specifically, at the Forward Plan Committee in May 2011, he suggested that we should have closed Kilburn Library in Salusbury Road and left Local residents to rely on Camden's facilities instead.
Martin Francis on Brent Civic Centre Again
I assume picking up on this post, Martin Francis of the Brent Green Party seems upset that I suggested that Brent Greens were reactionary and not very interested in climate change issues.
Commenting on the Civic Centre, he goes on to suggest that, for him, "how green it may be is not the main issue". That was what I was pointing out as counterintuitive. Most people would expect that anyone describing themselves as green would consider the environmental effect of the Civic Centre as the main issue.
I have pointed out before that the new Civic Centre building will be one of the greenest in the UK. Indeed it is the main hitter Brent Council has in reducing its own carbon emissions, and improving its property estate in other beneficial ways, such as water conservation. In doing so, it also enables Brent Council to credibly go to other partners and argue for them to improve their environmental performance as well.
Martin's response appears to be to argue that a new building must have greater effect on carbon emissions than retrofitting a series of old ones. There is no evidence for this , and plenty against. The Civic Centre, as I have observed before, has specific measures to limit the carbon emissions of building by local sourcing and innovative building techniques, which are a key part of the BREEAM accreditation.
A fuller record of the environmental benefits of the Civic Centre can be found here, for those who do consider it the main issue.
For those who think environmental issues a bit passé, there are a wide range of other benefits. Again I have described these before.
The one that engages Martin is the direct financial cost, seeing that in its narrowest sense. The net reduction in costs to the Council is of the order of £3 or £4 million every year. That is the savings minus the cost.
One could also look at the wider outlook of course. Ed Balls has argued plausibly that the present government cut too far and too fast. I have long held this view, that in a recession the UK and other economies needed to boost demand through fiscal expansion rather than George Osborne's programme of fiscal contraction.
There is a legitimate argument about how best to do that, with many people critical of simply increasing consumption. However, most people agree that investing in public infrastructure is exactly what we should be doing, most noticeably in housing. Borrowing costs are low, so the direct cost to the taxpayer (not counting the benefits of keeping people and firms employed rather than idle) would be maximised. Construction costs are currently relatively low, although if a macroeconomic policy of boosting the construction sector worked, that might reverse.
Cancelling infrastructure spending is in fact what the government has been doing, which brings us back to Martin, who feels that the Civic Centre might not be "necessary" or "desirable" in an "era of austerity". We therefore have the bizarre spectacle of Martin, who I am sure considers himself a man of the Left, supporting cuts in infrastructure spending on the same lines as George Osborne!
That makes Martin reactionary not just in a general sense, but also in the quite specific one of supporting George Osborne's austerity policy, even as Osborne himself sidles away in view of the mounting evidence of failure.
UPDATE
Martin has replied below whilst apparently missing my main points. Firstly, environmental benefits are not a useful add on for good times; they are essential, as one might expect a Green Party candidate to know. Second, the Civic Centre actually saves us money to the tune of £3 or £4 million a year. Not going ahead with the Civic Centre would have meant £3 or £4 million cuts in public services on top of what the government has imposed on us. Finally, the Civic Centre is a good example of how we can use procurement by public bodies to re-orientate towards a less carbon intensive economy, and that is a long term route to better living standards.
Commenting on the Civic Centre, he goes on to suggest that, for him, "how green it may be is not the main issue". That was what I was pointing out as counterintuitive. Most people would expect that anyone describing themselves as green would consider the environmental effect of the Civic Centre as the main issue.
I have pointed out before that the new Civic Centre building will be one of the greenest in the UK. Indeed it is the main hitter Brent Council has in reducing its own carbon emissions, and improving its property estate in other beneficial ways, such as water conservation. In doing so, it also enables Brent Council to credibly go to other partners and argue for them to improve their environmental performance as well.
Martin's response appears to be to argue that a new building must have greater effect on carbon emissions than retrofitting a series of old ones. There is no evidence for this , and plenty against. The Civic Centre, as I have observed before, has specific measures to limit the carbon emissions of building by local sourcing and innovative building techniques, which are a key part of the BREEAM accreditation.
A fuller record of the environmental benefits of the Civic Centre can be found here, for those who do consider it the main issue.
For those who think environmental issues a bit passé, there are a wide range of other benefits. Again I have described these before.
The one that engages Martin is the direct financial cost, seeing that in its narrowest sense. The net reduction in costs to the Council is of the order of £3 or £4 million every year. That is the savings minus the cost.
One could also look at the wider outlook of course. Ed Balls has argued plausibly that the present government cut too far and too fast. I have long held this view, that in a recession the UK and other economies needed to boost demand through fiscal expansion rather than George Osborne's programme of fiscal contraction.
There is a legitimate argument about how best to do that, with many people critical of simply increasing consumption. However, most people agree that investing in public infrastructure is exactly what we should be doing, most noticeably in housing. Borrowing costs are low, so the direct cost to the taxpayer (not counting the benefits of keeping people and firms employed rather than idle) would be maximised. Construction costs are currently relatively low, although if a macroeconomic policy of boosting the construction sector worked, that might reverse.
Cancelling infrastructure spending is in fact what the government has been doing, which brings us back to Martin, who feels that the Civic Centre might not be "necessary" or "desirable" in an "era of austerity". We therefore have the bizarre spectacle of Martin, who I am sure considers himself a man of the Left, supporting cuts in infrastructure spending on the same lines as George Osborne!
That makes Martin reactionary not just in a general sense, but also in the quite specific one of supporting George Osborne's austerity policy, even as Osborne himself sidles away in view of the mounting evidence of failure.
UPDATE
Martin has replied below whilst apparently missing my main points. Firstly, environmental benefits are not a useful add on for good times; they are essential, as one might expect a Green Party candidate to know. Second, the Civic Centre actually saves us money to the tune of £3 or £4 million a year. Not going ahead with the Civic Centre would have meant £3 or £4 million cuts in public services on top of what the government has imposed on us. Finally, the Civic Centre is a good example of how we can use procurement by public bodies to re-orientate towards a less carbon intensive economy, and that is a long term route to better living standards.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Barnet Losing its Marbles
Barnet has a continuing series of complaints all around misgovernance of various kinds. Given this record, I am not surprised at the disquiet around large scale outsourcing. Major outsourcing needs central services in procurement, clienting, legal advice and maybe even communications to dramatically up their game rather than reduce it. Barnet seem to just have a vague assumption that outsourcing costs less so it must be the way to go.
Public library User Survey
People can access the Public Library User Survey forms from Brent Library service at the moment. This is a national survey designed to find out more about user attitudes and needs. It's predecessors helped inform our own Libraries Transformation Project.
Climate Change Gloom
Looking beyond Brent, the Economist has some gloomy thoughts on climate change. It suggests that the world is unlikely to adopt measures to stop global warming at a two degree rise, which itself would be fairly disastrous. It also suggests the USA's commitment to limiting climate change is likely to diminish.
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Happy Diwali
The Economist wishes us Happy Diwali with a quick reminder of the links between European and Indian languages here.
Willesden Junction Station Approach Details
Harlesden town website provides more detail on the Station Approach proposals at Willesden Junction.
Automatic Library Membership
Good to see today the announcement by the Arts Council has up that Brent has one of a number of projects promoting library usage among school children. The constant budget hits are deterring many authorities from new initiatives, but I am proud that Brent is still going forward with innovations.
What Interests People Politically?
UKpollingreport has an interesting post on what people pay attention to in politics. Much of the time the answer appears to be not much. Many people simply aren't interested most of the time. There also appears to be a bias towards paying attention to the picturesque, such as "pleb gate", rather than the more important but less easy to grasp, such as the utter failure of the government's economic policy.
I would add that small local issues can be very important but the effect if often extremely localised. Out door knocking in recent weeks, I found a lot of different interests in different parts of Kensal Green. Napier Road residents were interested in their seven day parking zone, which was of no interest to people living on Springwell Avenue. Springwell Avenue residents were more excited by the local littering and environmental problems around Park Parade. Similarly residents in High Street Harlesden have lots of concerns about the noise nuisance from the nearby bars. In other words, the residents are concerned by things that impact upon them directly; much less by important issues that seem more abstract.
I would add that small local issues can be very important but the effect if often extremely localised. Out door knocking in recent weeks, I found a lot of different interests in different parts of Kensal Green. Napier Road residents were interested in their seven day parking zone, which was of no interest to people living on Springwell Avenue. Springwell Avenue residents were more excited by the local littering and environmental problems around Park Parade. Similarly residents in High Street Harlesden have lots of concerns about the noise nuisance from the nearby bars. In other words, the residents are concerned by things that impact upon them directly; much less by important issues that seem more abstract.
Cuts for Labour Councils rather than Tory Councils
The Guardian tells us what most of us already knew today. The Tory and Liberal Democrat cuts have been deliberately skewed to hit Labour, and poorer, areas harder than Tory (and richer) areas.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
The Costs of Legal Action
The recent Birmingham experience underlines the importance of local authorities getting the legal things right. Birmingham now have a bill of hundreds of millions that it will take twenty years to repay. The repayments will have to come from money that would otherwise have funded public services.
Of course, before, we sympathise to much with the Council and the taxpayers, we should remember that the women who claimed were entitled to equal pay, and whoever (probably long ago) failed to pay them properly did them a serious injustice.
Of course, before, we sympathise to much with the Council and the taxpayers, we should remember that the women who claimed were entitled to equal pay, and whoever (probably long ago) failed to pay them properly did them a serious injustice.
Brent Council Executive Disrupted
Last night the Brent Council Executive was disrupted and had to decamp to another part of the building. This is becoming routine. What is appalling is that the two police officers present simply stood there and made no effort to intervene.
Once we reassembled downstairs we went through the business on the agenda. I had three reports. The first was a brief update on the public realm contract". This is to replace our current contract with Veolia, which will also include grounds maintenance. We had been hoping for joint working with two other Boroughs. Unfortunately, Barnet and Hounslow have now dropped out.
We also had a short report on the possible resale of the dry recyclable that people put in their blue top bins, and to declare Masons Field (an area at the northern end of Fryent Country Park) as a nature reserve.
Once we reassembled downstairs we went through the business on the agenda. I had three reports. The first was a brief update on the public realm contract". This is to replace our current contract with Veolia, which will also include grounds maintenance. We had been hoping for joint working with two other Boroughs. Unfortunately, Barnet and Hounslow have now dropped out.
We also had a short report on the possible resale of the dry recyclable that people put in their blue top bins, and to declare Masons Field (an area at the northern end of Fryent Country Park) as a nature reserve.
Monday, 12 November 2012
Changes at Furness Pocket Park
On Saturday, I gathered with Cllr Bobby Thomas, some officers and a couple of residents to consider what could be done to brighten up Furness Pocket Park. It doesn't look likely that much will be possible this financial year, although some bulb and hedgerow planting is possible. Longer term, it would be good to improve the boundary treatment on to Furness Road.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Buildings and Carbon Emissions
Comments on the brief post I did on Willesden Green Library Centre argue that retrofitting an old building must be more carbon efficient than building a new one. I have never seen any evidence for that assertion.
Given the sheer number of older buildings in the UK, effective retrofitting is clearly going to be an important set of techniques to develop. However, raising an old building to the kind of performance one sees in a completely new one may well be impossible. If we look at the refurbishment of Kilburn Library as an example, we find inherent obstacles. Kilburn Library is a Victorian building and the Victorians did not build walls with cavity insulation. The revitalised building now has more efficient lighting and heating, which both can be put in an old shell, but I find it harder to imagine how one could use some modern techniques, such as an extensive system of grey water harvesting for instance. With a new building, the entire edifice can be designed to minimise the use of mechanical heating and ventilation. There is also the question of expense, which in the case of Kilburn Library made installing double glazing prohibitive. Finally, an old building in a conservation area, such as the Kilburn Library, is subject to various planning restrictions which can inhibit certain techniques. I remember back in 2010, there were a number of issues with the use of passivhaus techniques in a property in Mapesbury.
The "you can't have new buildings" argument is one most associated with Brent Green Party in their struggle to denigrate Brent's new civic centre. To me, it seems that the Brent Greens are taking an ultra conservative approach, and that they don't seem to care about the carbon emissions performance at all.
Given the sheer number of older buildings in the UK, effective retrofitting is clearly going to be an important set of techniques to develop. However, raising an old building to the kind of performance one sees in a completely new one may well be impossible. If we look at the refurbishment of Kilburn Library as an example, we find inherent obstacles. Kilburn Library is a Victorian building and the Victorians did not build walls with cavity insulation. The revitalised building now has more efficient lighting and heating, which both can be put in an old shell, but I find it harder to imagine how one could use some modern techniques, such as an extensive system of grey water harvesting for instance. With a new building, the entire edifice can be designed to minimise the use of mechanical heating and ventilation. There is also the question of expense, which in the case of Kilburn Library made installing double glazing prohibitive. Finally, an old building in a conservation area, such as the Kilburn Library, is subject to various planning restrictions which can inhibit certain techniques. I remember back in 2010, there were a number of issues with the use of passivhaus techniques in a property in Mapesbury.
The "you can't have new buildings" argument is one most associated with Brent Green Party in their struggle to denigrate Brent's new civic centre. To me, it seems that the Brent Greens are taking an ultra conservative approach, and that they don't seem to care about the carbon emissions performance at all.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Yesterday at the Amber Grill
Yesterday, I was down at Station Road, where TfL had asked for a short event to celebrate the makeover of Station Road as part of the Harlesden Town Centre development. Afterward, we repaired to the Amber Grill (any carnivores who haven't been there will find it a treat, although it is not so great for vegetarians). I had a number of concerns expressed about the proposed Harlesden waste plant to the south and the effect of traffic movements and so on. Let us hope that Ealing Planning follow our concerns. Brent Planning, myself and many others have written to object.
Friday, 9 November 2012
A Missed Library Opportunity
Having now read the House of Commons Select Committee Report on libraries, I must say I find it disappointing. Given that the ebook lending review is underway, perhaps it would be too much to expect the MPs to try to pre-empt it, but some greater awareness of the ebook issue would be welcome. Inparticular, the 1964 definition of comprehensive and efficient is crying out for updating to include electronic media. Many of the witnesses to the committee appear to have emphasised the importance of internet use at libraries, yet it doesn't come across in the report. A missed chance to modernise libraries.
The views of a number of library campaigners are summarised on public libraries news. I think Alan Gibbons is right in saying that many of them probably had unreasonable expections of what the Committee was likely to produce, but I think it could and should have produced an attempt to update the definition of what a comprehensive and efficient library service is, and especially that it covers electronic information as well as printed materials. Without the definition being widened for the modern age, the library service will slowly slide away.
The views of a number of library campaigners are summarised on public libraries news. I think Alan Gibbons is right in saying that many of them probably had unreasonable expections of what the Committee was likely to produce, but I think it could and should have produced an attempt to update the definition of what a comprehensive and efficient library service is, and especially that it covers electronic information as well as printed materials. Without the definition being widened for the modern age, the library service will slowly slide away.
Thursday, 8 November 2012
South Kilburn Developments
A rather hurried photo I took of the flats demolition now underway in South Kilburn, that I took from the Watford to Euston line. These buildings are close to Kilburn High Road. It is a great relief that the redevelopment of South Kilburn is finally underway despite the economic crisis.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Review of Past Six Months
It is time to do another of my reviews of the past six months, starting with waste and recycling. The new recycling system appears to have confounded its critics, and led to a substantial improvement in recycling. This saves the Council money, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and appeals to most people as a more rational use of resources. Of course, there is still ongoing work in terms of getting landlords to educate their their tenants better, cracking down on trade waste and dealing with house of multiple occupation in particular. One of the big projects for the next six months is to start designing a new contract for waste, street cleaning and grounds maintenance. This will replace the current contract held by Veolia, which runs out on 31 March 2014. That may sound a long way away, but the procurement timetable is actually quite tight.
Ancillary to this Is a whole saga around the doings of the West London Waste Authority. However, as with the giant rat of Sumatra, this is a tale for which the world is not yet prepared.
We also had the Olympics, which passed off without any major hitches. This is easy to take for granted, but the complexities of maintaining the Borough's day to day operations were really quite complicated. Things like cleaning, rubbish disposal, keeping transport flowing needed a lot of planning. There will also have to be a lot of follow up work in services like Trading Standards, and of course the sports service.
The third controversial issue of the past six months was the final implementation of the Libraries Transformation Project. Although the old buildings were closed in October 2011, we only got full access to the bookstock in late May, and the various strands of the project have only really started to come into their own during the past six months. These include: the Summer Reading Challenge, the Kilburn Library refurbishment, home delivery improvements, the school library card scheme, free legal advice, homework clubs, our first artist in residence scheme, online courses and so on. It will be interesting to see how the success of our service compares to authorities that have gone down different avenues.
We have also seen lots of progress on less high profile issues. Falling carbon emissions is perhaps the most obvious, especially given the recent experience with Hurricane Sandy. Gearing up for the move to the Civic Centre is probably helping us achieve this. We have also seen the Dollis Hill House saga finally end, a new food growing strategy, a minor variation in leaflet regulation that led to accusations that I was Stalinist, progress on animal welfare in Brent, the start of work on a new park in Chalkhill and the approval of outdoor gym equipment in some Brent parks.
In the ward, there have been a number of issues. These include the installation of artwork in Hazel Road Open Space, improvements to Station Approach (at last), the successful resolution of another longstanding issue at the former Willesden Social Club, progress on The Green Man, further work on the redevelopment of Harlesden Town Centre (especially dealing with the waste and street cleaning issues), and road safety improvements at Princess Frederica School. Best of all, we have the opening of the Roundwood Youth Centre, that almost didn't happen as a result of the Tory/Liberal Democrat government.
Ancillary to this Is a whole saga around the doings of the West London Waste Authority. However, as with the giant rat of Sumatra, this is a tale for which the world is not yet prepared.
We also had the Olympics, which passed off without any major hitches. This is easy to take for granted, but the complexities of maintaining the Borough's day to day operations were really quite complicated. Things like cleaning, rubbish disposal, keeping transport flowing needed a lot of planning. There will also have to be a lot of follow up work in services like Trading Standards, and of course the sports service.
The third controversial issue of the past six months was the final implementation of the Libraries Transformation Project. Although the old buildings were closed in October 2011, we only got full access to the bookstock in late May, and the various strands of the project have only really started to come into their own during the past six months. These include: the Summer Reading Challenge, the Kilburn Library refurbishment, home delivery improvements, the school library card scheme, free legal advice, homework clubs, our first artist in residence scheme, online courses and so on. It will be interesting to see how the success of our service compares to authorities that have gone down different avenues.
We have also seen lots of progress on less high profile issues. Falling carbon emissions is perhaps the most obvious, especially given the recent experience with Hurricane Sandy. Gearing up for the move to the Civic Centre is probably helping us achieve this. We have also seen the Dollis Hill House saga finally end, a new food growing strategy, a minor variation in leaflet regulation that led to accusations that I was Stalinist, progress on animal welfare in Brent, the start of work on a new park in Chalkhill and the approval of outdoor gym equipment in some Brent parks.
In the ward, there have been a number of issues. These include the installation of artwork in Hazel Road Open Space, improvements to Station Approach (at last), the successful resolution of another longstanding issue at the former Willesden Social Club, progress on The Green Man, further work on the redevelopment of Harlesden Town Centre (especially dealing with the waste and street cleaning issues), and road safety improvements at Princess Frederica School. Best of all, we have the opening of the Roundwood Youth Centre, that almost didn't happen as a result of the Tory/Liberal Democrat government.
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Fireworks at Roundwood Park
Congratulations to Brent officers for the fireworks last night. I understand something like 15 or 16 thousand people attended. Despite the austerity visited on us by George Osborne, it is important to celebrate places like Roundwood Park.
Green Man Revisited
Some time ago the Green Man in Harlesden High Street was given permission for a redevelopment. In fact this was to rectify illegal alterations that had already taken place. So far, nothing appears to have been done to implement the planning permission, so I have checked with the Planning Department who are writing to the owner to chase him up. Obviously, if he doesn't implement the changes he has agreed to, he will be subject to enforcement action.
Commons Select Committee Report on Libraries
The House of Commons DCMS Select Committee has now published on its report on libraries. I haven't had a chance to read it, still less digest it yet, but I shall be interested on the MPs take on the issues.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Outreach and Colocation
Co-location is something of a buzzword in public libraries. This is generally taken as keeping a traditional library in a building alongside other services, such as Council advice. The theme has actually been around a long time, with the Willesden Library Centre being Brent's best known (if poorly executed) example.
However, I think this idea needs to change from bringing other services into a library building to bringing library services out to other buildings. This is more or less what has been happening with Brent's outreach service (which now lends more books than Harlesden Library). Over the past two quarters, the outreach service has gone to 77 locations away from Brent's traditional library buildings. These have sometimes been aimed at attracting different audiences and sometimes giving better geographical coverage. Thus we had library stalls at the Olympic celebrations as one-offs, but also had a book collection in one of the Salusbury Road coffee shops during the Kilburn Library refurbishment. Customers who might not normally interact with the library service might come across it as they went for a coffee, which is a reversal of the usual model of adding a coffee shop on to a library. Geographically we have used outreach to get to parts of the Borough that have never had their own services. For instance, library outreach has occurred in a children's centre on the St Raphael's estate, which has never previously had a library, and is fairly hard for people to travel from.
Another aspect of this mixing is the use of library buildings on a temporary basis, as happened during Brent Dance month, when Brent libraries were used for hosting dance events that possibly draw people into Brent libraries who may never have used them before.
Co-location in this sense is a much more fluid and changeable concept than is generally recognised.
However, I think this idea needs to change from bringing other services into a library building to bringing library services out to other buildings. This is more or less what has been happening with Brent's outreach service (which now lends more books than Harlesden Library). Over the past two quarters, the outreach service has gone to 77 locations away from Brent's traditional library buildings. These have sometimes been aimed at attracting different audiences and sometimes giving better geographical coverage. Thus we had library stalls at the Olympic celebrations as one-offs, but also had a book collection in one of the Salusbury Road coffee shops during the Kilburn Library refurbishment. Customers who might not normally interact with the library service might come across it as they went for a coffee, which is a reversal of the usual model of adding a coffee shop on to a library. Geographically we have used outreach to get to parts of the Borough that have never had their own services. For instance, library outreach has occurred in a children's centre on the St Raphael's estate, which has never previously had a library, and is fairly hard for people to travel from.
Another aspect of this mixing is the use of library buildings on a temporary basis, as happened during Brent Dance month, when Brent libraries were used for hosting dance events that possibly draw people into Brent libraries who may never have used them before.
Co-location in this sense is a much more fluid and changeable concept than is generally recognised.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Carbon Emissions at Willesden Green Library Centre
I have recently seen a study of carbon emissions at the existing Willesden Green Library Centre (by this I mean the 1980s building). They are dire. They meet a pass mark under BREEAM, but that is it. A new building reaching BREEAM Excellent status is bound to be a massive improvement in climate change terms.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Cllr Mike Pavey Website
Cllr Michael Pavey is the latest Brent Labour Councillor to add a website, which you can see here. Cllr Pavey was elected in May for Barnhill ward, following the resignation of Cllr Judy Beckman. I have a list of Labour councillors from Brent on the sidebar. Oddly, I don't know of any Tory or Liberal Democrat councillors with a site. Is that not odd in this day and age?
Roundwood Youth Centre
Here is Roundwood Youth Centre in all its modernist glory. More pictures are available on the architect web site.
Friday, 2 November 2012
Objecting to the Harlesden Waste Plant
Having gone into more detail on the proposed waste plant to the south of Harlesden, I have now written to Ealing Planners objecting to the plans. The objections that I consider valid on planning grounds are:
I) the proposal ignores zoning of waste activities outlined in the West London Waste Plan
2) the proposal claims reduced vehicle movements, but this is very implausible, and Harlesden Town Centre suffers from this to an extreme in any case
3) there are significant odour pollution issues that are not clearly deat with
4) there are also noise pollution issues yet to be addressed
5) air quality is likely to suffer.
I encourage all other Kensal Green and Harlesden residents to object. The Ealing officer responsible is Peter Lee at leeP@ealing.gov.uk.
I) the proposal ignores zoning of waste activities outlined in the West London Waste Plan
2) the proposal claims reduced vehicle movements, but this is very implausible, and Harlesden Town Centre suffers from this to an extreme in any case
3) there are significant odour pollution issues that are not clearly deat with
4) there are also noise pollution issues yet to be addressed
5) air quality is likely to suffer.
I encourage all other Kensal Green and Harlesden residents to object. The Ealing officer responsible is Peter Lee at leeP@ealing.gov.uk.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Brian Coleman Condemns Outsourcing at Barnet Council
The colourful nature of Barnet's local politics amazes me. Here we see recently suspended Tory politician and controversialist condemning his own Council's outsourcing policy. It takes quite some chutzpah to condemn the driving impetus of your own administration, and simultaneously to pretend that the Tory Party has never supported outsourcing. I doubt whether even Mitt Romney could manage that kind of amnesia.
Roundwood Youth Centre Opens
Roundwood Youth Centre finally opens today, after a £5 million rebuild. The rebuild almost never happened as the Tory government froze the spending grant as soon as it took office. This was in line with many of the unwise austerity measures put in by George Osborne, who has concentrated the cuts on infrastructure spending that everyone but him knows is economically beneficial. Happily the project was restarted, and is finally complete.
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Art in Progress at Kilburn Library
I like the way Anya Beaumont, the resident artist at Kilburn Library, puts work in progress on her website. Having an artist in residence is a new departure for Brent Library service. As well as supporting our arts strategy, it may help draw people into the libraries who don't generally use them.
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Road Safety In Kensal Green Schools
Princess Frederica primary school currently has a consultation underway to install a zebra crossing on College Road, just below the railway bridge. I hope it goes ahead, as I think it would improve safety at a difficult junction. When I went to John Keble school recently, I was quizzed about safety at their crossing. This is a more complicated situation.
The school crossing patrol person is retiring and the Council does not want to pay for a replacement, because the traffic lights at that part of Manor Park Road make the street safer to cross than many others. The school has also indicated that it does not want to pay for a replacement either. However, traffic flows in the area are subject to a lot of change because of the works on Harlesden Town Centre. This is likely to alter traffic flows, especially in and out of the Harlesden Tesco car park. The question is precisely what are those effects, and how can the detailed scheme design mitigate them?
The school crossing patrol person is retiring and the Council does not want to pay for a replacement, because the traffic lights at that part of Manor Park Road make the street safer to cross than many others. The school has also indicated that it does not want to pay for a replacement either. However, traffic flows in the area are subject to a lot of change because of the works on Harlesden Town Centre. This is likely to alter traffic flows, especially in and out of the Harlesden Tesco car park. The question is precisely what are those effects, and how can the detailed scheme design mitigate them?
Monday, 29 October 2012
Poppy Appeal
Yesterday, I was on the train when a fellow passenger asked me what all the flowers were for. She was referring to the poppy in my lapel. As she was (by her accent) American, there is no reason why she would know, but it was a jolt to me to find how localised such a familiar thing as the poppy appeal is.
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Kensal Rise Library Post
An anonymous commentator to this post puts an entirely reasonably set of queries. For the moment, I won't respond. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it is obviously a considered post and (although I believe I have dealt with the points before), it deserves a considered response. Secondly, the recent news on Kensal Rise library (that it is to be sold to a developer) means that anything I write is likely to be used for an unintended meaning, as has happened before.
Thus, I am holding off for now, but will return to the issue.
UPDATE
The only record I have of a comment previously from Ms N was published here.
ANOTHER UPDATE
This post seems to have attracted a lot of traffic. I have therefore summarised my view on Brent libraries strategy here.
Thus, I am holding off for now, but will return to the issue.
UPDATE
The only record I have of a comment previously from Ms N was published here.
ANOTHER UPDATE
This post seems to have attracted a lot of traffic. I have therefore summarised my view on Brent libraries strategy here.
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Council Tax Zugzwang
As well as the Council Tax Support scam that has been in the news recently, the present government is further undermining local finances by effectively eliminating the ability to change tax levels. The current capping on rises and the introduction of referendums for "excessive" rises make alterations to the Council Tax almost impossible. The allocation of one off grants in return for a freeze builds a long term weakness in authority finances, but are virtually impossible to refuse.
The end result is that the present government has done more to undermine local democracy than any other government, despite it's rhetoric claiming precisely the contrary.
The end result is that the present government has done more to undermine local democracy than any other government, despite it's rhetoric claiming precisely the contrary.
Friday, 26 October 2012
IFS on Council Tax Support
Willesden Junction Station Approach Timescale
I failed to mention in my post on Station Approach that the projected timescale of work starts in March next year and finishes in June.
Thursday, 25 October 2012
David Cameron Fighting Austerity
Adam Bienkov reminds us of David Cameron's time as an anti-austerity warrior. One wonders why he has not had the same kind of political punishment that was handed out to Nick Clegg over tuition fees.
Krugman Condemns Osborne
Paul Krugman has condemned George Osborne's handling of the economic crisis. Sadly, I see no defence. Osborne is responsible for a huge amount of misery. A rather more important issue than an illicit train ticket upgrade.
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Tubbs Pocket Park Artwork
Some may recall that in the distance past, Tubbs Road Pocket Park was upgraded. Part of the planned investment was for a steel bird table by Helena Roden. This never actually arrived, although a concrete base was installed for it some time ago. However, I understand that the table was constructed, and I have finally managed to track it down. It should be installed at some point in November. I am glad it is finally getting here,but it really should not have taken that length of time.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Grim London Housing
The grim state of the London housing market is covered by the Evening Standard today. What I find even more worrying is that our politics seem to totally fail to address these issues. Without a sigmificant increase in housing our already unaffordable rents will continue to spiral. Yet Boris Johnson simply claims credit for delivering the pipeline of homes that Ken Livingstone bequeathed him without himself addressing him. The government has been systematically dismantling social housing so that the "affordable" housing in a new development is now usually a complete misnomer.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Kilburn Library Under Fives
I was amazed to be told that the average attendance for an under fives session at the refurbished Kilburn Library is about 95 people (both children and adults). It looks as if the refitted Library is rapidly establishing itself as one of our most successful.
Park House Demolition
I see that the demolition of Park House on Manor Park Road is underway. It is good to see that some building projects are still going ahead despite the dragging semi-slump that has followed the Tory government's austerity programme.
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Book Issues Outside Buildings
Looking at the most recent data on Brent library issues, I notice that more than a quarter of book issues do not involve visiting buildings in Quarter 2 this year (i.e. July to September). Taken together, the outreach service and the home library service have issued more books than have gone out from Harlesden Library. That is quite a stark demonstration of how outreach and online services are becoming more and more important.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Summer Reading Challenge Success
This year's Summer Reading Challenge had even more joiners and completers than last year. Last year, Brent Libraries attracted 4,244 joiners compared to 4,344 this year. The rise in completers was even better, with 1,974 finishing six books last year compared to 2,313 this year. This is a huge achievement by the Brent Library staff.
Friday, 19 October 2012
Council Tax Support
The government's most recent manoeuvre over Council Tax strikes me as even more cynical than usual. The announcement of what makes a good scheme in the government's opinion comes so late that many Councils simply won't be able to change their plans. But, in any case, wasn't the point of "localism" supposed to be getting each authority to design their own schemes? How does that square with then announcing a new central set of demands? What makes it even more bizarre is that the parliamentary statement ignores what the government has previously announced as a prime concern, encouraging people into work.
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Harlesden Waste Plant
There has been some disquiet about a proposed waste plant in the Ealing part of Park Royal. This obviously raises questions over transport and good neighbour concerns. It has been wrongly put about that Brent Planning officers have not been concerned about these. In fact, Brent Planning officers have already had informal contacts. A formal response has not yet been sent in but it will be ahead of the deadline. Again, contrary to some of the rumours going round, Ealing have written to about 1,000 Brent residents in the area south of Harlesden High Street.
The relevant Planning Authority of course is Ealing, and the case officer is Peter Lee (LeeP@ealing.gov.uk).
The site is currently industrial land, and has a number of uses. The developers claim that the transport movements will be reduced by replacing these with the new plant. I am still waiting to see if Brent's transport experts agree. Similarly, Brent's environmental health staff are examining the emissions data.
The relevant Planning Authority of course is Ealing, and the case officer is Peter Lee (LeeP@ealing.gov.uk).
The site is currently industrial land, and has a number of uses. The developers claim that the transport movements will be reduced by replacing these with the new plant. I am still waiting to see if Brent's transport experts agree. Similarly, Brent's environmental health staff are examining the emissions data.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Kensal Green Puzzle
An anonymous commentator has suggested I use derogatory terms about local residents at the bottom of this post. Having reread the post, I can't see anything derogatory. As far as I can see s/he is complaining about a point of view that they don't like.
Can anyone explain to me otherwise?
I am always happy to publish comments provided that they are not libellous or offensive, but it seems to me that some people simply can't take a different point of view.
UPDATE
Thank you to the anonymous commentators. As promised, provided comments are not offensive or libellous, I have published them.
The statistics used are all valid. The process gone through, as a result of the litigants' legal action, was examined exhaustively. The text of the judgement in High Court is on the side bar next to this post. I have attended numerous public and private meetings on this subject, over a period adding up to many hours. The litigants were unable to prove their case in court, or through the political process.
Brent Libraries service is now going ahead with the agreed strategy. This strategy has had a number of successes, often enumerated in this blog.
I think that the key thing that those of us who do not directly work in Brent Library service can best do now is to support the library staff in their role in promoting library services around the Borough.
Responding to the last comment to date, my previous post explicitly refers to the 12 libraries and compares to the six. The comparison (again) is that visits in September this year were only 1.5% down on September last year. My view is that, after an admittedly rocky period in October to April, our libraries are definitely on the way up and anyone who believes in library services should celebrate the fact.
Can anyone explain to me otherwise?
I am always happy to publish comments provided that they are not libellous or offensive, but it seems to me that some people simply can't take a different point of view.
UPDATE
Thank you to the anonymous commentators. As promised, provided comments are not offensive or libellous, I have published them.
The statistics used are all valid. The process gone through, as a result of the litigants' legal action, was examined exhaustively. The text of the judgement in High Court is on the side bar next to this post. I have attended numerous public and private meetings on this subject, over a period adding up to many hours. The litigants were unable to prove their case in court, or through the political process.
Brent Libraries service is now going ahead with the agreed strategy. This strategy has had a number of successes, often enumerated in this blog.
I think that the key thing that those of us who do not directly work in Brent Library service can best do now is to support the library staff in their role in promoting library services around the Borough.
Responding to the last comment to date, my previous post explicitly refers to the 12 libraries and compares to the six. The comparison (again) is that visits in September this year were only 1.5% down on September last year. My view is that, after an admittedly rocky period in October to April, our libraries are definitely on the way up and anyone who believes in library services should celebrate the fact.
School Finance Problems
Some of the problems facing school finace can be found here. This is obviously a major national problem that affects schools across the country that have effectively been targeted in scams. It is notable that free schools are felt to be more vulnerable to such deals than standard schools. The whole move to less and less authority supervision has simply gone too far as there just aren't adequate safeguards for public money.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Red Velvet
I went to see Red Velvet at the Tricycle this evening, which is the most extraordinary production I have seen in a long while. It is a brilliantly successful combination of comedy, tragedy and racial politics. A really impressive combination of good writing and acting.
Cautionary Tale on Procurement
Yesterday, the Independent carried a story about the government debacle meant on rail franchises. It suggested that the stripping out of senior staff had gone so far that the department was no longer able to manage contract awards competently. This entirely plausible argument demonstrates how self defeating the government's austerity programme has become.
Monday, 15 October 2012
Fairtrade Artwork by Kensal Green Tube
I forgot to publish the Fairtrade picture that I promised. Here it is. In terms of the number of people who see it, it should be as good as a billboard.
John Keble School
Greatly enjoyed my visit to John Keble primary school this morning for their school assembly as part of Local Democracy Week. I was particularly impressed by how well behaved all the children were.
Volunteer Libraries in Lewisham
Lewisham were somewhat ahead of us in tackling their library service. Like Brent, they had to cope with financial cutbacks, but unlike us they have tried going down the volunteer route. The results seem to have been less than successful. The volunteer libraries languish at the bottom of the figures as Lewisham's least popular. The linked report particularly looks at Blackheath, which has the lowest usage of all. The quoted figures show a fall of 80% as a volunteer run library compared to the former Council run facility. This is despite the charity that took it over being given £200k to run it. That kind of money to run a facility using by about 1,000 people per month doesn't sound like good value for money.
Sunday, 14 October 2012
St Marks Church Kensal Green
I am glad to see that St Marks Church Kensal Green has finally finished its building project. A small part df the cost of this came from Kensal Green ward working funds. The work means a new kitchen, a redecorated Church Hall, new replacement toilets, and most importantly the introduction of a disabled toilet for the first time.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Libraries Transformation Update
The most recent figures for Brent Library visits and issues are now available. The most recent quarter (July to September) shows a 17% rise in issues, and a 5.2% rise in visits compared to the same period last year. This is despite Kilburn Library being closed between 22 May and 10 September for its refurbishment. Indeed, the most startling figure in the report is the increase in visit numbers at Kilburn Library this September compared to September last year. There has been a 106% jump despite, the library being open for only 21 days in September.
Altogether, I am surprised at how the Libraries Transformation has made such a big difference so quickly. I was expecting a slower rate of progress. Partly this is because I imagined that there would be a falling off in visits at our biggest library in Willesden during the redevelopment there. Although we have designed a robust interim service, interim services tend not to attract the same footfall as a permanent facility. The delay in the redevelopment means that this effect has yet to be fully felt.
I expect a second major effect when the new Wembley Library opens in June next year. This will be in the most prominent parts of the Civic Centre, and I expect it to rapidly become one of the most popular libraries in the UK.
The figures seem to me to confirm the strategy we decided to pursue. Contrary to some people's expectation, people are willing to travel to our libraries. We seem to have a better record than areas like Hertfordshire, which went down the route of cutting opening hours (although I suspect travelling to another branch is harder in Hertfordshire). I suspect that our decision to protect and enhance the bookstock in each library is also important in maintaining their attractiveness.
The litigants of course, asked the opposite question. They asked why numbers fell upon the closure of the libraries on 11 October last year. The answer to that is multiple.
Firstly, it was always the case that there would be a period of adjustment from one system to the other. The litigants prolonged this somewhat, so that we weren't able to start to fully implement our system until quite a long way into 2012. The legal action did not end until February, whereupon the litigants instantly decided to threaten the Secretary of State with legal action. This obviously created some uncertainity for Brent Libraries Service, which was only fully lifted when the new Secretary of State announced there would be no inquiry in September.
Secondly, we were hampered with getting on with key parts of our offer. Most noticeably, we did not have full access to our bookstock until late May. Again, this was partly the result of legal objections.
Thirdly, many elements of the strategy require time to develop. The school library card scheme seems to me to have the potential to be a highly effective innovation, but it takes time to get schools to partner and develop the model. Other parts of the strategy, such as outreach, the online offer, services for the housebound, free legal advice, high quality promotions, online courses, and physical refurbishments all take time.
A fourth reason that has been suggested to me, although it is not a proveable statement either way, is that the huge negative publicity that the litigants generated in itself damaged library usage. Partly this would be through deterring the public, and partly by demoralising the staff. This may be true. I am sure that had we gone down the route of cutting opening hours and hollowing out the service, the effect would have been immensely demoralising for both staff and customers alike.
UPDATE
In response to the comments, the overall visits this September are about 1.5% down from September last year. I suspect that if I had said a year ago that Brent libraries would be only 1.5% down in visits with six libraries than with 12 I would have been disbelieved. The Harrow Observer story refers to a different set of numbers. My point is that the dip immediately after the closures is now being reversed as we have started to progress the strategy.
Altogether, I am surprised at how the Libraries Transformation has made such a big difference so quickly. I was expecting a slower rate of progress. Partly this is because I imagined that there would be a falling off in visits at our biggest library in Willesden during the redevelopment there. Although we have designed a robust interim service, interim services tend not to attract the same footfall as a permanent facility. The delay in the redevelopment means that this effect has yet to be fully felt.
I expect a second major effect when the new Wembley Library opens in June next year. This will be in the most prominent parts of the Civic Centre, and I expect it to rapidly become one of the most popular libraries in the UK.
The figures seem to me to confirm the strategy we decided to pursue. Contrary to some people's expectation, people are willing to travel to our libraries. We seem to have a better record than areas like Hertfordshire, which went down the route of cutting opening hours (although I suspect travelling to another branch is harder in Hertfordshire). I suspect that our decision to protect and enhance the bookstock in each library is also important in maintaining their attractiveness.
The litigants of course, asked the opposite question. They asked why numbers fell upon the closure of the libraries on 11 October last year. The answer to that is multiple.
Firstly, it was always the case that there would be a period of adjustment from one system to the other. The litigants prolonged this somewhat, so that we weren't able to start to fully implement our system until quite a long way into 2012. The legal action did not end until February, whereupon the litigants instantly decided to threaten the Secretary of State with legal action. This obviously created some uncertainity for Brent Libraries Service, which was only fully lifted when the new Secretary of State announced there would be no inquiry in September.
Secondly, we were hampered with getting on with key parts of our offer. Most noticeably, we did not have full access to our bookstock until late May. Again, this was partly the result of legal objections.
Thirdly, many elements of the strategy require time to develop. The school library card scheme seems to me to have the potential to be a highly effective innovation, but it takes time to get schools to partner and develop the model. Other parts of the strategy, such as outreach, the online offer, services for the housebound, free legal advice, high quality promotions, online courses, and physical refurbishments all take time.
A fourth reason that has been suggested to me, although it is not a proveable statement either way, is that the huge negative publicity that the litigants generated in itself damaged library usage. Partly this would be through deterring the public, and partly by demoralising the staff. This may be true. I am sure that had we gone down the route of cutting opening hours and hollowing out the service, the effect would have been immensely demoralising for both staff and customers alike.
UPDATE
In response to the comments, the overall visits this September are about 1.5% down from September last year. I suspect that if I had said a year ago that Brent libraries would be only 1.5% down in visits with six libraries than with 12 I would have been disbelieved. The Harrow Observer story refers to a different set of numbers. My point is that the dip immediately after the closures is now being reversed as we have started to progress the strategy.
Friday, 12 October 2012
Willesden Junction and Station Approach
The proposed enhancement to Station Approach seems to have led to confusion, not least at the Brent Connects event the other day.
After much lobbying, a scheme costing about £600k has been put together. Most of this is from Network Rail for embankment work. However Brent Council and TfL are also contributing to resurface the road and improve the pavement. Although the site is in Hammersmith, Brent is contributing because more than 90% of users come from the Brent side (I.e. northern) side. Therefore it is proposed to widen the northern pavement, and remove those dreadful railings that force people into the middle of the road and thereby endanger pedestrians rather than help them. Most of the southern pavement will be removed to allow room for vehicles, although the Station Road And Station Approach junction will have a lowered kerb type arrangement to allow crossing.
The whole scheme should bring a major improvement for pedestrian safety, which I have been campaigning for for some years.
After much lobbying, a scheme costing about £600k has been put together. Most of this is from Network Rail for embankment work. However Brent Council and TfL are also contributing to resurface the road and improve the pavement. Although the site is in Hammersmith, Brent is contributing because more than 90% of users come from the Brent side (I.e. northern) side. Therefore it is proposed to widen the northern pavement, and remove those dreadful railings that force people into the middle of the road and thereby endanger pedestrians rather than help them. Most of the southern pavement will be removed to allow room for vehicles, although the Station Road And Station Approach junction will have a lowered kerb type arrangement to allow crossing.
The whole scheme should bring a major improvement for pedestrian safety, which I have been campaigning for for some years.
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Highways Committee Tonight
This evening I shall be going to the Highways Committee, where the main item appears to be the concerns about parking in Harlesden Town Centre. I am surprised that parking does not get more publicity, given that lots of people are closely affected and we are implementing far reaching changes not just in Harlesden and Kensal Green, but across Brent.
Does the Government have a Clue?
I can't decide whether the Tory / Liberal Democrat government has a cunning plan to distract its opponents with a bewildering array of initiatives, or whether they are just a bunch of wallis. We have extreme liberalisation for planning regulations for major developments or household expansion. This is supposed to release pent up economic energies. At the same time, the Localism Act allows for a six month delay to property disposals if "the community" regards it as a community asset. This is likely to curtail those same entrepreneurs whose property developments are supposedly coming to our rescue.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Brent Council Procurement Dilemma
I have been thinking more about Brent Council's procurement policies, which seem to set up a fundamental question for us. A little while ago, I went to training on the subject, which turned out to be exceptionally interesting.
Previously, I had been worried about the possibilities of legal action, which still concern me. The requirements of the Social Value Act, the Localism Act and the longstanding EU procurement rules all give plenty of tripwires for local Councils to fall over.
Changes in EU procurement have made suing public bodies a much more profitable exercise. The old way of doing things meant that if you successfully challenged a procurement as being unfair, the process had to be rerun. This didn't particularly advantage the company making the challenge. The new situation is that a successful challenger can be awarded the profits it would have made had it won the contract. Legal challenges are thereby encouraged, and I have heard rumours that some companies are building a number of challenges into their business models.
However, the bigger challenge is to using procurement policy to encourage the local economy in Brent. This is a key objective of Brent Labour Party, but it runs into a difficult choice. Certain measures, such as designing contracts in smaller lots to make them open to smaller companies (i.e. the kind that might be based in Brent), could lead to a higher cost for the taxpayer. Failing to achieve all possible savings in procurement means finding savings elsewhere in the Budget. In other words, seeking to design procurement policy to benefit local companies may well end up in deeper cuts to public services and hurt Brent residents as service users.
A difficult choice.
Previously, I had been worried about the possibilities of legal action, which still concern me. The requirements of the Social Value Act, the Localism Act and the longstanding EU procurement rules all give plenty of tripwires for local Councils to fall over.
Changes in EU procurement have made suing public bodies a much more profitable exercise. The old way of doing things meant that if you successfully challenged a procurement as being unfair, the process had to be rerun. This didn't particularly advantage the company making the challenge. The new situation is that a successful challenger can be awarded the profits it would have made had it won the contract. Legal challenges are thereby encouraged, and I have heard rumours that some companies are building a number of challenges into their business models.
However, the bigger challenge is to using procurement policy to encourage the local economy in Brent. This is a key objective of Brent Labour Party, but it runs into a difficult choice. Certain measures, such as designing contracts in smaller lots to make them open to smaller companies (i.e. the kind that might be based in Brent), could lead to a higher cost for the taxpayer. Failing to achieve all possible savings in procurement means finding savings elsewhere in the Budget. In other words, seeking to design procurement policy to benefit local companies may well end up in deeper cuts to public services and hurt Brent residents as service users.
A difficult choice.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Brent Connects at All Souls Church
Brent Connects is the new name given to the former Area Consultative Forums (ACFs) as part of an effort to reform the Council's consultations that my Labour colleague Cllr Lesley Jones has been leading.
The first meeting under the new name occurs at All Souls Church in Harlesden High Street at 7pm tonight. Topics include the future of A&E at Central Middlesex Hospital and an update on Station Approach outside Willesden Junction _ a subject I have been campaigning on for years.
The first meeting under the new name occurs at All Souls Church in Harlesden High Street at 7pm tonight. Topics include the future of A&E at Central Middlesex Hospital and an update on Station Approach outside Willesden Junction _ a subject I have been campaigning on for years.
Monday, 8 October 2012
Brent Civic Centre and BREEAM Status
I asked for a more systematic account of the environmental benefits of Brent Council's new Civic Centre. I got back an extremely impressive list of the full range of benefits. This is what I was sent:
Energy
Energy efficiency measures introduced to the building will reduce carbon emissions by 33 per cent. Total energy improvements over Building Regulations are >65
Total energy consumption is estimated to be 93.5kWh/m2 comparative to 220kWh/m2 for a conventional similar building.
Regulated energy is estimated to produce carbon emissions in the order of 13 kgCo2/m2.
Specific measures include
• Passive design, such as orientation, natural ventilation and a highly efficient building fabric, which maximises daylight at the same time as providing shade from solar penetration;
• Energy efficient measures, such as voltage optimisation, mixed mode ventilation, heat recovery (MVHR), sub metering and an intelligent Building Management System (BMS)
• Design of effective external shading on the dominantly East and West elevations reduces cooling requirements. The use of daylighting to replace artificial lighting, which also reduces the need for cooling in summer.
• Zoned lighting and movement sensors in lighting will be implemented.
• Low energy lighting solutions throughout the building.
• Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) will be provided for all heating and cooling devices.
• Low energy IT solutions through the building using the latest low energy devices.
• Low energy consuming audio visual equipment.
• Air source heat pumps absorb heat from outside air and release it inside during winter, and the converse in summer. Offer central heating solution and domestic hot water up to 80°C.
• A CCHP system using Waste fish oil will be used on site.
• Hand dryers are energy efficient models. Minimal use of paper towels within building.
• Multi-functional devices (MFD’s) will be energy efficient and use ‘colorcube’ technology which reduces toner waste.
Water
• Low flow aerated taps or spray taps for wash basins with a flow rate of 6 l/min as opposed to standard taps, which consume about 12 litres/min of water
• All WC's will be either dual flush or have an effective flush volume of 3 Litres or less and be specified with a delayed action inlet valve to reduce water consumption.
• Urinals will be either fitted with presence detectors to control flushing or will be ultra low flush or waterless.
• Showers with a flow rate of less than 9 litres/min or less, as opposed to standard showers, which use about 14 litres/min.
• Sub-metering
• A rainwater storage tank with a volume of 75m3 for harvesting rainwater for use in flushing WC’s and for irrigation.
Construction Waste
The following targets are required on site:
• Non-hazardous construction waste generated will be less than 9.2m3 or less than 4.7 tonnes per 100m2 of gross internal floor area
• 90% by weight or 80% by volume of non-hazardous construction waste generated by the project will be diverted from landfill
• 95% by weight or 85% by volume of non-hazardous demolition waste will be diverted from landfill
Operational waste
• Envac pipework installed beneath the basement slab to allow for the future connection to the wider Wembley City infrastructure.
• Organic waste, comprising food waste generated from office and catering activities and potentially any green waste generated from internal green spaces (e.g. Community Hall Winter Garden), will be composted.
• Compactor facility in basement for reducing waste volumes.
Materials
• 80% of all materials within the External Walls; Internal Walls; Roof; Upper Floor Slabs; Windows; and Floor Finishes/ Coverings (by total area), are either ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rated under The Green Guide to Specification, 2008”. At least 50% of all materials within these elements have received either an ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rating.
• The design team will aim for over 80% of materials in building and finishing elements to be responsibly sourced.
• Over 80% of the timber is FSC certified, or Chain of Custody certified.
Transport
• A green transport plan has been developed
• 150 cycle spaces for an estimated 2300 building users, and 100 cycle spaces for visitors. 17 showers for building users will be provided (8x male, 8x female and 1x disabled)
• 47 electric vehicle charging points within basement car park
• Travel information point in building foyer with information on local train, tube and bus departure times.
• Excellent local public transport links.
Ecology
• Landscaped garden planted with carefully selected naturalistic, drought tolerant species
• An indoor winter garden will be provided
• 180m2 of Green roofs will be provided above the building cores
• Bat boxes and bird boxes will be provided for a range of nesting birds such as the Black Redstart.
• Planters will be provided around the site and within the building.
Internal Environment
Daylight: The atrium and ‘drum’ area are covered with ETFE, a semi-opaque, light material which allows daylight in without the exposure that glass provides. In addition, it is 1% the weight of glass. 80% of the development has been designed to achieve a minimum daylight factor of 2-3% as a minimum.
• Comfort: Occupant control for heating and cooling systems and lighting have been specified. Automatic detection systems and daylight sensors for lighting have been specified. Finishing elements and fixtures with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content will be used throughout the development.
• Light Pollution: External night time lighting for the site has been designed to minimise the intensity of each light source in potentially obtrusive directions beyond the site boundaries.
Community
• The Brent Civic Centre proposal was subject to a period of consultation with key stakeholders including members of the public, community representatives, interest groups and staff from March 2008 to October 2009.
• Community garden.
• The design for the Brent Civic Centre has embraced inclusiveness.
Energy
Energy efficiency measures introduced to the building will reduce carbon emissions by 33 per cent. Total energy improvements over Building Regulations are >65
Total energy consumption is estimated to be 93.5kWh/m2 comparative to 220kWh/m2 for a conventional similar building.
Regulated energy is estimated to produce carbon emissions in the order of 13 kgCo2/m2.
Specific measures include
• Passive design, such as orientation, natural ventilation and a highly efficient building fabric, which maximises daylight at the same time as providing shade from solar penetration;
• Energy efficient measures, such as voltage optimisation, mixed mode ventilation, heat recovery (MVHR), sub metering and an intelligent Building Management System (BMS)
• Design of effective external shading on the dominantly East and West elevations reduces cooling requirements. The use of daylighting to replace artificial lighting, which also reduces the need for cooling in summer.
• Zoned lighting and movement sensors in lighting will be implemented.
• Low energy lighting solutions throughout the building.
• Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) will be provided for all heating and cooling devices.
• Low energy IT solutions through the building using the latest low energy devices.
• Low energy consuming audio visual equipment.
• Air source heat pumps absorb heat from outside air and release it inside during winter, and the converse in summer. Offer central heating solution and domestic hot water up to 80°C.
• A CCHP system using Waste fish oil will be used on site.
• Hand dryers are energy efficient models. Minimal use of paper towels within building.
• Multi-functional devices (MFD’s) will be energy efficient and use ‘colorcube’ technology which reduces toner waste.
Water
• Low flow aerated taps or spray taps for wash basins with a flow rate of 6 l/min as opposed to standard taps, which consume about 12 litres/min of water
• All WC's will be either dual flush or have an effective flush volume of 3 Litres or less and be specified with a delayed action inlet valve to reduce water consumption.
• Urinals will be either fitted with presence detectors to control flushing or will be ultra low flush or waterless.
• Showers with a flow rate of less than 9 litres/min or less, as opposed to standard showers, which use about 14 litres/min.
• Sub-metering
• A rainwater storage tank with a volume of 75m3 for harvesting rainwater for use in flushing WC’s and for irrigation.
Construction Waste
The following targets are required on site:
• Non-hazardous construction waste generated will be less than 9.2m3 or less than 4.7 tonnes per 100m2 of gross internal floor area
• 90% by weight or 80% by volume of non-hazardous construction waste generated by the project will be diverted from landfill
• 95% by weight or 85% by volume of non-hazardous demolition waste will be diverted from landfill
Operational waste
• Envac pipework installed beneath the basement slab to allow for the future connection to the wider Wembley City infrastructure.
• Organic waste, comprising food waste generated from office and catering activities and potentially any green waste generated from internal green spaces (e.g. Community Hall Winter Garden), will be composted.
• Compactor facility in basement for reducing waste volumes.
Materials
• 80% of all materials within the External Walls; Internal Walls; Roof; Upper Floor Slabs; Windows; and Floor Finishes/ Coverings (by total area), are either ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rated under The Green Guide to Specification, 2008”. At least 50% of all materials within these elements have received either an ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rating.
• The design team will aim for over 80% of materials in building and finishing elements to be responsibly sourced.
• Over 80% of the timber is FSC certified, or Chain of Custody certified.
Transport
• A green transport plan has been developed
• 150 cycle spaces for an estimated 2300 building users, and 100 cycle spaces for visitors. 17 showers for building users will be provided (8x male, 8x female and 1x disabled)
• 47 electric vehicle charging points within basement car park
• Travel information point in building foyer with information on local train, tube and bus departure times.
• Excellent local public transport links.
Ecology
• Landscaped garden planted with carefully selected naturalistic, drought tolerant species
• An indoor winter garden will be provided
• 180m2 of Green roofs will be provided above the building cores
• Bat boxes and bird boxes will be provided for a range of nesting birds such as the Black Redstart.
• Planters will be provided around the site and within the building.
Internal Environment
Daylight: The atrium and ‘drum’ area are covered with ETFE, a semi-opaque, light material which allows daylight in without the exposure that glass provides. In addition, it is 1% the weight of glass. 80% of the development has been designed to achieve a minimum daylight factor of 2-3% as a minimum.
• Comfort: Occupant control for heating and cooling systems and lighting have been specified. Automatic detection systems and daylight sensors for lighting have been specified. Finishing elements and fixtures with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content will be used throughout the development.
• Light Pollution: External night time lighting for the site has been designed to minimise the intensity of each light source in potentially obtrusive directions beyond the site boundaries.
Community
• The Brent Civic Centre proposal was subject to a period of consultation with key stakeholders including members of the public, community representatives, interest groups and staff from March 2008 to October 2009.
• Community garden.
• The design for the Brent Civic Centre has embraced inclusiveness.
Sunday, 7 October 2012
3D Printing and Copyright
The Economist has an interesting piece around the copyright complications of 3D printing. Using this technology in a way that safeguards copyright might be a way in which libraries could play a role.
Housing Depression
While trying to look on the bright side on various issues, it becomes difficult when you look at the state of London homelessness. Brent is managing its B+B for the moment, but it is overwhelmingly likely that there will be a huge surge over the coming year, and it may well take many years to claw back the position. Meanwhile, government ministers simply appear to want to shuffle the blame rather than prevent the problem.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Tubbs Road Pocket Park Water Supply
I have had confirmation that ward working is paying for a water connection to Tubbs Road pocket park as soon as Thames Water engineers are ready. Hopefully this will enhance the quality of the park.
Virtual and Real
I find the way the virtual world and the real world overlap still rather disconcerting, but they do, and people have started studying it. Like it or not, the pace of change is accelerating and all institutions, including local government, have to adapt.
Friday, 5 October 2012
Fairtrade Art in Hazel Road Open Space
We are finally installing the Fairtrade artwork that Ward Working commissioned last year. This is one of those projects that has been subject to all sorts of delays and snarl ups. The idea was to have a Fairtrade logo made from recycled plastic visible to the huge numbers of people who pass down the Harrow Road near Kensal Green Tube. The artwork is located in Hazel Road Open Space.
Although the project was approved ages ago, it is newly topical. Fairtrade can be seen as a form of predistribution, which Ed Miliband has suggested could be the next Big Idea for the Labour Party going into the next General Election.
Although the project was approved ages ago, it is newly topical. Fairtrade can be seen as a form of predistribution, which Ed Miliband has suggested could be the next Big Idea for the Labour Party going into the next General Election.
Queens Park Exposure
I notice my colleague Cllr James Denselow is planning to expose himself in Queens Park for the benefit of local residents.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Coalition Government Failing by Design
The former Cabinet Secretary has attacked the current government for denuding itself of ability, resulting in the current rail franchise fiasco. What he doesn't say is that this is not happenstance, but a deliberate part of the plan. The more inept government seems, the more people will lose faith in it and adopt the old private good, public bad mantra.
The problem for the likes of David Cameron is that, as the public sector employees responsible for the government as a whole, they inevitably share the blame.
The problem for the likes of David Cameron is that, as the public sector employees responsible for the government as a whole, they inevitably share the blame.
Brent Council Mortuary
This morning I am going up to look at Brent Council's mortuary service at Northwick Park Hospital. This is a shared service with Haringey, and we are looking at developing our co-operation with other London Boroughs. It is one of those neighbourhood services that I suspect many people are completely unaware the Council runs.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Barham Park Future Options
This morning I am going up to Barham Park to look at the plans to develop the park. This follows from the Executive decision in March to do a feasibility study on its future. That was the same meeting where Cllr Paul Lorber confessed that Barham Park had suffered "years of neglect" under his leadership. Indeed the only proposal I can recall for Barham Park during his leadership was to build on it.
By contrast, we want to improve it as green space and a source of biodiversity. The main problem is that the financial climate is much less benign than when Cllr Lorber was in control. Therefore, we will have to take an incremental approach as and when we can obtain funding.
By contrast, we want to improve it as green space and a source of biodiversity. The main problem is that the financial climate is much less benign than when Cllr Lorber was in control. Therefore, we will have to take an incremental approach as and when we can obtain funding.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Alternate Weekly Collections Confirmed
Confirmation that Eric Pickles attempt to reintroduce weekly landfill collections have failed comes from Materials Recycling Week. The magazine did a survey of all English Councils and found only one had applied for money to return to a weekly service for landfill. The Civil servants must have seen this coming, as they swiftly broadened the fund to apply to food waste collections as well, so at least something will come out of the Pickles vanity project.
Why is the prospect of returning to weekly collections so unattractive? Firstly, it goes against the established trend of the waste hierarchy , which is designed to reduce waste and increase the recycling of what waste is produced. Increasing the number of landfill collections simply encourages a throw away society. Secondly, rubbish collections need a long term infrastructure of vehicles, bins and public education. A one off grant from a hopefully here today and gone tomorrow politician like Eric Pickles is not something anyone organising such contracts would want to rely on.
Why is the prospect of returning to weekly collections so unattractive? Firstly, it goes against the established trend of the waste hierarchy , which is designed to reduce waste and increase the recycling of what waste is produced. Increasing the number of landfill collections simply encourages a throw away society. Secondly, rubbish collections need a long term infrastructure of vehicles, bins and public education. A one off grant from a hopefully here today and gone tomorrow politician like Eric Pickles is not something anyone organising such contracts would want to rely on.
Ebook Piracy
Some interesting answers to problems of ebook piracy here. It really is essential to solve this problem if libraries are to survive.
Monday, 1 October 2012
Recycling Publicity
A recent WRAP article reminds us of the importance of communications. This is a widely ignored issue in local government. A huge amount of what Councils now do is about behaviour change. This is not political. Reducing landfill, promoting public health, reducing litter etc. are all heavily dependent on communications but should be pretty much non partisan. Why the myths about Council propaganda?
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Brian Coleman Gets Away
The appalling Brian Coleman has had another run in with the Standards system, as reported in the Standard. Unfortunately the new Tory government has effectively emasculated the Standards system, so that it no longer has any sanctions for non compliance, making the whole process rather pointless.
Steve Reed Response
Steve Reed has written a response to those calling for a 1980s style response to the cuts here. I am shocked that Lambeth is still paying off £20 million in interest dating back from those times. I had no idea that the consequences were so far reaching. As he says, those who do the loony left posturing are not those who pay the price.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Brent Population Growth
The Guardian reports on the increasing population of East London. Brent has also seen a massive increase in population. The 2011 census shows a population figure of 312,200, an increase of more than 58,000 compared to 2001. That is enormous, and makes us the fifth biggest Borough in London, with all sorts of spending pressures as a result.
Ebook Lending
I found the Channel 4 broadcast on ebook lending the other day too short to be informative, but they now have a longer item online (appropriately). Some of the comments on the piracy issue are interesting.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Willesden Social Club Update
I had a recent conversation to confirm that the development of the old Willesden Social Club is going ahead. This site has been a centre for anti social behaviour for so many years and I have campaigned for it to be sorted for so long, I shall be delighted when it finally comes to fruition.
Legal Actions and Planning
Eric Pickles is eager to encourage people to sue their local Councils over planning. He seems to think that relaxing planning restrictions will be popular; much as he assumed alternate weekly collections would be unpopular. I suspect, however, that more people will find new developments objectionable than will want to build them. It also strikes me as being rather beside the point. The economy is in recession because of lack of demand, not because we have had planning laws all these decades. Still, one should not expect Eric Pickles to want to be confused by the facts.
Word up in Brent
Word Up had its first event at Kilburn Library last night. Unfortunately, I had to attend the Planning Committee, but the programme has events at Brent libraries throughout the Autumn.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Planning Committee Again
I find myself attending Planning Committee again tonight. One of the cases coming up is for outdoor gym equipment in King Edward VII Park, Wembley. This is the first of several sites that have been put forward for outdoor gym equipment around the Borough.
Anglesey and Local Democracy
Anglesey has had its powers returned to it after a break down in governance there. Anglesey is a salutary warning to any authority that try's to set a deficit budget. Ultimately the government can do as the Welsh government did in Anglesey, and simply appoint commissioners to run the authority because the local councillors are incapable. That is likely to lead to short term budgeting, longer term disruption and a democratic deficit. Not outcomes with any appeal beyond a tiny number of people on the loony left.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Technological change and Town Centres
Some concerning research on Town centres reported by the BBC. Coping with new technology is a huge challenge for all sorts of parts of society, but I don't believe this is widely recognised.
Red Tape Returns
At the same time as claiming that red tape is holding back the private sector, the Tory/liberal Democrat coalition appears to be increasing red tape in the public sector. It has drastically broadened the definition of which decisions need a written description of why they were made. Imagine the kind of hullabaloo that be made by the same ministers if private sector companies had to do this kind of thing.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Well Done Brent Parks
I am delighted to see the success of Brent Parks in the most recent London inBloom awards. Mapesbury Dell got a gold award in the small park category. Fryer Country Park got a SilverGilt award in the country park category. Brent parks as a whole got third prize in the biodiversity award for the changes we have recently made to bedding in a more sustainable way. Overall, Brent got a Silver Gilt award in the large city category.
Monday, 24 September 2012
The Rise of Ukip
Yesterday,s Observer suggested that Ukip have overtaken the Liberal Democrats for the first time, making the party of Nick Clegg Britain's fourth party. That is no great surprise given the way the Liberal Democrats have turned their backs on their former supporters to join the current exceptionally righting government. However, it might not just be a blip but become permanent.
If Ukip are seen as more credible by pollsters, it means that they are likely to become one of the party names used to prompt interviewees. That may appear minor, but it will almost certainly lead to Ukip automatically seeing their poll ratings rise, and therefore being taken more seriously. That means more influence for Ukip's anti-European ideas and probably lots more people in the TOry Party calling for a shift (even further) to the right.
If Ukip can overcome the traditional weaknesses of smaller parties in translating votes into seats, it might mean that they hold the balance of power in any future hung Parliament. That looks like leading to a majority for some very rightwing and nationalistic policies in future.
If Ukip are seen as more credible by pollsters, it means that they are likely to become one of the party names used to prompt interviewees. That may appear minor, but it will almost certainly lead to Ukip automatically seeing their poll ratings rise, and therefore being taken more seriously. That means more influence for Ukip's anti-European ideas and probably lots more people in the TOry Party calling for a shift (even further) to the right.
If Ukip can overcome the traditional weaknesses of smaller parties in translating votes into seats, it might mean that they hold the balance of power in any future hung Parliament. That looks like leading to a majority for some very rightwing and nationalistic policies in future.
Harlesden in The Guardian
The Harlesden and Willesden Junction area has appeared in the Guardian. The fact that this kind of article can appear these days is an encouraging sign.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Ebook Prices
I note that there is an ebook price war going on with some prices as low as 20 pence for a novel. Presumably, this is the same publishing industry that resists allow libraries to lend ebooks on the ground that it would price them out of the market.
Cutting Library Opening Hours
One of the objections we had to our libraries plans was the suggestion that it would be better to cut opening hours instead. We didn't go down that route, but an analysis has been done on Hertfordshire Council which did. It demonstrates how falls in usage follow from cutting opening hours, although there is some people do seem to alter their patterns of access to suit the new hours. Of course, the issues around library services in Hertfordshire are quite different to Brent, not least in terms of public transport. But I think it illustrates how budget reductions are bound to affect services, and therefore the important thing is to analyse the best way to minimise them.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Tax Evasion
The Economist, of all sources, does a good job of exposing the legerdemain of confusing tax in general with in come taxes. The article focuses on America, but really this confusion was pioneered by Mrs Thatcher and Geoffrey Howe in the early 1980s.
Basically, a successful confidence trick is pulled off where income taxes (inherently progressive) but paid by all but the poorest are defined as "real tax". Other taxes, like VAT, are ignored despite everyone paying a flat rate and the tax base being broader. Hence the poor are stereotyped as parasites.
Basically, a successful confidence trick is pulled off where income taxes (inherently progressive) but paid by all but the poorest are defined as "real tax". Other taxes, like VAT, are ignored despite everyone paying a flat rate and the tax base being broader. Hence the poor are stereotyped as parasites.
Willesden Library Lab
The work done at the Willesden Library lab, based in a vacant space at Willesden Green Library Centre deserves to be better known.. Here is a short video about it.
Friday, 21 September 2012
Election Petitions
The Electoral Commission is calling for the law on election petitions to be reformed. It is not clear whether they want to make it harder or easier.
I attended the Court hearing in the only case that Brent has had of an election petition in the past decade _ that contesting Liberal Democrat councillor Pawan Gupta in Dudden Hill in 2006. It certainly gave me the impression that electoral law was less than straightforward. I recall the Judge at one point asked Gavin Millar QC for references to precedent. The response came that there might well be precedents on both sides of the point. Election law seems to have developed in quite a haphazard way partly through Common Law and partly via occasional and isolated bits of legislation.
I suppose that is precisely the kind of thing that Harold Wilson set up the Law Commission to sort out.
In any case, even if the cost of challenging is reduced, I suspect that challenges will will remain rare, as even if a new election is called the challenger is often unsuccessful. This was true of Pawan Gupta's case. He lost in Court, forcing a by election, but won the by election in 2007 by a narrow margin. The successful challenge by a Liberal Democrat to Phil Woolas in 2010 also led to a by election in Oldham and Saddleworth, which Debbie Abrahams wn for Labour by a fair margin.
I attended the Court hearing in the only case that Brent has had of an election petition in the past decade _ that contesting Liberal Democrat councillor Pawan Gupta in Dudden Hill in 2006. It certainly gave me the impression that electoral law was less than straightforward. I recall the Judge at one point asked Gavin Millar QC for references to precedent. The response came that there might well be precedents on both sides of the point. Election law seems to have developed in quite a haphazard way partly through Common Law and partly via occasional and isolated bits of legislation.
I suppose that is precisely the kind of thing that Harold Wilson set up the Law Commission to sort out.
In any case, even if the cost of challenging is reduced, I suspect that challenges will will remain rare, as even if a new election is called the challenger is often unsuccessful. This was true of Pawan Gupta's case. He lost in Court, forcing a by election, but won the by election in 2007 by a narrow margin. The successful challenge by a Liberal Democrat to Phil Woolas in 2010 also led to a by election in Oldham and Saddleworth, which Debbie Abrahams wn for Labour by a fair margin.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Healthy Eating in Brent Schools
There are reports of cutbacks in Breakfast Clubs, as well as the apread of junk food in free schools. This is worrying as the only way to get funding for a new school is to accept it being a free school, and even existing schools are increasingly becoming free schools.
In Brent one of the principles that we are insisting on for any new free school to be built will be a committment to providing healthy food in its catering.
In Brent one of the principles that we are insisting on for any new free school to be built will be a committment to providing healthy food in its catering.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
3D Printing
Thinking more of the 3D printing issues that I mentioned in my post on Monday, the implications for society at large could be quite dramatic.
Of course, the present technology remains primitive. One imagine that it will develop over time to allow a greater variety of materials. It presumably would only apply to simpler products. In the video a bike is mentioned, but I wonder how good a bike it is. A high quality bike needs a number of different components to be fitted together, and I would have thought it would remain a lot easier to buy one rather than try to make one yourself. However, lower end manufacturing should probably see this kind of thing as a real threat as making, say, a coathook would become something anyone could do.
More interesting, would be machines that allowed a greater degree of customisation so that you could alter the designs. John Ruskin famously denounced modern manufacturing (i.e. Victorian) for being soulless and mechanical compared to workmanship in a medieval cathedral. Perhaps this kind of mass customisation might restore a greater element of creativity?
Of course, the present technology remains primitive. One imagine that it will develop over time to allow a greater variety of materials. It presumably would only apply to simpler products. In the video a bike is mentioned, but I wonder how good a bike it is. A high quality bike needs a number of different components to be fitted together, and I would have thought it would remain a lot easier to buy one rather than try to make one yourself. However, lower end manufacturing should probably see this kind of thing as a real threat as making, say, a coathook would become something anyone could do.
More interesting, would be machines that allowed a greater degree of customisation so that you could alter the designs. John Ruskin famously denounced modern manufacturing (i.e. Victorian) for being soulless and mechanical compared to workmanship in a medieval cathedral. Perhaps this kind of mass customisation might restore a greater element of creativity?
Death of Localism
Peter Hetherington writes on the death of localism for the Guardian here. In fact, I suspect localism was never more than a slogan for the government, intended to localise blame for their programme of budget cuts on anyone but themselves. Eric Pickles attempt to micromanage all kinds of local decisions such as frequency of bin collection or the even the exact wording of letters sent by councils to council tenants show his cast of mind.
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Redefining Libraries
Hidden away in yesterday's letter from Maria Miller confirming that there is no need for an Enquirey into Brent library services is the statement that the number of PCs in Brent libraries is not "a relevant matter under the 1964 Act". This is quite startling.
During the High Court action, both the claimants and the Council regarded the provision of IT services in libraries as an intrinsic part of the library service. The judge made no ruling on that as it was not brought up as a matter of dispute. The SoS now appears to be saying that not only ebooks are not part of the service, but also any electronically transmitted materials. This is effectively legally defining libraries out of existence, and a far greater threat to public library services than any number of building closures.
It underlines the need for a new legal definition to bring the 1964 Act into the modern age.
During the High Court action, both the claimants and the Council regarded the provision of IT services in libraries as an intrinsic part of the library service. The judge made no ruling on that as it was not brought up as a matter of dispute. The SoS now appears to be saying that not only ebooks are not part of the service, but also any electronically transmitted materials. This is effectively legally defining libraries out of existence, and a far greater threat to public library services than any number of building closures.
It underlines the need for a new legal definition to bring the 1964 Act into the modern age.
Brent Civic Centre Rated
Brent Council's Civic Centre has achieved its BREEAM Outstanding rating in fine style. It is the greenest public office building in the UK, according to the BREEAM system.