Brent Benefit Problems

With another councillor, I popped into the Harlesden Job Centre to see how well the Council's one stop shop facility had relocated from Willesden.  Aside from the signage, which we both thought poor, it looks like a good facility.  The number of enquiries being dealt with have gone up markedly, but there is extra resource to cope.  I suspect many people are still going to Brent House, but from 10 June, the facilities of the Brent Civic Centre will become available.

Sally Gimson at the Tricycle Theatre

I went to the Sally Gimson event at the Tricycle Theatre this evening, which was interesting.  My impression is that the Hampstead and Kilburn candidature for Labour remains wide open.

Housing Impacts

The gloomy effect of the government's benefit cuts are covered by Dave Hill in the Guardian.  The picture he paints is of small localised communities desperately trying to keep together to the bemusement of the government policy makers.  Recently, David Cameron opined that policy research, in that case into equality impacts, was unneeded because"smart people in Whitehall" knew best.  This seems to be an example where the narrowness of backgrounds of the smart people in Whitehall, and their failure to ask the people on the receiving end of their policies directly contributes to policy failure.

New Highways Contract

The upgrade of Harlesden Town Centre that has just begun is the first to be done under the new Lohac contract.  That may seem an unexciting fact, but the important thing about it is that it allows costs to the taxpayer to be driven down without loss of service quality.

The new contract comes after years of work by TfL to develop a common London wide specification for Highways work.  Brent is one of the first Boroughs to come on stream. The common specification allows costs to be compared across Boroughs so if one is markedly higher than another, the difference will be clear.  It also means that contractors that have performed well under the contract will have an entree into a much wider pool of work than they could get from one contract alone.

Mammoth Curiosity

The BBC is reporting that frozen mammoth remains have been found with liquid blood inside.  I am intensely curious as to how liquid blood is found in frozen remains.  The idea of cloning the creature strikes me as extraordinarily cruel for such a social animal, so I hope no one attempts it.

Wembley Library Wordfest

Details of the opening festival of the new Wembley Library are now announced.  The sheer variety of the events is what impresses me the most.  Of course, the whole Civic Centre. Building was designed with performance in mind, making spectaculars like this far easier to mount.  Thus our libraries transformation project transforms not only our library service, but also our arts strategy.

Another Library Note

I thought I would add another library note as the Libraries Transformation Project draws to a close in One Council terms.

One of the aspects generally well received in my experience has been the home delivery service.  The number of books lent via this service is enormous, although the user number is small.  I have always thought it a good illustration of how our priorities accord with Labour Party values.

The reason is that the users of the home delivery services are so disabled as to be housebound.  In many party debates on budget cuts, people have said that protecting the most vulnerable is the key priority, and I think this is a good example of us protecting the most vulnerable.  The only case I can recall of someone disagreeing with this was when the then Secretary of the Friends of Kensal Rise Library came to my surgery one Saturday, and when I trotted out the home delivery service as an aspect of the Libraries Transformation Project of which I was proud, he told me that in his opinion disabled people did not matter.

That statement left me rather gobsmacked.

Whatever the feelings of non users, the people using the home delivery service appear to be among our most enthusiastic borrowers; each borrowing more than one hundred books a year.

UPDATE

The comment was made in front of a number of people.  Of course, as I have pointed out before, I would never publish anything I considered slanderous on this blog.

UPDATE AGAIN

There appears to be concern around who made the comment disparaging disabled peoples' concerns.  It was certainly a person who identified himself as a secretary of FKRL and who I know by name, although it may be for all I know that his statement that he was secretary was untrue.  He is certainly an active member of that organisation.

Personally, I am far more interested in the success of Brent Library Service overall.  Constant queries from a few individuals over a building that the Council has no control over other than as a planning authority seem to me to be only relevant in planning terms.  There is a much more exciting story in the success of our library staff in driving Brent libraries forward.

Wembley Library as the Library of the Future

Phil Bradley, the current President of CILIP, has a long post responding to the ACE libraries report from last week.  His vision of what a modern, forward looking library should look like sounds to me very much like the soon to open Wembley Library.

One Council Round Up

Last night I went to the One Council Scrutiny committee, of which I am now a member. I ended up chairing it as both the Liberal Democrat Chair and Tory Vice Chair were absent.

The first item was a presentation on libraries, a topic with which I am tolerably familiar.  The actions that we decided to undertake in our 2011 decision are now either in place or due to be during the coming year.  The Committee was impressed by the progress made, and suggested that a similar presentation should be made to the various Brent Connects forums.  We also congratulated the officers on the success of the Libraries Transformation Project.

The other major item was the staff restructuring, where there was a lot of disquiet.  We agreed to have a fuller report on this in July as there appears to be a danger of considerable delay and cost overruns.  It certainly sems that the use of interims, the nature of the staff structure and progress in achieving whatever our goals are supposed to be could all do with fuller scrutiny.

London Ambulance Cuts

I am glad to see that Seema Malhotra MP has been raising concerns about the ambulance service in London.  Ambulances in London have been slated for severe budget cuts for some time.  I am always surprised at how little publicity the cuts tot he ambulance service are getting.

More Transport Schemes

At the start of the Harlesden Town Centre scheme I was chatting to some of the engineers, who thought TfL might be attracted to doing other schemes around the main one in order to maximise the impact of the spend.  I do hope this turns out to be the case.  As far as I can tell, it is the first major public investment in Harlesden Town Centre for about twenty years.

Recycling Aside

As a short aside on recycling, I note that Ashford in Kent is now adopting a system very similar to Brent's.  Given the appallingly low level of recycling the BBC reports, it should be able to give them an even bigger boost than we got.

Harlesden Town Centre Update

I notice that the first red bags are now out as part of the anti-dumping scheme I blogged on earlier.  However, the most notable piece of news is that earth moving equipment is now on the old service station site.  This has a long and controversal history.  The approved scheme now being implemented is on a far smaller scale than the previous proposals.  Along with Park House now underway just behind the Harlesden Tesco, and the hoped for redevelopment of the Dust Club site, it really looks as if Harlesden Town Centre is benefiting from significant regeneration quite independently of the TfL regeneration.

Help to Buy

Red Brick has another condemnation of George Osborne's Help to Buy scheme.  It is striking that such a flawed policy can be put forward with so little criticism.  Not only will it help boost a property bubble, it drags the government into expensive liabilities at a time when the Chancellor is claiming we all need austerity.  It is also totally contrary to all the rhetoric about rebalancing the economy.

Work Begins on Harlesden Town Centre

The highways engineers will actually start work on the Harlesden Town Centre scheme tomorrow.  It feels a very long time since the scheme was first mooted, so it is quite a milestone for the work to actually begin.  Although the work is phased to avoid as much trouble as possible, there will inevitably be some added traffic congestion from the roadworks.  The important thing is to get an improved town centre at the end of it.

A Further Note on Wembley Library

I forgot to note in my earlier posting on Wembley Library that it will not only have better facilities than the Town Hall library but also longer opening hours.  Currently, the Town Hall library is open up to 8pm on Monday and Thursday, but closes at 6pm on other weekdays.  The new Wembley Library will open until 8pm every week day.

Universal Credit Failing Confirmed

The FT reports that universal credit is indeed struggling to be achievable, according to a report by the government itself.  This follows various denials by Iain Duncan Smith that anything is wrong.  I also enjoyed the statement after the Francis Maude quote.

ACE and Libraries

The Arts Council has finally published its libraries document "Envisioning the library of the future".  It is quite long, detailing examples of best practice, including from Brent.  I have yet to have had a chance to digest it, although I enjoyed participating in the research.

UPDATE

In answer to the comment, the proposals put to the Council (even on their own terms) all involved significant costs at a time when we very much need to reduce costs.  I am not aware of any Council that claims to have reduced costs through volunteer libraries.

Dave Hill on the Boris Bus

Dave Hill has some justly critical comment on the Boris Bus here.  As always, I am amazed at how the media generally allows Boris to get away with anything he likes.

Learie Constantine Centre

A piece of good news coming up is the redevelopment of the Learie Constantine Centre which came up at the last Executive.  The plan is for a renewed centre with some additional housing which should boost that part of Willesden High Road.

Liberal Democrat Bar Charts

For those looking for light relief on this Tuesday morning, these examples of Liberal Democrat bar charts may be worth looking at.  This sort of thing is practised by the Liberal Democrats at every election.  Indeed, I suspect they have a standard handbook, which includes standard steps you always have to use, no matter what:

1) Always make personal attacks on your opponent(s). Truth is unimportant. Imply everyone else is on the fiddle in some way.
2) Always imply that your opponent(s) come from some place other than the constituency, and that you are local.  This is very much a Sarah Teather favourite.  She tries this smear even when her opponents actually live in the constituency.  Ken Livingstone once argued that Sarah Teather could be described as the most local candidate of all, since she had previously described herself as "local" in elections in Barnet, Brighton and Islington.
3) Always claim that the election is a two horse race, and that the gap is closing in the last week of the campaign.  This can be done even if the Liberal Democrats are widely recognised not to have any hope of winning.

As well as these generic, I have listed some more Brent specific examples here.

Street Trees on Buchanan Gardens

I have just walked down Buchanan Gardens on the way to an appointment at Gracelands Cafe.  The trees are well established now, but I remember the controversy in 2006 when their predecessors were removed.  The previous trees had all been London Planes, which were the subject of numerous insurance claims for undermining peoples' houses.  The new ones are much smaller.  Although it was a big kerfluffle at the time, I don't think I have had any complaints since.

Local Government Litany

Each morning I get an email summarising news reports on local government from the LGiU.  Today, even more than usual, it is a litany of woe.

The most depressing part of it is the Guardian's report on homelessness, which is rising massively thanks to the government's benefit cuts. Huge numbers of families are being forced out of their communities.  As so many people are being made homeless, the bill for the taxpayer is being pushed upwards instead of downwards.  Even more depressing than these facts, is the government minister's reaction, which is to deny that there is any problem.  He must know that this is untrue, but for this government really appears to believe what they can get reported in the papers rather than what actually happens.  It reminds me of an old joke about Brezhnev. Brezhnev was on a train that stopped moving.  He told his staff to paint all the windows black, and tell the passengers it was still going forward.

Brent Civic Centre Opening

Brent Civic Centre will open to the public from 10 June.  Council staff are moving in in a staggered process from the end of May.  The long awaited Wembley Library will be open from 17 June.  I believe the official opening of the whole complex is set for October.

Altogether, the development has taken a decade and more from conception to starting. As well as making narrow financial and environmental sense, it is a great vote of confidence in the regeneration of Wembley.

Falling Police Numbers in London

Left Foot Forward has a story on Boris Johnson's cuts to police numbers despite his promises to maintain them.  I don't understand how he is able to maintain his Teflon reputation.

Improved Waste Management in Brent

Although we are still finding new ways to improve waste collection in Brent, it is worth pausing to look back on how far we have come since 2009/10.

The amount of landfill collected by Brent has fallen by about 15,000 tons per year, which has saved the taxpayer about £1.5 million.  That is a better improvement than any of our West London neighbours.  Tonnage per household has also slipped downward, and of course the proportion of recycling is much greater at about 43%, compared to about 30% under the Liberal Democrats.

UPDATE

The comment below is factually incorrect. By 2006, when Labour left office last time, Brent's recycling rate was more than 20%.  The Liberal Democrats managed to increase it by about 1.5% a year despite much more benign circumstances.  The very big increase since 2011 is overwhelmingly down to the introduction of alternate weekly collections, which are used by almost all of the  UK's most successful recycling authorities.

Interim Library Services at the Lewinson Centre

A couple of days ago I popped into the Lewinson Centre to see how the interim library services looked.  When I was last there it was simply an empty room.  Now it has a dozen PCs, a reasonably large collection of books and of course access to the rest of the Brent Library service.  It is certainly a much better, and closer, interim library service than the equivalent facility for Harlesden during its rebuild in the run up to 2010.

Full details of the interim Willesden Library service are here and here. 

London Flooding

Recent estimates on major flooding make for terrifying reading.  The cost of a failure of the Thames Flood Barrier is so huge that I would have thought precautionary investment was a no brainer.  However, flood control is a local government matter, and the government is grinding all local government spending down ruthlessly.

More Waste Enforcement

Brent Council has started trialling a new waste enforcement strategy in Willesden and Harlesden Town Centres.  The contractor is leaving dumped rubbish for a short period, whereas before it was picked up as soon as found.  This allows the Council's enforcement team to go through the rubbish for evidence of where it came from and then sack it up into red bags to be collected by the contractor.  Early indications are that this is proving an effective deterrent as waste arisings have so far declined by 25%.

Council Tax Non Payment

Today' FT has a story detailing the rising numbers of non payers of Council Tax.  The story is about a survey of the worst affected authorities. Brent is mentioned, as have about 14,000 people getting Council Tax bills who have not been billed before. Some sort of rise in the numbers of non payers is inevitable in those circumstances, which I am sure will lead to criticism by the likes of Eric Pickles.

It illustrates the political trick that Pickles keeps on pulling off.  Forcing local authorities to do something unpopular or which is inherently difficult to administer, and then blame them for the entirely predictable consequences of Pickles' own policy.

3D Printing Again

The Guardian has quite a long piece on 3D printing, which I have mentioned before.  It is an idea that greatly interests me, although I don't think Brent Libraries services will be doing it in the near future.

Benefit Caps

One of the most serious issues facing all London Authorities is benefit caps.  A short article here gives one take on this.  Brent is one of the most affected.

The Brent Magazine and Eric Pickles

Eric Pickles is trying to suppress certain types of Council publicity, as the Guardian reports.  This is typical of his technique.  Take a trivial issue in a few local authorities. Blow it out of all proportion. Then use it as an excuse to enact draconian legislation to inflict your control over very authority.  The issue in this case is about Council newspapers.

Brent of course does not do a Council newspaper, but we do have the Brent Magazine, which we use to promote things like recycling.  That kind of educational stuff is essential to making recycling work.  Plans by Pickles to cut our issues to no more than four a year, would actually cost money since it would make the magazine less attractive to the advertisers who pay for it.

Hotel Libraries

Although it is a little off the beaten track, I found this Economist piece on hotel libraries interesting.  Who would have thought so much thought went into such things?

Forthcoming Wembley Library

We have been waiting ages for the new library in Wembley to open, which it is due to do on 17 June. I believe this will be the first purpose built library in Brent since the 1980s.  The new library is designed to vastly exceed the Town Hall library it replaces.  According to present plans, it will have:

* Greater floor space
* A capacity for 35,000 books on shelves and a "rolling stock" of about 60,000.
* Access to the London lending Consortium I.e about 6 million volumes.
* Eight fixed iPads in the children's area, and the possible loans of iPads within the Civic Centre.
* A much better physical layout.
* Co-location with many other Council services (as well as a cafe)
* Plenty of performance space
* 48 internet access points and almost 80 study spaces (a key concern during the 2011 consultation)
* Wifi connection and IT flexibility to meet new technological demands
* Wide access to all sorts of online resources including periodicals, reference and family history
* Brent's established RFID technology.

As well as all this, we may be able to get an enterprise zone in there (modelled I suspect on the successful Library Lab pilot), a number of social and educational activities including the existing homework clubs but also other things that people want to do, training courses and informal learning, as well as lots of activities for kiddies.  We are also aiming for a literature festival in the first two weeks, although I don't have details on that yet.

We really are doing our damnedest to turn Brent Library Service around after the decline of the past several years, and I often feel frustrated that message does not seem to get across.

Salusbury Road Library Revisited

I am not quite sure why, but I keep on getting views on a post I did a while ago on Salusbury Road library.  The refurbishment has been a great success., with good improvements in both issues and visits.  It is a great pity that some people seem to find the success of Kilburn library so hard to accept, simply because it is part of the Libraries Transformation Project.

Another Councillor Review

Today is the day I usually do my six month review looking at both past and future.  I guess the main subject here is waste and recycling.

This was an early objective of Brent's Labour administration, and i think we have achieved a lot.  Our manifesto target was focused on recycling.  We inherited a declining recycling rate of less than 30% and have pushed it up to 43% or thereabouts.  That is good, but we have currently reorganised to push it up still further.

We have also started to focus more on reduction and re-use.  I think West London Waste Authority is probably a pioneer in this respect.  We recently agreed a contract for more recovery.  This will divert from greenhouse bad emissions to electricity generation.

For other sections, I think we need to turn more to the economic agenda for each section.  For example, libraries are offering lots of training opportunities.  This could supply opportunities in the creative industries in particular.

On the more casework side, hopefully I have kept people informed about Station Approach, Harlesden Town Centre, improvements to parks and the ward in general.  We have had. Couple of hiccups at St Marks Church, as the keys were changed.

In terms of Brent Council as a whole, we currently confront the worst financial situation the Borough has ever faced.

Library Problems in New Zealand

There is a quick post here. It is about the value of libraries as seen in New Zealand.  It is tempting to sa that our current problems are simply down to the current Tory government and their Liberal Democrat cheerleaders, and many of them are.  However, libraries also have a number of other problems that are more existential, and the video gives a hint to that.

Incinerators and the Waste Hierarchy

I thought I should respond to the commentator here in a separate post.  The question is how can you oppose an incinerator in Harlesden, but pass a contract for a similar facility outside London as part of the West London Waste Authority?

To my mind the key difference with the Harlesden proposal is its proximity to housing, which maximises the dangers from poor air quality.  There is also the separate issue of vehicle movements around Harlesden's already overcrowded town centre.  By contrast, the Sita plant will be built on derelict industrial land (an old chemical works) without nearby residents.

Why not oppose all electricity generation from waste?  Here we come to the waste hierarchy concept that I posted on a long time ago.  The waste hierarchy is well established as a guiding concept in planning and waste industry circles at national, regional and local level.  It has five stages in descending order of desirability.  The best is to produce any waste.  The next is to re-use items.   West London Waste Authority is probably at the leading edge of promoting these objectives.  The third is to recycle, where Brent has enormously improved since Labour took power in 2010.  Crucially the next stage is "recovery".which means burning waste.  This is accepted as less desirable than the other stages, but better than landfill.

Incidentally, waste in landfill is a not very accessible resource.  It continues to produce methane, which is an unattractive greenhouse gas.  It also leaks leachate, polluted water, although this can be treated.  Whatever materials that are put in a landfill site are then covered with soil and never used again.

Waste that is burnt in a power plant generates electricity, which the UK is going to be short of over the next few years.  It also generates surplus heat, which can cut carbon emissions if it is sold to a major user.  Financially, the new plant will save enormous amounts of money. Finally, the new power plant will not have "uncontrolled emissions".  All such facilities in this country and the rest of the EU have extensive emissions regulation.

Aftermyth of Thatcherism

Flip Chart Fairy Tales has an interesting piece on the aftermyth of Thatcherism as the local election results roll in today.  It certainly is amazing that Mrs Thatcher still exerts such a grip on modern politics more than twenty years after leaving office.  I guess it shows the importance of story telling in politics.

Air Quality Ruling

The courts are forcing the UK to pay more attention to air quality.  This may make life difficult for the likes of Boris Johnson, but I think it makes life much better for the rest of us.  Brent has consistently promoted better air quality through our planning and transport policies.  We also recently revised our air quality action plan.  Both the Borough and the public seem to be ahead of Mr Johnson in improving air quality and therefore public health.

UPDATE

In answer to the comment, I see no contradiction between my desire to reduce emissions from waste disposal, and my support for better air quality.

I have given a fuller answer here.

Cashless Parking in Brent

I was given a demonstration of the new Brent system for cashless parking on Monday.  I know many people are concerned by this, but once set up, it looks quite swift and simple.  Processing permits becomes much cheaper and simpler under the new system.  The Council's expectation is that the vast majority will adapt to cashless parking with alacrity.

Sita Contract Award

The decision that WLWA took on Friday to award a major new contract to Sita as preferred bidder, has now been officially announced.  The contract last for 25 years, and is worth hundreds of millions of pounds, so it is certainly the biggest I have been involved with.

Once the new facility is in place, virtually all West London's waste will be diverted from landfill.  This ties in well with the aim of moving up the waste hierarchy.  Moving up the waste hierarchy is an objective I have emphasised before.  What is not recycled, will be burnt for electricity and (later on, it is hoped) district heating of some kind.  Burning waste actually gives lower carbon emissions than sending it to landfill, which came as a surprise to me when I first got involved in waste management.

UPDATE

The carbon emissions are higher from landfill as they come from rotting food, which accounts for a high proportion of the waste.  This generates methane, which is roughly twenty times worse as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.  Burning the waste prevents the methane generation.

Universal Credit Launches Today

Today is the first launch of universal credit, at least if you live in Ashton on Lyne.  The anticipated grand launch has been wittled down to a single job centre, as the FT reports.  It was reported earlier that the IT is not properly tested.  It is even suggested that the so called "real time" database relies on manual documentation.  I cannot help but think that the current government is simply the most incompetent government of the modern era.

Voluntary Groups in Kensal Green

I was speaking to some one at the "rubbish breakfast" yesterday about the importance of fostering voluntary groups.  We agreed that we had lots of very small groups in Kensal Green, but we needed to give them a certain scale. Otherwise they are very vulnerable to a few individuals moving on, or becoming disenchanted.  We can have groups for all kinds of things, but a certain basic infrastructure is necessary.

Rubbish Breakfast in Park Parade

Just been down to the REACH "Rubbish Breakfast" in Park Parade, which seemed to be going well despite the cold weather.  This was funded as part of last year's ward working budget.

Contract Award

This afternoon, I will be going to a meeting of West London Waste in Hounslow to discuss a twenty five year contract for disposing of all of London's municipal waste.  This is an even bigger contract than Brent's own Public Realm contract.

Recycling Changes

Brent's recycling team has now (since 22 April) been reorganised to do a better job of increasing recycling and reducing waste.  Hopefully, the new teams will be better at dealing with dumped waste, illegal waste and poorly presented waste.  I know this last category is a particular problem in certain neighbourhoods where there are a large number of houses of multiple occupation.  As well as contacting the tenants, the new team will be specifically targeting the lettings agents to try to enlist their help in educating their tenants. 

I shall be keeping a close eye on how successful all this will be.

Parks Projects

Some minor works are under way in Furness Pocket Park.  This follows more substantial contributions in Fryent Country Park, Challenge Close, Tubbs Pocket Park, King Eward VII Wembley and others.

I remain concerned that not all schemes are achieved as soon as one might like.  I am thinking especially about Chalkhill Park and the former Dollis Hill House in Gladstone Park (where I am assured that we will have an opening ceremony fairly soon).

Potholes Yet Again

Recently, I complained about a particularly severe set of potholes outside Newman Catholic School at the end of Harlesden Road.  They were so bad, that I have been promised a repair by the end of today.  However, you don't have to be a councillor to do this; you can phone 8937 5050 and report any problems to be dealt with in a similar way.

Nationalists Turn Unionists

I can't help remarking on the bizarre somersaults of the SNP as they try to argue for Scots independence without being independent.  The latest of these is a demand for a UK currency union.  The SNP argues for this using a series of fundamentally unionist arguments about the integration of Scotland with the rest of the UK, the amount of trade between Scots and the English, and so on.  These are valid, and I have mentioned them before, but doesn't it make you wonder why the SNP argue for independence at all?

Next Brent Connects in Harlesden

The next Brent Connects in Harlesden will be on Wednesday evening.  It will include both a panel discussion on the effect of the government's benefit cuts, and an information session around ward working for each of the wards.

Kensal Green Issues Rounded Up Again

A number of issues have come up in the ward recently. Firstly we are about to start building work on Harlesden Town Centre at last.  After all the debates and so on, I am relieved to finally get things underway.

Transport

This ties in with the long awaited work on Station Approach, the main route to Willesden Junction.  After years of campaigning, we are finally seeing teams on the site.

Planning

There are a number of planning issues.  The last Planning Committee decided in favour of redeveloping the former Dust Club on Rucklidge Avenue, as well as moving the Jubilee Clock.. I am glad that both went ahead, as they pave the way for the Town Centre redevelopment, and also the clear up of a derelict site where residents have complained for years.

The developer of the former Kensal Rise Library has, I understand, been in talks with the Planners, but I have no further information.  It sounds as if the "Friends of Kensal Rise Library" will refuse the offer of community space, but we shall see.

Action is being pursued by the enforcement team against the Green Man.

The application for an incinerator in Ealing is delayed, which is probably a good sign, although I long for that scheme to be be killed stone dead.

The site opposite the Sally Army is underway, and I hope will soon add housing to the Borough.

Residents Associations

People may have seen the "rubbish breakfast" material and other stuff by local residents associations.  I would like our various groups to work more together, but there seems to be a feeling this would diminish focus.

Rubbish and Street Cleaning

There are a number of changes to rubbish and street cleaning happening Borough wide.  These are probably worth a separate post, although I think I have made officers well aware of the needs around Harlesden Town Centre.

We have extra street trees planted in the ward, especially at the Harlesden end.

Former Spotted Dog Pub in Willesden

The former Spotted Dog pub in Willesden is now fully converted and I must say it looks much better than I at one point feared.  it is actually quite a characterful combination of old and new.

Moberley Sports Centre Update

I was recently briefed by a Council officer on Moberly Sports Centre.  Subject to planning permission, the existing sports centre will to redeveloped and roughly treble in floor space. A swimming pool will be included. Brent residents are being granted access via the B.active card.  The site and the centre remain in the ownership of Westminster Council.

Altogether a good result for Brent, if it goes through.

More art at Willesden Green Library Centre

The Willesden Herald has some pictures of art work at Willesden Green Library Centre.  This is part of the preparation of work for the longer term by Positive Arts, as I blogged earlier.

Austerity Still Wrong

The IMF have been the latest to draw back from George Osborne's austerity programme.  As the benefit changes start to bite, will ministers just carry on with what are politely referred to as "inaccuracies".

Wembley Forum Last Night

I greatly enjoyed speaking to the Wembley Forum last night, which I haven't done for a long time.  It was startling to see the attendance levels, more than one hundred people I would think.

Full Year Figures for Brent Libraries Out

Public Libraries News published the visit and issue numbers up to February of Brent Libraries a short time ago.  The full year figures are now out.  Public Libraries News has mentioned the full year figures, but pointed out that they only show our existing branches.  The figures I am quoting are for all visits and issues of Brent Library service, including the former libraries for 2011.

                 2011/2012                    2012/2013

Visits.      1,506,852.                     1,526,095

Issues.      985,590.                        963,188

So visits went up by 1.3%, and issues went down by 2.3%.  I think that when we decided our strategy in 2011, many people would have found such a performance unbelievable.  Of course, we also have the users views from the PLUS survey that the service is much better than it was in 2009.  I think it is a great tribute to the library staff that Brent libraries have come so far so quickly.

The other thing to notice about the breakdown from last year is the success of Kilburn library.  Following its refurbishment, Kilburn was re-opened on 10 September last year.  If you compare visit numbers for October 2012 to the end of March 2013 to the same period in the previous year you get a trebling (from 57,578 to 173,660).  A comparison of issues in the same period shows that issues rose by more than 40%.

That seems to me a good indicator that concentrating our resources on a smaller number of excellent libraries in accessible locations open seven days a week is the right strategy.  Hopefully the rebuilt Willesden Library and the soon to open Wembley Library will replicate the success of Kilburn.

What Goes On in Brent Libraries

I was interested in the recent post by Public Libraries News on volunteer libraries.  it argues that the new volunteer libraries are not very effective as libraries on the crucial measure of book loans.  Some of them, such as Blackheath, have nonetheless had quite substantial amounts of public money.  Arguably, this is the worst of both worlds.  The volunteer libraries continue to get financial and other kinds of support from Councils, but don't work all that effectively as libraries.

Defenders of this approach often seem to argue that the volunteer libraries do more things than municipal libraries.  In some ways this is true.  Our libraries certainly don't have a computer recycling service, as in Lewisham, but there appears to be an outdated understanding of what modern libraries can do.  Brent libraries for example have:

1) A number of literacy activities such as reading sessions for children and adults, the reading challenges, help with people who are learning English, and events for people who want to speak minority languages.
2) A huge number of training courses often to help people get into work, as well as opportunities for networking such as the Library Lab.
3) A large number of arts events.  For instance, many of the Brent Dance month events take place in libraries, and it is unlikely that the Council could support a dance festival on such a scale if it did not have such a set of seven day a week venues available.  We are currently working on other ways to promote arts in Brent using the library service's resources.
4) Basic information and advice on various services as well as reference sources.
5) the traditional library core of books, periodicals and various IT.

I find it difficult to imagine this kind of scale of activities being managed without paid staff with proper training and systems.

Incidentally, the Public Libraries News post also has a rather grudging reference to the Brent library usage figures, which show lending and visits up at each of our "remaining open libraries".  In fact the figures for loans and visits to Brent Library service as a whole are almost the same with six libraries as they were in the previous year with twelve.

Willesden Social Club Yet Again

I attended the planning site visit yesterday to the former Willesden Social Club.  The development has not gone ahead because the owners of the electricity substation will not allow it to be built over.  This has required the redesign of the scheme, but the new scheme is very similar to the old one.  I do hope that permission goes ahead when the Planning Committee meet on Wednesday, as this site has been in a terrible state for many years.

Positive Arts at Willesden Library Centre

I am glad to see that Brent will be engaging Positive Arts to work with young people at Willesden Library Centre.  The project will create two murals that help point people to the interim library services at the Lewinson Centre during the rebuild.  Judging from the Harlesden experience a couple of years ago, the rebuild will see a fall off in numbers.  However, as the Lewinson Centre is literally only three minutes walk from the old Willesden Library, the fall in numbers will hopefully be less than it was in Harlesden.

More on Street Trees

Following my blog earlier, I have just checked that the trees are in Ranelagh Road and Ravensworth Road, as indeed they are.  As I was in Ranelagh Road, I also saw a double rainbow, which is the first time for a while.

Street Trees in Kensal Green

A little while ago, a resident raised with Cllr Bobby Thomas and me that there were very few street trees in Ravensworth Road.  This year's planting programme has put trees in both Ravensworth Road and Ranelagh Road, where there was a similar denudation.  Altogether I understand that about 70 trees are being planted in Kensal Green this year.

Glenda Speaks

I must say that my old boss, Glenda Jackson MP, spoke exceptionally powerfully in the Commons over Mrs Thatcher. Glenda always speaks truth unto power.

UPDATE

I really don't think the comment below is fair.  I know that Glenda has spoken up on lots of constituency issues.  You may not agree with her, but in my experience she gives an honest opinion without fear of the consequences for herself, and she pays close attention to constituency concerns.

Fat Bergs and Power

The Guardian has a report on an unusual project around fatbergs.  This is to help unblock London's waterworks, and seems to me a very good idea.

The problem at the moment is that a huge amount of cooking fats are poured down the drain.  This is recognised by planners, who require restaurants to have "fat traps" to deal with the effects of high volume cooking.  It is also well known to water utilities.  Thames Water are concerned with below ground effects, but above ground inadequate fat treatment is often linked to rat infestation.

Ealing Road Library Photos

A few days ago, I published some photos of the refurbished Kilburn Library.  It has since occured to me that I haven't published any photos of Ealing Road Library following its refurbishment earlier in 2011, so here goes.

The interior, showing space for possible events:

The IT suite, described by the claiments in the court case as "in constant use", and now with a larger number of PCs following the onset of the Libraries Transformation Project:

Moving Harlesden Jubilee Clock

There has been some debate about moving the Harlesden Jubilee Clock, as part of the redevelopment of Harlesden Town Centre.  The actual proposal is coming before the next Planning Committee.  This seems to me to be quite a minor issue in the context of a £5 million development.  After all, the clock has been moved twice already in its lifetime.  What do other people think?

UPDATE

I don't think moving the clock will have any great impact.  It should just make it easier to get buses down Harlesden High Street.  Before complaining about how expensive the redevelopment is take a look at the opportunities...

We have a chance to improve lots of things about our area here.  The Harlesden area should get a civic focus in front of the Methodist Church.  Waste collection, which is a huge issue around Harlesden Town Centre, should improve.  We could reduce traffic congestion which is a major source of annoyance, Most kinds of disability access should be improved.  There may even be improvements to street cleaning, since cracked and broken pavements are harder to clean than even ones.

End of an Era

Yesterday we all heard Mrs Thatcher had died.  One might have many feelings about this, but it is an end of an era. Hugo Young's take from a time past seems perceptive.

Brent Trading Standards Award

I am glad to see a Brent Trading Standards officer has got an award for the quality of his financial investigations.  It is likely that the increasing use of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) will make this an increasingly important area not just for Trading Standards, but also Planning and other areas.

Changing Needs

At the end of April, Brent Council will end its long standing system of delivering agendas to councillors homes each Friday.  This made sense when councillors used to get hundreds of pages of paper documents, but as the Council becomes more and more digitalised, less is sent out as paper.  It is a minor illustration of how technology is fundamentally changing how institutions work.

Tricycle Theatre Youth Workshops

The Tricycle Theatre are opening bookings for their youth theatre workshops from tomorrow.  Details of the workshops are here.

Spring!

Wow.  Spring has arrived today. About time. Leafleting near the Harlesden Jubilee Clock yesterday, it still felt coldish, but not like the downright winter weather we have had recently.

Britain is not Broke

A longer historical perspective on British debt suggests that George Osborne is entirely wrong, as most of us might have guessed.  Indeed, by cutting spending the government is worsening the deficit, not improving it.

Willesden Green Library Goes Ahead

I understand that the formal decision on the Willesden Library Centre application for a Town Green has now been made. It has been refused, so the development can finally go ahead.

George Osborne and the Philpott Case

George Osborne has been suggesting that the Philpott case is about benefits when it is really about domestic violence.  The Chancellor's attempt to co-opt this case into his political objectives in surely a new low in UK politics.

Tories Want No National Minimum Wage

I have heard plenty of criticisms of the previous Labour government, but one policy I have never hear criticised is that of the national minimum wage.  This now appears to be under attack by Nick Clegg and David Cameron's coalition government.  I am not aware of any statements by Sarah Teather defending the minimum wage.

I do remember meeting someone in Kilburn in the late 90s who seemed skeptical, but his argument was more: it will never happen.  It now has happened thanks to a Labour government elected in 1997. It is in danger of being taken away by a Conservative government, for whom Nick Clegg and Sarah Teather are cheerleaders.

Cllr Catherine West in Kensal Green

I went to hear the very inspiring Catherine West, Leader of Islington Council, speak last night at a meeting in Kensal Green.  Although Islington is very different to Brent (for instance, in the amount of social housing), I am sure we could learn much from both their policies and campaign techniques.

Kilburn Library Refurbishment Photos

I promised to get some more pictures of Kilburn Library quite a while ago, to show how the building has improved since the refurbishment, so here they (finally) are:

Some of the new shelving:

An interior view:

A view from the entrance, showing some of the new signage:

The redesigned children area:

To anyone who recalls the old, rather Victorian, look of the pre-refurbishment Kilburn Library these pictures wold seem a revelation.  It is also worth remembering that the old library was open only five days a week, whereas the refurbished library is open seven days a week.

Universal Credit Software Failure

MPs have woken up to the failure of the government to develop appropriate software for universal credit.  They are particularly concerned about fraud, but I am not sure that the government's software will actuually work at the most basic level.

When we were designing the Council Tax Support scheme for Brent, I was advised that the timetable was extremely tight.  One reason for this was the need to design and test the software.  We passed Brent's CTS scheme at Full Council on 10 December last year, and the first bills went out by 10 March.  This much time was needed to run data through the system to make sure that there were no mistakes in the tax demands people got.  It also affected the design of the scheme, since adding elements not prefigured in the existing software would delay the process by taking longer to design.

However our CTS system uses a far smaller database, with many fewer variables than any Universal Credit software is likely to use.  We were also making a simpler change in going from an old Council Tax Benefit scheme to the redesigned scheme.

I have heard anecdotes that the universal credit software is still not even at the test stage, and that administrators may have to use a paper system.  This could lead to:

• Overpayment, which would be very hard to claw back from people with limited financial reserves
• Underpayment, leading to greater hardship
• Fraud, which may not be easily detectable
• People being hit by multiple cuts because they fall into several categories that what David Cameron calls "the smart people in Whitehall" have failed to predict.

I am not sure that ministers have even grasped the sheer administrative difficulty of implementing their policies.

Are Ministers Getting their Comeuppance?

The BBC has a summary of benefit changes here.  From the sudden PR offensive that ministers like Grant Shapps (who once stood for election to Brent Council, incidentally) are seeking to mount it looks like they are getting rattled.  Well they might.  The changes are are so complicated that no one really knows what the effects will be, other than that they will obviously lead to a massive reduction in living standards for huge numbers of people.

The ministers appear to be intent on defending their policy by a systematic attempt at deception.  Some of the newer lines are examined here.  So far, a lot of media has given this government a fairly easy ride when it comes to its disastrous economic policy and its welfare "reforms".  As the reality begins to bite on the ground, we may see this change.

Climate Change and Extinction

As a result of a recent lecture at the British Museum, I was recently reading about woolly mammoths.  This once extensive species was effectively wiped out by climate change altering its habitat, with maybe some help from over exploitation by human beings.  As we head for the greatest level of climate change since the last Ice Age, the fate of the mammoth gives plenty to think about in terms of today's biodiversity and climate change.  All kinds of species will find it incredibly hard to cope.

Willesden Green Library Planning Update

Boris Johnson has approved the planning application to rebuild the Willesden Green Library Centre, so the last remaining obstacle is the Town Green application.  Although the inspector has recommended against this, the decision is not yet made.  If the application is rejected, work can finally begin on rebuilding the Library Centre.

Kilburn Library Garden

I was recently alerted to some ongoing issues around the garden at Kilburn Library.  I hope these will get resolved fairly easily, as they seem to consist mainly of minor building works.  Altogether, I think the Kilburn Library refurbishment has been a huge success.

Sieghart Review on Lending

I am glad that the Sieghart review on elending is out , and that it is so concise and sensible.  Affirming the importance that electronic lending be both free and possible remotely are both major steps forward.  It is also to be welcomed as an official statement that ebooks are an essential part of a modern library service.  Of course, it hasn't solved the problem of what is the model for lending, and how do you ensure an adequate return for publishers, but the suggestion that the market needs to experiment seems a sensible one.

Altogether, the review strikes me as unalloyed good news.

Universal Credit Failing Already

The BBC reports that the pilots for universal credit are being delayed.  My understanding is that the software for the system has not even been tested yet, which makes implementation almost impossible.  However, government ministers has invested so much political capital in this doomed scheme that they don't feel able to draw back.

Clearing Trains at Queens Park

A number of residents have raised the issue of trains being cleared at Queens Park.

The old system was that station staff would clear the trains that terminated there.  This was ended recently, and tannoy announcements relied on.  There were complaints that as the trains were not specifically cleared, people were sometimes driven into the sidings, and I have heard anecdotes of people getting out of the sidings and walking on to the tracks.

The train drivers thought this was so dangerous that they started clearing the trains themselves.  However, this led to operational delays. The whole thing was escalating with threats of industrial action.

With the help of Navin Shah, I have been investigating this.  I understand that the RMT and ASLEF are now working with TfL to get possible solutions together rather than go to industrial action.

However, I think all this is very concerning.  The amount of money that TfL hope to save cannot compensate for reduced safety, or probably even the disruption to the network.

Libraries Promoting Reading

There is some interesting research on how bookshops promote a reading culture.  It argues that browsing is essential to getting people to read books, and seldom occurs online.  This seems counterintuitative, as an Internet search engine should be the perfect mechanism for serendipitous discovery.  I suspect that there is something about the physical feel of a book that makes physical browsing attractive in a way that sitting in front of a computer is not.  The article also argues that the demise of a bookshop does not mean that it's sales migrate to other channels; most of them just stop.

This seems to me to have an important message for libraries, where you can browse all day for free.  Currently, some writers and publishers seem to assume that leading cannibalises their sales, but it seems quite possible that municipal libraries are actually doing exactly what their Victorian founders intended, promoting reading among people who would otherwise not.  If so, the book industry should be trying to think of ways to promote libraries and forge links with them.

UPDATE

In response to the comment:

The Willesden bookshop was a business which was suffering from the same pressures as other bookshops, not least its sister outlet on Kilburn High Road.  As a frequent user of bookshops, I greatly regret the decline of physical bookshops, but it seems to me that many of the attractions of a good bookshop can also be seen in a library.  One reason that bookshops are said to be in decline is that people browse a book in the shop, but buy it on the Internet.  Why not browse and try out books via libraries?

Incidentally, the juxtaposition of the Willesden bookshop next to Willesden library for so many years is a point against the Terry Deary argument that they are in competition.

The fact that the bookshop was struggling, the cinema closed and the cafe also closed suggests to me that the existing building is not well designed for retail use.  I have remarked before that the frontage does not entice people in.

Continuing Cuts in Local Government

The Guardian has extensive coverage of cuts in local government today.  I notice that the only people arguing that the cuts make no difference are Tory government ministers.  Tories actually in local government are frank that the sector cannot cope with even more battering.  What makes it worse is that the incoherent plethora of welfare changes that the government has unleashed is about to hit organisations that are already reeling.

Polly Toynbee argues that creating chaos in local government is actually Tory policy, and I believe her.

Brent Libraries Online

A recent DCMS study found that the number of adults physically visiting public libraries is falling very sharply, while the number visiting library web sites is going up.  In other words, the online side of the library service is becoming more and more important too its users.

This was one of the things we sought to address in our Libraries Transformation Project.  The Brent Council web site has been dramatically revamped.  Brent libraries have online options to search the catalogue, borrow an ebook, read a variety of periodicals, practice for driving test theory or the UK citizenship test, access reference works, check up the Brent book blog and other social media, or use the archives services.

Most of this is all pretty traditional library functions, but made more accessible by being online, so it is frustrating that some people still seem to see improved online services as a threat, and want everything to remain as it was in their childhood.

Update on Former Willesden Social Club

A new application has been put in for the former Willesden Social Club.  However, it is very similar to the permission already granted, as can be seen here.  I do find it frustrating that this land has been derelict for so long, and that the new application requires another delay.

Borrowing Without Walls

The debate around libraries seems to be moving on bit from just being about buildings at the expense of books, but I still don't get a sense that people realise how library services are now being accessed outside the actual buildings. Using the book issue figures up to the end of February, we can see that almost one in four issues by Brent library services does not involve stepping inside a building at all.

Online renewals account for 11.6% of total book issues.  The outreach service _ that brings books to all kinds of other events and institutions _ accounts for a further 6.3%.  Phone renewals make up a further 2.7%, and our home delivery service for severely disabled people a further 2.6%.  Whilst ebook lending gets lots of hype, it actually accounts for only 0.5% of loans.  Of course, it is important that libraries engage with ebooks as they become the dominant form of book provision, but we also need to recognise that library services outside Council owned buildings is now part of the conventional model.

Wrottesley Road Traffic Lights Restored

I am glad to see that the power failure at the Wrottesley Road traffic lights has now been repaired.  Well done to TfL for getting on to the fault quickly.

Archbishop 105

I keep hearing the BBC refer to the new Archbishop of Canterbury as the Church of England's 105th head.  I would have thought that Thomas Cranmer was the first head of the Church of England in that sense (and the last to get papal approval, oddly).  The new Archbishop would therefore fall well short of 105 as head of the Church of England, although he may well be the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Willesden Junction Station Approach at last

Willesden Junction Station Approach finally has work under way.  Unfortunately, this means that the 487 and 220 buses have to be diverted.  The 220 is stopping outside Harlesden Job Centre Plus.  The 487 stops at Station Road.  The work is expected to take about three months.

Having campaigned on this issue for literally years, I am glad an end is in sight.

Climate Change Conference at CNWL

In the end, I didn't attend the whole of the student climate change conference as I had intended.  However, I think the whole event was very positive and I hope we do something like it on an annual basis.   I suspect the format needs refinement, and we we will have to look at participants' feedback to inform that, but I would particularly like to thank all the Council officers and others who did so much to organise such a successful event.

Cardinal Hinsley Close

Yesterday, Cllr Bobby Thomas and I attended a meeting with Catalyst Housing, London and Quadrant and Brent Parking down at Cardinal Hinsley Close off Wrottesley Road.  Residents have raised concerns there around rubbish collection and parking.  These issues are very hard to sort out. With several residents appearing, we decided to go forward with some options for consultation and see what peoples' views are.

I suspect this is the kind of issue where you simply can't please everyone.  All we can do is talk to people about options and ask which they prefer. Each option will have a downside as well as an upside.

Most of the rest of today, I will be going up to the College of North West London In Denzil Road for a school pupil conference on climate change.

Wrottesley Road Traffic Lights Power Failure

Earlier today, I noticed that the traffic lights at the junction of Wrottesley Road and Harrow Road NW10 have failed.  It does not appear to be a general power cut, just the lights.  In view of the safety implications, I asked Brent's transport people to raise it with TfL as a matter of urgency.

UK Recycling

UK recycling has climbed at a faster rate than our European counterparts, although we still only just ahead of the European average, according to the Guardian.  Still that is good progress over the past decade.

The Loony Left Alternative

I attended a Labour Party meeting where we had for some reason invited a speaker from "Brent fightback", a group whose main activity seems to consists of attacking people in the Labour Party.

During the discussion it was suggested that the Council should just ignore its responsibilities and refuse to ameliorate the effect of the Tory cuts in any way.  I think that there is both a human and a political answer to that.

The human answer comes from imagining someone suffering from the cuts. Let us say an able bodied person who works for a low income and struggles to make ends meet. Let us suppose the cumulative effect of the various cuts, inflation and so on are to push that person below the waterline.  The Fightback position appears to be that they be left to sink, so that Fightback can demonstrate that the cuts come from the government, and Fightback disapproves of them.  This allows Fightback to preen itself on the warm glow of ideological purity whilst other people pay the human cost.  Personally, I find that unacceptable.  As a human being, I am going to do what I can to help people in need even though I know what I do is inadequate to the scale of the task.

The second part of the answer is: would such a political strategy work? I think not. I think most people would look at a Council doing nothing and say: "You bastards.  You are not even trying to help.  You are just trying to score points politically."

At least as it is, I can argue, that we are doing our best but the Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition is making it impossible.  Of course, that is different from the likes of Sarah Teather who voted all these nasty policies through as the price of a ministerial job.

UPDATE

The Fightback speaker has responded below.  Unusually, she accuses me of failing to voice opinions, which is not a fault I am generally accused of.  I think most people at the discussion were interested in the cuts the government was making to the NHS and to welfare benefits (which was also the focus of my own contribution).  I think that is certainly the main thing we should all be worrying about.

ANOTHER UPDATE

The latest comment appears to be slightly off the subject of this post, but I'll respond anyway.  The report sent in by Brent's health scrutiny committee is cross party, and scrutiny committees are not whipped.  The opinions in the Report are therefore those of the committee, not necessarily those of one party. The documents recording their discussions are here.  Anyone who wants to understand their logic can read the report, the minutes or contact the committee members directly.