Glenda Jackson slams Brent Lib Dems for closure of Kilburn ‘In2 Work’ centre

Local Labour MP Glenda Jackson and Kilburn ward Labour councillor Mary Arnold have attacked the Brent Lib Dems for closing yet another community facility in Kilburn after the Council announced it is shutting Kilburn’s Brent In2 Work centre in Malvern Road.

The In2 Work programme has assisted thousands of local people to find work. However, the Lib Dem Council are to cut the Kilburn centre whilst retaining parts of the programme based in the north of the borough.

As with most of the Lib Dem cuts starting with the swingeing increases in care charges for elderly people, the 143% increase in the cost of burying children and the new charges for bulky refuse collection, it is the poorest who will suffer most from their “savage cuts”.

Councillor Mary Arnold, said:

“Labour is campaigning with the centre’s users to fight the cut and keep it open.

Brent Lib Dems lack the grit to deal with big freeze

Lib Dem and Tory controlled Brent Council is rapidly running out of grit to deal with the wintry conditions on Brent’s roads and pavements. The Council’s Head of Environmental Management has admitted that ‘grit stock levels are now at a very critical level’ and ‘We are treating a reduced network of priority roads’.

Meanwhile all refuse and recycling collections have been suspended and will not return to normal until 18 January. In some parts of the borough residents have not had their refuse collected since Christmas Eve.

Labour has tabled a motion for the next council meeting (25 January) calling for a report on how the Council’s response to adverse weather conditions can be improved in the future.

Council grit bins providing grit for local residents had already run out by last weekend.

It’s snow joke, Brent Lib Dems fail to show grit

Opposition Labour councillors have been deluged with complaints from constituents about the treacherous state of pavements and road surfaces following recent snow falls in Brent. The situation is particularly bad in hilly areas of the borough like Kingsbury. Labour Leader Councillor Ann John, who lives in Meadowbank Road, Kingsbury nearly fell over on two occasions yesterday whilst out delivering Christmas cards in Kingsbury’s bungalow estate.

Councillor John has received complaints from her constituents in Stonebridge ward and Councillor Janice Long’s road in Willesden Green was not gritted until after the snow had fallen whilst neighbouring roads in that area were not gritted at all.

Councillor John said: “Everybody knew it was going to snow last week yet Brent Council failed to grit most of the roads across the borough.

Victory for Brent Labour’s campaign to save Welsh Harp Park

Welsh Harp Labour councillors Harry Singh and Mary Farrell, supported by local Labour Action Team members Dhiraj Kataria and Roxanne Mashari, and Brent South’s Labour MP Dawn Butler, have won their campaign to save the Welsh Harp Open Space from housing development.

At its meeting on 16 December, Brent Council’s Planning Committee rejected the proposal to build 71 dwellings on the site of the Greenhouse Garden Centre in Birchen Grove adjacent to the Welsh Harp Park. Labour is also opposing similar proposals on the Barnet side of the park. Labour Opposition Leader, Cllr Ann John, OBE and Navin Shah, who represents local people on the London Assembly were amongst those who attended the Planning Committee to speak against the proposals.

Labour led the campaign, co-ordinating objections and launching a petition, which was signed by over 400 local residents.

Disabled kids handicapped by Brent Lib Dem cuts

Official report shows Brent is simply the worst.

A government survey of parental experiences of services provided for disabled children shows Brent to be simply the worst performing local authority in the entire country.

The survey was conducted by social research company TNS-BMRB on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families between July and November 2009 and scores were given to each local authority based on extensive questioning of parents of disabled children.

The average score for English local authorities was 61 (out of 100), a slight improvement on 59 a year earlier. The best performing local authorities were North Tyneside and Northumberland County Council who both scored 67. Brent’s score of 55 was simply the worst.

Massive public support for Labour’s campaign to save Welsh Harp

Labour’s campaign to save the Welsh Harp Park from housing development is gathering pace and this week Labour Councillor Harry Singh and Dawn Butler MP accompanied by Welsh Harp Labour Action Team members Dhiraj Kataria and Roxanne Mashari delivered a petition to the Town Hall containing the signatures of nearly 400 residents opposing the plan.

The residents who all live in neighbouring streets are supporting Labour’s campaign against the proposal to build 71 dwellings on the site of the Greenhouse Garden Centre in Birchen Grove adjacent to the Welsh Harp Park. Labour is also opposing similar proposals on the Barnet side of the park.

Brent’s new £25 charge is a dumpers’ charter

Twelve day delay on bulky items collection but illegal dumps will be removed within 48 hours.

As soon as they came to power, the Lib Dem and Tory coalition which governs Brent, scrapped Labour’s free bulky refuse collection service in favour of a £25.00 charge. Since then dumping has reached epidemic proportions as local residents dump items rather than pay the £25.00 charge.

Local residents long ago christened the charge ‘the Dumpers’ Charter’ and the experience of Willesden Green Labour Councillor Lesley Jones, proves that it really is a ‘dumpers charter’ as dumped items are moved more quickly than items paid for by responsible local residents.

Councillor Jones booked a bulky item collection (for a mattress) online on 27 November and paid for the mattress to be cleared but she has been told that she will have to wait until 8 December before the Council comes to collect the mattress – a delay of TWELVE days.

Labour invests another £80m to modernise Brent schools

Following extensive lobbying by Brent Labour councillors and local Labour MPs Dawn Butler and Barry Gardiner, the Labour government has agreed to provide an additional £80 million under its ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme. This means that secondary schools in the borough will be rebuilt or expanded as part of the government’s programme to modernise all secondary schools. Those programmed in the first phase are Alperton, Cardinal Hinsley in Harlesden, Queen’s Park Community School (which is to be expanded) and Copland School in Wembley.

Labour’s Education Spokesperson, Councillor Mary Arnold, said:

“Once again our Labour government has put its money where its mouth is and invested in education. In recent years, the Labour government has given Brent the second highest increase school budgets in the entire country and now they are giving us this huge additional capital investment to improve the fabric of our schools.

Leaked letters reveal racial tensions inside Brent Lib Dems

A leading Liberal Democrat councillor in Brent has accused his own party of racial and religious discrimination, letters and emails passed to Labour Matters expose.

The leaked correspondence shows that the former Deputy Mayor of Brent, Councillor Chunilal Chavda, has repeatedly written to the national President of the Liberal Democrats, Baroness Scott, detailing his claims that fellow Lib Dem councillors have discriminated against him because he is a “brown skinned Hindu”.

Two particular members of the Liberal Democrat group on Brent Council, Valerie and Daniel Brown who are mother and son, come in for particular criticism from Councillor Chavda who wrote in an email to all Brent Liberal Democrat councillors, the local MP Sarah Teather, and Brent Party Chair Deborah Sutherland:

“First it was the son. Now its Mother.”

Ending the email by declaring: “racism in Brent Liberal Democrats is alive and kicking – pure and simple.”

Labour government guarantees funding for Brent’s Crest Academies

At the Council meeting in September the Liberal Democrats and Tories who run Brent Council rejected a Labour motion to pursue the compulsory purchase of land adjoining the new Crest Academies (formerly John Kelly schools) to ensure outdoor sports facilities. They rejected the motion on the basis that further delay would jeopardise government funding. The Council’s failure to pursue the purchase of the land will also prolong the construction period from 18 months to four years and the £5 million earmarked for the purchase will be wasted on temporary accommodation.

It was apparent at the September meeting that the Lib Dems and Tories had made no attempt to meet with government ministers to ascertain whether government funding would in fact be at risk if the compulsory purchase was pursued. Accordingly, Brent South Labour MP, Dawn Butler arranged a meeting with Schools Minister Vernon Coaker on 21 October 2009 and that meeting was also attended by local Labour Councillors Ralph Fox and Lena Ahmed who both represent Dollis Hill ward and by Labour’s Education spokesperson, Cllr Mary Arnold…