Willesden Green Town Team

The Town Team has government funding is run by a group of local residents and over the summer has been working with the Council to look at the regeneration of the High Road and Walm Lane. As well as additional funding the Town Team will also have access to a support that includes direct mentoring and visits from a range of retail experts as well as regular meetings with other Town Teams to share ideas. A number of activities are being planned in the coming months, including urban design workshops, and a special community festival.  Residents and businesses are intended to contribute ideas to enhance the High Road and Walm Lane to provide for environmental improvements and the wellbeing of all residents of the Willesden area. A major priority is to negotiate “meanwhile” use of vacant premises of which Queen's Parade has been a very successful example. The Team will be launching its own website soon. It is open to any resident or business to join and all are welcome. (Contact Peter Paddon at peter.blue@btinternet.com for any more information.)

Roundwood Youth Centre

This centre is on the border of Willesden and Kensal Wards.  It was officially opened today and visitors were treated to lively displays of dancing, singing and martial arts.  The building itself is amazing. I remember early days of planning when a number of young people were involved in presenting ideas for its design and interior. The funding promised by government was withdrawn at one stage. Without support from the Lottery (£5 million) this splendid building may not have happened. The new centre is for young people aged 13 to 19 and is packed with facilities including: a café, IT suite, multi-use games area, media area, area for sporting activities and a performance area.

Japanese Knotweed

Have heard this pernicious and evasive plant has been found in Willesden. It is said to be the biggest problem facing the construction industry today (though I suspect government policies and recession must be close runners). Japanese Knotweed is a tall perennial plant. The shoots start to emerge in late March/early April, are asparagus-like and are a red-green colour. As it grows through the summer the red colour turns into red speckles on an otherwise green stem. The weed can grow a metre a month and can cause heave below concrete and tarmac, coming up through the resulting cracks and damaging buildings and roads. Studies have shown that a 1cm section of rhizome can produce a new plant in 10 days. Rhizome segments can remain dormant in soil for twenty years before producing new plants.  It has to be removed by specialists.

Council tax concerns

It is suggested that up to half of people on low incomes will refuse to pay council tax after being caught in the net by benefit changes next year. Under the coalition’s plans to reduce council tax benefits 2m low-income workers will face an average bill of £247 a year – a charge they are currently exempt from. A study found that many councils were resigned to seeing large numbers of residents refusing to pay the tax.  These are people on the lowest incomes. How can councils try to extract taxes from people who just do not have the money to pay?

Potential changes to planning

Admire Conservative Richmond Council for deciding to defy the coalition government’s policy relaxation of planning rules for building extensions. The planning proposals will allow larger home and business extensions without planning permission. Richmond is concerned with the ‘look’ of developments. I am more concerned with the eventual use of extensions. This proposal could lead to even more sub-standard accommodation and cases of “beds in sheds” because families are so desperate to find somewhere to live and landlords reap the profit. Other planning changes proposed has been letting developers create houses in multiple occupation without planning permission. In Brent – and in Willesden Green - there are already too many planning breaches so I hope the planning service will hold on to its influence on what is built. Another concern is the change to the powers of the Planning Inspectorate to overrule projects blocked by councils.  This would leave people helpless to stop thousands of homes being built on their doorsteps. According to Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the Local Government Association, this is a blow to local democracy, as the Government is threatening to take power away from local communities and placing it in the hands of a super quango”. 

Chapter Road speed cushions

Chapter Road recently had a resurfacing and residents were pleased with it. That was until some had to cross the central speed cushions. I had a number of complaints that cushion were too high and some were uneven. Highways officers got the contractor to redo the cushions. But with some, problems remained and the contractor had to return to remedy. Third time lucky I hope, but if residents still experience some problems, they can let me know.

Youth unemployment

More than a million people under-25 are unemployed in Britain. According to the “Metro”, Damian Collins (Conservative) thinks that young people without a job should busk to earn their fares to find jobs and to work for less than the minimum wage. 
If this is the Tory attitude to getting young people back to work, it shows they are out of touch with the real world. 
It's certainly a new twist to “get on your bike”…

Cuts in welfare payments

According to the Daily Mirror, a study by "False Economy" has said that disabled people and single-parent families face cuts in welfare payments as councils bear the brunt of Coalition spending cuts. The study analysed 65 local authorities' plans for the new council tax support scheme and found an average cut of 20% hitting the most vulnerable. I first raised the likely impact of the cuts in an earlier blog: "Abolition of the national council tax benefit".  It was clear from the start that particular groups would be disadvantaged. This study highlights what was expected, a big hit on the most vulnerable.