Roundwood Park cafe

Now that the trial and sentencing of the previous leaseholder of the cafe in Roundwood Park is over, I hope we can look forward to the cafe reopening with new management. The Parks Service is keen to retain the cafe as a valuable community resource.  The former leaseholder (known by a variety of different names) was found guilty of 23 counts of benefit and other frauds at Harrow Crown Court on March 18th and has been sentenced to four and a half years. 

Carriageway repairs in Willesden

Disappointed yet again that none of my nominations for pavements or roads in need of repair or renewal were successful. Only two Willesden roads feature in the list - Buxton and Deacon Roads - will have the carriageway resurfaced in 2010/11. At this rate, it could take up to 50 plus years to restore our roads and pavements to good order.  As yet there is minimal work on dealing with the great number of pot holes in Willesden.

Nominating roads for repairs

Councillors have the opportunity to nominate roads where there is a need for repair or renewal. However, no guarantee they will be included, but I have submitted the following:

Footway repairs:

Tarmac side of Bertie Road (reported 3 years running!)

Paving by bus stop, close to bus garage, High Road

Harlesden Road: between nos. 2-40

Tarmac side of Deacon Road

Beaconsfield Road

Carriageway repairs:

Gowan Road

Hawthorn Road

Beaconsfield Road

The Marie Celeste of NW10?

Residents using Willesden Library Centre have expressed concern about what they see as a decline in our "flagship centre".   For several years I had the pleasure as lead councillor of seeing the library grow in the services and resources it provided, when, for example, both the museum and archives were relocated. Now residents regret that the cinema and cafe have gone, that the reception desk is often unstaffed, that there is a drinks vending machine in the reading area and that the outside area is left littered and untidy.  In the first few days of the snow, there was no gritting to protect visitors from the icy and dangerous conditions in the car park.  A Neighbourhood Working proposal was to fund the training in security of reception staff so they could legally play a more supportive security role. This was declined by management.  The current Lib Dem/ Conservative administration do not appear to have plans or proposals for reversing what we see as this downward trend.

Dumpers get best service?

For the first time I have to dispose of a bulky item too big to transport to the Park Royal Recycling Centre.  Being a responsible resident, I arranged for it to be picked up and paid the £25 charge.  I now discover it will be TWELVE DAYS before it is collected!  Now if I had dumped it on the pavement, it would probably be cleared within a day or two.  So dumpers appear to get a better service than responsible residents!

Alcohol sales licence reviews

If you have problems with a licensed premise nearby, whether a bar, club or retail shop, you can contact Health, Safety and Licensing to investigate the complaint and to take action where possible. Breaching any of the long list of conditions Brent puts on successful licence applications can trigger a review. Problems could include noisy premises or patrons and under age sales. While residents are understandably concerned about young people drinking to excess, “binge” drinking is less prevalent in Brent - at 10% - than in London overall where the average percentage is 15.4%.

In some instances it may be better to ask for a license review if there is sufficient evidence. Grounds for a review must be connected to one of the four objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance, protection of children from harm and public safety. You should have details of dates and times and the nature of your complaint. It also helps if there is supporting evidence such as flyers for events, other advertisements, photographs or corroborative statements from other witnesses. Licence reviews are put before the Council’s Licensing Committee and you or your representative (can be a councillor) should attend a hearing. I have been involved in presenting evidence for one review and am gathering evidence for another. They can make a difference!

Dumpers' Charter still in force!

The truth will out! The Liberal Democrat /Tory coalition running Brent Council have admitted that their introduction of a £25 charge for collecting bulky waste led to a fall in special collections. There was a decline in July 2007 (67% from June to July) and the Lead Member admitted this was down to the introduction of the charge for special collections. We see the result every day - on our streets!

Learie Constantine Open Space

Have been waiting for news of this refurbishment after several years calling for this site to have some attention! A planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the Learie Constantine Open Space in Villiers Road. Funding is available thanks to a generous grant from the Labour Government's Playbuilder" scheme. In summary, the proposal is described as the creation of a public park with installation of children's play equipment, sand pit, seating, associated landscaping and installation of mesh fence, brick wall and wooden board fence to perimeter of site to ensure neighbours' privacy is protected. Having looked at the plans, the proposals are really exciting and will make a major contribution to improving the environment in the area. Now the primary school I am involved with is to contribute ideas for a mural on the hoarding while the work goes on behind. They will work with a professional artist linked to Groundworks, the organisation that managed the local consultation. Full details are now available on

http://www.brent.gov.uk/servlet/ep.ext?extId=101150&reference=98864&st=PL