Free bulky waste collection returns!

The Labour group has kept its promise. Brent Council ceases to charge for bulky waste collections from the 1st October, overturning the Lib Dem/ Conservative administration's charge of £25. Household can have up to three collections of up to five items per year. Dumping of rubbish has increased in recent years and we hope this change will keep our environment cleaner.

Freedom Pass in danger?

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced  that he would no longer be supporting the London Councils position on the Private Bill regarding the Freedom Pass. The Mayor's support for this Bill also formed part of a five-year deal on concessionary fares that were believed we have been reached with the Mayor. This included, in exchange for part-funding, the Mayor’s commitment to free travel in the AM peak and a cap on the borough contribution to the Freedom Pass. This deal no longer stands. Without the cap, costs for boroughs could increase from the capped amount of £266M to around £302.9M on current figures. This can be described as the Tory City Hall failing to honour its side of a deal – a deal which the London boroughs sought in order to protect the Freedom Pass and council taxpayers.

Lechmere Road dumping

This terrible mess left at the High Road end of Lechmere Road. This road is right in the centre of the High Road opposite the library - a normally busy site.  There are houses nearby, so amazing that no one spotted the dumper.  Had heard that some personal information left behind, so with luck, the miscreant can be charged. In a few weeks (1st October) the charge for the collection of bulky waste will be abolished as the Labour group promised. Dumping of this sort will not stop overnight, but stopping the charge is expected to help.

Raid in Strode Road

The local paper had news of a raid in three properties in Strode Road where ten suspected illegal immigrants were arrested. Most were said to be Chinese and Filipino nationals.  The properties were said to house dozens of people, including many families, living in a maze of bedrooms and bungalows illegally erected in the back garden. There was therefore serious overcrowding and while occupants had made efforts to keep their spaces clean and tidy they were a potential death trap.  Someone was making large amounts of rent and exploiting these people. They probably relied on the tenants not speaking of their poor housing as their illegal status would be discovered.  Previously the premises had been used as a workshop for duplicating videos and cassettes – another scam for the landlord.  Crimes such as trafficking and cramming people into accommodation such as this is a form of exploitation we must guard against.

Houses in multiple occupation: End of protection?

Have recently read an article by Tom Lloyd in the journal “Inside Housing” and was very alarmed to discover that Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, is overturning rules governing houses in multiple occupation. This means that landlords could change the status of a property from a standard house to a house in multiple occupation without seeking planning permission, reversing changes in the Town and Country Planning Order 2010, which were introduced by the Labour government in April last year, shortly before the general election. This appears to me to be a gift to landlords which many do not deserve.  It is said that councils will still be able to require landlords to seek planning permission to create a HMO in areas where such properties are deemed to be a problem. This has to be true of Brent.

Planning controls

Good to see that the Planning Service continues to judge some proposals for converting houses into flats as unacceptable. In a number of instances, policies H17 and H19 are cited as reasons:

"The proposal is unacceptable in principle in that it results in the loss of a family dwellinghouse, for which there is a recognised need in Brent, without the replacement of a family sized unit. By reason of the limited original floor area of the building and its location on a heavily parked street, the dwelling house is insufficient in size to be considered for conversion and would increase the demand for on-street parking, to the detriment of the free and safe flow of traffic."

The Burnley Practice

In recent years I have been in regular contact with aggrieved Willesden and Dudden Hill patients registered with the Burnley GP Practice. This surgery was originally in Burnley Road but it closed in 2001 when the doctor left without warning.  Patients were transferred to the Roundwood Practice at the Pound Lane Clinic with the promise of a return to a surgery in the Burnley Road area. Eventually the practice was relocated to Willesden Centre for Health and Care, but the inferred intention has always been to find appropriate premises suitable for local residents. 

Recently there have been indications that there were plans to close this surgery and to distribute patients to other practices – few of which are within easy access for older or mobility impaired residents. There is genuine concern that one of the options being considered is to disperse the lists and a petition with over 150 names has been submitted.

Having settled into the surgery at the Willesden Centre, with patients familiar with its facilities, they find their GP practice is at risk yet again, in spite of assurances over the years to resolve concerns. Many residents will not understand why the practice is threatened with closure or what alternative arrangements are possible, but it is recognized that a “post code” lottery does exist in Brent, with the Willesden area (NW2, NW10) having fewer GP’s per 100,000 population than other areas of the borough.

As this is a community rather than a party political issue, I have sought the support of co-councillors for Willesden Green and Dudden Hill Wards, all of whom put their names to a letter of objection to the PCT Director.  We also supported a meeting with PCT staff and about 40 patients. This was a good meeting where patients could express their concerns and could feel they were listened to. As a result, a further look at options for the Burnley Practice and further meetings are expected.

Trading Standards Success

The Local Government Association has highlighted how criminal assets are recovered by local authorities under the "Home Office Incentivisation Scheme".  This lets councils to recover up to 37.5% of money confiscated, using powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act to conduct financial investigations and to undertake enforcement work against benefit fraudsters, counterfeiters, etc. The Brent and Harrow Trading Standards Service is given as an example which uncovered a fake handbags scam, leading to fines of £400,000, of which £132,000 went to the boroughs.

Latest on the Learie Constantine Open Space

There is new fencing in place but other work on the refurbishment of the Learie Constantine Open Space in Villiers Road has been sporadic.  There has been plenty of digging and the layout plan is emerging but there appears to be a long way to go before it is finished.  The delay may be due to having to wait to see if the Lib Con government would continue to fund playgrounds with the "Playbuilder" scheme. Recently heard this scheme was abandoned, but where work on a play space was advanced, it could be finished.  So it looks as though this play area will survive the cuts.  I am asking officers for the potential finish date and will include an update later.

Road works at the Library Centre junction

There are very mixed feelings about the TfL funded works at this central area of Willesden. The work on the paving around the library is good and the trees on part of the High Road and in Brondesbury Park are generally appreciated. It appears that the work will correct the flooding problem at the site. Concerns included the removal of the guard rails, the trees and the traffic disruption. The intention to provide pull-ins for deliveries to shops created more problems that they solved as buses could not pass large vehicles parked there. As a result, one of the the central islands and its trees were removed. Because of these problems, the work will not be completed until the end of August. Local traders have collected a petition for the council to explain the problems and this will go to Highways Committee at its next meeting in October.