December 2008 Archives

A Brent-based refugee charity has been awarded nearly £500,000 from the National Lottery, enabling it to continue its good work for the next four years.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Advice Centre, in Willesden, was given the Big Lottery grant just three days before an earlier grant was due to expire.

It will now carry on supporting victims of the Balkans war who fled to London in the 1990s.

More than 150 fuming residents last week joined forces to fight proposals for a new rubbish dump on the outskirts of Brent.

The outraged protesters from Dollis Hill attended a public meeting to discuss Barnet Council's planning application to relocate a large waste re-processing plant to the Edgware Road.

They said the development would mean hundreds of rubbish trucks passing through their leafy residential hub every day, increasing levels of noise, traffic and pollution.

MP for Brent East, Sarah Teather (Liberal Democrat), joined the debate.
She said: "Residents are quite rightly furious at the plan to build a dump on their doorstep, and it is absolutely vital that they get a fair hearing from the leaders of Barnet Council.

"There could be hundreds of extra lorries passing through residential areas in Dollis Hill every single week, not to mention the potential impact of pollution upon residents' health and the environment."

The politician said more time needed to be given for a proper assessment on the impact of Barnet's plans.

"To press ahead regardless of such passionate opposition would be a gross insult to all those who turned out to defend our quality of life," she added.

The dump is planned to be built on the current site of Bestway, close to close to Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School.

Dawood Parvez, director of the cash and carry, said: "The developers are proposing to compulsory purchase our store, threatening jobs, livelihoods and the many local businesses that we serve."

Plans also include a site on Tilling Way, next to the North Circular, where the developers intend to burn waste.

They claim it will be a combined heat and power station, but Brent Friends of the Earth have voiced concerns that an incinerator could be built there.

Viv Stein, spokeswoman for the green organisation, said: "Developers' plans lack crucial detail on the type of technology and likely emissions, so we cannot assess the full environmental impact. We cannot let this application go through in outline without this information.

"Incineration undermines recycling, contributes to climate change, and is not a sustainable way of dealing with waste."

Protestors say only a handful of Brent households have been consulted about the plans - which are due to go in front of a Barnet Council planning committee next month.

Two young men have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery on a security van in Cricklewood Broadway.

Nicholas Bidar, 21, of Kenwin Drive, Dollis Hill and Christopher Ryan,18, of Sixth Avenue, West Kilburn, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court this morning (19).

Both were charged with robbery and using a firearm with intent to resist arrest during the incident on Wednesday (17).

A 16-year-old boy was also arrested and bailed until February next year.

Brent Council spent more than £2million of tax payers' money on publicity last year - double the national average.

The figures, released by the TaxPayers' Alliance, have raised fresh fears that the local authority is wasting cash on "spin" despite year-on-year tax hikes.

Town hall chiefs laid out a total of £2,180,000 on publicity in 2007/08 - an increase of 68 per cent on the previous year.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, slammed their actions.
He said: "It is incredibly disappointing that, despite the economic downturn and the loss of millions in Iceland Banks, local authorities are still spending nearly half a billion pounds a year on publicity."

Mr Elliott commended the 218 councils who had cut spending on advertising, but said Brent, who were among 224 councils who had ramped up spending, should hang their heads in shame.

"In the middle of a recession, councils need to cut back on propaganda and spin doctors and deliver savings to taxpayers."

Since 1996 Brent has increased the amount spent on publicity by 220 per cent. It was ranked 64 out of more than 450 councils in the total amount of cash forked out.

Councillor Anne John, leader of the Brent Labour Party, said the rise in the past two years was totally unjustifiable.

Defending its actions, the council said the money was not spent on "spin", but rather on informing members of the public about the services it offers.

A council spokeswoman said: "Brent is spending more than 900 million a year providing services for residents. But how would our residents know what time the local pool is open, what benefits they are entitled to or where to go and vote if we don't provide information letting them know?

"None of the money is spent on spin doctors or propaganda and often spending a small amount on publicity will save tax payers money in the long run."

The spokeswoman said a third of the money is spent on schools publicity and another third went on advertising council jobs.

The highest spending local authority was Birmingham City Council which splashed out more than £9million on publicity.

But West Somorset spent a measly £4,000. The average spend was £965,986.

A free parking ticket system is being proposed at Willesden Green Library Centre to improve facilities for customers.

It is hoped the move would stop people treating the centre as a public car park and deter unauthorised motorists who are not visiting it.

Residents can send their views on the proposal to willesdengreenlibrary@brent.gov.uk or discuss the proposal in person by booking an appointment with Library Manager, Narinder Bhourlay on 020 8937 3400.

The consultation will end on December 31 and a final decision will be made in first week of January 2009.

If supported, the new parking system will be in place from February 2009.

A Brent youth worker has been named London and National Drug Worker of the Year 2008.
Daniel Smyth from the Brent Centre for Young People was rewarded for the support he has given to young drug users.
He was chosen from among 20 regional finalists and picked up his gong from Home Office Minister Alan Campbell at an awards ceremony in London last week.
Since September 2007, Daniel has provided intensive one-to-one support and group work to 27 young men at Cardinal Hinsley's School in Harlesden, where he identified a gap in provision of mental health and substance misuse services.
He works with people who are using a range of substances, showing emotional difficulties and challenging behaviour in school.
Daniel said: "For many of these young men this is the first time that someone has made an effort to give them the one-to-one support they desperately need and want. I am very keen to continue and build on the work I do at the school, and give other young men that chance to change their lives."
Through Daniel's work, a large proportion of his subjects have significantly reduced their drug use and are no longer selling illegal substances in school or in the community.
A key part of Daniel's success has been in building trust and providing a positive male influence in their lives.
Mr Campbell said: "These awards celebrate the great contribution that dedicated and hard-working professionals and volunteers make in helping individuals overcome drug addiction, which in turn helps families and communities."

Police are hunting a violent motorcyclist who punched a paramedic minutes after a road crash.
The rider, who is described as Brazilian, hit a car and came off of his blue Honda in Steele Road, Park Royal, on August 30.
He fled the scene on foot, but was caught by a group of people who had seen the accident from a nearby pub.
When the emergency services turned up, the 30-year-old hit an ambulance worker who tried to talk to him.
The biker's friend then arrived at the scene and threatened to stab paramedics before hitting one of them in chest.
The man then left in his friend's car.
Anyone with information should call Brent Police on 0208 733 3159 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Santa Claus - also known as Sergeant Greg Wakefield of the Kensal Green Safer Neighbourhoods team - visited John Keble Junior School on Saturday last week (6) to bring the magic of Christmas to the local community.

He took a sleigh full of presents donated by local businesses and was accompanied by one of his reindeer and a Christmas horse.

The event started at 12pm with children and parents queuing outside to see Santa and by 2pm there were more than 250 people.

Excited children waited to have a sledge ride or see to the Reindeer in the playground. and there were performances from the school steel band and choir.

Olympic Gold Medallist James DeGale attended the event, which raised nearly £290 for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

He said: "It was an honour to be invited to the grotto and to see so many smiling children. It's good to see this kind of thing happening for the kids in the community. Harlesden needed something like the grotto to show people do care. I'm very proud that I'm from Harlesden."

Sergeant Greg Wakefield added: "The grotto was an excellent day. We engaged with parents and children who don't normally engage with the police whether it is through fear or false perceptions. A lot of attitudes were changed, fears dispelled and barriers broken down. The whole day was very rewarding and marked the start of the Christmas season for Harlesden."

Brent for Jesus hosted a coffee morning on Monday November 17, at Newcroft House on the Stonebridge Estate.
Among the distinguished guests were Dawn Butler, MP for Brent South and a number of Brent councillors.
The Westminster politician talked to residents and community leaders about the underlying funding problems for voluntary groups in the borough.
Ann Roberts, from Brent for Jesus, said: "It was a delightful meeting, the atmosphere was congenial, the unity and care and concern for the borough was expressed by both the Church and the State; the common love for Brent with its diversity and its multifarious complexities were acknowledged and the roles and responsibilities of both agencies, were clearly defined.

A controversial waste collection scheme forced on residents last year has been dubbed a total failure by critics.

Since July 2007, Brent Council has been charging home owners £25 to pick up and dump bulky household items such as fridges and furniture.

Town hall chiefs justified the move by claiming the free service was costing them too much money and charging for it would bring in an extra £275,000 revenue per year.

But recent figures show the scheme generated a paltry £53,000 in 2007/08, prompting calls for it to be axed.

Councillor James Powney, Labour's environmental spoke-sman, said: "Residents pay enough council tax as it is without having to pay extra charges for bulky rubbish collection and the scheme has clearly failed to generate the expected revenue."

Mr Powney also claims the charge has led to a fly-tipping 'epidemic', with residents preferring to illegally dump the items rather than fork out for the £25 charge.

And he also says it has scuppered the borough's recycling efforts: "When the council collects the items they are recycled, but anything that is fly-tipped is deemed as contaminated and taken to landfill.

"This means the charges are actually having a negative impact on the environment and the borough's attempts to lower the recycling rate.

"The scheme is not bringing in the revenue the council expected it to, but it is still having to pick up the tab for collecting fly-tipped rubbish. It is a lose-lose situation."

The councillor backed up his argument by saying that since July 1, 2007, the number of people asking for unwanted items to be taken away from their homes fell by 65 per cent.

The council replied to the allegations by saying it would not be scrapping the charge and said that fly-tipping had actually decreased.

A spokesman said: "Charging ensures that only people who use the service pay for it - whereas before everyone in Brent was subsidising it.

"The service is still free to people receiving benefits and we will also take away a fridge or freezer for free from every household."

Council leader Paul Lorber added that it was never intended to be a money-making service.

Originally, Brent residents were allowed three, free collections every year, where council workers would remove up to five bulky household items to be recycled.