Category Archives: Campaigns

Persistent campaign for Wembley Central station improvements pays off

Posted on May 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

 A long-running campaign to improve facilities at Wembley Central tube station has paid off. Transport for London this week announced details of new lifts and a stair lift installed at Wembley Central station.

Liberal Democrat campaigners including Cllr Paul Lorber, Afifa Pervez, Peter Corcoran and Valerie Brown.outside Wembley Central station before the improvements.

Liberal Democrat campaigners including Cllr Paul Lorber, Afifa Pervez, Peter Corcoran and Valerie Brown.outside Wembley Central station before the improvements.

Brent’s Liberal Democrat Councillors have long campaigned for improvements to Wembley Central. Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson and Alperton councillor Daniel Brown, who has lobbied Network Rail and Transport for London on the issue, said:

At times it looked as if the badly needed improvements – particularly providing lifts to ensure step-free access for people with disabilities – would never happen. I’m pleased that the pressure has paid off and the lifts are in place in the nick of time before the Olympics. It’s just a shame that non-Olympic passengers have had to wait for so long.

The new lifts will help passengers with luggage and buggies as well as wheelchair users. Nearly 4.5 million passengers use the tube station each year.

Funding for the work was provided through the Coalition Government’s £370m Access for All programme.

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Posted in Campaigns, Transport

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Brent Labour Council Leader’s final day in office marred by ransacking of Kensal Rise Library

Posted on May 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Councillor Ann John’s final day in office as Council Leader has been marked by Brent Council removing books and computers from the historic Kensal Rise library, so that the council can get ride of the building.

Liberal Democrat council group leader Paul Lorber, who joined protestors outside the ransacked library, said:

This is a kick in the teeth for local residents, who have demonstrated their opposition to Labour’s library closure plan at every opportunity.

It would have been appropriate to pause the process until library campaigners had a chance to meet the new council leader, Muhammed Butt. Inevitably this will lead to speculation that Ann John and libraries portfolio holder James Powney wanted to empty the library and get rid of the building quickly to make any change in policy as difficult as possible.

Despite explicit assurances from All Souls College that it was open to the idea of members of the community providing library services at Kensal Rise library, Labour councillors have up to now been determined to see the end of book borrowing at Kensal Rise and rejected the well thought out bid from local residents to run the library at no cost to the council. Because of restrictions imposed when the land was donated, the building valued at £772,034 will transfer to All Souls College for free.

Sarah Teather MP and campaigners outside Kensal Rise Library before Labour's closure.

Sarah Teather MP and campaigners outside Kensal Rise Library before Labour’s closure.

Sarah Teather, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, has expressed her disappointment at Brent Council’s decision to clear Kensal Rise Library building of books and IT equipment today.

Commenting, Ms Teather said:

This is another sad day for Brent’s libraries. Campaigners have tried to work with officials to keep Kensal Rise library open, but have been ignored at every turn.

Labour leaders need to remember who they are supposed to be working for.  They must stop removing books immediately and talk to campaigners and local residents before it’s too late.

Councillor Butt has to get a grip of this matter if he wants to show that he can make a difference as Leader of the Council.

Kensal Rise library was erected on land provided by All Souls College Oxford using funds contributed by Willesden Urban District Council taxpayers, a donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and public donations. The terms of the land transfer meant that the land could be used to provide libraries for ever for the benefit of local people.

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Posted in Campaigns, Labour Failure, Libraries

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Brent Labour’s determinat​ion to block community plans for libraries is disgracefu​l

Posted on May 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

Brondesbury Park Liberal Democrat councillor Barry Cheese wrote to the local press after Labour councillors handed the historic libraries in Kensal Rise and Cricklewood to All Souls College in Oxford:

Dear editor,

For many decades residents in Kensal Rise and Cricklewood have benefitted from the foresight of our ancestors, who built two libraries on land provided by All Souls College. The opening of Kensal Rise library by Mark Twain in 1900 and the opening of Cricklewood Library in 1929 were the results of Willesden Urban District Council and residents working together to raise the money required from local ratepayers, charitable donations and public subscriptions.

How sad that the achievements and good intentions of the past have been betrayed by today’s Labour councillors.

The two libraries are community assets which members of the community are willing to support by helping to run a library service in accordance with the conditions laid down when the land was gifted to local people. The council’s determination to frustrate these plans by getting rid of the land and buildings to All Souls College as soon as it could is a disgrace.

Labour’s spiteful refusal to work in partnership with local people will not be forgotten.

Yours faithfully,

Councillor Barry Cheese
Liberal Democrat councillor for Brondesbury Park

35 Hardinge Road
London
NW10 3PL

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Posted in Campaigns, Libraries

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Labour shuts down Streetwatcher scheme by stealth

Posted on March 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrat councillors have sounded the alarm over the abolition of the popular StreetWatchers scheme – which involved local people volunteering time and effort to report issues on the streets of the borough in an effort to keep Brent’s streets clean.

The scheme has been quietly abandoned by Brent’s Labour-run council, despite the fact that the streets are dirtier than ever following Labour’s street cleaning cuts.

There has been no public announcement of the end of the scheme. Indeed the StreetWatcher webpage at www.brent.gov.uk/streetcare2.nsf/pages/lbb-120 was advertising for new streetwatchers as recently as Tuesday 20 March and was only taken down after the Liberal Democrats expressed our concerns.

Councillor Gavin Sneddon, who represents Willesden Green, discovered the scheme had ended after being contacted by a local resident keen to take part because of her concern about the state of local streets.

Cllr Ann Hunter and Cllr Gavin Sneddon discuss local issues

Cllr Ann Hunter and Cllr Gavin Sneddon

He said:

The council can get more done with the help and participation of local volunteers than it can do alone. Streets in Willesden Green and across the borough are crying out for a bit more care and attention. The council has abandoned its eyes and ears in the community. This is an admission that Labour’s street cleaning cuts have left the council unable to keep our borough clean.

Councillor Daniel Brown, who was responsible for the StreetWatchers scheme when the Liberal Democrats ran the council and helped the scheme celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2009, said:

For twelve years the StreetWatchers scheme has helped the council identify problems and respond to them. Labour’s street cleaning cuts mean that rubbish is being left lying in our streets for ever-longer periods. It’s time for the serious action plan which the Liberal Democrats have been calling for. This will put right the mistakes that the Labour administration has made.

Councillor Daniel Brown and other local residents celebrate the 10th anniversary of the streetwatcher scheme in 2009

Councillor Daniel Brown (brown jacket) and streetwatcher volunteers celebrate the 10th anniversary of the popular streetwatcher scheme

 

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Posted in Campaigns, Clean Streets, Community, Environment, Labour Failure

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Dollis Hill voters give verdict on Brent library cuts and Labour’s waste

Posted on March 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Alison Hopkins, Liberal Democrat councillor for Dollis HillBrent’s newest councillor Alison Hopkins has thanked Dollis Hill residents for their support and for electing her to Brent Council yesterday.

Humber Road resident Alison Hopkins triumphed by 37 votes in the highly marginal Dollis Hill ward, which has been a Lib Dem / Labour battleground for the past ten years.

This is the first Lib Dem victory against Labour in the capital since the General Election in 2010. The Liberal Democrat majority increased from 27 votes in 2010 to 37 votes yesterday (on a lower turnout).

Victorious new Liberal Democrat councillor Alison Hopkins said:

It is clear that a huge number of Brent residents are still very angry at Labour’s decision to force through the closure of half of our libraries in the face of massive public opposition. They are fed up with the increased rubbish on the streets and the overflowing bins caused by Labour’s decision to target cuts at street cleaning. It’s time for the Labour politicians who run Brent Council to start listening to local people.

Now I have a seat in the council chamber I will use it to continue to argue the case for local libraries anc cleaner streets. I will speak up for the thousands of local residents and children who have lost out because of Brent Council’s refusal to listen.

I want to thank my fellow Dollis Hill residents for the warm welcome I received throughout the campaign, and everyone who voted for and helped me.

Dollis Hill has been hit hard by the Labour Council’s library cuts. When Labour councillors voted to close six of Brent’s twelve libraries last year, two of them (Cricklewood and Neasden) served local residents.

Alison Hopkins and Cllr Javaid Ashraf collecting petition signatures with other campaigners outside Neasden library

Alison Hopkins has a track record of campaigning for the local area. She has worked hard to challenge Labour's library closures.

The newly elected councillor collected hundreds of signatures protesting against the library closures last year. Neasden Library currently stands empty at a cost to Brent taxpayers of around £70,000 per year, as the council is unable to hand back the lease of the rented building until 2022.

The unpopular Labour council has also come under fire for its cuts to front-line services, such as street-cleaning, wasteful spending, and its refusal to listen to local residents.

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Posted in Campaigns, Clean Streets, Elections, Labour Failure, Liberal Democrats, Libraries

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Minister should order meeting with Brent libraries campaigners

Posted on March 14, 2012 | 1 Comment

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Paul Lorber is demanding that Brent library campaigners should be allowed to meet Department of Culture Media and Sport officials – following the appearance of libraries minister Ed Vaizey before the House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee yesterday (Tuesday 13 March 2012).

The minister was questioned by Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders about his response to the library closures in Brent. Mr Sanders pointed out that Mr Vaizey had called for the Secretary of State to intervene when Wirral Council planned to close almost half of its libraries in 2009. However he appeared reluctant to intervene when Brent Council shut half of its libraries in 2011.

Paul Lorber and other library campaigners with Hands Off Our Library and Save Our Library signs outside Barham Park library

Sudbury Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Lorber and other volunteer library campaigners are working to re-open Barham Park library

According to Mr Vaizey the key difference between the councils is that Brent Council carried out an “extensive and significant review of libraries”. Brent campaigners claim that the review is flawed and failed to directly engage with users most affected by the cuts.

Councillor Lorber said:

Mr Vaizey’s officials have met Brent Council to discuss the library closures, but have not discussed the other side of the argument with local library campaigners. This is unbalanced and Mr Vaizey is in danger of having the wool pulled over his eyes.

We already know that part of the council’s argument rested on misleading the minister about library use in Brent, which has gone down on average by nearly 20,000 visits a month since the library closures.”

Councillor Lorber has written to the minister asking him to instruct his officials to meet local campaigners.

Mr Vaizey also said in his evidence that local councils should “seize opportunities” to work with volunteers. Labour-run Brent Council has so far turned its back on volunteer groups who have offered to help run closed libraries including at Barham Park and Kensal Rise.

Councillor Lorber and other local campaigners hope that the minister’s comments will persuade the council to think again.

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Posted in Campaigns, Libraries

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