Category Archives: Clean Streets

New Brent Labour Leader needs to show he can listen says re-elected Lib Dem Leader

Posted on May 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Commenting on the Labour Group’s decision to overthrow Council Leader Ann John and install Cllr Muhammed Butt in her place Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Paul Lorber said:

The face at the top has changed but nine of the ten Executive members who made so many damaging decisions are still in place. If Councillor Butt wants to prove that things have changed he needs to act quickly to reverse Labour’s unpopular library closures and cuts to street cleaning.

Cllr Butt also has the opportunity to turn over a new leaf in the council’s dealings with its residents. I have written to him urging that, unlike Cllr John, he listens to the views of local people and takes rapid action to re-open closed libraries and improve our street-cleaning service.

Last Tuesday (8 May) Paul Lorber was re-elected as Liberal Democrat Group Leader with Cllr Daniel Brown (Alperton) as Deputy. The Liberal Democrats have the most experienced Leadership Team in place with Councillors Lorber and Brown having served local people on Brent Council for around 50 years between them.

Speaking about his re-election Councillor Lorber said:

Over the past two years the Liberal Democrats have consistently held Labour to account in Brent for the damaging effect its policies are having on local people and their areas – culminating in Liberal Democrat Alison Hopkins’s excellent by-election victory in Dollis Hill.

We will continue to represent local residents and fight for their interests in the face of a Labour administration that has turned a deaf ear to local people’s concerns.

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Posted in Clean Streets, Liberal Democrats, 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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Vote Alison Hopkins in Dollis Hill today

Posted on March 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

Residents in Dollis Hill are going to the polls today to elect a new councillor, following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Alec Castle. The election campaign has been a two-horse race between campaigning Dollis Hill resident Alison Hopkins and Brent Council’s Labour administration’s candidate.

It’s clear that the Conservative and other candidates can’t win. Polling stations are open until 10pm this evening (Thursday 21 March) at:

  • CDO1 and CDO 2: Kingfisher Youth and Community Centre, Crest Road, NW2 7LG – map
  • CDO3:Our Lady of Grace RC Junior School, Dollis Hill Lane, NW2 6HS – map
  • CDO4: Our Lady of Grace RC Infant School, Dollis Hill Lane, NW2 6EU – map

You don’t need your polling card to vote. If you have a postal vote and have not sent it back, you can take it to any of the polling stations listed above or to the Town Hall.

Alison Hopkins

Alison Hopkins, Liberal Democrat candidate for Dollis HillAlison has lived in Dollis Hill for over 55 years. She has a long record of campaigning for local people. As the Neasden representative of the Brent SOS libraries campaign she has fought the Labour Council’s plans to close half the libraries in Brent, including in Neasden and Cricklewood.

She is campaigning against the Council’s slashing of the street cleaning budget that has seen rubbish pile up in Dollis Hill’s streets and she has taken a stand against the Labour Council’s frittering away of thousands of pounds on luxury hotel away-days and expensive meals, money that could have been used to keep the libraries open and the dumped rubbish off Dollis Hill’s streets.

Published and promoted by R Wharton 19 Roe Lane London NW9 9BH on behalf of A Hopkins (Liberal Democrats) 9 Humber Road London NW2 6EH. Printed (hosted) by Automattic, Inc. 60 29th Street #343 San Francisco, CA 94110-4929 United States of America

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

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Labour councillors block lifeline for Brent libraries

Posted on February 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrat councillors last night (Monday 27 February) put forward budget proposals that would have given Brent back its closed libraries, and lifted the threat to Brent’s School Crossing Patrols.

Other proposals included:

  • Reversing Labour’s cut to the highways and pavement budget – and investing extra money to tackle the maintenance backlog
  • Cleaning up Brent’s dirty streets with targeted action to tackle the roads worst affected by Labour’s street cleaning cuts
  • Cutting parking charges to give a boost to local High Streets
  • Restoring the Navratri grant and funding for other cultural festivals in Brent

The Liberal Democrats set out a costed programme of savings to pay for their plan including:

  • Slashing the bureaucracy and administration associated with ward working – where for every pound spent on a project another 94p  is spent on administration – without touching the project budget.
  • Abolishing the council’s Customer and Community Engagement Directorate and distributing its functions to other directorates
  • Streamlining the council’s spending on communications including ending the door to door distribution of Brent magazine and cutting unnecessary spending

The Liberal Democrat proposals, set out in The Liberal Democrat Alternative 2012 [PDF], maintain the council tax freeze. The council tax grant from the government means that this year is the third year in a row that there has been a council tax freeze. The first freeze was introduced in 2009 when the Liberal Democrats led the council.

The Lib Dem proposals were voted down by the Labour majority. 

Liberal Democrat Leader Paul Lorber said:

Labour has stopped listening to local residents and is no longer on their side. Labour Leader Ann John actually boasted about the library cuts when she made her speech.

The Liberal Democrats have listened to Brent residents. We have drawn up a budget which responds to their priorities and invests money in the issues they think are important including the state of our streets, the damage done by Labour’s parking charge increases and the closure of our libraries.

 Labour councillors could have clawed back some credibility by voting for the Liberal Democrat proposals last night. Sadly they ducked the test and Brent residents will suffer as a result. We will continue the fight for local people.

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Posted in Campaigns, Clean Streets, Community, Council Tax, Environment, Finance, Liberal Democrats, Libraries, Voluntary Sector, Young People

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Brent Council snow update

Posted on February 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Brent Council has published the following gritting, waste collection and street cleaning update:

Update 8am 6/2/12

The main road network is clear and running fine. Four full gritting runs were undertaken during the weekend. The last was completed at 4am today. Side roads and pavements remain very slushy.

Temperatures will be around four degrees today so we expect a good amount of thaw.

Waste collections will happen as scheduled. Start time will be 8am rather than 7am to ensure better light.

The street cleansing operation is suspended with the operatives redeployed on pavement clearance with our town centres, schools and medical centres are being prioritised.

Bulky waste collections and bin deliveries are also suspended to allow staff to be redeployed and staff from the Parks Service will help with the pavement clearance work being undertaken at other locations.

Information on school closures (just Newman Catholic Collage at the time of writing) can be found here and general information about winter services here. 

 

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Posted in Clean Streets

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