Category Archives: Environment

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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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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Cricklewood drops off Brent Labour’s map

Posted on February 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Councillor Sami HashmiMapesbury Liberal Democrat Sami Hashmi wrote to the Wembley and Willesden Observer about the successful Cricklewood Outer London Fund grant:

Dear Editor,
 
Has Cricklewood dropped off the map? As far as Labour politicians at Brent Town Hall are concerned the place might as well not exist, going by the recent comments of George Crane and other Labour councillors.
 
I share his disappointment that the Outer London Fund bids he made failed. But I am shocked that he failed to give any credit to the residents of Cricklewood who successfully gained £1.6m from the Fund to invest in our community on both sides of the A5 borough boundary.
 
Admittedly, at first he and his Labour colleagues were not supportive. But when the Liberal Democrat Mapesbury ward councillors put down a motion calling on Brent Council to back the bid, we were delighted that all sides of the council chamber agreed with us. As a result the bid gained the formal backing of Brent Council – a key step in making it successful.
 
The £1.6 million will make a big contribution to revitalising  Cricklewood by supporting local buisinesses and young people, enhancing shop fronts,  and making other physical improvements requested by residents such as tree planting and improving access for cyclists.
 
How sad that instead of celebrating this achievement Labour have chosen to ignore it completely, because of their original preference that Cricklewood should miss out on the money.
 
Yours faithfully
 
Cllr Sami Hashmi
Lib Dem, Mapesbury

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Posted in Community, Environment, Liberal Democrats, Mayor of London

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Brent Council urged to share grit with volunteers

Posted on February 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Brent Liberal Democrats have urged the council to respond positively to residents who want to make the borough’s icy pavements safer.

Although it is now nearly a week since the last big fall of snow, the continuing low temperatures and the minor snowfall yesterday mean that some pavements are still covered in ice, especially in sheltered areas where the sun doesn’t reach.

Temperatures in Wembley are expected to fall as low as -4°C this evening (Friday) and Saturday morning.

The council has focussed its gritting efforts on the main roads and bus routes, leaving many side roads and residential roads to be dealt with by residents or not at all. However many residents have not been able to get hold of grit in their area.

Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Paul Lorber said:

There are still large areas of Brent where the snow has not melted. As a result there are dangerous patches of ice on many pavements – especially in the hilly areas of Brent. Because these are irregular they are often difficult to see.

We know the council is not going to reach every side road and pavement with its staff. Where residents are willing to step in and help treat the road the council should provide them with the grit they need to get on with the job.

Councillor Lorber has contacted senior Brent officers asking them to take up the idea.

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Posted in Environment

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Chaotic first week of Labour’s new waste collection arrangements in Brent

Posted on October 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

 The first week of Labour’s new fortnightly collection scheme has been marked by chaos and confusion as residents have reports missed collections, overflowing bins, lack of information and permanently engaged telephone helplines.

Overflowing rubbish and recycling bins

Waste is piling up because of Brent Council's failure to collect the bins on time

Residents have been left furious and confused by the numerous occasions when Brent Council has refused to take away rubbish left out for collection because residents have been unable to operate the new system – often because the council has failed to deliver all the correct bins.

Many Dudden Hill residents did not receive their new recycling bins and food waste containers in time for the start of the new scheme, so had no alternative except to continue using the old system. Yet the council refused to collect bins from households which put out their rubbish as usual.

Local Liberal Democrat councillor David Clues said:

Councillor David Clues

Councillor David Clues

Residents can’t put their recycling into a recycling bin if Brent Council has failed to deliver one to them. The Council put local residents in an impossible position by asking them to sort their rubbish into containers that they don’t have. It’s totally unreasonable for the council to refuse to collect rubbish when it is responsible for creating the problem in the first place.

The council claims that the bins it refused to collect were ‘contaminated’ with recyclable material. However as residents had not received their new recycling bins and accompanying instructions they had no way of operating the new system and did not know that the new system was in operation.

Liberal Democrat Leader Paul Lorber, who warned at a full council meeting back in July that the switch to fortnightly collections and inadequate communications would cause problems said:

The Labour councillors who run Brent Council should be ashamed of their ‘blame the resident’ approach. It’s time they put local residents first and allow some flexibility as people get used to the reduced service that Labour has introduced. For the portfolio holder to say ‘The new recycling scheme seems to be going well’  just shows how out of touch he is.

Residents have experienced problems across the borough. Examples include:

Communications

  • Many residents have found it difficult or impossible to get through to the council’s advertised helpline on the phone and difficult to find the information they need on the council’s website.
  • Many residents have not received the Brent Magazine with information about the changes.
  • The only information for some residents has been a leaflet stuck to the top of the blue bin. Households that have not received their blue bin, or have received one blue bin shared between more that one household, have not received the leaflet.
  • On Monday, a week after the introduction of the service, residents were still finding it impossible to get through to the council by phone. In the first two days of the new service council staff took over 2,700 calls while many other calls were not answered.

Missed collections and non-delivery of bins

  • Blue and green bins not delivered, especially to many flats.
  • Aneurin Bevan Court – bins emptied on the wrong day.
  • Brondesbury Road – the council removed residents’ old green boxes, in breach of their written pledge saying people could keep their old green boxes and that they would only be removed on request.
  • Eton Avenue – green bin collection missed.
  • Hanover Road – green organic waste bins not delivered; council refused to collect grey bins with organic waste in it.
  • Gladstone Park Gardens – lack of clear information.
  • Walton Close – no green organic waste collection for over a week.
  • Erin Court, Walm Lane – No collection at all last week of either kind.

If you have experienced problems with the bin service contact Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Cllr Daniel Brown at cllr.daniel.brown@brent.gov.uk.

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Posted in Campaigns, Clean Streets, Environment, Labour Failure

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Lib Dem action sorts blocked gulleys

Posted on August 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Thirty-five gullies in Draycott Avenue, Kenton were cleaned after Lib Dem Leader Councillor Paul Lorber reported blocked gullies causing the road to run with water following recent heavy rainfall.

Brent’s 23,000 gullies are inspected just once a year, meaning that blockages can persist for months if not reported by members of the public.

Councillor Lorber is concerned that Labour councillors’ recent decision to cut back on street cleaning and stop special collections of Autumn leaves will increase the amount of litter and rubbish that the drains will need to cope with. This makes it even more important that blockages and problems are reported by members of the public.

Labour’s message to the people of Brent is: ‘we are going to do less so you will have to do more’

said Councillor Lorber.

Blocked gullies can be reported by email to streetcare@brent.gov.uk, by text message to 07781 482 469 and by phone to 020 8937 5050.

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Posted in Clean Streets, Environment

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