The latest Green News from Brent Green Party - campaigning to make Brent better for EVERYONE

 

Please sign the petition urging Brent Council to do its job and consider the impact on residents of the NHS proposed slashing of Urgent Treatment Centre hours

 

Brent Green Party member Zengha Wellings-Longmore has followed up  the party's appeal to Brent Council to scrutinise the NHS proposal to reduce hours at the Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre with a public petition.  It calls on  Brent Council's Scrutiny Committee to consider the impact on local people of the proposal. 

Sign the e-petition here: 

https://tinyurl.com/protect-urgent-care

The move comes as the Care Quality Commission reports waits of up to 12 hours at Northwick Park A&E amd UTC. 

Do please sign the position as it is important that Brent Council properky represents its residents' interests in health as in all other matters affecting their quality of life. 

Brent Council Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee must consider proposals to reduce the opening hours of Central Middlesex Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre

We the undersigned petition Brent Council’s Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to convene an urgent meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to consider NHS proposals to cut the opening hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre at Central Middlesex Hospital by 3 hours a day, 21 hours a week.

In 2014, Central Middlesex Hospital A&E Department closed following a decision from the then Conservative Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt. At the time, we were told that the opening of an Urgent Care Centre at Central Middlesex hospital would mitigate the loss of the A&E department. However, in 2019, the hours of the Urgent Care Centre were reduced when the overnight Service Centre was withdrawn. Six years down the line, we are faced with yet another reduction of the renamed Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). The Centre currently closes at midnight but, if London NW University Healthcare Trust go ahead with their proposal, it will close at 9pm.

We the undersigned are therefore firmly opposed to a further reduction of NHS services that will undoubtedly put more pressure on Northwick Park Hospital A&E and UTC and will lead to fewer people getting the required medical attention as quickly as necessary and call on the current plans to reduce the UTC hours by 3 hours each evening to form the agenda of a specially convened Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to be held as soon as possible.

We note that the 2019 proposals were considered by that Committee in July 2019 setting a precedent for the views of the Council and residents to be represented.

 Peoplewho live, work or study in Brent can sign the petition here: 

https://tinyurl.com/protect-urgent-care

Greens call on Brent Council to scrutinise proposed reduced hours (21 hours per week) at Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre

 

Table from 2019 overnight closure proposal

 

In 2014, Central Middlesex hospital A&E department closed following a decision from the then Conservative Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt. At the time, we were told that the opening of an Urgent Care Centre at Central MIddlesex hospital would mitigate the loss of the A&E department. However, in 2019, the hours of the Urgent Care Centre were reduced  when the overnight service was withdrawn.

 

Six years down the line, we are faced with yet another reduction of the now named Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Central Middlesex hospital. The Centre currently closes at midnight but, if London NW University Healthcare Trust go ahead with their proposal, it will close at 9pm.

 

The curtailing of the services at the Central Middlesex hospital is even more incomprehensible because it runs contrary to the evolution of the demographics in Brent. The Brent population went up by 9.2% between 2011 and 2021. This is a significant increase which is both higher than the population rise in England (+6,6%) and the population of rise London (+7.7%). How is Brent's growing and ageing population supposed to cope with a reduction in urgent care treatment?

 

Brent Green Party is therefore firmly opposed to a further reduction of the NHS services that will undoubtedly put more pressure on Northwick Park Hospital A&E and its Urgent Care Centre and will lead to fewer people getting the required medical attention as quickly as necessary, in the best-case scenario.

 

We call on the current plans to reduce the Urgent Treatment Centre hours by 3 hours each evening to be added as an urgent item to the Agenda of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee taking place on Wednesday November 19th. Failing this an Extraordinary Meeting should be called to consider the issue as the next Scrutiny will not be until January 2026 – too late to affect the decision.  We note that the 2019 proposals were considered by that Committee on July 9^th 2019 setting a precedent for the views of the Council and residents to be represented.

 

The reasons for the reduction in hours put forward this time are almost the same as previously, gradually taking away the service from Brent and nearby boroughs.

 

Zengha Wellings-Longmore, Green Party candidate for the Harlesden and Kensal Green council ward said:

 

“The cut is now proposed at a time when the Urgent Care Centre and A&E at Northwick Park Hospital are encountering heavy demand with extremely long waits outside the recommended parameters.

 

At the same time the local population is expanding through developments at Old Oak and Park Royal Development Area, Grand Union, Neasden Stations, and Alperton. Alongside this are potential critical incidents at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena and on the Park Royal Industrial Estate.

 

It is vital that the impact of the reduction in service be considered and that the cost and long-term benefits of upgrading late night resources at the UTC be considered instead.

 

We note that the closure of the Hydrotherapy Pool at Northwick Park Hospital recently took place without any Scrutiny by Brent Council.”

 

 

Brent Greens condemn Sarah Pochin's racist remarks and back Dawn Butler's comments in Parliament

 

Brent Green Party strongly condemns the comments made by Reform MP Sarah Pochin on the depiction of Black and Asian people in advertising as entirely racist and call for her resignation. We support our Brent East MP Dawn Butler in her criticism of Pochin in Parliament.

 

The Green Party opposes the Labour Party and Dawn Butler MP on many issues and will continue to do so, but we are members of the many communities of Brent, and we find that Sarah Pochin’s remarks were prejudiced, offensive and hurtful.  Furthermore, they give encouragement to those political tendencies that seek to encourage hatred and prejudice as a false solution to the political, economic, and ecological problems that we all face.

 

It is accurate to see such remarks as motivated by racism and we are glad that Dawn Butler made this point in Parliament.

Brent Green Party statement on defections as membership soars

 

Brent Green Party leaflet session at Roundwood Lodge Cafe

Following the deselection of 8 Brent Labour councillors last month and ex-Labour Cllr Rajan-Seelan crossing the floor to join the Conservative Party today, we are aware that there is some speculation about current Labour Party councillors joining the Green Party - and potentially becoming the first Green Party councillors in Brent. 

We would be delighted to welcome anyone who shares our values of social justice, environmental responsibility, and community wellbeing to join a membership that has more than doubled since mid-October and continues to grow.

In this context, we think it’s important to inform everyone that joining the Green Party as an elected representative is a formal process of due diligence that may or may not result in a defection to the Green Party. 

The interested party needs to express an interest in joining the Green Party - they won’t be invited to defect to the Green Party. They also need to go through an interview process with the central Green Party office. 

Following this interview and a general scrutiny process, the central office will give their opinion about a possible defection and the local party will have a say in the matter as well. 

We have started our selection process for May 2026  and we’ll continue to do so over the coming weeks. 

If you wish to help with our election campaign please email contact@brent.greenparty.org.uk

The New Edition Is Out — See What Your Candidates Have Been Up!

The Brent Green Party's latest newsletter has just been published. Find out more about the local people standing up for Brent, our campaigning for Palestine both locally and further afield and all those coming together as a community on the issues facing local residents!

Brent Council consider pause on student housing in Wembley

 

 

A drastic slow down in conventional home building in Brent  and a boom in purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) has led to fears of an unbalanced community, particularly in the Wembley Growth Zone.

In 2023-25 planning permission was granted for 8,000 conventional homes in Brent but there were only 656 net additionas to housing stock. Delays were blamed on shortages of labour and materials and updated safety requirements. 

Meanwhile the PBSA figures (bedrooms) were:

Completed 6,257

Under construction 1,617

Permitted/approved 1,559

Awaiting decision  2,010

 In discussion but declared acceptable by planning officers 918

 

The Wembley Growth Area 

Most of these are in the Wembley Growth area LINK:

As identified however, the spatial distribution of PBSA provision has been focussed on Wembley Growth Area where to date 6058 bedspaces have been constructed. Currently 21.8% of the Growth Area’s population is students either in PBSA or in all student households renting homes.

 

A further 1617 PBSA bedspaces are under construction and planning committee has been minded to approve 759 more bedspaces, subject to an appropriate S106 obligation. Some sites are subject to current applications and others are also in relatively advanced pre-application discussions where the principle of PBSA has been identified as acceptable. If all delivered, a further 3500 student bedspaces could be supplied in the next 3 years, resulting in 9558 bedspaces in total. It is anticipated that 1871 additional dwellings will be completed in the area in the next 3 years. Students would in three years comprise 26.8% of the overall population.

 More than a quarter of the total population would be students and this is not considered appropriate in terms of a balanced community. A planning statement is proposed that would pause  PBSA building. The officers' report suggests this would enable building of conventional housing to catch up and the student proportion of the total population would return to an acceptable 20%.

As this is an interpretation of policy in relation to clarifying the position in terms of PBSA over-concentration/ supporting balanced and mixed communities, rather than writing new policies, it is suggested that the Council issues a policy position statement. Although not officially recognised in planning statutes as a Local Development Document or perhaps having the weight of a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), if consulted upon and following the same processes as a SPD, once adopted by the Council it can be regarded as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications with some weight.

 

This will provide clarity to prospective developers or investors in PBSA, particularly in Wembley Growth Area that, other than schemes already subject to approval or with clear advice from the Council through the pre-application process that the principle of PBSA is currently acceptable, the Council is unlikely to support their scheme in the short term.

 Given developers' enthusiasm for profit-making student accommodation and the limited legal status of the 'planning statement' we may well see appeals in the future if applications are refused. Backbenchers have expressed disquiet at the amount of student accommodation being approved versus the lack of truly affordable housing. Whether building of normal homes will actually accelerate is currently unclear but as an interm measures is proposed PBSA developers rather than providing a proportion of afford student accommodation would instead make a contribution to the building of affordable homes elsewhere in the borough.

 

Could you be a Green Party candidate in the 2026 Brent Council election?

 

 

Green Party councillors come from every walk of life but share a common set of values: a reminder that local government is there for all local people. Representing local people and working with them is what we do best. You may already be a campaigner, community activist, involved in your local church or mosque, or a local school governor. You might be in full-time or part-time work, retired or self-employed across profession, job or vocation. Ultimately, if you really care about your area, and want to work to make it the best place it can be, becoming a Green Party councillor could be for you.

We are advertising here in case you are interested in becoming a candidate for the 2026 Brent Council election. We want to give everyone in the borough a chance to vote Green.

Please give this opportunity serious consideration.

We are looking for a diverse range of candidates and these can be people who are not currently members of the party but are sympathetic to our aims and want to make a difference.

If you are interested or want to know more please email Brent Green Party Coordinator, James Paton jamespaton1@hotmail.co.uk

Brent Greens call for full investigation into Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery Islamophobic Hate Crime

 

Carpenders Park Law Cemetery Desecration of Muslim Graves. Brent Green Party express our  solidarity with the Muslim community  and call for a full investigation on the basis that is an Islamophobic hate crime totally alien to Brent's values as an inclusive community.

 

 

https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2025/04/musim-community-horrified-over.html

 

GREENS TO STAND DOWN IN ALPERTON BY ELECTION & URGE LABOUR AND CONSERVATIVES TO DO THE SAME

 Given the circumstances of Anton Georgiou’s resignation from Brent Council, Brent Green Party has released the following statement:

 

"Democracy free of violent threats is more important than any individual party interest.  We will not stand in the Alperton ward by-election brought about by Cllr Georgiou's resignation and urge the Labour and Conservative parties to take similar action."

 

 

Ex-Cllr Anton Georgiou on his personal reasons for resigning from Brent Council

 

https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2024/12/anton-georgiou-on-his-personal-reasons.html

 

 

Press coverage of the ‘traumatic experience’ referred to in his statement

above:

 

https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/23490163.brent-councillors-terror-stalker-released-prison/

 

Local coverage of resignation

 

https://harrowonline.org/2025/01/05/by-election-triggered-after-brent-liberal-democrat-leader-resigns/