Diwali celebrations at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury

On Friday 24th October, Fryent Councillors were delighted to attended Diwali celebrations at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury. The Mandir hosted the evening and invited local residents from the Fryent area together with members from the wider community as well as Hindu worshippers to celebrate the New Year. There was delicious food, information stalls and of course performances from members of the Mandir including the famous bagpipe band in the main hall.

The Mandir itself is beautiful and offerings of food laid out in a spectacular display. People from far and wide attended including Brent Council Leader, Muhammed Butt, GLA Member for Brent and Harrow, Navin Shah, as well as councillors from Brent, Harrow and Barnet (where the Mandir had been located before). We were also delighted to see Uma Kumaran (Parliamentary candidate for Harrow East) celebrating the New Year.

We would like to thank the Swaminarayan Mandir for inviting us to the celebrations and their warm hospitality and we look forward to working closely with them in supporting the communities in Fryent.

You can follow the Swaminarayan Mandir on Twitter on @SGadiLondon.









Fryent Councillors.

Kingsbury and Kenton - Brent Connects

The next Brent Connects public forum covering Kingsbury and Kenton will be on:

Tuesday 4th November at 7.00 pm.

The meeting will be held at:

Sattavis Patidar Centre,

Forty Lane junction with The Avenue,

HA9 9PE  

The following items will be discussed at the meeting:

·         Further to the council’s launch of the Brent Borough Plan 2015-19, the meeting will feature an interactive session on emerging priorities for the new Borough Plan. We want your views on how local public services should evolve to help us plan Brent’s future

(See our blog item from Sunday 5th Oct) 

·         There will be a review of the Fryent and Queensbury Week of Action

·         An update on Community Payback

Action points from the previous meeting are on the Bret Council website:

http://brent.gov.uk/your-community/brent-connects/brent-connects-forums/brent-connects-kingsbury-and-kenton/

Fryent Councillors

ROUGH SLEEPERS - FRYENT COUNTRY PARK - UPDATE

Brent Council officers have continued to monitor our parks and open spaces to deter "camping" and prevent the nuisance that this creates.  Earlier this week we received a report reproduced below on the outcome of this joint operation.

"Five Brent parks were checked last week for tents and temporary structure, those people occupying them and responsible for rough sleeping-related nuisance and anti-social behaviour. On this occasion only a handful of shelters were found in the parks, all of which were removed.

The operation was part off Brent Council's ongoing programme of activity to address the significant escalation over the summer months of rough sleeping economic migrants erecting tents and shelters in its parks and the anti-social impacts of this.

No tents or shelters were found in Woodcock Park or Gladstone Park and only a single shelter each in Roe Green and Fryent Country Parks. Four shelters were found in The Welsh Harp. This is considerably lower than the numbers found in operations conducted in the same parks on the nights of the 11-13 September 2014."

The operation is a joined-up effort between Brent Council, the Police, UK Borders Agency, Veolia and Ashford Place, Brent's leading charity for rough sleepers. Fryent Councillors would like to pass on our thanks to those responsible on behalf of local residents.

Fryent Councillors

ROUGH SLEEPERS - FRYENT COUNTRY PARK - UPDATE

Brent Council officers supported by the Police and Veolia, the new parks contractor, carried out a successful operation to remove rough sleepers from Fryent Country Park. The operation yesterday followed a walkabout with Fryent Councillor George Crane and Barry Gardiner MP and Fryent local residents on Sunday morning.

The team moved 4 shelters/encampments and cleared rubbish from the sites.



Local residents, who regularly walk in the park, are helping the Council identify new camps so wecan take swift action to get them removed.

New camps can be reported here:    http://brent.gov.uk/services-for-residents/sport,-leisure-and-parks/parks/report-rough-sleeping-in-our-parks/

BRENT BOROUGH PLAN 2015 - 2019

HAVE YOUR SAY


Fryent residents are being asked for their views on what local Council  services should be provided in future. It also asks  what can Brent Council do to improve the borough given the continuing squeeze on budgets.

Why are we asking residents? Your views are important, its your borough, its your council Tax, and they are your public services.

The Government have cut money that they allocate to the Council to provide services to residents of Brent. Over the last four years we have re organised the way we provide services, sometimes this has meant services reducing, like the number of libraries.  

Over the next 4 years our budget is being cut even more, the total spending will have to halve by 2019, a 50% reduction. We are faced with a growing population, elderly people are living longer and more babies are being born. What do we do with less money but more demands? It is likely that some services we currently provide will be stopped or reduced or run by voluntary groups.

Should residents pay more Council Tax to pay for local services, should individual households pay for certain services? An example of this is the recent decision to charge for garden waste to be collected from next spring. Are there current Council services that people think are so important that they would pay more to keep them? Some services are statutory, this means we have to provide a service, normally due to a law being passed by Government.

We want to know what you think is most important for Brent, bearing in mind that prioritising means we will have to do less in some areas – or stop doing some things altogether. We are also looking for your ideas on how we can deliver services more innovatively, working with others to protect services – this includes working with you.

Will you help us decide, your views matter? Go to the link below and fill out the questions.

It is also likely that it will be an agenda item at the next Brent Connects to be held on 4th November 2014at the Sattavis Patidar Centre, Forty Lane, junction with the Avenue, Wembley starting at 7pm.    Make a note in your diary.

Thank you for your help, and please pass on to others and suggest they help. The moe responses we get the better the representations.

 http://brent.gov.uk/your-council/the-borough-plan-consultation/


Fryent Councillors,
George Crane, Ruth Moher and Shama Tatler.

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE ON 7th MAY2015

The way you register to vote has changed, some people say the Government has made it harder.
The system where one individual in a household can register all members is changing to a system where people have to register individually.
There is a real fear on the impact this will have on getting young people, in particular, just registered to vote.

You should have received a registration form from Brent Council, have you returned it?

If you haven`t received a letter and want to vote next year go to www.gov.uk/registertovote or phone 0208 937 1372 ask for Electoral Registration.

Your vote counts - don't lose it.

Fryent Councillors

Rough Sleepers in Fryent Country Park

Residents have rightly raised concerns at the dramatic increase in rough sleeping in Fryent Country park and Roe Green park.
Sleeping in parks overnight contravenes park bye laws.

A joint operation between Brent Council, Ashford Place, a local Voluntary charity, and Brent Police  has already been undertaken a few weeks ago. The operation removed tents and various temporary structures, bedding, rotting food and general litter, helped by Veolia the Council contractor.

Most of the Rough sleepers in the park are economic migrants from the EU seeking work in the UK to send money home. They are avoiding costly rent by sleeping in the park. Brent Council is not unsympathetic to people wanting to earn a living but sleeping in the park and everything this brings is unacceptable. We have to consider the majority of residents who want to enjoy our parks and open spaces in a safe pleasant environment.

Another night operation is planned next week, any local intelligence on sightings can be left here using the comment button. Alternatively use this link http://brent.gov.uk/services-for-residents/sport,-leisure-and-parks/parks/report-rough-sleeping-in-our-parks/

Fryent Councillors.