Local Authority

Residents are being encouraged to attend their local area forums to have their say on the issues affecting them and their neighbourhood.

The next Kilburn and Kensal Green Area forum will take place at Queens Park Community School, Aylestone Avenue, on November 11 at 7.30pm.

The main topic of discussion will be the South Kilburn Regeneration Programme.

The Wembley Area Forum will be held on November 12, at Patidar House, in London Road, Wembley, with hot topics including Wembley High Street and the Wembley Masterplan.

For more information call 0208 937 1055.

A filthy halal butchers was shut down after health inspectors found cockroaches crawling all over its floor, walls and work surfaces.

Mounds of food debris and dirt were also discovered at New Halal MeatCentre, in Ealing Road, Wembley, last week.

A filthy halal butchers was shut down after health inspectors foundcockroaches crawling all over its floor, walls and work surfaces.

Mounds of food debris and dirt were also discovered at New Halal MeatCentre, in Ealing Road, Wembley, last week.

When I discovered schoolkids could travel all day and night for nothing, but I and my aged friends could only travel during daylight hours. Obviously, I penned a note to our new Mayor of London. Herewith his office's response!

"The Mayor has announced that the Freedom Pass for elderly people will be extended to 24 hours a day from 2 January 2009 on the Bus, Tube, Docklands Light Railway, Tram and London Overground networks.

All Freedom Pass holders will be automatically entitled to this concession and do not have to do any thing in order to receive this entitlement.

The Mayor does not have the power to extend 24-hour use to the remaining overland networks in London, which will continue to accept the Freedom pass for travel during off peak hours. However, the Mayor intends to discuss this with the Train Operating Companies when he meets with them later in the year and will encourage them to embrace it."

Cheers, Boris, thank you.

Brent should not be renamed the London Borough of Wembley, according to 67 per cent of residents who recently voted on an online poll.

Town hall chiefs have been pondering the notion of capitalising on the world renowned Wembley brand by changing the name of the borough - but the idea is clearly not a big hit with the public.

Thirty-three per cent of people who cast their vote on community website Brent Brain, were in favour of a name change.

Brent Council has announced its bin collection days for the bank holiday weekend.

Green box and grey rubbish bin collection days will remain the same over this bank holiday, however green organic bin collection days are changing.

By Tom Lawrence

Brent Council has used controversial spying laws to monitor more than 300 residents without their knowledge, the Wembley Observer can reveal.

Local authority spooks have employed a variety of covert surveillance techniques to spy on noisy neighbours, people who let their dogs foul in parks, benefit cheats, underage drinkers and businesses that flout trading standards laws.

Did you see that drivel complaining about there being one CCTV camera for two folk in this land and this is considered an invasion of privacy!
The idea was probably touted by the same folk who don't want us to carry ID cards.
During my wandering around this planet I discovered, most lands require you to carry your passport or some locally issued ID card at ALL TIMES - even swimming!
During one of my 'off' days in Japan, I made the mistake of going to the airport to meet a mate without positive proof of identity and the Authorities jumped on me.
Obviously, I didn't speak the local lingo, but luckily had half a dozen of my business cards showing I was an employee of a small company in Tokyo.
If you carry more than three of the same card, you are considered to be that person..
The airport police who are SCARY, called my office, talked to my boss and then they got him to chastise me over a speaker phone.
Now, there is a land festooned with CCTV cameras.
Our efforts in Wembley are pretty good however.
In one of my odd volunteer posts in this borough, I managed to visit the CCTV HQ at Brent House - Whow!
The video pictures they look at are of television quality, and can follow you along most of the major roads with a central large screen on the wall where they can blow up the image to small cinema size.
Of course the proliferation of cameras are really necessary for crowd control during our assorted 'Event Days' at the stadium when they are in the control of the police.
Talk to your local councillor and see if you can chat him/her into taking you to the HQ, it is quite a surprise.
I tell you what, I'll never scratch myself or pick my nose in public ever again!

By Tom Lawrence

Brent residents who do not recycle their household waste will face fines of up to £1,000 from next month.
A compulsory recycling scheme will be implemented throughout the borough on August 4, meaning all homes who have access to green boxes must use them - or could be hauled in front of the courts.
The controversial policy has had a mixed reaction since it was announced by the local authority last week and some opponents say the borough is not sufficiently prepared.
Councillor Anne John, leader of Brent's Labour party, believes it should not be rolled out until everyone has access to the green box - at the moment only 80 per cent of homes do.
She said: "I think it is a bit to early.
"There is not full coverage of boxes throughout the borough and there are also questions over what happens if residents' bins are stolen or lost."
Resident Colin Brown, 53, from Havenwood, Wembley also thinks it is too soon.
He said: "A lot of people don't know how to use their green bins properly and more education needs to be done before it is introduced."
Under the scheme residents must recycle paper, glass, metals, plastic bottles, textiles, shoes, batteries and engine oil - or face punishment.
They will be monitored by a team of eagle-eyed recycling officers who will report persistent eco-offenders.
Councillor Irvin Van Colle (Conservative), the council's lead member for environment, planning and culture, said: "This is about protecting the environment and cutting waste.
"Compulsory recycling is aimed at the minority who don't make any effort to use their green box at all."
Avid recycler Christine McKenzie, 66, of Chalkhill Road, Wembley, supports the move.
She said: "It is the right way to go and gets everybody on board, not just a few."
Brent currently sends around 81,000 tonnes of waste to landfill every year costing about £5 million in tax payers money. The local authority wants to cut this by 10,000 tonnes saving around £615,000.
A large-scale publicity drive will take place over the next month to ensure everyone is aware of the change.
Councillor Paul Lorber (Liberal Democrat), Leader of Brent Council, said: "For those few people who refuse to recycle the message is quite clear - you could receive a fixed penalty notice or a fine of up to £1,000."
To order a green box or find out more, local people should contact 020 8937 5050 or visit www.brent.gov.uk/recycling.

Violent crime, teen pregnancy and adapting to climate change are among the issues Brent will be tackling as a priority over the next three years.
Results of a government shakeup of council targets released today (Monday) show that Brent Council has agreed 23 priority areas.
The local authorities worked with service providers, such as the police and Jobcentre Plus, to identify key priorities individual to each area.
In Brent priorities include the serious violent crime rate, the number of drug users in effective treatment and the under 18 conception rate.
The priorities will be used to develop targets for the next three years and the full lists can be seen here.