Local Authority

PEOPLE living in the capital have till the end of the month to give their views on how a grants budget of up to £28 million will be spent.
London Councils' consultation into how its grants funding should be prioritised from April 2011 will draw to a close on Friday 29 January.
The organisation, one of the largest funders of the capital's voluntary sector, gives grants to 360 groups across 59 priority areas.
Funded projects include schemes providing counselling to victims of domestic abuse, providing homeless people with secure accommodation and working with young people to prevent them becoming involved in gun crime.
London Councils is urging all Londoners with an interest in the voluntary sector to respond to the consultation so that the funding meets the needs of London's diverse population.
This is especially important in the current economic climate when voluntary services have seen an increase in demand as a consequence of the recession with rises in unemployment, an increase in debt and other related side-effects - like more people suffering from depression.
Chairman of London Councils' Grants Committee, Councillor Lynne Hillan, said: "People need support from voluntary services more than ever in the current financial climate and more responses will mean a more accurate picture of which areas to prioritise.
"Those with an interest in funding the voluntary sector still have a chance to give us their feedback. We urge them to take the time to respond and ensure that these grants provide the maximum benefit for people living in the capital".
Councillor Reg Colwill, Brent Council's Lead Member for Adults, Health and Social Care, said: "Millions of pounds will soon be spent on services that are currently being used by thousands of us and that anyone of us, at anytime, may need to tap into.
"Whether you're a service provider, service user or just someone who wants to voice your opinion - now is your last chance to have your say on how the money should be spent."

A TUITION service, which teaches pupils who are unable to attend school, is celebrating
receiving a 'good' rating in its latest Ofsted inspection.
Brent Educational Tuition Service (BETS), which teaches youngsters not at school because
of medical, social, behavioural or attendance-related issues, was inspected by the
education watchdog in November and was found to be providing 'exemplary care' and 'good
teaching'.
BETS has provided short and long-term education for 116 pupils in all 4 key stages over the last academic year.
An additional 157 youngsters were taught as in-patients at Northwick Park Hospital.
Pupils are each given an individual teaching plan and taught using a mixture of home tuition and classroom-based lessons at the three BETS sites.
The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers was judged by Ofsted
to be 'outstanding' and the report stated "staff work hard to cultivate supportive relationships and maintain effective communication channels with parents and carers."
The relationship between staff and pupils was described as providing "the bedrock of the
success of the service."
The report goes on to say BETS "is very successful in providing a safe haven for its pupils" who "rightly feel safe in this exceptionally caring environment where the staff give their undivided attention."
John Dowling, headteacher, said: "The report is very gratifying and a reflection of the hard work the staff have put into the last few years. We're very proud of the care and teaching we provide to our pupils."
Rik Boxer, assistant director for achievement and inclusion, said: "For some youngsters BETS is the last chance to get back on track and I'm delighted so many are making such good progress. Staff continually go the extra mile to meet the needs of pupils."

PEOPLE living in the borough are encouraged to come along to the next round of Brent Area Consultative Forums taking place over the next few weeks.
The area consultative forums give local residents the opportunity to discuss, with local councillors and officers from Brent Council, issues that affect them and their families. Representatives from other agencies including the local police also regularly attend. They will be taking place at the following locations:

Wembley Area Consultative Forum, from 7pm, on Tuesday, January 26, at Patidar House, 22 London Road, Wembley . It covers the wards Alperton, Northwick Park, Preston, Sudbury, Tokyngton and Wembley Central.

Kilburn and Kensal Area Consultative Forum, from 7pm, on January 27. It covers the wards Brondesbury Park, Kilburn, Mapesbury and Queens Park. Venue to be confirmed.

Kingsbury and Kenton Area Consultative Forum, from 7pm, on February 2 at Kingsbury High School, Princes Avenue, in Kingsbury. It covers the wards Barnhill, Fryent, Kenton and Queensbury.

During the break officers, speakers and local ward councillors will be present to answer any questions.
For more details on the agenda for these meetings visit the council's website www.brent.gov.uk/consultation or call 020 8937 1055.

The Hindu Council of Brent present 'Cultural Show 2009' with a variety programme of Indian Dances including Classic, Modern and Folk Lore at Brent Town Hall on Saturday 7th November.

The Brent Jazz Orchestra are appearing for the first time at Freddy's (190 Station Road, Harrow, Middx, HA12RH) on Wednesday 4th November from 7.30pm.

The deadline is fast approaching for people to give their views on Brent Council's draft Children and Young People's Plan for the next two years.
The plan has been developed with the help of NHS Brent and the borough's schools.
People have until April 24 to give their feedback on the plan, which sets out how public agencies will work together over the coming years to provide services for children and young people so they can make the most of life and achieve their full potential.
Members of Brent Youth Parliament were closely involved in its development to ensure that issues important to young people were given a high priority.
Download the Children and Young People's Plan 2009 - 2011 from the council's website by logging on to www.brent.gov.uk/childrenandfamilies where you will also find a simple questionnaire to give feedback.
The final policy document will be published by the middle of May 2009 alongside a plain English version for younger residents.

Staff at Brent Council who 'flash mobbed' for cash this month raked in almost £2,000 for charity.

'Shake the Winter Blues' was a dance event inspired by a well known TV advert.

Workers gave up their lunch breaks for weeks to rehearse and made their way to the White Horse Bridge, in Wembley, where the 80 strong dance team spontaneously burst into a high energy routine.

Politicians from across the borough have paid tribute to former councillor Akber Khan Sarguroh who dedicated his life to helping the underprivileged.

Mr Sarguroh, who suffered from a stroke earlier this year, died on February 27 at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead aged 85.

Among mourners at his funeral, which took place at West Hendon Mosque this month, were his wife Jutta and two sons, Andrew and Haroon.

Mr Sarguroh was born in Maharashtra, India, and was the oldest son of a farmer. He was educated at the Royal Institute of Science in Bombay, where he gained a BSc in chemistry and physics.

In 1947 he began working in the UK as a sponsored research chemist and by the mid-1960s he had become an active member of the Labour party.

Over the next 50 years Mr Sarguroh immersed himself in local politics, community and charity work, which included setting up the Kokni Muslim Welfare and Youth Organisation, which helped people from India who had settled in the UK.

Mr Sarguroh served as a Brent councillor from 1990-94 and 1998-2002 and sat on various council committees.

After retirement in 1992 Mr Sarguroh dedicated his time to assisting Asian and Muslim community groups, the Gladstone Park Sports Club and Anson Primary School, where he was a governor. He eventually took up the position of deputy mayor of Brent.

Councillor Ann John OBE, leader of the Labour group, said: "Akber founded the Kokni Muslim Welfare and Youth Organisation but he cared passionately for everybody in Brent's diverse multicultural community.

"He particularly championed the rights of young people and organised sports days for young people each year.

"His other great interest was in housing. He campaigned for more affordable housing in the borough. He was a kindly, modest man who preferred gentle persuasion to shouting the odds. He will be greatly missed and our hearts go out to his sons who survive him."

Councillor Paul Lorber, leader of the council, added: "Akber was a nice man and always keen to promote sporting activities for young people. I hope he would be proud of Brent Council now and all the extra investment we are providing for sport and other activities for young people, including the Youth Parliament."

A shop owner has been forced to pay more than £2,000 after selling deadly toys that children could have choked on.

Last Tuesday at Brent Magistrates' Court, Ka Pak Lam, 48, who had a unit called Toko Home in Oriental City in Edgware Road, pleaded guilty to four offences of selling hundreds of dangerous items, including rubber ducks and toy guns.

He had been warned by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards officers in June 2007 that all toys sold in the shop should have the required CE marks on them.

The CE mark should be placed on all toys to show they conform to safety standards.
But when officers returned in December 2007 they discovered their advice had been ignored.

After a thorough search the toys were seized and examined by safety experts.
Worryingly, they found that all the toys examined contained small parts and sharp edges that presented serious hazards to children.

During the investigation Mr Lam, who is from Barnet, attended a formal tape recorded interview, in which he stated he had used his limited company to directly import toys from Japan into the UK.

He was fined £800 and ordered to pay a further £1,343 in prosecution costs.

Bill Bilon, director of Brent and Harrow Trading Standards Service, said: "I am delighted that the courts have sent such a strong message and have recognised the importance of protecting vulnerable consumers from harm.

"The protection of children from unsafe goods is a high priority from the service and we will continue to monitor local traders on a regular basis to ensure they are complying with the law."

Brent streets are set to become greener, thanks to the arrival of 100 new trees.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, pledged to plant 10,000 trees in the capital to improve Londoners' quality of life and to make it more pleasant.

The first 1,500 are now being planted in Brent and nine other London boroughs.