Agenda item

Petitions on the following have been received in response to the budget exercise:

1.    Keep Stonebridge Adventure Playground open

2.    Keep Welsh Harp Environmental Study Centre open

3.    Save our youth service

4.    Save School Crossings Patrol

5.    Leopold Primary School - save our School Patrol Officer

6.    Keep Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre open

Details attached.

Keep Stonebridge Adventure Playground Open

Mr Doug Lee (Brent Play Association) addressed the Cabinet in support of the petition requesting that the proposed redevelopment of Stonebridge School and the new housing, include the retention of Stonebridge Adventure Playground. He put forward the view that there was sufficient space on then site for the school expansion and the retention of the existing playground.

Mr Lee referred to the campaign for the playground which he felt had received widespread support and consultation which was strongly in favour of retention and reminded the Cabinet that the Big Lottery Fund, which had funded the newer adventure play equipment with a grant of £200,000, would have to be reimbursed and the total close down costs would be £350,000. He referred to the services provided by the Brent Play Association Charity over the years and the work with other charities and voluntary groups which, he felt, would not be replaced by school provision. Doug Lee put that the adventure playground represented good value for money and was the only supervised play facility in one of the most deprived wards of the borough. Doug Lee questioned the motivation behind the decision reminding the meeting that the children had been led to believe that the playground would be kept open and urged the Cabinet to so do and not to destroy the charity which had been in existence for 42 years.

Councillor Ezeajughi (ward councillor) while acknowledging the need for a new school, paid tribute to the campaign to retain the Stonebridge Adventure playground which had been hard fought.

Keep Welsh Harp Environmental Study Centre open

Mr Martin Francis (Chair of Governors, Chalkhill Primary School) spoke in support of the retention of the Welsh Harp Environmental Study Centre. Mr Francis reminded the Cabinet that the centre was a natural environment of 17 acres, currently run jointly between the council and a local firm. He reiterated the concerns expressed by children of the need for a facility which was an opportunity for them to learn about bio-diversity, conservation and recycling and to have outdoor activities. The centre was used by Brent and neighbouring boroughs following the national curriculum and Martin Francis stressed the importance of children learning by experience so they grew to care about the environment.

Save our Youth Service

The Cabinet heard from Roisin Healy (Chair, Brent Youth Parliament) who expressed concern at the proposed budget cuts which could adversely affect Youth Service provision. She paid tribute to the work of the Youth Service which served a cross section of young people including those in care and with special needs and which helped the development of confidence, self-belief and also provided opportunities for life changing experiences. Ms Healy acknowledged that there may be other funding prospects but felt that the withdrawal of council funding would result in the loss of staff and the relationships that had built up. Ms Healy regretted the lack of consultation to date over the proposed new service model. She referred to past election promises and urged the Cabinet to be proud of the Youth Service which was a welcome relief from exams and home life stresses.

Save School Crossings Patrols

Ms Michelle Goldsmith addressed the Cabinet in support of the petition which referred to the council’s obligations to promote road safety and sustainable transport, such as walking and cycling. She acknowledged the need for funding cuts but felt that the loss of school crossing patrols would threaten the safety of children and was not cost effective. She urged the council to visit all the crossing sites and made particular reference to the Queens Park area which was very busy, had many parked cars and needed the visibility of a school crossing patrol. Ms Goldsmith referred to statistics indicating a rise in road accidents, the majority of which were when children were walking and playing, which she attributed to budget cuts. Ms Goldsmith put that it was not schools’ responsibility to provide crossing patrols which were a relatively inexpensive service but which had a huge impact on road safety. She felt the loss of patrols would lead to an increase in car journeys to and from school, eroding the community and have a significant long term impact.