2013 November Minutes

Minutes of BRAT Committee Meeting

12^th November 2013

Apologies: Franceska Brown, Annette Morreau, Celia Purcell, Cllr. Mary Arnold

1. Minutes of meeting held on 10^th September 2013

The minutes were confirmed after correcting the spelling of Brian Deegan’s name and ‘cycling strip’ being changed to ‘median strip’ in item 9.

1. 2.     Calendar of Meetings for Next 12 Months

Agreed that meetings would be held as follows in 2014.

Tuesday 14^th January

Tuesday 4^th March

Tuesday 6^th May

Tuesday 1^st July

Tuesday 9^th September

Tuesday 4^th November

1. 3.     Membership Fees and their Collection

Noted that £121 of membership fees had been collected at the AGM.  It was not currently possible to pay online. Judy would provide David with a list of members who had paid.

After discussion, agreed to engage people in BRAT’s activities before asking for membership fees, Noted that Ondine had a key for the notice board in Streatley Gardens.  Agreed to put funding for notice boards on the agenda for the next meeting. Councillor Tayo Oladapo would find out whom to approach for permission to put up notice boards.

1. 4.     Development of Website and Use of Internet

It was pointed out that BRAT internet use had to consist of 2 way communication and that the information on the website was currently very dry.  Matt wanted to get people’s views on what messages they wanted to get across and then help them to make it happen.  By using many different means and updating information regularly, engagement in BRAT’s activities should be driven up.

Matt suggested trying a bit of everything: Facebook,or something similar, emails, Twitter and the website, and seeing what worked.  People would have to use it to make it successful, but little management would be required.  It needed to be easy for people to find out what was happening as well as to sign up, but a subscription model did not work with this way of engagement.  Matt would report back in a couple of months and until then the matter of paying subscriptions and donations online would be put on hold.

Agreed that BRAT should have its own url, rather than using a website hosted by Google as at present.  Matt would send suggestions to the committee, and would also look into the problems Paul Schulte had had with using the email list.

5. Potential Use of the College of North West London Building as a Police Station

Noted that the building was far too big and that it had now been mothballed.  Agreed that Al would write to the Borough Commander, Matt Gardener, at Wembley Police Station expressing BRAT’s support of a police station in Kilburn.  Noted that there would not be any cells there, but that the Borough Commander was committed to opening a network of 5 or 6 front counters in Brent.  One would be in Willesden Library when it had been refurbished and others would be in shops.  There were also options for a joint police station with Camden.  Agreed to support the Salusbury Road police station remaining open and to support the idea of a police presence on Kilburn High Road.

1. 6.     New Waste Arrangements

A new ‘Recycle More’ leaflet was being distributed by Brent Council.  The Council was saving £300 000 by making residents move the relevant bins to the edge of their properties on collection days.  Agreed to review the new arrangements at the next meeting.

Time banded collections were being introduced into Willesden Lane from April 2014.  The Council has undertaken to consult on this.

Noted that the outsourcing would be moving to one contract which would include cemeteries, refuse and park keeping.  Street sweeping and refuse collection would become the subject of one contract rather than the current two.

Waterloo Passage had again become squalid, with stagnant water and discarded shopping trolleys being found there.  Agreed that Mary O’Conner would take this up with Brent Council.

An email would be sent to Chris Whyte at the Council bringing his attention to the need to consult on the proposed time banded collections.

1. 7.     Paddington Old Cemetery

The Friends of Paddington old Cemetery expressed their opposition to any proposal to have a second pedestrian access point to the cemetery. Such a proposal had formed part of a plan to improve Willesden Lane which had been presented at the AGM.

David summarized the ideas which had been put forward.  They included improving shop forecourts, but the lack of investment for this would necessitate securing private investment.  The big waste problem, which resulted in rats being seen, had led to the suggestion of time-banded collections,  The street-scape needed much improvement, by the planting of trees for example.  The high number of accidents could be reduced by lowering vehicle speeds and improving the sight lines along the Lane.

Agreed that if BRAT wanted to move forward with this issue more consultation would be required.

1. 8.     Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting would be held on 14^th January 2014.