2022-03-31-accounts - Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period Period start date Period end date 01 04 2021 31 03 2022

From

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1188490

Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum 1188490[[Unit 2, Ajax House ]] 16A St Thomas's Road, London Postcode NW10 4AJ

Charity's principal address[[Unit 2, Ajax House ]]

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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Dates acted if not for whole Name of person (or body) entitled
Trustee name Office (if any)
year to appoint trustee (if any)
1 Paul Anders Treasurer Forum members
2 Margaret Cox Vice- Chair Forum members
Nouh Abukar 21/10/2020 to Forum members
3
04/10/2022
Amandine Alexandre- From 29/09/2021 Forum members
4
Hughes
Sandra White Chair 21/10/2020 (Chair from Forum members
5
12/07/2021
6 Colin Edwin George Forum members
Julieta Marlene Galarza From 22/02/2022 Forum members
7
8 Jose Trueba From 13/07/2022 Forum members
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Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Ilaria Esposito - Coordinator

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Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document

Constitution

(eg. trust deed, constitution)

How the charity is constituted

CIO Association

(eg. trust, association, company)

Trustee selection methods

(eg. appointed by, elected by)

Elected by the membership, with others appointed by the board of trustees and then ratified by members, as set out in the constitution,

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
relationship with any related parties;
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum has been a registered charity since March 2020. The Forum is an NCVO member and uses the latter’s induction and training programme for new trustees through Croner HR services.

We have recently amended our constitution; we are reviewing the following policies:

Health and safety
Grievance
Data protection and GDPR
Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
Conflict of interest (including register and DOI)
Financial
Volunteering
Equality and diversity
Reserves

Developing the following:

Lone working policy

Current operational priorities include funding diversification and organisational development and reviewing our HR policies and procedures (creating a handbook, updating our policies and terms and conditions to reflect changes in employment law).

Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum is a neighbourhood planning forum with a designated area within the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) and London Borough of Brent (LBB). The Forum was the first neighbourhood forum to be designated by OPDC on 26 November 2015. The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) requires neighbourhood forums to apply to their respective Local Planning Authority (LPA) for re-designation every five years. Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum has successfully applied to OPDC and LBB to be re-designated.

The Forum currently has 87 member organisations and 407 individual members. Its work is of benefit to the overall Harlesden population (~19,000 inhabitants)

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Section C Objectives and activities

The objects of the Forum are:
The prevention or relief of poverty in Harlesden;
To develop the capacity and skills of the members of the socially and economically disadvantaged community of Harlesden in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society;

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

To promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of the area of benefit the provision of facilities and activities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving their conditions of life.
To promote high standards of planning or architecture in or affecting the area of benefit.
To secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest and public amenities in the area of benefit.
In furtherance of the above objects but not otherwise the trustees shall have the power to establish and/or maintain a neighbourhood forum for the area of benefit to promote and or improve the social, economic and environmental well-being of the area.

In 2021, we were able to extend the Forum coordinator’s working hours with the funding received from Trust for London. We have carried on existing activities and started new ones. Despite Covid restrictions, we have been able to:

Carry out the recruitment and induction of 2 Forum volunteer ambassadors. Training has also been delivered to two new trustees.
Implement trustee portfolio development, creating work plans for key workstreams: funding, community, environment and planning.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

Fifteen newsletters have been shared with 407 members and 85 member organisations/businesses involved directly with our work, plus
85 people/organisations who are not members but who subscribe to our newsletter.
Quarterly public/members’ meetings have taken place, and attendance is growing steadily. We held the last online meeting in December 2021 and then resumed meeting in person in 2022.
Social media and online presence continue regularly with the following website reports: last month, 52% of traffic came from organic search, a 21% increase from the month before.
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have increased the numbers of shares and numbers of posts and reposts and retweets. Social media followers have increased by 20% from 2020-21.

Several activities and workshops have been delivered to the membership:

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Harlesden wayfinding art design competition. Art workshops were delivered in April and May 2021 during lockdown. One workshop was held online and one face-to-face for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The theme chosen by the community via survey was hope, recovery and renewal, inspiring community members to look forward to the end of the lockdown.
Part-supported by the Veolia Sustainability Fund, we ran a Harlesden clean-up challenge where residents could visit three different locations, clean them and stop by for workshops on the use and effect of plastic on soil and water, as in Harlesden we have a very low percentage of people recycling.
The Forum created a consortium of organisations interested in improving services for the community at Roundwood Park. The Roundwood Lodge Edible Community Garden project, funded by an Our Space Award from Groundwork London, is a partnership between Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum, Roundwood Park Lodge Café, and the specialist organisation Forest & Family. It has cleaned up and enhanced formerly unused space surrounding the cafe transforming it into a welcoming community space and edible garden with a new water harvesting and composting system.
By co-designing with residents, with more than 200 engaged, we created a wildlife-friendly environment and multipurpose facilities where residents can engage in conservation activities.
Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum has supported implementing the Council's strategic plan through the Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) initiative by coordinating six local groups to create a consortium that eventually attracted £100k of funding to the High Street. The programme is funded by Historic England and managed by Young Brent Foundation (leading the consortium) and Brent Council.
Five projects have been approved by the Council to be delivered in the town centre from September 2022 to March 2023, focusing on Harlesden's past, present and future. Due to limited funding for the HAZ project, the Forum has presented a proposal to access different funding.
Clean air and the environment are growing as a priority in Brent, and the Forum has implemented the following actions and activities since the last report: a) Following our survey on air quality in 2020, the Forum applied to host a Breathe London Node with Imperial College London, resulting in a pollution monitoring station installed on the High Street. The Forum has access to data from the ICL team and uses this in its work holding Brent Council and Transport for London accountable for action to reduce and regulate traffic in Harlesden. This has gained media attention nationally via the BBC and local news outlets such as the Brent and Kilburn Times. (See article here )

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b) Following our work and survey on the safe street scheme, some of these have been made permanent by Brent Council. c) We promoted the theme of clean air and a cleaner environment through our wayfinding competition in partnership with the campaign group Mums for Lungs. d) The BBC contacted the Forum to investigate Harlesden’s‘ heat islands’ as high air pollution increases the temperature where green spaces are limited. Some of our members were interviewed. See the interview here.

e) Channel 5 contacted the Forum to interview the board of trustees on Harlesden being one of the most polluted neighbourhoods in London. f) The Forum was awarded a Together Towards Zero grant by LB Brent to support the work started at the Roundwood Park edible community garden and offer workshops for women. g) The forum supported a Mums Who Cycle initiative started by our trustee responsible for cleaner air. This group meets every month, engaging parents who want to cycle in the area with their children.

Green spaces:

h) We have conducted a major consultation, including face-to-face fieldwork and an online/paper survey for the redevelopment of Tubbs Road Pocket Park. We are now in the phase of planning designs and budget allocations. From work carried out in this area, we have gained two new trustees and new members joining our work.

i) Roundwood Park playground refurbishment. We collected ~200 responses to our consultation on the proposal to refurbish the playground presented by Brent Council. Findings included that residents were not happy with the low investment in the only big playground in the area. The Forum met with Brent Park Services to discuss investing more funding and looking at more inclusive designs for children and young people of different ages. We are supporting the second phase consultation through social media, / Google Forms and a paper survey.

j) The Forum supported residents living near Bramshill Road open space by organising a petition to refurbish and beautify the space. The e- petition received 111 responses. Brent Council Park Services are now engaging with residents to discuss the next steps.

Town centre:

a) The Forum, in partnership with Harlesden residents and partner organisations, gathered data and organised responses to object to a planning application to open an adult gaming centre in Park Parade. In this area, the concentration of anti-social behaviour is already high, and the premises would be close to a school.
b) Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum has invited members of the local Council responsible for Brent's Inclusive Growth Strategy to attend quarterly forum meetings to raise awareness of the opportunities created around the former Picture Palace building. The Forum was consulted for a change-of-use planning application from a public house to a community facility. The Forum has been supportive of the change but has pressed the Council for details of how the

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community can use the building. Some residents had an experience of community centres that did not turn out to be selfsustainable and wanted reassurance from the Council and the organisations chosen to manage the building that a plan was in place. As a positive result, additional consultation on the use of the building has been carried out. The conversation will continue until the refurbishment of the building is completed. The Forum has facilitated the conversation among the community and Brent Council (represented by the leader of the Council and the Head of Partnerships) concerning the vision for the building.
c) As many as 23 different councillors and Council officers have attended trustee and public online meetings over the last 12 months. As part of the Inclusive Growth project, Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum continues to have a close working relationship with the Harlesden Town Centre Manager through monthly meetings and with the Metropolitan Police Town Team formed by a dedicated team of police officers that are countering ASB in Harlesden with the support of the community.

Various activities have provided opportunities for members to support local community space development and increase their contributions to meetings, groups and panels, including the review of local plan examples, including:

Members attended the OPDC consultation on refurbishing the stretch of the Grand Junction canal near Harlesden and the remaking of Station Road and Station Approach.
Regular meetings with the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum (OONF) and support their advocacy about OPDC developments and programme of consultations.
A statement and petition calling on planning authority OPDC to protect the Pentecostal City Mission Church in Scrubs Lane from being forced out by developers. A condition attached to planning permission obtained in 2018 said that space would be given to the church as it is considered and registered as an Asset of Community Value and a key social hub in the area.
We have begun a consultation on extending the Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum boundaries following interest from residents who live outside the current Forum area but consider themselves very much to be living in Harlesden.

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Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

We have a volunteer policy and a process for recruiting volunteer ambassadors who carry community engagement work on topics of interest to the local community:

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

Clean air and clean environment
Green spaces enhancement
Antisocial behaviour in the town centre
policy on grantmaking;
policy programme related investment;
Community events
Art and culture
Planning
contribution made by volunteers.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

We set ourselves expected outcomes and the following explains our achievement. Outcome 1: Community members have increased confidence in local participation/planning matters:

(i). Members have become more active in challenging the Council's decisions. Examples are surveys and petitions concerning the improvement of Tubbs Road pocket park, Bramshill open space and the opening of Nature Connect Us Centre and Edible Community Garden in Roundwood Park (Emails and letters available on request)

(ii). Monitor planning applications: created an official address to respond to planning application planning@harlesdenneighbourhoodforum.com , calling planning enforcement at Brent Council to implement their policies on planning applications and the licensing committee when it comes to licences for bars and adult gaming premises.

Outcome 2: The physical environment is improved according to a vision established by the community as identified in the Neighbourhood Plan.

(i). As part of the Brent Local Plan and in line with the Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan, Brent Council won funds from Historic England to improve the High Street. Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum pulled together a consortium of local groups who could bid and work in partnership with the Council, and £100k is now available for the consortium to improve the High Street alongside the Council's work with specific heritage shop fronts. More than 13 local organisations are engaged in the cultural programme.

(ii). Veolia Harlesden clean-up challenge at Roundwood Park, Bramshill and Tubbs pocket parks, and Harlesden Town Garden happened on July 17[th] 2021, had 116 attendees for the activity that day. (Evidence available upon request)

(iii) Roundwood Lodge Edible Community Garden project funded by an Our Space Award from Groundwork London. The Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum / Roundwood Park Lodge Café and Forest & Family have cleaned up and enhanced the unused space surrounding the park cafe transforming it into a welcoming community space and edible garden with a new water harvesting and composting system. By co-designing with residents (more than 200 engaged), we created a wildlife-friendly environment, and multipurpose facilities where residents can engage in conservation activities:

Pollinator programme, which ran from May to September 2021 2. Refurbishment of a multi-purpose, eco-friendly education and community edible garden space:
Light exterior works to the old garden centre area (painting/seating)
Removal of mixed waste sitting in the main garden
Building an edible garden (including soft fruit bushes, blueberry, and raspberry)
Planting five fruit trees
Adding a rainwater harvesting system used to water plants in the springtime and summer

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Section D Achievements and performance

Building a compost area for the cafe to compost vegetable and fruit peelings and to. 9. Educate children on the natural process of food waste to nourish and regenerate the soil. (Blueberries need a special kind of compost called ericaceous compost). 10. Community education workshops include gardening, building, upcycling, permanent gardening for pollinator clubs, eco-therapy, climate awareness and resilience, urban greening, community growing, horticulture, and green architecture. See pics here 11. Providing the existing Community Engagement Ambassadors training and support on gardening, building and upcycling to refurbish the site. Outcome 3: The community can better engage in planning and development processes – including improved knowledge, skills and attitude, to effect positive change collectively. (i). Trustees have galvanised residents and challenged local authority planning decisions as stated in Outcome 1 when they successfully objected to the appeal relating to an adult gaming centre. (ii). Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum coordinator has recruited three volunteers to engage residents in planning matters in Bramshill Road and Station Road. The other four volunteers deliver sustainability projects in Roundwood Park with the local café involving the local community in different green space planning activities. (iii). Trustees joined the panel for the Harlesden Festive Lights programme in 2021 (iv). Review documents and contribute to Harlesden town centre consultation for street signage for pedestrians and Willesden Junction station remake. (v). Involvement in OPDC consultations and the regeneration of the Harlesden canal side. (vi). Signposted members and volunteers to engage in employment opportunities provided by other member organisations. (v) University College London contacted the Forum for urban design and city planning research to include our membership in participating. (vi) The University of Kent approached the Forum for urban planning and resilience research and included our membership in participating. (vii) 2 volunteers committed to redesigning and improving the area around Station Road, involving 40 residents alongside the local authority. Outcome 4: Improved organisational financial strength and sustainability. The coordinator is applying for small grants to diversify Forum income. HARLESDEN NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM Trustees are developing a funding strategy for this year. The intention is that core funding will pay for the coordinator’s salary, with advice and training to support the Trustees with developing a 3- and 5-year strategic plan.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Outcome 5: More outcomes information is used in decision-making, planning and communication .

In the last six months, and as identified earlier in the report, we have achieved outcomes across all priority areas and completed our monitoring and evaluation plan.

As a membership organisation, we constantly seek feedback from our members and stakeholder. Since the last report, a monthly meeting has been established to focus strictly on planning and development matters.

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Section E Financial review

The reserves that we have set aside provide financial stability and the Brief statement of the means for the development of our principal activity. We intend to charity’s policy on reserves maintain our reserves at a level which is at least equivalent to 6 months of operating expenditure.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

Not applicable

Further financial review details (Optional information)

The primary source of funding for this period has been Trust for London, a London-based charity funder. This is restricted funding to be spent primarily on staffing costs and other costs as specified in the grant conditions.

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);

Other sources of funding come from:

how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
The charity Groundwork London funded Harlesden Neighbourhood
supported the key objectives Forum through the Our Space Award scheme to undertake a series of
of the charity; improvements in Roundwood Park for residents to access outdoor
investment policy and activities in Harlesden. objectives including any ethical investment policy Brent Council – Love Where You Live and Together Towards Zero grants adopted. aimed at activities supporting our clean air and clean environment, a Neighbourhood Plan priority.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Sandra White Full name(s) Paul Anders Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Treasurer Chair etc) Date 10/01/2023

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Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum 1188490
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period 01/04/2021 31/03/2022
To
from
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Trust for London - 20,000 - 20,000 20,000
LB Brent 500 992 - 1,492 -
Groundworks London - 4,740 - 4,740 -
- - - - -
- - - - 1,400
- - - - 7,217
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
500 25,732 - 26,232 28,617
AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 500 25,732 - 26,232 28,617
A3 Payments
Staff costs - 15,445 - 15,445 11,779
IT revenue costs - 511 - 511 305
Insurance - 595 - 595 587
Other administrative costs - 1,191 - 1,191 590
Project delivery & Forum meetings - 1,353 - 1,353 -
- - -
Sub total [ - ] 19,094 - 19,094 13,261
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
IT equipment - 352 - 352 604
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] 352 - 352 604
Total payments - 19,446 - 19,446 13,865
Net of receipts/(payments) 500 6,286 - 6,786 14,752
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 8,348 7,804 - 16,152 1,400
Cash funds this year end 8,848 14,090 - 22,938 16,152
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CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

16/01/2023

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Details Details IT equipment Details Signature	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 8,848 - - 14,090 - - 8,848 14,090 OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Restricted 604 - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Paul Anders	Endowment funds to nearest £ - - -
			-
			OK
			Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - Current value (optional) 300 - - - - - - - - When due (optional) Date of approval 10/01/2023

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

16/01/2023

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ members of Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum On accounts for the year 31/3/2022 Charity no 1188490 ended (if any) Set out on pages Above (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 March 2022. Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed: Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:	Date:
		10/01/2023


	Amanda Hall

Oct 2018

IER

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Oct 2018

IER