Brent Labour Party has launched its manifesto ahead of May’s elections, as it hopes to hold onto the borough for another four-year term.

It includes further spending on the controversial “Invest4Brent” scheme, which has seen the council own temporary housing for residents as far away as Banbury or Hemel Hempsted. In February the cabinet voted through £116million to buy 300 more houses, though all of these will be within the borough; the manifesto does not say how much Labour hopes to plough into it over the next four years.

If Labour is returned to control of the authority, it will also set up a grant and bursary fund in the name of former GMB president and Brent resident Mary Turner.

The fund will go towards breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs, and free school meals for all pupils in the borough.

Mrs Turner was a long-time campaigner for free school meals. She died in July 2017.

Labour currently enjoys a 50-seat majority in the chamber – a far cry from 2006 to 2010 when the Liberal Democrats were the largest party in the borough.

Leader of the council Muhammed Butt is bidding to got into his second term as leader of the council.

Transport also features prominently in the plans for after May 3.

The party says it will continue to work to secure the West London orbital railway.

The railway being brought back into use was announced by Sadiq Khan earlier this month. It would travel through the borough from Hendon to Old Oak Common. The line is currently used for freight.

It has also pledged to fix 300 miles of roads, and introduce a new bicycle hiring scheme.

And it will follow councils such as Preston and West Sussex in introducing a ride sharing programme, where people can register to open up their car to other people, with the aim of cutting down the number of journeys taken.