To coincide with the 1894 Act coming into force, an urban district called Wembley was created, covering the two parishes of Kingsbury and Wembley, the latter being created at the same time from areas formerly in the ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill.[6][7] Kingsbury seceded from the Wembley Urban District in 1900 to become its own urban district, but was reunited with the Wembley Urban District in 1934.[8] Willesden was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1933,[9] as was Wembley in 1937.[10]
The modern borough takes its name from the River Brent which runs through the borough and separated the former boroughs of Wembley and Willesden.[11]
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the nineteenth century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased. The population took five decades to rebound to the more muted peak of the 1950s, when much industry relocated from London, further boosting the speed of the wave of new housing then built.
Brent is the most diverse locality in the UK by country of birth. It in 2019 became the only local authority with over 50% of residents, namely 52%, born abroad.[13] Large Asian and Indian, Black African, Black Caribbean, Irish, and Eastern European communities exist. 45 per cent of the population was a minority ethnicity in the 1991 census,[14] the most in England at the time.[15] In 1991 17.2% were Indian, 10.2% were Black Caribbean and 9% were Irish. Brent was the only Outer London borough combining high proportions of Indian and Afro-Caribbean ethnicities.[16]
The 2001 UK Census found that the borough had a population of 263,464 residents, of whom 127,806 were male, and 135,658 female. Of those stating a choice, 47.71% described themselves as Christian, 17.71% as Hindu, 12.26% as Muslim and 10% as having no religion. Among residents, 39.96% were in full-time employment and 7.86% in part-time employment – compared to a London average of 42.64% and 8.62%, respectively. Narrowly most residents included an owner-occupier in their household, with 23.17% of households owning their house outright, and a further 31.33% owning with a mortgage. 10.59% were in local authority housing, with a further 13.29% renting from a housing association, or other registered social landlord.[17]
The 2021 census found that the borough has England and Wales's lowest proportion of people born in the UK, at 43.9%.[18]
The borough of Brent is extremely ethnically diverse, having changed greatly since 1951. In the 2011 census, those who identified as White British made up 18% of the borough's population. 18% identified as other White, 5% were of mixed heritage, those of South Asian heritage comprised about 33%, those of African and Caribbean heritage about 19%, and other ethnic groups about 7%. White ethnicities were relatively high in the wards of Mapesbury (straddling Willesden Green and Cricklewood), Brondesbury Park, Queen's Park and Kilburn. Black ethnicities in highest proportion were in Stonebridge, Harlesden and Kensal Green wards. Asian ethnicities in highest proportion were in the wards of Alperton, Wembley Central and Kenton.[19] Those who ethnically identify as BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) was as high as 86% in Wembley Central – one of the highest in London – and most other Brent wards have a majority BAME population. Queen's Park had the lowest BAME proportion, at 37.0%.[20]
Brent has the highest proportion of Irish residents in Britain, with 4% of the population.[21] It also has the largest Brazilian community in the UK;[22] one of the largest Indian communities;[23] a significant Afro-Caribbean community;[24] and more recent Romanian, Polish and Somali communities.[25]
Religion
As of 2011, 41.5% identified themselves as Christian, 18.6% Muslim, 17.8% Hindu and 10.6% with no religion.[26] Brent is home of the Neasden Temple, once the largest Hindu Mandir outside India; and JFS, the largest Jewish school in Europe.[27] There is also an Islamic school called Islamia Primary School founded by Cat Stevens.
The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Brent according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses.
According to the House of Commons survey of female genital mutilation, in the year to 31 March 2016, Brent represented the highest number of attendees, by current residence or visiting location, to medical services, at 1,250, 545 more than the next-highest local authority, Bristol.[32]
In 2015, the BBC reported that some wards of Brent and four other London boroughs had rates of tuberculosis over ten times the national average, and higher than rates seen in Iraq and Rwanda.[33]
Ethnicity
Ethnic makeup of Brent by single year ages in 2021
This table shows the stated ethnic group of respondents in the 1991 to 2021 censuses and estimates for 1966 and 1981 in Brent.
Behind Tower Hamlets, Brent has the highest poverty rate in London after housing costs.[45] It was the borough with the highest average unemployment rate in 2022 with 7%.[46] More than one in three households live in poverty, 9% above the London average, and 14% above the England average.[47]
Diageo has its head office in Park Royal and in Brent,[48][49] on a former Guinness brewery property.[50] The brewery was closed in 2004; it had produced beer since 1936.[51] Diageo planned to move its head office to Brent from Central London when the lease on the Central London office expired in 2010.[50]
Recycling has been compulsory in Brent since 2008.[52]
London Fire Brigade
Brent has three fire stations: Park Royal, Wembley and Willesden. Brent has a mixture of residential, industrial and commercial land. Wembley National Stadium is in the borough; on match days the fire safety of over 90,000 people falls to the London Fire Brigade. The Wembley station covers the largest area in the borough, 19.1 km2 (7.4 sq mi).[53] Two pumping appliances, a fire rescue unit and an aerial ladder platform are based there. Willesden, for its more typical area covered (10.5 km2 (4.1 sq mi)), responded to over a thousand incidents in 2006/2007.[53] Two pumping appliances reside there. Park Royal, with its one pumping appliance and an incident response unit covers 8.1 km2 (3.1 sq mi).
Within the borough, 4,105 incidents occurred in 2006/2007.[53]
Transport
Like most of northwest London, Brent is served extensively by the London Underground. 21 tube stations are located in Brent, all served by either the Metropolitan, Jubilee, Bakerloo or Piccadilly Lines. All of them are surface level, with the exception of Kilburn Park tube station in the southeast of the borough. This number is the second highest of all London boroughs behind Westminster, which has 32 stations within its boundaries. The numerous London Underground, London Overground and National Rail stations in the borough are:
^King, Rosamund & Barres-Baker, Malcolm - Britain in Old Photographs: The London Borough of Brent (Stroud, The History Press, 2011) p.4 ISBN0-75245-827-2
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