The Bristow Blog

Local people power making a difference

In October last year after being contacted by residents of the two blocks of flats (one owned by the council and other by Notting Hill Housing Trust) on Rainville Road, Gavin, Andy and I organised a meeting between tenants, leaseholders, and officers from the council and Notting Hill.

http://thebristowblog.typepad.com/the_bristow_blog/residentstenants_associations/index.html

Residents were tired of the poor state of the communal ramp into the flats, the general cleanliness of  communal areas, and crime and anti social behaviour.  It was not clear who was responsible for what and urgent action was required.

As a result of the meeting we identified several troublespots and action points.  We met again last night to review progress.

The excellent news is that things are much better.  Cleanliness and general repairs have improved immeasurably.  The police and crime prevention officers completed an audit to 'design out' crime and the police were able to report back on recent patrols.

While there is still a great deal to do, and grants the tenants/leaseholders should bid for in order to complete project work on the estate, progress is very heartening.  This shows the power of local residents and what can be achieved when local people contact their councillors.   

While we have had many successes in Fulham Reach since the council elections in 2006,  this example is the most evident of action led by local residents and councillors working together!

Public Meeting on Heathrow Expansion

H&F Council has written to every resident in the borough inviting them to a public meeting at Hammersmith Town Hall on Tuesday February 12, starting at 7.00pm.

We have had to step in and arrange this meeting because both BAA and the Government have refused to hold an event in this borough where residents could hear for themselves what is proposed.  Thanks to lobbying from H&F council the Government has agreed to extend consultation on Heathrow expansion across the entire borough.  Up until now, only residents in Fulham have been consulted, even though the plans would affect the entire borough.

It was outrageous that residents in Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush would have been denied the chance to have their say, even though they are the ones who will have to put up with extra noise, pollution, overcrowded trains and road congestion should these plans ever be implemented.  Thankfully the Minister saw sense and the consultation will be extended.  It is absolutely vital that residents now use this opportunity to have their say.

H&F Council’s major concerns are:
- The increased numbers of arrivals over Fulham, a new arrivals flight path over Hammersmith and two new departure flight paths over Shepherd's Bush.
- The increase in flights predicted by experts which will soar from less than 500,000 a year now to more than 700,000. This increase is equivalent to building a new airport at least the size of Gatwick.
- The threat of more night flights.
- The noise pollution from planes which researchers have proved dominates areas up to 13 miles away from Heathrow – which would include Hammersmith & Fulham.
- The plans for a third runway which would bring this disturbance to parts of the borough previously unaffected by aircraft noise.
- The expansion which would also put further strain on the road network and our already overcrowded Piccadilly and District Lines.

Come along to the public meeting and have your say!

Same day rubbish collection and street cleaning

The streets should be cleaned the same day the rubbish is collected - that way they can mop up any rubbish that may spill into the street.  Not exactly rocket science is it?   For years and years the Labour administration at the town hall could not figure this one out and we regularly got complaints that the streets were filthy. 

The cabinet meets in the town hall on February 4th to consider a plan that will see the refuse, recycling and street cleaning done on the same day and to a much higher standard than at the moment.

The move follows an in-depth market testing process to find the ideal organisation for the job. In May 2006, the council decided to market test its services for refuse collection, recycling and street cleansing.  At the outset, it was decided that the in-house services should compete for the contracts. A panel of experts evaluated all the bids and although the in-house team’s bid was competitive, specialist cleaning company Serco's bid was judged to have the clear edge on quality and was more likely to deliver the step change improvement which the new contract specifications require.

Residents are rightly demanding cleaner streets and, if we do go ahead and appoint Serco, we will have a specialist company in place to pick up rubbish and recycling and then sweep the street all on the same day.

The simple process of tendering has already delivered big savings to taxpayers. Our current in-house team have improved their productivity and saved £900,000 a year as a direct consequence of our decision to tender these services. This contract will lead to a big improvement in service quality and further savings should be made.

If appointed, Serco will be working to a vastly improved contract specification.  Street cleansing teams will have state-of-the-art machinery and cleaning will happen at the times when it is most needed. 

We promised a cleaner, greener borough and this is what we are determined to deliver.

Our plans for Shepherds Bush Green

Parks and Open Space come under the responsibility of the Cabinet Member of Residents Services.  It is one of the parts of the job that I enjoy the most.  The investment we are putting into our parks gives us a real opportunity to leave a lasting impression on our borough.

Yesterday we started a consultation on our £3.3 million revamp of Shepherds Bush Green.  The proposals go on show for a week, from Wednesday 23 to Tuesday 29 January inclusive, in the foyer of the W12 Shopping Centre, Shepherds Bush.  Residents are being consulted before a formal planning application is submitted in the summer.

These plans really will transform the Green and preserve it as one of our historical open spaces.  The plans include a multi-use games area, extensive children’s play facilities, a skateboard area and a café with new toilets. The design creates a boulevard effect on the outside of the common, including a new cycle path.

We are not seeking to radically alter the overall feel of the park. One of the great advantages of this design is that the common retains its big, open feel.   I would like to encourage anyone with an interest in the future of Shepherds Bush Common to have a look at the proposals themselves and let us know what they think before a formal planning application is submitted later this year

Please visit the consultation website - http://www.citizenspace.com/local/lbhf/ShepherdsBush

Parliamentary selections over the weekend

Two safe Conservative seats selected candidates to fight the next general election over the weekend - North East Cambridgeshire and Maidstone & the Weald.  I took a particular interest in these selections as they included friends; the North East Cambs seat is where my parents live and where I lived for a long period of time.

I was very pleased for Steve Barclay who was selected in North East Cambs.  I have known Steve since about 1999 when he was the 2001 election candidate up in Lancaster & Wyre where I went to university.  A really nice guy who pushed for students to then get involved in local politics and his campaign.  He is clever, articulate, and will make a fine addition to the parliamentary team. www.stevebarclay.blogspot.com

Moreover, I was also delighted when it was revealed that Helen Grant was selected in Maidstone & the Weald.  Helen applied for Hammersmith losing out to Shaun Bailey.  I was impressed with Helen and thought she was destined for Parliament.  She will make a fine replacment for Ann Widdecombe. http://www.helengrant.org/

There are a few others who I know where involved in those selection who I really do hope get seats soon.  James Brokenshire is already an MP but his seat of Hornchurch disappears at the next election.  He was in the final of both seats.  He has been a very good MP and is a friend of many years.  I am sure he will soon find a seat because he is such a talent.  Conor Burns was also a finalist in Maidstone.  I have known Conor for a long time and helped him in Eastleigh at the last election.  He would make a great MP.  I heard Iain Dale applied for Maidstone but missed out.  I like Iain a great deal and his profile has soared since he launched his very popular blog.  I really hope he ends up in Parliament too. http://www.iaindale.blogspot.com/

The most improving schools in the UK

Hammersmith & Fulham have the most improving secondary schools in the UK according to the latest GCSE performance league tables. 

The tables, which look at the percentage of pupils gaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C, including English and maths, show that schools in the borough are in the top ten per-cent nationally for improvement since 2004. 

Phoenix High School has been named as one of the most improving schools in London. This year, more students than ever before at the school in Shepherds Bush achieved 5 A* to C grades including English and maths, up by 17 percentage points to 43 per cent.

Hurlingham and Chelsea School’s results continue to improve year on year. Last summer’s set of GCSE examinations saw 37 per cent of pupils score five of more GCSE passes at grades A* to C compared with 25 per cent the year before. 

Overall, 56 per cent of students gained five or more good grades last year. This was also well above the national average of 45.9 per cent.

Our hard working local teachers have done a fantastic job and pupils who have done well deserve to be very proud of themselves.  It is an exciting time for parents in Hammersmith & Fulham with investment and reform proposed in our schools.  The Building Schools for the Future initiative will provide new facilities and the best equipment.

We are sure that the changes that are proposed over the coming year will give our pupils a 21st Century learning environment to be proud of.  The council will be consulting residents on its plans for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) very soon, using more than £100 million of Government money.

Is Fulham Reach any cleaner?

A few months ago we launched a grot spot campaign in Fulham Reach where persistent incidences of graffiti, fly tips, and litter were tackled.  The whole ward got a makeover. 

http://thebristowblog.typepad.com/the_bristow_blog/2007/09/looking-out-for.html

Your local councillors – Gavin Donovan, Andrew Johnson and myself – walked around the ward with council officers and local residents identifying the worst examples.

I want to know if you think it has made a difference. Is Fulham Reach ward cleaner?

We were doing a door to door surgery last night in Claxton Grove and things looked pretty good. 

However, I know there is always more work to do.  Please let me know about any unsightly examples of graffiti and grot and we will try and get it cleaned up!

Or if you think things are better please do let me know?

Gone too soon

A very special relation of mine died last year - Maureen Rawling.

My cousin Sarah has established a website to her memory where I have left a tribute - maureen-rawling.gonetoosoon.co.uk

I think that this website is a very nice idea as memories fade and time moves on.  However, it is important to me that my relatives, and when I have children, they are able to know how much Maureen was loved and how much we miss her.

I shall never for get Maureen.  She helped raise me with my two cousins as our family was extremely close.  At 61 she was taken from us far too soon. 

This website has allowed me to say Thank You to Auntie Maureen.

The golden age of Gordon Brown?

"I am beginning to believe what I read in the Daily Mail that Gordon Brown's elevation to PM really has ushered in a new golden age."

Those were the words of Andrew Slaughter MP about 6 months ago in one of his monthly columns to local papers - http://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/news/yourmps/display.var.1613640.0.andrew_slaughter_labour_ealing_acton_and_shepherds_bush.php

After 5/6 months of Brown I thought it was an apt time to review this comment.  This is not the first time Andrew Slaughter has made the wrong call, but let's look at how wrong this comment is:

• The election that never was - October 6th - the date the embarassing news that Gordon Brown had bottled calling a General Election was finally confirmed.  This revealed the new prime minister as a ditherer and a cynical operator.  It damaged his reputation irrevocably.
• Gordon Brown's first budget as prime minister shows a complete lack of ideas as the most imaginative announcements on inheritence tax were lifted straight out of Conservative proposals promised at their October conference. 
• Government incompetence was shown to be beyond doubt when the Home Office and government agencies lost data CDs that contained the personal details of half the population.
• Financial scandals and impropriety associated with the Labour Party continued as it did under Blair. It was revealed that David Abrahams, a property developer, had donated the best part of £650,000 to Labour through a series of proxies - a clear breach of rules brought in by Labour!
• This has continued into the New Year with Peter Hain the focus of everyone's attention.

All this has meant that the Conservatives are consistently polling ten points ahead of Labour.  A national picture that would see the Conservatives set to win the Hammersmith parliamentary seat defeating one Andrew Slaughter MP.

Not quite the golden age Mr Slaughter was predicting!

Bush Theatre faces uncertain future

The famous Bush Theatre in Shepherds Bush faces an uncertain future after the Arts Council have proposed a £180,000 funding cut for the theatre.

The Arts Council is proposing a reduction from £480,000 a year to £300,000. It comes ahead of concerns that paying for the 2012 Olympics - which will be part-funded with National Lottery cash - will mean less money for arts organisations.

The Bush's total budget is £1million. It means the theatre's programme for next season and the appointment of a new executive producer have been put on hold. It is one of 53 bodies in London affected.

Actors - such as Victoria Wood and Richard Wilson - have clubbed together to try and save this funding for the theatre.  The Bush is a cauldron for so many of the young writers who go on to write for television and for mainstream theatre.

It seems that the issue here concerns the location of the Bush theatre with Arts Council saying it is too small.  I very much hope that these issues can be resolved and the Bush continues to provide an avenue for exciting scriptwriters and actors.