Liveability

‘Liveability’ is one of the current buzz words of both local and central government. It describes an integrated approach to looking after and improving public places, parks and open spaces, and ‘the public realm’. Basically it’s the old concept of municipal pride with new jargon.

A couple of years ago, Acton Councillors agreed that the Council should bid for money from the Government’s Liveability Fund. This Fund is designed to : “test new approaches for tackling public space and local liveability issues that focus on and link service improvement, investment in innovative new parks and public spaces, and the sharing of good practice throughout the process”. We won £2.9 million for Acton from the fund – the only part of the Borough to get such funding. Although most of this money was for improving the street environment in and around Acton Town Centre, East Acton ward has got £200,000 funding for Acton Park and its pavilion. We’ve also benefited from using mainstream monies released by Liveability funding, on projects like the refurbishment of the North Acton Playing Fields pavilion (see 24th September post).

Today I went to an ALG Conference called ‘Liveable London 2005” which aimed to share information and ideas on liveability. The ALG (http://www.alg.gov.uk/) is the Association of London Government – and is the body which represents the London Boroughs as part lobbyist, part think tank and part provider of joint services for the Boroughs. The opening speaker was Cllr Mike Cartwright – the Chair of the ALG’s Transport and Environment Committee – and an old friend. Mike made some very important points about the public’s perceptions of these issues – everyone cares about the street environment because we all experience it, whereas only a minority of the population is using education or social services at any one time

The ALG Conference in the impressive Glaziers Hall at London Bridge

Over a break, I took the chance to talk to the ALG TEC Director Nick Lester - who is very much a key national expert on these issues. I asked about the future funding for ‘Operation Scrap It’ – the ALG’s Government-funded scheme which has delivered a massive reduction in abandoned and untaxed vehicles and the time they spent on our roads. The funding for this runs out next March, and will not be replaced until the responsibility passing to the car producers until 2007. Nick assured me that the ALG are very much on to the potential funding gap that this might represent – and indeed are meeting Government ministers again next week to lobby about it. The ALG really does punch above its’ weight.

I’ve not got space here to outline the four sessions and twelve speakers that were packed into a very full day. However, I’m writing a report for the Council on the Conference which I should finish over the weekend. I’ll try to find a way put this report on-line when I’ve finished.

Back to the Borough in the evening to chair a Licensing Sub-Committee meeting - considering the applications from the North Star and All Bar One in central Ealing for longer opening hours. We refused both applications, because they were incompatible with the Council’s special area policy for the central Ealing zone, in not demonstrating that they wouldn’t worsen the current cumulative impact of licensed premises in the area (see earlier posts for more details of this policy).