Two Full Houses

My second day back from the Christmas break (yesterday was my ASDA surgery), and I cycled up to St Gabriel’s Church Hall for an unusually large turnout at my North Acton advice surgery.

This turnout followed the delivery of the latest ‘East Acton Labour News’ in late December - as a special edition for the area around North Acton Playing Fields which voted not to go into the new Gypsy Corner Controlled Parking Zone. Unsurprisingly, much of the casework related to the parking implications of this – such as disabled parking facilities – which included the first request to extend the zone. This will be something that can be considered when the zone is reviewed – normally after six months.

The most encouraging part of this is the evidence that constituents actually read the ‘East Acton Labour News’ newsletter – most of those attending said they came along because it had reminded them of the regular surgery. What I tend to do is produce special editions for specific areas of East Acton ward, rather than try to cover all 14,500 often far distant residents in one document. This means that I can be unashamedly very parochial, and let people know the sort of very local news that doesn’t reach the local papers.

I cycled on to Ealing Rugby Club to a full house for the biggest home league game of the season so far. This was against London Scottish – a famous old rugby club founded in 1878 (albeit seven years after Ealing) – but now our competitors for third place and possible promotion from the London 1 league. Sadly, a full strength London Scottish team were very impressive winners 54-17, including a quite brilliant individual second half try from their full back Matt Dowling.

Ealing win a line out


At my suggestion, the Club had invited this year’s Mayor – Cllr Mike Elliott – to make a civic visit to the club to watch the match. Mike was first elected as a Councillor on the old Ealing Borough Council in May 1958 (the same year I was born – as I always remind him) and now has uniquely held at some time since all of the leading civic Council posts – Leader, Deputy Leader, Deputy Mayor, Mayor’s Consort and now Mayor. To his credit, Mike spent most of the match on the open grandstand with the Ealing fans rather than in the (much warmer) clubhouse bar. After some excellent ‘Ealing Bitter’ during the game, I warmed up with a few pints of Bass in ‘Duffy’s’.