East Acton

Bill Portwood 1928-2010

2011-03-12T09:13:00.001Z

This weekend would have been my Dad's 83rd birthday. Can I thank again all the friends, acquantances and relatives who sent condolences or attended his funeral a year ago last month. Lynn and I knew we had a great Dad, but hadn't realised how many other lives he had touched.

A number of people have asked me to put online the photo that we used as the cover of the funeral programme. This weekend seems a good time to do so.

Old Oak Methodist Church

2006-05-21T22:51:00.000+01:00

One of the ways that politics (at least of the Labour variety) can interfere with your life, is that most Sunday mornings tend to be devoted to knocking on doors and talking to residents. While I always enjoy talking to people about East Acton (as you may have guessed), these Sunday sessions mean that I don’t often get to the weekly service at my local church – Old Oak Methodist. Today, given that it’s only two weeks from the last elections, I decided to go to church rather than do politics.

My family’s history has been defined by Old Oak – my parents were married there as was my sister, my dad, my sister and I were baptised there, and my paternal grandparents had their funerals there. I was moved by the service, rich with these memories, and particularly when looking up at the cross above the altar which my dad made from beams of the former Old Oak Church which burned down in 1977.

The church site in The Fairway is eighty years old this year, although the church name comes from its original site (from 1922) on the Old Oak Estate across Old Oak Common Lane in LB Hammersmith and Fulham. The current modern church building was built after the fire, with the neighbouring sheltered accommodation being created on the site of the old church hall.

As with many free churches, the congregation these days is not as big as it was when I was a more regular attender, but the welcome was as warm as ever. That said, it was a little spooky to be described as ‘little Philip’ by ladies who remember me from my childhood.

Somerfield Return to The Vale

2006-05-17T23:49:00.000+01:00

Some good news for Acton Vale – I’ve had it confirmed that the Somerfields store will be reopening in 2007.

The store was originally closed a few years ago as part of housing and redevelopment proposals, and there was a real doubt whether it would be replaced. This caused understandable concern locally as it was the only significant store in the area, with the alternatives being having to go into Acton or Shepherds Bush town centres.

Therefore I and my fellow East Acton Councillors persuaded the Planning Committee that the new development would have to include a decent-sized replacement store. Despite this planning condition, it has been unsettling for local residents to have heard nothing since – so I and colleagues have been chasing the issue up.

The Council have now confirmed from the developers (Shepherds Bush Housing Association) that completion is scheduled for January 2007 which will be followed by a fit-out period which would typically be expected to take three to four months.

This is a really welcome victory for using the planning system to benefit the local community.

Dzien dobry, Dwa piwo, Dziekuje, Do widzenia

2006-05-14T23:19:00.000+01:00

Today was the annual civic mass at the Polish Catholic church in central Ealing (Our Lady Mother of the Church).

I’m a regular at this huge event, which celebrates Ealing’s position as the largest Polish community in Britain, and saw again this year a number of old friends in the Polish community. They stressed that the community is going through a dramatic period of growth, following Poland’s entry to the EU two years ago – the new chair of the parish said that the church has added two new masses every Sunday in the last year to cope with the demand.

After the service, the Mayor and Steve Pound MP respond every year to a speech of welcome from the community, and Steve’s speech is always a highlight. He first did it as Mayor in 1996, when he spoke entirely in Polish with (I am told) an impeccable north Warsaw accent. This year he stressed the benefits of the new Polish immigration, whilst reserving his greatest praise for the quality of their doughnuts.

As Millennium Mayor, I was the first LB Ealing Mayor to visit Poland in my year of office, and hence had a lot to say in my speech to the civic mass. However, I was reminded on Sunday that I had admitted then that my working knowledge of Polish is largely limited to the sentence in the title of this post – “Dzien dobry, Dwa piwo, Dziekuje, Do widzenia”. But then what more do you need to say than “Good morning, Two beers, Thank you, Goodbye” ?

Health Provision in East Acton

2006-05-10T23:45:00.000+01:00

I was invited tonight to represent the PCT at a meeting of residents’ associations which considered health provision in East Acton. The original trigger for the meeting was the apparent decision by Hammersmith and Fulham PCT not to go ahead with the proposed relocation of the Old Oak Surgery to a site in Armstrong Road in our ward. (see my post on 24th January). However, it was helpfully widened to consider generally how the local community could get better involved in planning decisions about health made by the Council, and in the premises strategy of the Ealing PCT and our neighbouring PCTs.

I and Baljeet Ruprah-Shah (the Acton Neighbourhood Manager for the PCT) talked about the feasibility study that the Ealing PCT is undertaking on what we could do to deal with the impact of the Old Oak Surgery on/off move. I stressed that this feasibility study is complicated by also needing to assess the likely extra demand for local health services from planned or possible new residential developments in the area.

Baljeet and I also talked with residents’ representatives about the way in which we at the PCT wanted to involve these kind of local meetings in the review of our premises strategy in our Strategic Servives Development Plan (SSDP). Residents present were (relatively) understanding of the position in which that Ealing PCT found itself, but were angry at the lack of communication from Hammersmith and Fulham PCT – who are currently responsible for the Old Oak Surgery.

As a group we held very useful discussions, led by Carmel Cahill of Ealing Community Network and Anita Longworth from the Council’s Planning Policy team, about the way in which the community could be involved in pre-application discussions with developers about the local impact (including on health services) of planning proposals. It’s the pre-application point that is really key to genuinely effective community involvement – it’s very much more difficult to effectively change things at later stages.

In the past, the Council have not always even consulted the PCT about the health implications of major developments – which has sometimes meant us often having to try to play ‘catch-up’ unsatifactorally at the end of the process. This has thankfully now changed, and we are regarded as a key player in the new Local Development Framework (LDF) process, which is replacing the former Unitary Development Plan (UDP) system. Whatever else changes, there’s always new alphabet soup to learn whenever you talk to planners.

Planning News

2006-05-09T22:42:00.000+01:00

This is the first of regular updates that I’ll be giving on planning issues in East Acton ward.

First some good news – following objections from myself and a number of local residents, the Council have refused permission for an over-the-top development at 96 Western Avenue. This is a site with what lawyers might politely call a ‘troubled history’ of planning problems and enforcement, which would have been exacerbated by the now refused proposals.

Another property with big planning enforcement issues is 26 and 28 East Acton Lane, where the Council has been forced to the unusual step of imposing a ‘stop notice’. This is designed to prevent illegal development work being carried out until a planning application has been considered by the Planning Committee. There has been a great deal of concern locally about an apparently enormous and unneighbourly redevelopment, and the developes have now finally submitted a planning application on which consultation can be undertaken.

In Acton Vale, the Council have agreed permission for the former ‘Curtain Mill’ store at 2 The Vale to be converted into a wine bar. This is the sort of proposal that normally generates opposition, but the local Oakvale Residents Association wrote to support it - in order to provide more local facilities for the growing population of the area.

New proposals could create a further residential expansion in local housing in and around The Vale. The developers of Bromyard House (the former pensions building) want to add another 60 odd flats within it, rather than the office space that is planned to provide a mixed development. They are also consulting locally on their planned redevelopment of the neighbouring site, that they euphemistically call ‘Home Office land’ – the houses and flats owned for the use of prison warders at the nearby Wormwood Scrubs prison – with a net increase of hundreds of ‘housing units’. However, even larger than these proposals are plans that are said to be about to be submitted to Hammersmith and Fulham Council. These are at the former Prestolite factory in Larden Road, which literally borders onto East Acton ward, with some five hundred flats being talked about being provided on this large site.

For all these Acton Vale developments, there is one key question – is this all too much for the local social, transport and environmental infrastructure to bear ? And if it is, what might be the alternative acceptable levels of total housing ; what is the proportion that needs to be genuinely affordable to create mixed communities ; and what is the contribution required from the developers to provide the new facilities required to make the infrastructure match the current and new populations ?

If you want any information on planning issues, proposals or developments in East Acton ward, please feel free to contact me at phil@east-acton.com.

East Acton, Ice Cream and 'Little Italy'

2006-05-08T23:40:00.000+01:00

There’s a story in today’s papers suggesting that an amendment will be moved to the Education Bill to give powers to ban ice cream vans from parking near schools. Now, I’m the last person to usually oppose either new Council regulatory powers or action against obesity (in both cases I’d be guilty of hypocrisy of a Gallowayesque character.)

However, this does seem a bit heavy handed – I agree with the dietician who is quoted saying that “this is the kind of blanket ban that gives the health lobby a bad name … most choices from an ice cream van would provide fewer calories and fat compared to a free choice from a newsagent”. I’m writing to the Council to see if the’re going to use these new powers to ban ice cream vans, or rather I hope leave ice cream rationing for parents to decide.

That said, I’m biased, given the long East Acton connection with ice cream.

In 1922 the Walls sausage factory at The Friary (on the borders of East Acton and Acton Central wards) started using spare capacity in the summer to produce ice cream. Their ice cream took off in a big way, helped by a famously innovative marketing campaign led by salespeople on tricycles using the slogan “stop me and buy one”. This was so well known as a catchphrase in the inter war years that supposedly condom use was promoted to the armed forces with the line “buy me and stop one”.

By 1956 the whole of The Friary was given over all year to ice cream production - and even in the early eighties Walls still employed hundreds of local people, including many of my schoolmates in holiday jobs. However, by the late eighties the factory was closed, and the site is now the Friary Park social housing estate.

The other ice cream connection in East Acton comes from our status as the ‘Little Italy’ of Acton – and indeed the Borough. Nearly 1% of our residents were born in Italy, and growing up on the East Acton Estate it was not unusual to hear Italian accents – we had a great impromptu street party in Carlisle Avenue when a Paulo Rossi-inspired Italy won the World Cup in 1982.

Many of the East Acton Italian families have made their living from ice cream and the tradition is still kept going locally, particularly by the local Bonito family. Stop them and buy one if you see them around, and tell yourself that you’re celebrating East Acton history rather than just having a treat.

58 votes

2006-05-06T10:05:00.000+01:00

I lost my seat as a Councillor for East Acton by just 58 votes in the local elections.

East Acton saw the lowest swing to the Tories of any key Labour ward in the Borough, and we managed to save the seat of my East Acton ward colleague Cllr Kate Crawford by 43 votes. Indeed one local Tory said to me after the result was declared “I’m sure you’ll be back in four years time”. Whilst all of this is short-term consolation, it is galling to get so close to being re-elected in a marginal ward in a Labour meltdown year nationally, and fall short by just 58 votes.

I will work to be re-elected in 2010, and I’ve always believed that you haven’t got to be a Councillor in order to fight for your community. East Acton is and always will be my home, and I’m not going to go away and sulk just because I lost an election for national rather than local reasons. I also been very chuffed, and bit humbled, by the number of local residents who've contacted me to urge to stand again next time.

I also intend to keep this blog going. Apologies that it hasn’t appeared for a month or more, which is due to a mixture of computer problems and then pressure of election time.

West Acton Primary School

2006-02-03T23:39:00.000Z

I’ve recently been elected as a governor of West Acton Primary School, and this afternoon made my first official visit in this new role. West Acton includes about one sixth of the East Acton ward population in its catchment area – the area between North Acton Playing Fields, Horn Lane and the Western Avenue.

Infact, East Acton ward is so large that it includes all or part of the catchment areas of six primary schools – all of East Acton and John Perryn, and parts of Derwentwater, Southfield, West Acton and West Twyford. In addition, a number of local Catholic parents send their children to St Vincents Roman Catholic Primary in Acton Central ward.

Headteacher Sue Brown took me on a tour of the classrooms at West Acton. I was impressed with the warm atmosphere, and a clearly enthusiastic staff seeking to get the best out of the children. Like all Acton schools, West Acton is a wonderful mix of national backgrounds, and in particular has probably the largest proportion of Acton’s Japanese community. The school is currently having an impressive new hall being built, which should be finished in the spring. This will provide very welcome extra space in a school which was originally a first (infants) school but now caters for children from nursery age to eleven.

Some of the work of the West Acton art class promoting a football match with South Acton's Berrymede School

West Acton has an interesting history, as a pioneer of the Montessori school system. Acton Borough Council’s Education Director in the 1930’s – J Ewart Smart – was an enthusiast for the Montesori method – and my dad remembers it being around when he was a pupil at John Perryn School at the time. Smart made sure that Acton had a national reputation for employing Montessori-trained teachers, and Maria Montessori herself visited Acton schools at his invitation. Our local history museum at Gunnersbury Park have a collection of Montessori teaching materials and equipment from West Acton, from its opening in 1937, as well as photographs of classrooms with it in use at http://www.photolondon.org.uk/assoc_pages/gunnersbury/gunnpics1.htm

East Acton's Canadian Connection

2006-01-31T23:55:00.000Z

A constituent has emailed me after my post about the Canadian elections last week (24th January), asking why Canada Road and Canada Crescent in East Acton ward are so named.

Canada Road was named in 1925, following the building of company houses there by the Canadian company Mond Nickel (now Inco). These houses were for employees at their precious metals refinery opened the previous year in Bashley Road in Park Royal. The Inco refinery still thrives on the same site (also in East Acton ward), employing around 120 local people. It’s now one the one of the world’s major refineries of platinum-group metals – platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium, as well as gold and silver. I know from reports at the Park Royal Partnership that it is now also increasingly involved in recycling.

I posted last week that none the Canadians towns called Acton elected one of the 29 MPs for Labour’s Canadian sister party, the New Democratic Party (NDP). However, Ealing in Ontario did. Ealing is part of the London Fanshawe constituency gained by the NDP’s Irene Mathyysen. The story goes that the town is called Ealing because it’s roughly the same distance from the centre of London Ontario as Ealing is from the centre of London (Charing Cross). The Ealing Public School has a brief history of the school and town at http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/ealing/ealinghistory.htm

£4,339 per pupil

2006-01-30T23:53:00.000Z

Labour Group in the evening - mainly discussing financial reports on the Cabinet Agenda for tomorrow.

The Council revenue budget numbers are a lot smaller than in previous years, as the Government has now removed schools funding into a separate ‘Dedicated Schools Grant’ (DSG – another acronym thrown into the already over-flowing sea of acronyms in local government finance). Previously schools’ spending made up over half of the budget. The good news is that this funding has seen a 6.8% increase per pupil (£4,339 per pupil, or the equivalent of 4.7 pints of London Pride a day)

The less good news is that non-schools grant has only risen by 2% - the “floor” or lowest possible rise for a Council this year. About half of London Boroughs get the same minimum 2% increase, although Hillingdon, Lambeth, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden have got over 3% (at least you can’t accuse the Government of political bias – only one of these four are a Labour Council). It could have been worse without the ‘floor’ system – changes to the formula for calculating Government grant would have cut £5.2 million in grant without the 2% minimum increase.

However, in the immortal words of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, “Don’t Panic”. The savings that I’ve posted about previously (see 9th January) will mean that the Council can live (however grudgingly) with this low grant increase, without needing further sudden cuts or a tax increase above last years’ 4.8%. Indeed the work being undertaken to squeeze out extra efficiency will hopefully produce an increase lower than this.

There’s also a report on the Cabinet agenda of the results of scrutiny of the draft the budget by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. One particularly interesting proposal they make is that the Cabinet should consider the future investment needs of the CCTV service, and in particular officers should look at the potential for contributions from partners. I and other supported this recommendation, and Cabinet Finance member Cllr Martin Beecroft is going to look at the options for future CCTV funding.

'East Acton Labour News' for Acton Vale

2006-01-29T23:43:00.000Z

Supported again by colleagues from across the Borough, our ‘listening surgeries’ moved to the Avenues – and we combined it with delivery of a special edition of ‘East Acton Labour News’ for the Acton Vale area.

This edition of ‘East Acton Labour News’ includes articles on :

- Magistrates agreeing the gating scheme for the Avenues (see post on 19th January)
- New Street Lighting agreed for the Vale (see post on 21st October)
- Controlled Parking Zone – Consultation results
- Old Oak Surgery (see post on 24th January)
- Planning applications in the area (including the new application to convert 2 The Vale - the former "Curtain Mill" - into a 'wine bar').

"The Curtain Mill" at 2 The Vale - proposed to become a wine bar

The only one of these issues that I haven’t featured on this blog is the Acton Vale Controlled Parking Zone consultation. What we’ve said on this in the newsletter is :

“The first results of the recent consultation on the hours of the Acton Vale Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) seem to show that most local people want to reduce the hours. Around 70% of replies to the consultation want to reduce the current 9am to 9pm seven days a week controls.

However, there doesn’t seem to be the same level of agreement about what any new hours should be—with around half supporting 9am to 5pm and half supporting later hours.

The final results, including a road-by-road listing of views, will go to the next Acton Area Committee on 28th February. Any decision they take to change hours, either in all or part of the zone, would have to be agreed later by the Council’s Cabinet.

Cllr Paul Woodgate says “As local Councillors, we have always said that local people should decide. We will look at the results road by road to make sure of this.””

The biggest issue raised in the listening canvass was the proposal by Berkeley Homes to create a further 86 flats in addition to the hundreds already being built in the conversion and redevelopment of the former Government pensions building next door at Bromyard House. This concern was linked to concerns about the short-term implications for parking and the street environment of the current works being undertaken at Bromyard House. However, we also found very real delight that the alley gating scheme could now go ahead, and strong evidence of the support shown in the early consultation results for some reduction (but not removal) of the current CPZ hours.

I also put some local history on the newsletter. The Avenues – First, Second and Third Avenues – were named as streets in 1903, and built in stages thereafter. However, a map of 1910 shows that the original intention was that there should be nine Avenues rather than just three – makes you think what value local estate agents would have put on houses in 5th Avenue W3.

Green Waste, Orange Bags and Red Rubber Bands

2006-01-28T23:51:00.000Z

We’d arranged this weekend for colleagues to come to East Acton to support us in some ‘listening surgeries’ knocking on doors to talk to constituents. This is something that we generally do monthly to supplement the efforts of our local team. It means that we can knock on the door of every household of the 14,500 residents of the ward about once every two years or so.

Today we visited the south-east corner of the ward – Davis Road, Elizabeth Gardens, Jeddo Road, Oldfield Road and St Elmo Road – whilst other colleagues telephoned people in other parts of the ward. This part of East Acton looks as much to Askew Road and Shepherds Bush as they do to Acton High Street and Acton – indeed the boundary with Hammersmith and Fulham weaves around within it, sometimes confusingly splitting streets between the two Boroughs. This also means that residents of ‘border roads’ have the interesting opportunity to compare the two Boroughs’ performance.

The main issues that came up were unsurprisingly environmental – problems with fly-tipping, (encouraging) praise for “the local bin men”, and a lot of enthusiasm for the expansion of recycling. Some residents preferred our ‘green box’ scheme of recycling collection, whilst others liked the Hammersmith ‘orange bag’ system. One resident of a border road (“the 49th Parallel” as another resident called it) admitted that she used both Boroughs’ systems at times depending on which suited best !

I stressed that East Acton would get the new food waste recycling (composting) service later this year. It’s being piloted by Cllr John Delaney (the relevant Cabinet Member) in his own Acton Central ward - what ‘Yes Minister’s’ Sir Humphrey would have called “ a brave and courageous decision” because John would get the very direct blame locally it if went wrong. Thankfully, the reverse is true and the pilot schemes have proved very successful with a 43% participation rate (double that expected). John is now also looking at a possible timetable for the introduction of cardboard kerbside recycling, after the food waste schemes goes Borough-wide. You can read about how the food waste recycling scheme will work when it reaches East Acton at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/environment/recycling/FAQs#Whycollectfoodwaste

One resident raised an interesting issue that has been annoying me – the littering of streets and paths with red rubber bands that are discarded by the Post Office when delivering letters bundled with them. He had recently been to Edinburgh, and said that the City Council there was threatening the Post Office with £50 fixed penalty fines. I said that I’d take the issue (and the Edinburgh approach) up in a question to John Delaney at the next Council meeting on 7th February.

In the evening we had a big fundraising quiz night for the Acton and Ealing Central Labour Party, with both Andy Slaughter MP and Steve Pound MP leading quiz teams. The winners (only by one point admittedly) were the East Acton team – largely because of our unashamedly nerdish knowledge of capital cities throughout the world.

Holocaust Memorial Day

2006-01-27T23:30:00.000Z

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. Following my motion at the last Council meeting (see previous posts), the Council had organised a memorial tree planting outside Perceval House in the Uxbridge Road. The intention is that this should be the start of a regular tree planning on every Holocaust Memorial Day. Leo Thomson as Leader introduced the brief ceremony and Mike Elliott spoke afterwards as Mayor.

Leo, Mike and Darra planting the tree

There was a very good attendance from both members of staff and the local community. Obviously, this was particularly from the local Jewish community, including Rabbi Hershi Vogel from the orthodox Ealing and Acton synagogue (http://www.ealingsynagogue.com/) and Rabbi Janet Burden (who I met for the first time) from the Ealing Liberal synagogue (http://www.ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk/).
However, it was also very positive that there was also prominent representation from the Armenian, Christian and Hindu communities.

To follow-up Holocuast Memorial Day, there will be a commemorative exhibition inside Perceval House, whilst a number of schools have also organised events. To his great credit, Darra Singh as Chief Executive sent an email to all staff this morning about Holocaust Memorial Day, which concluded “We must never forget the heroism of those who put themselves at risk to help Jews and others avoid almost certain death in the concentration camps. And we must never forget that we can all make a difference in the future by opposing discrimination whenever we encounter it.”

I went on in the afternoon to chair a meeting of the PCT Premises and Capital Planning Panel. We reviewed the progress on a number of our key new developments of GP premises and health centres. These include a new modern surgery premises at the Grand Union Village development on the Northolt/Greenford borders ; a much-needed high street health centre in Southall Broadway ; a new neighbourhood surgery at Jubilee Gardens in northern Southall ; and the replacement of the overcrowded Mattock Lane health centre in central Ealing. In and around East Acton ward, we have the new Cloister Road surgery opening next month (see previous posts), expanded surgery provision at Dr Sinna’s surgery on the Western Avenue, ideas for possible primary care provision in Park Royal, and plans for new modern premises in Southfield Road.

I raised the issue of the Old Oak Surgery, and the potential implications of it and the wider Hammersmith and Fulham PCT premises strategy, for demand on Ealing PCT services in East and eastern Acton. It was agreed that we would look at this issue, and consider options for expanded provision if that proves necessary

Licensing in East Acton ward

2006-01-26T22:58:00.000Z

Today was the licensing hearing for the Leamington Arms pub in East Acton ward, so I thought I‘d outline the current licensing position of the pubs in East Acton ward (see 27th September for earlier information).

Remember that any objection to a variation of hours or other licensing element will mean that there will have to be a hearing before a Sub-Committee of Councillors (on which a local ward Councillor could not serve). Conversely, if there are no objections, the Council is obliged to grant what is being sought by the pub.

Castle in Victoria Road – They applied for 10am to 2am (all week). They had a hearing on 16th January, with one resident objecting, and I understand (though the minutes are not yet out) that they were allowed to sell alcohol until 12.00.

Fisherman’s Arms in Old Oak Lane – They applied for 10am to 12am (Sun to Thu) and 10am to 1am (Fri). However, as they applied after most pubs, any hearing will not be until April at the earliest (the deadline for objections closed in November).

The Goldsmiths Arms - now applying to serve until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays

Goldsmiths' Arms in East Acton Lane – They originally applied for 10am-12am (Mon-Wed), 10am-1am (Thu and Sun), 10am to 2am (Fri and Sat). This generated a petition objecting signed by a large number of neighbouring residents, and individual letters from others. This has led the Spirit Group (who own the pub) to recently submit a new application which asks for a hour less than before from Thu to Sun – that is 10am to 12am (Sun to Thu) and 10am to 1am (Fri and Sat). Consultation is still open on this new application, and any objections or representations need to be sent to the Licensing Team at the Council by 9th February. Their email address is licensing@ealing.gov.uk, and you will need to give your address to show that you live in the vicinity of the pub

Leamington in Horn Lane - 11am to 12am (all week) applied for, and the decision of today’s Sub-Committee is awaited. However, there were no valid objections from residents.

Kings Arms in The Vale – They have applied for 11am to 2am (Mon to Sat), and 12pm to 2am (Sun), and have their hearing on 28th February (the deadline for objections was September last year).

Wishing Well in Old Oak Common Lane – They applied for 10am to 12am (Mon to Thu), 10am to 1am (Fri and Sat), 12pm to 12am (Sun), and have a hearing on 29th March (the deadline for objections ended in July last year).

In addition, a planning application (but not yet licensing) has been received this week for a proposed "wine bar" at 2 The Vale - formerly "The Curtain Mill".

St Saviours Deaf and Deaf Blind Church

2006-01-25T23:48:00.000Z

Went with the Mayor (Mike Elliott) to the St Savours Deaf and Deaf Blind Chapel and Centre in Old Oak Road in East Acton (ironically next to the previously proposed site for the Old Oak Surgery - see yesterday). This was for the ‘commissioning’ of Rev Anne Richardson as Chaplain amongst Deaf and Deaf blind people in the Diocese of London.

St Saviours was originally founded in Oxford Street in 1875 as the first deaf church in Britain, and moved to Acton in 1924 under the aegis of the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD). You can read more of the history of RAD and St Saviours at http://www.royaldeaf.org.uk/page.php?id=100133 The Acton St Saviours was one of the first churches designed by the famous architect Sir Edward Maufe, later architect of Guildford Cathedral and the architecturally important local St Thomas church in Boston Road Hanwell.

Downstairs at St Saviours is a social club and administrative centre for RAD, and also serves as the polling station for the Acton Vale area. Upstairs is the lovely chapel, in which I held the first civic service for the deaf in my year as Millennium Mayor. The chapel is built with a sloping floor, so that the congregation can see the signing from the preacher and choir.

The sermon signed by Fr Fletcher

The formal commissioning of Anne (who is actually a fellow Methodist) was conducted by the Bishop of Willesden, Pete Broadbent. I’ve known ‘Bishop Pete’ (as everyone calls him) since the 1980s, when he was a Borough Councillor in Islington and we met at London-wide Councillor events. The service was a really warm and friendly occasion, with a sermon in British Sign Language from a deaf Jesuit priest Fr Paul Fletcher, and wonderfully expressive signing of hymns by both choir and congregation. It was also nice to meet again and be remembered by many of the congregation who I met on my previous visits as Mayor or local Councillor.

Old Oak Surgery

2006-01-24T23:45:00.000Z

Went on the web first thing to look at the results of the Canadian General Election. Good news for Labour’s Canadian sister party the New Democratic Party (http://www.ndp.ca/page/3450) who went up from 18 to 29 seats, and can be key players in the new hung parliament. Sadly a great campaigner, NDP candidate Marilyn Churley, narrowly missed gaining a Toronto area seat - if you want to hear the best song ever written about a local politician, check out ‘The Signature of Marilyn Churley’ (inspired by her time as a regulatory committee chair in Ontario) at http://www.swinghammer.com/sue/sue-sounds.html

Unfortunately for an Acton parochialist like me, none of the three Canadian towns called Acton elected an NDP member. Acton Ontario and Acton New Brunswick re-elected Conservatives, whilst Acton Quebec stayed with the separatist Bloc Quebecois (the constituency is 96% French speaking). I’m hoping to visit the major American and Canadian Actons this summer or next.

I received an email this afternoon from Julia Hunt of the Bromyard Avenue Residents Association about the future of the Old Oak Surgery. This is a GPs surgery which is in Hammersmith and Fulham but has a number of patients from East Acton. They had advertised proposals to build a replacement surgery on a vacant site in Armstrong Road, but this is now advertised for sale, and patients have been told that the surgery is moving to White City.

I emailed Julia back to confirm that the surgery and hence its patients (wherever they live) are the responsibility of Hammersmith and Fulham PCT. Therefore all I know in my Ealing PCT role is second hand. I understand that the EPCT asked H&FPCT at the time we heard about the proposed move whether this meant that they proposed to transfer the surgery and patient list to us, and was told not.

Their decision to move the surgery is not unique to Old Oak (indeed I should declare a personal interest as my GP's surgery in East Acton is also likely to be affected as it comes under H&FPCT's remit.) Hammersmith and Fulham PCT have decided to move over time their W12 practices to a new state of art health centre in the White City development. This is amongst the first developments in London of a new approach to primary care, and will include I understand a wider range of out-of-hospital services than ever before including a breadth of specialists and day surgery capacity. You can make comments about these issues to Hammersmith and Fulham PCT via the relevant section of their website which is http://www.hf-pct.nhs.uk/getinvolved/index.htm

It's a more radical approach than we at EPCT are undertaking, and in Acton in particular I'm not convinced that the White City model would be appropriate given the geographical distribution of communities. That said, we are looking at options for major improvements to Acton Health Centre to provide some of the sort of extra facilities that White City will provide.

The building of the new Cloister Road surgery for Dr Robinska next to the Gunnersbury Day
Hospital (this photo was taken last year - it's now virtually finished)

Locally at Ealing PCT we’re investing in nearby replacements of overcrowded surgeries, rather than general centralisation. The first example is the new and expanded North Acton surgery opening next month in Cloister Road in East Acton ward (see 23rd September post).

On in the evening to the Performance and Audit Panel of the Council. The principal issues we discussed were ICT procurement, delivery of the audit plan, counter-fraud work, and means of income collection in the Springbridge and Herbert Road car parks. I stressed the importance of increased anti-fraud action and publicity against the increasing evident levels of bogus accident claims against Councils. Nevertheless, what you could politely call an important but unexciting meeting.

From "the Axis of Evil" to "Stage Six"

2006-01-23T23:57:00.000Z

I turned up today for the latest Licensing Sub-Committees expecting a long morning – the first case was the Townhouse in Ealing Broadway, which has been a very controversial pub locally. A local resident’s association chair called it “the axis of evil in central Ealing”, at an earlier Licensing Panel.

However, the Townhouse’s lawyer asked for an adjournment hearing because their relevant management were not free to attend the hearing. I wasn’t sympathetic, but we agreed to the adjournment after the residents’ representatives supported the delay because “we have a lot of questions to put the managers.” Look like they have a heavy time in store for the Townhouse when the Sub-Committee reconvenes on 9th March.

This unexpectedly free morning led me to catch up with some local government websites, sad anorak that I am, and discovered some interesting (to me) statistics.

The Department of Education and Skills have recently published analysis of school results for last year at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000631/index.shtml
The ‘value added’ figures measure the actual improvement achieved by schools and education authorities, rather than just raw ability - and the table for key stage 4 shows that LB Ealing schools have the third highest value added performance in the country (with only LB Redbridge and the very small and untypical Isles of Scilly doing better). This is a really great result, and a real tribute to all educational professionals in the Borough. Thinking I’d discovered something new, I emailed the education team at the Council, only to discover that they’d already noticed and were preparing a press release.

I’ve pointed out before that East Acton ward has more businesses than any other ward in the Borough (see post for 20th September). I found proof of this in figures on the Office of National Statistics website which show the number of businesses in each ward in the country at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=1033&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=224
On this count for 2005, East Acton has 1,225 businesses – over 350 more than in the next largest Borough ward (Ealing Broadway). This is 12% of all businesses in LB Ealing – whilst for businesses with over 20 employees, East Acton has nearly one in five in the Borough

My meeting tonight was cancelled, so I cycled down to the Red Lion opposite Ealing Studios for an intended quick pint before going to the Ealing Central Library for a local history talk. However, by chance I met an old friend and former Acton Councillor – Margaret Payne who was there with her partner Phil. Margaret was the Borough’s first Councillor of African-Caribbean background and, as I told her after the third or fourth pint, probably had more impact in her four years as a Councillor than many who serve for eight or twelve years. As a Councillor, Margaret represented us on a visit to Acton Massachusetts (the second biggest Acton in the world), and we talked about ways to rebuild the links she made with them. We and Phil had a very congenial few drinks combing nostalgia and political gossip, and I never made the local history lecture (but it is apparently being repeated).

I ought to point out that the Red Lion is one of the pubs that I’ve excluded myself from hearing at a Licensing Sub-Committee because I visit it regularly. Given its proximity and links to Ealing Studios, it was known as "Stage Six" (see the plaque outside) – there’s a good review of the pub it at http://www.fancyapint.com/main_site/thepubs/pub1622.html

Farewell to Rev James

2006-01-22T22:11:00.000Z

I was pleased to be invited this morning to the final service (and a celebratory lunch after) of Rev James Blandford-Baker at St Dunstan’s with St Thomas’ Church in Friars Place Lane (http://stdunstanschurch.org.uk/). I’ve posted before about the great work that James has been doing (see 3rd October) since he came to East Acton in 1996. He’s now been appointed to the parish of Histon and Impington in Cambridgeshire.

The service included a ‘drama presentation’ covering some of the history of St Dunstan’s. It was built in 1879 on land donated by the Goldsmiths Company, whose member John Perryn owned most of old East Acton. John Perryn, his birth in Bromyard in Herefordshire, and the Goldsmiths are commemorated in school, road and other names locally. They subsequently gave land to set up St Thomas church in Bromyard Avenue in 1915 to serve the growing Acton Vale area, but the church closed in the 1980s and the site is now the Canterbury Court housing development. However, I have fond memories of the former St Thomas church hall as the venue of school discos when I attended Faraday Comprehensive School (now the King Fahad Academy in the 1970’s.)

James Blandford-Baker presiding at the service - the biblical extract above the aisle is Thessalonians 5 16-18

The church was packed with the many friends James and Katherine have made in their time at St Dunstan’s. The gospel reading for the day was the wedding at Cana (Jesus turning water in to wine – John 2.1-11), which James joked in his sermon was appropriate given the way wine flows at St Dunstan’s (cue for much knowing laughter). This was confirmed in the lunch later, which was a triumph of logistics in feeding over a hundred people with salmon, vegetarian alternative and wine. I talked over lunch to Rev Maggie Davidge-Smith about her work in the hospital chaplaincy service – and particularly at the Meadow House hospice, which I’m visiting again soon in my PCT capacity.

Chatting to James afterwards, I particularly thanked him for his work in the community as a governor of local schools – he currently chairs John Perryn School governors (my old school) and has also been an active governor of East Acton Primary. It’s a tribute to James that a number of other local ministers turned up to celebrate his work, and I took the chance to chat to Revs Mick Drake from Acton Baptist and Alex Afriyi from East Acton Baptist (London Network Church) about local issues.

Backland building blocked

2006-01-21T23:09:00.000Z

This morning was my East Acton Estate advice surgery at Old Oak Methodist Church, and was a chance to give some good news to residents. The planners confirmed yesterday that they would be refusing an application to build a house on the back garden of 10 St Andrews Road. Neighbouring residents had contacted me, rightly concerned that this would be an overdevelopment, and I’d taken the issue up with the planners. The planners were admirably robust in recognising that building like this would be a clear breach of Council planning policies. I also popped a letter with the good news in the door of the main objector, who could not make the surgery, and he was nice enough to leave me a message of thanks on my answer phone (not a common phenomenon).

This application was the latest example of a growing phenomenon of ‘backland development’. Driven by the booming housing rental market in West London, developers are increasingly seeking to build ‘infill developments’ in these kinds of small landlocked sites. In a number of cases, they have built (or converted) without planning permission, and the Council is having to take planning enforcement action.

We had a similar ‘backland’ problem locally in the early 1990’s, worsened by a weakening of the Council’s planning policies on backland by the then Council. I and others campaigned for tougher policies, which we introduced with the change of Council administration in 1994. However, the main weapon against inappropriate building now has got to be effective enforcement, and this is currently being examined by a scrutiny exercise being expertly led by Cllr Tony Brown (Ealing Common). The scrutiny documents should be on the Council’s website at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/council/committees/agendas_minutes_reports/
scrutiny/planning_enforcement_ad_hoc_panel/index.html

Incidentally, although I live in St Andrews Road, I was able to talk about it this site because I live hundred of metres away at the other end of the road and am personally unaffected. If I’d been a near neighbour, I would have been unable to object or get involved as either a Councillor or resident. When people sometimes claim that “action would be taken if this was next door to a Councillor”, the reverse is true – Councillors lose their civil rights to object to issues affecting them with which the Council is dealing when they have a direct “prejudicial interest”.

Gating the Avenues alleyways

2006-01-19T23:47:00.000Z

Over the last few of years, we as local Councillors have been working with a group of enthusiastic residents and Council officers on improving community safety in ‘The Avenues – First, Second and Third Avenues and associated roads off Acton Vale.

The key concern for residents was the use for anti-social behaviour of alleyways that run between The Avenues. The obvious solution was to introduce a ‘gating scheme’ to control access to the alleyways – which has had a major impact when used elsewhere. We’ve got together the funding for a comprehensive gating scheme. However, for reasons that aren’t clearly understood, these alleyways had been adopted as “public highways” by the former Acton Borough Council before 1965, and had to have this status removed before the gates could be installed.

Today was a formal hearing at the Acton Magistrates Court of the Council’s application to “unadopt” the alleyways and enable their gating. This should have been in December, but a cock-up at the Council meant that it was deferred to today. There was surprisingly one objector to the proposal, but having heard both him and the Council evidence, the Magistrates ruled in favour of the application “to extinguish the right of way”. There’s now a formal period that has to be left for a potential appeal, and we can then finally get the gates installed.

I couldn’t attend the proceedings in Court because I had to attend a PCT meeting with our Professional Executive Committee and leading PCT staff. We were discussing the local implications and implementation of one of the keystones of the Government new health reforms “Practice-based Commissioning” (PbC). This is designed to put the commissioning of hospital and other health services in the hands of either individual GP practices or groups of them, rather than the current “service level agreements” negotiated direct by PCTs. In LB Ealing, the emerging position is that GPs appear to be getting together into three local commissioning groups – one based on Acton and central Ealing, one based on Southall, and one for the rest of the Borough.

We’re still working in a bit of a vacumn because key government guidance is still awaited, but agreed some early action to try to allow flexibility for the new arrangements to reflect both local and Borough-wide issues and concerns. Like much of the new NHS changes, there’s much here to welcome in identifying problems, but more uncertainty about the solutions that they are prescribing.

New Year, New Budget

2006-01-09T23:49:00.000Z

The first Labour Group meeting of the year – and as usual in December/January dominated by discussing next years Council budget.

The Group has committed itself to proposing a tax increase no bigger than last year’s 4.8% - and ideally lower. This means making significant savings, given that the cost pressures of providing services tend to rise faster than the increases in Government grant. In addition, Leo Thomson as our new Leader is looking for improvements in a number of key services and areas, which will mean finding further savings that can be recycled to fund these higher priorities.

Leo Thomson promoting 'Book Week' - the Council spends £5.7 million per year on libraries

We’ve agreed to support savings of £21.6 million of which officers estimate that 86% are efficiencies, 8% are extra income, and 6% are cuts in lower priority services. This leaves an estimated gap of around £8 million, depending on the final Government grant settlement, decisions by other bodies on their charges (such as waste disposal), and on the feasibility of other savings options that officers are examining.

The highest single saving is £1.3 million of extra income from Gordon Brown’s Local Authority Business Growth Scheme, which gives local Councils a share of the extra business rates income that they generate for the government by their regeneration activities. The full list of agreed savings can be seen on the Council website at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/council/committees/cabinet/17may2005-22may2006/item18-budgetstrategyappendixc.pdf

The final budget and consequent Council Tax level will be set on 7th March, although we’ll be considering further growth and savings all through January and February. However, the key decision is out of our hands – the government grant announcement due in late January/early February. It’s important to remember that nearly three-quarters of Council income is from grant and payments from the Government rather than council tax. This means that even small changes in the Government formulas are likely to have big effects on LB Ealing’s finances. If you see David Miliband, put in a word for us ...

Two Full Houses

2006-01-07T23:30:00.000Z

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’.

Questions on cycling, cock-ups and crime

2005-12-13T23:33:00.000Z

Tonight was the last full Council meeting of 2005 – and for once it was mainly useful (well even Millwall win occasionally). Given this, I’ll do separate posts about the more interesting parts of the meeting – firstly on question time.

Council question time is the most heavily choreographed part of the full Council meeting. There are seven questions for oral answer at every meeting – three Labour, three Tory and one Lib Dem – with two supplementaries allowed to each question. The Party Groups pick the seven questions, which consequently generally have a common pattern – Labour tend to ask about schools, the environment and regeneration ; the Tories major on the potential tram, other anti-Ken questions, and central Ealing issues ; whilst the Lib Dems concentrate mostly on parochial issues for the Southfield and Ealing Common wards that they represent (although I have to confess that I’ve done my fair share of parochial East Acton questions).

I had a question down to Cabinet Member Ray Wall : “Could the Cabinet Member for Transport and Planning Policy report on the recognition and awards given to the cycling promotion and development work of the Borough?”. I asked this question in order to raise awareness of the very impressive record of achievement by the Borough’s cycling team, and Ray outlined some of the praise and awards that they have won including :

- One of the 2004 London Cycling Awards (the ‘cycling oscars’) for the campaign to 'market cycling' in a multi-pronged approach to encourage cycling that includes free cycle training, installing bike parking in streets, and schools, providing cycle lockers on estates, and 'bike buddy' schemes to help commuters on their journeys. This has also been strongly praised by ‘Marketing Cycling’.

- Being rated by The London Magazine as the top London borough for the provision of cycle paths. In a poll of environmental performance, the magazine rated Ealing top for cycle paths and 7th out of 33 overall.

As a supplementary question, I asked about the potential impact of cycling of the proposed tram, and specifically how the Council was trying to ensure that TfL acted on the tram issues raised by the local branch of the London Cycling Campaign. Ray replied that “the tram scheme requires a comprehensive traffic management design for the whole corridor, and is an opportunity to take cyclists’ needs into account in an integrated way … I know that the TfL design team is working to identify the intended route for cyclists all along the corridor, and will be bringing proposals to the Ealing branch of the LCC in the new year.” This is welcome, but it’ll be important to make sure that TfL keep to their commitments – trams and cyclists can co-exist, but this does require good quality sensitive design by the transport planners.

This consensus on bikes was broken by a bizarre attack on cycling in a second supplementary question from an opposition Councillor. He claimed (to general incredulity – such ‘what have you been smoking?’) that promoting cycling means encouraging pavement cycling. To their credit even most Tories laughed at this nonsense, and Ray pointed out that he couldn’t really be expected to answer an incomprehensible question.

Another later question was inevitable – Tory Licensing specialist John Popham asked about the failure of the Council’s public halls to properly apply for licenses under the new legislation. This news had come out at the weekend, leading to endless obvious jokes about organising p*** ups in breweries. In their responses, both Laurence Evans (as Chair of Regulatory Committee) and John Delaney (as Cabinet Member) were admirably honest. John described it as an “indefensible cock-up … for which the people responsible should be held accountable”, whilst Laurence announced that he had made a formal complaint to the Chief Executive (Darra Singh) demanding an investigation into what happened and why. Still, it’s a classic ‘you couldn’t make it up’ moment.

Other questions mostly covered the usual suspects – schools results, car parking and the potential tram. However, there was uniquely one question each from the Tories and Lib Dems on the usually sedate subject of Gunnersbury Park (next to Ealing Common ward). The (unspoken) reason for this interest was obvious – Ealing Common is currently the only ward in the Borough with split representation (two Tories and one Lib Dem) and is already lining up as a battle royal of the leaflets between the two Parties, in the run up to next May’s local elections. We’ll now be on ‘Ealing Common watch’ at every question time.

The Council meeting had started with a very impressive presentation and question and answer session with Commander Colette Paul – the new(ish) Police Commander for the Borough. Colette talked about some the recent achievements locally – such as a drop of 14% in vehicle crime and of 7% in ‘theft and snatch’ offences. LB Ealing is now in the top five Boroughs in London for issuing ASBOs, and also has 55 ‘Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) – a scheme that can be used to try to produce better behaviour without going to the lengths of a full ASBO. However, she was honest enough to recognise that some challenges remain – burglary is up over the last year, as is street crime. The recorded rise in street crime is no surprise here in East Acton, where there have been some noticeable problems recently that the local police safer neighbourhood team have been addressing.

Colette also said that the police were not seeing any impact from the new licensing system. I took this a cue to ask her a question about the police role in licensing - and in particular the concern of many of us that their central licensing team and their neighbourhood team colleagues don’t seem to always work together. The Borough police have regularly withdrawn objections to even long pub hours extensions, even where residents are reporting concerns from local police about anti-social behaviour. She said that she would look at the issues I raised, and accepted the importance of the police working in partnership and as a team. I’m writing to her to take her up on this offer.

Full Council Debates

2005-12-13T22:58:00.000Z

My previous post on 2nd December gives the text of the motion that I moved at the Council meeting on Holocaust Memorial Day. Appropriately, the prayers at the beginning of the Council meeting were given by Rabbi Vogel – the energetic Rabbi of the Ealing and Acton synagogue – who spoke of the importance to all faiths of winter festivals of lights like Hanukkah.

In my speech, I started by saying that although I had moved the original motion proposing local commemorations some four years ago, all that I and others remembered of that debate was the speech made by former Cllr Joan Ansell. Joan was the first Jewish Mayor of the Borough, and as a young woman in the armed forces had visited concentration camps soon after their liberation in 1945. Her speech was one of the finest and most moving that I have ever heard in the Council Chamber in my twenty years there. Joan's speech was a perfect example of what Holocaust Memorial Day is intended to achieve – the use of memories and experience of holocaust to learn lessons for the future.

I outlined the background to the motion, and particularly stressed both the centrality of the Jewish experience to the understanding of Holocaust, and its relevance to other groups and nations before and since the Nazi period. For example, we have in our Borough one of the largest Armenian communities in Britain – and the Armenian diaspora in Turkey experienced what most would regard as a holocaust in the second decade of the last century. Hitler infamously sought to justify his holocaust by saying “who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" I finished by saying that Holocaust Memorial Day was ultimately about the moral duty of the Council to challenge and seek to defeat all forms of persecution including anti-semitism, racism, islamophobia, homophobia, and xenophobia – in Boroughs like ours we proudly celebrate our diversity, whilst also recognising our common humanity.

Unfortunately, Tory Cllr Tony Brown who had intended to second the motion was not able to attend. His place was ably taken by Tory Cllr Jason Stacey from Greenford Green ward, who talked about the relevance of holocaust to all ages and particularly those who have learnt it as history rather than as news. Labour Cllr Bassam Mahfouz (Northolt West End ward) outlined his experience of visiting Auschwitz as a school student – my motion specifically welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement of an extra £1.5 million to the Holocaust Educational Trust which will enable two sixth formers from every UK school to undertake such a visit. The all-Party support was completed by Cllr Harvey Rose on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, who described the Nazi holocaust as “a unique event of extraordinary cruelty”.

The motion was of course passed unanimously. I spoke afterwards with Jason and Harvey and we agreed to set up an informal group of members to oversee the arrangements for Holocaust Memorial Day 2006 (which will be commemorated nationally on 26th January as the 27th falls on the Jewish Sabbath). Darra Singh agreed to set up the first meeting of this group for early in January. Sorry about the length of this piece on the Holocaust Memorial Day motion, but it's an issue about which I feel passionately.

The Council meeting also had two other motions of a similar character. Labour Cllr Tejinder Dhami (Dormers Wells) moved a motion on the recent earthquake affecting Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, and spoke movingly saying : “natural disasters do not respect the boundaries of nations or religions … amongst the poorest people in the world have faced the wrath of nature.” Tory Cllr Glenn Murphy moved a motion commemorating the recent death in Iraq of pilgrims from the Dawoodi Bohra mosque in his Northolt Mandeville ward, which was agreed without debate despite a distasteful attempt by the Lib Dems to add party political comments to it.

All of this said, for most people, the best speech of the night was made by Labour Cllr Kieron Gavan (Northfield ward), in a debate about a recent auditors report into the ‘Response’ scheme. This report – commissioned by Leader Leo Thomson and Chief Executive Darra Singh – stressed benefits flowing from the ‘customer first’ Response programme, whilst criticising its governance by former senior Council officers. Kieron’s speech was a unique combination of thoughtful analysis and glorious rant. He said that there should be “no shame in the bold vision of the programme” but that there were “clear operational failures”. Warming to this theme he said of former senior Council officers “there are some people that I’d like to bring back just to sack them … particularly three former members of the corporate board … when I heard that they were going, I was sitting here thinking ‘whoopee’ while you lot (the Tories) were saying that it was a shame that they were going.” Kieron (just) avoided naming the people in question, but every Cllr knew who he meant.

Christmas drinks and mince pies afterwards in the Mayor's Parlour were very welcome - even if the London Pride was only in cans.

A Walk Through Acton Cemetery

2005-12-03T21:35:00.000Z

Walked to the North Acton advice surgery at St Gabriels Church. More people attended than normal, given that it is one of the first local surgeries since we delivered the latest edition of East Acton Labour News in the area. This has got an unusually good reception, largely because it gave local residents the welcome news that the residents-only parking scheme has been agreed. I'd already had a number of phone calls during the week thanking us for the news, and four more people turned up at the surgery to talk about parking and traffic issues locally.

The first world war memorial in Acton Cemetery

I walked back via Acton Cemetery. The Cemetery lies between Park Royal Road and Chase Road in the ward, and is probably unique amongst London cemeteries in having a tube line run through it. The original cemetery dates from 1895, and includes a fine first world war memorial and an attractive chapel. It’s now largely closed to new burials, although there clearly have been a couple this year in plots bought before closure. The most notable grave for Actonians is probably that of Joseph Sparks – who was MP for Acton from 1945 to 1959, and an Acton Councillor or Alderman from 1934 to 1965. The old cemetery (south of the tube line) has many fine gravestones from the time when Acton was a suburb, whereas the newer section to the north has a number of unmarked graves. One of these is that of my great-grandmother Margaret Hunter Portwood, who died in 1933 in the house in which I now live.

The grave of Joe Sparks and his wife Dora - Mayor and Mayoress of Acton when I was born

I was impressed with the continuing high quality of maintenance of the cemetery. Back in 1992, the then (Tory) Council proposed to heavily reduce the maintenance, and I led one of the largest lobbies I have ever seen locally to defeat them. Ever since, I’ve kept a keen eye on this issue, given what the 1992 campaign showed about the affection and respect in which Acton Cemetery is held.

Remembering the Holocaust

2005-12-02T23:55:00.000Z

Held my regular monthly surgery at ASDA from 11.00 to 12.00. This was again very successful, with people raising a wide range of issues including housing, youth provision, planning and even a health issue to take up with my PCT responsibilities. Only about half of the people seem to come from East Acton ward, but that’s more than enough to make this comfortably my busiest advice surgery.

All credit to ASDA for allowing me to do this – their only (very reasonable) condition is that I don’t say or give out anything party political. This is easier than people outside the Council might think – it’s a pretty sad individual who can find a lot of party politics in much of the byways of local government (although some do – no names, no pack drill – but we all know who they are).

When I went to their back office to register as a visitor, I was very impressed with the ASDA notices to their staff warning them not to sell alcohol to those underage. This has been a real problem, particularly in some off-licences. The Council have recently been running some ‘mystery customer’ test purchases at both large and small stores to test out whether they follow the law. In contrast to ASDA’s firm stance, at least one major superstore was caught breaking the law and given a warning (I’ll check if I’m allowed to name them on this blog).

Went on (still bikeless) to meet with Conservative Cllr Tony Brown, to discuss and agree a motion on Holocaust Memorial day that we’re putting to the next full Council meeting on 13th December. The fact that Tony and I are happy to work together like this is another example of where this Borough doesn’t let party politics get in the way of sensible partnership.

I was very concerned earlier in the year to see suggestions in some of the press urging that that Holocaust Memorial Day should be downgraded or changed in name. Thankfully, Charles Clarke as Home Secretary issued a very firm statement rejecting any such suggestion. Our Council was one of the first in British local government to organise a commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day, following a motion that I moved with all-party support. Therefore I thought it would be important for the Council to recognise and welcome what Charles Clarke had said, together with other recent developments, and to make a reaffirmation of our commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and the principles upon which it is based.

The motion which we’ve drafted, and which I will move and Tony will second, reads as follows :

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

The Council recognises its role as one of the pioneers of local government commemoration of 27th January as Holocaust Memorial Day, and strongly believes in its continuing importance.

We were consequently concerned about suggestions from the media urging a downgrading of the national status of Holocaust Memorial Day, and warmly welcome the statement made by the Home Secretary in a letter to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust that “The Government remains totally committed to the commemoration as an annual national event, and has no plans to seek a change in its name or nature.”

The Council welcomes other recent national and international initiatives to further recognise and increase the role played by Holocaust Memorial Day, including :

* The designation by the United Nations General Assembly of 27th January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

* The announcement by the Chancellor of funding of £1.5 million to support the Holocaust Educational Trust's ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ course for teachers and sixth form students, which will allow the Trust to facilitate visits to Auschwitz for two students from every school in the UK

* Her Majesty the Queen becoming the Patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

The Council agrees to continue to see Holocaust Memorial Day as an occasion to raise awareness that, whilst the suffering of Jewish people in the Nazi Holocaust is and must remain central to the commemoration of Holocaust, the experiences of the Armenian diaspora and more recently in Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo and Darfur are of crucial importance in understanding and preventing future holocaust. Above all, the Council recognises its moral duty to confront and seek to defeat anti-semitism, racism, xenophobia and all forms of persecution.

The Council resolves to continue to play its role in the commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day, recognising that events in 2006 will be centred on Thursday 26th January given that the 27th falls on the Jewish Sabbath”

East Acton Pedestrians (now including me)

2005-12-01T23:59:00.000Z

Tonight was the latest meeting of the East Acton Steering Group – which brings together East Acton Councillors, Residents Associations and Council Officers from across the LB Ealing/LB Hammersmith and Fulham boundary.

The really good news from the meeting is from the consultation with local residents about a much needed pedestrian crossing across Old Oak Common Lane from The Fairway to Fitzneal Street. I and local residents have been arguing for this for some time, and the money has now been made available by Transport for London. Residents have voted 86% in favour of the crossing, with a higher than usual response rate of 30%. This means that the works to create the crossing will start in the next few weeks, and should be finished by the end of January at the latest

Most of our work over the last year has been related to road safety works at the junction of Old Oak Common Lane and Du Cane Road. This has involve removing a mini-roundabout with uncontrolled crossings, and replacing it with traffic lights and light-controlled crossings. This scheme got over 80% approval on consultation, although has subsequently been subject to some complaints particularly about the length of the ‘green man’ phasing on the pedestrian crossings. Our ideal situation was to also have a pedestrian crossing roughly between the Iceland store and the Post Office – however Transport for London (TfL) would not allow this as it would be too close to the Western Avenue

At the recent Annual General Meeting of East Acton Residents Association, most people felt that the new arrangements were not perfect but better than the previous uncontrolled situation. There is a minority view against this, particularly from local businesses, although most people at the Residents Association meeting felt that the problem with local shops was with their quality and lack of choice rather than the traffic.

At the Steering Group meeting we moved on from the junction issue, to look at smaller scale improvements that could be made to the shopping area. This will include new bike parking stands at road level, new road markings to particularly assist buses, and environmental improvements.

Cycled off up Long Drive to get to Ealing Town Hall, and suddenly heard a painful crunching sound. The chain had come off its’ sprocket on my bike, and I couldn’t get it back on. Pushed the bike home in the rain, and rushed off to the East Acton tube station. Having not been able to cycle for over three years until July due to a knee injury, it’s very frustrating to lose the use of the bike even if only (hopefully) temporarily.

I was consequently late for the last meeting of the Flooding and Water Pressure Scrutiny Panel. We had a very useful discussion, making recommendations arising from our previous meetings (see previous posts), which I’ll summarise later when we agree our final report.

Went on afterwards for a chat with Paul Woodgate at the Kings Head. After Paul left, I went to the bar and suddenly realised that it was 11.15 and their new extended hours had come into operation. No bell at 10.50 had meant that I hadn’t rushed for my last pint. Something which I’ve spent a large part of the last year planning had happened without me noticing ! A leisurely and pleasant session followed, in total contrast to the Daily Mail image of mad binge boozing. Had to get the 207 home, which at least allowed me to inspect Bromyard Avenue at night, but I need to get the bike fixed for future later drinking.

The Kings Head in Acton (also known as 'Committee Room 3"

because of the number of Councillors who drink there)

Newsletter for the Leamington Park Area

2005-10-30T09:33:00.000Z

I've produced a special edition of our regular 'East Acton Labour News' newsletter for the Leamington Park area. We'll be delivering it today. All four of us in the Councillors Team have written articles for the newsletter - mine is on the new controlled parking zone : "

Residents-only Parking Scheme Agreed after Local Campaign

We’ve persuaded the Council to agree to make the Gypsy Corner area a residents-only parking zone. This follows a large number of complaints that we received as your local Councillors about commuters and other non-residents causing parking problems in local roads.

A consultation showed a clear majority for the residents-only policy on the following roads which will now be included in the controlled parking zone —

York Road area : York Road, Rosebank Way, Leamington Park and Horn Lane ;
Leamington Park Estate : Seacole Close, Garrett Close, Lister Close and Jenner Avenue ;
Wales Farm Road area : Wales Farm Road, Acorn Gardens, Conway Grove and Victoria Road ; Playing Fields area : Noel Road, Balfour Road, Cecil Road, Cloister Road and Park View.

Cllr Philip Portwood says : “We have campaigned for this with great support from local residents, and I’m delighted that it’s been agreed by the Council. There should be no more of the problems caused by double parking and commuter blocking of parking places. This shows that local Councillors and local residents campaigning together really can make a difference.”

The residents-only parking scheme will start in the new year. "

Other articles include ones by Atallah Said on new street lighting, Kate Crawford on a new pedestrian crossing in Horn Lane, and Paul Woodgate on his scrutiny of flooding and water pressure.

If you live in one of the roads above in the area, and don't get a copy of the newsletter delivered today, please e-mail me on phil@east-acton.com and I'll make sure that one gets to you.

Keeping in touch with residents through 'East Acton Labour News'

Housing visits before half term

2005-10-23T20:32:00.000+01:00

An interesting morning today visiting residents in our neighbouring Acton Central ward, with twenty colleagues from across the Borough including Andy Slaughter. .

I visited Steyne House – a block of old Council housing where the flats are currently getting new kitchens and bathrooms thanks to the Government’s ‘decent homes’ funding. Residents seemed very pleased with this work – but were less pleased about the number of police deployed locally, particularly to deal with street drinkers. I gave them the good news that next year Acton Central will be getting six police officers dedicated to their ward – as East Acton has had to great benefit over the last year. There were other housing issues raised, which John Delaney has volunteered to take up as one of the Acton Central Councillors.

Excellent pints in the Kings Head afterwards. And now it’s half term, when there are no planned Council meetings, and I should get the chance to get away.

40,000 pieces of chewing gum

2005-10-22T23:19:00.000+01:00

I’ve spent most of the day at the Borough Labour Party’s ‘Manifesto Summit’. This was a Conference of Councillors, Candidates and party members which discussed the priorities that we might want to put before the electorate in our manifesto for the 2006 local Borough elections.

The day was opened by Andy Slaughter, our MP in Ealing, Acton and Shepherds Bush, who talked about the interesting comparisons and contrasts between our Borough and LB Hammersmith and Fulham – which Andy used to lead. The rest of the day was spent in workshops looking at issues like the street environment, education and young people, services for older people, finance, and community cohesion. A useful day, providing a chance to sit back from the immediate pressures of local government and think about the longer term.

Phil and Andy Slaughter in their mayoral robes when they were both Millennium Mayors

One particularly interesting statistic came out of the day – that we’ve managed to stop 40,000 pieces of chewing gum being tread in to the pavement. For the last year or so, we’ve been experimenting in Acton town centre with a unique approach in London to gum. Paper boards have been attached to lampposts, and people are encouraged to put their gum on these – rather than on the streets – by having fun quizzes and opinion polls on them. Some of the old fogies were against this experiment but we thought it was worth trying. Well, it’s achieved beyond our best hopes – those 40,000 bits of gum would have cost a lot to clean from the pavement, even when you can clean it off without leaving a mark. Mind you, I don't envy the person whose job is counting all this.

Street Lighting

2005-10-21T23:11:00.000+01:00

I cycled in this morning's pouring rain to Dukes Road – the westernmost road in East Acton ward - to visit the depot of the Council’s new street lighting providers EDF Energy. EDF will be modernising all the street lighting in the Borough over the next five years – renewing and upgrading over 20,000 lights and lighted street signs. Five years ago the Borough had the worst street lighting in London, after decades of under-investment – by 2010 we will have probably the best and most modern street lights in the capital.

In just the first year of the EDF contract, East Acton ward is having more roads receive new street lighting than any other ward in Acton. The following roads in our ward will get the new lights :

Brassie Avenue
East Acton Lane
East Churchfield Road
Glendun Road
Horn Lane
Kathleen Avenue
Leamington Park
Noel Road
Park Royal Road
Park Royale (Service) Road
The Vale
Victoria Road

Replaced street lighting tubes ready for recycling

This follows some major improvements over the last three years – most notably the total replacement of the outdated street lights on the East Acton Estate, and new lighting for the Valetta Road area off Acton Vale.

The new EDF depot is a formerly decrepit and empty warehouse that has now been totally modernised by EDF to provide offices, a meeting room, and warehousing and storage for new fittings, equipment and parts. This should mean none of the ‘we’re waiting for the parts’ delays of the past. They’ve also created a design office with CAD printers, which means that design work can be undertaken in-house and directly informed by local knowledge. Overall, 24 EDF jobs are now based at Dukes Road.

They have impressive new computer software – mirrored at the Council – which can call up and map the condition and situation of every street light and illuminated sign in the Borough. This produces daily summary reports which show progress on repairs, maintenance and installation, and which form the basis of payments and/or penalties to EDF. The Borough is divided into 18 “scouting” zones for inspection purposes – given our size East Acton ward covers all of zone N and parts of zones 0 and P - and contrary to the urban myth, these inspections are made at night rather than during the day.

I asked the EDF project manager Richard Austen about two particular problems that we’ve faced with street lighting modernisation in East Acton – delays caused by the electricity monopoly connector (“jointing”), and Borough border roads getting missed out of schemes. Richard told me that they have a local contact and regular meetings with Southern & Scottish as the ‘jointers’ - and the contract gives EDF a strong incentive to chase them because payments are based on lampposts successfully installed rather than removed. The borders issue – which occurs because of the way highway authority responsibility is shared between Boroughs – is one that EDF and the Council will need to discuss further, but I’ll keep chasing. East Acton has the longest border of any ward, and it’s been really annoying that parts of roads like Old Oak Common Lane and Jeddo Road have lost out in the past because of this legal loophole.

EDF are undertaking a wholly new survey of the condition of street lighting in the Borough, and then this will be combined with police reported crime data to establish a new priority list for the five year programme. If you live in East Acton ward, feel free to contact me at phil@east-acton.com if you think a case can be made for a your road to be a high priority.

Questions to answer at St Gabriels Church

2005-10-15T23:31:00.000+01:00

Advice surgery this morning for the East Acton Estate at the Old Oak Methodist Church Hall. Issues raised included planning enforcement, housing, and tree pruning.

On in the evening with former Cllr Steve Donnelly and Nigel Williams to the regular quiz night at St Gabriels Church in the ward in North Acton. We formed a team together with churchwarden Gill Brunstrom for this enjoyable event. Local minister Rev Keith Robus had a difficult job when he arrived at St Gabriels in following the much-loved former minister James Alcock – but has done superbly. The quiz nights are part of a very warm church community, and congregation attendances are I understand rising steadily.

St Gabriels is a much larger building than you’d expect for a church built in what was then suburbia between 1929 and 1931. The architect was Ernest Shearman who designed some interesting inter-war London churches. The website of Shearman’s St Silas’ Church in Kentish Town includes an article on St Gabriels of which the most interesting section says “The most unique items are the two fine low-relief terracotta panels by George Tinworth, which are placed on either side of the chancel / nave arch and were given to the church in 1930. They were exhibited in the Paris Exhibition of 1878 and were formerly in Sandringham Church, Norfolk. This church is truly fortunate to have two of his works.” The article also repeats the rumour that I’ve previously heard from local worshipers that the St Gabriels font was originally in Westminster Abbey. The website is at http://www.saintsilas.org.uk/section/107.

We came second in the quiz to the reigning champions – a team from the neighbouring Parish of the Ascension, led by their energetic minister Simon Reed. In 2002, the Ascension was the first church to be awarded a plaque for its environmental efforts, given by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland to recognise “the efforts made by the congregation to preserve their environment and save wastage.” I was honoured that they asked me to unveil the plaque at their Spring Festival in 2002. You can read more about their work on the Ascension website at. http://www.churchoftheascension.org.uk/

The quiz included fish and chips from the best chippie in Acton – Tony’s, just round the corner on Elm Park Parade in Horn Lane - and we followed it with a couple of pints of well-served Guinness at the Leamington pub . Now, that’s what I call a balanced diet.

From Cavendish Square to Macedonia

2005-10-14T23:57:00.000+01:00

For the first time since I got my knee fixed in July, I cycled into central London. Fifty minutes door to door to the Kings Fund in Cavendish Square pleased me a lot - only about five minutes more than by foot and tube.

The Kings Fund is a major health charity which runs a very useful ‘Board Leadership’ programme that provides training and development for NHS trust board directors. Today’s session was on the implications of Foundation Hospitals, and particularly the Government’s intention that all acute hospitals will be in Foundation Trusts by 2008. The speaker at the seminar was Richard Lewis who has just completed a study of one of the early Foundation Trusts – the Homerton Hospital in Hackney. Having heard the evidence, I think it’s fair to say that most of us still felt “the jury was out” on the claimed benefits of foundation status. Richard’s report on Homerton can be downloaded from the Kings Fund website at http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/resources/publications/putting_health_1.html

Came back to the Borough for a meeting of the Council’s Constitution Review Group – better known as “the anoraks working party”. And yes, it is true that the group meeting would have been incredibly boring to anyone other than those of us who are sad enough to spend an afternoon looking at the Council’s constitution and procedures. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t important – an up to date democratic constitution is a key to ensuring that we Councillors can effectively represent local people and their interests.

I ended the night at the West London Trade Union Club (WLTUC), for one of our regular nationally themed evening. Tonight was a Macedonian evening, organised by one of the Club’s Committee members who comes from the former Yugoslavian republic. Regular readers of this blog will not be surprised that I was more interested in the macedonian beer than the arts and culture presentations.

Beers from Skopje (front) and Oxfordshire at the WLTUC

Got home to discover that the leaflets have now been delivered confirming the change of day for collection of the green boxes for recycling (see my post on 7th October). Unfortunately this was too late for a number of residents who had put their boxes out mistakenly this morning – but hopefully this is now the last week this will happen.

East Acton, Elvis and the Clash

2005-10-13T11:46:00.000+01:00

Today is John Peel Day – which reminds me of East Acton’s role in the punk and ‘new wave’ music that burst out of the blandness of the late 1970s.

Elvis Costello worked in the mid 1970s at the then Elizabeth Arden factory in Wales Farm Road, as a computer operator under his real name of Declan McManus. The story goes that he was the only operator on his shift, and therefore could use much of the time to practice the guitar, write songs, and work on this music career. Supposedly, Elvis lived at the time in Wells House Road, also in East Acton ward, although I’ve never been able to prove this.

The Elizabeth Arden factory has now been developed in to the very impressive and appropriately named ‘Perfume Factory’ – unfortunately Elvis didn’t take up their invitation to open it. The owners of the Perfume Factory, Sapcote, have proved to be very community minded – for example, funding high quality play equipment for the local John Perryn Primary School

Histories of perhaps the greatest of the punk bands – The Clash – usually talk about their being founded in a squat in West London. Well, that squat was at 22 Davis Road off Acton Vale in East Acton ward. Joe Strummer was playing in the 101s band, when he visited Davis Road, met Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, and created the Clash. Indeed there are punk fans who argue that Davis Road was the spiritual home of British punk, given that others who stayed there at some time included Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten of the Pistols..

Around 25 years later, Joe Strummer came back to Acton, where he played what proved to be his last gig before his early death at Acton Town Hall. This charity concert on 15th November 2002 marked the first time that Joe and Mick Jones had been on a stage together for many years. The Clash were a huge part of my student days - I’ll never forget listening to the Clash’s seminal ‘London’s Burning’ album in late 1979 – as a total rejection that all that the then newly elected Thatcher Government was planning for the country.

Went in the evening to the monthly Acton Labour Party all-members meeting. I particularly reported on current East Acton planning, licensing and environmental issues, and answered questions on Ken Livingstone’s proposed additional powers and some of the local failings of train companies.

However, it was particularly interesting to hear reports from four of our new prospective Councillors about some of the work that they had been doing. Theresa Byrne (Acton Central) talked about street lighting and ways to influence and support the Council's big new modernisation programme ; Attalah Said (East Acton) outlined fundraising plans and activities ; John Gallagher (South Acton) talked about current housing issues on the South Acton Estate ; and Abdullah Gulaid (Southfield) reported on heath issues, particularly in the Somali community.

Theresa Byrne (Acton Central)

London Pride flowed in the Kings Head afterwards, and we arranged quiz teams for two forthcoming social events.

Liveability

2005-10-12T23:50:00.000+01:00

‘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).

Full Council farce

2005-10-11T23:56:00.000+01:00

Full Council tonight, when all 69 Councillors meet together. This is in theory the place where major policy issues are determined, but in practice is usually a festival of boredom. Well, much of tonight’s meeting was not boring – but for all the wrong reasons.

The meeting culminated in pantomime-style scenes when a Tory Cllr shouted “you’re abusive” at a Labour Cllr who replied “no, you’re abusive”, and so on and on. I expected Widow Twanky to get up on a point of order at any minute. The Tories then tried to shout down a Labour Cllr, a past Mayor tried to move the expulsion of a Cllr (or Cllrs ?), and general farce ensued. This was part of a “debate” (using the term very loosely) on traffic in one road – when, against stereotypes, a Tory Cllr argued for more speed cameras and a Labour Cllr defended the role of road freight in the economy.

This followed earlier scenes when the usually forensic debater Tory Cllr Tony Young made unsubstantiated allegations, and found even fellow opposition members nodding when he was described as a “fool or a liar”. His one supporter on the Tory benches – Cllr Barbara Yerolemou – was then revealed not to have been at the meeting whose events were being disputed, blowing the credibility of her solitary defence of Cllr Young. Oddly, a Tory then sought to compare this issue their infamous ‘sweetheart’ contract in 1994 with BRETS/Cardinal (Kellogg Brown and Root – Dick Cheney’s company) when they sold them virtually all of the Council’s Technical Services. This is something that the more tactically astute Tories have assiduously avoided raising since, given that the contracts’ unpopularity is seen as one of the reasons for Labour’s big win in the 1994 local elections and since.

The BRETS and Young irrelevance was part of discussion on the major item on the agenda – a Scrutiny Committee’s report on their examination of the actions of the former Chief Executive (Gillian Guy), in taking expensive legal action against the Audit Commission without informing Councillors. This is a complicated issue, but raises important questions about accountability, transparency, and decision-making procedures. By common consent, the best speech came from Cllr Ranjit Dheer whose calm summary gently upbraided Cllr Young, stating : “it was right for opposition Cllrs to raise this issue initially, and we need to learn the lessons shown in the Scrutiny report … but there is nowhere else for this issue to go other than we move on and make any changes required”.

Other notable speeches were made by Cllr John Cudmore (the former Leader of the Council) who had been the only Cllr informed by Gillian Guy of her unsuccessful legal action ; former Tory leader Ian Green who stressed that “I do not doubt Cllr Cudmore’s integrity” whilst disagreeing on a political basis with the legal action ; and Lib Dem Leader Harvey Rose who gave his views from the unique perspective of the only Cllr present with legal training. However, the islands of reasonable debate were too often drowned out by rambling and abusive contributions.

It’s probably a good thing that there was only a notional attendance in the public gallery to see this meeting. There’s a new Council Chamber seating plan, which has put me and my old mate Cllr Steve Sears together in prime ‘heckling seats’ in the back row. I have to admit that when the nonsense broke out, Steve and I increasingly resembled the two old hecklers in the Muppets (Waldorf and Statler), grumbling, complaining and heckling the perpetrators of the worst moments.

Statler, Waldorf, Portwood and Sears

I did get the chance earlier to ask my question about cricket development and promotion in the Borough, which was answered by Leo Thomson as Leader, who outlined much of the information in my post of 7th October. In my supplementary question, I stressed the role that cricket (and sport in general) can play in community cohesion - “breaking down boundaries as well as scoring them”. I was helpfully supported by Tory Cllr Ian Gibb, whose consensual supplementary question gave Leo the opportunity to particularly stress the work being undertaken in schools in the Borough to promote cricket.

Housing and Community Cohesion

2005-10-10T23:55:00.000+01:00

Labour Group meeting night, and the early part of the meeting was taken up with discussing the agenda for tomorrow’s full Council meeting. I was pleased that my colleagues agreed to support giving priority to my question on cricket development and promotion, so that it is certain to be taken for verbal rather than written answer.

However, most of the meeting was spent in discussion of reports from by Cabinet Members on their current work.

Cllr Liz Brookes (Regeneration) talked particularly about the good news that an external inspection of the Council’s housing management had been very positive – awarding a good “two star” rating with “promising prospects for improvement”. This means that LB Ealing is entitled to £207 million over the next few years to undertake major improvements – bringing all Council homes up to the Government’s new “decent homes standard”. We agreed to support a motion that Liz is putting to the Council tomorrow praising the work of Council staff in achieving such an impressive inspection result.

Cllr Ranjit Dheer (Deputy Leader) gave a very thoughtful report on ‘Community Cohesion” – a concept much talked about at the moment, but less frequently understood or acted upon. Ranjit’s key point was perhaps that “we need to keep in mind that our claims to equality are founded on the certainty of our common citizenship – on what we have in common, not our differences.” He was widely supported by Group members.

We also considered reports from Cllrs Karen Hunte (Independent Living), Sonika Nirwal (Children and Young People) and Ray Wall (Transport and Planning Policy). I went on afterwards to join Lou Kenton and some of his old friends in the pub, where I was able to give him the good news about cricket in the Borough.

The Labour Group leadership at the meeting - (right to left) Leo Thomson (Leader), Dave Bond (Chair), and Chris Payne (Chief Whip)

Steve Pound's post box

2005-10-09T22:47:00.000+01:00

I spent the morning in Greenford Green ward, campaigning with Ealing North MP (and old friend) Steve Pound, and activists from Ealing Borough Party and elsewhere – one colleague even came from Ipswich to support Steve’s work.

Steve told us about an interesting case on which he’d recently won a victory. Residents of the Costons Lane area in the neighboring Greenford Broadway ward had complained to Steve that there was no postbox in the area. Steve took this up with the post office, and was told there was no pavement site in the area that could accommodate the large underground part of a post box. Apparently post boxes are like icebergs, and need a lot of space below.

The most famous post box in Greenford

Steve went back to the post office and pointed out that, elsewhere in his constituency, there was a postbox attached to a lamp post which avoided this problem. He showed them an old stump of a lamp post in Costons Lane in an ideal position. This worked, and he showed us the resulting post box – although I think local people thought we were mad, standing in the street celebrating and photographing a post box.

This is a really good idea for getting a public service where one wouldn’t otherwise be provided. If you live in East Acton ward, and do not have a nearby post box, please contact me on phil@east-acton.com and I'll put this to the post office quoting Steve Pound’s work as an example

From the Brent to the Thames (via the Canal)

2005-10-08T22:50:00.000+01:00

A great day cycling between civic heritage and sporting events.

I started off cycling down to Southall through the cycle paths in the Brent River Park – a lovely rural part of the Borough only a few hundred metres from both the Western Avenue and Uxbridge Road. Reminded of John Betjeman’s poem ‘Middlesex’ which local MP Steve Pound quotes on every occasion he can :

“Gentle Brent, I used to know you
Wandering Wembley-wards at will …
Parish of enormous hayfields
Perivale stood all alone,
And from Greenford scent of mayfields
Most enticingly was blown”

The Mayor gets to play engine driver

I’d been invited to the open day at the GWR railway society in Southall, where I joined the Mayor and Mayoress – Cllrs Mike Elliott and Julie Clements-Elliott – and Deputy leader Cllr Ranjit Dheer. The GWR are the only operation of their kind in Greater London, and were providing short train rides and displaying much of their stock and memorabilia. The engine providing the rides was a former AEC diesel shunter, which operated at the AEC factory in Southall next door to GWR (and upon part of which the PCT headquarters now stands). This is apparently a unique vehicle, built in 1938, and used in the past by the GWR to haul steam trains on the branch time from Southall to Brentford.

John Beeston, a leading member of the society, approached Ranjit Dheer and I with an interesting idea. Next year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel on 9th April 1806. Particularly as the Chief Engineer of the Great Western Railway, Brunel has had a major impact on the history and built environment of this Borough - the Wharncliffe viaduct in Hanwell and his famous Three Bridges in Southall remain as impressive monuments to his work. Ranjit and I agreed to see what the Council is planning to recognise the bi-centenary, and what more could be done.

“IKB” is recognised in East Acton ward in the naming of Brunel Road off Old Oak Common Lane. However, Brunel Road’s most prominent role was probably playing the exterior of ‘Sunshine Desserts” – Reginald Perrin’s workplace in the great comedy series.

I cycled through Brunel’s Three Bridges, and down the Canal towpath to Brentford, then through Syon Park to Isleworth, and along the Thames and through Old Deer Park to Richmond. Wonderful ride.

The Thames at low tide at Isleworth

I ended up at the Triple Crown pub in Richmond to meet mates before Ealing Rugby Club’s biggest game of the season – away at Richmond. Our informal ‘civic delegation' was me, former Acton Cllr Steve Donnelly, and Nigel Williams who is Chair of Governors at East Acton Primary School. Sadly Ealing lost, all be it to a Richmond team playing with two South African international players. I’m starting to feel like a jinx, having now watched three losing local sides in the last couple of weeks. We drowned our sorrows talking with Ealing supporters over pints of Deuchars in the Richmond clubhouse. We came up with the idea for a mayoral and civic visit to one of the big home games – probably London Scottish in January

Green boxes, green pitches and green (ASDA) bags

2005-10-07T23:26:00.000+01:00

Looked out of my window to see a number of uncollected green boxes sitting in neighbours’ gardens. As I said my post on Monday (3rd October post), the green box collection day in East Acton changed this week from Friday to Tuesday. I knocked on a few local residents’ doors, and it’s clear that there had been a failure to deliver everywhere the leaflets that announced the change of day. I rang relevant people at the Council – to their credit they were already aware of the problem, and are taking action to distribute new leaflets and otherwise publicise the changes. Still, it’s annoying to have this happen with such as popular service.

Received an e-mail from Paul Hyman (Head of Active Ealing) with some more details about cricket development in the Borough, following up our phone conversation on Tuesday (4th October post) after Lou Kenton raised the issue with me.

This is really good news :

“New cricket pitches are being laid at :

* Shepherds Bush Cricket Club in East Acton

The Council are part-funding a new pavilion which will enable the club to start developing and growing. We see this club as important partners for local development of the game. It was as part of the negotiations with Virgin Active that this club was given a new home on the site and a new cricket pitch - the first to be laid in London for many decades

* The ex Liverpool Victoria sports ground near Acton Town tube station

This was formerly a private ground - but will now be a public pitch with pavilion. There is interest in using it from 4 or 5 teams including Gunnersbury ladies and Shepherds Bush Cricket Club (2nd team and juniors). This could be a major site for cricket development.

* A new Cricket Pitch at Elthorne Park in Hanwell

A new pitch is being laid in this park. This will be an outfield mainly for use by the Elthorne Park High School. It should be laid within 18 months.

In addition :

* Cricket Forum – The Council set this up and encouraging its development. The Middlesex Cricket Board (MCB) regard it as an example of good practice by local authorities and clubs.

* The new Southall sports centre is providing new indoor cricket nets - it’s currently used by the Ramgharia club.

* Local primary schools will be able use the new outdoor sports facilities at Dairy Meadow Primary School in Swift Road for cricket training.

* Schools cricket is being developed in partnership - the MCB work closely with both Featherstone Sports College and West London Academy to develop cricket in primary schools across Ealing. They have set up programmes that will involve primary school coaching, indoor leagues and outdoor mini-festivals. Inset Training for teaching staff will also be built into the programmes. Active Ealing's role is to support this partnership by continuing its work with local clubs through the Cricket Forum in order to provide exit routes for young cricketers in Ealing.

* Southall Cricket Club is working with the MCB as part of a national "grassroots"initiative based around the Community Club Development Fund – this combines facility development with junior cricket development at identified clubs.”

I’ve decided that I’ll ask a question about this work for cricket at the Council Meeting next week – in order to hopefully ensure that I can get all Councillors to support it.

Off to ASDA in Park Royal. I met Tammy, the new Events Co-ordinator, to set up my next advice surgery there . This will be from 11.00 to 12.00 on Friday 4th November, and I then intend to hold them at the same time on every first Friday in the month.

Clive Soley, as our MP until May, had originally set up these advice surgeries held in the Foyer of ASDA, and invited me and other local Councillors along - as many people had Council issues rather than just ones dealt with by MPs. This proved particularly useful for us in East Acton, as ASDA is in our ward and many of the local residents shop there. I’d previously held some advice surgeries in Park Royal at the Wesley Estate Community Estate and upstairs at the Fishermans Arms, but neither of these venues are now available. ASDA is now confirmed as our sixth monthly advice surgery held every month in East Acton – more venues than any other ward in the Borough.

Ended the day with a meeting with some residents of Wales Farm Road at the Castle. They were keen to ensure that the Gypsy Corner Residents Parking Zone would definitely go ahead to address the parking problems that they currently experience. I confirmed that the Acton Area Committee had agreed this, and that the final approval would be given by Cllr Ray Wall (Cabinet Member for Transport) on 18th October. They were well pleased, and I promised to urge Ray and his officers to implement the zone as fast as possible

Yes, another meeting in a pub

2005-10-06T23:45:00.000+01:00

Again a day dominated by licensing.

I heard in the morning that the Council have given planning permission to convert the former night club at the Park Royale leisure complex into a health and fitness centre. This should be good news – the former night club had a history of noise and other nuisance to those around it. I just hope that the health and fitness centre is a better neighbour than Virgin (see earlier posts), but then that wouldn’t be difficult.

I was invited in the afternoon to attend and speak at the Acton Pubwatch meeting at the Kings Arms, together with police officers from East Acton and Acton Central. This is part of a national scheme that encourages pub and club landlords to work together to solve common problems. The Acton Pubwatch has been recently reinvigorated by Colin Daniels – the energetic landlord of the Kings Arms in East Acton ward – and many of the pubs in Acton were represented. Colin has an impressive range of five real ales from Fullers on sale, and I had my first (tasty) pints of the year of their seasonal ale ‘Mr Harry’s’.

The statue in the back bar of the Kings Arms

It was encouraging to hear the landlords praise the work that the police and the Council have done to make Acton Park and Churchfield Road (East and west) safer. A dispersal zone has been introduced in Acton Park, and the police have stepped up their work in Churchfield Road – one landlord said “it’s been fantastic – Churchfield Road has been quieter”. However, most of the discussion at the meeting will have to remain confidential because it involved sharing intelligence on problem customers and incidents. There was a general welcome to the announcement that Acton Central ward would have a six-person ‘safer neighbourhoods’ police team from next April – matching those already operating in East Acton and South Acton wards.

In the evening we had compulsory training for Councillors on the Licensing Committee. Much of the discussion focused on the lessons to be learnt from the first panel meeting that had been held in the previous week (see my post for 4th October). For the next meetings, we decided to have a large notice on display listing the four legal licensing objectives - so that all who speak focus better on how their comments relate to these objectives, rather than wandering off to make wider and irrelevant points. Councillors on the Committee are now all devising their own acronyms to remember the objectives – preventing crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

After the training, I rang Sheela Selvajothy of the West Acton Residents Association (WARA) to check on what had been raised at their meeting this evening, given that I was required to attend the licensing training rather than be with them.

The BBC at Gypsy Corner

2005-10-05T23:02:00.000+01:00

Sad to hear of the death of Ronnie Barker – his East Acton connection was that the Two Ronnies was rehearsed at the BBC Rehearsal Rooms in Victoria Road in East Acton ward. This is part of the Gypsy Corner ‘island site' (officially the ‘Park Royal Southern Gateway'), which has been under major redevelopment in the couple of years since the BBC ended most of their operations on the site.

Time was when you could go into the Castle pub next door to the rehearsal rooms, and regularly see the stars of BBC filmed programmes having lengthy liquid lunches. My favourite memory of the Castle in the 1980s is of a very drunk Les Dawson telling never-ending jokes, whilst he and Paul ‘Hi-di-Hi’ Shane bought drinks for most of us in the pub.

BBC memorabilia in the Castle

I cycled up there tonight to have a look at the latest changes. In the Council’s development plans, Gypsy Corner was identified as a preferred location for hotel development, given its excellent public transport links – opposite North Acton tube station, with five bus routes passing by, and an equidistant ten minute or so walk from Willesden Junction and Acton Main Line stations. This policy has drawn in two new hotels – a Ramada Encore (http://www.encorelondonwest.co.uk/) and a Holiday Inn (http://www.encorelondonwest.co.uk/). Sadly no real ale in either, but I had some stout in each and chatted to some of the staff. They seem to be doing reasonably well, and the noodle bar at the Ramada is apparently well recommended. This was followed by some excellent pints of Fullers Discovery in the Castle.

The redevelopment has included building a new Remploy factory. Remploy are the country’s largest employer of people with disabilities, and have had a factory in and around Gypsy Corner for almost all the sixty years since the company was set up, initially to provide employment for people injured in the Second World War. It now employs a significant number of local people, and one of their latest contracts is for the assembly of bikes for the excellent and prize-winning ‘Oybike’ scheme in our neigbouring Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (http://www.oybike.com/). The Queen opened their new factory last year, in the first official royal visit to East Acton ward since I greeted Princess Anne to open another factory in Park Royal in 1999.

Oh, and my favourite Two Ronnies joke is “And in news just in from the English Channel, a ship carrying red paint collided with a ship carrying purple paint. It is believed that both crews have been marooned”.

Pub extended hours refused

2005-10-04T23:53:00.000+01:00

Tonight we refused applications for extended opening hours until 2am from O’Neill’s in Ealing High Street and Edwards in New Broadway, at the first Licensing Sub-Committee meeting under the Council’s new alcohol licensing powers. I sat on the panel with Cllr Laurence Evans (Acton Central) and the much-respected Tory Chief Whip Cllr Diana Pagan (Hanger Hill), together with a bigger than normal turnout of observers.

The key issue that we considered for both pubs was the implications of their applications on our agreed special area zone policy on cumulative impact, which applies to the particular ‘problem areas’ at the core of central Ealing (see my post on 6th September). This policy means that there is a general presumption against any new or extended licences in this area, unless it can be shown that they would not worsen the problems already being experienced locally with drinking and entertainment. We’re publishing our full decision in the next few days.

This is probably one of the first cases in the country where a council has refused applications for extended hours in an area with such a cumulative impact policy. Next week, I’m chairing a Sub-Committee meeting deciding upon two further applications for longer hours for pubs in the zone – the North Star and All Bar One.

Had a fascinating afternoon before hand talking to Lou Kenton – the senior Labour Party member in Acton (see my post on 22nd September). Lou is now 97, and I and John Delaney talked with him today mainly about sport. Lou is keen that the Council builds on the Ashes success to promote cricket in the Borough, and I agreed to talk to the Council’s Head of ‘Active Ealing’ (the sports development team) about what is happening. When I rang him (Paul Hyman) later on, he told me the good news that three new cricket squares are being created in the Borough this year – one in each of East Acton, Ealing and Hanwell.

John, Phil and Lou

Lou’s sporting experience covers an incredible range of 20th Century events. He was at the famous ‘white horse’ Cup Final in 1923 (the first to be held at Wembley) ; saw the great Jack Hobbs play cricket for Surrey as part of his 29 year first class career (the best cricketer Lou has ever seen) ; and took Emil Zatopek on his tour of Britain around the 1948 London Olympics. Zatopek won the 10,000 metres at London and then achieved his never-bettered ‘Zatopek triple' at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics – in my book, the greatest athletic achievement of the post war years. See more on Zatopek at http://www.runningpast.com/emil_zatopek.htm

We also talked football, and Lou recounted his experience of playing in a trade union tournament in Germany in 1932. Lou was playing for the British Workers Sports Federation, and their final game in Essen drew a crowd of 30,000. Lou and the other British players had to be protected from Nazis who invaded the crowd to disrupt the game. In the same period Lou played football in the Stepney Sunday Football League, which was chaired by the local MP for Limehouse Clement Attlee – later Britain’s greatest peacetime Prime Minister.

Beat that for a sporting lifetime.

Clement Attlee (left) with his predecessor as Labour Leader, George Lansbury - who my mum tells me was a friend of my great-grandfather John Phillips, when they both lived in Bow in the 1890s.

If it's Tuesday, it must be Green Box day

2005-10-03T23:59:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow, the collection day for the green box scheme moves to Tuesday for the whole of East Acton ward (indeed for the whole of Acton). This is a change for many of the roads that are covered by what is officially called the kerbside recycling scheme. You still need to put your green boxes out before 7.30 am in order to ensure that they are collected. As before the boxes will take bottles, jars, cans, paper, aluminum foil, batteries, shoes, clothes, engine oil and yellow pages.

My green box in my (overgrown) garden

The green box scheme has been one of the great success stories of the local Council since Labour introduced it in 1994. One of the original pilot areas was the East Acton Estate, and I must admit that I was a bit cynical about whether it would work in a mainly working class area like this. However, in practice, East Acton’s beer bottles matched Acton Green’s chardonnay bottles, and Hanger Hill’s champagne bottles. Whilst there is a variation in take-up of the scheme across the Borough, and East Acton ward has one of the lower usages, affluent Ealing Common is a worse performer than us. The Borough now has a recycling rate of around 20%, compared to virtually zero before the scheme started from 1994.

The scheme was basically devised and managed by ECTR – a local social enterprise (the ‘E’ is for Ealing). It was their first contract in the recycling field, although they have subsequently grown to a multi-million pound operation. As I reported in my post on 8th September, ECRT now have the Borough-wide integrated ‘clean and green’ contract for street cleaning, refuse collection and recycling, and are also tomorrow starting the new food waste recycling scheme to our neighbours in Acton Central ward. The food waste recycling scheme is being rolled out ward by ward, so will get to East Acton in time.

ECTR’s website is http://www.ectgroup.co.uk/index.php?sa=2&sg=1&m_about=true

Unusually no meetings tonight, so I took the rare chance to catch the evening game at QPR. We lost 3 : 1 to Crystal Palace, with some defending as poor as a Tory election campaign – blue, leaky and disunited. I’ve also got a ticket for the Plymouth game in a couple of weeks, so I’ll save posting about the QPR-East Acton connection until then, when I’m hopefully in a better mood after a better result.

Drowned my sorrows afterwards in the West London Trade Union Club. I had some excellent pints of Wadsworth 6X – not normally one of my favourite beers – but my wine-drinking colleagues raved about the Fair Trade Cape Cabernet Sauvignon that they drank.

St Dunstans Church

2005-10-02T22:47:00.000+01:00

Went to the morning all-age service at St Dunstans Anglican church.

Given the size of the East Acton ward, it’s not surprising that we have a wide variety of places of worship – including two Anglican churches (St Dunstans and St Gabriels) , St Aidans Catholic, Old Oak Methodist (of which I'm a member), East Acton Baptist (Network), and a number of evangelical churches who hold their Sunday services in schools or warehouses. I try to attend each of them at least annually to keep in touch with the Christian community. In addition, I obviously also visit the local mosque, synagogue, gurdwara and mandir – although none of these are actually located in East Acton ward.

St Dunstans is the Anglican church covering the East Acton part of the ward, and a few years ago also merged with St Thomas’ which was the Acton Vale Anglican church. This morning was the Harvest Festival, and local minister Rev James Blandford-Baker turned it into a service inspired by the work of the WaterAid charity. An appropriate bible reading (Isaiah 41.17-20 - “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none”) was accompanied by a water-themed slide show , and the church was decorated with cardboard water droplets and a man-made river flowing over the pulpit. James talked about some of the stark facts upon which WaterAid campaign – such as that 1 in 5 of the world’s population lack access to a safe water supply, whilst Mozambique uses less than a tenth of the water per day of that consumed in England. An excellent service, which matched faith and community in proper measure.

'The water of life' over the pulpit

We also hold a monthly East Acton Councillors advice surgery after the service at St Dunstans, which today as usual was taken by my colleague (and Anglican) Cllr Kate Crawford, while I had useful chats with James and his curate Rev Maggie Davidge-Smith about local issues. St Dunstans was one of the first churches locally with its own website, which can be seen at www.stdunstanschurch.org.uk

Spent the afternoon in a Labour Party fund-raising social at my friends’ Amanda and Roger’s, and ended the day with a couple of good pints of Fullers Discovery in the Kings Arms in The Vale

From Rats to Rugby

2005-10-01T23:18:00.000+01:00

Advice Surgery at St Gabriels Church Hall in North Acton, and issues raised by constituents include refuse collection, rats, housing and the newly agreed Controlled Parking Zone for the Gypsy Corner area (which incidentally is so named because it used to the first place outside of London where gypsies were allowed to park their caravans).

The good news is that two of these issues were raised as praise for action that I’ve managed to get from the Council. One was a longstanding case where black bags were not being collected weekly from a house but now are being.

More significantly, I was told that the perennial problem of rats in and around Western Avenue is now under control, thanks to vigorous action from the Council’s pest control team. A couple of years ago, I had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Council’s Environmental Health officers, and we organised a ‘Rats Summit’ to look at why the rat population was increasing and what could be done about it. Some old fogies at the Council sneered at the ‘Summit’ approach, but it was covered positively by the BBC, and the new approaches, action and investment that came out of it now seem to be making a difference. That said there is a big ‘painting the Forth Bridge’ element to rat control, and as long as people chuck their fast food on the street with abandon, the rats are going to return to Western Avenue.

You can find out more about rats and their control at the local environmental health site at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/environment/pests+and+nuisance/25b9ad6c-4d02-4fda-9e75-dfeeee23c77d.asp

Went on to the big cup game against Hertford at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club. I’ve been associated with Ealing RFC since my Millennium Mayoralty, when I worked with them to achieve planning permission for their excellent new clubhouse – which I subsequently opened .
Ealing is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world – founded in 1871. The story goes that the only reason that they weren’t founder members of the Rugby Union is that their delegate went to the wrong pub and missed the key meeting. For many years Ealing punched below their weight and history. That all changed with the arrival of Mike Gooley – the founder and chair of theTrailfinders travel company. Mike is a passionate rugby fan, and has brought money and enterprise into the club that has transformed it.

Phil's namecheck in the clubhouse (the pint of Ealing bitter is out of shot)

Ealing is now a thriving club, with sides for all ages and both genders, and large youth operation who regularly run big overseas tours. They are now based at the former GWR Sports Ground at Vallis Way in West Ealing – saved from housing development by my mate Cllr Steve Sears when he chaired the Council’s Environment Committee. The appeal of the rugby is added to in the clubhouse by the excellent ‘Ealing bitter’ brewed only for them by the Skinners brewery. Last season the first team were promoted into the London 1 league, and will now play some big name teams such as Richmond and London Scottish. Their website is at http://www.ealingrugby.co.uk/

An excellent afternoon spoiled only by the fact that Ealing lost 16-28. Nevertheless, they put up a creditable performance against a team in a national league, and for most of the game were only a converted try behind. Next week I’m going with a few mates to the big game of the season so far – away at Richmond, who Ealing beat in the last round of the cup.

Ealing (in the green and white) defend the line

Leo hits the big time

2005-09-30T13:49:00.000+01:00

Heard today from our local Labour Leader, Cllr Leo Thomson, about her speech to the Labour Party Conference yesterday. It's a sign of how well Leo is regarded, even after only four months as Leader, that she was chosen to give the address to Conference on behalf of all Labour Cllrs in England.

The speech was going well until loud applause suddenly broke in the middle of one of her sentences. A perplexed Leo desperately tried to work out what previously anodyne buzzword she'd used to generate such enthusiasm. Thankfully she then noticed, through the bright TV lights, that the cause of the applause was the re-entry into the hall of 'Walter the Heckler' who an amateur steward had mistakenly removed the previous day. Presence of mind re-established, Leo continued and concluded her speech to a generous but somewhat smaller reaction from the delegates.

Healthy Living

2005-09-29T23:26:00.000+01:00

Spent the day on NHS business for the Primary Care Trust. In the morning, I and colleagues met to look at the evidence upon which we can provide assurance about governance under the Standards for Better Health programme. Yes, I know the jargon is irritating – but it’s hard to under-estimate the importance to the health service of being as safe and secure as possible against risk. Indeed there are lessons that the Council could learn about the way in which the NHS have embedded a culture of risk management and assurance throughout the organisation.

At lunchtime I had a lovely bike ride down the canal towpath from Brunel’s famous Three Bridges in Southall to the Fox pub in Hanwell. The Fox is the current CAMRA Pub of the Year, and served up some excellent pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord bitter – the premier cru of Yorkshire beers.

In the early evening we held the public AGM of the Primary Care Trust. We’ve been looking for ways to make this a less formal and more informative session, and this year we had a number of stalls staffed by particular professional groups who could talk about their work. I had a really useful chat with the community nursing team about their work with young children and their parents – trying to establish healthy living as early as possible in life. They agreed to let me spend a half day work-shadowing them - I find that I can get a far better feel for the work done at the frontline by spending just a few hours work-shadowing rather than days spent in reading reports.

The AGM broke up into groups to discuss particular aspects of the work of the PCT, and my table had three of the team who run Meadow House – the local hospice, which is located on the Ealing Hospital grounds but managed by the PCT. Meadow House is a very well-loved facility in the Borough – every second or third pub will usually be fundraising for them. I was very interested to hear from them that the majority of people admitted to Meadow House are now subsequently discharged – the stereotype of hospices being predominantly places to die is somewhat out of date. I arranged to visit them next month to learn more about their current work – although I spent a deal of time there as Millennium Mayor, I haven't visited for a couple of years.

Discussion at the Primary Care Trust AGM

Planning Committee

2005-09-28T23:51:00.000+01:00

Well, we won. Planning Committee unanimously supported my proposal that they refuse permission for the "over the top" housing scheme at Goodhall and Stephenson Streets (see post for last Saturday). John Stack made a very effective speech as Chair of the residents association, stressing that the residents were very keen to have the old club used for housing - but with a scheme that was sympathetic to the Conservation Area and surrounding community. We were helped by a poor and unconvincing speech on behalf of the developers, who claimed that an independent expert had approved their plans in conservation terms - it turns out this was a consultant paid for by the developers.

The Chair (Cllr Peter Wicks) allowed me to be the first Cllr to speak. I outlined the problems with the design and scale of the proposed new building, but particularly stressed my opposition to their cynical attempt to evade the Council's affordable housing policy in linking the site to one at Mattock Lane in central Ealing. I concluded by saying "if you agree this tonight, it will give a green light to developers across the Borough to drive a coach and horses through our affordable housing policy. It may be North Acton tonight, but tomorrow it could be Southall, Perivale or Hanwell used to enhance developers' property values in central Ealing".

My fellow ward Councillor Paul Woodgate followed me, and we were supported by members of the Planning Committee from Acton, Hanwell, Perivale, Southall and even Ealing. Perivale Cllr Inderjeet Nijhar compared the developers tactics to those of Shirley Porter in Westminster, whilst Acton Cllr Kate Crawford described the Island Triangle as "a gem in its intimacy". All twelve members of the committee voted to reject the application, to the unusual sound at a Planning Committee of applause from the public gallery.

Later on, the committee agreed the application to refurbish the pavilion at North Acton Playing Fields - so 2:0 to East Acton.

Sadly, the debate on the Island Triangle was delayed by nasty scenes in (another part of) the public gallery. A couple of objectors to an earlier application tried to stop debate by disrupting the meeting, and made verbal threats to one Cllr of the "we know where you live" variety". Peter Wicks had to call the police to remove these bullies. This is not the first time we've had problems like this at a Planning Committee. When I was a member of the Committee I was once physically attacked by a developer for daring to oppose his application, and on another occasion white racists tried to storm the Cllrs' seating area when an application for a mosque was being considered.

I went on from the Planning Committee to the Kings Head, and was asked by Wesley Harcourt to join his quiz team for the night. Wesley is a Cllr for the neighbouring Hammersmith part of East Acton. To my surprise, we ended up winning the £100 jackpot between the four of us. Some days, you just can't stop winning.

Examing Licensing

2005-09-27T23:18:00.000+01:00

I took an exam last month, for the first time in twenty-five years. As part of our training for the Council taking over alcohol licensing (see my post on 6th September), a number of Cllrs and officers agreed to take the multiple choice exam for the British Institute of Innkeeping Certificate of Licensing Practioners. Hardly a Phd I know, but I’m childishly pleased to have come top of the class (jointly with one of the Council’s legal officers) with a score of 93%.

A report to tonight’s Regulatory Committee reports this, amongst a lot of information from the first comprehensive look at the interest shown locally in extending opening hours. Only three-quarters of licensees had applied for new licence, even for their current hours, by the first deadline of 6th August. The remainder will now have to apply as if they were wholly new applications rather than renewals.

The excellent West London Trade Union Club in Acton High Street - whose licence I obviously can't decide on, as I was the founding Treasurer of the Club

Around 30% of licencees (182) have applied for variations to their licence – most of which are seeking longer opening hours, particularly at weekends. Unsurprisingly, nearly 90% of these applications have attracted ‘representations’ – which I think are mostly objections from immediate neighbours. No licensee is looking for anything approaching 24 hour drinking. Most seem to be seeking to stop serving around midnight in the week and around one o’clock at weekends. Around twenty want to sell alcohol until two in the morning, although the White Hart in Southall is uniquely seeking a licence until four o’clock.

The pubs in East Acton ward are seeking the following hours :

Castle in Victoria Road - 10am to 2am (all week)

Fisherman’s Arms in Old Oak Lane - No application listed

Goldsmiths' Arms in East Acton Lane - 10am-12am (Mon-Wed), 10am-1am (Thu and Sun), 10am to 2am (Fri and Sat)

Leamington in Horn Lane - 11am to 12am (all week)

Kings Arms in The Vale - 11am to 2am (Mon to Sat), 12pm to 2am (Sun)

Wishing Well in Old Oak Common Lane - 10am to 12am (Mon to Thu), 10am to 1am (Fri and Sat), 12pm to 12am (Sun)

If you live near one of these pubs, and want me to speak for you at the Licensing Sub-Committee, please feel free to contact me at phil@east-acton.com.

You can get more details, or check for other pubs in the Borough, on the Council's website at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/licensing/current+applications.asp

Acton Area Committee

2005-09-26T23:55:00.000+01:00

Tonight was the latest Acton Area Committee meeting.

This was set up in 2000 as one of seven area committees – reflecting the seven towns of the Borough – as part of a move to devolve and share power away from the centre. The area committees were given decision-making powers on local transport and environment issues (within an overall policy framework) ; consultation rights on major issues affecting the area ; and a devolved budget to spend on additional local environment and transport projects.

Some of the pioneering features of area committees were a culture shock to the more staid of the Council officers. These included a three quarter of an hour “Open Forum” section of each meeting for local residents, and the introduction of the then novel principle that Labour gave up power in the area/s of the Borough where we are not in a majority – notably central Ealing.

Many positive things have been achieved by the Acton Area Committee – particularly in using our devolved funding. The Open Forum has been helpful in bringing new people into civic life, although some observers feel that it can be too dominated by the ‘same old faces’ at the expense of newer voices. That said, at this meeting, a first time speaker came along from Western Avenue (East Acton ward) and made good points.

South Acton Cllrs Yvonne Johnson, Liz Brookes and John Cudmore (far right) listen to the Open Forum at the Acton Area Committee

The principal East Acton ward issue on the agenda was the results of the consultation on the proposed Gypsy Corner Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the North Acton area of the ward. As I predicted in my post on 3rd September, the results showed that residents near the North Acton or Acton Main Line stations were in favour, whilst those further away were against. Consequently, we drew the boundary of the zone to reflect these votes – meaning that roads north and west of Park View will not be included, and neither will be Western Avenue. This will also crucially protect residents of the Leamington Park Estate from parking by employees at the next door Carphone Warehouse HQ.

The other main East Acton items were road safety issues. Following nine accidents in Wales Farm Road the last three years, we have persuaded TfL to pay for warning signs and anti-skid surfacing on the bends in the road. I also moved that money available to address speeding at the junction of East Acton Lane and Bromyard Avenue should be prioritised to anti-skid surfacing rather than signs – I’m convinced that physical works can do more for road safety than warnings and/or requests to speeding drivers. Frustratingly, a much-needed pedestrian crossing that we have agreed and funded in Horn Lane will now be delayed. The pelican crossing in Horn Lane, near its junction with Noel Road, cannot be finished until April 2006 because TfL’s Traffic Signal Services (who control all traffic signals across London) say they have a big back log of work.

The meeting also heard presentations on the new (Kitchen) Food Waste Collection Scheme, the massive new Borough-wide Street Lighting Programme (see earlier posts), and the ‘Acton Property Improvement Strategy (which only impacts minimally on East Acton). The Street Lighting presenter from the contractors EDF announced that their depot will be at Dukes Road in East Acton ward, and so I’m taking up an invitation to visit them there.

As you might guess, all this meant a huge agenda, and a meeting that didn’t finish until 10 o’clock. Not good news for the takings at the Kings Head.

Good and Bad Planning Applications

2005-09-24T17:21:00.000+01:00

Site Visits were held today for the Planning Committee next Wednesday, with two of the sites being important for East Acton ward.

First, the Planning Committee visited North Acton Playing Fields, where the Parks and Countryside Service are seeking planning permission to spend £400,000 on a whole scale refurbishment of the currently unused pavilion and changing rooms. The Committee Members were a bit surprised, but pleased, that the concern of local residents who attended was that they should agree without delay – they are more used to residents’ opposing developments. The North Acton Playing Fields have not historically had the same attention as some other parks in the Borough, and therefore both we East Acton Councillors and our Acton Central colleagues have had to be a very organised lobby to get this welcome action from the Council.

I then cadged a lift with the Planning Committee members to their next site – an old railway club and neighbouring cottages and land on Goodhall and Stephenson Streets in ‘the Island Triangle’. You may not have heard of the Island Triangle, but you’ve almost certainly seen it – the northern-style railway cottages in the Conservation Area are regularly used as a backdrop for films, TV and adverts.

Planning Committee Members Cllrs Phyl Greenhead and Tejinder Dhami (right), Planning Officer Aileen Jones (centre), residents, and Island Triangle Residents Association chair John Stack (far left)

Local residents are keen that the club and building should be redeveloped for housing. However, they object (rightly in my view) to the overdevelopment and unsympathetic housing design currently proposed, and to a “fiddle” being tried on by the developers to get around the Council’s affordable housing policy. The developers also own a site in one of the highest house price areas of central Ealing - and are trying to avoid having other than token affordable housing there, by moving their affordable housing requirements entirely to the Island Triangle. This is a pretty cynical move by any standards, and in my view runs directly counter to the Council’s policy of encouraging mixed communities.

We’ve had a number of big planning issues recently in the Island Triangle - unsurprisingly, given that the ‘Island’ reference comes from it being another residential area surrounded by railways and industry. I’ve had the very frustrating experience of twice persuading the Planning Committee to reject inappropriate applications next to houses – a cement works and a waste plant – only to have other decision-making bodies give permission over our heads. We’ll see what happens on Wednesday.

Cloister Road Surgery

2005-09-23T23:58:00.000+01:00

Chaired the Premises Panel of the Primary Care Trust, where we have an exciting building programme for new and improved health centres and surgeries, after years of under investment in the local heath service.

I’m particularly pleased that the first major project to be finished will be at Cloister Road in East Acton ward. This will be new premises for Dr Robinska’s very successful practice, which is currently a victim of its own success in its undersized and not purpose-built surgery on the corner of Eastfields Road and Noel Road. The practice recently got a superb satisfaction rating in a national survey of patients’ view of GPs.

The new premises are being built on formerly derelict land in Cloister Road, next to the existing health service provision at the former Acton Borough Council clinic which is now the Gunnersbury Day Hospital. The new surgery is due to open in February 2006.

Getting Slaughtered (corny puns volume 2)

2005-09-22T23:55:00.000+01:00

A puncture in my bike’s front tyre meant I was late getting to a PCT away day in Teddington. I’m generally cynical about away days, which too often turn out to be the bland leading the blind. However, this was very useful, as it focussed on the coming changes in the NHS structure and policy and how we should respond to and deliver the change required by the Government. The West London situation will be much clearer after 15th October, when the Strategic Health Authority are due to produce their proposals for local implementation.

On in the evening to a Labour Party members meeting for the Ealing, Acton and Shepherds Bush constituency (which we all call EASB for obvious reasons). Being without the bike meant that I was again running late, and missed the main item at the meeting – a debate on the future of Heathrow Airport, with speakers including our former MP (and now Lord) Clive Soley and Hanwell Cllr (and Planning Committee Vice-Chair) Phyl Greenhead. Clive's much-praised blog can be seen at http://clivesoleymp.typepad.com/clive_soley_mp/

Andy Slaughter MP gave a witty MPs report, talking about the anachronistic administrative arrangements for newly-elected MPs. Andy has spent much of his time since his election on 5th May holding meetings on local issues with key people in the Constituency, and dealing with individual casework – much of which is inevitably dominated by immigration and nationality work. He has made the (very sensible) decision to only intervene in Parliamentary debates on issues that particularly have a local perspective – for example, Crossrail, the future of the BBC, and government funding for our local Councils. You can see Andy’s maiden speech at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050623/debtext/50623-13.htm whilst his speech on Crossrail is at http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050719/debtext/50719-24.htm

I was delighted to see Lou Kenton at the meeting, and have a drink with him and Clive Soley afterwards in the Kings Head. Lou is the senior local Party member - well over 90 years old – and has lived a life that reads like a history of the left in the twentieth century. He was at Cable Street in the early 1930s when the East End fought the Mosleyite fascists ; served in the progressive cause in the Spanish Civil war ; and had to leave Prague in 1968 when the then Soviet Union invaded to suppress the democratic reforms of Alexander Dubcek. Lou has also been very much of a mentor to me, giving me sound advice whenever I ask for it, and sometimes when I don’t realise that I need it.

Lou and Clive in the Kings Head

Wilkinson Sword

2005-09-21T09:01:00.000+01:00

Following yesterday’s good news for Park Royal, I was sad to hear today of the closure of the local Wilkinson Sword factory. Although, I understand that they now only employ 14 craftspeople, the company is very much a part of local and national history. Wilkinson Sword only moved to Brunel Road in Park Royal in the 1970s, but was based on a big site on Southfield Road from around 1905.

In 1908, they sold their playing grounds next door to Acton Urban District Council. This followed a campaign by Cllr Fred Shillaker – one of the first Labour Councillors in Acton and later our first Labour MP. Fred Shillaker proposed, and the Council agreed, to turn the land into the Southfield Recreation Ground – which it remains to this day. Only last month, I joined John Delaney at the opening of a new children play area in the Rec.

John Delaney opening the play area (clue - he's the one with the tie)

Possibly Wilkinson Swords’ most famous ceremonial sword was the Sword of Stalingrad. This was made by the company in 1943 to celebrate the heroic stand of the people of Stalingrad during their long siege by the Nazis, and was presented to Joseph Stalin by Winston Churchill at the Tehran Conference later that year. A copy of the Sword of Stalingrad apparently toured the country during the war to big crowds, and I understand is still in the ownership of the company.

Wilkinson Sword also made the Sword of Acton – which some claim to be similar to the Sword of Stalingrad (although this may be apocryphal) – to be part of the civic insignia of the Acton Borough Council. The Sword of Acton can now be seen on public display at Ealing Town Hall, together with the mayoral chain and badge of Acton. As Millennium Mayor, I arranged for the Sword of Acton to be carried at the head of the civic procession at the annual civic ‘Crayle Service’ at St Mary’s Church in The Mount – for the first time since the abolition of Acton Borough Council in 1965.

Investment in Park Royal

2005-09-20T21:31:00.000+01:00

Most of Park Royal - London’s largest business park - within our Borough lies within East Acton ward. This means that I have more contact with, and casework from, the business community than most Councillors. For most of the last ten years, I was a Director of the Park Royal Partnership – one of the longest standing public:private regeneration partnerships in London – and I’ve tried to ensure that the Council and business work together to benefit both local employment and the environment of residents. Park Royal Partnership’s website includes a comprehensive business directory, and is at http://www.parkroyal.org/. Their programme of investment in projects in this financial year in Park Royal totals over £6 million.

Tonight’s meeting of the Cabinet agreed the Council’s contribution to the latest set of Park Royal improvements for which we have been lobbying. These include unsexy but important projects like the second phase of a project to upgrade roads and sewers in the industrial roads of Sunbeam Road and Cullen Way ; a study to produce improvements to the key junction of four roads called Central Park Royal ; and backing for the encouraging corporate social responsibility (CSR) work of Park Royal companies. This CSR work has produced very welcome support and investment in local schools such as John Perryn Primary School.

However, residents in Park Royal will also benefit from funding agreed tonight for an alley gating programme on the Wesley Estate. This is a residential enclave within the predominantly industrial estate - and indeed was originally built as company housing for the Harold Wesley company, who made stationary and plastics and at their peak employed over a 1000 people in their factory next to the houses. This location, isolated from other residents, means that they suffer disproportionately from ‘enviro-crime’ such as fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles and from anti-social behaviour.

Consequently, local residents have been working with myself and my fellow local Councillors, on a scheme to gate the alleyways on the Estate which are the location of most of the problems. Some money had already been found from our Acton Area Committee budget and other sources, but these economic development resources agreed by Cabinet should complete the funding package for consultation and gating to go ahead.

The Cabinet report can be seen at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/council/committees/cabinet/17may2005-22may2006/item21-economicdevelopment.doc

Development and Design

2005-09-19T11:59:00.000+01:00

The night of the monthly Labour Group Meeting, preceded as ever by a number of presentations.

This included presentations by each of the four companies who have been shortlisted as potential developers of the key 400,000 sq ft Dickens Yard site between Ealing Town Hall and Christ St Saviour church. The four teams all had plans that involved new public spaces, shops of a character that aren’t currently attracted to Ealing, and new housing with a large proportion being affordable for local people. However, there are also very clear differences of approach – particularly in design terms – that make for a real choice between the four – Barratts West London, Centros Miller, Helicon Exemplar, and St Georges.

At the Labour Group, we heard from GLA Member Murad Qureshi and Iqbal Vaid of the TGWU about the Gate Gourmet dispute at Heathrow Airport. Many of the employees unilaterally sacked by Gate Gourmet are residents of the Borough – particularly in Southall. We agreed to make a donation to their funds, given the hardship they are suffering.

The major item at the Group Meeting itself was as usual the agenda for the following night’s Cabinet Meeting. There’s a particularly interesting report (at least to a local government anorak like me) on draft new urban design guidance for the Borough. There is a legacy in this Borough of some very good design, but also some terrible tat that was allowed to be built - particularly in the 1960 s and 1970s. The document looks in some detail at achieving good quality and consistent design, and I particularly welcome the emphasis on uncluttered streets with well designed street furniture that puts people rather than vehicles to the fore. The summary report can be seen at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/council/committees/cabinet/17may2005-22may2006/item17-approvalofurbandesign.doc

Eric Sykes and East Acton

2005-09-18T23:41:00.000+01:00

For some unfathomable reason, tonight's Melvin Bragg documentary on Eric Sykes failed to mention his link to East Acton. In Eric's longrunning sit-com with Hattie Jacques, their address was frequently given as "24 Sebastopol Terrace, East Acton".

There is of course no Sebastopol Terrace in East Acton, but Eric Sykes didn't stop there in his promotion of the town. He jointly wrote a number of the episodes of 'The Goons' with Spike Milligan, and regularly threw in joke references to East Acton. Examples that a friendly Goons fan gave me include :

"In order to learn more I went straight to the East Acton Geographical Society" (The Yehti)

"We present an ancient Chinese play translated from an old Greek soup recipe found engraved on the seat of a dustman's trousers in East Acton" (China Story)

"Clear the floor for the East Acton Working Man's Club Crazy Cabaret" (the Sinking of Westminster Pier)

Africa Comes to Acton

2005-09-17T19:11:00.000+01:00

I've complained for years that the Council's free magazine 'Around Ealing' has never been delivered to the East Acton Estate, or some other parts of my ward to the east of the A40. This was apparently because the delivery contractors refused to come here. Finally this week, a copy of the newly revamped magazine was delivered to (I hope) every household in the ward, including details of all Councillor advice surgeries. Today, this led directly to a gentleman visiting my advice surgery at the Oak Oak Methodist Church Hall on the East Acton Estate with a number of local issues he had been waiting to raise. Nice to know that my moaning eventually paid dividends.

I was the Millennium Mayor of the Borough, and therefore often get asked to represent the Borough if the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are not around.

Today I was asked to lead the welcomes at the African Market that was held in King Street in Acton Town Centre. This is one of a series of markets which the Council is funding through the Acton liveability project - which has brought £2 million of extra Government money in Acton.

The African Market was a really buzzing event, and the picture shows the traditional African dance of blessing. Other photos that were taken can be seen at http://portwoodgallery.blogspot.com/

Thanks are due to Ola of African Markets, and to the team at Action Acton for their organisation of the event.

East Acton Steering Group

2005-09-15T19:51:00.000+01:00

Went to a meeting of the East Acton Steering Group at Old Oak School. This is a joint body that unites Councillors, residents associations and Council officers to try to co-ordinate the work of LBs Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham in East Acton, given that East Acton crosses the Borough boundary.

A new traffic scheme has been introduced recently and created some concern, particularly because of the inadequate “green man time” in the pedestrian phase of the new traffic lights. We are pressing Transport for London (TfL) to create more time for people crossing, and also agree improved pedestrian access generally at key crossing points. Inevitably the discussion focussed on very local environmental issues, such as pavement improvements, toilet facilities, and landscaping, where we agreed the next stage of action that is required.

Residents take on Virgin

2005-09-14T23:57:00.000+01:00

I chair the Audit Committee of the Primary Care Trust, and this morning attended a very interesting meeting with the other Audit Chairs of West London Primary Care Trusts. Many common problems and challenges were identified, and some possibilities for joint work will be taken further. We are particularly collaborating on anti-fraud work.

Back to the Virgin Inquiry in the afternoon, to hear the very effective and heartfelt evidence of local residents Julia Hunt and Jill Ross. Mr Lockhart-Mummery tried to tie Julia in knots, but she very ably stuck to her guns and didn’t let him intimidate her. It’s now down to the Inspector – Stuart Reid – to decide on the issue. Incidentally, I was told that Mr Farragher-Thomas’ response to the regular problems caused by irresponsible Virgin parking was that he would take a “stern tone” with their members. “Ooo, matron” as the late great Kenneth Williams would have said.

"Infamy, Infamy ... the've all got it in for me"

Appropriately, I followed the Virgin Inquiry by sitting in for a colleague at a meeting of a scrutiny panel looking at planning enforcement. I made the point that the lesson of the sad history of the Virgin case is that, however vigorously the Council try to use their enforcement powers, the system is not as helpful to the victims of developers as it should be.

Finished with a useful discussion over London Pride in the Wheatsheaf with the team who will be delivering the Council’s massive new street lighting programme – this is unalloyed good news, which will make local street lighting probably the most modern in London

Virgin on the ludicrous (corny puns volume 1)

2005-09-13T23:13:00.000+01:00

The twenty first anniversary of the day I was first elected to represent East Acton – 13th September 1984.

Spent the morning at the Virgin Planning Inquiry. The Virgin Leisure Centre are appealing against the Council’s refusal of their application to weaken the planning controls upon their site in Bromyard Avenue. They want to impose additional parking, in clear breach of the Council’s planning policies. Virgin have been consistently bad neighbours to the residents of Bromyard Avenue and the Vale Estate next door, and I’ve lost track of the number of occasions residents have needed to complain to my colleagues and I about their conduct. I was criticised a couple of years ago by some of the old fogies around the Council for repeating publically residents’ view that Virgin are “scumbags” - but I’ve rarely had more supportive comments for anything I’ve said in the Council Chamber.

The Virgin case was led by the luxuriantly named Christopher Lockhart-Mummery QC (yes, really) supported by the equally double-barrelled Ross Farragher-Thomas. However, the most revealing of Virgin’s comments were attacks made on cycling and walking by their transport advisor, the surprisingly single-barrelled Mr Bowman. On cycling, he said “you can’t expect families to cycle together” to the Virgin centre, and claimed that “a ten minute cycle ride is not reasonable”. On walking to the site he said “twenty minutes is out of the range for members to walk, and ten minutes is questionable in winter”. Remember, that these are people coming to a self-described “health and fitness centre”. Virgin’s representative concluded by describing East Acton as “such an inaccessible place”, to the laughter of local residents who were present.

To the credit of the Council, their barrister Richard Ground put up a very effective defence for the refusal of planning permission, as did the experienced Council planner Peter Causer. Left with some confidence that the Council had a good case, which had been well made.

I'd rather have been at the Oval

2005-09-12T23:40:00.000+01:00

Performance and Audit Panel tonight concentrated on scrutinising the Council’s performance on collecting debts (particularly social services income) , managing street trading, and delivering a pilot scheme on improved commercial waste collection.

Not I appreciate topics that will exactly draw the crowds – a Geoff Boycott of a meeting rather than an Andrew Flintoff. Drank afterwards with the President of the Chamber of Commerce at the Haven in celebration of the Ashes being reclaimed

Housing

2005-09-10T12:05:00.000+01:00

I organised a special advice surgery this morning, because a constituent needed to see me urgently about a housing problem. East Acton doesn't have as much housing casework as wards that are more characterised by Council housing - like South Acton - but when I get them, they tend to be serious.

Rest of the weekend to be given over to watching the cricket.

Licensing and Kitchen Waste

2005-09-08T23:42:00.000+01:00

Spent most of the day with one eye – or at least two ears - on the Oval.

In the evening, we held our monthly all-members Labour Party meeting in Acton. The early part of the meeting was spent discussing local Acton issues – I particularly talked about the licensing position, and reported the concern of East Acton residents about the proposal from the local Goldsmiths Arms to open until two in the morning.

Wartime Poster for Kitchen Waste

We also talked about the improvements that the Labour Council are introducing in recycling. From October, our new ‘Clean and Green’ contractors – a local social enterprise called ECTR – will be rolling out household recycling of kitchen and organic waste. This will start in Acton Central ward and, if the pilots are successfull, will subsequently reach East Acton ward from 2006.

Our guest speaker was the new leader of the Council, Cllr Leo Thomson. Leo(nora) is the first woman to lead the Labour Group of LB Ealing, and has really hit the ground running since her election in May. Leo led a discussion that ranged through social services, education and environmental issues, and as ever the discussion continued after the meeting in the Kings Head round the corner.

Primary Care Trust

2005-09-07T15:59:00.000+01:00

My main public role outside of East Acton is as non-executive director of Ealing Borough NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT). Today was our Board meeting – with a very substantial agenda, dominated as is usually the case by financial and performance issues. The good news for the Primary Care Trust over the summer was that we achieved a two star rating from the Heathcare Commission – up from a previous no star rating. This big jump in rating reflects very real and visible improvements in local GP services over the last few years.

However, ironically, this will be the last set of star ratings, and we now have to prepare for a new set of measures called Standards for Better Health (SfBH). This is part of a wide agenda of planned change in NHS structures and systems, designed to give more power to doctors to commission healthcare and for patients to have more choice in their care. The principles appear to be sound but making all this work will be a real challenge. The Government's approach is outlined in “Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS”, which can be seen on the Department of Health website at
http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4116716&chk=/%2Bb2QD

The biggest difficulty currently facing the Primary Care Trust is the extreme pressure on local maternity services – particularly at Ealing Hospital – which reflects a significantly increasing birth rate and a relative shortage of relevant medical staff. This is less of a problem for us in East Acton, given that Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s Hospitals are on our doorstep.

On a very positive note, we agreed proposals to create a ‘one stop shop’ to combine services that both the NHS and the Council provide for children with disabilities. This will be in a building with very good bus links in West Ealing. Crucially, this will end the understandable frustration that parents experience when being sent from pillar to post or rather from Town Hall to clinic, by ensuring that in future they can get all the help they need in one place.

From Alcohol to Water

2005-09-06T23:45:00.000+01:00

A useful meeting today with colleagues to plan next year’s “Responsible Host Scheme” in the Borough. This is an scheme which LB Ealing pioneered six years ago – and which other Councils and the Government are now copying – which encourages better management of licensed premises. Much credit for this is due to my mate Cllr John Delaney (Acton Central ward), although the real strength of the Scheme has been a genuine partnership between Councillors, Council officers, the police, residents groups, and other key players.

Phil (left) and John Delaney (right) launching
the 2004 Responsible Host Scheme

Much of my time over the last year has been taken up with Licensing (process as well as consumption). The Government have transferred responsibility for alcohol licensing from magistrates to local councillors amidst a range of other changes – of which the headline is the option for extended hours for licensed premises. There has been much lurid nonsense in the Daily Mail and their ilk about “24-hour drinking” – for which virtually no pub in the country is applying – and indeed in my view much of the current problem with alcohol in town centres can be laid at historic poor decision-making by unaccountable magistrates rather than locally elected Councillors. That said, the civil servants at the relevant Department (DCMS) have made a pigs ear out of a good idea, with too much national prescription and too little local flexibility.

I chaired the Committee that agreed LB Ealing’s licensing policy last year, and also led some of the lobbying of Government on behalf of London Boroughs. Against the opposition of much of the alcohol industry, the policy we agreed included a pioneering “cumulative impact” special policy zone for the Haven Green and Ealing Green areas in central Ealing. This means that there is a general presumption against any new or extended licences in this area, unless it can be shown that they would not worsen the problems already being experienced locally with drinking and entertainment.

My next few months will also be dominated by Licensing. I and my colleague Cllr Laurence Evans (Acton Central ward) will be the core of the team of Councillors considering applications for new and changed licenses in the Ealing area. This is likely to be the area of the Borough with the busiest and most hotly contested agenda of licensing issues. The first hearing is now set for 4th October, when we’ll consider proposals for extended hours at the O’Neills and Edwards pubs in Ealing Broadway. Summaries of licensing applications can be seen on the LB Ealing website at http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/licensing/current+applications.asp

After the Responsible Host Scheme meeting, I went on to the first meeting of the Water Scrutiny Panel. This was a scrutiny exercise that I suggested (so I could hardly refuse to be a member), particularly following a series of floods and burst mains in Acton, and concern across London about Thames Water’s policy of reducing water pressure in higher-rise blocks of flats. We had a useful framing discussion, but the meat of the work will come at future meetings, and particularly at a public hearing we will hold in Acton later in the Autumn - to be chaired by my ward colleague Cllr Paul Woodgate.

North Acton Issues

2005-09-03T22:16:00.000+01:00

Advice surgery this morning – given the size of East Acton ward, we hold five advice surgeries every month. Today’s was at St Gabriel’s Church Hall, and is aimed principally at residents of the North Acton section of the ward. Issues raised include individual problems with a street light and rubbish collection ; progress on a controversial planning application ; and the latest situation on the consultation being undertaken on the option of a residents controlled parking zone for the Gypsy Corner area. This is a very typical set of advice surgery complaints and queries.

The proposal for a controlled parking zone arose from strong lobbying from local residents, who are suffering increasing parking problems caused by commuters to North Acton and Acton Main Line stations and the (welcome) redevelopment of old employment sites in the area. My impression is that enthusiasm for the zone generally depends on how close people live to the stations, but we’ll see when the consultation results come in. The Council has a deliberately ‘pick and mix’ approach to controlled parking, so that individual roads can opt in or out of the zone through their votes in the consultation . This means that it is possible to address very distinctive local problems in different ways, within an overall policy framework, without any risk of a narrow majority imposing their will on others.

You're never far from an Acton connection

2005-09-02T15:03:00.000+01:00

Shameless Acton partisan that I am, I used part of my summer break to visit a couple of places of Actonian interest. Most parochially, whilst in Suffolk, I visited the village of Acton – between Sudbury and Lavenham - as seen here. A good pint of Greene King Abbot in the Crown in the village, although not a patch on the Fullers London Pride in our local Kings Head.

By my count, there are five other Actons in England, thirteen in the USA, three in Canada and three in Australia. Acton Massachusetts is the largest outside London – and even has an outlying village called East Acton.

I later spent some time in the East Midlands, and took a ride on the new Nottingham tram system. Transport for London are proposing to build a tram around 2015 along the Uxbridge Road from Shepherds Bush to Uxbridge - which would pass along Acton Vale in East Acton. Some of the central Ealing opponents of the tram claim that Acton High Street is too narrow for trams to pass through comfortably, but as my picture shows, some of the route in Nottingham is along narrower roads than ours. The tram stop shown here is Shipstone Street – next to the sadly closed and much lamented Shipstone’s Brewery. Overall the tram seemed popular with local people, and was certainly well used.

From Dead Man's Alley to Pensions

2005-09-01T23:55:00.000+01:00

Two varying meetings tonight, that show the diversity of the work of a Councillor.

Firstly, the very local issue of Dead’s Man’s Alley” on the East Acton Estate – at a meeting with local residents, fellow Councillors, and a Council officer. Dead Man’s Alley has a history of anti-social behaviour (the clue is in the title), and local residents and I have been trying to close it for some time. New Government legislation now makes this far easier, but Council officers are instead seeking to spend money encouraging the use of it - against the opposition of local residents. I and the residents insisted and the meeting concluded that the dangerous part of the alley should be closed, but also agreed that feasibility work and consultation are undertaken on a possible safer alternative path. A good result overall, but it’ll be important to ensure that the Council keep to it.

I went from this to the Council’s Pension Fund Panel, where we have some key decisions to take in the next few months about the £400 million fund. The Local Government Pension Scheme has nationally-decided pension levels and benefits, but is funded and administered at a local level. The core funding comes from employees’ contributions (6% of their salaries) and income from investments, with the Council’s budget having to make up the difference between this income and pensions paid. Therefore, the better the fund’s investments perform in generating income, the lower is the cost to the local taxpayer.

LB Ealing is one of better performing Council pension funds in the country - in the five to ten percent best performers over the last five to ten years - and winning awards for topping the ‘league table’ in some investment categories. However, the investment strategy and fund managers are now due for a review, and as Trustees we are looking to further improve income in order to minimise Council Tax levels. We had the first debate tonight, and will look to make the key long-term decisions at our next meeting later in the Autumn.