Published: 21 October 2010
by JOSH LOEB

PUNCTURES and wet weather are standard hazards for cyclists, but now a politician has claimed that “Boris Bike” users are facing a new obstacle: City Hall.

Murad Qureshi, Labour London Assembly member, this week criticised Westminster City Council for putting the brakes on 33 applications for bike hire docking stations – more than any other local authority.

The avid cyclist, who lives in Queen’s Park, accused the city council of jeopardising the success of the scheme, saying there was a “chronic shortage” of these stations in the borough. The council said his comments were unfair and claimed it received more applications than other local authorities.

Mr Qureshi said: “Westminster City Council has been the obvious obstacle to the rolling out and the future success of the cycle hire scheme, with just over 40 per cent of the refused bike stations and one quarter of the withdrawn applications coming from within the borough.”

In August he highlighted the case of two docking stations under the Marylebone flyover which were marked on Transport for London maps but had not been built. 

Chris Skitch, who lives near Charing Cross and runs online forum borisbikes.org, said many applications were being refused planning permission in Westminster because of complaints from residents.

He said: “What makes me angry is where local residents have objected. That seems to be happening most often in affluent parts of London where people would rather have Chelsea tractors driving around than these unsightly hoodlums on bikes. There’s a case to be made that property values improve with the docking stations so I think residents who object might be making a mistake.”

Councillor Robert Davis, deputy leader and cabinet member for the built environment, said: “We strongly refute any suggestion that we are not supportive of the mayor’s bike hire scheme. In Westminster we are keen to see lots of people using bikes in the city, and we have been supportive of the scheme as we see it as an important way of tackling climate change and a way of introducing more environmentally friendly transport into the city.

“We have given permission for 170 bike hire stands in Westminster, that is more than any other borough, and we have worked hard to make sure that the docking stations have been placed in appropriate sites. 

“The only reason that we may have refused more applications than elsewhere is because a greater number of applications were made to us.”

View article here

Last Friday on my way home on the tube from City Hall, l read the Evening Standard. The article which caught my eye the most was the one about the Liberal Democrat’s failure to find anyone suitable to stand for them in the mayoral contest.    

If I’m completely honest, my thoughts on this are, does it really matter whether the Lib Dems have a candidate at this stage or not because their candidate has no chance of winning the mayoral contest anyway? It is such a binary political choice between the Tory and Labour candidate that the only meaningful contribution any Lib Dem mayoral contender could make, is to declare where they think their voter’s second preferences should go. It does, however give an opportunity for someone to bank some publicity for themselves, as they are afforded the same stage as the other two heavyweight candidates. Therefore it comes of little surprise to read about Mr Opik’s desire to stand and the party’s understandable reluctance to press ahead with the selection process without any real choice.  Nonethless, there is no getting away with the fact that this is an important choice for the Lib Dems. Their last mayoral candidate in 2008 was Brian Paddock and with his rather wooden performances, l’d suggest probably cost them two London Assembly seats. Next time round, it’ll be even more difficult for them, with two years of public expenditure cuts under their belt and as the junior partner in a coalition government, the electorate will probably want to punish them, particularly with all their broken promises on issues like tuition fees. Candidate or no candidate at this stage, the reality is that the Lib Dems would do well to hold onto their 3 seats on the London Assembly in 2012. 

Click image to enlarge 

Richmond to lose nine police officers over next three years

Up to nine officers could be lost from Richmond’s police force as budgets tighten.

The Metropolitan Police Authority is set to recruit 900 fewer officers by next year than previously planned, it was revealed in their quarterly report.

The cuts in recruitment means nine police officers could be lost from the borough’s police force over the next three years.

The neighbouring borough of Kingston could also face losing nine officers, while Hounslow police could be forced to carry out its work with 14 fewer police officers.

London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said the cuts were unfair and warned the police could have to choose which crimes they tackle with the reduced resources.

He said: “The country’s finances obviously mean tough choices have to be made but when it comes down to having to choose between tackling violence or burglary, it’s there for all to see what the government’s cuts really mean.

“People round here didn’t cause the financial crisis yet they are being expected to take the hit for it.”

Richmond’s borough commander Chief Superintendent Clive Chalk declined to comment.  View full article

The idea of London based football clubs moving around is a familiar one. Millwall moved from the Isle of Dogs to south of the river and Arsenal from Greenwich to Highbury so why not Spurs from North London to East London?  This story, comes as no surprise to me, in that the option of a move to Stratford is fast becoming the first choice for Tottenham Hotspur given the uncertainty of staying at their existing site with a new stadium.

As I’ve said in a previous blog, l can see no reason why the Olympic Stadium can’t be shared by two clubs as l witnessed at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.   Both local teams, Roma & Lazio manage to play with their vast and fanatical fan base on alternate weekends on a pitch around a running track.  (Alas both clubs have not seen the virtue of this!)  My concern is, that as an away fan, getting to White Hart Lane is murder, (as I suggested in a  report  to the Transport Committee which investigated the issue of sports travel)  so I’d much rather travel somewhere like Stratford, which will no doubt be much better connected than Tottenham after the games.

While the Labour has been busy electing its new leader and the party’s candidate for London mayor, Boris Johnson has been seeking to get more powers from central government.  He proposes to do away with the Metropolitan Police Authority, which scrutinises and holds the police to account. He wants more powers over housing and rail transport. He also seeks the abolition of the London Development Agency and more direct control of the Thames and royal parks.

There has been little debate about these new arrangements during the campaign to decide who will take on Boris in 2012, but Ken Livingstone is sure to give them serious thought when developing his manifesto.

Despite the new proposals, the powers of London’s Mayor are still limited compared with those enjoyed by the mayors of other major world cities. Whatever David Cameron and his ministers may say about localism, they are still reluctant to let go of too much power. It’s a common enough trait in central government. Tony Blair’s Government was far too cautious when it returned devolved power to London 15 years after Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC.

The situation in Britain now is that the administrations of Wales and Scotland have more powers devolved to them than London, even though London is far larger than either in terms of both its population and the size of its economy.

The litmus test for many is whether the Mayor can get more powers over London’s finances. At present, just 7 per cent of the Mayor’s income comes from his share of London council tax, compared with 50 per cent in New York and more than 80 per cent in Tokyo. If the capital could get more revenue-raising power, the role of the Mayor (already dubbed the third most powerful position in British politics) could really be developed.

Boris may well be negotiating for these new powers just as his transport and policing budgets face up to 40 per cent cuts. Doubtless the Tory incumbent would be reluctant to preside over this. It would at least offer the prospect of Londoners being able to cover the cost of Government spending cuts through their Mayor.

The various local authorities and the London Assembly have already signed off most of the changes currently going through in London. The challenge now is to make sure the beneficiary of these new powers – and any others in the future – is Ken Livingstone as Labour Mayor in May 2012.  While his job won’t be as powerful as those of his New York and Parisian equivalents, the new settlement is a step towards making the Mayor of London more independent of central government. That can only be a good thing for London and everyone who genuinely supports localism.

Murad Qureshi is a Labour member of the London Assembly.

Click here to view the full Tribune article

Runners leaving Wembley at the start of the 1948 Olympic marathon

Following a host of objections from MPs and east end local authorities, the controversy over the Olympic marathon route simply refuses to go away. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23884085-angry-eastenders-accuse-coe-of-betrayal-over-2012-marathon-route.do, Lord Coe and LOCOG need to ask themselves, exactly “when have the Olympics had a marathon which doesn’t end at the Olympic stadium”? (with the exception of Athens 2004 for very good historical reasons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men’s_marathon.) And even more importantly, why should it be any different in London for 2012? Our road networks and infrastructures are supposed to be at their best in the 21st century and one of the greatest traditions of the games should not be abandoned simply due to logistical challenges. It reflects very badly on LOCOG, that other host cities have managed this sort of logistical difficulty in the past, including London way back in 1908 and 1948! If it can be done in London in previous ocassions why not in 2012 ?

Finish line at 1908 Olympic marathon games London