Myself with Dot & Barry Palmer

It’s not often you get to go to a community victory celebration, but there was one recently in Sipson Gardens    http://www.demotix.com/hub/heathrow  where the villages around Heathrow were celebrating a victory against all the odds in stopping the Heathrow expansion.  The following weekend (4th of Sept), l joined a demo http://tinyurl.com/2cxzmzm at London City Airport where a similar plight is being faced by local residents.

I have, in the past made the point that the Mayor supports the expansion on paper http://tinyurl.com/2u7hwdp. He also considered a report to that effect http://tinyurl.com/2aec9js. This is despite a public meeting on the 18th of January this year at a pseudo-PQT in Ilford when, following my insistence requesting his intervention, he stated that he was not the planning authority and did not think he could reverse the decision. When further pressed by the public audience, he eventually agreed to push for a public consultation using the phase “consider me lobbied”. Since then, l’ve raised a motion at the London Assembly (passed unanimously on the 24th of Feb 2010) asking the Mayor to review the increased flights at City Airport. http://tinyurl.com/34tpzlq. This was a timely demo given that BA have since, revealed their intention to introduce long-haul flights at city airport http://tinyurl.com/397hxz8 and also in view of the near miss over London’s sky when a private jet from city airport nearly collided with a Heathrow plane http://tinyurl.com/39dr6lv

Watch this space for the latest developments on London city airport!

So the Mayor has decided to press ahead with his plan to delay the next stage of the Low Emission Zone – meaning that the most polluting vans and LGVs can belch out their fumes across London for another two years.

This is another indication of how low down his list of priorities tackling London’s poor air quality is.

New City Hall figures show that the number of Londoners dying early because of the air they are forced to breathe is now over twenty times higher than the number killed in road accidents in the city. Yet this latest, unnecessary move points to a Mayor who is intent on doing as little as possible, and who is culpable in a huge public health disaster.

When the Low Emission Zone was first introduced it was estimated that the rate of premature deaths and hospitalisations caused by poor air quality was about 1,000 – or four times higher than the number of road fatalities in London.

However, three separate reports issued in the past year (including the Mayor’s own research) have found that in Greater London poor air quality contributes to more than 4,000 premature deaths every year.

As deaths from road traffic accidents in London have fallen, so deaths from the city’s poor air have risen. There were 184 killed on our roads in 2009 – twenty times less than the number estimated to have died thanks to the silent, invisible killer we all have to breathe in.

So what should the Mayor do? He has resisted calls to implement the next stage of the Low Emission Zone this month as planned. And when 4,000 people are dying every year, a two-year delay is certainly not insignificant.

But he still has the opportunity to overturn some of the other regressive steps he has taken since taking office.

He should abandon his plans to cut the size of the congestion charge zone in half.

If he doesn’t, he will increase traffic and pollution in the area by almost 10 ten per cent and will throw away between £55-£70 million of annual revenue which could otherwise be spent keeping fares down and improving public transport.

He should re-instate instate six-monthly inspections of black cabs, which many failed because of their emissions rates.

He could improve information for Londoners on local air quality levels to enable them to make more informed choices about how they get around.

He could introduce a retrofit subsidy scheme for black cabs and begin work on improving public transport to Heathrow airport – up to three quarters of toxic nitrogen oxide pollution in the local area is caused not by planes but road vehicles.

London was singled out this summer for breaching legal limits for dangerous airborne particles. The UK government faces a £300m fine from the European Commission if London’s air is not improved and, by the Mayor’s own admission, his proposals won’t bring London’s air within European legal limits. In the meantime, pollution levels are cutting Londoners’ lives short by an average of two years.

This is real and urgent but, more than halfway through his four-year term, the Mayor has only just consulted on his paltry plans to tackle London’s air quality problem.

We know now that far more people die because of our poor air than are killed by speeding cars yet there is nothing to suggest he appreciates the scale of this problem or has even the slightest inclination to tackle it.

Thousands are dying early unnecessarily every year; in some parts of our city one in five children already suffers with asthma; and the state of our air is so bad it is stunting the growth of our young people’s lungs.

There cannot be many greater, more urgent causes for a Mayor to take on, so why is Boris Johnson seemingly intent on sleep-walking through it? There are practical, realistic solutions to these problems that a Mayor who had the desire to do so could implement. Delay and inaction is the opposite of what is needed.

The results of two by-elections in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Cremorne and Earls Court Ward last week, have led to the knifes coming out  http://kensington.londoninformer.co.uk/2010/09/by-election-results-in.html  for the leader of the Council, Cllr Cockell. In Cremorne, with an overall turnout of 24.9%, the Tories held onto the ward by the skin of their teeth as there were just 19 votes in it. This slither of a margin is against a backdrop of a 16 per cent swing to Labour which polled 40 per cent of the vote. The Tory vote fell by 9 per cent down to 41 per cent. It is undeniable that Mabel McKeown, the Labour candidate, did exceptionally well to run Gerard Hargreaves so close in a seat where the Tories won comfortably with a 800 plus majority, just a few months ago in the May elections.

In the Earls Court ward, Linda Wade of the Lib Dems took the ward from the Tories on the back of a 23 per cent swing to them, a total of 703 votes against the Tories 594. The turnout here was more or less the same at 24%. What had clearly been a spanner in the works for the Tories, here, was that Malcolm Spalding had stood at the May election as an independent, having allegedly been hand picked by the leader of the Council, who is accused of acting as though the borough has become his private fiefdom. All the fingers are now firmly pointed in the direction of Cllr Cockell and his leadership. It’ll be an interesting watch to see all the Tory daggers out in force in this part of town. This all comes on top of the scandals surrounding the resignation of the two Tory councillors which precipitated the by-elections in the first place. Certainly makes this an entertaining part of town to keep an eye on local politics!

The West End Extra is right to say l am back Ed Miliband but not because l was snubbed by his elder brother David.

Ed is making a clean break from New Labour, in a way and manner that will bring all the elements of the labour movement together again. This is something clearly David is not going to be able to do and the latest example is his position that Heathrow airport should be expanded as he expressed last week. This is out of kilter with the consensus in London across the political spectrum and lacks any appreciation that essentially the airport is placed in suburban west London and thus inflicts a huge environmental cost to those living there. Its also suggest that Labour is in with big business and in this instance BAA which does not go down well certainly in that part of London.

If anything when the shadow cabinet is formed after the new leader is installed during party conference a fundamental review of Labours aviation policy needs to be undertaken as soon as possible.

Last sunday at Havestock school, Ed gave us a sense of where he intends to take us like recapturing individual liberty tradition in our party; defending the Unions; having a graduate tax proportion to earnings not tuition fees;  dismissing the coalitions deficit politics while espousing Keynesian economis as the best way out. These were just some of the points l can remember him making on the night.  

He’s political analysis of the five million votes  lost by Labour since 1997 is that four million went to other parties and not to the Tories.  And that many in middle England also believe strongly in a society where the rich do their bit and pay their fair share. I of course tend to agree with this.

Just as residents were breathing a sigh of relief that the government has said no to mixed-mode operation at Heathrow, BAA is about to cancel alternation on westerlies for the next six weeks as part of "essential maintenance" works at the airport. As an internal BAA report confirms:

"Note: This means that:

Whether on easterlies or westerlies the same areas will be overflown"

Alternation will continue during the day on easterly flights during the maintenance work.

Murad said: "BAA insist it’s only mixed mode if planes are taking off and landing on both runways at the same time, but please, spare us the semantics. If you’re under one of these flight paths this means you simply won’t get any respite during the day. The Government may have turned down requests for permanent two-way flying, but BAA seem intent on introducing mixed-mode, however they call it, by hook or by crook."

Murad Qureshi AM added: "The current arrangements ensure alternation which means flights swapping to different flight paths at 3pm each day, so that people underneath get some respite from the flight path above them for part of the day. Suspend alternation and you cancel that respite."

Ends.

Notes

Murad Qureshi is a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member and is the Assembly’s Labour Group Environment spokesperson.

BAA are keen to increase flight numbers at Heathrow, but requests for a third runway and the introduction of mixed-mode flying patterns have been turned down by the Government

Runway Alternation

This is the current practice where planes, when they land over West London, switch runways at 3pm. This gives the people in many parts of West London a half day’s break from the noise.

Mixed-Mode

At present, when the landing planes switch runways at 3pm, so do those taking off. It means that planes land and take off from separate runways. If runway alternation is abolished, planes would be landing and taking off from the same runway (at least for part of the day). That is called mixed mode.

Mixed mode flight operations were precluded under the Cranford Agreement, which stood from 1952 until 2009.

Murad represents the London Assembly on the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC)

Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee is an advisory body constituted by Heathrow Airport Limited in respect of Heathrow Airport in accordance with Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982

Presentation given to HACC on 4^{th August 2010 about the planned maintenance works:}

In June 2010 the Assembly passed a motion unanimously opposing mixed mode at Heathrow:

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"This Assembly welcomes the government’s decision to refuse a third runway at Heathrow and the BAA announcement that it would not seek planning permission for a further runway at Heathrow. However, this Assembly would strongly oppose any increase in the number of flights from its airports in and around London by other means, such as mixed mode operations, more night flights or expansion at London’s airports

The Assembly notes the long standing opposition of the Parties in the coalition government to any increase in flights, mixed mode operations, night flights or expansion at London’s airports, and calls on the Government to firmly and openly reject any increase in the number of flights at BAA’s London airports."

Just as residents were breathing a sigh of relief that the government has said no to mixed-mode operation at Heathrow, BAA is about to cancel alternation on westerlies for the next six weeks as part of “essential maintenance” works at the airport.  As an internal BAA report confirms:

 “Note: This means that:

·         Whether on easterlies or westerlies the same areas will be overflown”

Alternation will continue during the day on easterly flights during the maintenance work. 

Murad said:  “BAA insist it’s only mixed mode if planes are taking off and landing on both runways at the same time, but please, spare us the semantics.  If you’re under one of these flight paths this means you simply won’t get any respite during the day.  The Government may have turned down requests for permanent two-way flying, but BAA seem intent on introducing mixed-mode, however they call it, by hook or by crook.” 

Murad Qureshi AM added:  “The current arrangements ensure alternation which means flights swapping to different flight paths at 3pm each day, so that people underneath get some respite from the flight path above them for part of the day.  Suspend alternation and you cancel that respite.” 

Ends.

Notes

Murad Qureshi is a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member and is the Assembly’s Labour Group Environment spokesperson.  

BAA are keen to increase flight numbers at Heathrow, but requests for a third runway and the introduction of mixed-mode flying patterns have been turned down by the Government 

Runway Alternation

This is the current practice where planes, when they land over West London, switch runways at 3pm. This gives the people in many parts of West London a half day’s break from the noise. 

Mixed-Mode

At present, when the landing planes switch runways at 3pm, so do those taking off. It means that planes land and take off from separate runways. If runway alternation is abolished, planes would be landing and taking off from the same runway (at least for part of the day). That is called mixed mode.  

Mixed mode flight operations were precluded under the Cranford Agreement, which stood from 1952 until 2009.  

Murad represents the London Assembly on the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC) 

Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee is an advisory body constituted by Heathrow Airport Limited in respect of Heathrow Airport in accordance with Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 

Presentation given to HACC on 4^th August 2010 about the planned maintenance works: 

In June 2010 the Assembly passed a motion unanimously opposing mixed mode at Heathrow: 

“This Assembly welcomes the government’s decision to refuse a third runway at Heathrow and the BAA announcement that it would not seek planning permission for a further runway at Heathrow. However, this Assembly would strongly oppose any increase in the number of flights from its airports in and around London by other means, such as mixed mode operations, more night flights or expansion at London’s airports 

The Assembly notes the long standing opposition of the Parties in the coalition government to any increase in flights, mixed mode operations, night flights or expansion at London’s airports, and calls on the Government to firmly and openly reject any increase in the number of flights at BAA’s London airports.” 

Further information please contact Alison Marcroft at 020 7983 4363

Murad Qureshi AM, questioned the Leader of Bromley Council about the disappearance of two trees from Hastings Lane in Penge East.  During a visit last month to the local area, Murad was approached by several residents who’d noticed that, following pedestrianisation works by the local council to an access way between Princes Road and Alexandra Road, known as Hardings Lane, only six trees were planted back and not the original eight. 

Murad wrote to the Leader of Bromley Council, Stephen Carr, congratulating him for the works to the local area, but expressed resident’s concerns that two of the trees had failed to return.  In his letter to the leader, Murad said “trees form a vital component of a healthier and greener environment” and asked “whether there are plans to increase the number of trees to the original eight which existed prior to the works” The Leader responded, stating that “eight trees were considered to be inappropriate for the area in question as there were too many of them, especially on London clay which leads to root damage” 

Murad is a London wide Labour Assembly Member and is the Assembly’s Labour Group Environment spokesperson.  He responded to Bromley’s reply stating that “it is vital that someone speaks up and questions decisions like the one made by Bromley, because of the potential impact on the environment.  Although, there are six ornamental trees there now, which will, eventually mature, residents clearly wanted to see all the trees returned.  I’d hope that in the future, councils consult residents more widely and make them aware of their plans and reasons for decisions like this which impact upon the quality of resident’s enjoyment of their local environment”  

Ends.

Notes

Murad Qureshi is a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member and is the Assembly’s Labour Group Environment spokesperson.

Details of the Assembly’s Environment Committee meeting can be found here: 

http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/the-london-assembly/committees/environment 

Further info please  Nikki Salih on 020 7983 4400 or Alison Marcroft at 020 7983 4363

Please see below the response to my written MQT;

Cricket investigation

Question No: 2743 / 2010

Murad Qureshi

How did the MET decide to investigate the cricket corruption cases surrounding the Pakistani cricket side when the cricket authorities themselves in the form of the ICC are doing there own investigations?

Answer from the Mayor

On 30^th August, officers from the Metropolitan Police met with representatives from the News of the World newspaper who provided evidence of a conspiracy to dishonestly influence a cricket Test match between England and Pakistan.

An assessment by senior officers and a senior crown prosecutor concluded that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that serious criminal activity had taken place. It was then deemed appropriate (and in the public interest) to mount an investigation.

 In order to preserve evidence, it was necessary to take immediate action. The investigation is being conducted by officers from the Economic and Specialist Crime Command, with close liaison with the CPS and the relevant cricket authorities.