With Hounslow LCC at Market Place, Brentford

Last Saturday l joined a group of cyclists in Hounslow for a ride around Brentford, Isleworth & Old Deer Park.  It not only gave me an appreciation of the roads of Brentford & Isleworth but also its history of maritime activities with its docks. Furthermore its place in Roman history with its claim to Julius Csear landing on its shores rather then some other part of West London!

l brought along a Brompton bike to do the tour. As Brentford is the home of the bike, l thought its the bike l should be seen on during this ride  

So well done to London Cycling Campaign (LCC) in Hounslow for organising such an event and l look forward to other trips. As well as them promoting cycling for all  across the borough; improving the cycling infrastucture in the borough; and promoting better relations between other road users as well.

Since his re-election last May Boris Johnson has cut over 1,300 police officers ““ despite promising an extra 1,000. The latest drop in police numbers comes at a time when the Mayor and government are considering buying water cannons for the police.

London wide Assembly Member, Murad Qureshi AM, said:

“These latest figures are deeply concerning. Not only have we lost 259 police officers in Westminster but nearly 3000 have been cut across London since May 2010. The vast majority of these officers have been lost from the borough’s police teams. Hollowing out the frontline like this cannot continue.

“Instead of cutting the police budget by 20 per cent and buying water cannons the government and Mayor should be properly resourcing the police. These cuts are completely unacceptable. Boris’ latest policing plan claims that it will put more police into the boroughs and on the streets, the evidence tells a very different story. The Mayor and the Government’s cuts are too far, too fast.”

Ends

Notes

1.    Murad Qureshi AM is a Labour London wide Assembly Member.

See  attached  with link to “Raw” data , then Police Officer and staff numbers, by staff type, detailing the number of police officers in London and by borough for 2010 and 2013.

3.    In September 2012 Boris Johnson said at Mayor’s Question Time: “I do think that it is important to keep Police numbers high”¦It is something that not everybody necessarily agrees with me about.  A lot of people say that the numbers themselves do not matter.  I think that they do matter.  I think that it is important that we keep them at or around 32,000.”

Under the new regime businesses are practically confined to areas dictated by Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles. By drawing boundaries around exempted areas the Government is directing where business should develop and cluster. Previously clusters like Tech City, which has been exempted, could expand naturally.

The planning system already provides local authorities the tools to allow conversions where appropriate. Westminster applied for an exemption but only the Central Activities Zone was awarded an exemption.

Local government officers complained they found out about the decisions on a public website.

Labour Londonwide Assembly Member, Murad Qureshi AM said:

“These exemptions should be seen for what they are – a Government which trumpets localism whilst once again ignores local concerns. It’s extraordinary that Westminster] was not given an exemption when the local economy needs all the help it can get. The vast majority of London is at risk of losing the office space that existing small businesses and start-ups rely on to thrive.

“We know there are better ways of getting housing than at the expense of jobs and growth.

The difference in value between employment and residential properties is already high, and this policy will double or treble it in areas which aren’t exempted.”

Ends

Notes

1.    Murad Qureshi AM is a Labour Londonwide Assembly Member.

2.    New permitted development rights for B1(a) office to C(3) residential will come into effect on 30 May. Yesterday Department for Communities and Local Government announced that only select parts of Manchester, ten London boroughs, and a handful of other areas will be exempt.

3.    The Government considerably strengthened these powers in the recent National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Paragraph 51 directs local authorities to “normally approve planning applications for change to residential use”.

4.    DCLG made the decisions based on a superficial scoring criteria which local authorities were only notified of after the decision had been made.

5.    The boundary of the exemption in Westminster is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197662/Map_1.13_City_of_Westminster.pdf

There will be special weeks to encourage people to walk instead of using other modes of transport:

• 13-17 May is Walk to Work Week

• 20-24 May is Walk to School Week

   

   

Londonwide Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said:

“I am very supportive of any scheme that encourages people to walk or cycle more. We need our Mayor to lead the way on this. There are a number of things that the Mayor can do to encourage more people to walk to work or school, such as implement road safety schemes, introduce and enforce 20mph zones and improve pedestrian facilities.

“The Mayor has recently published his vision for cycling in London, but what we need is a plan for increasing the number of people who walk.  Walking is free, keeps you fit and healthy, and is a sustainable alternative to taking the bus. It helps keep our air clean and our streets quieter and safer. According to the British Medical Association people who are physically active reduce their risk of premature death and of developing major chronic diseases, like coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes by up to 50%, and the risk of premature death by up to 30%.

“We currently spend £2.5 billion a year on treating obesity, it’s time we had a plan to get as many people as possible walking more. I call on the Mayor to produce a vision for walking, so we can ensure that the future of Londoners is fit, healthy and sustainable.”

Ends

Notes

1.    Murad Qureshi AM is a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member.

2.    Further details on National Walking Month can be found here.

3.    The BMA report can be found here: http://bma.org.uk/transport (for health benefits see p27, for obesity costs see p46)

Last week l was at Hammersmith Town Hall for an exhibition of the proposed tunnel to replace the Hammersmith flyover. This brochure illustrates well the tunnel vision derived from a collection of architectural practises in Hammersmith with contributions from the Halcrow Group & the local Business Improvement District (BID). 

Interestingly the tunnelling will begin from the West in Chiswick, Hounslow (after the Hogarth roundabout). So Hounslow Council clearly need to take a view on the matter.  I’m pretty sure the residents of Chiswick will have their own views as well.  It will end East of the Hammersmith flyover in Earls Court, which falls in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, so clearly residents and the council there will also need to have a say.  A major bonus is that it would open up the Thames again to residents of both Hammersmith & Chiswick, though this will need to be reflected in some way in any feasibility study undertaken as well as unlocking a substantial amount of land above the tunnel itself.

Once feasibility is actually undertaken by Hammersmith & Fulham council, l would like to see a session of the Transport Committee at the London Assembly examine the “Tunnel Vision for West London.”   The plans will have implications for not just the replacement of the Hammersmith flyover but also the Westway in Paddington & North Kensington as well as the elevated M4 in Brentford.  This will be the case even more if the effect of Cross rail, once operational, is to take off the road, traffic along the A4 & M4 particularly from Heathrow.

Sadly in the history of building transport infrastructure in London, West London during the 1950 & 60’s got lumbered with a number of flyovers and elevated highways dividing communities geographically, such as the ones in Paddington & Brentford built when other parts of London were saved from this fate! You can blame the cross party consensus in the GLC for this.

But, finally, what’s most relevant is what the Mayor thinks of all of this? I have asked him before and had this  response.  I thought it was rather a cold and bureaucratic reply.  Methinks it is time to ask him again and try and get him to feel more enthusiastic about it all.

Petition against closure of Post Office in Lupus Street

Yesterday morning l started the day by joining campaigners trying to stop the closure of a Crown Post Office in Pimlico on Lupus Street. We got an amazing response to the petition from users of the post office itself and people passing by along Lupus St.

London is being hit disproportionately by the government’s decision to cut 20 per cent of the Crown Post Office network, as six of the seven Crown Post Offices identified for outright closure are located in London including Lupus St, Holloway Rd, Sutton High St, Kennington Park Road, Stockwell and Broadgate.

Despite only representing 3 per cent of the Postal Network, Crown Post Offices employ 5,000 people and are responsible for 20 per cent of all Post Office business. In London, not only do local residents like pensioners rely on them but these Post Offices also process 40 per cent of financial services mail and are therefore a crucial component of London’s economy.  

Not surprisingly we are having a public meeting in Pimlico about the closure of the Crown Post Office on Lupus street on the 29th of May @6.30pm in Churchill Gardens Community Hall chaired by Sue Walsh, Chair of the Churchill Gardens Estates Residents Association.   So, please, do come along and let us together, try and stop the proposed closure of the much loved and much used local Crown Post Office.

The information was quietly released onto the London Fire Brigade’s website late yesterday (Tuesday). So far 11 boroughs have had their formal consultation meetings with the Fire Brigade, despite the fact they were not provided with these detailed figures which for the first time reveal the full impact of the Mayor’s cuts.

The details show that residents in an additional 41 wards in London will fall outside of the target response time of six minutes for the first fire engine. This is on top of the 267 already falling outside the target.

Londonwide Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“These figures clearly show that the Mayor has been misleading Londoners, his cuts will mean that people across our city will have to wait significantly longer for a fire engine to arrive in the event of an emergency. In Warwick the increase is from 4.34 to 7.16 minutes, Vincent Square will increase from 3.54 to 6.14 minutes and Tachbrook increases from 4.29 minutes to 6.33. These increases are all more than 2 minutes.  This might not sound a lot but a fire can quadruple in intensity every two minutes. These increases are truly scandalous; no wonder they didn’t release this information sooner. This completely blows a hole in the Mayor’s plans for fire cuts; he must abandon them now and adopt our fully costed plan to keep them all open.

“This shows how flawed the Mayor’s Draft Fire Plan is, the borough response times in the plan hide these local increases, which are disgraceful. The Mayor’s plans to cut 12 fire stations, 18 fire engines and 520 firefighters are unacceptable. We presented him with a fully costed plan to keep them all, instead he has chosen to cut council tax by one penny a day. While a small amount to individual Londoners, across our city this adds up and will lead to a huge cut in our valued fire service. It is more urgent than ever that Londoners respond to the Mayor’s consultation and tell him what they think. Boris must take Londoners for complete fools if he thinks he can get away with this.”

The full list of increases across London is set out below:

Bromley: Plaistow & Sunridge (5.33 ““ 6.06) 33seconds increase

Camden: Belsize (4.37 ““ 7.59) 3.22mins increase; Camden Town with Primrose Hill (5.23 ““ 6.27) 1.04mins increase; Gospel Oak (5.27 ““ 6.11) 44 seconds increase; Hampstead Town (5.07 ““ 6.46) 1.39mins increase; Haverstock (5.15-6.16) 1.01 mins increase; Swiss Cottage (5.19-6.45) 1.26mins increase

City of London: Aldersgate (5.22-6.03) 41secs increase; Castle Baynard (5.35-6.17) 42secs increase; Cheap (5.56-6.15) 19secs increase; Farringdon without (5.10 ““ 6.08) 58secs increase

Greenwich: Woolwich Common (5.32 ““ 6.36) 1.04mins increase; Woolwich Riverside (4.57 ““ 7.26) 2.29mins increase

Hackney: Dalston (5.18 ““ 6.59) 1.41mins increase; De Beauvoir (4.24 ““ 7.37) 3.13mins increase; New River (5.56 ““ 6.01) 5secs increase; Queensbridge (5.00 ““ 6.43) 1.43mins increase

Islington:  Clerkenwell (4.19 ““ 6.26) 2.07mins increase; Mildmay (5.44-6.41) 57secs increase

Kensington & Chelsea: Brompton (4.37 ““ 6.27) 1.50mins increase

Lambeth: Clapham Common (4.50-7.47) 2.57mins increase; Clapham Town (3.56-7.53) 3.57mins increase

Lewisham: Catford South (5.29-6.13) 44secs increase; Downham (5.54-7.38) 1.44mins increase; Grove Park (5.10-6.27) 1.17mins increase; Telegraph Hill (5.15-7.24) 2.09mins increase; Whitefoot (5.08-7.57) 2.49mins increase

Newham: Canning Town North (5.58-6.11) 13secs increase; Canning Town South (5.29-6.11) 42secs increase; Royal Docks (5.27-8.39) 3.12mins increase

Tower Hamlets: Bow East (4.09-7.20) 3.11mins increase; Bow West (4.41-6.39) 1.58mins increase; Bromley-by-Bow (5.45-6.10) 25secs increase; Mile End East (5.26-6.18) 52secs increase

Wandsworth: Queenstown (5.25-6.45) 1.20mins increase

Westminster: Abbey Road (5.58 ““ 6.36) 38secs increase; Churchill (5.27-6.51) 1.24mins increase; Tachbrook (4.29-6.33) 2.04mins increase; Vincent Square (3.54-6.14) 2.20mins increase; Warwick (4.34-7.16) 2.42mins increase; West End (5.44-6.16) 32secs increase

Ends

Notes

1.    Murad Qureshi AM is a Londonwide Labour London Assembly Member

2.    A ward breakdown can be found here: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/Documents/ward-impacts.pdf

The information was quietly released onto the London Fire Brigade’s website late yesterday (Tuesday). So far 11 boroughs have had their formal consultation meetings with the Fire Brigade, despite the fact they were not provided with these detailed figures which for the first time reveal the full impact of the Mayor’s cuts.

The details show that residents in an additional 41 wards in London will fall outside of the target response time of six minutes for the first fire engine. This is on top of the 267 already falling outside the target.

Londonwide Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“These figures clearly show that the Mayor has been misleading Londoners, his cuts will mean that people across our city will have to wait significantly longer for a fire engine to arrive in the event of an emergency. In Warwick the increase is from 4.34 to 7.16 minutes, Vincent Square will increase from 3.54 to 6.14 minutes and Tachbrook increases from 4.29 minutes to 6.33. These increases are all more than 2 minutes.  This might not sound a lot but a fire can quadruple in intensity every two minutes. These increases are truly scandalous; no wonder they didn’t release this information sooner. This completely blows a hole in the Mayor’s plans for fire cuts; he must abandon them now and adopt our fully costed plan to keep them all open.

“This shows how flawed the Mayor’s Draft Fire Plan is, the borough response times in the plan hide these local increases, which are disgraceful. The Mayor’s plans to cut 12 fire stations, 18 fire engines and 520 firefighters are unacceptable. We presented him with a fully costed plan to keep them all, instead he has chosen to cut council tax by one penny a day. While a small amount to individual Londoners, across our city this adds up and will lead to a huge cut in our valued fire service. It is more urgent than ever that Londoners respond to the Mayor’s consultation and tell him what they think. Boris must take Londoners for complete fools if he thinks he can get away with this.”

The full list of increases across London is set out below:

Bromley: Plaistow & Sunridge (5.33 ““ 6.06) 33seconds increase

Camden: Belsize (4.37 ““ 7.59) 3.22mins increase; Camden Town with Primrose Hill (5.23 ““ 6.27) 1.04mins increase; Gospel Oak (5.27 ““ 6.11) 44 seconds increase; Hampstead Town (5.07 ““ 6.46) 1.39mins increase; Haverstock (5.15-6.16) 1.01 mins increase; Swiss Cottage (5.19-6.45) 1.26mins increase

City of London: Aldersgate (5.22-6.03) 41secs increase; Castle Baynard (5.35-6.17) 42secs increase; Cheap (5.56-6.15) 19secs increase; Farringdon without (5.10 ““ 6.08) 58secs increase

Greenwich: Woolwich Common (5.32 ““ 6.36) 1.04mins increase; Woolwich Riverside (4.57 ““ 7.26) 2.29mins increase

Hackney: Dalston (5.18 ““ 6.59) 1.41mins increase; De Beauvoir (4.24 ““ 7.37) 3.13mins increase; New River (5.56 ““ 6.01) 5secs increase; Queensbridge (5.00 ““ 6.43) 1.43mins increase

Islington:  Clerkenwell (4.19 ““ 6.26) 2.07mins increase; Mildmay (5.44-6.41) 57secs increase

Kensington & Chelsea: Brompton (4.37 ““ 6.27) 1.50mins increase

Lambeth: Clapham Common (4.50-7.47) 2.57mins increase; Clapham Town (3.56-7.53) 3.57mins increase

Lewisham: Catford South (5.29-6.13) 44secs increase; Downham (5.54-7.38) 1.44mins increase; Grove Park (5.10-6.27) 1.17mins increase; Telegraph Hill (5.15-7.24) 2.09mins increase; Whitefoot (5.08-7.57) 2.49mins increase

Newham: Canning Town North (5.58-6.11) 13secs increase; Canning Town South (5.29-6.11) 42secs increase; Royal Docks (5.27-8.39) 3.12mins increase

Tower Hamlets: Bow East (4.09-7.20) 3.11mins increase; Bow West (4.41-6.39) 1.58mins increase; Bromley-by-Bow (5.45-6.10) 25secs increase; Mile End East (5.26-6.18) 52secs increase

Wandsworth: Queenstown (5.25-6.45) 1.20mins increase

Westminster: Abbey Road (5.58 ““ 6.36) 38secs increase; Churchill (5.27-6.51) 1.24mins increase; Tachbrook (4.29-6.33) 2.04mins increase; Vincent Square (3.54-6.14) 2.20mins increase; Warwick (4.34-7.16) 2.42mins increase; West End (5.44-6.16) 32secs increase

Ends

Notes

1.    Murad Qureshi AM is a Londonwide Labour London Assembly Member

2.    A ward breakdown can be found here: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/Documents/ward-impacts.pdf

The Draft Fifth London Safety Plan was launched at the beginning of March. Residents can also contribute to the consultation through the Fire Authority website, where more details are available: http://london-fire.gov.uk/lsp5.

Londonwide Labour London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“It is vital that residents take part in this consultation about the proposal to close 12 fire stations across London and make sure that their voice is heard.  I am disappointed that the consultation for Ealing and Hounslow has been lumped together.  Residents in Hounslow deserve a separate consultation of their own.  The meeting next week will be held in Ealing which won’t afford Hounslow residents the best opportunity to engage with the consultation”

“We are deeply concerned that the cuts will jeopardise the safety and security of Londoners, all for the dubious benefit of a penny a day off the Council Tax. But we want to hear from Londoners about their views during this consultation and what they think. I strongly urge residents, including those living in Hounslow to attend the meeting on the 13th of May at Ealing Town Hall and I look forward to seeing them there.”

Ends

Notes

1.    Murad Qureshi AM is a Londonwide Assembly Member.

2.    The consultation on the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan will begin on Monday 4 March 2013 and continue for 12 weeks, ending at 5pm on Tuesday 28 May 2013. Members of the public can have their say by visiting www.london-fire.gov.uk/lsp5, calling 0800 9888 569, by writing to the London Fire Brigade at 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL or by attending public meetings in London Boroughs, details of which will soon be available.

3.    The fire stations listed for closure are: Belsize in Camden; Bow in Tower Hamlets; Clapham in Lambeth; Clerkenwell in Islington; Downham in Lewisham; Kingsland in Hackney; Knightsbridge in Kensington & Chelsea; New Cross in Lewisham; Silvertown in Newham; Southwark; Westminster; and Woolwich in Greenwich.

4.    The following stations will lose one of their two fire engines: Chelsea, Chingford, Hayes, Leyton, Leytonstone, Peckham and Whitechapel.

·         Barnet, Enfield and Haringey, Thursday, 18 April 7-9pm at Haringey Council Chamber, Haringey Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, N22 8LE

·         Bexley, Bromley and Croydon, Thursday, 23 May 7-9pm at Bromley Central Library, High Street, Bromley BR1 1EX

·         Brent and Harrow, Tuesday, 16 April 7-9pm at Harrow Civic Centre, Station Road, Harrow HA1 2XY

·         Camden, Thursday, 30 May 7-9pm at McNamara Suite, London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB

·         City of London, Thursday, 9 May 7-9pm, The Main Hall at St Albans Centre, Leigh Place, Baldwins Gardens, Holborn, London EC1N 7AB

·         Ealing and Hounslow, Monday, 13 May 7-9pm at The Victoria Hall, Ealing Town Hall, New Broadway, Ealing W5 2BY

·         Greenwich, Wednesday 29 May 7-9pm at Lecture Theatre 315, King William Building, University of Greenwich, 30 Park Row, Greenwich, London SE10 9LS

·         Hackney, Monday, 20 May 7-9pm at Hackney Assembly Hall, Stoke Newington Town Hall, Stoke Newington Church Street N16 0JR

·         Hammersmith and Fulham, Thursday, 28 March, 7-9pm at Hammersmith Assembly Hall,  King Street, Hammersmith, W6 9JU

·         Havering and Redbridge, Monday, 3 June, 7-9pm at Lambourne Room, Redbridge Town Hall, 128-142 High Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 1DD

·         Hillingdon, Tuesday, 2 April, 7-9pm at Hillingdon Town Hall,  Middlesex Suite, Hillingdon Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW

·         Islington, Tuesday, 28 May, 7-9pm in the Assembly Hall at Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, N1 2UD 

·         Kensington and Chelsea, Monday, 10 June, 7-9pm in the Kensington Small Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX

·         Kingston-upon-Thames and Richmond-upon-Thames, Tuesday 4 June, 7-9pm at Clarendon Hall, York House, Richmond Road, Twickenham TW1 3AA

·         Lambeth, Thursday, 16 May 7-9pm at Lambeth Assembly Hall, Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton Hill, London SW2 1RW

·         Lewisham, Wednesday, 22 May 7-9pm at Sydenham School, Dartmouth Road, London SE26 4RD 

·         Merton and Sutton, Tuesday 21 May 7-9pm at the Council Chamber, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden SM4 5DX

·         Newham, Wednesday, 8 May, 7-9pm at Newham Town Hall, East Ham, Barking Road, E6 2RP

·         Southwark, Tuesday, 14 May 7-9pm at Committee Room 4 and 5, Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA  

·         Tower Hamlets, Tuesday, 7 May 7-9pm at Skeel Lecture Theatre, People’s Palace Building, Queen Mary University, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS 

·         Waltham Forest, Monday,15 April 7-9pm at Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow E17 4JD

·         Wandsworth, Thursday, 4 April 7-9pm at The Open Door Community Centre, Keevil Drive, Beaumont Road, London, SW19 6TF

·         Westminster, Tuesday, 11 June 7-9pm at the Paker Morris Hall, The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BU

Poor air quality in the UK has led to the Supreme Court ruling last Wednesday that the Government is failing to meet EU air quality targets. This ruling came as no surprise as areas such as Heathrow and Central London suffer from an increase in poor air quality, particularly with Nitrogen Dioxide.

Environmental campaign group, ClientEarth took the Government to court over its failure to comply with EU air pollution limits of Nitrogen Dioxide. Poor air quality in London causes more than 4,000 deaths prematurely every year, that is early deaths. The Supreme Court ruled the Government has breached its EU air pollution limit and that the European Commission should be able to take legal action against the UK.

The decision should be a wakeup call for the government and the Mayor. It is unacceptable that while 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year because of air pollution, Boris Johnson’s response has been to kick serious action that would tackle the problem down the line for a future Mayor to deal with.

Around Heathrow, the two pollutants that are of particular concern are Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with a diameter of ten microns or smaller (PM10 and PM2.5). NO2 is one of two main pollutants that make up oxides of nitrogen emissions (NOx) in London. The other is nitric oxide (NO). Of the two, NO2 is of most concern due to its impact on health. NO easily converts to NO2 in the air – so to reduce concentrations of NO2 it is essential to control emissions of NOx.

The latest reports on poor air quality around Heathrow can be seen in the London Heathrow Air Quality Group report and the London Assembly’s Environment Committee report on Heathrow Air & Noise Pollution.

Air pollution is the second biggest public health risk in the capital. That London will not meet legal limits on NO2 pollution until 2025 shows exactly how much of a priority the Mayor gave the issue during his first term.