Westminster’s most deprived area hit hardest by Mayor’s fire cuts

New analysis has revealed that Church Street Ward will be hardest hit by the Mayor of London’s proposed cuts to the London Fire Brigade with a 7 second increase in the time it takes for the first fire engine to attend an incident.

Of the 100 most deprived wards in London, 76 of them will have an increase in the time it takes for the first fire engine to arrive, and 82 of them will see an increase in the time for the second fire engine to arrive at an incident. London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM questioned Boris Johnson at today’s Mayor’s Question Time. The Mayor is proposing to close Westminster fire station and a public consultation is currently underway and will run until 17^th June 2013.

In Westminster the following areas will see an increase in attendance times:

• Church Street will see an increase of 7 seconds for the first fire engine and 7 seconds for the second engine
• Queens Park will see an increase of 7 seconds for the first fire engine and 5  seconds for the second engine
• Westbourne will see an increase of 6 seconds for the first fire engine and 5 seconds for the second engine

London wide Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“This research shows that it is the poorest residents in Westminster who will be hit hardest by the Mayor’s reckless cuts to our frontline fire service. The London Fire Brigade’s own plan admits there is a link between fire and deprivation. The increase in attendance times for Church Street, Queens Park and Westbourne are truly scandalous and will put the poorest residents at greater risk. All because the Mayor wants to cut the council tax by a penny a day.

“I urge residents to speak up and respond to the Mayor’s consultation and tell him what they think. The public consultation meeting in Westminster will be held on the 11^th of June. His plan to close Westminster fire station as well as 11 others across London, axe 18 fire engines and cut 520 firefighters are simply unacceptable.

“We presented him with a fully costed plan to keep them all open, but he has chosen to ignore us. While these increases in response times might appear small, across our city every second counts and can be the difference between life and death. It is more urgent than ever that Londoners tell the Mayor what they think. The Mayor might be prepared to take a risk with Londoners’ safety, but we are not. He must take Londoners for complete fools if he thinks he can get away with this.”

Ends

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi AM is a Labour London wide Assembly Member.
2. The attached table details the 100 most deprived wards in London and the increase in attendance times for first and second fire engines and can be found here: http://cityhalllabour.org/londons-most-deprived-areas-hit-hardest-by-mayors-fire-cuts/
3. Source for deprivation statistics: http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore/package/indices-deprivation-2010  and source for fire engine attendance times: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/Documents/ward-impacts.pdf
4. Mayor’s Question Time took place today at City Hall. A webcast can be watched here: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/webcasts

My old school as it is today

It is not often my old school Quintin Kynaston (QK) is in the news, unfortunately in this instance for the wrong reasons with financial irregularities hanging over the headteacher’s head, Jo Shuter. These irregularities were outlined in full in the Department of Education investigative Report  into QK Academy as it’s known now.  It does not make for pleasant reading at all for her but more importantly for the governers having to manage this mess and the pupils who are losing out.

As this saga continues it appears the school has become the Jo Shuter show when it should really be all about just QK & its pupils.

She clearly doesn’t have much of a clue as the chief financial accounting officer having mixed her personal finances with that of the school in such a way as to doubt her motives.  She earned between £170,000-175,000 in  2012 ( thats alot more then the Mayor ) according to the annual accounts of QK, yet astonishly saw fit  to pass almost £7,000 spent on her celebration of her 50th birthday party through the school and then only to repay then a year later!

Moreover the new structures in academies put more emphasis on financial skills then the actual teaching itself, as the schools become considered as much  a business unit  as places of learning.

So l am left to conclude that the Jo Shuter show continues at QK, increasingly at the expense of school and its pupils.

As a Church Street resident l have patiently waited for ballot papers to arrive on estate regeneration plans but have still not had them in the post even with the extended deadline.  As the extended deadline passes l have been deprived of my vote in this matter.

It was rumoured that Ballot papers have not arrived at the homes of many Church Street residents three days after voting started on Westminster City Council’s Church Street estate regeneration proposals. That is voting started on Wednesday 8^th May, and was open for a week till Tuesday 14^th May. Over the weekend l had heard ballot papers have not arrived at  Loddon, Cherwell, Wytham and Wey Houses, Old Church St Estate and other residents at Eastlake House and Lisson Green report not having received theirs either even though the vote has started.

It really is a great shame that things could not have been done to time, especially given the publicity beforehand.  It does cast a shadow and raises questions over the whole voting process.

As Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg has said

“If the Council can’t even organise a simple Yes/No vote, how do they expect us to believe they can deliver a complicated regeneration project? After all the hard work and effort put into this project by so many Church Street residents it is scandalous that the Council has failed to get ballot papers to residents in time for the vote.”

I was most concerned about the loss of the Cosway St site. It had an existing educational use which would have been very helpful in accommodating the much needed additional primary school places need for the growing population of the ward. Both Gateway & Christ Church Primary Schools in the ward have expanded into their playgrounds to accommodate the new bigger intakes but we still more space is needed.

Moreover l think there were other more important estate regeneration priorities in the neighbourhood like getting rid of the 200 flats of slum housing in Miles Building, just off the Edgware Rd inside the Ward.  This has been allowed to continue for far too long and has long been forgotten by the council. It is surprising that such housing still exists at the beginning of the 21st century.

But alas l have been deprived of my vote to register such concerns.

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