14 constituencies proposed for London Labour Party members reps on Board

Out of all the motions submitted to the Labour London Regional Conference the one that is likely to draw least attention is the one increasing the representation of members on the Regional Board after the huge increase in the London membership of the Labour Party over the past two years by Rule Change 1: A more representative Regional Board but be in no doubt its a critical one.

It is an understatement to say we have major anolomies in the boundaries of the members seats in the Regional Board for historical reasons. For example the Central London board member is elected from 17 CLP’s including all the following:

• Bethnal Green & Bow
• Bermondsey & Old Southwark
• Camberwell & Peckham
• Cities of London & Westminster
• Dulwich & West Norwood
• Hampstead & Kilburn
• Holborn & St Prancas
• Islington North
• Islington South
• Kensington
• Lewisham Deptford
• Lewisham East
• Lewisham West & Penge
• Poplar & Limehouse
• Streatham
• Vauxhall
• Westminster North

Only in the London Labour Party Regional Board could you have such a definition of Central London. Its time to change it, so members in Central London, Lewisham and Streatham are better represented.

One must ask when were the three seats in Lewisham and Streatham ever in Central London? l certainly don’t know anyone who lives in those seats who considers themselves in Central London let alone in TfL travel zone one! Furthermore having such huge geographical areas to cover in these Regional seats does not help those seats being represented well on the Board. 

The suggestion to make the Regional Board seats for the members represent the 14 GLA constituencies instead makes a lot of sense certainly for GLA election campaigns. After all there has been a lot of working across our local authority boundaries in GLA elections already since 2000, so having the Regional Board members constituencies coterminus with them makes a lot of sense. It respect local authority boundaries and thus most parliamentary seat boundaries at this moment in time.

So lets have the members of Lewisham and Streatham better represented in their respective Regional Board seats for Greenwich & Lewisham and Lambeth & Southwark. While those in Central London are better represented in a West Central Board constituency incorporating the boroughs of the City Westminster, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.

Only in the London Labour Party Regional Board could you have such a definition of Central London. Its time to change it, so members in Central London, Lewisham and Streatham are better represented.

The old bells on the main doors to the blocks in Fleming Court!

After the tragedy of the murder of Abdul Samad on the doorstep of his home for his mobile along St Mary’s Terrace, W2 in Paddington, its clear that this part of neglected Little Venice needs security measures for all those who live and work there and pass through here regularly. It can often be dark and creepy as you cut through the St Marys churchyard passage to Little Venice proper from Paddington Green.  

It clearly needs better lighting and CCTV coverage, as we have had a number of increased attack incidents leading up to the passage from both sides.  It appears lighting and CCTV coverage were not given much of an emphasis on the last works to St Mary’s Square to help cyclists and walkers cross under the Westway at street level on the Harrow Road.  This needs addressing straight away and a major oversight.

And finally Fleming Court is long over due a decent intercom system rather than a collection of bells  as shown in the above photo unlike almost all other council block of flats l know in the City of Westminster. Residents already pay a lot of service charges and such a basic services should be covered within their contributions already. 

The new pathway created at St Mary’s Square without additional lighting or security

urgent care advertised in a flyer at a price!

While Labour call for the failing Urgent Care Centre (UCC) at St Mary’s Hospital to be brought back into direct NHS control after the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated it inadequately run by the private healthcare firm Vocare Limited, we have another developed.  

Local private hospital like the Wellington in St John’s Wood offering the services of their UCC with flyers dropped at local homes for a minimum of initial consultation fee of £100. Please see photo of the flyer above. It states “Our UCC provides immediate care with no appointment needed for injuries and illnesses that are urgent but not life threatening, such as: …..” 

So not only are some hell bent to privatise our emergency health services even when there are not up to the mark but they also face the competition of private hospitals charging a minimum of £100. It sounds very much like a two tier health service, with those with insurance cover and disposal income having both options while the NHS fall back is asked to privatise these very services.

This is the brave new world of our emergency health services in London.  

Works all around Tollgate House going up

With all the talk of regeneration or not on the Ebury Bridge Estate and Church St in the City of Westminster, spare a thought for the residents of Tollgate House in the regeneration of their Estate by the Council.

At this very moment, its residents feel stranded in the middle of a building site where their air and light easement that they normally enjoy is being blocked by the works happening right under their nose. The building works have come out of the ground on all three sides of Tollgate House, to the front and back of them as well as their side, casting a shadow over them. This apart from the usual noise and air pollution that comes from a building site.  This is no doubt causing great stress to many residents in Tollgate House, trying to go about their daily lives.

Living on a building site from your front door!

Getting into Tollgate House is no fun at all!

One has to wonder how this proposal ever got the go ahead without highlighting what it would mean to the remaining residents in Tollgate House during the building works? It certainly appears to have been a major oversight by the council and the developers of the regeneration, Noma. They should be compensated at least by being put up in alternative accommodation during the building works by the developers in the hotel opposite. If not at least, not having to pay service charges during the whole period of the works for the stress and strain of living in a building site. So while Noma sell sophisticated living on their website, it has not taken on board the poor conditions many are having to endure while their development comes up around them for residents of Tollgate House. 

It adds further prove that these regeneration proposals on old council estates in London should have a ballot of residents, before they are handed over to the developers. Then the developers and council would have to satisfy the residents of all their concerns and make undertakings that reassure the residents at least during the works themselves. So there are clearly lessons to be learnt for further regeneration proposals in City of Westminster, particularly for residents who could find themselves living in the middle of a building site.

Living in a Building site on your doorstep

We may be mature enough to distinguish between the man and the present office he holds ( Editorial of the 11th of October in Evening Standard ) but l am not sure Donald Trump himself is able too.

His bigoted warmongering since in office at the beginning of the year is evidence enough. As it is not just his Muslim travel ban proposal; “build the wall” rhetoric aimed at the Latino community particularly the Mexicans and his verbal attacks against black NFL players for “taking the knee” which highlights his bigotry best but his flirting with white supremacists that illustrates it best.

On the war front it is even more clearer with his nuclear brinksmanship in North Korea; issuing vague threats of military action in Venezuela; u-turning on his policy of not increasing US troop numbers in Afghanistan and finally his threat to undo the Iranian nuclear deal which makes him a warmonger. All this while being the commando-in-chief of the largest military force the world has ever seen!

The man is completely self-absorbed and totally unconcerned about what he is doing to the reputation of office of the Presidency of the US.  It is not so much America First but himself first.

Nova Building, Victoria, SW1

As the Nova Building, Victoria, SW1 scoops the national award for ugliest building in the UK for 2017, what is your ugliest building in City of Westminster for you? 

For myself it has to be Burne House, Bell Street, NW1 owned by BT behind the Edgware Rd (Bakerloo line) tube station. It is easily the ugliest building in my neighbourhood. Please see below. 

Burne House, Bell Street, NW1

If you have a building you think is ugly, do tell me ( with a photo ) and lets compile the top 10 ugliest buildings in Westminster.