As we enter a second lockdown in the capital, it is crucial that we all closely follow the new and stricter rules, so we can contain the virus as swiftly as possible.

Frustratingly, we have lost our grip on the pandemic in recent months and this has been underpinned by the Government’s hesitation to implement an early circuit breaker and their generally shambolic handing of the Test and Trace system. 

It is abundantly clear that Ministers must now hand over some parts of the system for local authorities to run, as they know their communities a lot better than largely unaccountable private contractors ever could.

Let us not forget what the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been advising since the beginning of the year, ‘test, test and test’. 

TfL finances 

During the first lockdown, TfL lost 90% of it fares revenue and as we go into another lockdown period, it continues to face a financial cliff-edge. 

Compared to other transport authorities across the world, TfL is unique in that it mostly reliant on fares income. This is because in 2018, the Government took away the £700 million annual operating grant that it gave to TfL.

Despite this, before the pandemic struck, Mayor Sadiq Khan managed to reduce TfL’s £1.5 billion operating deficit by 71%. TfL’s cash balances also saw an increase of 13%.

Londoners did the right thing during lockdown and stayed away from public transport where possible. There is no doubt they will do the same in the weeks ahead.

In light of this, TfL have been clear with Ministers on the need for the Government to step in and provide a long-term and sustainable emergency funding package to make up for their lost revenue.

It was positive to see the Government drop the worst of the proposals they put forward during the latest round of negotiations. This is down to the campaigning efforts of City Hall, charities, business leaders and ordinary Londoners.

However, ahead of the current emergency funding settlement running dry again in March, we must continue keep the pressure on Ministers, so they do not put punitive conditions back on the table, such as the extension of the congestion charge zone and the removal of free travel for under-18s and older Londoners.

A key question to ask is why is the Government treating TfL differently from the failing private train operators it gave an 18-month blank cheque to?

After all, London’s economic recovery relies on stable and well-funded public transport. The country’s recovery depends on London’s. 

Crossrail & Bakerloo line 

I have been hearing about Crossrail since my school days in Paddington in the early eighties and l can well remember when Cecil Parkinson MP made the announcement for its launch. So, it is frustrating to hear it is not going to be operational until 2022.  This could have implications for the opening date of the new Bakerloo Line entrance into Paddington station being led by the developers of Paddington Square. 

As for the Bakerloo Line itself, it has been disappointing to hear that is extension into South London has been delayed due to the financial difficulties TfL is facing at the hands of the pandemic. 

This is why TfL and the Mayor have been forthright about the need for a long-term funding deal from the Government. Otherwise, key transport infrastructure projects, crucial to job creation and London’s economic recovery, will be put at risk.

In the meantime, we do need the carriages on the line replaced. Many of them are almost as old as l am and do not have modern facilities like air conditioning. l will continue to raise this with TfL, making sure the issue is not forgotten. 

Who knows whether the new Paddington tube station for the Bakerloo line will be open before Crossrail?

Cladding Scandal & Rough Sleeping

Whilst the victims’ families seek justice at the Grenfell Inquiry on Bishop Bridge Rd, W2, we are also in the midst of a wider cladding scandal across London. This is causing a significant amount of stress and discomfort to many Londoners as many can’t move or re-mortgage their properties, with annual insurance bills hitting the roof.

A case in point in Paddington is the M&M Buildings on Hermitage St, where the residents discovered they had ACM panelling and were landed with full liability for the remedial works by their freeholder. This will cost residents £40,000 per flat, leading to huge annual building insurance premiums.

Whilst they will now receive some remediation grants from the Government, the whole sorry saga does shed light on the nature of the relationship between leaseholders and freeholders in England. This all makes a very argument for common hold like they have in Scotland. 

The latest figures show that there was a slight decrease in rough sleeping in Westminster during the summer months, when compared to the previous year. This could be largely attributed to the ‘Everyone In’ campaign, which was backed by Government funding, in which City Hall worked with local authorities and homelessness charities to bring almost 1,700 rough sleepers into hotels and other safe accommodation to self-isolate.

We can’t afford to be complacent and now need to see Ministers agree to urgently put in more funding to support another round of this campaign to last beyond Christmas.

With winter coming and the arrival of the second lockdown, we also need to be aware of the facilities available to homeless people, particularly when communal sleeping areas might be unsafe. It is in this context, that l have suggested that whilst Paddington Green Police station lies empty, it could be converted into a temporary hostel before it gets knocked down to make way for a residential development. 

The West End economy 

You will all have heard and seen first-hand the dramatic impact the first lockdown had on the West End and particularly the hospitality industry. I have been keeping in touch with small and medium-sized enterprises like Normah’s Malaysian restaurant in Queensway Market to hear about the challenges they are facing. 

It is apparent that a number of firms have missed out on Government funding and support in Central London, due to conditions surrounding rateable value thresholds. Normah’s have also told me about the confusion they have experienced with the Government’s grant systems. 

In recent months, I have implored the Government to find a way to support the small businesses who are still falling through the gaps. 

It has been positive to see the Chancellor recently refine components of his Winter Economic Plan and extend the furlough scheme until March, responding to some of the concerns raised by the business community. 

However, while these changes are welcome, we have already seen a large number of jobs unnecessarily lost in the capital due to the Government’s previous missteps and failure to act early on.

In addition to the measures recently announced, we need to see the Government boosting sick pay, raising the cap on UC, increasing housing benefit and getting self-isolation payments to low income Londoners.

City of Westminster is at the heart of London’s night-time economy and thus its hospitality and entertainment sector, with some 3,700 venues licensed. Its present policy is up for review and it needs to have one in place by the 6th of January 2021. 

So l respond to their Consultation Survey on Sunday before the end of the consultation. 

I welcomed the inclusion requirements as a step forward not only for the Council to discharge its Equality Act responsibilities but stopping some of the exclusion activities of establishments highlighted by the media in recent times. 

The renewed more subtle emphasis on the prevention of crime and disorder; promoting public safety and the prevention of public nuisance will be welcomed by all living in the City of Westminster. And also the presumption to refuse licensing applications in Cumulative Impact Zones. Though l do think they should not remove these zones along the Edgware Rd and Queensway, Bayswater while the state of the Central London economy is in such difficulty in light of the pandemic. So not surprising l think more emphasis needs to be placed on protecting jobs and the West End economy in the review and something l am sure the Mayor of London will be saying as well.  

In recent months we have seen the pandemic impact on this critical part of the London economy.  I have implored the Government to find a way to support the small businesses who are still falling through the gaps of their economic support, particularly the small and medium size enterprises in the night time economy. 

It has been positive to see the Chancellor recently refine components of his Winter Economic Plan, responding to some of the concerns raised by the business community. However, while these changes are welcome, we have already seen a large number of jobs unnecessarily lost in the capital due to the Government’s previous missteps and failure to act early enough. 

When we come out of this lockdown, London and other parts of the country will probably move into Tier 2 restrictions, continuing the prohibiting of household mixing in indoor spaces. But can l make a plea in the lead up to Christmas, that the Government’s previous 10pm curfew policy be dropped.  

The 10pm curfew would allow more sittings of single households in restaurants throughout the evening, helping venues with cashflow at a time when they need all the support they can get. If anything the push to get out of the pubs at 10 pm and then on public transport is where we have the biggest risk of transmission of the virus. So the Prime Minister needs to call time on this pointless curfew. 

Finally, it has been positive to see Westminster City Council decide to scrap its proposals to charge hospitality venues to use pavement space. This would have been a hugely misguided policy, adding unnecessary strain on struggling businesses. So lets not see this proposal again during the Christmas break! 

Some suggest things have not changed much in W9 & W10 since these days 50 years ago

In light of two police conduct investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the spot light has been put on the Metropolitan Police activities recently in W9 and W10. More so, with the release of Mangrove 9 film highlighting well what the Met were up to in the same neighbourhood some 50 years ago. Some have suggest nothing much has changed. 

Two disturbing policing incidents in the neighbourhood l grew up recently have raised questions of how the Police go about their business in the locality. The first was the stop and search of Bianca Williams  in her car, along with her partner and child along Lanhill Rd, W9. Thankfully it was videoed recorded on a mobile, so we can at least see some of the sequence of events. Saying this the elite athletic couple want the investigation to deal their racism allegations rather than just potential misconduct of the five officers involved in the case for a much more serious gross misconduct investigation. The couple are considering boycotting the investigation. 

The second incident are in many ways far more serious one arises after News night journalist – Richard Watson – highlighted the neglect of investigation into racist attack to three black women along Kilburn Lane, W10 last Christmas. For nearly two weeks after the attack officers failed to recover CCTV or take witness statements, even from the victims. The three women feel the police made racist assumptions about them and this hampered the investigation. The probe into the crime was closed in April, but the Met reopened it last month following News night investigation. The IOPC is also investigating the officers for their conduct but it is not sure on what grounds. 

The location of both these incidents are not more than 10-15 mins by foot. 

At this mornings Westminster Hall discussion at the House Commons on #Rohingya humanitarian crisis & effect of COVID19 pandemic we got the latest update on the efforts of the British government.

Interestingly Jeremy Corbyn MP also raised why 140,000 gowns were obtained from Myanmar when it stands accused of ethnic cleansing the Rohingyas by the UN. Should we really be trading with them at all? Now it is good to hear that since we have had the crisis of the Rohinyas refugees in Bangladesh for the past 3 years, the UK has been a major donor of funds to support them in their plight in the camps ( $300 million ), from the FCDO Minister Nigel Adams MP. But what on earth were we doing getting 140,000 PPE gowns from Myanmar in April during the first lockdown, from a regime the UN suspects of ethnic cleansing? It makes you wonder if anything more had been supplied from Myanmar since 20th of April when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP announced at a COVID Conference that the UK had received these garments.

Furthermore, such PPE supplies could easily have been supplied from Dhaka’s garment industry who have yet to recover from the withdrawal of British companies from their contract commitments at the beginning of the lockdown. It would be useful for the UK government to be seen at least compensating the garment industry of Bangladesh for the behaviour of the British firms. 

So l look forward to seeing the response from the Minister on this matter, as he agreed he would respond to this question. As rather than adding Aung Sang Sue Kyi to the sanctions list against Myanmar officials involved in the ethnic cleansing, we need to get to the bottom of this one first. 

Whilst the victims’ families seek justice at the Grenfell Inquiry on Bishop Bridge Rd,
W2, we are also in the midst of a wider cladding scandal across London. This is
causing a significant amount of stress and discomfort to many Londoners as many
can’t move or re-mortgage their properties, with annual insurance bills hitting the
roof.

A case in point in Paddington is the M&M Buildings on Hermitage St W2, just around the corner from the Grenfell Inquiry itself, where the residents discovered they had ACM panelling and were landed with full liability for the remedial works by their freeholder. This has already cost residents £40,000 per flat and huge raises in their annual building insurance premiums. Whilst they will now receive some remediation grants from the Government, the whole sorry saga does shed light well on the nature of the relationship between leaseholders and freeholders in England. This all makes for a compelling argument for common hold as in Scotland. 

So as the scaffolding goes up on the M&M Building in Paddington, with the commencement of the remediation works to the ACM cladding, do keep an eye on this development. The freeholder is already attempting to sell another phrase of residential flats very nearby by marketing their new development to those stuck in a flammable building and paying out £7.5 million to remediate the cladding and 3.5 years of misery so far! And then the freeholder has the gall to market their new development to those struck in this horrendous situation. So watch this space on this one.  

I see people are astonished at the service charges on One Hyde Park apartment at £55,000 a year from the response in the letter pages ( FT Weekend Sept 12 ).  It makes me wonder, if residents are prepared to pay those kind of amounts for service charges maybe they will be prepared to pay a lot more council taxes as well?

In local tax terms, these apartments would have come under Band H in the City of Westminster, where the Council Tax charge for the 2020/21 year will have been just £1,560.53. That is a staggering 35 times more is spent on paying for their servicing than contributing to the local taxes of councils for their public services across London and the City of Westminster.

The previous leader of the Council tried to get them to increase their council tax contributions voluntarily but this only raised just over £400,000.  This when the council aimed to raise £2.75 million from the £10 million plus homes in the borough, and wrote to over 15,000 homes for an extra £833 a year. In the end only 500 properties made the additional voluntary contribution. So clearly the council could only go so far as the present legislation permitted them.   

In light of the state of the local government finances in London in response to COVID19 crisis and austerity anyway, it is not time councils have the powers to raise larger council taxes receipts from such properties. This critically needs to be put in place for the next financial year 2021/22 to not only help the finances of London government but more importantly fund the public services that all Londoners depend on critically during the COVID19 crisis.

I do not think it is a big ask for those in One Hyde Park and other prime properties in London to make that a bigger contribution in our time of desperate need.  

A shorter version of the blog has appeared as a letter in the FT Letter pages of the 18th of September. 

In my part of Marylebone we have seen the loss of a number of public houses particularly to residential usage in the last seven years. It appears COVID19 crisis is further pushing this trend as landlords push rents when those running the pubs have not had the customers normally at the local pub coming out of lockdown yet alone during the lockdown itself. 

Take for example, my nearest functionally pub the Globe on Lisson Grove. Its landlord has not been clear at all of what is going to happen with their commercial rents as the economy comes into the recovery phase of lockdown. This while it is clear that the the pub has value if turned into residential like many other old pubs in the neighbourhood like the Perservance and Brazen Head.

In one case over 30 people locally decided to form a group to nominate the Linhope Street Public House (Swan & Edgar Public House, formerly known as the Feathers Public House) for listing as an Asset of Community Value. Please find the link to the Asset of Community Value Nomination Form made to the City of Westminster. It clearly shows how to get one’s local public house listed as an asset of community value under the Localism Act, which then gives the pub extra protection if its put up for sale. This after writing a column in the West End Extra Forum in 2014 under the header of  ” The pub’s a hub and worth cherishing”  it was very reassuring that it was of immediate use to campaigners trying to stop another pub closing in NW1.  

This is also happening to pubs in South London as well like the Bear in Camberwell. Something needs to be done to get landlords to take on board the cultural institutions we are dealing with here when looking at their commercial rents reviews. Otherwise we will be losing a lot more pubs as a result of COVID19 crisis. 

Hanover Square Cabmen’s Shelter awaiting reopening after completion of Crossrail works

It was become apparent to me that a large number of small business owners are missing out on government funding and support in Central London either the £10,000 or £25,000 grants offered to firms via local authorities in March due to their landlords essentially not passing on the grants to them. 

Take for example, the Cabmen’s Shelters in Central London. Its clear the operators of the green shelters for cabbies, have not had these sums passed on to them from the Trustees of the 13 shelters in Central London even though monies have been received from the relevant local authorities. In such pressingly hard times for the operators these grants need to be passed on as soon as possible, particularly when coming out of the lockdown. 

There are of course many many other instances particularly in the catering industry, where the restaurant’s rent is inclusive of business rates and paid through the landlord. A case in point is Normah’s Malaysian restaurant in Bayswater.  They were left so confused with the grant system and implored the government to find a way to support the small businesses which are falling through the gap. While the businesses themselves suggest ” Don’t think about the profits. Just think about how to survive” 

Which all goes to show that l feel, landlords have a responsibility to pass on their grants to the small operators actually running the spaces their provide. This needs addressing urgently if we are not to see many small businesses that we depend on and take for granted disappearing for good, as a poor legacy of COVID19 crisis. 

Rules of the Cabmen’s shelters – pity we don’t have some rules about who gets any grant monies!