Forum Topics

Footpath from Brentford Station to Windmill Road

I wonder if any readers of this forum make use of the short, but very useful, length of footpath which runs east-west along a line south of the railway and north of Sidney Gardens. I would welcome any observations on the state of this footpath. When I raised this issue with councillors in Syon Ward I received a very prompt and helpful reply and the matter is being actively pursued by them.Over many years the state of the footpath has deteriorated. The problems were apparent long before work started on the new housing development at Gibson's Yard. The surface of the footpath is uneven, the steps at the Windmill Road end are poorly maintained, and the route is usually choked with litter. I am told that the path is a popular spot for drug dealing. A particular concern is the poor lighting and when I walked the route on Monday evening there was no lighting at all. In other words this is a dangerous and threatening footpath to use.The responsibility for the maintenance of this path is unclear but it does not lie with LB Hounslow. Likely candidates are Transport of London and Network Rail with the latter being the current odds-on favourite for failing to fulfil its responsibilities.A related concern is the poor state of the southern forecourt at Brentford Station. It is often badly littered, the steep grass verges are not maintained, and there appears to be little or no attempt to enforce parking controls. The old Station House (about 175 years old) is a locally listed building although you wouldn't guess this from its very tatty external appearance. This is certainly not an attractive gateway to Brilliant Brentford despite the fact that the entire area lies within St. Paul's Conservation Area.

Jim Storrar ● 3174d2 Comments ● 3170d

Widening of the M4

Apparently the documents issued in connection with the Heathrow decision included a Highways England report on Surface Access Works :https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/562063/airports-commission-surface-access-works-strategic-road-network-proposals-validation-of-costs-and-delivery-assumptions.pdfWithin this is mention of widening the M4 between Junction 2 and 3 :Scope Definition of Proposed “M4 J2-3 Widening” and “M4 J4B Replacement”The scope of works proposed for widening of M4 J2-3 requires particular attention because of the elevated sections of the M4 immediately west of J2 and the high concentration of properties immediately adjacent to the highway boundaries over this section. Widening the M4 over this location is very challenging and it is highly probable that tunnelling would be required in the built-up areas to the west of M4 J2. There is a high level of inherent uncertainty in the scope of works required for widening of the M4 between junctions 2 and 3. Our assumed scope for the basis of our estimate is summarised below:M4 J2 to J3 - Road widening in both directionsoProvide one additional lane in each directionoWiden M4 Junction 3 eastbound merge and westbound off-slipoAdjust Motorway Service Area entry and exitsoRemove existing portal and cantilever gantriesoProvision of replacement sign and signal gantries complete with electronic and staticsignageoDemolish and replace three overbridgesoProvision of increased drainage capacityoRemove and replace lighting as requiredoReplace road restraint systemsoDemolish and replace one footbridgeoWidening of the M4 Junction 3 underbridge, three overbridges, one waterwaycrossing, one pedestrian underpass and one rail crossingoConvert the elevated viaduct/carriageway from junction 2 to westbound only travelfor approximately 3km to immediately west of the existing rail overbridgeoConstruct a driven 3 lane tunnel for eastbound traffic with the entry slot to the eastof the rail noted above and exiting in parkland to the north of Junction 2, ramping upto merge with the existing viaduct

Tim Henderson ● 3207d13 Comments ● 3186d

New Watermans Arts Centre Exhibition

Appalling, absolutely appalling.  Open developer profiteering in the extreme.Would have thought someone would have posted something on this site before now.  Was advised that 208 people went to the exhibition on Wednesday (from another source) and it was crowded today with people asking questions.  When I was approached if I had any questions, I said, "It's disgraceful, you need your heads looking at. I'm leaving and I have only been here 2 minutes", and promptly left. How the heck are they going to get the two, however many storey buildings, side by side onto the tiny width space here at the old Police Station! A space in between these 2 towers rising to 1/2 storeys is indicated which I assume will also encompass the ground floor/s of the 2 towers for the 500 seat theatre.  Unsure at the moment how many seats are currently at Watermans to make a comparison.On the existing Watermans site they want to put up an eight-storey block - the ground floor at a lower level than is existing at present alongside the river will house a café, etc., (I think - I didn't stay long enough to find out) with flats above.  A gigantic carbuncle on the riverside.  If anything should happen to this site afterwards it should become an extension of Watermans Park (a park) for the enjoyment of residents.  Don't forget also that a little outdoor café is planned for the marina development so why have another one in this new building?????Maybe I am wrong on this café! bit but just looking at the height of these buildings has put my hackles up.Its about time this Council and its Officers started thinking about its existing residents rather than cashing in on new.

Eileen Henderson ● 3198d29 Comments ● 3192d

Double Standards or Double Dopey?

Last week on Sky News, The leader of Hounslow Council was pontificating on about how Councils like Hounslow need government funding to house the 'Child' refugees from CalaisFair point. Why should Hounslow council be footing the costs.But surely Mr Curran ought to ask why on earth Hounslow is even taking these children?This is a Borough like many others in London with an extreme crisis.The very same borough that just a few months ago showed the dire situation on a National TV channel, of it's Housing department barely and badly coping with existing inhabitants.Having watched the way in which a 19 year old Girl, born and reared in Hounslow, and in a homeless situation was offered housing in ...Birmingham. Away from all her friends and family.We heard how subsequently she remained here but on the sofa of a friend.She is of course barely more than a child, younger than most of the male children arriving and female. But in the policy of LBH. An adult.Similarly we have able bodied teenagers being housed in a flat for disabled amongst older people and being well, unchecked teenagers.  Not so nice for the rest in the block.And this right under the Leaders nose.Why were those teenagers not placed in a flat on a higher level when there are so many with disabilities and infirmities desperate to be located on the ground floor ?How much waste when a flat is already adapted for wheelchair use? Even more spent when no doubt another flat will be specially converted.Surely Cllr Curran needs to get HH in order before extending the offer of housing refugees when so many towns up and down the UK take none at all.Then he could at least have a degree of credibility when raising a decent point. Instead, he was simply derided.

Raymond Havelock ● 3204d0 Comments ● 3204d

Local theatre groups

Are there any in Isleworth or Brentford?  Just interested.I receive the St Michaels players emails and they are now selling tickets to their Christmas panto Beauty and the Beast.  I seem to recognise a few names ...BEAUTY and the BEAST7-10 Dec4pm Matinee on SaturdayIt's Panto time again Time for our last show of 2016 and, as usual, it is our world-famous, can't be beaten, cardboard cut-out pantomime which this year is "Beauty and the Beast".  Written by Ben Crocker, who also wrote our last two pantomimes; "Puss in Boots" and "Ali Baba"  in case you were wondering, and starring some new faces amongst the usual bunch of reprobates.Anyway; Onto this year's mayhem and it's another rompin', stompin' panto. The ultimate tale of true love brought to life with all the panto trimmings that we know and love plus a bit more besides.  Where's the Prince gone? Will Ma sacrifice herself to save Beauty? Will Beauty ever love the Beast? Who is the Beast? Will the myriad dogs, ghosts, blacksmiths, bears, etc save the day?  Our wonderful, beautiful, amazing cast, band and production team are already hard at it and they are: Fenton - Paul SmithBasil - Utku ErJasmine - Stella HenneyBeauty - Helen DoylePrince - Emily RuddMalabelle - Michelle TomlinsonMa - Mark HemmingsPrince - Mervyn JupeTalking Clock - Max EnhorningHot - Pihu DubeBothered - Alastair DewarChorus - Sue Darrieulat, Elizabeth Ollier, Zenith Milner, Jane Atkinson, Christine Lee, Cecilia Coleshaw, Jo Harry Musical Director - Nick LawrenceGuitar - Andy MurrayBass - Ian TrowbridgeDrums - Martin Scott Stage Management - Bryony Wilman, Chris Pease, Allie MilledgeCostumes - Jane AtkinsonLighting and Sound - Marc Pearce, Andy RooneyOf course we'd love to see you all again this year for merriment and good old singalong type fun.  Tickets available now on our website.Chris (director)

Sarah Felstead ● 3206d4 Comments ● 3206d

Yew Trees at Brentford Library

I like trees despite the fact that I have never hugged one.There were two beautiful yew trees to the right and left of the entrance to Brentford Library. I see that these have recently been pruned (butchered would be a more appropriate term). I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if these yews were planted at about the time of the opening of the library in 1904. As such they deserve much better care than this.  It will take several years for the trees to recover from this thoughtless treatment.I fully appreciate the need to maintain our trees to address issues such as public safety and damage to buildings/hard surfaces. However the roots of the yew are very fine. Yews are often found in churchyards because it was believed that the roots would grow through the eyes of the dead to prevent them seeing their way back to the world of the living.At Brentford Library the pruning has been far too drastic and has been carried out at the wrong time of year. An annual haircut and the occasional removal of larger boughs would ensure that the trees do not grow too large.   The best time to prune yew trees is in late winter when they are dormant or in spring when replacement growth can flourish and harden during the summer. Pruning in autumn will promote tender young growth which will become damaged and unsightly as the result of cold winter temperatures.I'm stumped by who could have carried out this work. Perhaps it was yew know who (Carillion).

Jim Storrar ● 3235d3 Comments ● 3228d

Are Single Member Decisions Open to corruption?

There are an increasing amount of Single Member Cabinet decisions in Councils of late and many of them have ramifications that really go beyond the sensibility of one individual making a decision.The connections between Cllr Sampson and Parking operators and the fact that clearly the wool has been pulled over the eyes of compatriots who dare not question or even get the opportunity to ask questions in Council seems to defeat the integrity of having an elected council.Likewise the dealings with Cllr's Mann and Ealing's Mahfouz with the WLWA and Waste companies.Clearly there are not being any pertinent or probing questions asked by fellow councillors irrespective of political leaning.Ealing Councillors are starting to report back to residents that they too are frozen out of the dealings within an inner cabinet.Is the same going on in Hounslow?  Should it? But more so the risk of an individual being corrupted.It is well known that Cllr Curran has had cosy chats with Ballymore representatives. As Council Leader it's bound to be an encounter both officially and unofficially.But does that make it fit and proper and morally right for him ( or any one else) to be making a single decision in which huge amounts of money and resources not to mention the livelihoods and well being of residents and employees?Especially with contracts or compulsory purchase orders. These are not supposed to be for the benefit of private developers or external interests.People seem to forget that Brentford Football Club, dear to many a heart, is a hard nosed business and now entwined with property developing. For the benefit of whom?Does that not leave Mr Curran or anyone in his position vulnerable to corruption or manipulation?Is this a good thing for democracy in an era where lobbying and manipulation is so embedded.?Surely this is something that needs to be unanimous and openly discussed and recorded in council and every councillor ought to be involved. Where is the morality and wisdom?

Raymond Havelock ● 3267d23 Comments ● 3255d

High street, Layton road, Morrison’s tower block and the Francis Crick Institute

Brentford as we all know is an anything goes dumping ground which the council appears more than happy to accommodate. I could go into specifics about only for rent tower blocks failing every local requirement, the historical and traditional height of Brentford being 4 stories, ‘enabling’ developments only enabling high profit margins, but such things fall on apparently deaf ears.So, no matter how much we point out the council is not fulfilling its fundamental requirement to act in the best interest of the residents, or its legal requirement to bring pollution under control, we are likely to end up in a few years time with a hopelessly overdeveloped town. Abu Dhabi Workers City number 2 keeps coming to mind.With this thought, perhaps then we should look at the architecture and style of town we’re going to end up with.  A problem with massed building over a short time is that it all tends to a similar design. Looks very ‘now’ when first built, a bit crap a few years later and desperately in need of knocking down shortly thereafter. Examples that spring to mind are any town center built in the 1960’s (concrete), the 70’s (concrete with patterns), 80’s (bright red window frames). More recently it’s been full glass frontings or trendy creams and greys. Cream is not good for any building in a polluted environment, Grey is well its grey, and the all glass effect is immediately ruined by the chap on the seventh floor who hanging his pants out the window to dry. The Layton Road images show all brick buildings, and incidentally if you divide the number of flats into the number of buildings they're giving a false impression of the height. The Western side of the canal and the island is also predominantly brick, as are many other proposals. The brick type is always sand based, which tends to brown and yellow in colour. London brick of course is clay based, more expensive, but traditional red and oranges. Brentford’s history revolves around the rivers and the canal so the wood facing of historical warehouses and clap board houses seen in our Victorian town photographs really should feature at least somewhere.  Actually, on the other side of the Brent to me on the Island there is one single row of houses with black wood facing, and in a mass of nothingness architecture it looks incredibly different and very nice. Building material to one side, the actual designs we’re presented with are monotonously as cheap as possible and maximizing size and height to the absolute limit. Marketing then includes any reference to green or eco that can tenuously be made, use of landmark or iconic to excuse something absurdly big or high, plenty of photographs of Kew and equally many photographs of the Butts. One even has a picture of my front door and bay trees to show how leafy the area is, which I thought a bit much as if I’d known I’d have put a sign on the door saying the flight path for a thousand planes a day onto a third Heathrow runway is 300m above this and every door in Brentford - and our council appears very keen on it.Good building design, along with appropriate and historically contextual development is completely achievable and would be welcome, but just not for Brentford as we’re in the ‘cheap as possible at maximum profit’ category and have a council that strangely appears to have an agenda at odds with the wishes of the local population.  Good to see the recent evolutions of accountability within our legal system though, so perhaps things might yet be bought under control.Room for one small joke which I’m sure someone would have said before, but I hope it wasn’t standing room only at the support Jeremy Corbyn curry night.

Lorne Gifford ● 3256d0 Comments ● 3256d

Brentford Bridge

The wheels have been set in motion and a team is now exploring funding options. Here is the summary:''Connecting Brentford with Kew, the bridge is located in London’s longest stretch between Thames bridges, benefitting connections to neighbouring areas.Timber construction and landscaping minimise ecological impact and enhance the unique riverside landscape. The bridge should become a destination in its own right with its amazing views of the unspoilt Thames shoreline. Public facilities are proposed at both landings with a shop and pier in Brentford and a new entrance to Kew Gardens.Located on the site of an old ferry crossing, the bridge will create connectivity to the new western cycle superhighway and the Capital Ring walking route, benefitting north-south and east-west links. It would invigorate the junction with the Grand Union Canal and create a physical link between Kew and Syon Park green spaces.The bridge intervention and pier help to reinstate Brentford’s historic relationship with the river and relates to the urban grain of the riverside. It will be a catalyst in the dramatic Brentford regeneration where 5000 dwellings and hotels are being constructed. It provides a connection to the Great West Road hub where 15,000 people are employed. The improved connection would benefit Brentford’s cultural attractions and raise the profile of this historic yet isolated town centre.''Please visit and like our official facebook page which will have all the latest information concerning the project. https://www.facebook.com/BrentfordBridge

Pamela Puig ● 3270d36 Comments ● 3257d

Labour constituency nomination meeting - tonight's the night

Tonight the Labour Party in Brentford & Isleworth will be meeting to decide whether to endorse the party leader Jeremy Corbyn or his challenger Owen Smith in the forthcoming party leadership contest.  Although Brentford & Isleworth's decision is unlikely to have much bearing upon the contest one way or the other, it will make for some interesting scenarios.  Not least it will give the many residents of Church Street who have recently been signed up as party members, obviously as a result of deep (if rather recent) ideological conviction and not with any more ignoble motive in mind, their first opportunity to have a say in the direction in which their newly-adopted party is headed.More importantly though, it will send a message as to how far the new politics being mooted by Jeremy Corbyn, and in particular his stated desire to bring more power to communities, has resonated with the wider membership.  We all know the attitude of those in positions of power locally towards any notion of sharing power with the great unwashed - or the "common people" as one of the new Church Street recruits has labelled us on this forum - but will the much-swelled and newly-engaged grass roots membership take a different view and start to reach out in a way that the local party has shunned hitherto?The outcome of this will be genuinely interesting, and should give those of us on the outside some indication of where Labour is heading in this little corner of the world and of where, if anywhere, as local people, we fit into it all.

Phil Andrews ● 3285d10 Comments ● 3283d

The Morrisons Site

Anyone in Hounslow Council read the press release from Essential Living, the developer that has bought the Morrisons site.  It only talks about building homes.  It’s here if you’ve missed it:http://www.essentialliving.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Essential-Living-acquires-west-London-site-to-deliver-vital-rental-homes-in-Hounslow.pdfAnyone in Hounslow Council listen to Radio 4 this morning?:‘The government is bringing in legislation that says new developments must have a designated proportion that are to be sold as affordable homes.’ Not rented, but sold.  That’s the end of Essential Livings business mode then.  Anyone in Hounslow Council read the Local Plan that they have just published:‘The Morrisons site is an important town centre location that can only be developed with a maximum 25% housing. At least 75% of floor area must be retail space, and it must maintain appropriate town centre parking.’ The words in the plan might differ, but the implication is perfectly clear and therefore accountable.So the company that bought the Morrisons site appears to have a problem; it’s business model of high rise, high density flats solely for rental is (a) about to become illegal, and (b) will not meet the requirement of the Hounslow Council Local Plan.Can we trust our local councillors and Council will make this abundantly clear to the developer?And in making it clear to the developer, please, Hounslow Council, bear in mind that the freedom of information act of 2000 means all discussions have to be made freely available if requested.  I will be requesting this if you don’t follow the local plan to the letter and to the implied spirit, so I’d like you to keep it all safe and sound. None of that ‘we’ve mislaid it’ nonsense.  You spend enough each month on IT and computer services that I expect all correspondence to be fully categorised, backed-up and securely stored at off site servers.Can I also ask that the investhounslow web site, a web site run by the council, remove the phrase ‘we’re up for being brave’ as the tag line for attracting developers. The phrase gives the impression the council does not pay due regard to the wishes of the people that live here, or to its stated requirements as detailed in the Local Plan.

Lorne Gifford ● 3593d26 Comments ● 3289d

So should Curran resign?

Paul Slattery, the anti-wheelie bin campaigner, has made a strongly worded criticism of Hounslow Council's leader after harassment charges against him were dropped.Brentford based Mr Slattery is unhappy with the statement to the police made by Steve Curran and has demanded his resignation as Council Leader. He has also made as complaint to the Police Complaints Authority about the manner of his arrest which he describes as appalling claiming that he was prevented from taking his blood pressure medication.He was joined by over 20 supporters at The Griffin on Friday night as he celebrated his court case being dropped, having been charged with harassment of a person in their own home after a wheelie bin protest outside the home of Steve Curran.The CPS dropped the case after seven months the day before it was due to be heard because "there is not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction".Paul SlatteryMr Slattery said “There was never any evidence in the first place – all the police had was Curran’s uncorroborated statement. I should never have been arrested, let alone charged. The whole thing has caused me untold stress and has cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds."It has resulted in 8 months of hell for me and coincided with the slow demise this spring of my elderly mother who finally passed away on April 3rd. I had to take care of all the post death formalities and arrange her funeral, at the same time having to deal with this spurious criminal charge hanging over me. I was at her funeral on April 21st and at Uxbridge Court on April 25th to plead not guilty to this disgusting trumped up charge“We were having a peaceful, humorous, and legal protest. Curran could have dealt with this in a diplomatic way but chose anger which was what caused any bad feeling.“All the allegations made against me by Curran have been refuted by at least six witnesses who were there on the night. Curran claims that  'Paul came right up into my personal space'.  This is not the case. Curran arrived in his car just as everyone was about to leave, wound his window down and swore at us. He then parked his car near the football ground entrance and came down the road towards me shouting and swearing. It was he that came up to me, everyone saw him."Curran then says in his statement 'Paul walked in front of me...stopping me from getting into my house'. Curran is a big man; it's hard to walk in front of him. I am heard to say in the video seen by the police 'your choice, If you want to go into your house you can go into your house Steve'. I even have a photograph of Steve Curran between me and his front gate."Further on in his statement Curran says 'I told Paul to remove the bins but he did not'. Again all the witnesses utterly refute this - they all saw myself, John Bradley and others remove the bins."At the end of the statement Curran says 'This incident has frightened my family and caused distress to my wife and son'. The house was completely empty until Curran entered the house."Whilst relieved that the case has been dropped I don't feel it's over. Steve Curran must resign not only as leader of the council but also from his council seat and I shall seek a Labour Party enquiry into his behaviour."I made a complaint to the Police Complaints Authority a matter of days after my arrest: my treatment by them was appalling."When the police officers came to arrest me they refused even to let me urinate, then handcuffed me despite me offering no resistance."In the cell I felt my blood pressure increasing and then realised that I did not have my blood pressure medication. When I saw the doctor he told me that at 180 it was extremely high and he said that my medication would be brought for me."Even though my blood-pressure medication had arrived I was still unable to take it before my interview, and it was only after I had left the police station that I was finally able to take it – a good EIGHT hours after I normally take it AND at a time of very high stress."My treatment by the Hounslow Met both during my arrest and time in police cells was humiliating and degrading and almost certainly contravenes Section 5 of the European Human Rights Convention. I am presently taking legal advice about this.”Nick Kilby who was also there on the night and took video evidence says “the treatment of Paul has been a disgrace and the case should never have been initiated. This shows the contempt Steve Curran has for his fellow neighbours and the citizens of the Borough of Hounslow who he purports to 'lead', as the situation could so easily have been diffused. The continuance of the legal process for 8 months with no evidence to convict is shameful. A waste of public money, police time but worse a nightmare for Paul to live through.”All quotes from Steve Curran are taken from his witness statement which was made the day after the protest, after the article about wheelie bins was published on BrentfordTW8.com on 20th November. Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said: “I would like to reiterate again, that I firmly believe in the right to protest. I know people felt and still feel, very strongly both for and against the introduction of wheelie bins.“There is however, an appropriate way to make your feelings known. The protest which took place outside my home of which I share with my family, I felt was not appropriate. It prevented access in and out of my home and was also not fair on my neighbours.“As Leader of Hounslow Council, I take full responsibility for the decisions we make as a council. Once again, if residents feel strongly about anything, we would welcome them to attend any of these meetings and also contact us as their councillors through the appropriate channels and we would always be more than happy to discuss any concerns they have about the services we provide.”Mr Slattery's solicitor from Bindmans LLP has written a case summary looking at the limits to protesting, finishing off with "Paul Slattery’s case reminds us that all reasonable lines of inquiry should be investigated, charging decisions should be carefully considered, and the CPS must be prepared to review its decisions to prosecute – in accordance with its duty – at an early stage. Otherwise, unnecessary costs are incurred, disproportionate damage is caused to lives, and the freedom of speech is curtailed."

Paul Fisher ● 3312d62 Comments ● 3306d

Public meeting plus Curry for Corbyn

In response to the start of the Labour leadership campaign - Momentum - Hounslow is holding a public meeting followed by a fundraising curry social at Kingway Banqueting Restaurant, 270 - 272 Bath Rd, Hounslow TW4 7DF. The venue is opposite Hounslow West tube station and parking is free in the station car park on Sundays.Public meeting (5pm - 7pm)Momentum Hounslow follows the principles of straightforward, honest politics put forward by Jeremy Corbyn. We aim to engage more people in local decision-making and are holding a public meeting to discuss alternative approaches to running our council. We will be holding discussions on: -How councils can campaign effectively against government cuts-Ensuring our community is listened to with effective engagement and proper public consultations-Alternatives to academy and faith schools, including Co-operative schools-Addressing the housing crisis and pushing for more genuinely affordable housing-Supporting NHS campaigns in west London, across boroughs-Supporting opposition to the third runway at HeathrowGuest speakers include Sam Tarry, Labour councillor in Barking and Dagenham, and Emine Ibrahim, Labour councillor in Haringey.Curry (7pm-9:30pm)StartersOnion bhajisChicken tikkaSaladMain CourseMatter Paneer (vegetarian option)Chicken jalfraziPlus rice, naan bread, raitaDessertKheerSoft drinks are provided free of charge.The venue also sells alcoholic drinks (not included in the ticket price).Money raised from the curry will go towards the hire of a large venue that can hold a rally for Jeremy Corbyn later in the Labour leadership campaign. Tickets can be bought at https://hounslowmomentum.eventbrite.co.uk

Crispin Flintoff ● 3308d0 Comments ● 3308d

Statement by Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, following the EU Referendum 2016 result

“Last Thursday, I and the majority of people in the borough voted to remain in the European Union. However, in Hounslow the margin between the votes to ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’ was slim; reflecting the country’s split view.  "My view is that we must respect the country’s decision to leave the EU but that in Hounslow we must learn more about why people voted the way they did. It’s crucial that we work together and talk with and listen to all our communities to ensure that everyone feels that they belong in Hounslow. “We all have a responsibility to stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours and respect each other regardless of our ethnicity or background. Hounslow is one of the most diverse boroughs in London, where 120 languages are spoken and a place where people from all over the world come together to live, work and do business.“I’m proud of Hounslow’s strong, vibrant and inclusive communities. It’s one of our key strengths. Over the past 50 years, we’ve celebrated and welcomed the borough’s diversity, and encouraged people from different communities to come together to discuss issues that matter to them.“We will work to continue to ensure all residents irrespective of their background; living and working in Hounslow have a voice that’s heard and that’s listened to by everyone. I’m quite clear as a borough, that at every opportunity we will unite against the politics of fear and division that was pervasive throughout much of the referendum campaign.“We will not tolerate hate crime in any form and neither should you. I recently met with our Borough Commander, Raj Kholi, and he is as committed, as I am, in ensuring that all our residents feel safe and secure. “As your council, we are committed to getting on with the job as laid out in our manifesto. That is to ensure that we have enough school places for the borough’s children; that we continue on with our ambitious house building programme; and that we continue to work with major employers in Hounslow to provide jobs and training opportunities for our young people. “If you have any concerns that you would like to raise, please contact your local ward councillor.”

Hounslow Council ● 3327d17 Comments ● 3322d

Watermans Park Community Design vs Council Marina Proposal IN A NUTSHELL

The Community DesignDoes not:1. Steal Park Land to give to Private boat Owners for their Carpark2. Stop Bikes and Wheelchairs cycling from one end of the park to the other3. Fill the riverbed with in excess of 17,000 Tons of Concrete4. Drive 938 pilings into a very toxic Riverbed threatening the local ecosystem  ( The toxicity is from the former Gasworks which occupied this site for decades)5. Backfill in a significant part to the Park, almost to the road level, destroying one of the park’s best features of being much lower than one of the busiest roads in Brentfod.6. Evict a long standing community, many of which will need rehousing in a borough which has one of the worst homeless problems costing the Council yet more money7. Reduce the Children’s Play Area by 40%8. Make the Park a Building Site for Years 9. Remove Attractive mature trees in the Park10. Cost £5.4 million for the benefit of a few Private boat OwnersBut Rather:1. Extends the Boardwalk to provide a better viewing experience for the public.2. Provides a Public Pontoon where families can get down to the river and enjoy the proposed floating gardens3. Install a minimal number of Pilings (70 vs 938 ) so as to minimise ecological damage from the toxicity in the Riverbed4. Allow the existing boating community to remain as well as providing additional affordable commercial moorings to mitigate the development cost5. Carryout the entire development in 6 -  9 months during which time the public can continue to use the park with minimal disruption. This is a massive point - Before the first of the Court Cases the Council are wasting taxpayers money on even gets to Court, the Community Design would be finished !!!6. Deliver the Project for a massively lower cost saving the people of Brentford Millions whilst delivering a nicer Park7. Renovate an eclectic group of boats to make the Park attractive and interesting and above all a Community Space..www.watermansparkmoorings.co.uk UNLEARN THE COUNCIL LINE ON THIS DREADFUL PROPOSAL !

Nick Day ● 3389d70 Comments ● 3342d

“Without Lawful Authority” - Canal & River Trust Cannot Evict Our Boats

Following from the TW8 article of Feb 12 [Challenge in Royal Courts of Justice], some may be aware that judgment was handed down last Thursday by Lord Justice Mummery of the Court of Appeal, declaring that the “eviction notices” served on my boats by the then British Waterways Board were invalid. The authority has been ordered to pay 75% of my costs at Appeal and in the Court below.The significance of the ruling goes way beyond waterways legislation, because the victory was based – not on waterways legislation per se, but – on the true interpretation of the phrase “without lawful authority”.I claimed that the High Court judgment last year, regardless of any findings on common law riparian rights or mooring rights from whatever source, was constitutionally unsound, because it violated a central foundation principle of the free, libertarian society that our constitution purports to provide for.My argument was that the phrase “without lawful authority” could only apply with reference to some law that was being breached; the High Court judge disagreed. The Appellate Court has now agreed with me that his finding on this was wrong. Lord Justice Mummery quoted from Sir Robert Megarry V.-C in a 1979 case saying: “England, it may be said, is not a country where everything is forbidden except what is expressly permitted: it is a country where everything is permitted except what is expressly forbidden.”  As some legal websites have commented, the affirmation of this constitutional principle affects the understanding of the thousands of Parliamentary Acts that  incorporate the same, common phrase. Hopefully the decision will assist in preventing continuing abuse of authority perpetrated by those in power who forget that they, also, are constrained by the Rule of Law, quite as much as we the governed. They will no longer be able to pretend that their whim has the status of law.A certain ruefulness creeps into consideration of the fact that it has taken 6 years for the court system to acknowledge and confirm so basic a right of the citizen. It is also sobering to reflect on all those prior cases where the authority succeeded in unlawfully evicting private boats in furtherance of their own financial schemes – it is contrary to natural justice that such abuse should have succeeded against anyone less “stubborn & relentless”, as I was described by the judge below!

Nigel Moore ● 4554d18 Comments ● 3354d

Sarah Trimmer Hall planning application

Last Chance to Save Sarah Trimmer Hall Deadline for planning application is this Monday   Comment on the Plans for Sarah Trimmer Hall Comment on this story on the forum There are only a few days left to comment upon plans for redeveloping what is currently being called "Sarah Trimmer Hall". Revised proposals were placed on Hounslow Council's planning website on 29 January with a deadline for comment of 8 February. The school room where Sarah Trimmer ran her industrial school for girls (teaching useful skills like spinning and needlework) as well as Sunday School classes would be partially demolished and converted in a destructive and inappropriate scheme creating 3 small "duplex apartments". Inserted partition walls and floors, changes to windows and new doorways would make it impossible to understand its original function. The building retains its original character and should therefore be conserved both as a fabric and as a record of Sarah Trimmer herself.Sarah Trimmer HallSt George's church and Trimmer HallSarah Trimmer was an important figure in the history of national educational reform.  Sarah was active in the Sunday School movement and in founding schools for the poor. She also gave birth to 12 children.Local historian Val Bott contacted the Director of Regeneration, Economic Development and Environment, Brendon Walsh, at the beginning of January to ask what was happening and to emphasise how important the building is, but received no response until she also contacted the Leader of the Council. "At a time when Brentford is changing rapidly it really matters that we preserve those things which remind us that it is a town with a proud history", said Val Bott, "and I hope local people will object most strongly now. The building could be profitably converted into an elegant single home, retaining its lofty central hall with upper rooms at each end of the building if only the developers took advice from an experienced conservation architect".The Brentford Community Council wrote in their objection "The three separate units proposed once again by IDM will effectively destroy the building leaving little more than a façade from the original building. "The Trimmer School has an unusual and fascinating history and is thought by historians to be the last - or one of the last - industrial schools in England of its time. Please do not let it go the way of the rest of Brentford High Street whose destruction was approved by the Council in the 1950’s!"Comments on 00607/367/P13 & 00607/367/L1 can be made by clicking on the reference number.

Vanessa Smith ● 3472d8 Comments ● 3355d

Open letter to the Queen for Citizens of the United Kngdom

I have for several weeks been pondering on the coming Referendum vote. I eventually decided that I should WRITE to our Queen requesting her assistance to put to all the UK Citizens the reasons for us to leave the EU, with particular reference to our sovereignty and Immigration. It is the Immigration part that worries me most but what is even more perplexing is the possible treason and sedition to which, if you read the paper at, http://www.englishconstitutiongroup.org/damning-letter-from-lord-kilmuir-the-lord-chancellor-to-edward-heath-2/It seems to paint an untenable position for the government.There is little point in opening a debate here on this forum, but after reading, and you believe in the principle, then please, copy and paste this to ALL the United Kingdom Citizens in your email address book, with your own comments added if you wish. BUT most important if you agree as I hope many of our readers must do, please MAIL the queen, (address provided) with a letter giving your own feelings. An email goes into a file on a computer’s hard drive where it will remain for ever? If you still prefer an email then, when sent, print it out and then MAIL it to Buck House.A sack full of direct mail to our Queen will make a much bigger impression than an individual email.  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++OPEN LETTER TO THE QUEEN                                                  14th May 2016HRH Queen Elizabeth II Buckingham PalaceLondon SW1A 1AAYour Majesty,Our Independent United KingdomAs a British Subject and loyal Member of the British Empire, I am writing to ask for your consideration to enter into, what has become a Pandora ’s Box of project fear and smoke and mirrors.Enclosed is a document pertaining to the possible acts of sedition and treason, involved in becoming a party to the Treaty of Rome. (Read article at URL above)As a loyal subject I am worried that if at the coming referendum we have a majority of in “IN” vote we may once more enter into this murky realm, problems with the countries security and Immigration. This will be the only opportunity to redress this historical mistake and resume our position in the world as an Independent Kingdom.As my Queen and Monarch of the United Kingdom, I am requesting that this matter Transcends Politics and Business and is directly related to the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom and as our Monarch, you should be prepared to stand up upon our behalf to clearly state that the United Kingdom, is such, and should not become any party to a Federalized Europe. I would suggest that this is the time when the mistakes of the past can be rectified by us once and for all, by remaining as an Independent UNITED KINGDOM, having control over all matters concerning the Union. To do so by making a speech to the nation on Sunday the 19th June at 1800 hrs. endorsing said position, ( entitled “For the Citizens of the United Kingdom”) and indicating to us that we should remain as we have always been, a United Kingdom, which has over many hundreds of years given to the countries now known as the Commonwealth, their laws, Justice and Parliamentary system, and resume our trading with them as we used to do so before the idea of joining Europe.I have the Honour to be, Madam, Your Majesty's humble and obedient servant.Captain Philip J Weaver MBE

Philip Weaver ● 3374d18 Comments ● 3371d

Decision will be made on 31 May 2016

Decision will be made on 31 May 2016 .Re: corner commercial premises on Whitestile Road. Formerly shops and now Dental workshop. A lot of interest has been shown by buyers keen to continue with the property being used as a shop. It was used  as a shop for over 50 years but the dental workshop re-located from the shop premises a couple of doors down to his existing corner position some 12 + years ago. Meanwhile the vacated premises were turned into another flat.  We have now lost all but 2 of our little parade of shops.  Now he wants to turn the dental workshop into yet another flat, If he succeeds then we will lose forever our little corner shop.  This property has wide appeal and potential to continue its use as a commercial enterprise and once it's turned into yet another flat we will have lost it and won't ever get it back!   Such a shame!  Property detailsCase Reference   P/2016/0931 Planning Reference  01201/114/P5 Location:  114 Whitestile Road Brentford TW8 9NW Proposal detailsChange from Commercial use to residential maisonette.Applicant detailsMartin Bulley  Council Contact: Gemma Bassett Planning officer  Tel: 0208 583 4967(It isn't as if Mr Bulley needs to live there himself no (Mr Bulley also owns the property directly behind this which he rents out  in (Junction Road) and he lives in a lovely huge detached house in Chorley Wood) he just plans to let it out. Meanwhile slowly, slowly We lose our little parade of shops, our sense of community and built yet another flat!

Mari Austin ● 3376d3 Comments ● 3376d

Why is it always when we have bad weather

Everytime we have freezing cold weather the heating on Ivybridge goes down. This year we are constantly seeing the heating going down leaving some off us with no hot water or Heating or both for days. Some off us again have had no heating for 4 days and our flats are freezing. When you call T Brown they say we are dealing with it and hopefully it be up and running latter today. I have had a engineer at my flat 3 times and i get told its not an issue at the boiler house but within the block. We have elderly, sick and residents with children who are cold (inc a 91yr old). Also even though we get no heating we still have to pay for it we never get a refund for the days we did not get it due to the failure of the system. I was told by the council back in February that they were going to renew everything in the boiler room, and replace pipes etc in each flat in the tower blocks costing £200K and that this would start this year. T Brown Engineers have told me the system is over 40yrs old and parts are hard to find and all they can do is a Temporary fix. With the money the council take from residents why have they not replaced the boiler room equipment. Why are residents having to suffer and still pay? I understand yesterday that 2 estate in Feltham and Brentford Towers lost heating too. Can i ask our local Councillors what they are doing about this issue and if residents who have had no heating for days will be reimbursed the money they have paid for heating they did not get please?

Simon Anderson ● 3387d5 Comments ● 3384d

Expecting, and interested in child development?

Hi all,I'm currently studying for an MSc in Psychodynamics of Human Development with the British Psychotherapy Foundation. As part of this course, I'm required to conduct an infant observation for a period of up to 2 years. What stage of birth?Ideally, I'd met you while you are pregnant, discuss times and what would be suitable for you, and go through your expectations and any concerns you may have.If you're willing to take part, we'll set a time as close as you feel comfortable after birth. I'd come at a similar time each week for just an hour. There is no need to do anything for me, you would just carry on with your day and I would simply observe the baby.How long will it go on for?Infant observations typically cover up to 2 years of a child's life, and the course requires at least 15 months of observations. So I'll need you to be sure you'd be happy and able to commit to this. i.e. that you have no immediate plans to move country during this period etc. Of course holidays are expected, and we would arrange observations around this or simply take breaks during this time.What area(s) are you interested?I'm looking for is a family in London, preferably West London, or commutable from the Waterloo to Addlestone /Weybridge line or South Ealing tube station, but I'm very flexible and willing to commute further.When do you need to start observations?I'm ready to begin once I've found a suitable and stable family, who are interested in taking part and understand the commitment involved.A bit about me:I am 32 years old female, living in London with my partner. I am extremely approachable, friendly and considerate individual. I have been an aunt since I was 15, and am very comfortable with young children, having 2 nieces and 4 nephews. I currently work for a national charity in London but am planning to train as an adult psychotherapist after the course. I've just graduated from the Open University last year and hold a cleared enhanced DBS certificate (specifically undertaken for this infant observation).If you're interested, or have any questions, please get in touch or message me via Mumsnet: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/2625140-Help-needed-for-infant-observation?msgid=60739787 Best,Tophuong

TP Tran ● 3385d0 Comments ● 3385d

A BETTER DESIGB FOR EVERYONE - Watermans Park Moorings

'The Community Design for 'Watermans Park Moorings' re Planning application http://watermansparkboats.co.uk/a-better-design-for-everyone/Does not:1. Steal Park Land to give to Private boat Owners for their Carpark2. Stop Bikes and Wheelchairs cycling from one end of the park to the other3. Fill the riverbed with in excess of 17,000 Tons of Concrete4. Drive 938 pilings into a very toxic Riverbed threatening the local ecosystem  ( The toxicity is from the former Gasworks which occupied this site for decades)5. Backfill in a significant part to the Park, almost to the road level, destroying one of the park’s best features of being much lower than one of the busiest roads in Brentfod.6. Evict a long standing community, many of which will need rehousing in a borough which has one of the worst homeless problems costing the Council yet more money7. Reduce the Children’s Play Area by 40%8. Make the Park a Building Site for Years 9. Remove Attractive mature trees in the Park10. Cost £5.4 million for the benefit of a few Private boat OwnersBut Rather:1. Renews and Extends the Boardwalk to provide a better viewing experience for the public.2. Provides a Public Pontoon where families can get down to the river and enjoy the proposed floating gardens3. Install a minimal number of Pilings (70 vs 938 ) so as to minimise ecological damage from the toxicity in the Riverbed4. Allow the existing boating community to remain as well as providing additional affordable commercial moorings to mitigate the development cost5. Carryout the entire development in 6 -  9 months during which time the public can continue to use the park with minimal disruption. This is a massive point - Before the first of the Court Cases the Council are wasting taxpayers money on even gets to Court, the Community Design would be finished !!!6. Deliver the Project for a massively lower cost saving the people of Brentford Millions whilst delivering a nicer Park7. Renovate an eclectic group of boats to make the Park attractive and interesting and above all a Community Space.8. Cost estimate at about £1.8 million

Stephen Alexander ● 3389d25 Comments ● 3387d

A BETTER DESIGN FOR EVERYONE - Watermans Park Moorings

'The Community Design for 'Watermans Park Moorings' re Planning applicationhttp://watermansparkboats.co.uk/a-better-design-for-everyone/Does not:1. Steal Park Land to give to Private boat Owners for their Carpark2. Stop Bikes and Wheelchairs cycling from one end of the park to the other3. Fill the riverbed with in excess of 17,000 Tons of Concrete4. Drive 938 pilings into a very toxic Riverbed threatening the local ecosystem  ( The toxicity is from the former Gasworks which occupied this site for decades)5. Backfill in a significant part to the Park, almost to the road level, destroying one of the park’s best features of being much lower than one of the busiest roads in Brentfod.6. Evict a long standing community, many of which will need rehousing in a borough which has one of the worst homeless problems costing the Council yet more money7. Reduce the Children’s Play Area by 40%8. Make the Park a Building Site for Years9. Remove Attractive mature trees in the Park10. Cost £5.4 million for the benefit of a few Private boat OwnersBut Rather:1. Renews and Extends the Boardwalk to provide a better viewing experience for the public.2. Provides a Public Pontoon where families can get down to the river and enjoy the proposed floating gardens3. Install a minimal number of Pilings (70 vs 938 ) so as to minimise ecological damage from the toxicity in the Riverbed4. Allow the existing boating community to remain as well as providing additional affordable commercial moorings to mitigate the development cost5. Carryout the entire development in 6 -  9 months during which time the public can continue to use the park with minimal disruption. This is a massive point - Before the first of the Court Cases the Council are wasting taxpayers money on even gets to Court, the Community Design would be finished !!!6. Deliver the Project for a massively lower cost saving the people of Brentford Millions whilst delivering a nicer Park7. Renovate an eclectic group of boats to make the Park attractive and interesting and above all a Community Space.8. Cost estimate at about £1.8 million

Stephen Alexander ● 3389d0 Comments ● 3389d

Watermans Park Houseboats, A Boat Owners point of view

Greetings to the Brentford TW8 Community   This is my first post to TW8  I thought it might be good to put my perspective up as a boat owner and try and explain what the Watermans Park Boating Community are trying to achieve.My boat the Alvracht has been moored in the park for over 10 years, we have a registered postcode, pay council tax and were even written to by the Council in the past to be informed that our address was not “Victoria Steps Quay” but rather Watermans Park ! :-))When the Council put forward their plans for the new marina we decided to try and engage positively with the Council and had a meeting with Steve Curran & Heather Cheesborough to explain why we thought a more ecologically sound, improved design could make the Park much better for the public, allow the boating community, some of which have lived here for over 30 years to remain, pay affordable mooring fees and Council tax and improve the appearance of their boats.Whilst being told during that meeting by Steve Curran, that above all he was a pragmatist and simply wanted to improve Watermans Park, we got the impression if we came up with a better alternative we would be given a chance to present it, to this end we invested a lot of time and effort to create a detailed alternative design that....DOES NOT:1.Steal Park Land to give to Private boat Owners for their Carpark2.Stop Bikes and Wheelchairs cycling/travelling from one end of the park to the other3.Fill the riverbed with in excess of 17,000 Tons of Concrete4.Drive 938 pilings into a very toxic Riverbed threatening the local ecosystem  ( The toxicity is from the former Gasworks which occupied this site for decades)5.Backfill in a significant part to the Park, almost to the road level, destroying one of the park’s best features which is that its well below the level of one of the busiest roads in Brentford6.Evict a long standing community, many of which will need rehousing in a borough which has one of the worst homeless problems costing the Council yet more money7.Reduce the Children’s Play Area by 40%8.Make the Park a Building Site for Years closing it to the pubic 9.Remove Attractive mature trees in the Park10.Cost £5.4 million for the benefit of a few Private boat OwnersBUT RATHER1.Extends the Boardwalk to provide a better viewing experience for the public.2.Provides a Public Pontoon where families can get down to the river and enjoy the proposed floating gardens3.Install a minimal number of Pilings (70 vs 938 ) so as to minimise ecological damage4.Allow the existing boating community to remain as well as providing additional affordable commercial moorings to mitigate the development cost5.Carryout the entire development in 6 -  9 months during which time the public can continue to use the park with minimal disruption.6.Deliver the Project for fraction of the cost of the Council Proposal saving the Council Millions.7.Renovate an eclectic group of boats to make the Park attractive and interesting and above all a Community Space..Unfortunately all attempts to present our design have been rejected….. Ruth Cadbury, our local MP even offered to try and arrange a chance to present our designs to Steve Curran and the council but still our offers were rejected.......Please have a look at www.watermansparkmoorings.co.uk to find out more about both designs, I hope you feel that our design benefits the people of Brentford more than the awful Marina design, if you do please support us and email your objection to the Council Plan to the members of the planning committee. Their email addresses can be found herehttp://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=595 and also Councillor Steve Curran Steve.Curran@hounslow.gov.ukPlease copy in wesupportyou@watermansparkmoorings.co.uk so we can read a few messages of support at the planning meetingAny aspect of our ideas you feel we have not answered just email Questions@watermansparkmoorings.co.uk and we’ll do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible with an answer.The Planning Meeting is on the 12th May at 7.30pm I feel the Council will try and rush yet another insensitive Brentford Gentrification Project through and destroy the last Public space on the Thames in Brentford. How bad is that, given the Thames runs through the middle of Brentford and should be a feature to be enjoyed by the people of Brentford, and this is the last bit left ?Thanks for taking the time to read our point of view.    ( BTW we would love to improve the look of the website but we are pretty rubbish at Wordpress, if anyone could give us a hand or point us in the right direction you’ll be invited to the first BBQ of the season and plied with your favourite tipple  ! )

Nick Day ● 3390d0 Comments ● 3390d

South West Train weekend services constantly maintenece works

Good Start of the week everybodyI have the impression that during the weekend South West Train Service from Hounslow to Clapham Junction is too often under maintenance workWhich seems acceptable to have maintenance work during the weekend sometimes I don't understand how it is possible after this big amount of scheduled maintenance works yet last Saturday there was an incident which affected Brentford trains There were not  update on the display board at the Brentford station. People had to wait without knowing before realizing that was not service. Luckily most of us know use internet and I found out about the service disruption.Since I had to go to Clapham Junction to catch my train to Gatwick Airport I went to Richmond like other people who lives around our areas that needed to go to Gatwick and it was comical.At Platform 2, the train was scheduled at 11:58 and on the display board saying Waterloo only. on the national rail application there was not even scheduled this train and then 2 minutes before the train was approaching the platform the speaker saying that this train was calling also a Clapham JunctionSunday "obviously" bus replacement from Clapham Junction to Barnes Bridge, wait 30 minutes at Barnes Bridge before to get the train to Brentfordmy questions are: Do South West Train actually invest their profit to update the rail track or it just maintenance of an old track which looking at the ticket price we pay seems not at the standard of other traits?Does the local council have a plan for improve the transportation from Hounslow to Waterloo? A sort of overground service? Brentford, Isleworth, Syon lane and Hounslow are under massive gentrification and in future years will be more people who relocate here and need better transportation in my opinion plus don't forget the new Brentford new Stadium with double capacity of Griffin ParkExample At Nine Elms they are building 2 new tube station.  I don’t say I need a tube but at least a regular decent service in the area l liveThank you for your attention

Domenico Urzi ● 3407d2 Comments ● 3407d

Shocking plans for Moore's Cycles in Isleworth Village

I am quite shocked by the development proposed for the Moore's Cycles site which I only found out about yesterday. I find the thought of a huge block like this going in on a relatively small site like this appalling in planning terms, never mind parking. I have submitted an objection which I have copied over below. Iobject, otherwise it may set a precedent for other eyesores in SJR. It is one thing for an industrial estate like the Skoda Centre and the plumbing place behind it to be redeveloped but these are human size buildings in Isleworth Village. Unfortunately the application already seems to be two weeks old, and there may be only a week or so to object before the time limit.A - 5 ST JOHNS ROAD ISLEWORTH LONDON TW7 6NA     Click here for a location mapApplication Date Recd DecisionP/2016/1314 00981/AI/P1Major Full Applications 21-Mar-2016 In ProgressDemolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the land to provide up to six storey building to accommodate 34 residential units with associated car parking, cycle parking and landscaping Click here to comment on this application I've submitted the following objection.''I object to this application on the grounds that the proposed building is of a much larger size than the current buildings and would set a precedent in terms of the permitted height of residential buildings in this part of St John's Road, and furthermore that the number of parking spaces supplied are massively short of the likely demand, and would thus impact on parking in surrounding roads.''

Ian Speed ● 3414d9 Comments ● 3408d

The Weir

I know there have been postings in the past about The Weir but feel this warrants a new topic.   I've been in a few times recently and the food has been pretty good, with average to poor service.  However, today, having arrived at around 1:55pm for Sunday luncheon, The Weir excelled itself.   It took 10 minutes to get a drink, in a virtually empty establishment.  There were already 8 ladies dining and maybe half a dozen others.   We ordered our drinks and food.  The starter was okay and arrived within 25 minutes.   The main course (we both ordered the roast lamb) arrived after a half hour wait.   My lamb was a plate of fat.  No exaggeration I would estimate at least 60% of the plate was fat. My friends plate was equally as bad.  When I expressed my shock, the waiter just waltzed off with the plates without comment.  We immediately asked for the bill and when questioned about what the problem was one of the waiting staff dismissed me with a turn of the heel and a flick of the wrist.  Absolutely atrocious.   We subsequently headed to O'Briens where we had a lovely roast lamb meal, that arrived within 10 minutes at a fraction of the price of The Weir. It's a shame - I like the establishment but the staff are rude and seem to operate on a "when I can be bothered" basis.  It's frustrating in this day and age to receive poor service.  It is also extraordinary that a chef can serve up a plate that is half fat and think that is okay.  Worse that the serving staff even took it to the table. 

Jan Riley ● 5535d27 Comments ● 3411d

PLEASE HELP DEFEND HOUNSLOW'S GREEN SPACES

Residents in Osterley are fighting developmental encroachment on long established sports grounds. This is part of an onslaught on green spaces around Hounslow and across London.The residents' group Keep Osterley Green (KOG) mounted a vigorous and well-informed campaign against the proposal to build a Free School on the White Lodge and Conquest Clubs sports grounds. This is Metropolitan Open Land and no good case was ever made for the special circumstances that would have justified this development. KOG won the arguments but lost the vote at the Planning Committee where the majority of councillors were persuaded by spurious arguments about school places and ignored the planning issues.A member of KOG has started a Judicial Review process against the Council for the flawed process by which it reached its decision. The papers have been lodged with the High Court and the process is well under way. The process does not come cheap and money is needed to finance the Judicial review (£40,000 is needed and currently £23,000 has been collected).You can send a clear signal to the Council against using green spaces as an easy development resource by donating to the campaign funds.Donations can be made through the Crowd Justice website:https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/keep-osterley-green/Further details on donating and also full details of the case can be found at http://keeposterleygreen.org/Similar problems are being faced around the borough. There have been both successes and setbacks in opposing this trend. It was good that the Planning Committee (10th March) turned down the application for a development on Hounslow Heath. The councillors argued that the proposed development would degrade the environment and produce increased traffic. Despite the officer's recommendation to approve the application they voted overwhelmingly against it.An earlier victory was the overturning of the decision to place a school on the Brent Lea recreation ground where the Council approved a temporary development but then gave it a 125-year lease. Again, some councillors were active in having the decision reviewed and overturned.Hounslow Council's recent “consultation” documents about developing the west of the Borough and Brentford's "Golden Mile" show a strong desire both to build many more very tall buildings and to build on Metropolitan Open Land and Green Belt.We have to act now to stop these plans from firming up. The way to do this right now is to campaign against developments that build on open land without special circumstances being met. That is the case that Osterley residents are fighting. Please consider donating to their campaign and passing on this message to others.

David Pavett ● 3415d9 Comments ● 3412d

Double Standards

Thought our local Labour Group were spearheading decent homes for all from developers but would appear it does not apply to them when submitting their own application for four "studio flats"in their HQThe Labour Party has had its application to convert its constituency offices on Chiswick High Road into flats turned down. The party had applied for planning permission to convert the ground floor from office space to four self-contained studio flats. According to the pending decisions list issued by Hounslow Council's planning department the application is to be refused even though there were no objections from local residents. This was becuase the studio flats would not have private amenity space, there was unacceptable access to one of the flats, there was a failure to demonstrate access to the retained offices at ground floor level and a failure to provide marketing evidence to support the loss of office space. This is necessary to show that there was insufficient demand at that location to support the site's continued use as offices. However, it was noted that if marketing evidence was provided and amended plans were received with appropriate private amenity space for the proposed flats with adequate access the proposal would be recommended for approval under delegated powers.Should approval be given then a source within the local Labour party has told us that they have agreed to investigate relocating their headquarters to a more central place in the constituency. Membership has doubled in the local party in the run-up to the last General Election and during the leadership contest and total membership in Chiswick is estimated at around 400 at present.

Paul Fisher ● 3442d9 Comments ● 3440d

'Laughable' affordable housing term should be banned, say Labour members

REPORT IN THE HOUNSLOW CHRONICLE"Affordable housing" should be scrubbed from Labour lingo, according to party members in Hounslow , because the term is so misleading.Homes available for rent at up to 80% of market rates qualify as "affordable", under the official government definition. But Brentford & Isleworth Labour Party says a typical family wishing to buy such a home would need an annual wage of £44,000 - £17,000 more than the national average wage of £27,000.It passed a motion on Wednesday, January 27, calling for the Labour Party nationally and locally to stop using the term without qualification.Crispin Flintoff, who proposed the motion, said: "The idea that these houses are 'affordable' is laughable. This government is trying to bamboozle people with word games."It's time the Labour Party stopped going along with this charade and I'm really pleased that we have made a commitment not to talk building 'affordable' homes in our literature or any manifestos unless they are 'based on average incomes not average rents or sales values'."The approved motion calls on Hounslow Council not to "do the government's work" by celebration the construction of luxury developments simply because they include "affordable housing".It also states that future manifestos should not include pledges to build "affordable housing".The Labour administration in Hounslow pledged in 2014 to secure a further 3,000 affordable homes, including 400 new council homes, by 2018.http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/laughable-affordable-housing-term-should-10822836

Crispin Flintoff ● 3474d32 Comments ● 3460d

Transport issues  - Guy Lambert

Hi Guy Lambert,You said you were keen to discuss the transport in the area, so here is my view, and I am sure others will contribute.The good, the bad and the uglyThe good: Many may disagree with me here,  but I think rail link for those of us who want to commute to Central London is , if not good, but adequate. Of course, longer trains are needed because  the service is overcrowded, and we'd  all like trains to move faster, but in comparison to everything else we have in Brentford / Syon / Isleworth, rail is probably the better one of the lot. I read that there are plans for additional rail links (15-year plan), so this could work well for those who live or commute for work into the area.Bus services towards Hounslow (237 and 235) are quite good too.The bad: We don't have a tube station, and probably won't have in the future,  but a frequent bus service from Brentford High Street to Osterley tube would help a lot (H91 service is less than adequate and doesn't connect town centre). There is a bus service to Hounslow East station, but it takes too long due to road congestion. The ugly: Now, the "ugly" is so ugly, that I want to scream at the computer while I am typing it. I am taking about the bus services towards West Mid hospital and Twickenham.If you look at the stretch of the road between Morrisons in Brentford and Isleworth War memorial, there are 6 primary, 3 secondary schools and a major teaching hospital with A&E and maternity units that just doubled in size. There is just ONE bus route that takes you from Brentford to Twickenham, and frequency of service is frankly appalling.I spent countless mornings at a bus stop on London road with my 2 young kids just to watch buses whizz by without stopping because they are FULL. I am talking about 8 o'clock in the morning, well before the start of the school day. We then had to walk 1.5 miles, often in cold rain, and by the time we reached school gates kids were cold, wet and not set for learning. It is pretty much the same on the way back at 3.30 pm. On those occasions we did manage to get on a bus, my kids were pushed about, smacked in the head with rucksacks and I was verbally assaulted by the feral girls from Gumley school. This happens pretty  much every weekday. And just to mention - those buses are now stuck in a car park called Twickenham road, adding up to 40 minutes to a journey that used to take less than 15.This is now. Let's remember that you are about to open a new secondary school at Busch corner, adding 1000+ journeys every weekday to the public transport network that is already bursting at the seams. Someone mentioned 2 more schools at or near Gillette's - true? How about 18,000 jobs planned for Golden Mile? How are those people meant to get to and from work?There is a big push from your colleagues at Hounslow council to get people out of cars and onto bikes and public transport. May I ask, what did they do to improve public transport first? They are about to spend £60,000 of our money on leaflets advertising how we should all start cycling. Don't you think it's a bit disingenuous, when your party's mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan told the press only today that he won't let his OWN two daughters cycle in London because it isn't safe?For the record, I walk whenever I can, but sometimes it is too far for the little kids, or too cold, or they are too tired after a full day at school. You leave us with no options. I can see a big trouble coming your way.In the spirit of "citizen engagement" may I suggest that you and your colleagues start talking to the real people and listen to the problems we face day in and day out.I am not saying that council is solely responsible for this mess, but you need to talk with TFL and try and sort out transport infrastructure problems before approving thousands of new developments in the area.And then there is a death trap called Busch corner junction. People have been complaining about safety for months, but no one had a decency even to acknowledge the issue. Councillors, including yourself, seem to be spending a lot of their time talking about dog mess, potholes and other non-issues, but nobody wants to see the elephant in the room.Please let me know if you wish to discuss this personally.

Marina Thomas ● 3468d15 Comments ● 3466d

Aversion to being straight and honest

Why is it that Hounslow Council have an aversion to being straight and honest and rely of deception and half truths?They did it with the wheelie bins, the CPZs, local developments and now with the latest leaflet on garden waste.To quote:"Presently. All residents pay for a free garden waste collection service regardless of whether they use it or not.Asking residents to pay for the service means only those who want it receive it.Charging also helps prevent abuse of the collection service by gardening contractors and helps towards the cost."This is both a breach of trading standards and the ASA code of practice.'Free' and 'Pay' in the same sentence? Somewhat contradictory.'Abuse by Gardening Contractors' Where? How? and under what circumstances.If you get someone in to sort your garden, it's still your residential garden waste, irrespective of who actually puts it in the bags.If it is such a problem then why is it not being observed reported and dealt with in the same way as fly tipping?Garden waste is a profitable industry. About the most profitable area of the entire recycling industry.So why lie? They want to make extra money out of you and me, on top of the council tax we pay.However, as it clearly states we are Currently Paying for a free garden waste service, then where is the refund if one decides to not take up the invented charges?That clearly implies that residents should get a fifty pound rebate.

Raymond Havelock ● 3470d4 Comments ● 3469d

Council Leader Complains To Planning Inspectorate Over Lucozade Sign

http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conlucozade002.htmCouncillor Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, has penned an open letter to the Planning Inspectorate to complain about the removal of the iconic Lucozade advertisement at York House, Brentford.He says he is concerned that there is "a lack of consistency with decisions for advertisements on the Great West Road" and wants to see an independent review of the training and decision-making process of the Planning Inspectorate, regarding advertisement appeals across the borough of Hounslow.Over the Christmas holidays, JC Decaux installed an internally illuminated LED screen at York House, Brentford, to screen advertisements, removing the iconic copy of the 1920’s 'dripping bottle' Lucozade advertisement that many people associated with the area.Hounslow Council planners had previously turned down permission for the LED advertisement screen, but it was given consent on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, a situation that the Lead member described as "depressing".Cllr Curran says in his letter, that removing the iconic sign has caused great upset in the local community and attracted considerable attention from the media."Overall, I am concerned there is a lack of consistency with decisions for advertisements on the Great West Road. I appreciate there is a real pressure from advertisers to locate here, as one of the most valuable stretches of land for advertisements in the country. But it is mainly a residential area and local people are not happy about the brightness of the LED screens, which is completely different to the old style illuminated advert hoardings.""The Planning Inspectorate overriding the decisions of my planning officers, based on the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Act 2007 and Local Plan policy, is depressing."However, there are inconsistencies as the Planning Inspectorate dismiss about eight applications for every one approved."I would like to see an independent review carried out of the training and decision making of the Planning Inspectors involved in decision making on advertisement appeals in LB Hounslow since the 2007 Act came in to force.he replacement advertising hoarding (Picture: Brentford Heritage)The Lucozade advert (or a similar version) has been situated on the building on the Great West Road since the fifties. It's much loved and seen by many returning from a long trip outside London giving the first indication that they are close to home.The digital display ad that has replaced it is advertising Mercedes vans rather than energy drinks. A petition has been set up with change.org calling on the Prime Minister to: 'Bring back Brentford's iconic Lucozade sign. Remove the hideous digital advertising.'JC Decaux has declined to comment on the removal of the sign.Nina Meusberger, head of marketing at Lucozade Energy, said: "We're grateful for the public’s appreciation for the iconic Lucozade Energy sign which was displayed alongside the M4 in Brentford. We have preserved and stored the sign since the decision, which was beyond our control, was made to turn the space into a digital advertising board."We are considering various options of where to place it next."January 20, 2016

Reg Ghosh ● 3488d1 Comments ● 3488d

Front gardens will have to be changed to accommodate bins

Meanwhile in Ealing ....Conservative Councillors in Northfields are warning residents that they may have to alter their properties to accommodate wheelie bins which are to be introduced borough wide next year.In their local leaflet 'intouch' they say council officers told them that it was the responsibility of residents to ensure they can store the bins - even if that means knocking down walls or removing shrubs and trees. The information came after Councillors Millican, Mullins and Conti went on a walkabout with the officers and visited various roads including Belsize Ave, near Northfields Station. There they saw houses that would not be able to accommodate the wheelie bins without adapting their front gardens, unless the wheelie bins were left directly in front of the front doors.Officers also apparently confirmed that legal action could be taken if the bins were left on the pavement.The news will cause anger - this year 7,000 people signed a petition against the changes.In Brentford the recent introduction of the new collection service has led to protests outside the Council Leader's house.Ealing Council plan to introduce the alternate collections and wheelie bins in late Spring and are currently assessing properties which are not suitable for a wheelie bin and say they will provide the same service offered to homes on red routes.They say if any waste (contained or otherwise) is left unauthorised on the pavement, action can be taken. However they claim that they want to ' work closely with residents before, during and after service roll out to prevent any need for this'. Residents can store wheelie bins in their front gardens if they wish to.An Ealing Council spokesperson added:''Wheelie bin collections have been successfully introduced in many parts of London, making it easier to recycle. We have carried out a survey of all homes in the borough and the majority of homes will be able to store wheelie bins. We will be writing to people early next year to let them know what their collection service will be and help will be at hand for people who need further advice.''

Reg Ghosh ● 3538d31 Comments ● 3496d

No Christmas Excess Rubbish Allowed Say Council

From the Chiswick site http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&link=http://neighbournet.com/server/common/hounspol194.htmDon't put out extra bins over festive period or they won't be collectedChristmas may be regarded as a time of excess but not where Hounslow Council's rubbish collection is concerned. This year they have warned that anyone putting out extra rubbish beside their wheelie bin will have to deal with it themselves.The Council says 70% of the extra waste generated over Christmas can be recycled. Real Christmas trees will be collected for recycling during January 2016.All excess waste is recorded by collection crews. Anyone caught dumping excess waste on the streets will face a fine of £80, warn the Council.Any bags placed beside or on top of wheelie bins will not be collected. Bins where the lid is open or not firmly closed will not be collected."Hounslow residents receiving wheelie bin rubbish collections are reminded not to leave additional bags out for collection during Christmas and the New Year to avoid having to get rid of them themselves."Only waste in wheelie bins is collected to limit the amount of rubbish households can throw away, which encourages residents to recycle more."Staff will not return to collect any excess rubbish and residents will need to take any uncollected waste to Space Waye Reuse and Recycling Centre, Pier Rod, Feltham, or a civic amenity in neighbouring boroughs of Richmond, Hillingdon or Ealing.More than 40,000 households across the borough now use wheelie bins to contain their waste- despite their unpopularity in some areas. A further 24,000 households will receive a new bin in the New Year.You can recycle:• all wrapping paper• cardboard packaging from presents or food• food packaging like plastic pop bottles, plastic pots and tubs from chocolate boxes• glass drinks bottles and jars• drink tins and mince pie wrappers • all leftover food that cannot be eaten or frozen.Revised waste and recycling collections will be made during Christmas and the New Year.You need to place your Christmas tree out for collection on your normal garden waste collection day (this can be found through the collection day finder). Only real Christmas trees will be collected, all decorations, pots and stands need to be removed before they are placed out for collection.Residents living in flats can also arrange to have their real Christmas tree to be collected.Contact the Council to arrange a collection, by emailing recycling@hounslow.gov.uk or by calling 020 8583 2000.

Reg Ghosh ● 3516d6 Comments ● 3504d

1960's Movie

Hi everyone,I haven't posted for a very long time because I've had nothing to say of interest, plus being 16000 odd kilometres away in Australia. However, I do look through the forum at least once a week.I have been looking for many, many years for a 1960's movie, where quite a few scenes were shot in Brentford. I had been told it may be a movie called "The Concrete Jungle" starring Stanley Baker,  but I hunted that down and didn't find what I was looking for.Last night I goggled "Brentford 1960's" and up came a site called "reelstreets". This brought up a lot of stills from a movie called "The Challenge" and lo and behold I had found what I was looking for. It came out in America as "It takes a thief"so I then went on You Tube to see if it was there. Type it in as "It takes a thief" and you are able to watch the whole movie.At the 23 minute mark is the scene I had been looking for, as it shows kids running out of school at the end of the day. This is in fact myself and other kids running out of St Paul's gate and continue running towards the Rec. Unfortunately, it is a short scene, and we run pretty fast, that I can't really 100% say which one I am.My best shot is that I maybe the girl towards the end who seems to almost take a tumble, as her arm comes up in order to keep her balance. The reason I am sharing this with you is that you may be one of the other kids, or much to my dismay, you may lay claim to being that little girl. Anyhow, tell me what you think of the whole thing as there are more scenes from the streets of Brentford i.e. New Rd, Brook Rd North and a few others. In fact you may end up seeing your own house on there.Enjoy!

Sue Gowty ● 3526d5 Comments ● 3509d

The Battle of Brentford

10 London ‘battlefields’ – 7. Battle of Brentfordhttp://exploring-london.com/2015/12/09/10-london-battlefields-7-battle-of-brentford/Having taken Banbury and Oxford in the aftermath of the Battle of Edgehill, the Royalist army marched along the Thames Valley toward London where a Parliamentarian army under the Earl of Essex waited.Having arrived at Reading to the west of London, King Charles I, apparently unconvinced peace talks were heading in the right direction, ordered Prince Rupert to take Brentford in order to put pressure on the Parliamentarians in London.On 12th November, 1642, up to 4,600 Royalists under the command of the prince engaged with two Parliamentarian infantry regiments at Brentford, one of the key approaches the City of London. The Parliamentarians were under the command of Denzil Hollis (who wasn’t present) and Lord Brooke – various estimates put their number at between 1,300 and 2,000 men.Prince Rupert’s men – consisting of cavalry and dragoons – attacked at dawn under the cover of a mist. An initial venture to take a Parliamentarian outpost at the house of Royalist Sir Richard Wynne was repulsed by cannon fire but Sir Rupert ordered a Welsh foot regiment to join the fight and the outpost was quickly taken.The Cavaliers then pushed forward across the bridge over the River Brent (which divided the town) and eventually drove the Parliamentarians from the town and into the surrounding fields (part of the battle was apparently fought on the grounds of Syon House – pictured at top).Fighting continued into the late afternoon before the arrival of a Parliamentarian infantry brigade under the command of John Hampden allowed the Roundheads to withdraw.About 170 are believed to have died in the battle (including a number who drowned fleeing the fighting). Followed by the sack of the town, the battle was a success for the Royalists who apparently captured some 15 guns and about 400 prisoners. The captured apparently included Leveller John Lilburne, a captain in Brooke’s regiment.The Royalists and Parliamentarians met again only a few days later – this time at Turnham Green (for more on that, see last week’s post).Incidentally, this wasn’t the first battle to be fought at Brentford. Some time over the summer of 1016, English led by Edmund Ironside clashed with the Danes under the soon-to-be-English king Canute. Edmund was victorious on the day, one of a series of battles he fought with Canute.Meanwhile, more than 1000 years earlier, it was apparently at Brentford that the British under the King Cassivellaunus fought with Julius Caesar’s men in 54 BC on their approach to St Albans (Verulamium).A pillar stands High Street in Brentford commemorating all three battles while there is an explanatory plaque about the battle in the grounds of Syon Park.For more the Battles of Brentford and Turnham Green, see www.battlefieldstrust.com/brentfordandturnhamgreen.

Reg Ghosh ● 3530d10 Comments ● 3525d

Council leader felt 'harassed and threatened'

What a complete idiot this man is, people feel so strongly about an issue so they try to talk to a reluctant local representative who throws a wobbly and says he felt 'harassed and threatened', well now he knows how the rest of us feel at our treatment by Hounslow Council. It's like being in a permanent state of war with these twerps.If the Dear Leader and his colleagues had an ounce of political nous they'd have stopped to consider the sizeable backlash the decision on wheelie bins has caused. There are some of us for whom they work well, but you really do have to consider that some areas are not suitable for these, and try listening to people's real concerns. Just brushing criticism to one side and refusing to engage is hardly the action of a councillor in tune with his constituents.I have just had a letter through my door also on a subject that people in Isleworth are up in arms over, the closure of Church St. something else where a sizeable public meeting showed its disagreement with this barmy decision, but which they are going to blunder on with anyway. Then they insult us all by having the absolute gall to say that 243 people responded to their 'informal consultation' and 60% of those supported the closure! That works out to 145 people, are they kidding? When by their own calculations this will push nearly 2,500 extra vehicles on to the Twickenham Rd. and down other residential streets! 'Harassed and threatened?' Well, you have your answer - try listening to people and not being so bloody arrogant!

Vanessa Smith ● 3548d90 Comments ● 3530d

Latest developments on Isleworth Pit Park saga

As this is a major ongoing local issue in its own right I thought I'd take the liberty of detaching it from the Brent Lea thread so as not to blur the two, linked though they are as they both throw a revealing light on our local authority's approach to resident engagement:Vanessa Smith wrote:  "It seems in our fight to wrest our local park back from individual usage and ensure pubic access for local residents, that Isleworth councillors are taking lessons from their Leader. Apparently a meeting has been arranged for this Thursday at Isleworth Library to set up a 'working party' to look into the issues surrounding the use of the park, it has become clear that only selected people have been notified of this meeting, it looks like it's people who back on to the park only, which is not a lot of homes when you consider the local area. In the best traditions of repressive states across the world Labour councillors are manipulating the process instead of opening this up to the wider public locally. I have asked for an explanation of just who decided to do this and why the people who have been notified don't include the people who took the trouble to respond to the so-called 'consultation' (which was done after the park was given away). After all if people took the trouble to respond then doesn't that tell  you that they have an interest in what happens?"As anybody who has been a councillor knows, there are sometimes extraordinary demands on an elected member's time.  This is even more so in the case of a councillor who serves on the Cabinet, as two of Isleworth's three elected members do.Under the circumstances it seems bizarre to say the least that Isleworth's councillors would want to set up a working party involving some of the residents affected by a Council decision but not others, with a view to then repeating the exercise before a wider group at some unstipulated later stage.  Much easier, one would have thought, to include everybody concerned from the off.It is difficult therefore to conclude that this is anything other than a particularly crude attempt at community divide and rule, which seems an extraordinarily insensitive and frankly arrogant approach to take in the wake of the original blunders to which the councillors freely admit (although some believe, not without good reason, that there was more to things than mere incompetence).  Surely some contrition, rather than further manipulation of events, is what is called for here?Some words of explanation either from them or from their Leader, whose backing they continue to enjoy, would be helpful to us all.

Phil Andrews ● 3707d16 Comments ● 3532d

Stupid beyond Comprehension

If anyone is in the slightest doubt about how Hounslow wastes money in a time of financial angst. Take a walk to Alexandra road on the corner of Albany Road and The Court.They have installed a one way cycle route, downhill with hugely expensive speed bumps.It is a route to nowhere and is unbelievable unsafe for cyclists and simply won't ever get used.The junction at the High street is at one of the worst black spots on that section of road.It is blind to turn right and for traffic heading west on the high street also blind to cyclists.Far easier and safer routes exist.It does not connect with the cycle route that runs through St Paul's Park which is also a safer and easier flat route from Grand Junction to Kew Pumping station.Now terminating buses at the Alexandra Road stop block up the former one way road causing other buses and traffic bound for Morrisons to back up into the high street causing delays right back into Brentford and the Half Acre.It's only been there 2 days and already it is a total mess.Officers were warned that this would not work and that it is a completely pointless route for us cyclists.Even with these mini speed bumps, no safe cyclist in their right mind would cycle downhill towards a main road with a contraflow of traffic in particular buses.They have made a safe area dangerous. Utterly stupid and a huge waste of taxpayers money.On top of that they have blocked of Albany road with non removable bollards. Albany road is the pick up point for the air ambulance crews which land in the dogs corner of the park.It is now only accessible from one end which can block up with a light van.  How could something so stupid which could cost lives get passed through let alone proposed?Money massively wasted. If they really want to make cycling easier and safer, sort out the Great West road cycle track with visible repeater traffic lights and sweep the often puncture blighted surface regularly.

Raymond Havelock ● 3537d7 Comments ● 3533d

Pollution nearly twice legal limit in Twickenham Road

Get West London: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/pollution-nearly-twice-legal-limit-10544910 Pollution nearly twice legal limit in Isleworth's Twickenham RoadProtesters say shocking levels of nitrogen dioxide along Twickenham Road back up their calls to overturn Church Street closure.  Protesters fighting a controversial road closure in Isleworth have unearthed alarming data about pollution which they say supports their case.Levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2), produced by vehicles, in Twickenham Road are nearly twice the legal limit, according to Hounslow Council's own figures.  Campaigners say closing nearby Church Street will add to congestion in Twickenham Road, which is home to West Middlesex Hospital and a number of schools, making the air there even filthier.A report published by Hounslow Council in October shows NO2 levels at Busch Corner, at the junction of Twickenham Road and London Road, were 74.9 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) in 2014.Dr Nichola Keay, who unearthed the statistics, is among those opposed to the 18-month trial closure of Church Street, which is due to begin on Monday (December 7)."Given the council's own predictions that closing Church Street will increase delays in the area by 142%, it's inevitable pollution in Twickenham Road will become even worse," she said."I have asked the council's head of transport what the pollution threshold is at which Church Street would be re-opened but I have not received a reply."The council has said it took the decision to close Church Street following complaints from residents about drivers using the narrow residential road as a "rat run" .In a survey earlier this year about 60% of those responding supported the move, but critics say a wider area should have been consulted .Campaigners are planning to march along Twickenham Road next weekend in protest at the closure.On the same day, residents of Church Street are holding a Christmas party to celebrate their road being closed to through traffic.

Reg Ghosh ● 3536d2 Comments ● 3535d

Wheelies and Fire Safety Regs from the Watch Manager

To those who have been posting wondering about the fire safety aspect of wheelie bins being placed next to buildings (something which I am not particularly concerned by) I today emailed the northwestareasupportteam@london-fire.gov.uk and asked whether there was any advice/regulation. I was very impressed to get the following answer back within a few hours. It is not what people may be wanting to hear but hopefully it clarifies the situation somewhat.Dear Sir / Madam, Many thanks for your enquiry regarding the refuse collection system and your fire safety concerns. Unfortunately, as far as our regulatory / enforcement powers are, I am unable to offer any professional assistance in regard to the refuse bins you have been provided with. Sadly, the fire safety legislation does not extend to single private dwellings or their surrounding land. I can understand your frustrations and concerns, particularly if the bins provided make it difficult to use your property the way you would wish to. When having encountered this in the past, I’m afraid I have only been able to refer people to the local councillor / MP and / or environmental health officer.   My sincere apologies that I can’t assist you further, I trust the matter will be amicably resolved in the near future .    Yours sincerely,    Watch Manager Daniel Burrage Fire Safety Inspecting Officer, Fire Safety Regulation, SE Area London Fire Brigade 90 Old Town, Croydon, CR0 1AR Tel      0208 555 1200  x 37618 Mob    07825 996 369

Anne England ● 3544d4 Comments ● 3538d

Wheelie Bins: Fire safety hazard & insurance risk

This is the official Fire safety advice for residential wheelie bins.Sent to me from a colleague in Cheshire Fire service but most others also offer the advice. This has come about because of the huge increase in fires in rubbish bins in the North of England.Another fact ignored by Hounslow Council.Should a wheelie bin fire damage your property, your insurance may well not cover the damage as if too close to your home and not following fire safety recommendations could void it.The council and Councillor cabinet member ( in this case Cllr. Mann - who elects to ignore the advice and as a multiple landlord should be fully aware) may well be liable as the bin is council property.If they ignore appeals on safety grounds and the worst happens, then they will be fully liable.In the case of Wheelie bins being in terrace houses with frons lest than 3m deep this places the vast majority of bins within 1 metre of a door or window and within arms lenght of a passer by.This makes the fire risk extreme.So courtesy of Cheshire Fire service. Wheelie bin - fire safety tipsHelp to prevent bin fires by following these tips:Do not place hot items in the bin, for example:  smoking materials, hot embers from coal/wood, hot ash, etcDo not store rubbish or wheelie bins/refuse containers by windows or doors - any fire in the bin could easily spread to your property.Do not store your wheelie bin/refuse containers in close proximity to a building.Do not overfill your wheelie bin/refuse containers or leave loose rubbish around them.Whenever possible, wheelie bins/refuse containers should be stored securely behind locked gates.Only place your wheelie bin out on collection day. Return it to your property as soon as possible after collection. Do not leave your wheelie bin out at night.Do not allow bins or rubbish to block escape routesDon't let your bin become a target for arsonistsWe would like to urge residents and businesses to store all bins away to avoid them becoming a target for arsonists.This includes wheelie bins and refuse containers.Please store them away, especially at night. Please take extra care to make sure that rubbish does not pile up close to buildings

Raymond Havelock ● 3555d9 Comments ● 3542d

Possibilitiy of three wheeled bins per household

Not content with imposing one bin on us, Hounslow Council want to issue a second bin for co-mingled recycling and a third for garden waste.Possibilitiy of three wheeled bins per householdHounslow Council have announced the introduction of wheelie bins borough wide with great publicity but haven't mentioned their intentions to bring in a fortnightly waste collection for non-recyclables.At September's Cabinet meeting it was agreed that:-The Cabinet agreed the introduction of a fortnightly collection frequency for residual waste.The Cabinet agreed the introduction of a charge for the collection of garden waste from April 2016 based on the collection of 240 litre wheeled bins on alternate weeks (with the residual waste service).The Cabinet approved the policies at Appendix A and B of the report. These contain the full details of the wheelie bin policy and garden waste collection.The Cabinet agreed to bring the service back under local authority control upon the termination of the current contract (which ends on 31 October 2016).In addition the Council will look further at:The introduction of a co-mingled recycling service based on the collection of 240 litre wheeled bins on alternate weeks (with the residual waste service). This would mean a second wheeled bin instead of the current green box and bags.The retention of a weekly kerbside sorted service based as currently provided.The possible redevelopment of the council’s civic amenity site at Space Waye to improve service provision and allow the council to handle collected recycled materials for onward processing.The options for the sale/processing of collected recyclables;To agree the financial implications set out in the report with final costings being reported to Cabinet in December.All councils have been asked to achieve a 50% recycling target by 2020 and Hounslow has been at around 35% in recent years, the worst recycling level in West London.SITA staff are employed on the minimum wage rather than the London Living Wage which Hounslow requires.Garden waste will be via a(nother) 240l wheeled bin with the option of two sacks instead at a charge of £50 per year for fortnightly collection. This is expected to be brought in next April.The report also states that there is no requirement to consult service users.  http://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=88338#mgDocuments

Reg Ghosh ● 3551d7 Comments ● 3544d

Proposed closure of Church St.

From Cllr. Guy Lambert's weekly TW8 Newsletter."Saturday was monthly surgery in the Mission Hall. A lady looking for a venue to run an after-school group (must get back to her) and another lady who wanted to protest about the imminent trial closure of Church Street in Isleworth to cars, which she believes will make her late for work each day after depositing her child at the Blue School. I’m sympathetic to her personal difficulties but we did hear the arguments for and against this closure at the last Isleworth and Brentford Area Forum and councillors unanimously (I think) agreed to the trial."Clearly Cllr. Lambert didn't pay any heed to the public meeting held at the Isleworth Public Hall recently, where it was quite clear the arguments for and against this decision seemed to consist of offering residents several options all of which contained a closure! He along with others needs to understand that where traffic is concerned you CANNOT look at things in isolation, this stupid and misguided plan will cause gridlock on the Twickenham Rd. The whole area from Busch Corner right up to the A316 roundabout has to be considered. Is Cllr. Lambert familiar with the area? If he is then he's talking balderdash, if he isn't then he should try driving around here in the rush hour. Listening to officers referring to their reports is not enough, councillors should familiarise themselves with the issues they are being asked to take decisions on, then he might understand the dreadful implications this decision so easily taken will have for all local residents.

Vanessa Smith ● 3557d1 Comments ● 3556d

The white poppy - time for a rethink all round?

Following on from discussions elsewhere on this forum about yesterday's Remembrance Day events, one couldn't help but notice that Syon councillor Katherine Dunne was sporting a white poppy at the Isleworth parade alongside the traditional red one, emblazoned with the word "Peace".Personally I thought this was a nice touch.  So often I have found myself nonplussed by the abuse I have received from a very small minority of people when selling poppies, usually accompanied by allegations that I am a warmonger and an apologist for murder.  Yet I have opposed UK and Western military aggression in North Africa and the Middle East as outspokenly and as consistently as any anti-war campaigner from the so-called "left".Similarly there is undoubtedly a feeling amongst some to whom the Remembrance season is held dear that those who choose to wear the white poppy are unpatriotic, even traitors, whose act betrays those who have given their lives.  This despite the fact that they call only for peace and an end to war - a sentiment which, in my opinion and experience, is shared by the overwhelming majority of ex-servicemen and women as well as right-thinking people everywhere.  The former ICG councillor Dr. Genevieve Hibbs was a pacifist who, when she became Mayor of Hounslow, struggled with her conscience in the knowledge that she would be expected to attend the annual ceremony of Remembrance and to play a prominent part in proceedings.  I remember having a long conversation with her in which I managed to persuade her that Remembrance was not a celebration of war but an act of respect for those who had lost their lives as a result of the failure of politics and of national leaders worldwide to reconcile their differences peacefully.  Indeed some may even see it is an act of defiance to those people, a reaffirmation of the gratitude and debt that we feel to those brave men and women who put their lives on the line in contrast to the contempt that we may hold for those who casually send them out to fight from their comfort and safety of their own pampered offices.  I am pleased to say she attended the event and did Isleworth proud.There needs in my view to be a rethink on the part of all concerned.  The moral snobbery contained in the notion held by a few that people who wear the red poppy are all monsters who celebrate in blood and death is as insulting and obscene as it is patently ridiculous.  There need be no contradiction between remembering with fondness and gratitude those who gave their lives, and aspiring for a peaceful future in which war is made a thing of the past.

Phil Andrews ● 3560d0 Comments ● 3560d

Progress promised following claims Brentford High Street 'left to rot'

Apparently something is moving.......http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/progress-promised-following-claims-brentford-10372085s frustration grows over wait for huge new development, council leader says legal agreements should be signed within next few weeksrogress has been promised on the long-awaited redevelopment of Brentford High Street, following claims the area has been 'left to rot'.It is nearly a year since Ballymore was granted permission last November to build nearly 900 homes, plus shops and offices on the mostly dilapidated land between the southern side of the High Street and the River Brent.The plans were controversial at the time but frustration is now growing among local business people at the lack of action since then. TrendingCrimeBonfire NightChristmas    Uxbridge    Hounslow    Ealing    Harrow    FulhamProgress promised following claims Brentford High Street 'left to rot'    10:52, 4 Nov 2015    By Robert CumberAs frustration grows over wait for huge new development, council leader says legal agreements should be signed within next few weeks    Shares Comments Artist's impression of phase one of the planned regeneration project for the south side of Brentford High Street by developer BallymoreProgress has been promised on the long-awaited redevelopment of Brentford High Street, following claims the area has been 'left to rot'.It is nearly a year since Ballymore was granted permission last November to build nearly 900 homes, plus shops and offices on the mostly dilapidated land between the southern side of the High Street and the River Brent.The plans were controversial at the time but frustration is now growing among local business people at the lack of action since then.Brentford High Street developmentVideo loadingPlay0:00/0:00FullscreenMuteShareA small amount of demolition is all the action people have seen so far on the ground, and one shopkeeper, John Russell, of the cobblers Russell's claims the area has been "left to rot".Council leader Steve Curran had admitted the development was "not going along as quickly as we would like" and has since met representatives from Ballymore, to pose alongside a digger, marking the start of demolition work.He described the meeting as "positive" and said he was hoping legal agreements between the council and the developer would be signed in the next four weeks.However, he said it was not possible to give an indication at this stage of when building work would start, or how long it might take."The legal agreements should be signed in the next four weeks. Once that has been done we're hoping they can give us a clearer work pattern," he said.Ballymore said it was unable to comment at this stage.

Domenico Urzi ● 3565d0 Comments ● 3565d

Do they get irony?

Consultation on the future of parks and librariesHounslow Council is calling on residents to have their say on plans to redesign and rationalise leisure and culture services in the borough.At the heart of the consultation exercise is a draft strategy that sets out four objectives: to modernise the borough’s library service; to enhance local parks and open spaces; to support residents to be more active; and to celebrate Hounslow’s cultural make-up and rich heritage.  A poster and postcard campaign launched on 5th October 2015 invites residents to comment on the objectives and the steps suggested to achieve them.Though the new approach is driven in part by the council’s need to cut its budget, the strategy is deliberately ambitious.  For example, it sets a target for Hounslow residents to become the most active in London by 2022 – when at present they lag behind the London and England average for people participating in exercise for at least 30 minutes a week. The strategy proposes a shift towards online and digital services. And, for libraries, it also refers to the need to reach out to more residents since, while the Chiswick, Feltham and Hounslow branches remain busy, overall use of libraries has dropped by 20 per cent in the past five years.The draft also explores the possibility of making better use of the borough’s 1,365 hectares of green space, with the cash being ploughed back into improved facilities.Councillor Ed Mayne, Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Leisure, explains: “Over the next four years the council must make at least £70million in savings and the leisure services budget is expected to be reduced by at least £2.3m. Our draft strategy aims to make sure we maintain the highest possible standards in our leisure services while adapting to the budget cuts and changes in the services residents want.  So, residents’ views are essential if we are to rise to this daunting challenge successfully.”The draft Leisure and Culture Strategy was published on Monday 5 October and consultation closes on Monday 16 November 2015. Residents can view the draft strategy and comment on the council’s website at www.hounslow.gov.uk/leisureconsultationOctober 14, 2015 I'm not sure if this is someone's idea of a joke or a p*sstake, if residents do decide to give their views which are apparently 'essential' I can only wish them the best of British! Judging by the determination to keep on ignoring residents and not even being willing to ask for their views around here! Yet again the promised 'through the door consultation' is being delayed, yet another excuse dredged up - this time the fact that a group of local residents from both Richmond and Hounslow have joined together put in an application to have our small local park designated as a Village Green. This as far as I can tell has absolutely nothing to do with consulting on the future use of the park and is just another delaying tactic. An FOI request as to the possible overrun of the budget for the recent 'Inspiring Isleworth' festival in Redlees Park had met witha convoluted explanation and then a 'we don't actually have that information yet'! So much for caring what residents think!

Vanessa Smith ● 3586d2 Comments ● 3585d

Do you live in Syon Lane north of A4?

You may know that the London Borough of Ealing owns playing fields known as Warren Farm on the east side of Windmill Lane north of the M4 bridge. Ealing has neglected these facilities for many years and is now entering a deal with Queens Park Rangers F C to develop the site as a training facility for the Club. Understandably the Club wants a 'level playing field' and originally proposed grading the site into a series of terraces to provide a number of level football pitches. But QPR then got demoted from the Premier League and could no longer afford the costs of this development. Somebody then came up with the bright idea of raising and levelling the whole site to the highest current level by importing tons of landfill for which the Club will be paid. This then makes the development affordable. There are many issues surrounding this development about the loss of community facilities, the loss of public access and the impact of development on Metropolitan Open Land but the Labour Group on Ealing Council, in the face of massive public opposition, recently rubberstamped the planning application. This may be OK for Ealing but of course, the width restriction at Three Bridges means that the waste material to level the site will have to be brought along Syon Lane from the A4 to the site. QPR state that importing the waste material to level the site will require 150 Heavy Goods Vehicle movements for 10 hours per day for 8 months! This is really not acceptable!

David Mercer ● 3591d2 Comments ● 3591d

Microchipping for your pets

Metropolitan Police Free microchipping and tag engraving Monday 5 October -Friday 9 October 2015 Attention all residents!London Borough of Hounslow & Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are offering:  Free microchipping and tag engraving Monday 5 October -Friday 9 October 2015 Microchipping makes it easier to return your special friend to you if they get lost.We are offering a FREE tag engraving and microchipping service. Just bring your dog and we’ll do the rest.  You’ll find us: Monday 5 October - 11am - 4pmSt Johns Gardens, St Johns Road, Isleworth TW7 Tuesday 6 October - 11am - 4pmBedfont Lakes Country Park(near information Centre),Clockhouse Lane, Bedfont TW14 8QA Wednesday 7 October - 11am - 4pmBrent Lea Recreation Ground,London Road, Brentford TW8 8JQ Thursday 8 October -11am - 4pmSaxon Ave/Nene Gardens, Hanworth TW13 5PQ Friday 9 October - 11am - 4pmWorple Avenue/Northcote Avenue,Isleworth TW7 7JG battersea.org.ukFor more information please call 0208 583 5085or email animalwarden@hounslow.gov.uk*All dogs must be on leads.Only six months before microchipping becomes law. Get your dog chipped today To get more information from the police about the borough and the ward you live in, please visit the Hounslow section of the Metropolitan Police website.This is not a crime reporting system. Contact 101 or visit the Metropolitan Police website to report a crime.Dial 999 if you need police in an emergency. Metropolitan Police Service, New Scotland Yard, 8-10 Broadway, London SW1H 0BG 020 7230 1212 | http://content.met.police.uk/Home

Vanessa Smith ● 3603d5 Comments ● 3592d

The Clifden Road White Elephant

Around 4 or 5 years ago 23 Clifden Road was bought by a developer who, after starting work, put in a planning application for a single-storey rear extension, two-storey side extension and roof extension, and a “bed-in-shed” annex.  The application turned the property into a 7 bedroom, 6 bathroom house.Despite the plans being clearly designed for multi-occupancy bed-sits the Hounslow Planning Officer inexplicably believed the developer’s story that he intended the house only for his daughter and grandchild.   Following vehement objections from local residents the Hounslow Planning Officer tried to backtrack and deny the application so it then went to the Planning Inspector who went on to approve the plans.  The application was granted with one of the clauses stating that multi-occupancy is not permitted.The building work was completed I think sometime in 2013, the daughter and grandchild never moved in, and the house was put on the market at £2.3million.  Not surprisingly the house has not sold.  In my view no family will be interested in such a large house with tiny bedrooms, miniscule kitchen and “convenient” toilet/shower located off the main reception room.  Since the work was completed the property has remained largely empty thought reportedly has had a couple of short-term tenants.  Such a waste that a prime property in a sought after location, and with off-street parking, was ruined by the developer’s plans and the Planning Officers who approved them.The price has reduced a few times and is now down to offers in Excess of £1,250,000.I’d be interested in other’s views on the property and its likely future.

Reg Ghosh ● 3599d1 Comments ● 3599d

Don't Deport Wadih Chourey

People who live near or use South Street in Isleworth will probably know Wadih Chourey, whose brothers Joseph and Camil run the long-estabished Joseph's Patisserie opposite Isleworth Public Hall.Wadih, aged 44, who has Down's Syndrome, has lived in the UK since 1997 when he came from the Lebanon with his parents as his life was in danger from gangs who were victimising him and encouraging him to commit crime on their behalf.  Since then he has been a popular local figure, undertaking simple tasks in support of the family business and enjoying the trust and sense of responsibility that this brings.  He is happy, helpful and always pleasant.His parents have both since passed away and as a result of this he faces deportation by the Home Office back to his native Lebanon.  His brothers, and his many friends in the community, fear that he would be in danger if he were to be forced to return. He is not capable of living independently, needing help to wash and dress himself.Local people believe that Chourey has been an asset to the local community, he is integrated and is a popular local figure.  His removal would appear to serve no useful purpose to anybody.  A campaign is underway to prevent the deportation and this campaign is fully community-led, having been initiated by the Old Isleworth Four Roads Residents' Association.The decision is currently at the appeal stage and I would invite users of this forum to sign the petition at the address below to say Don't Deport Wadih Chourey.https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/do-not-deport-wadih-chourey-vack-to-the-lebanon-just-because-his-parents-have-died?bucket=38blast

Phil Andrews ● 3992d34 Comments ● 3608d

Albany Road Closure and St Paul's School

I was walking to Morrisons around lunchtime today when I came across a major health and safety exercise involving the pupils of St Paul's School - they were learning how to cross Albany Road to the new school wing at Alexandra House. They were all lined up regimental from the park and proceeded to cross single file at the traffic calming hump on the junction of Albany/Alexandra Road and Back Lane. It looked like most of the teachers were there supervising. Unfortunately as I approached (wondering whether to wait or just dodge through a gap) one of the first pupils fell over in the middle of the road and subsequently lay there crying and distressed, thus causing a knock on effect with those behind, and the whole train came to a sudden halt. Panic ensued with the adults in a dizzy fit shouting orders to remain calm because at that moment a car driving a snails pace was approaching them on Albany Road. Horror of horrors! For all the preparation they hadn't planned for someone tripping up which threw the whole exercise into chaos. (I say exercise, but they could have just been on a short trip to acquaint themselves with their new premises). Whilst I understand that primary school children should be afforded every possible safety when crossing a road, I consider it excessive that this reasonably quite road should be closed off permanently to allow it. Indeed, cars must approach the junction with Alexandra Road with caution in any event due to buses and other vehicles going up it. The only entrance to Morrisons car park is via Alexandra Road past the County Court so presumably everyone from an easterly direction will have to go to the Ealing Road/High Street Junction and turn right and then right again into Alexandra Road, or take a short cut from Albany Road down the already congested and narrow Wilkes Road. Surely a better solution can be implemented - such as a zebra/pelican crossing, or a large "CAUTION SLOW - CHILDREN CROSSING" or other such sign. The council should exercise some common sense here - assuming they have any left. Call me an old fuddy duddy (and bring back the Green Cross Code blah blah) but really - there's far too much bubble wrap these days and it's bad for the environment.

Paul Brownlee ● 3627d4 Comments ● 3623d

Council takes action against Thames Water

Not Hounslow of course who are utterly useless in dealing with Thames Water at Mogden but Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing Councils who have threatened immediate legal action and I only wish we had councillors in our Borough who actually give a tossFrom the Chiswick W4 WebsiteSouthfield Councillor Gary Malcolm has welcomed news that Hammersmith Council is threatening to take Thames Water to court because of the noise and smell caused by the pumping station in East Acton. The action is backed by Ealing Council and Thames Water has been given until this weekend (September 6th) to deal with the problem. Local Liberal Democrats have accused Thames Water of trying to delay things too long. "Thames Water should get on and fix the problem they have caused. Until they cover the tanks I cannot see the problem being solved," commented Cllr Malcolm. The pumping station Local people say between 400 to 500 people are affected and more than 50 complaints have been received by the council from people living near the Acton Pumping Station in Warple Way, East Acton. The tank holds storm water after heavy rain once sewers have reached maximum capacity. The smell of sewage building up at the bottom of the tanks and the noise of pumps sending water back into the sewers after heavy rain has been leaving residents unable to open their windows for several months. Councillor Wesley Harcourt, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services, says: "The noise and smell from Acton Pumping Station is stopping residents enjoying their homes and that is simply unacceptable."Thames Water has had plenty of warning about this problem and residents have had enough. The company has until September 6 to take effective action or face the consequences."Mark Danks of Warple Way works from home and lives opposite the tanks. He estimates about 1,000 local people are affected. He says: "Our building is very energy efficient; it feels like summer ten months a year. It’s horrible living in a place where you can't open your windows or doors, it's like being in a sweat box. If I had known I never would have moved here."I can’t have people over, it’s embarrassing. If you open your windows or doors, you feel nauseous. Many neighbours with weaker stomachs than me can’t eat in their own homes."After earlier intervention from H&F Council, which is leading the action backed by Ealing Council, Thames Water installed an automated cleaning system and a bigger, more powerful pump. But these still failed to drain the tanks properly, leaving a foul-smelling sludge at the bottom of the tanks.H&F Council has now served the company with a legal notice giving Thames Water until September 6 to solve the problem or potentially face court action. Anyone concerned about the smell or noise coming from Acton Pumping Station should contact the H&F Noise and Nuisance Service on 020 8753 1081 during office hours and 020 8748 8588 outside office hours.Last summer locals were told that it was a short term issue affecting tanks near Canham Road due to problems with the emptying of sewage. Locals claimed they had been told it would improve when the tanks were cleaned but the foul smell has remained. Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Steed, organised a meeting with Thames Water last year , along with the local residents association A letter from the headteacher at Southfield Primary School, to Thames Water last year said that teachers had to keep children in from the playground when the odour was bad. The school, which has over 500 children from Chiswick, Acton, and Shepherds Bush, said it was having an impact on the childrens' learning.A petition was also set up on Ealing Council's website which gathered hundreds of signatures.Thames Water has identified Acton Storm Tanks as part of its proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel or 'Super Sewer' which has been recently given the go-ahead. You can read more about that here .

Paul Fisher ● 3628d1 Comments ● 3627d

Brent Lea Rec saved!

Steve Curran called me on Friday with this news and asked me to wait until this was released today. All our hard work has paid off. Thank you to everyone who sent objections and put their name on the Statement of Objection.Come to the rec on Weds evening where we will be celebrating. Bring a bottle and a picnic from 7.00pm.The council has received a clear message from Brentford people that their decisions will be challenged. PR 310910 August 2015For Immediate ReleaseAppropriation of Brent Lea for Floreat no longer going aheadHounslow Council is no longer considering whether or not to appropriate Brent Lea for a temporary site for Floreat Free SchoolAn alternative site for Floreat has been agreed, meaning the decision on the appropriation – which was due to be made by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council – will no longer need to be made.  While the consultation process for the appropriation was ongoing, the EFA in conjunction with Floreat continued to look for alternative sites for the school. On 30 July it was confirmed that an alternative site had been identified at Trico House, in the Great West Quarter development, and that heads of terms for the lease had been agreed between the EFA and Trico Developments.  Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said:“The appropriation for the temporary school will no longer be going ahead but I am grateful to the public for spending time submitting their responses to the consultation.“Hounslow Council will continue to cooperate with the EFA to identify a suitable permanent site and await the sequential testing results which will inform the next steps – which we will be sure to keep residents informed of.“We need a permanent school in the Brentford area, as providing good quality school places is a top priority for us, but we also need to take into account the importance of preserving our green space.”

Joanna Russell ● 3652d24 Comments ● 3650d

How thick can LB. Hounslow get?

Latest missive from LBH came through the door.To The Residents. From Cllr Amrit Mann, but no doubt written by someone else.Another letter teaching us how to suck eggs on waste disposal and confirm weekly collection detailsThat's fine, from time to time the complexities do need to be explained. Something most neighbours usually do for other neighbours in doubt.Presumably the rather poorly written letter is also supposed to point out changes in refuse collection days..or is it?Missing from the missive are the most important elements. The days of collection and if these are changes, the dates of commencement.According to this, our current collection day in Brentford is Wednesday it now appears as Mondays and Thursdays until you read it a few timesIt appears these days this apply only to flats above shops?  If that is the case, why send this missive everywhere?What is the point of sending out letters and then leaving the key information only via an internet address.?Surely someone at LBH is capable of writing in clear simple english and at least proof reading and checking for practical clarity?The Keep it Posted campaign has revealed that some 40% of Greater London residents have no access to secure online computers or are capable of using the web.At least LBH do have a phone contact but in all honesty, this letter should and could have contained everything we need to know and save a lot of messing about.It's just created confusion this wasting time, money and resources.

Raymond Havelock ● 3666d6 Comments ● 3666d

Local defect list

I wonder if it is worth starting a local defect list of items that remain unresolved even after reporting them to LBH or indeed other organisations responsible for our parks and streets.It might make it easier too for Guy when he seeks out all these defects.For reasons unknown my entry last week with a short list of locations was deleted, so primarily for Guy as he is making an effort and hope it might just succeed where ordinary mortals have failed, here goes again:Column 15 Footpath between Albany Road and Lateward road out now for 2 years reported countless timesVarious new lights in Lateward road and Clifden Road either inoperative or spasmodic in operationPotholes in Lateward and Albany road. Part of Albany road slowly subsiding near jcn with Brook roadTrees damaged by overlength recycling trucks not replaced at Brook Road and Mafeking Ave.New streetname signs fitted to bent and leaning signposts New Road / Ealing RoadSelf closing gate in Childrens playground, St Paul's Rec, Half Acre corner. now faulty for over 3 years. A 10 min fix yet contractors removed a spare pair of gates with same fittings which were no longer in use last spring. This is a dangerous location and has been reported many times even by a local doctor.The solution? A chain and padlock around it. Not satisfactory. Now removed but still not repaired. A bit of cord and a clear sign to remind careless or oblivious parents to "Please Close the Gate' would suffice.Missing items from Kid playground refurbished just a few years ago,  Surface debris never removed, Adult gym apparatus shown in the posters and publicity for the refurbishment still not installed.

Raymond Havelock ● 3755d44 Comments ● 3673d

For information - more open land going!

On open green land formerly used by the Conquest Club Nishkam School Trust Brentford Community CouncilSign up for our free newsletter Comment on this story on the forum Nishkam School has been temporarily situated in an office block on the corner of London Road and Wood Lane. The school has now submitted a planning application for its full size permanent site. EFA, the Education Funding Agency has already bought the site of 21.74 acres with the school being 'restricted' to 10.30 acres. The land is Metropolitan Open Land, designated in Hounslow's Unitary Development Plan, formerly used by Conquest Sports Club and Wycombe House Cricket and Tennis Club. Proposed buildings The school, which is a multi-faith school run on a Sikh based ethos is for around 1400 pupils from ages 4-19. They are considering a Nursery School on the site in the future as well. Up to 50% of places are offered as faith based places with the rest being open. Hounslow Education Officers expect Nishkam School to make a significant contribution to managing the shortfall in central Hounslow and to a slightly lesser extent in Heston & Cranford, and Brentford. The main vehicular access is to be via Syon Lane, slightly north of the current point. Additional pedestrian and cycle access will be at the junction of Braybourne Drive and Wood Lane, with a servicing access directly onto Wood Lane. 85 car parking spaces are proposed. The remaining Metropolitan Open Land to the north of the application site is retained for future community sports use and discussions with the Grasshoppers Rugby club is ongoing. Any development on this remaining land will need to be subject to a future planning application. Site Layout The Council say Brentford is in need of extra primary and secondary places, and existing schools have had extra classes added where possible. Find the planning application by visiting planning search (agreeing T&Cs, and then selecting "search planning applications") and then entering 01106/152/P3 in the box marked Planning number. Comments on the planning application should be sent to Stephen Hissett at Stephen.hissett@hounslow.gov.uk  July 7, 2015

Vanessa Smith ● 3685d11 Comments ● 3682d

Brentford Great West Quarter - Where does the air come from?

The Highways Agency recently announced that it was investigating proposals to make M4 Junctions 3 to 12 into a "smart motorway" by using the hard shoulder.I asked for the Preliminary Environmental Report that covers the scheme and browsing through it I came across the paragraph :"Local operational effects (Opening Year, 2022)6.14.22 The magnitude of change in NO2 concentrations at sensitive receptors atjunctions 3 to 1 of the M4 is predicted to be small at one receptor (X617)which is predicted to be above the annual mean objective value with theScheme in place. However, this location is unlikely to have Openablewindows, as an apartment block and may therefore already be mitigatedagainst poor air quality. This increase is due to the proximity of this receptor to the A4 and M4 at junction 2 and an anticipated increase of approximately 4,900 vehicles on the M4. The predictions at X617 have been considered as part of the overall evaluation of significance for operational air quality. However, further work will be undertaken to consider how this location is assessed and whether this location is included in the evaluation of significance for the final ES. The magnitude of change in NO2 concentrations at all other receptors is predicted to be imperceptible resulting in a negligible change in air quality. 203 receptors are predicted to be above (160) or just below (43) the annual mean objective value with the Scheme in place. It is also anticipated that exceedances of the 1-hour mean objective are unlikely in this part of the study area as annual mean concentrations at all receptors are less than 60 μg/m3."The maps showed that X617 was a single point ("receptor") representing the whole of the Great West Quarter while on the other side of the road each terraced house was an individual receptor!Do windows open in the Great West Quarter ? If not, where does the air come from ?

Tim Henderson ● 3899d11 Comments ● 3703d

Closing off Albany road

As usual no mention of this when proposing the extension of the school to a second site which is a good idea.But as usual, done on the cheap and will lead to constant and costly upheaval every time children need to move sites.A simple solution would be a subway linking the sites as it is a relatively short distance.The problem closing the road is it does not achieve much.For cyclists it is not a logical route as Grosvenor road and the park to the half acre has already  been opened up as a cycle route avoiding buses and most other traffic. But Lateward road is the more logical west -east route - apart from the potholes.But this will force almost all local traffic into Lateward road . It will also cut Morrisons off from all shopping traffic from the east side of the area, adding to the congestion at Half Acre and small roads like Wilkes road and Albany road itself will also be subject to blockages and increased diversionary traffic.It will also lead to Lateward road being blocked by the 50% increase in school run drop offs and collections which currently affect three roads so water down the problem.This will concentrate the problem to one road which potentially traps a whole neighbourhood.The same applies to the severe reduction is access to the whole area for emergency vehicles.Cyclists wont and don't use the road up the side of the court as it is mainly used by buses and Morrisons traffic and HGVs and is a short steep incline.  It will also be hazardous for cyclists then turning right across channelled traffic and then into a blind corner occupied possibly by school children.Would be better to make Albany Road  one way for the last 50m and leave the cycling route as it is.But a footbridge or a tunnel keeping the children away from all traffic and keeping them within the secure confines of school premises would be a far better solution long term.

Raymond Havelock ● 3735d5 Comments ● 3729d

Parachute 'party' cross community think tank ideas for you to get you 'mass debating' or not?

(all ideas are a summarised, fine detail on options as to how each idea could work in practice can already be expanded on, and can be discussed at a later date) 1. Identify brownfield sites in easy access of multicultural residential/retail high street areas and make available on long term lease for development into open air sports, recreational, media and performing arts areas. In return for organising and managing refurbishment, using local trades people to area (part funded by local council), music and dance license will be a prerequisite, subject to sound controls.2. Police surveillance of all care homes and mental health professionals’ meetings prior to a Section order being granted. Public access to these surveillance recordings after decision.3. Councils to publish monthly detailed spending commitments and have a dedicated officer team to deal with individual concerns regarding spend. Additional powers given to MP’s in that borough to formally question local authority/NHS trusts on spend and processes.4. Proactive Lobbying of central government to introduce a new act of Parliament called ‘The Compassion Act’.5. High Street parties twice a year as a London-wide holiday, all to pay a contribution, minus those who are disabled or on income related benefit or pensioners. Surplus to be used for increased funding for the performing arts.6. The wearing of a suit and tie is no longer obligatory for any specific profession or job of work.7. Monthly ‘Question time’ style panel debates with local MP, local police commissioner, health trust chief executive, local council leader as well as spokespersons for community action and arts groups across all ethnicities. All attendees to be able to vote on specific key issues raised. An 80% majority vote to be taken forward by the respective public official, with responsibility for that area. Progress updates at subsequent meetings.8. The legal right for councils to identify and use unoccupied properties as part of the housing stock with affordable rents, with the rent held in trust for the legal owner of the property.9. A minimum £10 per hour living wage for all employees working in the constituency.10. A cap on private landlord rents.11. Enforcement team with greater powers to bring those employers guilty of paying less than minimum wage including sequestration of assets.12. Enforcement team with greater powers to bring ‘scum’ landlords and major environmental health contraveners to the criminal courts as well as sequestration of assets.13. A redrafting of all ‘Vexatious complaint policy documents’ issued by Public Authorities to ensure greater inclusivity and accessibility to formal complaints procedures.14. Maximum £1000 on the spot fine for all those in big, posh cars (£500 for 'ickle, bitty cars) that use a disabled parking bay in hospitals when they are clearly able-bodied and selfish-minded. 15. Schools to adopt a ratcheted keep the kid in school policy for all persistently disruptive students. A more proactive, effective crackdown on bullying, targeting serial offenders in schools.16. All convicted serial offenders of grievous abuse/harm to others to be named and tagged in the constituency. 17. Free council funded Business and Financial advice to all self-employed adults and consideration of awarding of works contracts to micro-businesses (1-5 personnel) in the West London area especially for arts, construction, maintenance and environmental works including ex-offenders subject to restrictions on certain serial offences of actual/grievous abuse/harm to others.18. Vocational students in schools to be given more work related experience during secondary school. Where students prove competency in certain key trades then an hourly rate is to be paid by Lea/school education budgets to be held in trust on behalf of student and made available for business related activities when they are no longer at school and administered by an accredited Business adviser linked to a national business charity ie. Princes Youth Business Trust, Businesslink, Threshold etc.19. Development of ‘Sure start’ style + crèche care centres free or discounted dependent on income and family status of applicant. 20. Development of ‘Darby and Joan’ style meeting and communal event halls with extra funding given to those that are multicultural, equality and diversity friendly spanning all age groups with an arts, social and nutrition focus. Cross community, class, age and equality/disability friendly. 21. Legalise brothels and license sex workers.22. Legalise Cannabis and Marijuana (‘erb) subject to a tax/duty no greater than the lower of that on wine or tobacco.23. All public enforcement/ face to face council workers and police people that have documented accusations of bullying and / or racism alledged against them by several members of the public in which the 'serve' are to be reassigned back office duties (for their own protection, bless 'em).Associated Music:  Suffering City – Johnny Copeland (Atlantic, 1968)

Alex Thomas ● 3744d1 Comments ● 3743d

Thames Water Propaganda

In their continuing efforts to bamboozle the public, Thames Water's unattributed scare propaganda article about coliform in the Thames Tideway is a nonsense and contains material errors. Without coliform in the environment, humans would not be able to develop healthy immune systems. We live with them all the time. Thames Water's Mr Stride is talking crap. Does he suggest removal of ducks and swans on the river or banning dog walking along the tow path to reduce coliform? No. Furthermore, as Mr Stride knows, swimming is banned in the Tideway by the Port of London Authority. The main group who make contact with Tideway water are rowers. They have been found to be many times more resistant to infections than the general population. An assessment of health cost (QUALY) results in a figure of £150 million if infections were eliminated. Hardly a case for spending £4.2Bn (excluding finance costs and inflation) on the Thames Water promoted Thames Tideway Tunnel to prevent a few tummy upsets.Mr Stride quotes a figure of 39 Million cubic metres of Thames Water’s discharges to the Tideway. What he fails to say is that later this year, when the Lee Tunnel is commissioned, that figure will reduce to 18 Million cubic metres. He also fails to say that the vast majority of that discharge is rain water and not foul sewage. Thames Water discharges only happen after rain. By design of  point source control, rain can be stopped or delayed from entering the combined sewers at a far lower cost. What Mr Stride also omits to mention is that following the £1.2Bn spent including Mogden, Beckton and Crossness Sewage Treatment works upgrades, the Thames Tideway already meets the quality standards set by the Environment Agency in response to the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Once the Lee Tunnel is operational, the ecological conditions can only improve further.This means that you do not have to pay the £6 extra on your water bill this year, rising to £34 over the next 5 years then up to £70-80 extra (excluding inflation). Thames Water’s confidence trick has been exposed for what it is. The incoming Treasury ministers need to call a halt to this Thames Water scam and hold an independent review of current information urgently. There are far more urgent environmental issues to deal with not least, the cost of dealing with air pollution in London that results in thousands of premature deaths each year and is damaging our children’s health. NB Thames 21 is funded by Thames Water and therefore cannot be considered objective or independent.

Roland Willis Gilmore ● 3745d1 Comments ● 3745d

'mansion tax/ property tax' question for Ruth Cadbury

I'm moving this question out of the other thread as that is a little crowded.  Ruth / GuyPlease explain to us how mansion tax will make any money for the NHS.The Economist, FT, OBR and various other publications & independent bodies detail how £1.2bn might well be raised from this tax, but that £2.0bn will also be lost due to reduced stamp duty and inheritance tax revenue. Mansion tax devalues 'mansions' by imposing an everlasting tax liability on them. With the average 'mansion' tax bill expected to be £25,000 per year it is hardly surprising that the devaluation is going to significantly affect stamp duty and inheritance tax revenues.£1.2bn take away £2.0bn is a negative result, so there doesn't appear to be any money left over for the NHS.Why then are Labour pushing this mansion tax thing so hard?  Is it perhaps a tax that you can say 'someone else will pay' when canvassing for votes?  Or is it a tax that will be extended down to a starting rate of £500k or less, so that it can actually raise some money?My first example for this is Greece, where mansion tax was introduced in 2008 and by 2013 the government deemed anything worth more that £250k was a mansion and had to pay 1% of its value as additional property tax every year.My second example is ATED, the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings.  This is a tax paid by foreign property owners here in the UK (yes, it does already exist). Introduced at a starting level of £2m, next year the level will be bought down to £500k.  The tax payable has also almost doubled in just 2 years.  You can't dispute this reduction in kick-in level or amount paid as their are official government figures.I'm genuinely interested in this and I'd like an answer please.

Lorne Gifford ● 3755d18 Comments ● 3747d

Brentford & Isleworth a marginal seat

Oh what a delight, officially a marginal seat and according to various newspapers a seat in which the topic of mansion tax may decide the vote.So, in order to influence the vote, here are the mathematics of mansion tax (ie the stuff Ed Miliband doesn't mention and Ed Balls can't work out)£1.2bn revenue but £2.0bn loss of other revenue equals not a penny raised.Mansion tax in its proposed form won't make a penny for the NHS and is the thin end of the wedge known as 'home ownership tax' that will have us all paying 1% of the value of our homes each year as additional tax.Various non-party independent reports say the tax has to average £12,000 per home to raise £1.2bn a year. They say this level of tax burden not surprisingly devalues 'mansions', with the result that stamp duty revenue falls. They even put a figure on it, 20% fall in value and £2.0bn per year less revenue than at the moment.1.6% of homes pay the majority of stamp duty revenue and stamp duty revenue is currently over £13bn a year, so the reports make perfect sense. So what is £1.2bn a year take away £2.0bn and how many nurses does that buy?Mansion tax only works when extended to the general housing population just like has been done in Greece.  Mansion tax introduced in 2008 and by 2013 anything worth more than £250k was an official mansion.  Tax rate is 1% of value per year.The tax everyone thinks is great because it's tax 'someone else will pay' is in reality a whole new area of taxation that we will all pay.  Taxing the prudent, once again, taking those that decided to buy a home instead of a new car or a fancy holiday.

Lorne Gifford ● 3760d13 Comments ● 3751d

Is this to allow building on parkland?

Had a copy of this forwarded to me. Not managed to get to the website links for details but is this a start of wriggling around to build on park and recreation ground?The whole thing seems far too complex and tech speak for ordinary folk to have a clear idea what is going on. Deliberate?  Who knows.  But care we should.Dear Sir or Madam, Consultation on Proposed Modifications to the Local Plan Proposed Submission (March 2014) Incorporating the Minor Changes (October 2014)Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 I am writing to inform you that Proposed Modifications to the Local Plan will be published on Friday 24 April 2015. The London Borough of Hounslow invites you to make representations on the "soundness" and "legal compliance" of the Proposed Modifications to the Plan during a six week consultation period running from Friday 24 April 2015 to 5pm Monday 8 June 2015. The Local Plan The Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 20 August 2014 who then appointed Planning Inspector Mr Robert Mellor BSc DipTRP DipDesBEnv DMS MRICS MRTPI to examine the Plan for its soundness and legality. Between 10 February and 16 April 2015, the Inspector held hearings on aspects of the Local Plan as part of its Public Examination.  During the hearings, the Inspector indicated that in order for the Plan to be sound the Borough should modify the Plan in a number of areas. Before issuing his report on the Plan’s soundness and legality, the Inspector will consider representations made on the Proposed Modifications. Consultation The Borough is now inviting representations on the: ·         Proposed Modifications to the Local Plan Proposed Submission (March 2014) Incorporating the minor Changes (October 2014). The above document, along with an update to the Sustainability Appraisal and other documents associated with the public examination, are available for viewing on the council’s consultations page (www.hounslow.gov.uk/consultations). The document will also be available to view at libraries and the council’s Civic Centre. Making a representation Information on how these documents can be viewed and how representations can be made is set out in the "Statement of Representations Procedure", which is available on the on the council’s consultations page (www.hounslow.gov.uk/consultations), and further information on the examination is available on the Local Plan website (www.hounslow.gov.uk/localplan). The consultation will run for a six-week period from Friday 24 April 2015 to 5pm on Monday 8 June 2015. All comments should be made on a representation form which is available as follows: -       By downloading from the council’s consultations website (www.hounslow.gov.uk/consultations);-       By e-mailing LDF@hounslow.gov.uk-       From the Hounslow Civic Centre or libraries; or-       By phoning 020 8583 5202. Next steps Following the period for representations, the Borough will submit the representations received to the Inspector, together with a report setting out the Borough’s response to them. Before issuing his report on the Plan’s soundness and legality, the Inspector will consider comments made on the Proposed Modifications and the Borough’s response. The Inspector will decide whether there is any need to reopen the public hearings. Should you have any further queries please visit the website above, phone: 020 8583 5202 or send an email to LDF@hounslow.gov.uk. Yours sincerelyIan RaeHead of Regeneration, Spatial Planning & Economic Development

Raymond Havelock ● 3759d1 Comments ● 3758d

Worthy of consideration?

Several times on this forum the way Hounslow Council now conducts its business has been questioned. In the past few months we have seen several examples of very unhappy residents banging their collective heads against an intransigent wall of officers with elected members seemingly incapable or unwilling to intervene.Hounslow now has the 'cabinet' model where a few members with portfolios for specific areas have the power invested in them, and officers have had more and more power delegated to them, even though none of them were elected to represent us. The previous committee set-up might have been slightly more bureaucratic but it seems to me that it at least had the merit of giving each and every councillor a role and a purpose. It also gave all councillors an opportunity to have an overview of what the issues were in other wards apart from their own and to give them some consideration at budget setting time, it also afforded members the chance to ask about and probe officers reports and recommendations, something that appears to have gone the way of the Dodo. Now it seems from recent experience that officers call the tune and members just quietly acquiesce, never mind the locals they said they wanted to represent. This cabinet system seems to have disenfranchised not only the public but a lot of elected councillors as well.It now seems the tail wags the dog. From a conversation I had today I gather some authorities have had a change of heart and reverted back to the 'old' way of doing things, from where I am I'd say it's way past time Hounslow took a good, hard look at what the hell they are doing, because looking at this forum and W4 I'd say there are a lot of very unhappy bunnies out there. None of what goes on fills many of us with much confidence in the political system, time for a change?  

Vanessa Smith ● 3770d4 Comments ● 3769d

Horse Play in Isleworth?

There has been much comment on various threads about the leasing of a public amenity in Northcote Avenue, Isleworth, to a private individual for the grazing of horses without, it would appear, any kind of prior consultation with erstwhile users or local residents.Following on from said comment I decided to take a look for myself at what little documented evidence there is available around this decision.The document which refers can be viewed at http://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/documents/s109338/CO%20Grazing%20licence%20Northcote%20Ave.pdfAccording to this "Chief Officer Delegated Approval" - signed by Hounslow's Director of Regeneration, Economic Development and Environment - the grazing licence was agreed "with the permission from Leisure Services, who manage the land and Lead Ward Member Cllr Sampson".I have a few questions arising from this:1. Unless the rules have changed since I was a Hounslow councillor (up until May 2010), only the relevant Cabinet (former Executive) portfolio holder may take a Single Member Decision.  Such a decision cannot be taken by a simple ward member, only members of the Cabinet have the right and such decisions must only be taken by each respective councillor within the orbit of his/her area of Cabinet responsibility.  Councillor Sampson's portfolio, as listed on the Council's website, is "Communities and Economic Development".  The relevant portfolio area for this issue would presumably be "Public Health and Leisure", which is held by Councillor Sachin Gupta.  Why then has this decision been signed off by Cllr Sampson as opposed to Cllr Gupta?2. Again when I was a councillor, there was no such thing as a "Lead Ward Member".  All three ward members had equal status.  When and by what means was the office of "Lead Ward Member" created and where has this decision been publicised?  Who appoints/elects a "Lead Ward Member"?3. Lead Ward Member or no, we have established that the appropriate portfolio holder was Cllr Gupta and not Cllr Sampson.  Why then did the Director of Regeneration, Economic Development and Environment solicit, or at least accept, the signature of the wrong Lead Member on the document?  Was Cllr Gupta consulted about this process and if so why was he not asked to sign the document?4. Why has the Leader of the Council not intervened to correct any of the errors above?  Should we assume from his silence that he is happy with the handling of this matter, including the apparent undermining by a senior officer of Cllr Gupta?5. Ditto Councillor Ruth Cadbury, the prospective parliamentary candidate.  Has she taken an interest in this development and the ever increasing concern that it is provoking amongst the surrounding community, from which she presumably aspires to attract votes?5. Why was there no public consultation prior to the decision when it impacts upon the residents of an entire estate and a few more people besides?  Bearing in mind that the Council is presently employing Community Engagement Officers on substantial salaries, is it reasonable that very highly paid senior officers could "forget" to consult dwellers on an entire estate before removing from them a much used amenity?  Was this omission not spotted by ward members, lead or lesser, at the time?6. In her early posts Vanessa Smith, who has been following this matter throughout, seems to be of the view that senior officers have been running this show over the heads of elected members, and implies that this is the impression given to her by elected members themselves.  And yet one of the ward councillors is named on the document as having authorised the approval given to a private resident to use the site for grazing.  This would appear contradictory, so what is the truth on this please?7. Was the applicant to whom the grazing licence has been granted known to any of the councillors or officers prior to this decision?  Does he/she have any connection to the estate?  If so, would it be reasonable to me to assume that this fact was declared prior to the decision having been signed off?That's enough to be getting on with, hopefully somebody in authority on this Council may be able to shed some light on this for me.  Many thanks.

Phil Andrews ● 3837d332 Comments ● 3772d

ICG's comments on Hounslow Homes Tucker Report

Millions lost as ‘Hopeless Homes’ fades into the mists of time  Hounslow officers and Councillors seem to have washed their hands of the appalling scandal that has enveloped the council’s old Housing company Hounslow Homes, dubbed ‘Hopeless Homes’ by a former Labour Councillor.  A report by consultant Steven Tucker has said that a catalogue of mismanagement by the HH bosses have led to massive financial losses, poor services to tenants and a culture of bullying, sexual harassment and corruption which utterly shames the council,  the former board members and the senior bosses. Examples of things that went wrong include : • Incompetent usage and theft of materials – the ICG estimates that this has led to a loss of £2.3m, something which the council was unable to disprove. • Bad running of the call centre• Turning a blind eye to wrong doing• Sacking of anyone who ‘rocked the boat’• Hiding financial figures or bending them to fit what the bosses wanted• Staff having stock delivered to their home for their own use• Mistakes in handling corruption allegations which meant that at least one member of staff got away scot-free• Family and friends taken on regardless of their ability to do the job• Top bosses leaving with golden handshakes instead of being sackedIf you think you can hold your local Councillors responsible, think again. ‘Nothing to do with us, guv’, says Hounslow Council itself, despite the fact that it wholly owned Hounslow Homes and still holds all its financial records. Even Councillors who were actually on the HH board don’t answer our emails. And what’s more, at least some of the time the Board and Finance Committee were led by so-called ‘experts’ who were never elected by anyone.  It seems likely that ‘Hopeless Homes ‘can waste or steal over £2 million of tenants’ money ( that’s about £175 per family/tenant) and then fade away like a dodgy double glazing company shutting down and nicking everyone’s deposits. If you’re concerned about this, please ask for more information from your local Councillor from the list of questions on this site on the next thread.

Ian Speed ● 3791d3 Comments ● 3788d

Hounslow Homes Tucker Report - detailed queries

Tucker Report of Independent Investigation into Hounslow Homes DLOQueries regarding published version of report The Tucker Report into Hounslow Homes covers a range of misdeeds and incompetence by staff stretching back several years from 2013. The council has been unable to bring any criminal charges against anyone despite substantial reports of fraud being provided to Mr Tucker. In one case a fraudster was allowed to resign and thus could not be disciplined and sacked, in what Tucker reveals was clearly a bad mistake by Hounslow Homes HR. But it wasn’t just criminal behaviour by staff that was going wrong. The whole organisation was clearly very badly run and yet CE Bernadette O’Shea was allowed to depart with what we estimate was over £300k in redundancy and extra pension benefits rather than facing any kind of disciplinary action. This is on top of what we estimate to be the £2.3m losses from mismanagement and fraud. The ICG has prepared a list of questions below about how Hounslow Homes was run which you can copy and paste and send to your local councillor. You’ll need to refer to the report, a copy of which I can send you if you privately message me or email the icg on icg@community.org. The report was on the council’s website at one point but is not easily found. 1. Section 1 Introduction Para 1.4 –• Why was a measure of productivity not introduced regarding the increased number of agency operatives? • Why did managers not anticipate the requirement of resources necessary to do this and create resources accordingly? 2. Section 2 Executive Summary Para 2.3• How did managers try to establish proper oversight in the running of the DLO? Why was this so unsuccessful that the organisation was ‘reluctant to identify and repudiate wrongdoing’?• Why did managers ignore the issue of high earnings not being justified via a productivity scheme and why did they not challenge or reform the defunct scheme? • Did finance managers try to establish why members of staff who ‘rocked’ the boat found themselves former employees? Was this not obvious through payroll and salary cost records? Para 2.7• Why did finance managers overlook the principle that the DLO was supposed to operate in a commercially viable manner and cover its costs through income generated? • Why were the usual checks and balances associated with trading account reconciliation of cost, income and productivity not in place? 3. Section 3 Summary of Investigation Findings. Para 3.4• What procedure is there to ensure proper write-offs of materials? Was this followed in the instance referred to in the paragraph? Para 3.5• Given the extremely sensitive nature of this issue ( expected disciplinary action for fraud) , what action was  taken to ensure that the correct procedure was followed in the case of the serious HR error regarding the suspect member of staff’s disciplinary?  When the employee was allowed to quit instead of being sacked, was any disciplinary action taken against the member of staff who made the error? 4. Strategic Direction Para 4.1 • Why did managers allow a situation to develop whereby the organisation expanded into other areas of work ‘without effective controls in place to ensure accountability’? • Why did they allow a situation whereby there was no testing as to whether the new work could be undertaken at a profit? • Why did they not ensure labour and material costs were actively managed and productivity measured (section 4.9) to avoid the situation of spiralling costs? Para 4.2 • Why did managers allow a situation to develop whereby decisions were made autocratically and without openness and effective scrutiny? • Why did managers allow a situation to develop whereby ‘critical analysis and evaluation of performance had been compromised and subordinated to a question of loyalty to the party line’? • Why did managers allow a situation to develop whereby ‘the management arrangements within the DLO had been consciously dismantled?’ • Why did managers allow a situation to develop whereby ‘there was a hectoring and threatening approach’ to management, and ‘unrealistic demands and targets’ were set? • Why did the managers  allow a situation to occur where Performance  figures were manipulated so that they showed a positive trend? Why did the managers not introduce something akin to the new suite of performance indicators now being recommended? • Why did managers allow a situation to occur where disclosure or speaking to officers outside of the DLO was condemned as disloyalty? • Why did the managers  allow a situation to occur whereby budgets were only made available to a certain officer(s) and thus inconvenient matters and issues possibly subject to challenge could be concealed? • Why did managers not encourage ‘an atmosphere of openness, honesty and transparency’, as is now believed necessary under the new management team? Para 4.3• Why did the managers not prevent the employment of staff with extended family connections within the DLO? • Were managers aware of this happening? What efforts did they make to ensure core public service values of equality of opportunity and modern management standards were being adhered to? • Did managers carry out their responsibility to challenge and eliminate such favouritism? • Why did managers not ensure the Code of Conduct was promoted and supported? • Why did managers not ensure that management meetings and contract meetings were minuted? • Why did the managers not ensure that one to ones and appraisals were properly documented? Section 4.4• What action did managers take to ensure the Systems Thinking project was selected and implemented properly and that the problems outlined by the para 4.4.1 did not occur? Section 4.5 • What action did managers take to review the high cost of materials and prevent the misappropriation of stock? • The difference between the 39% of turnover that the £6.5m cost of materials in the report represents, and the industry average of 25% implies that £2.3m worth of materials has been used inefficiently or misappropriated. Is this analysis correct and how many financial years are represented by these figures? Does this figure not represent over £175 per council dwelling household in the borough? Section 4.6• Why did managers not arrange for checks and audits to be performed on the performance monitoring data for the contracts? Has any estimate been done as to the loss to the council from this? • What action did managers take to ensure that procurement practice should be undertaken to ensure it matched and supported strategic objectives and is in accordance with procurement law? Section 4.7• Why did managers not arrange for the DLO to meet ‘important business process’ requirements across a wide range of the DLO’s activities? • Why was the repairs contact centre not ‘fit for purpose’? • Why did the managers allow incidents like the huge changes in job prices and materials costs occur? • Why did managers not ensure that the ‘inexperienced administrator’ referred to in section 4.7 was fully trained up and imbued with skills equivalent to their predecessor? • Why did managers preside over a situation where the trading account was largely hidden in the Hounslow Homes DLO? Why did the council’s own Director of Finance not take charge of this situation? Section 4.8• Why did managers allow a situation to occur whereby operative pay levels were very high in comparison with other London DLOs, and the productivity scheme be suspended? Why were these pay levels not benchmarked? • Why did managers allow a situation to occur whereby staff were appointed outside the agency framework and the DLO was paying £790 per week for inexperienced staff? Section 4.9• Why did senior management allow the service to expand without ensuring the service was delivering effectively on its core business? • Why did managers neglect the issues that the report suggests the review of agency labour addresses? Section 4.11• Why did managers not devise a clear strategy for the commissioning of an approved subcontractor supply chain? Section 5.3• Why did managers not ensure the security of stocks? Section 5.5• Whose responsibility was it to ensure any discount due from Right-to-buy sell-ons was repaid? • Was this done in the case referred to in Section 5.5? Section 6• Which manager, referred to as ’ineffectual’ and ‘powerless’, was primarily responsible for the ‘managerial failings’ referred to? • Why did managers allow a siege mentality to develop such that information and budgets were concentrated in the wrong hands? • Why did the Director of Finance not properly ‘protect public resources’? General • Given the mismanagement evident from the report, why was Bernadette O’Shea allowed to depart on early retirement (costing upward of an estimated £300k) and not subject to disciplinary proceedings for negligence/gross misconduct? 

Ian Speed ● 3791d0 Comments ● 3791d

Measles outbreak in Hounslow

From Hounslow Council WebsiteFri, 13 February 2015Public Health England (PHE) has been notified of an outbreak of measles in children of mainly school-going age in Hounslow, West London. A number of cases have been identified at Feltham Community College, Oriel Academy, and in younger children in the community.Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that sometimes leads to serious complications and is easily spread in unimmunised children and adults. Cases are infectious from four days before until four days after their rash develops. Women who are pregnant, babies under six months old and people who are immunocompromised for any reason are at increased risk of serious complications.Two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine offers full protection against the three illnesses. In the UK the first dose of MMR is given at 12 months of age, and the second dose from 3 years 4 months (pre-school). There is no upper age limit for receiving MMR.Dr Deborah Turbitt, deputy director for health protection for PHE London, said:This outbreak of measles is affecting children and teenagers who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated with MMR. We could potentially see further measles cases in Hounslow and wider areas of West London as a result of this outbreak so we are asking parents to ensure their children are fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR.We are working with the schools involved and the London Borough of Hounslow and NHS England to urgently inform parents of the situation. We have sent letters to parents and carers of all children attending Hounslow schools, early years centres and children’s centres with information on the symptoms of measles and asking them to ensure that their children are fully immunised with two doses of the MMR vaccine. Local GPs have also been alerted to the outbreak.Dr Khadidja Bichbiche, Consultant in Public Health for Hounslow Council, said:‘It is never too late for children and young people to get vaccinated against measles. Parents of unvaccinated children, teenagers and young adults who have not received two doses of MMR should arrange for them to be vaccinated by their GP. If you are unsure whether your child has had two doses of the vaccine, please speak to your GP who will have a record.”

Paul Allen ● 3828d3 Comments ● 3827d

Under siege

I am really beginning to feel that Isleworth must have upset someone given some of the things going on here.First we have the ongoing saga of the shortened median strip at the junction of Dawes Ave. and the Twickenham Rd. which has allowed illegal right hand turns into Dawes Ave. thereby creating extremely dangerous manoeuvres into the oncoming traffic, and putting more vehicles onto local roads which are also the way to three local primary schools. Since I met with councillors and the Head of Traffic last August it seems nothing has been done! A CCTV camera is monitoring illegal turns and now the council are to issue warnings to offenders and then PCNs! Never mind the serious implications this has for road safety, what a nice little earner this could turn out to be.Secondly the saga of the horses on the local park rumbles on, with the council in their (doubtful) wisdom attaching an A4 piece of paper to a nearby gate with an e-mail address and calling it a 'consultation'. Several of us residents have impressed upon Cllr. Mayne the importance of a full and proper consultation, meaning letters through the doors of everyone who lives in this area. The fact that our councillors were sucked into this by officers is pretty appalling but their reluctance to sort it out is even more so. One only has to look at legislation regarding public open space which this park is to see what a real clanger has been dropped. Has no-one ever heard of 'sorry we got it wrong'? It seems someone's horses grazing are more important than having an amenity for local residents, talk of costs for the upkeep of this fairly small area are a complete red herring to try and justify what is a very murky issue.  

Vanessa Smith ● 3867d12 Comments ● 3860d

What a nerve!

Having spotted two horses being grazed on a small underused and neglected local park and today someone having tried to block the entrance I contacted our local councillors. I had previously complained about the state of the park and asked if some consideration be given to following the example of the old allotments at Whitton Dene and turning the park into a dog exercise area. A lot of people take their dogs there but the area was filthy and needed a couple of bins and the grass kept short, needless to say the contractors said a bin would be too expensive and would have to be a bid in the council's capital programme, which I found extraordinary. However, the contractors, who are in Sheffield, went very quiet, and today thinking someone was really taking the mickey I alerted the local members. I am now informed that not only did they know about this - the person has been given a lease to graze their animals! No-one around here has been consulted about how they'd like to see the area used, God forbid any attempt at democracy - no, we are going to now get a letter TELLING us what's happened, isn't that mighty big of them? Apparently £3k has been saved by not having to cut the grass and clear the park, isn't that just dandy? Apparently this is not an issue for Hounslow in Whitton Dene, what next? No grass cutting - we'll get goats instead for a few days? I am appalled at the high handed arrogance of local councillors and wonder if we'd ever have found out what was going on had I not raised this. What a bloody cheek, Vladimir Putin would be proud of them.

Vanessa Smith ● 3919d6 Comments ● 3914d

Recycling revisited.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&vpsrc=6&ctz=0&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=216134571813262028800.0004b161383c1d5bc2759&t=m&ll=51.468766,-0.33783&spn=0.074854,0.192261&z=12&source=embed&dg=featureIf we as a country are one of the worst for recycling targets, and if Hounslow Council fails too... perhaps we should not be surprised. Personally I think it's all a shambles..and so poorly managed.Announcing the arrival of Wheelie Bins, it had been stated that Hounslow Council is to reduce the number of it's Recycling DEPOTS from 40 to 27.  Really? What is a DEPOT? One location apparently is the Inverness Club in Boston Manor Road where we can take glass (clear, green and brown). Is there a notice at the Club to say we can do that? Would you drive into the Club and be seen to unload stuff into their skips?One Depot is the Civic Centre! There you can deposit textiles, shoes and SMALL electrical items!  Is that what they call a Depot!In Heston is another DEPOT for recycling. It's at the British Legion.You can only deposit CLEAR GLASS and BROWN GLASS.  What about GREEN. Surely most wine bottles are GREEN.  It's just a joke!I recall that when the big recycling lorry arrived at Morrisons (in the good old days) the driver clearly mixed up all the bottles whatever their colour..even though Hounslow Council's residents, who used the facility, were instructed by the Council Notice there to keep colours separate!  What a clueless joke. The TW8.com front page clearly states "However it is planned to cut by one-third the number of public recycling depots in the borough from 40 to 27."   What 40 I ask!Remember they only want glass at Osterley Park House. (that's one DEPOT!)I noticed on the BRAG WEBSITE (Brentford Recycling Group etc) that they had a recent stand at Morrisons. You would have thought that with all the time some of us have spent on this Forum complaining about the problem at Morrisons ..that they might have at least posted a note on this Forum to let us know.  Shame... it's all so clueless..and you my have more examples. Maybe not! Bedfont Lakes Country ParkGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans and paper Budgens, Staines Road, BedfontGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, textiles and shoes, paper and books----------------------------------------------------------- HOUNSLOW COUNCILS RECYCLING DEPOTS as stated:Bedfont Football and Social ClubGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass Corner of Hampton Road West / Sunningdale AvenueTextiles & Shoes, Paper Royal British Legion, Cross Road, HanworthGreen glass, clear glass and brown glass Royal Navy Club, Park Road HanworthGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, textiles & shoes and cardboard Swan Road, Hanworth TW13 6SA - near shopsTextiles & shoes, paper, books and small electrical items Feltham ex serviceman's Club, off Bedfont Lane, FelthamGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, textiles & shoes St Giles hotel, Hounslow Road, Felthampaper Constitutional Club, Hanworth Road, FelthamGreen glass, clear glass and brown glass Sparrow Farm Club, Sparrow Farm Drive, FelthamGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, textiles & shoes and paper Elmwood Ave/Feltham High Street, FelthamGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, textiles & shoes, paper and small electrical items Tescos Supermarket car park, High Street, FelthamGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, cardboard, plastics, textiles & shoes, paper, beverage cartons, books and small electrical items Space Waye reuse and recycling Centre, North Feltham Trading Estate, Pier Road, FelthamSpace Waye is Hounslow’s re-use and recycling centre for the disposal of the borough’s public and trade waste click here to find out more. Green glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, cardboard, plas... Tescos Supermarket, Bulls Bridge Estate, SouthallGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, plastics, textiles & shoes, paper and beverage cartons Royal British Legion, 79 New Heston RoadClear glass and brown glass The Cross Lances Pub. 236 Hanworth RoadGreen glass, clear glass and brown glass Hounslow West, Bath Road, HounslowGreen glass, clear glass, brown, cans, textiles & shoes, paper and books Hounslow Heath car park, Staines Road, HounslowGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, textiles & shoes, books and small electrical items Civic Centre, Lampton Road, HounslowTextiles & shoes and small electrical items Osterley Park House, off Jersey Road, IsleworthGreen glass, clear glass and brown glass, Tescos Supermarket car park, Syon Lane, IsleworthGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, plastics, textiles & shoes, paper and beverage cartons Osterley Library Car Park, St Mary's Crescent, IsleworthGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, textiles & shoes, paper, books and small electrical items Royal British Legion, 5-6 North Street, IsleworthClear glass and brown glass Working Man's Club, St John's RoadClear glass Gymnkhana Club, Thornbury Road, IsleworthGreen glass, clear glass and brown glass Tescos Supermarket car park, Mogden Lane, IsleworthGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, cardboard, plastics, textiles & shoes, paper and beverage cartons Inverness Club, Boston Manor Road, IsleworthGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass Brentford Fountains Leisure Centre, Kew Bridge Road BrentfordGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans and paper Chiswick Village, ChiswickShoes Sainsbury's Supermarket Car Park, Acton Lane ChiswickGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, plastic, textiles & shoes, paper and beverage cartons Chiswick High Rd Car Park/Police StationGreen glass, clear glass, brown glass, cans, textiles & shoes, paper and books Bethany Waye Feltham TW14 8BTShoes & Textiles ----------------------------------------------

Jim Lawes ● 3936d8 Comments ● 3925d

Wheelie bins

So the Brains of Hounslow suggest the imposition of Wheelie Bins will save ££££££sQuite how is quite beyond me.How a saving can be made when these things cost to purchase, have a durability life of just a few years before they go brittle and look hideous1. Cost of the units and short life per cost per year.2.Black bags are paid for by residents not the council.3. Where do you store one in small terraced streets for example, when it is is impossible to keep even a bicycle.?4. If plonked outside like in Fulham the stench from just one unkempt bin lingers along the whole street and leave the view out of the front window obcured and darkens the front room.5. Cannot be moved easily in tightly parked streets meaning longer collection times and thus increases in fuel and operating costs.6. Streets will still need to be cleaned afterwards as spillages remain the same.7. Those with more extreme anti social habits seem to delight in depositing in these.8. Hugely unsightly especially in areas where multiple dwellings negate any form of stowage space or rented accommodation and lack of civic pride prevails.9. These things litter some streets for a full 24 hours making pavements hazardous to visually challenge and wheelchair users10. Vehicles are damaged regularly by them being mishandled or misused.11. Cost of conversion and extra depreciation on vehicles plus increase in CO2 footprint by plant.The cost of insurance claims, capital expenditure, time lost, fuel wasted, make this quite bonkers.Fine for streets with Driveways and side access or rear access but what about the smaller streets and those with none of those features?

Raymond Havelock ● 3941d57 Comments ● 3929d

cure for ebola discovered in brenford.

apparently the brewing process involves "a number of proprietary chemical food additives belonging to the group of proteins known as "asbestotic hemipersiflagic trimethylhypoglycerides" which although uncommon in European lagers, are abundant in Fuller's London Pride beer." - writes Professor Eustace Kerastase of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in The Lancet on Saturday. - "and kebabs", he added, "for everything else there's garlic and electroconvulsive therapy", which (when used in tandem -and- in sufficient doseages, (sic)) "can convince even the most reluctant of patients to pull themselves together pronto wot wot".In 2006 Prof. Kerastase was struck off the Medical Register for gross malpractice after prescribing cocoa to several members of the Hounslow Insomniac's Support Group - headquartered at O'Brien's Tavern, Brentford. Local pharamacists later admitted initial surprise when challenged to process prescription slips of 200mg cocaine sulphate B.I.D / ad lib; not least because according to NICE guidelines registered pharmacies are obligated to retain under a gram of the medicine absent fulfillment of 'personal-use-prerequisite disclosure' licensing.Commenting after the sentencing hearing, Prof. Kerastase was quoted as saying "wot ya spect blud? me gotsk me papers at da TVU innit!"Some of the plaintiffs were awake for a fortnight; more than double the median day/night cycle of locals surveyed as part of the 2011 Census.Mr. Kerastase was unable to comment today, as he was preoccupied cling-filming the exterior of his 3 bedroom maisonette in Isleworth and organising a helicopter-borne dispersal of aerosolised Dettol over the property and surrounding area. "take Pride dho" - he said before slamming the door of the HUEY gunship rented from a local vendor - "sheets abaht 2 get reel man".Pride. This reporter is considering swallowing his; sack the Carling, we've got bigger things to worry about.- from the Brentford Informer.

Carol Mackay ● 3953d0 Comments ● 3953d

Is this a police issue??

Can someone tell me if this is a police issue.My daughters ex got his daughter to call my daughters car insurers pretending to be my daughtet and told them she had sold her car and to cancel the policy due to this my daughter had to get rid of her car as she could not afford to renew it.Then 2wks ago the police came to see my daughter they had a certificate of ownership of my daughters dog from petlog kennel club and it was in her ex name.  We were shocked as my daughter got her dog when he was a pup in 2012 and his chip wss done in 2012 in her name so we called petlog and we were told they had recieved a change of ownership form signed by my daughter (in her old surname as her surname was changed in April)They also have a tel recording from a female pretending to be my daughter to confirm change of ownership. My daughter did not sign any form or make that call and the dog is still with her. Petlog was happy that my daughter was telling the truth and placed it all Back in my daughters name with a new chip and id number and are going to write to her ex.Then my daughter received court papers stating he was taking her to court to get his dog back,  the dog was bought by him in 2012 for £400 he bought it for her.All vet bills since then was paid for by my daugter and all paperwork inc insurance for him has always been in her name. She also has emails from him admitting hitting the dog, and emails from his daughter telling her back in april to come down to exeter service station to get him which she drove down with my wife to get him. Then because she told him she didnt want anything to do with him no more she got emails from his daughter's partner saying her ex wanted £400 or the dog when my daughter thretened with the police they emailed her saying keep the dog and dont ever contact us again. She also was sent a letter from her ex saying he had enclosed the dogs paperwork. But now he is trying to take her to court over custody of the dog.  Over the petlog and insurance stuff should she report it to the police?

Simon Anderson ● 3967d9 Comments ● 3955d

Virgin Media

My broadband has been down since yesterday morning. I suppose I should be pleased that their support website actually acknowledges there's a problem, which is a first. [Usually you have to spend half an hour on the phone before they say, "oh, yes, there's a fault in your area - check our website for progress" when their website says all is sunny]Leaving aside that they say that the problem started at 01.36 pm on Thursday [there is no such time as 01.36 pm - do they mean 0136 hours or 1.36 pm?] by yesterday morning they were saying:There is a fault disruption.Some videos via You Tube.com may be degradedFault Reported on :01:36PM Thursday 11 SeptemberThe problem is almost fixed - our engineers are carrying out their final checks.Fault reference:F003288630and suggesting a fix yesterday lunchtime. By the afternoon it was saying the same except that fix would be 10 am today.11.42, and it still says the same.This is an idiotic message: "Some videos via You Tube.com may be degraded" No, not degraded (though I'm sure some YouTube videos are indeed degraded :p) but totally unavailable, along with any other internet content and there's no 'may' about it.Their engineers have been carrying out their final checks for 22 hours and counting.Because I'm feeling grumpy, I want to complain about this nonsense. I can phone them (but I don't want to and it's probably out of hours) or do live text (recommended). So I click on live text... AHA, gotcha, sorry our hours are 9 to 5 Mon-Fri. So WHY ARE YOU RECOMMENDING IT AT 11.30 on a SATURDAY? OK I'll email a grumpigram. No, this hi-tech internet age company does not provide an email address, but you can write them a letter.I've been on the brink of kicking them out for what must be 15 years....

Guy Lambert ● 3983d4 Comments ● 3981d

Mansion tax? No it’s a maisonette tax

I could be ranting here, but the Liberal, and now Labour, proposals for a mansion tax simply don't add up.We’re told that property worth more than £2 million should be subject to an additional wealth charge to claw back some of the tax the rich are avoiding. It’s pointed out that half those property owners are the bankers and non-domiciles who created our financial problems in the first place and are compounding it now by actively avoiding their fair share of tax.  Sounds fair enough, but what about the other half.  Presumably these are people who worked hard and saved, didn't buy new cars or expensive holidays and invested prudently so they could afford their dream homes.  Just the sort of people the Conservatives say we all should emulate. Why then are we going to introduce a tax that will penalize the prudent as well as the reckless with such a blunt weapon?  Surely if the government wanted the to raise more from the rich they’d just increase the top tax rate, and if it’s only bankers and the like that are to be targeted then why not add a box on the tax return that asks if you’re a banker or non-domicile?  A tick in this box means an automatic 10% increase in tax, and if the person didn't tick but works for Bank of Scotland on a million a year then there’s an automatic 20% fine.  It really would be that easy.No, mansion tax is not a tax for the rich, history shows us instead it’s opening a new area of taxation we’ll all end up paying.I read an interesting article a week ago about how property prices increased 11% last year and will multiply many fold in the next decade.  The supporters of mansion tax counter by saying the price at which it kick in will increase with inflation, but they said the same for stamp duty and 40% income tax rates, and of course no such thing happened.  In fact on the basis of every single new tax ever introduced in the UK, history tells us mansion tax will lag inflation until it has moved from the minority to encompasses the majority.  Call it a mansion tax to get it introduced, then creep it until we all pay.It’s actually quite interesting to think about why property will increase so much in the near future.  Surely, you’d reason, there isn't enough cash around for normal houses to become so expensive?  Where does all the extra money come from?  Well it comes from the government.  Since we dropped off the gold standard then every year they've printed a few billion extra pounds to help pay the salaries and pensions of the half million civil servants we have.  It’s called a FIAT monetary system and is, of course, simply creating cash out of thin air.  Don’t confused this with the car maker though as Fiat cars are a lot more reliable than FIAT money; another lesson from history. This newly printed money quickly makes its way through the civil servants pockets and into the general economy where it causes the inflation we all live with.  More pounds in circulation without any more apples simply means each apple costs more.  Quantitative Easing, where the government prints hundreds of billions to bail out the banks in turn leads to much quicker and higher inflation.  The banks are neatly focusing and multiplying this QE money into property through their Fraction Reserve system and a tendency to only lend on solid investments.  This is why we've had, and will continue to see, massive house price inflation.  It’s annoying that official inflation figures don’t include house prices, because if they did we’d all feel a lot more worried about the creeping inflation rate.We’re led to believe that house inflation is a good thing.  We must all be getting richer because our houses are worth more and more. I don’t want to call this a bubble, but the reality is that when all property prices are increasing and none are going down, then the market is inflating just like a bubble.  And why should it be so good that something costs more this year than it did last year?  With increased manufacturing, farming and building efficiency, products should actually cost us less and less each year?   The whole purpose of an industrial society is to raise everyone's standard of living by creating more purchasing power year on year.Imagine we lived in a world where the government didn't print billion of extra pounds a year, a world without inflation, or better still a world with deflation.  In this type of world my pension could simply be money I put away today that I know will buy better things in the future.  I wouldn't need to invest it, and in so doing pay fee’s and management charges and take risks.  Instead I could just put it in a tin box under my bed safe in the knowledge that a pound tomorrow would buy more than a pound today.  We’d all be far better off in a world without FIAT money, Quantitative Easing and Fractional Reserve banking.  Instead though we live in a world where the government, banking and finance sectors are no longer working for the good of the people.  They weigh ever heavily on our shoulders, have eaten their pound of flesh and now want a direct feed of the blood from our bodies.‘Mansion’ tax?, no it’s not a mansion tax.  We’ll all be paying as it transitions into a ‘maisonette’ tax.And for those with real mansions then avoiding this tax is simplicity in itself.  Convert the top floor of your average London town house into a self contained and separate flat for the nanny, and rename the basement cinema  as a storage cellar.  Try doing that with a family of 5 in a two bedroom maisonette.

Lorne Gifford ● 3993d8 Comments ● 3993d

Local MP comments about GAZA

An open letter to Mary MacLeod.Dear Ms MacLeod,Your comments about the conflict in Gaza have only my qualified support, because you omit one extremely glaring fact. In defense of it's citizens, the Israel government has instructed it's military to target those locations from where rockets are being launched. Tragically, Hamas has chosen either to launch from locations where innocent citizens are already residing or worse, to place innocent men, women and children in those same locations, in either case, with the intent to cynically seek sympathy, claiming that the Israel government doesn't care about the resulting tragedy of innocent lives being lost. They do care but are doing no less than you would do if your neighbor was shooting at you and your family and to protect your loved one's, your only option was to fire back. Beginning with the wrong headed partition of Palestine by the then English and French governments, finding a solution presently that allows Israel to live in peace alongside a Palestinian homeland is so complex a process. Clearly Israel must stop building settlements on Palestinian land; that would be a good start. What would also be a good start would be for Hamas and it's supporters denouncing any adherence to the destruction of Israel and death to all Jews. Your comment about the crises in Gaza is one sided. I call upon you to acknowledge that Israel is not at fault when it does what it has to do too protect it's people, especially when it has to do so against an enemy so cynical and evil.

Jeff Birnberg ● 4018d5 Comments ● 4014d

British Values

British Values There is no such thing as British values. There is, however, a British way of doing things. It follows that Michael Gove erred when he said schools should promote British values. To expect schools to uphold British institutions would make much more sense. What matters, in Britain, is loyalty to the institutions which in this country enable us to enjoy in our own constantly evolving fashion the blessings of democracy, freedom, fairness and the rest. Teenage pregnancy, promiscuity, binge drinking, rape culture, victim blaming, casual racism, escalating homophobia and sexism are basic British valuesA secular school being turned into a faith school is not "extremism" or a "swamp" of full of infant terrorist "alligators". It's an unauthorised Muslim faith school. Nothing Ofsted have found seems to amount to anything more than that. The media seem to have got this completely out of proportion. Allowing pupils to pray at lunchtime if they wish to and wear the hijab if they choose to, or shortening the school day during the Ramadan fast – is an attempt to meet their spiritual needs as one tool to raise their achievement. Islam and Muslims are being criticised virtually every day by large sections of the media. There was a hysteria a few weeks ago over halal meat and now we have this. This is a witch hunt plain and simple. Why should not religious taxpayers have a right to send their children to schools that accord with their beliefs? Is this not, after all, supposed to be a tolerant society? If people receive a religious education, they are not rendered incapable of thinking. That is a thoughtless idea of people who advocate 'secularism' --it may not be a religion, but it certainly believes it has a monopoly on truth. Today's 'secularists' are extremists, who want to impose their views on the rest of society. Sir Michael says children (in the criticised Muslim) schools in Birmingham are not being encouraged to "develop tolerant attitudes towards other faiths". What about state and church schools?  Schools should be run by head teachers who are answerable to boards of governors who are elected by parents. The role of the state should be minimised - concerned only with acceptable standards of education being delivered and economic efficiency. Most problems in education and in society in general have been instigated by politicians who are the real scourge in modern society, not religion or faith schools. when Brits colonised the sub-continent and beyond they enforced their system on to the locals, side lining their religious practices and tribal systems. In India and Africa the Brits behaved like dictators and enforced a White Christian, UK bigotry on the locals, often by second rate Britishers who has failed at home. You could say we are now getting a taste of our own medicine ? Gove's plan to promote British values in schools will do absolutely nothing to aid societal cohesion. Many young Muslims go to schools which are almost or entirely Muslim. Their friends are Muslim, their family is Muslim, their Mosque and, naturally, their values are Muslim. They have little meaningful experience or connection with our native peoples and culture. We have enabled a people of some 4 million souls to create their own culture and nation within our nation. Don't blame Muslims. This is perfectly natural and what people of very different cultures do when establishing a life in a different country. It is what we Brits did in Africa and India and other countries. If it causes problems in wider society, the people to blame are politicians who allowed mass immigration from very different cultures without a suitable programme of integration like other countries have like the States. A core British value is to be ashamed of being British. Is respect for international law a British value, Mr Gove? Is thinking that Michael Gove is a bell-end officially a British value yet?  What is a British value? Does the European Convention on Human Rights express British values? Who decides? Gove: all schools must promote 'British values' The British sense of fair play? The rules of cricket? A couple of Shakespeare quotes? Help me out - I'm really struggling with this and I have only lived here for 50 years... Gove's idea of British values won't include multiculturalism and political correctness? A "culture of fear and intimidation"= British values. Ofsted were assessing a nursery school's ability to prevent extremism. My guess is that schools in Birmingham are the new favourite battle ground for Tory politicians. British values. Hamm, these days that seems to be...Massive, obscene inequality, hammer the poor and disabled. Kowtow to a wealthy elite and let corporate corruption go unpunished whilst attacking the most vulnerable? Cater to the whims of Banksters and business and punish the poor? Rank hypocrisy from a moral minority on high? These may well be Etonian values I suppose, but do we really want them in all our schools? A 'value' has no meaning without practicing what you preach. This government wants a superficial veneer of those values only, like fascism. ... promoting British values" I honestly have no idea what that means. Neither does Gove, but it's a great sound bite isn't it? British Values! Let the rich get richer and sod the poor. Invade foreign countries, displace the local population, allow them to emigrate to the UK, then cry wolf when they set up 'free schools'.According to the Holy  Quran, all children are born Muslims but their parents grow them up as Christian, Jews, Hindus and atheist. Muslim schools are not only faith schools but more or less bilingual schools. Muslim children need to learn and be well versed standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. At the same time they must learn and be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural heritage and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village, he/she does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brit. when Brits colonised the sub-continent and beyond they enforced their system on to the locals, side lining their religious practices and tribal systems. In India and Africa the Brits behaved like dictators and enforced a White Christian, UK bigotry on the locals, often by second rate Britishers who has failed at home. You could say we are now getting a taste of our own medicine ? This Trojan Horse is a stir up to put up an attitude amongst the British community upon Muslims AGAIN, this hysteria has all been blown up because they do not want non-Muslim youngsters falling to the idea of Islam. Jewish schools have a more strict approach to religion than the majority of Islamic schools or schools that are heavily influenced by Muslim governors, yet they are not gonna be investigated because any hysteria brought up would be labelled anti-Semitism to become increasingly anti-establishment and belligerent. And they would have every reason to if this garbage continues. Park view is not multi cultural. It is mono cultural. It is to all purposes an Islamic school posing as a British secular state school. This "Trojan horse" thing worries me...I do not think that Greek classical mythology necessarily falls within the frame of reference of Muslims.. This affair was started by a hoax letter , driven by Islamophobia , which achieved its end , courtesy of a Government paranoid about ' extremism ' without any definition of what it means , and a ' anti-terrorism industry ' trying to justify itself and its funding to the Home Office . Meanwhile Ofsted have become a political tool , a new thought police , with little relevance to the standards of education , and an agenda driven by paranoia in a society which constantly changes its moral goalposts , itself in moral flux and confusion . And let not forget where did this all started, with Al Qaeda, which was created and nurtured and armed by the West. Now everyone is complaining where do all these extremism come from. If you are serious about fighting Muslim extremism start by going to the source, in allied countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and so on. But that would never happen because you also want your cheap oil. Hypocrite.IALondon School of Islamics Trust

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4074d29 Comments ● 4025d

Immigration

Europe is dying it natural death by aging population and low birth rate. Now the population would be replaced by Muslims. Did you forget how your white asses came on boats, robbed people of their wealth from colonies in East? And killed and tortured them? Did you ´integrate´ then? You Brits are-were nothing but thieves. Majority British population does not know its own history of crimes against humanity because your government there wants to regiment you with false propaganda and tell you bed time stories about your ´royalty´... who were, as I said, nothing but thieves. Whilst I agree that you have an immigration problem in this country, I don't think that this is your main problem. Your main problem is the disintegration of the family unit and the loveless binge drinking environment that your children are growing up in! NEVER in my life have I seen another country where people so seldom give their children a hug and a kiss like in this country and NEVER in my life have I seen another country where there are so many children from different fathers growing up in single parent households! Before you tackle the immigration problem (at least the immigrants LOVE their kids) you should first look at yourselves! Why complain when it’s the British who first migrated into other lands enslaving those people? When it is a question on immigration, the feelings are so strong. I wonder why. Serves you right! Britain! When the British colonised the world, it was ok. But now when people from the former colonies and from other countries come to Britain, its not ok? Look into history and then you can cry because what goes around comes around. Don't see why people have such a problem with mass immigration? It enriches our culture and boosts the economy! We have to stop looking at these people as immigrants and think of them as human beings. The immigrants are not to blame because they were invited and welcomed here by our successive government. We have quite large Spanish , French and Italian communities in Brighton and I believe it really enhances the place and adds to diversity of the City. Globalisation is here to stay. Britain colonised & some would say civilised half the world. It's called Karma. Not so long ago British people colonized Asia, living like kings while locals suffering to no end. At least, these migrants do not enslave the  Britons, so stop whining please. Without immigration, British society and economy would bleed to death. Immigration is a good thing. My main left artery was repaired by two Profs, one from Holland and one from Italy. The road is being repaired by lads from Armenia. The strawberries and fruit and veg counter are picked by summer migrants and as they pile up in the loading bay get driven away by British hauliers to British shops to be bought by British people. The immigrants plugging these little holes more than pay for themselves in multiplier effects on economic activity. Skills they learn here they take back to their homelands, who, if keen to keep skilled folk, would crack down on corruption and stop harassing small traders and people trying to make a living. The UK should be prouder, fearless and more welcoming. the Conservatives must lose their "perceived" hostility to immigration. They are the Party of the "Free Market". to oppose the free movement of people is hypocritical. Multiculturalism has been around in these islands at least since the Anles, Jutes and Saxons came over and displaced the Celts. That was about 2000 years ago. Between then and 1950 immigration was slow. Since then it has become massive. Multiculturalism means different cultures living side by side, separately. We live in a multicultural world of mono-cultural countries. If only England becomes multicultural and other countries don't, then the result will be a less multicultural world. Right next to the Over ground Station, a peek inside the Railway Tavern pub will reveal white locals in the front, black locals in the back room. This segregation is self-enforced; both parties seem to prefer it that way. The sight of such retailed segregation is uncomfortable, and off-putting. It inevitably reminded me of the ”separate but equal” facilities of late-Jim Crow 60s America. Many comments claim that the immigrants don't integrate. Aside from the little interactions mentioned, how can integration occur? Doesn't it need to be 2-way? How many of us are pleased to accept hospitality and gifts of exotic dishes offered by the 'immigrants' and yet don't reciprocate? Difficult to have a truly 'multicultural' society when the core belief of many of those who inhabit one of those cultures is that all the others should be eradicated. Speaking English does not promote integration into British, American and Australian societies, and broaden opportunities. English speaking Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist, thanks to state schools with monolingual non-Muslim teachers and English language. English language is not only a lingua franca but also lingua frankensteinia. Human right are also covers linguistic right. Cultural and linguistic genocide are very common. British schooling is murdering community languages like Arabic, Urdu and others. English is today the world killer language. Linguistic genocide is a crime against humanity and British schooling is guilty of committing this crime. Language is not just a language. It defines one's culture, identity and consciousness. It defines how we think, communicate and express ourselves. The fact is the most South Asian Muslims have come to know Islam by way of Urdu, the children's alienation from the language that connects them the heritage of their parents and grandparents is disturbing. As a matter of fact, one has to get to know his mother tongue well if one is to master any other language.IALondon School of Islamics Trusthttp://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4032d0 Comments ● 4032d

Trojan Horse

Trojan Horse Tahir Alam is allegedly the man behind a blueprint for the ‘Trojan Horse’ plot for the radical ‘Islamisation’ of secular state schools. An alleged plot to takeover some of Britain’s schools by Islamist extremists has been reportedly masterminded by a ringleader who had drafted a guide document on the process, a media report has said. Tahir Alam, chairman of governors at Park View school in Birmingham, is allegedly the man behind a blueprint for the so-called “Trojan Horse” plot for the radical “Islamisation” of secular state schools. He called for “girls [to] be covered except for their hands and faces”, advocated gender segregation in some school activities, and attacked a “multicultural approach” to collective worship, the Sunday Telegraph' reported. In his 72-page document, published by the Muslim Council of Britain in 2007, Tahir Alam and co-author Muhammad Abdul Bari categorically attacked many state schools for not being “receptive of legitimate and reasonable requests made by some Muslim parents and pupils in relation to their faith-based aspirations and concerns”. They described how Muslim governors could be activated to press the “views and aspirations of Muslim parents and the local community” on reluctant schools. Birmingham has a large Muslim population, nearly 22 per cent, according to the 2011 census. The “Trojan Horse” plot had come to light recently and involves the alleged takeover of secular state schools and the removal of secular head teachers in Birmingham by radical Muslim staff and governors. There are more Methodist schools than Muslim schools in England and 33% of English state schools are Christian. There’s been a big kerfuffle over a supposed Muslim influence on six schools in Birmingham, with outlets like the BBC and Telegraph alleging a “Trojan horse” takeover by Muslim parents. But whether you agree with religion in schools or not, the faith that is most clearly represented in Britain’s education system is Christianity. There are more Methodist schools (26 or 0.13%) than Muslim schools in England. Out of the total number of state-funded schools (primary and secondary) in England this is what percentage were Muslim in 2012. Some 0.06% or 12 schools are Muslim faith schools.  Out of all UK state-funded schools, 33.61% or 6751 schools are Christian. School segregation: 12% of state schools are split into boys and girls. Charges against the six schools in Birmingham include not teaching the curriculum, inviting radical speakers to talk to the children and gender segregating classrooms – to the detriment of girls. A small, but significant number of traditional British schools are split by gender too. The man accused of being at the centre of the plot, Faisal Khan, has denied the allegations, saying his sole motive was to improve the standards at schools and that he had no wish to “Islamize” British schools. British authorities are now investigating the alleged plot. UK Education Secretary Michael Gove appointed Peter Clarke, former head of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command, to lead the probe. The appointment of Clarke has faced criticism, with critics saying the move has resulted in rising fears over a possible government crackdown on Muslim communities in the UK. There are concerns that the plan could prevent ordinary Muslims from getting involved in their children’s schooling affairs for fear of being branded extremist. “The idea that MCB document was a Communist or Trotskyite-type plot to takeover all Birmingham/UK schools is laughable. This feeds into a wider 'counter-jihadist' (Breivik, EDL, etc) narrative that Muslims want to "take over". To describe the handbook as 'a document on manipulating teachers and curriculum' or 'a detailed blueprint for the radical "Islamisation" of secular state schools', as Sunday Telegraph says, is an insult to the many thousands of professionals and lay people who have been involved over the last ten years in the massive improvements in the educational achievement of young Muslim people. There is a level of hysteria building which is not justified, we need to take the temperature down and politicians must not play with these issues or else face a potential backlash, possibly in community cohesion." Abdul BariThe whole saga is outrageous, beyond belief and frankly if it was not so serious, it would be comical. The documents on which this whole action is perused is false and as there is no proof of extremism in schools, Mr Gove has made it illegal for Muslims to have conservative views (coming from a minister of conservative government, its comical really). Feel like we are back in the fifties in the USA again. Michael Gove is an avowed Zionist which is not the best way to approach issues like this! Because it can lead greater attacks on Islam. It amazes me that on the basis of an anonymous letter the whole country has been lead to believe that there is an organised plot to somehow take over schools, now allegedly across the length and breadth of Britain! Furthermore the amount of coverage that this has received from the media as being a credible story, to me, suggests the level of Islamophobia in our society has reached alarming and dangerous heights. I would suggest that for the sake of fairness, equality and justice all schools are subject to the same level of scrutiny. For example Christian, C-of-E, Jewish and Hindu, Sikh schools. I believe that this not only a witch hunt but a move to tarnish and undermine the credibility of Muslims in general and the noble teachings of a widely practiced and rapidly growing religion which a people devotedly choose to follow. Islamophobia should be stopped - especially when the racist is a government minister or department. you must share this island with many people, why does it belong to one people? Grammar schools regularly carry out gender segregation, shall we remove those Head teachers too.  The horse in question, it is alleged, contained Muslim extremism – brought to state schools by stealth, by governor bodies launching subtle pincer movements, to remove the kind of pesky teachers who might object to the segregation of pupils by sex, or a refusal to stick to the syllabus. How incredibly extremist. Schools where segregation of pupils by sex occur. How different from boy's only Grammar schools and High schools for Girls that exist in predominately Conservative areas. And that exist predominately in the private school sector. It does though surely produce better exam results, as pupils are less influenced by the idea of 'girl's subjects' and 'boy's subjects', and are less likely to be distracted by sex. Allegations of an Islamic takeover plot of Birmingham schools are just the latest in a string of slurs against Muslims. It is not clear what is meant by an "Islamic plot takeover", and whether that is the same thing as saying or hinting that some Muslims might want to get some schools to adopt their particular version of Islamic religious values, behaviours and life-styles. If it is the latter, that would not necessarily be an indication of "terrorism", so I struggle to see the need for 'counter-terrorism' input. It is not terrorism in any way shape or form. It is important to remember this is not about Islam as such but yet another chance to bash people perceived as foreigners. To many Muslim is another word for immigrant and coloured person, two terrible bugbears. Why should an unnamed, undated, unspecific source has effected students, teachers, governors, parents in one swoop. It has serious implications on unfounded accusations for hundreds of people. In no way shape or form is this right, nor should have it EVER happened. Just by a anonymous letter how can you judge the schools and it is bringing such bad vibe to Birmingham schools and local Muslim community we feel like we're targets no matter how hard we try we will never please and move forward from the terrorist labelling. I am disgusted at the way these particular schools and governors were targeted for no reason other than being Muslim. No solid evidence wa available to substantiate these accusations which arose and yet such great weight and focus was attached to them. Morally unjust and utterly unacceptable. The Trojan Horse document was clearly written by someone who knows little about Birmingham and even less about Islam. It has chimed, however, with widespread Islamophobic fantasies and fears amongst non-Muslims, and as a result of unethical reporting in the media has done much damage. On the one hand we get told we are not integrating enough and we should engage more in civic society. On the other, when we do, we get accused of having sinister agendas. Since when do concerns by religiously conservative parents about teaching on homosexuality, girls and boys mixing, and the reciting of prayers, require anti-terrorist experts to get involved? Allegations of an Islamic takeover plot in Birmingham schools aren't justified by the evidence – and the government response is way out of proportion. Perhaps its best to let the Muslim community sort these issues out. These are in effect Muslim schools now. It is up to the Muslim community to see off hard liners (if there are any) otherwise it is their own children's' education that will suffer. I think it would be very difficult for non Muslims to get involved either as governors or management so perhaps that it is one of the reasons for the conflicts that have arisen. It may be best for the Government to but out providing the record of the school is O.K. from an exam point of view. I am so disgusted that even after it was proved there is no factual evidence or basis for that racist and hate filled document, schools in Birmingham are being subjected to this horrific ordeal and the name of many good reputable teachers is being tarnished... Why? Clearly viewable that this accusation has been purposely placed on these schools which surprisingly consists of majority Muslim children. Clearly the school policies are being contradicted by Mr Gove as they clearly state that it is the schools priority and job to meet the needs of the local community and of the students within the school. So if a school is doing that then what is the issue? What is happening feels like the persecution of a religious group. This is important because the wit hunt feeds Islamophobia. As we can see from the bombings and arson attacks on mosques in the UK, Islamophobia is a very dangerous and divisive form of racism. I'm sick of this hatred of Islam and Muslims. Haters, ignorant scum, look for any means to target Muslims, now even in our schools. It's a joke and this has to stop. How hypocritical does a country have to be to illegally invade Muslim countries and then accuse Muslims of terrorism? I am a Muslim. I am an anti-terrorist.   I never realised how racist and anti-Islamic this country is until I moved here. These people are here legally and have the right to live how they want to. Just because there are terrorists who use Islam as a doctrine to justify their hateful acts, does NOT mean that every Islam wants to change Britain to Sharia Law, kill the gays and put all women in burkas! These people are being judged and punished for the actions of others that have nothing to do with them, simply because they are of the same religion. Do you judge Germans in the same way because their country committed genocide? Or the Irish if they are from an area where religious conflict was particularly violent? No. Seems like thinly veiled racism to me, not the 'staunch upholding of British rights against religious extremists' as you all seem to espouse. What do people mean when they talk about 'multiculturalism'? If a lot of people come from a foreign country and settle in a particular area they will bring the culture of that country with them. Of course they will want their schools to promote their values. Gender segregation is everywhere in the Muslim world including in EU applicant, Turkey, so either we believe in Britain as multicultural or we don't. You don't get to pick and choose the bits you want. Why not sit down with parents and listen to their concerns, instead of ordering an investigation? Shocked at this terrifying witch hunt against Muslims who are simply trying to raise standards. Its totally unacceptable to create a furore in the country over anonymous accusations with no proof. Because it is a divisive move and will affect community relations. This is the very reason why society does not function properly, this is a deliberate attempt to spread fear amongst communities, as the best way to control a nation is through fear itself. because this is NOT ,,I repeat is NOT an Islamic plot to take over Birmingham, so DO NOT put false information in the media to put Muslims down!!!!! What next.....Muslims taking over hospitals, banks, pubs....come on... Tomorrow, a Pakistani MP would become the PM of GB and this does not mean that the country has become a colony of Pakistan.  What's taking place is an absolute disgrace. This whole witch hunt is putting Muslims off from becoming governors at a time when it is need the most. Why should Muslim parents be targeted when all they want at the end of the day is a good all round education for their children. Before Muslims governors came on to the scene all the inner city schools were doing poorly and failing all the children of the school. Muslim parents were criticised for their lack of involvement in their children's schools. Now they are being vilified. It is an absolute disgrace that an ex anti terrorist police office has been brought in to investigate the situation. It stinks of racism and the desire to label all Muslims into the category of extremist and jihadist. What a disgrace by the national and the local government. It's wrong for Gove to be deliberately politicising our Education system. All our children deserve respect and not to be scapegoated. What a total waste of tax payers money and tactical manoeuvre by Michael Gove to divert attention away from the real issues. Gove’s war is designed to destabilise governing bodies where Muslims form a majority. Don't want us to be part of 'big society'?  We totally reject the idea that there is Muslim plot to take over Birmingham schools. We abhor the scapegoating of the Muslim community being whipped up by the media. We call for the removal of Peter Clarke as we believe this is a provocative appointment, designed to divide our community. I don't believe that there is an Islamic Plot to take over Birmingham schools. It's a set-up. Anonymous complaints have been used in the past to hound good head teachers of community schools out of their jobs in order to facilitate the creation of academies. This whole story smells of falsification and corruption. I suspect that the people wishing to take over schools are not Islamic extremists, but Academy Chains with business interests. A shamefully irresponsible and sensationalised inquiry whose adverse impact on community relations locally and nationally will sadly be lingering long and far. If British authorities are so concerned about their education institutions being infiltrated by ``extremists'' then I suggest they stop Tony Blair, architect in chief of the illegal and violent 2003 Iraq invasion from speaking at colleges and universities across the UK and the world. His lies and fabrications caused the deaths, directly and indirectly, of thousands of Iraqis, British and Americans. While the survivors of his wars suffer in silence, this former British Prime Minister makes millions through his speaking engagements at educational institutions across the world with little or no sign of remorse for the suffering he caused. Nothing I see in the above articles suggests the British Muslim educators in question did anything illegal, let alone anywhere as remotely destructive as the twice elected British Prime Minister. Britain's interests would be served better if they questioned their own domestic and overseas policies instead of perennially whining on about ``extremist'' from their (mostly) law abiding immigrant communities. There are a total of 21300 Primary and 3900 Secondary schools in the UK. Finding that 6 out of these 25200 had board members who wanted to push their extremist views over the governance of those school is not a Islamic Plot or Trojan Horse to Islamises UK. This is a massive overreaction and the Islamophobia on display in the comments is more terrifying than the actual case itself. Stop the racist witch hunt in Birmingham schools. We Muslims have a right to our religion. I decry everything which denigrates Muslims in this country. The media and governmental attitudes and actions, inflame prejudice and ignorance. We want the best for our children and such baseless witch hunt of school governors does not help the cause of better education. Stop this hate against Muslims. It is not them who are terrorists , but all those who imply they are with the help of media you try bringing others to your side giving false details - twin towers wasn't Muslim either - that was the Americans - you will not win as Islam Will forever grow and prove it is peaceful through the will of God (Allah SWT)... amen. This is undermining confidence in the Muslim community and increasing Islamophobia. This is another example of the media whipping up hysteria against the UK Muslim community.  The way our Govt treating British Muslims is as if all Muslims are terrorists unless they prove otherwise. Govt should focus on its job. Governors of this school worked hard to help a failing school achieve outstanding rating from Ofsted. Please fix Ofsted and stop demonising Muslims. Nick Clegg on LBC radio indicated that the DFE is full of right wing ideologues and extremist loons. Islamic schools protect Muslim children from the onslaught of Euro centrism, homosexuality, racism, and secular traditions. All education systems appear to be indoctrination systems. I went to a good private school. Guess how we were 'encouraged' to think about politics! Having a Muslim name in UK is a crime. All UK job application forms have sections ask your race and religions. Most UK employers simply reject your applications just by looking at this section. Native Brits must learn to respect and tolerate those who are different. The needs and demands of the Muslim community are different from those of natives. Muslims are in Britain not to give up their cultural heritage. They must integrate in their new home country, learn new languages and apply for political representation -- without forgetting their cultural heritage. It is important to learn Standard English, but their  languages should not be neglected. They need Masajid and grave yards. Muslim children not only need halal meat or Eid Holidays but they need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their development period also. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/she does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brit. The whole world belongs to Muslims. He/she must learn and be well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. At the same time, he/she must learn and be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural heritage and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. For a Muslim English is an economic language and Arabic is a religious while Urdu and other community languages are their social and emotional languages.Muslim children not only need halal meat or Eid Holidays but they need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their development period also. There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This means the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islamic teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Legally, the state has an obligation to respect the rights of parents to ensure that 'education and teaching(of their children) is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions.' The schools must satisfy the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural needs of Muslim pupils. State schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers are not in a position to satisfy their needs. A good school is not just a knowledge factory or a conveyor belt for churning out exam passes - it is a community, a family. A community is held together by common values and principles.IALondon School of Islamics Trust

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4095d2 Comments ● 4032d

Isleworth Public Hall (well well well)

Who would have guessed it eh that the latest Labour leaflet is again telling porkies and Theo Dennison even accused the ICG of scaremongering at the Hustings the other eveningA group bidding to run a popular public hall say they are still awaiting crucial information from Hounslow Council, despite an election leaflet suggesting it is a done deal.The council agreed in principle earlier this year to hand over management of Isleworth Public Hall to a consortium of not-for-profit groups.The plan was to hand them a five-year lease beginning in April this year, which the council estimated would save £425,000 over the course of the contract.An 'Isleworth Matters' leaflet recently published by the ruling Labour group proclaimed the consortium had won a contract.But members of the consortium say no deal has been signed and they are still awaiting information from the council, including details of running costs, which they claim they need before putting together a final bid.Christine Diwell, of the Friends of Isleworth Public Hall, one of four groups in the consortium, said: "We haven't won any contract and according to the council the procurement process is still ongoing."We're setting up a social enterprise which could run the hall we've asked the council for a lot of information which it has so far been unable to provide."The hall, in South Street, Isleworth, is currently run by the council's leisure contractor Fusion Lifestyle.Should the consortium win the contract, it could pave the way for similar voluntary groups to take control of other public halls across the borough.A council spokesman said: "The council has been working very closely with the Isleworth Public Hall Consortium to help them through the whole process. We are hoping to enable them to finalise their application very shortly."http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/public-hall-takeover-still-not-6992973

Paul Fisher ● 4131d49 Comments ● 4038d

An Open Letter to the New Secretary of State for Education

An Open Letter to the New Secretary of State for Education I congratulate You on your new appointment. Education may well be a critical tool of socialisation; But it's only a tool.. that's why it's debatable whether education does, should, or can imbue us as citizens with a sense of our national identity and priorities. It all depends on how education gets used, and by whom. So from my own critical perspective I certainly don't think education does or should act like a gang of construction workers, cementing a shared but distinctly concrete narrative of common purpose. Rather I suppose education should kindly facilitate whatever individuals want to learn, whenever or wherever we want to learn it.. but maybe this might seem too radical.. If you had a non-Muslim school that encouraged teenage girls to dress modestly, successfully persuaded pupils not to drink alcohol, railed against gambling, engaged in lengthy study of ancient scriptures and languages and achieved good exam results, the Conservatives would be lining up to lavish it with praise. More so if it were Christian. This is as good a book review for the bible and the koran as could ever be written:“The [Trojan Horse story in Birmingham] bible/koran is one in which carelessness, incompetence, coincidence, opportunism, self-interest and sheer wickedness all play significant parts.Michael Gove's disastrous tenure as Secretary of State for Education has united the vast majority of Academics, Educationalists, Head Teachers and Teachers against hi...m like never before in the UK. 'At its May 2013 conference, Gove was criticised by the National Association of Head Teachers, whose members condemned the climate of bullying, fear and intimidation they claimed he had created during his time as Education Secretary. The conference passed a vote of no confidence in his policies. Votes of no confidence were also passed by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers at conference in March 2013, the National Union of Teachers at its conference in April 2013 (unanimously), and the NASUWT.' I hope the new secretary of state for education will do something positive to improve the educational standard of the Muslim children. Muslim children not only need halal meat or Eid Holidays but they need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their development period also. There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This means the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islamic teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim schools should be inspected by Muslim members of the Ofsted. They understand the needs and demands of the Muslim children as well as their parents. Twenty leading educationalists and Muslim leaders have questioned Ofsted's impartiality in the Birmingham 'Trojan Horse' affair, education consultant Robin Richardson reflects on the factors behind its controversial recent inspections. What gives OFSTED the right, or indeed any Brits, to preach to minority groups about how they should live their lives. This is a cosmopolitan country, the Muslim community have the right to educate their children how they choose. What has being British got to do with your religious belief? In Britain there are Hindus Sikhs pagans Jewish Buddhists atheist Zoroastrians Rasta's and many more should they all change there religious beliefs because they are British? Studying the Qur'an will certainly help towards these children becoming fully integrated citizens of the UK. Like many Ofsted stories this is no news. There are lots of schools up and down the land without male teachers. Teaching is so female dominated you wonder why pupils are so poorly behaved. After all feminism blames men for everything and here are the results of female dominance...IALondon School of Islamics Trusthttp://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4039d6 Comments ● 4039d

And they wonder why?

Today thousands and thousands of public sector workers are out on strike over wages and pensions. I watch Daily Politics (God alone knows why, it does the blood pressure no good at all!) I am furious that government ministers and other feel that TU's should be subject to getting at least 50% of their membership to agree to a strike before it can go ahead, when they are quite content for pathetic numbers of electors get them into Parliament. I have seen several members of the government this morning trying to slag off the unions and banging on about how we have to sort out the financial deficit, so therefore no-one in the public sector can expect a rise. The bankers and politicos who got us into this mess don't seem to be doing to badly- how many of them are cutting back? In the past couple of days the papers have been full of how the higher echelons are trousering ever larger rises, bonuses and pension pots, and today comes the news that more of the great and the good have fiddled tax to the value of £5bn. And they wonder why people are on strike? Only a few are paying the price it seems, at the same time rather than face the fact that to finance our NHS we have to understand tax must rise, there is talk of people having to pay for certain services. So rather than do what is best for the country's health a political decision will guide what happens to the health service, no we can't possibly put up tax. It's not about running anything it's all about keeping power for the select few who don't have the intelligence or the guts to do what is right and fair for the majority.

Vanessa Smith ● 4048d5 Comments ● 4039d

South Street roundabout/Twickenham Road - response from LBH

Copied and pasted below is the response I've received from LBH (following my complaint to Cllr. Mayne) regarding the South Street junction.Hopefully we'll see an improvement - although I've got even less faith in Road Safety Audits now than before !!!.Adam------------------------------Dear Mr Beamish, Councillor Mayne has asked that I respond to you directly regarding the ongoing works on Twickenham Road. I’m sorry that you’ve considered it necessary to write to express concern over the incomplete work and the delays in implementation. The past and on-going situation is far from satisfactory, but I can assure you that lessons have already been learnt and we will be reviewing our work practices ahead of the implementation of any future major schemes. In terms of completing the current Twickenham Road scheme we’ve been working with Hounslow Highways to have the works completed as soon as possible. It has been confirmed to me in the last few days that work to remove, rather than ‘black-out’, the old and existing road markings will commence on the evening of 20 January 2014 this will take 5 or 6 nights to complete as these works stretch along the complete length of Twickenham Road. The application of the new road markings will start on 21 January 2014 and this will take around 7 to 10 days, depending on the weather; again these works stretch along the complete length of Twickenham Road. The removal of the redundant traffic signs will be completed by the end of this week. I note that you’ve suggested that a ‘roundabout ahead‘ warning sign should be considered for the approaches to the South Street roundabout. One of the aims of the Twickenham Road scheme is to improve the streetscape environment by reducing street clutter and this would include the provision of extra traffic signs. There is no requirement to have ‘roundabout ahead‘ warning signs and our view is that these signs are unnecessary. The mini-roundabout signs (white on blue), whilst positioned close to roundabout as per standard practise, have sufficient forward visibility. An independent Road Safety Audit was carried out on the design prior to implementation and no concerns were raised regarding inadequate signing of the junction. I accept that the northbound approach to the South Street roundabout has been an issue. It is hoped that once the road markings are permanently removed and the new markings applied that drivers will form only one lane on this approach. We will review this just as soon as the markings at this location have been completed. You may like to know that a further independent Stage 3 Road Safety Audit will be carried on completion of the road marking and traffic sign element of the scheme. I hope that this information helpful. Should you require any further information regarding this scheme then do not hesitate to contact me directly. Yours sincerely__________________________________________________Christopher DeakinsTeam Leader - Network Management

Adam Beamish ● 4224d90 Comments ● 4045d

FGM Vs Chastity Belts

Subject: FGM Vs Chastity Belts Chastity belts were very common during the middle ages in the UK. The key of the belt was always in the pocket of the fathers. At the time of marriage, the key was given the husband. It is just possible that FGM has the same purpose of chastity. FGM has no connection with any religion, it is as prevalent in African Christian communities as those practicing other faiths including tradition African religions. It is primarily a tribal/cultural element, much like ritual scarring etc. FGM is an ancient practice that originates across a plurality of cultures, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian peninsula, whether these are Christian, Islamic or animist. It in fact affects only a tiny  minority of British Muslims. FGM is nothing to do with Islamic teaching. 'FGM is violence against women and girls. Over 99.9% of British Muslims are not concerned with it. British Establishment should concentrate on the education of Muslim children who have been mis-educated and de-educated by the state schools with non-Muslim teachers. Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim children attending state secular schools were subjected to an educational environment that pressured them to adopt values that contradicted Islamic values, such as evolution theory, sexual relations outside marriage and drinking alcohol.' " According to UNICEF, the top rates are in Somalia (with 98 percent of women affected), Guinea (96 percent), Djibouti (93 percent), Egypt (91 percent), Eritrea (89 percent), Mali (89 percent), Sierra Leone (88 percent), Sudan (88 percent), Gambia (76 percent), Burkina Faso (76 percent), Ethiopia (74 percent), Mauritania (69 percent), Liberia (66 percent), and Guinea-Bissau (50 percent). Outside Africa FGM  occurs in Yemen (23 percent prevalence), among the Kurds in Iraq (giving the country an overall prevalence rate of eight percent), Indonesia and Malaysia. These are the facts and we shouldn't ignore them. For that reason there is probably not too much point in warning all the children in Truro about it, but attack it at the likely sources, which is where there are immigrants from the listed countries.The white man complex is a term that is not discussed much but can be seen nearly in all cultural discussions. This term basically describes the superiority complex that many in this community possess which has deluded them to believe that their culture is superior or that their OPINIONS matter which is far from the truth. Instead of looking at problems within in their own community; Mass exploitation of the poor, mass corruption, paedophilia that is prevalent in schools and churches, entertainment business and even politics they instead focus on other communities and cultures. I suggest seeing as this practice of female circumcision is not so prevalent in the UK that you focus on you own issues and stop talking down on others. I can guarantee that the communities in question care not for your words and for you to stop dictating to everyone how they should live and what they should do.Yeah like your people ever followed the rules of the country which you entered illegally in the past. To this day you still do not follow the rules and customs of nations which you migrate to (Emirates,Qatar, India etc). How about you learn the languages of the nations which you migrate to, follows their rules and customs and then complain when the same is not done in the UK. Like i said before, this talk of female circumcisions has been going on for a very long time, but nothing has changed because the communities which practice it do not listen to a bunch of bigoted people who talk down on Also, as it seems it needs to be pointed out, from a few comments here, I'd like to add that it's quite wrong to see FGM and the circumcision of boys as equivalent. A circumcised boy can, as an adult, enjoy a normal (or even not so normal) sex life. A girl or woman who has been exposed to FGM cannot do that, in the sense that she can never have an orgasm. There is a tremendous difference, and it's a pity that the term "circumcision" is often used where both sexes are concerned -- it's highly misleading.every other culture and custom. Once you realise this you can do more worthwhile things such as stopping your priests from molesting your children.I suggest seeing as this practice of female circumcision is not so prevalent in the UK that you focus on you own issues and stop talking down on others. I can guarantee that the communities in question care not for your words and for you to stop dictating to everyone how they should live and what they should do. Yeah like your people ever followed the rules of the country which you entered illegally in the past. To this day you still do not follow the rules and customs of nations which you migrate to (Emirates,Qatar, India etc). How about you learn the languages of the nations which you migrate to, follows their rules and customs and then complain when the same is not done in the UK. IALondon School of Islamics Trust

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4047d9 Comments ● 4045d

And they wonder why?

Today thousands and thousands of public sector workers are out on strike over wages and pensions. I watch Daily Politics (God alone knows why, it does the blood pressure no good at all!) I am furious that government ministers and other feel that TU's should be subject to getting at least 50% of their membership to agree to a strike before it can go ahead, when they are quite content for pathetic numbers of electors get them into Parliament. I have seen several members of the government this morning trying to slag off the unions and banging on about how we have to sort out the financial deficit, so therefore no-one in the public sector can expect a rise. The bankers and politicos who got us into this mess don't seem to be doing too badly- how many of them are cutting back? In the past couple of days the papers have been full of how the higher echelons are trousering ever larger rises, bonuses and pension pots, and today comes the news that more of the great and the good have fiddled tax to the value of £5bn. And they wonder why people are on strike? Only a few are paying the price it seems, at the same time rather than face the fact that to finance our NHS we have to understand tax must rise, there is talk of people having to pay for certain services. So rather than do what is best for the country's health a political decision will guide what happens to the health service, no we can't possibly put up tax. It's not about running anything it's all about keeping power for the select few who don't have the intelligence or the guts to do what is right and fair for the majority.

Vanessa Smith ● 4048d1 Comments ● 4047d

Thames Water Strike Again ! - Mogden Footpath Shut ?

Emily sent the following email. I don't understand why the Mogden footpath should be closed. If the path through the works has to be closed because of pollution in the Duke of Northumberland's River, shouldn't access be prevented to the rest of the river and the River Crane ?Dear ResidentsA two-metre valve (penstock) in a major sewer serving Heathrow Airportjammed shut on Saturday afternoon at Cranford Bridge on the A4 Bath Roadwhile engineers carried out routine maintenance.All attempts to re-open the valve were initially unsuccessful.  It is nowbeing forced open using specialised lifting equipment fitted overnight.While we are able to take a lot of backed-up sewage away in tanker lorriesfor treatment, the volume of sewage was such that we were not able totanker all of it.Faced with the unpalatable choice of letting the remaining sewage back upinto the airport or spill to the River Crane, we were forced to opt for thelatter, resulting in sewage entering the river and damaging wildlife, whichwe deeply regret.We are working with all those affected by this problem and with theEnvironment Agency, who are aware of our plan to tackle this problem assoon as possible.Once normal flows resume, probably later this morning, some stronger thannormal effluent will arrive at Mogden and this may cause elevated odourlevels for a few hours, for which we wish to apologise in advance.Some of the pollution from the River Crane has passed into the Duke ofNorthumberland river, and this has required a temporary closure of thefootpath through the Mogden works, for which we would also like toapologise.Kind regardsEmilyEmily GorenCommunications AdvisorThames WaterMogden STWMogden LaneMiddlesex TW7 7LWt: 07747 644345

Tim Henderson ● 5031d17 Comments ● 4050d

Multiculturalism

During colonial days, British did not follow local customs or culture. They didn't exactly "go native". They even forced the native Americans and native Australian to adopt all the evils of their culture and customs. They are still the underdogs of American and Australian societies. At least Australian Prime Minister apologised to the natives for their evil deeds. Brits living in Spain and France don't even bother learning the language of the new adopted country. Frankly suggesting that people don't want to become "British" they should move elsewhere is extremely irritating. Immigrants are in UK because they are needed, it was never an act of charity. Without migration, British economy and society will bleed to death. British culture and customs will undoubtedly change as it has for millennium due to immigration. I am not quite sure why Brits would be worried about that. Of course Multiculturalism has failed. The Irish hate the English The Scots hate the English & the Welsh hate The English. So what do you expect from people from other nations. Whilst I agree that you have an immigration problem in this country, I don't think that this is your main problem. Your main problem is the disintegration of the family unit and the loveless binge drinking environment that your children are growing up in! NEVER in my life have I seen another country where people so seldom give their children a hug and a kiss like in this country and NEVER in my life have I seen another country where there are so many children from different fathers growing up in single parent households! Before you tackle the immigration problem (at least the immigrants LOVE their kids) you should first look at yourselves! Why complain when it’s the British who first migrated into other lands enslaving those people? When it is a question on immigration, the feelings are so strong. I wonder why. Serves you right! Britain! When the British colonised the world, it was ok. But now when people from the former colonies and from other countries come to Britain, its not ok? Look into history and then you can cry because what goes around comes around. Don't see why people have such a problem with mass immigration? It enriches our culture and boosts the economy! We have to stop looking at these people as immigrants and think of them as human beings. The immigrants are not to blame because they were invited and welcomed here by our successive government. We have quite large Spanish , French and Italian communities in Brighton and I believe it really enhances the place and adds to diversity of the City. Globalisation is here to stay. Britain colonised & some would say civilised half the world. It's called Karma. Not so long ago British people colonized Asia, living like kings while locals suffering to no end. At least, these migrants do not enslave the Britons, so stop whining please.IALondon School of Islamics Trust

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4088d3 Comments ● 4061d

Bus route from Hammersmith to Heathrow

I have raised this problem with the TFL for several years without any real response, I recently tried again.QuoteTalking of which, as an elderly person relying on Public Transport, I have for several years requested TFL to look into the possibility of extending the Number 9 bus route to a 24 hour service and extend it to Heathrow all the time. This would assist people on the Hammersmith, Chiswick, Brentford, and Isleworth corridor to enable them to get to the airport without the hassle of struggling to access the Piccadilly line, with heavy baggage, which does not have any escalator SERVICE FROM STREET LEVEL AT MOST OF THEIR STATIONS.UnquoteI also said that with the increase in accommodation coming on-line in this corridor during the next year or two there would be a terrible short fall in the ability to travel on the existing bus service.Their first response was totally negative and I pursued the matter further on the telephone. I have now received their latest response and it would appear that if they get enough people raising the problem they may address it again, so please help in getting this thing rolling by supporting this initiative and  writing TFL or call their hot line at 03432221234.Their recent reply to me is: Our ref:Date:1014037866/43947744-Jun-14 TfL Customer Services4th Floor14 Pier WalkLondon SEI 0 OESwww.tfl.gov.ukDear Captain WeaverThank you for your further correspondence with us on 19 May regarding busservices from Hounslow to Heathrow.I appreciate your comments regarding the current bus routes causingdifficulties for those less able who wish to make this journey. Therefore yourcomments have been passed on for evaluation and future consideration.However any changes that could be potentially made will only be considered ifthere is considerable demand for this.Should you have any further comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.Alternatively our call centre can be reached on the low cost number 0343 2221234. Signed by Emma Bradley, Customer Services Advisor. TFL Customer ServicesSo please guys get on the phone send those emails and see if we can make some progress.

Philip Weaver ● 4080d6 Comments ● 4076d

Great West  Quarter

Mary Macleod MP calls meeting in Parliament over Great West Quarter saga Local MP Mary Macleod has called for a meeting in Parliament with representatives of A2 Dominion and Barratt homes following news that Trico House residents in the Great West Quarter are still suffering from sewage, hot water and heating problems. At the meeting, she will personally investigate the ongoing issues affecting Trico House residents in order to ensure that a comprehensive resolution can be established. Mary said:“Residents of the Great West Quarter have been living with disgraceful living conditions for far, far too long. Just before Christmas, residents were without hot water and heating in their homes for several days – an issue which has surfaced time and time again. It is appalling to see families with young children having to suffer these conditions! They have also been subject to a foul stench from sewage, about which I continue to push for answers. I have therefore organised an emergency meeting in Parliament with Barratt Homes and A2Dominion so we can thrash out a solution that will be lasting and binding.”Mary has been aware of the long-running issues faced by the residents of Great West Quarter for some time. Last year, after being contacted by a number of her frustrated constituents, Mary called a meeting with all residents to discuss their concerns. The session was attended by members of the residents association, local councillors and representatives from A2Dominion where each party was able to voice their concerns. Since then Mary has been in constant contact with the Chief Executives of both A2Dominion and Barratts in an effort to resolve these factors. She is fully supportive of the residents at Trico House and the problems they are facing and will continue to work on their behalf to help resolve the situation.Mary added:“As the local member of Parliament I will continue to represent the views of Trico House residents and push for improvements to the situation at the Great West Quarter. I hope that in the course of discussions with A2Dominon and Barratt Homes we will finally be able to resolve matters for residents.”

John Todd ● 4224d36 Comments ● 4080d

Chiswick Library may be in danger from Labour

For many years Chiswick has had a fine Public Library in Duke's Avenue just off Chiswick High Road. The original building was bequeathed to the people of Chiswick by the owners of the famous Sanderson wallpaper factory in nearby Barley Mow Passage.Subsequently, Brentford and Chiswick Council built a new extension which today houses the Reference and Children's Libraries. The facilities are well used and well loved by a large number of Chiswick, Brentford and Isleworth residents of all ages.There is now a very real concern that after this week's  Borough Election, Hounslow Council will, if it is still controlled by the Labour Party, announce the sale, demolition  and redevelopment of one of at least one of the two buildings that currently collectively comprise the Library. In view of the importance of Chiswick Library to the people of Chiswick,Brerntford and Isleworth  it is important that the current Labour leadership of Hounslow Council state their position on this issue immediately.A cast iron guarantee from the Labour Leader of the Council before we vote on Thursday that the neither of the Library buildings will be shut, sold or redeveloped would be most welcome.Failing that local residents will be entitled to assume that Labour, if relected, does indeed intend to sell off part or all of the Library. Local residents will well remember that a few short years ago Hounslow's Labour Council closed down the Chiswick Day Care Centre which provided valuable services to elderly and vulnerable members of the community and hosted the lunches for the homeless run by the local churches. It did so despite opposition from the families and carers of those who used the centre, local GP's, the local churches, local Chiswick Councillors and our local MP Mary Macleod. The site has now been sold and is being redeveloped. Those of us with longer memories will remember when Hounslow's Labour Council tried to shut down and sell off New Chiswick Pool in Edensor Road, Chiswick  but was prevented from doing so by an effective campaign by local residents. For all of these reasons, and more, it is important that Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth and Syon elect a large number of Conservative Councillors on Thursday.

David Giles ● 4098d13 Comments ● 4096d

I am one of the Conservative Candidates for Syon

I said to myself I would not get involved in the debates on this forum because many of them start well but then individuals can’t help themselves.  it’s those same individuals who deny that they are politicians on one hand, whilst running a spectacular negative campaign to discredit their political opponents on the other. Anyway as you can tell I have been an interested spectator here; but I am not especially interested in political point scoring or denial of politics. Instead I am using this piece to introduce myself to those whom I may not have had the pleasure to meet on the door step as yet. I am 32 year old man and a resident of Brentford for the past 12 years. I was raised in several foster homes throughout my early teens under the watchful eye Hounslow Borough Council and the good people of Hounslow Social Services. Indeed it was my sixth foster home in 1997 that finally turned out to be my last and I am well aware that I was extremely lucky because many young people that I knew growing up with during that turbulent period of our lives have gone the other way as adults. I am still in touch with a few of them but I am also proud to say that a lucky few have gone to be successful in their own right. The unfortunate ones have to my knowledge, disappeared and a handful are serving or have served time in prison.I was fortunate to come through to the other side largely due to the kindness of my foster parents, but also because of the safety net that was provided by Hounslow Social Services.  I am standing as a Conservative because I believe we all have aspirations and that a safety net of a community is vital to all of us. The local Government therefore needs to offer a service that supports us all but only doing so in a smart, professional and a cost effective way. I believe Hounslow Borough has done great things to support our vulnerable resident in years gone by and I am happy to say that I am a case in point; but somewhere in the last few years it has lost its way. That safety net is now shadow of its former self. I am standing because I believe that the Conservative Party are the only local group with a serious plan to deliver better services at a good value cost to our community of residents. Our local Conservative Party was one of the first administrations to freeze council tax long before it was fashionable. We simplified things so that services were easily accessible and brought in some of the best officers available to deliver on our promises.We all have read about the recent economic figures that were achieved nationally under the steadfast leadership of David Cameron. So it follows that Conservative Party are about delivering on our promises both nationally and locally.I am proud to say that the Conservative ARE a political group made of people like me and you who live in community. I for one I am a games teacher and rugby coach. My colleagues David Gerrey, Ranjit Gill and I are not professional politicians, but We know that we have enough experience to deliver a professional service to our residents.  At these times where we need more than ever a smarter Local Government  that delivers services to its residents in a cost effective way - it is so important that we look beyond political posturing and name calling and look instead at who is best positioned to deliver on your vision for Syon.  There serious issues about schools, public service, our high street, cleanliness, housing, parking and pollution. We don't need petty negative campaigning to win the augment.  If the recent National economic figures are anything to go by, the Conservative Party is delivering on its promises nationally and they say - the apple doesn't fall far from the Conservative Party tree! Please vote on Thursday. Ron Mushiso

Ronald Mushiso ● 4099d15 Comments ● 4097d

Halal Meat

Halal Meat Muslims say a prayer before they kill an animal. Christians say a prayer before they eat it. I'm not sure why either of these practices should be thought particularly offensive. How on earth does eating a piece of meat or poultry that has been slaughtered with a prayer equate to accepting or supporting a religious practice? Why are you so threatened if a person has said a couple of words in Arabic beforehand? With so much crap going on in the world it's ridiculous (and frankly embarrassing) that this is something of major concern to the extent that it is creating so many headlines. Granted, people should be told if they are eating halal meat, but the vitriolic responses are becoming increasingly disturbing. This is not about food standards, it is not about 'defending' a secular society, it is not about labelling or consumer rights or animal welfare. This is about the fact that some people just don't like Muslims.Slaughterhouses are businesses, they also have "the right to choose" to conduct and practice their business in whichever way they wish in order to maximise their customer base. Pizza Express and other restaurants also have "the right to choose" what their menu consists of, again in order to maximise their customer base. Both halal-compliant slaughterhouses and Pizza Express are doing just that, nothing sinister or malicious or untoward. You have the right as the consumer to choose what you buy/eat, sure, which is why it's important that products are labelled well and that, say, places which use halal meat say that they do. Which Pizza Express was doing anyway. This wasn't a secret, the company are pretty clear about it on their website and if this matters so much to you then surely in order to exercise your "right to choose" as a consumer and decide whether/not to eat there you have to actually go and do some research? If you want to be an engaged consumer you have to actually be an engaged consumer, you can't expect everybody to do it for you, you have to ask. When you buy a chocolate bar, do you expect somebody to rush up to you and say 'BY THE WAY THAT CONTAINS NUTS~!' or do you read the packaging?This is a story about lazy people who couldn't be bothered to act like engaged consumers and are horrified to find out that they were 'unwittingly' being given something they never asked not to be given in the first place. That is all it is. My only concern is mislabeling food. If it is halal - it should be labelled as such. For example, the branches of subway which sell halal meat clearly show it. So, you have a choice - go in and buy halal food or not. In the case of supermarkets selling meat which is actually halal but not clearly labelled, this should change. Just like for a muslim it is important they eat halal eat meat it is important for some people (e.g. Sikhs) that their meat not be ritually slaughtered. In regards to animal welfare its a load of bullcrap. Ask the animal how it feels when it's life is taken. Calling it 'humane' is just nonsense. These type of news articles are purely about inciting hatred - the only ones who don't see it are the ones who truly believe that they have a right to hate on another group of people purely by what they believe. As my son asked "All our tongues are the same colour so why do they hate us daddy?" You guys can eat anything even pigs that roll in their own filth but you wont eat HALAL which is clean meat.  You know, the bible also says you shouldn't eat pork as it is 'unclean'.....just saying for all of you stating this is a christian country. Bit of course it's nothing to do with the meat, it's just another excuse to have a pop at Muslims isn't it. I for one am proud to live in a multicultural society and am glad that my child is growing up in one. I would hate for her to grow up as a little Englander with a hateful, narrow view of the world and frightened of anything even remotely different to her. Pork is banned in the christian religion. Read the bible and find out. Stop this vendetta against Halal meat......how many will get an Asian / Indian halal curry after a night Boozing! And as usual I bet the Muslim parents wouldn't have an issue with pork etc as long it was served n cooked separately to the Halal food which would also apply if catering for vegetarians and non vegetarians!! British Muslims have every right to be catered for. They are as British as the rest. I think people are worried in case the ritual prayers are in fact spells which will turn them all into Muslims. This week's row has got nothing all to do with animal welfare. The fuss is about people's fears over the covert Islamification of society. You may or may not agree that concerns are realistic or even legitimate, but food suppliers and others concerned ought not to deny that it is an issue or answer criticisms honestly. I don't think eating halal meat actually turns you into a Muslim. This time it is aimed at Muslims. However assaults on ritual slaughter have a long history in terms of European anti-Semitism. This is just more of the same, prejudice dressed up as concern for animal welfare. Taking lives, foods and shelters of others are cruelty, so, don't take meat, fish and vegetables  for food because they have lives. Don't milk animals because they are their babies food. Don't take drinks because they are the abodes of so many living creatures. Don't let mothers do breast-feeding because it harms their beauty.....Just be the champion of saints of mankind! "  - Do this words sounds funny? Hope, don't for those champions who are the modern advocates of "RIGHTS". Stunning is unethical. Stunning causes the animal SO much pain. Halal is HUMANE and CARING to the animal. Denmark is a country that SUPPORTS animal cruelty. Science has shown the Halal is peaceful. Science has shown that stunning causes animals PAIN and SUFFERING. Centuries ago people were more natural. Stop perverted GMO and perverted food practices. Islam is the best way of life.Birmingham school says sorry for serving non-Halal meat to Muslim pupils. Council catering staff had wrongly dished up the non-Halal food to Muslim pupils on December 12, but details have only just come to light. On Monday parents received a letter from Craig Jansen, head of the 1,400-pupil secondary school and sixth form, in which he apologised unreservedly for the incident. There are hundreds  of state and church schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be opted out as Muslim Academies so that non-Muslim children could enjoy their own meals in their own schools. IA London School of Islamics Trust    

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4103d13 Comments ● 4098d

Once again Labour is scaremongering about the NHS

The Labour Party, as usual, has so little positive to say that it is now once again scaremongering about the NHS alleging that the Government wishes to close the A&E service at Charing Cross Hospital. Nothing could be further from the truth.Way back when we had a Labour Government, NHS North London originally proposed to downgrade Charing Cross Hospital to little more than a glorified GP's surgery like Chiswick Health Centre.Labour Controlled Hounslow Council originally supported these plans perhaps because it favours the West Middlesex Hospital over Charing Cross Hospital. This is of course completely wrong- we need both.However these original plans were rejected by the local Chiswick Conservative Councillors at a meeting of the Chiswick Area Forum in October 2012 which passed a motion to that effect. Local Conservatives believe that the retention of A&E at Charing Cross and the West Middlesex is essential and have continued to make representations to that effect through our local Conservative MP, Mary Macleod, to the Conservative Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP. The Secretary of State is far more likely to listen to Conservative MP's and Councillors on this issue than to Labour ones. Thanks to pressure from local Conservatives and others, the NHS now proposes that, far from being down-graded, Charing Cross will become a world class centre for elective surgery and remain an important A&E centre. This is a vast improvement on the original proposals. These changes are supported by clinicians and by local GP's and by those who have taken the trouble to examine the proposals in detail. These proposals will save lives and lead to an improvement both in elective surgery and in A&E services. Charing Cross Hospital will get the long term investment it badly needs and Brentford  residents will continue to be able to avail of its services. The Labour Party should stop alarming and worrying local residents by spreading false rumours about Charing Cross Hospital in an attempt to hide Labour's poor record on the NHS when it was in power and to trick people into voting Labour at the Borough Elections on Thursday.The Labour Party has nothing to offer Brentford residents except the possible downgrading and reduction in size of Chiswick Library following on from Labour's totally heartless and unnecessary closure of the much loved and very vital Chiswick Day Centre a few years ago. If you want to save Charing Cross Hospital and Chiswick Library, vote Conservative !

David Giles ● 4099d2 Comments ● 4098d

A Future for Muslim Schools

Muslim children not only need halal meat or Eid Holidays but they need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their development period also. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Legally, the state has an obligation to respect the rights of parents to ensure that 'education and teaching(of their children) is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions.' The schools must satisfy the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural needs of Muslim pupils. State schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers are not in a position to satisfy their needs. A good school is not just a knowledge factory or a conveyor belt for churning out exam passes - it is a community, a family. A community is held together by common values and principles.Western media and politicians have been trying their best to propagate against Muslim schools. Muslim schools are even called Osama bin Laden Academies by a Teaching Union. Only less than 5% of Muslim children attend Muslim schools while more than 95% are in state schools to be mis-educated and de-educated by non-Muslim monolingual teachers. The demand for state funded Muslim schools is in accordance with the law of the land. Muslim community is not asking for any favour. Muslim community pays all sorts of taxes and is less burden on social services. Church leaders say it is no longer "appropriate" for them to run Sacred Heart RC Primary School which has just six Christian pupils. The school in Blackburn, Lancs, could be handed to the nearby Masjid-e-Tauheedul mosque.The Muslim community has been passing through a phase of fourth Crusades. The battleground is the field of education, where the young generation will be educated properly with the Holly Quran in one hand and Sciences in other hand to serve the British society and the world at large. A true Muslim is a citizen of the world, which has become a small global village. We are going to prepare our youth to achieve that objective in the long run. A true Muslim believes in Prophet Moses and the Prophet Jesus and without them one cannot be a Muslim. My suggestion is that in all state, independent and Christian based school special attention should be given to the teaching of Comparative Religion and Islam should be taught by qualified Muslim Teachers to make the children aware the closeness of Islam to Christianity and Judaism which will help them to think about Islam, as “A Pragmatic and Modern Way of Life,” during their life time. The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos. Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won't feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith. Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities. There is a belief among ethnic minority parents that the British schooling does not adequately address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response. State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored.It is absurd to believe that Muslim schools, Imams and Masajid teach Muslim children anti-Semitic, homophobic and anti-western views. It is dangerously deceptive and misleading to address text books and discuss them out of their historical, cultural and linguistic context. It is not wrong to teach children that Jews are committing the same cruelty in Palestine what German did to them before or during Second World War. It is not wrong to teach children that anti-social behaviour, drinking, drugs, homosexuality, sex before marriage, teenage pregnancies and abortions are western values and Islam is against all such sins. This does not mean that Muslim schools teach children to hate westerners, Jews and homosexuals.Extremism, homophobia and anti-Semitism are nothing to do with Islamic teachings and beliefs. Islam does not teach that Jews and Christians are pigs and monkeys. The Policy Exchange Think-tank should concentrate on institutionally racist British schooling with chicken racist teachers. Muslim parents do not want their children with behaviour problems that include unprovoked aggression, promiscuity, violence, eating disorder, bullying and alcohol. According to ATL, teachers believe behaviour is worse than it was five years ago, with even five year olds being disrespectful, intimidating and violent. This is the true picture of British broken society and the Muslim community does not want to be integrated. The British government is again asking us, Muslims, to adopt the" British values" and to integrate fully into the British way of life. But many so called "British values" are not acceptable to us. The Muslims don't want to integrate or abide by western law. Just because they don´t want to wear nude clothes or at least cloth that can show how big her breast are... so these people failed to integrate. Just because they don't like free sex, then these people failed again. What a dirty Bush mind you have! British schooling and the British society is the home of institutional racism. The result is that Muslim children are unable to develop self-confidence and self-esteem, therefore, majority of them leaves schools with low grades. Racism is deeply rooted in British society. British schools are not doing enough to tackle racism and promote race relations. Many teachers are unaware of racist attitudes amongst pupils. Schools have a responsibility not only to deal with racist incidents but also to prepare pupils for life in a multicultural and multiracial society. At least one racist incident is reported daily in Bolton schools, according to stats obtained from Bolton Council by Mancunian Matters. Bolton Council of Mosques Manager, Ibrahim Kala, said the data is only the “tip of the iceberg” and that Islamophobia makes up a large portion of the reported incidents. Stats obtained through the Freedom of Information request show 2,397 cases of racism in Bolton schools in the years from 2004 to 2013, meaning on average there are 1.26 racist incidents occur daily – and these are only the ones being reported. British society must learn to respect and tolerate those who are different. God has created diverse human beings to live in this tiny global village of one family. Creation by its very nature is diverse with different species, different communities, different cultures and languages. These differences represent the beauty and wonder but diversity is sometimes not fully appreciated, resulting in all sorts of clashes. The British society and Establishment must learn to respect and accommodate others, as if in a family. A report by the Institute for Community Cohesion found that native parents were deserting some schools after finding their children outnumbered by pupils from ethnic minorities. Schools in parts of England are becoming increasingly segregated. The study focused on 13 local authorities. Many of the schools and colleges are segregated and this was generally worsening over recent years. This is RACISM because British society is the home of institutional racism. A study by Bristol University reveals that a high level of racial segregation in Oldham schools and tension between communities resulted in recent riots in 2001. The solution is that those schools where Muslim children are majority may be designated as Muslim community schools. The native parents do not want their children to be educated along with migrant children. As soon as they find that the number of other children is on the increase, they remove their children to those schools where native children are in majority.Truth is always bitter. You must learn to listen to those who are culturally, linguistically and spiritually different. Education is should be more than providing pupils with the skills they need to get a job or enter university: we should not forget that we have a duty to pass on a body of knowledge through generations.Prince Charles, while visiting the first grant maintained Muslim school in north London, said that the pupils would be the future ambassadors of Islam. But what about thousands of others, who attend state schools, deemed to be "sink schools"? You better teach your children in your own schools and let migrant communities teach their children according to their needs and demands. British Establishment and society should concentrate on the evils of their own society and stop trying to change the way of life of Muslims. Muslim community does not want to integrate with the British society, indulging in incivility, anti-social behaviour, drug and knife culture, binge drinking, teenage pregnancies and abortion. In education, there should be a choice and at present it is denied to the Muslim community. In the late 80s and early 90s, when I floated the idea of Muslim community schools, I was declared a "school hijacker" by an editorial in the Newham Recorder newspaper. This clearly shows that the British media does not believe in choice and diversity in the field of education and has no respect for those who are different. Muslim schools, in spite of meager resources, have excelled to a further extent this year, with couple of schools achieving 100% A-C grades for five or more GCSEs. They beat well resourced state and independent schools in Birmingham and Hackney.  Muslim schools are doing better because a majority of the teachers are Muslim. The pupils are not exposed to the pressures of racism, multiculturalism and bullying.  According to a recent report, Muslim schools performed best overall, although they constitute only a fraction of the country's 7000 schools. Muslim schools do well because of their Islamic ethos and a focus on traditional discipline and teaching methods. They teach children what is right and what is wrong, because young children need structured guidance. You better teach your children in your own schools and let migrant communities teach their children according to their needs and demands. British Establishment and society should concentrate on the evils of their own society and stop trying to change the way of life of Muslims. Muslim community does not want to integrate with the British society, indulging in incivility, anti-social behaviour, drug and knife culture, binge drinking, teenage pregnancies and abortion.  Prince Charles, while visiting the first grant maintained Muslim school in north London, said that the pupils would be the future ambassadors of Islam. But what about thousands of others, who attend state schools deemed to be "sink schools"? In education, there should be a choice and at present it is denied to the Muslim community. In the late 80s and early 90s, when I floated the idea of Muslim community schools, I was declared a "school hijacker" by an editorial in the Newham Recorder newspaper in east London. This clearly shows that the British media does not believe in choice and diversity in the field of education and has no respect for those who are different. Muslim schools, in spite of meager resources, have excelled to a further extent this year, with couple of schools achieving 100% A-C grades for five or more GCSEs. They beat well resourced state and independent schools in Birmingham and Hackney.  Muslim schools are doing better because a majority of the teachers are Muslim. The pupils are not exposed to the pressures of racism, multiculturalism and bullying. There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This mean the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islam’s teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands.IALondon School of Islamics Trust

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4109d13 Comments ● 4102d

Meet the Brentford UKIP candidate.

Dr Ryan Thomas CEng MIMechE.Follow me on Twitter: @ryanthomas2013About me: I graduated from Cardiff University with a degree and a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1999.  Following this I joined the British Army and in December 2000 was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.  I completed 9 years of service, which included two tours of duty, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan.  My first job upon leaving the army was in financial services, but since 2011 I have worked in construction in the water industry as a SCADA project manager.  I moved to Brentford in 2012.My politics: I believe that individual responsibility, self-reliance and consideration for others are the cornerstones of building a strong, vibrant and prosperous community which allows constituents to realise their full potential whilst the vulnerable are also protected.  The council exists to serve the community and not the other way around.  They only have power because we give it to them, and they only have money because we pay it to them.  For me the role of the council is clear, it provides services and an administrative capability in order to serve the community.    We decide what we want, and we pay our money to fund those activities accordingly.  If the council is not spending our money on services that we require, then it should give it back.My main concerns:Education.  As a society our prosperity depends upon our ability to develop our human capital - the bedrock for this is a solid education.  Are we providing enough school spaces?  Are our teachers of the required quality?  How do we support apprenticeships and further education colleges?  How do we support tertiary education establishments?  How do we help adults that want to re-skill or learn new skills?  Are our libraries relevant and if not what can we do to improve them?  To be clear: I am a massive supporter of libraries and believe they provide an essential public service, if they are ever under threat I will always fight to ensure that they are maintained.Activities and opportunities for young people.  After school clubs, sports clubs, Scouts, Brownies, Girl Guides, cadet forces, Duke of Edinburgh Award.  I believe that challenging our children, and exposing them to risk-taking opportunities in a safe and controlled environment is essential in developing their non-academic skill-sets.  If elected I would be a strong supporter of activities and opportunities for young people.Health.  Is the council catering for the community's needs and is it meeting its statutory obligations? What more can we do to make our roads safer for cyclists to encourage more cycling; is there more we can do to encourage people to walk more?Business and commerce.  Local government cannot create jobs but it can create the conditions that encourage businesses to grow, invest and recruit.  Our local businesses are our Crown Jewels and our golden geese all rolled into one.  What do they need from the council to make doing business easier? What more can the council do for them and why isn't it already doing it? What more can we do to encourage businesses to establish themselves in the borough?I believe in a smaller, leaner council and holding it scrupulously to accountWhat I am against: Crime. Anti-social behaviour.  CPZs. A bigger council. Regulations. Giving money away for zero return. Waste.The Lionel Road development and the re-development of the current Brentford Football Club site will clearly have a massive impact on Brentford in the coming years.  How can we minimise the adverse impact on existing residents while maximising the opportunities these projects will bring?

Ryan Thomas ● 4128d14 Comments ● 4116d

Last chance to sign up to free Outdoor Events training!

Whether you are a seasoned planner or first time organiser, Hounslow Heart of Events is a free, two day seminar to develop your skills in planning an outdoor event and how to work towards delivering a safe and successful outdoor event in the borough.  This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone wanting to develop skills and knowledge in event management:o How to write and event management plano What to include in a risk assessment for an evento What will attract people to your event and how do you measure their experienceso Gain a better understanding about licensing events and when you do or don’t need to have them for your evento Collect top tips in sourcing and contracting suppliers, performers and recruiting volunteerso How to fund your event and secure sponsorship and budget for an evento How to approach and involve Local partners and organisations in your evento What you should to have in place to ensure your event is legally compliantThe training is led by industry professionals who deliver the course in manageable bite size pieces in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, further information on the course outline can be found online www.hounslow.info/heartofeventsDates: Monday 28th April 9.30-4pm and Friday 9th May 9.30-4pmVenue: CAN Mezzanine, 2nd Floor Treaty Centre, Hounslow, TW3 1ES (second floor of Hounslow library)Please register your interest: Thursday 24th April 4pm by completed and returning the application form on the website to hounslowevents@carillionservices.co.uk

Amy Curtis ● 4127d0 Comments ● 4127d

Why I have to go

I have lived in Brentford, to be precise Mafeking Avenue for 33 years. I remember that in the early days the plan was to re build the High Street, and change the Green Dragon Lane estate. Today the high street is mainly the same, with the exception of that a number of companies have closed down, or gone somewhere else. Of course the Green Dragon estate has improved, but the Tower Blocks remain the same eyesore. Whilst most London boroughs have demolished their High rise blocks, Hounslow intend to build adverts on the top of theirs, and of course have given the only piece of green land on the estate to a developer. As time goes by the estate will get older and one day it will have to be pulled down and re built. Meanwhile every piece of spare land is now being built on and it is indiscriminate. There is no plan, and no one at the council gives a dam. To them more residents equals more income. That's it, full stop.I have had many careers here, Truck driver; shop manager; teacher; lecturer. I retired "early" from teaching because I had just got tired of the continual changes. (Why is it that every government thinks it is an expert on education).However after spending lots of money on training, and a huge amount on tools; stock; indemnity insurance; van insurance and tax I started a home security service, or more commonly known as a locksmith company.The CPZ is the final straw for me; I don't have regular hours of work; some days I have no work at all, others I work long and late hours. I also own a car, because when I visit friends or go out for a day I don't really want to drive around in a van, so I have a car as well. Yes it is taxed and insured and it has an M o T. Am I breaking any law? No, but come the CPZ I probably will be, I don't agree with paying road tax; and council tax, and then another tax so that I can park where I live and have paid council tax for.So after 33 years I am selling up and heading somewhere less crowded; where there are no CPZ's, and where the council cares about the environment and uses planning laws properly. Where they wont ok large advertising signs on the motorway encouraging people to drive without due care and attention, and where they wont take every opportunity to milk the motorist dry.For those selfish people who want the CPZ's, I have to ask why? Less cars in the street during the day? What difference does it really make? There will be less parking places at night too, so it is a tax to have less of something.  When Hounslow finally runs out of things to sell; when there is no where else to build and they cannot put up the council tax they will put up the charges. Your cost of living will also go up as like most trades people if I have to go in to the congestion zone I add that to the bill, when you have trades people visit you will be buying the ticket. I can go on and on, Hounslow is with out any doubt in my mind one of the worst councils I know of. Whose fault is it? well it's ours. Those of us who cannot be bothered to vote, or more importantly stand as an independent councillor because that is what Hounslow needs. People who want to do the best for Brentford, not sell it so that those in Hounslow can go on and on throwing money away.So I leave in two or three months. If you want a new lock fitted be quick! Paul Wilson (www.ilocksecurity.co.uk)

Paul Wilson ● 4137d10 Comments ● 4130d

Poor street lighting makes BBCtv

The rather poor street lighting PFI scheme Hounslow managed to get conned into has now made BBC news.It's not really a surprise, the whole deal is a monumental cock up which makes one wonder just why again and again, councils get duped into such spiv like deals.The LED is a big advance in public lighting but so much is still untried and untested technology. To the point that many authorities are sitting it out until it is tried and tested.It is still at a point where trials are taking place and designs fine tuned.Not this one though. LBH have dived into to a contract which is being regarded in the industry as 'naive and careless'.It is being done with very poor design standards, with no consultation and as we have seen in Boston Manor road, no regard for aesthetics or specially designed street furniture designed and paid for not by LBH but by GSK as part of section 106 to improve the environs of Brentford and Boston Manor.The lack of quality design and planning means lighting is placed without regard to obstructions like trees and buildings.The LED lantern is so basic that it cannot be positioned without directing light into windows and casts hard shadows which compromises street safety.To hear the guff from a Cllr Ellar and some other chap about quality and care at last months farce of a forum meeting, one wonders how they have not been fleeced of all their clothes. They are that gullible.Most of Hounslow's street lighting is quite young and way off it's life expectancy. It was a PFI that simply was not needed.  As for light pollution, well 80% of the boroughs light polluting  sodium lighting was replaced already. One of the first boroughs to do so 25 years ago .Thanks to the chap at the meeting who explained all this in such detail to me a few weeks back.

Anthony Waller ● 4142d9 Comments ● 4137d

'Heartbleed' Bug: Change ALL Of Your Passwords Warn Security Experts

'Heartbleed bug' exposes encryption keys; How to test your favourite sites for safetyNot much consumers can do to fix the problem.Published 09 April 2014  |  Brownie MarieEmail Print Text Size Larger SmallerMore Sharing Services ShareCodenomiconA flaw in the popular OpenSSL software has left millions of people vulnerable to having their banking information, tax files, emails, and other online data exposed. And there's no way to know if someone has accessed your information.Nicknamed "Heartbleed," the "bug" is actually a weakness in OpenSSL's cryptographic software that makes SSL/TLS encryption backfire on computer users. The "https" protocol that is supposed to identify a secure website is actually a signal to hackers that the site is vulnerable to cyber attack. The hackers can then trick a computer's server into sending data stored in its memory.Google security researcher Neel Mehta was the first to discover Heartbleed, and the weakness was confirmed by internet security firm Codenomicon. Alarmingly, researchers found that the Heartbleed flaw has been in OpenSSL for two years. It is unknown if attacks have been carried out, because exploiting the software loophole leaves no trace.In addition to exposing users' passwords, personal files, and credit card information, hackers can also steal encryption keys-- the code that translates computer-generated nonsense into usable information."It may even be able to use the secret key to impersonate the server, tricking users into divulging their password and other sensitive information," Vox Media wrote.Codenomicon states that because of the wide-spread use of OpenSSL and the untraceability of Heartbleed, consider your accounts compromised."You are likely to be affected either directly or indirectly," their website, Heartbleed.com states. "OpenSSL is the most popular open source cryptographic library and TLS (transport layer security) implementation used to encrypt traffic on the Internet. Your popular social site, your company's site, commercial site, hobby site, sites you install software from or even sites run by your government might be using vulnerable OpenSSL."To end Heartbleed's hold on the server, vendors and service providers must adopt the Fixed OpenSSL, which was released Monday."Operating system vendors and distribution, appliance vendors, independent software vendors have to adopt the fix and notify their users," Codenomicon instructs. "Service providers and users have to install the fix as it becomes available for the operating systems, networked appliances and software they use."Changing your passwords before the server has adopted Fixed OpenSSL is useless. As of today, most of the major websites, including Yahoo, Google, and Facebook, have fixed the problem. To check if a website has installed the updated OpenSSL software, visit http://filippo.io/Heartbleed/....................................................................,,...................................................................................................................................................................................................................Yahoo Among Millions of Websites Vulnerable to 'Heartbleed' OpenSSL Security BugA new security bug has been found in OpenSSL, the cryptographic library that secures most of the internet's websites, and Yahoo is one of the of the most well-known domains known to have been compromised.Security researchers are very concerned as the bug - dubbed Heartbleed - has been around for two years and affects encryption of data sent over the internet, meaning users' passwords and other sensitive data are open to being spied on.Other websites featured on the top 1,000 websites list compiled by Mustafa Al-Bassam (a former member of the LulzSec hacker collective who is now a computer science student) include popular websites like Imgur, Flickr, OKCupid, WeTransfer, Eventbrite, Web.de, Outbrain, Stackexchange and Kickass Torrents.It will be difficult to discover if or when you have been compromised as attackers are able to exploit the flaw without leaving any trace of their presence.    What is OpenSSL?    OpenSSL is the software library used in servers, operating systems, email and instant messaging systems to protect internet traffic as it travels back and forth. More than 53% of the web servers which host more than 500 million websites use the software which relies on OpenSSL    (Source: NetCraft)DiscoveredThe bug was first brought to light by security firm Codenomicon, who attempted to attack their own servers:"We have tested some of our own services from attacker's perspective. We attacked ourselves from outside, without leaving a trace. Without using any privileged information or credentials we were able steal from ourselves the secret keys used for our X.509 certificates, user names and passwords, instant messages, emails and business critical documents and communication," they wrote on an in-depth information page.Codenomicon adds that anyone on the internet exploiting the flaw will be able to read the memory of a machine that's protected by a vulnerable version of the OpenSSL library.Security researcher Filippo Valsorda has developed an online test that allows anyone to find out whether a server is vulnerable to being attacked, simply by entering the server's hostname.Not an TLS/SSL flawA new version of OpenSSL, version 1.0.1g is now available to download to patch the flaw, which was caused by an implementation problem in the OpenSSL cryptography library, not a design flaw in SSL/TLS - the protocols used to provide secure communication online."There is no flaw in the TLS protocol or the way it is designed, it's simply an implementation bug that has a catastrophic failure mode. The error is the code equivalent of a typo. But some typos are worse than others," explains Paco Hope, Principal Consultant, at Cigital, a consulting firm which helps organisations to develop secure software."The vulnerabilities in the software you use matter just as much as vulnerabilities in code you write. Finding and fixing such bugs requires applying security throughout the software lifecycle and on all the relevant code, not exclusively at the end and not just exclusively on code you write. And if you acquire software from third parties, you care about what they integrate into the product as much as what they write for you."Fox IT has published a list of indicators that can help companies to identify if their servers may be vulnerable.According to Fox IT, attackers can retrieve the source code of the website, usernames and passwords, as well as private SSL keys.

Nikki Howard ● 4139d0 Comments ● 4139d

Confused.com

That's me.  Because I've just read the latest Labour Party local election leaflet for Isleworth and I noticed a caption under a photograph on the back page saying "Labour's Ed Mayne, Sue Sampson and Lyn Green at their regular surgery on the Ivybridge".For starters I was surprised to learn that Lyn Green holds a councillor's surgery, bearing in mind that she is not a councillor.  She will be a councillor if she is elected in May, but she isn't one now.  Mindu Bains on the other hand is an Isleworth councillor, and she still receives an allowance for being one.  Why then does she not feature on the leaflet, and why is she not holding a councillor's surgery rather than Lyn?But then my confusion intensified when I flipped over to the front page and saw that the only monthly surgery held by the Isleworth councillors these days, with or without Lyn, was at the Royal British Legion.  So how does one go about attending one of their "regular surgeries on the Ivybridge", which are apparently not advertised?Further enquiries revealed that the Isleworth Labour councillors actually discontinued their surgery on Ivybridge over a year ago.  Regular, schmegular...But there is some good news.  Apparently four new police officers have been introduced onto the beat in Isleworth ward.  Which only leaves another 96 to find before the councillors, or "Labour Action Team" as they are now, can fulfil the promise they made to voters during their last election campaign in 2010.Isn't it good having such honest and upstanding individuals representing our interests?

Phil Andrews ● 4171d5 Comments ● 4169d

The proposed closure of Charing Cross Hospital is a disgrace!!

With Charing Cross Hospital we have 500 Beds that are book marked to be reduced to just 60 Beds WHY? we may ask for Development the reply!! it would seem that yet again Money is the root of this evil.Charing Cross treat all kinds of Cancer Patients,their Outpatients Clinics are overflowing I personally have been a patient on a yearly basis since 2002 and without the Consultants & Staff well!! "I" thank God am one of the lucky ones. However without Charing Cross it could so easily have been another story.We need more Hospitals not closure of existing ones!!This Coalition promised so much,yes I do appreciate that Austerity Measures are necessary,however when we continue to give monies to India who have a Space programme & Bangladesh who have a Nuclear programme etc and that this "AID" accumulates to approx 12 BILLION POUNDS per year whilst within London we have just last week had 10 Fire Stations closed with nearly 560 people made redundant just because it would cost £28 million a year to keep them open.What is £28 Million to keep us safe & alive opposed to £12 Billion Aid giving yearly to assist outside governments to go into Space & perhaps use their Nuclear Power against the UK in the future.Our Coalition Government need to prioritize our needs because all these funds that they give to other countries do not go to the actual ppl of said countries they are spent how each individual government wish and our government have no say!! Each day we see Our NHS,Fire Service & Police diminish greatly our Schools are in Turmoil because each year they have a different curriculum to teach it confuses both Teachers & Pupils. I say wholeheartedly to our government don't destroy us!!

Dawn Hardy ● 4225d10 Comments ● 4223d

Good ole Hounslow Homes

Why do Hounslow Homes think this time of year is a prime time to redecorate external areas in their properties?Today I found the communal entrance door stuck because it had been painted.  Now I know I'm not the strongest of persons but I couldn't shift it.  I was locked inside.  I did wonder if there was a medical emergency would I be able to get out?  If a fire had broken out would I have managed to escape?  Even the fire escape from the top of the flats leads down to the communal entrance.  I did report it to the council.  Pleasant chap on the phone making placating noises but what type of numpty employs numskulls to decorate in the midst of winter?       Now picture this: me and another person did actually manage to shove the door open - two old wombles together - and we could see where the paint ripped.  It was stuck.  Hard.  By paint.  Now, what qualified painter & decorator just allows painted surfaces to stick together in this weather?  And what type of painters & decorators are Hounslow Homes squandering money on?Last year, at around this time last year, in all the snow, Hounslow Homes got a painter & decorator in to do up the communal areas.  This so-called painter & decorator - from Hertfordshire according to his van - just painted as directed and missed out filling in a huge crack - caused by subsidence.  Crack filled in six months later.  But not painted over.I thought Hounslow Homes would have learned from their previous mistakes but it seems not.            

Xanthe West ● 4234d5 Comments ● 4230d

New development in LBH's war on community groups as HFTRA disbands itself at Lead Member's behest

Three months ago I wrote a short blog article about a coup which had taken place within the Hounslow Federation of Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations (HFTRA), in which the erstwhile Chair, Dave Cox, an intelligent and free-thinking individual, had been effectively pushed out by a sycophantic clique acting at the behest of the Lead Member for Housing, Councillor Steve Curran.According to an article published in the paper version of the Hounslow Chronicle this week (sadly it doesn’t seem to be available online) HFTRA, latterly under council-approved management, has now obligingly dissolved itself and is no more.  In one fell swoop an organisation representing the inhabitants of 24,000 dwellings around the borough has meekly allowed itself to be terminated, without so much as a whimper, at the whim of one power-crazy politician carrying out the wishes of a power-crazy local party.According to the Chronicle article tenants and leaseholders living in local authority housing will henceforth be “represented” by a new borough-wide residents’ forum that is currently in the making.As an active participant within the G15+ alliance of community groups, I have some knowledge of this “forum”, taken from its own correspondence which we are already in receipt of.  Its terms of reference have already been “suggested” by an officer of the Council.  It is to be chaired by a councillor.  Meetings are to be organised and hosted by the local authority, to a timetable set by the local authority, and a member of the Council’s staff will take the minutes.  As far as I am aware membership criteria are yet to be decided, but nobody should be in any doubt that the power to appoint and to expel residents’ groups from the forum will lie somewhere within the hallowed halls of Lampton Road.Meanwhile said Lead Member has changed the criteria for funding tenants’ associations, basically creating an absolute power of patronage and veto for himself.  It doesn’t take much imagination to see where this is going – if an ostensibly independent association has the temerity to elect somebody to membership who is not a person approved of by our lords and masters, or to engage in any form of campaigning which runs contrary to the designs of the regime, the threat of funding being withdrawn will be instantly invoked (one residents’ association is already under pressure from the Labour Party in Isleworth to dismiss Paul Fisher from membership, presumably on account of the fact that he is a member of the ICG - pressure which to its credit it has fiercely resisted).Residents’ associations and community groups should always of course try to keep on good terms with the local authority.  A constructive approach to dialogue works better for everybody concerned than needless animosity.  But the relationship has to be one based on respect for each other’s independence.  Having a residents’ movement whose membership and constitution can be determined by the local authority makes no more sense than a trade union having its officials appointed by the company management.It is evident that Councillor Curran and his party colleagues are waging a war on community organisations across the borough with a ruthless determination of which the Hounslow Labour Party of the eighties and nineties would have been proud.  Not only have these people learned nothing from the fright they were given in 2006, they are actually going backwards.I am currently compiling a document on these worrying developments, which Councillor Curran seems hell-bent on having in place before the local elections which take place next May.   It seems his control-freakery and that of his party knows no bounds.  It is important that anybody who is involved with residents’ and tenants’ groups is fully appraised of the situation and does whatever is needed to ensure that their organisations act to defend their integrity and independence.

Phil Andrews ● 4249d12 Comments ● 4245d

One hour ago: Blatant flytipping at Morrison's Recycling unit

I'm an avid recycler..and am always particularly concerned with people putting the wrong things into clearing mark bins..thus causing contamination of the whole load.Just one hour ago I witnessed a white transit type van turn up at Morrisons..and the driver caste 3 or four black sacks of items into the Plastic Packaging skip. I could tell that something odd was was going on from the shape of the items poking through.I was going to challenge him and inspect the bags...but chickened out.I noted this 60 year old white slim chap wearing plimsoles was driving a van with the signage FINE DEECORATING,and  xxxx & Lynch.After he had scarppered off, I removed two bags from the skip and immediately saw paint tins, paint brushes, newspapers etc..and left them on the ground in front of the bin so that the Authorities could inspect them  Unfortunately my mobile wasn't working for some reason..and my calls to Hounslow Council failed.So I went into Morrisons and spoke to a supervisor who said the Manager would look into it using my clues. The lady said the dumping problem there was so serious.. that inaddition to being a nightmare each morning when they arrived for work..there was a possibility of closing the Unit down..such was the mess and contimation caused by a few.(The shambles at Tescos Osterley is another sight to see sometimes)On arrival home, I was able to phone Hounslow Council's complicated automated answering service... although ideally an emergency response would have helped.I see on Google that there is indeed a "Fine Decorators" called "Thomas Lynch" at 164 Ealing Road.I will visit them this afternoon. The chap will get an earful!

Jim Lawes ● 4328d85 Comments ● 4253d

Sometimes you just have to laugh at the cheek of them

From the TW8 Front PageAt last week’s Borough Council the Labour administration made 3 new nominations to the Planning Committee.Councillors Colin Ellar, Shantanu Rajawat and Corinna Smart are to replace Councillors Ruth Cadbury, Mel Collins and Steve Curran.Councillor Tom Bruce is appointed as the new Chairman, replacing Ruth Cadbury.Conservative councillors consider this is just in time to ensure Labour retain their ‘political proportionality’ (i.e. 9 Labour votes vs 7 Conservative) for Thursday’s decision on the Brentford FC application as Councillors Cadbury, Collins and Curran are likely to have interests which prevent them from speaking or voting on the application.Councillor Sheila O’Reilly, a Conservative member of the committee, commented “These fresh subs off the bench are welcomed assuming they are fully trained in planning rules, but given the extreme short notice of this move, it is hardly open and transparent as Labour are keen to describe themselves, so I award them a Red Card’.Councillor Peter Thompson, Leader of the Conservative Group added,“Such last minute changes to the Planning Committee only days before the crucial meeting are unprecedented during my time on the Council.  I fully understand that when a councillor has an interest on an application that they have to declare it and not take part in the discussion or vote.  However I don’t recall ever replacing them on the committee!  Given that planning operates without a party whip, with each member deciding how to vote based on their own evaluation of the case, why did the Labour feel the need to make this last minute substitution to maintain their numbers? Even without Cllrs Cadbury, Collins and Curran the committee would have been quorate.  Moreover many residents have been making views known for several months on the Brentford FC application to committee members.  Can Ellar, Rajawat and Smart really be expected to get up to speed on this complex case in a matter of days?”

Paul Fisher ● 4266d7 Comments ● 4264d

Cranes, towers and helicopters

No doubt all of us are chilled by today's accident at Vauxhall. I was on the train today.But it proves that planning and resident objections raised over hi rise buildings and air traffic & flight paths that were dismissed as 'fantasy fiction' by planners and architects are valid and quite, quite real.All of us living here are not strangers to low helicopter movements and the regular visits at night by the police helicopter and the vital input of the air ambulance.The low height is obviously due to the LHR flight path approaches which converge over Kew, Brentford and Chiswick. And latterly over a wider path.Looking tonight at the few cranes I can see from home, they are barely lit. One with two faint red lights and the other with a slow intermittent red light.One crane was lit with LEDs over christmas and that was very visible, even pleasant to view.It is after all, a temporary structure.But the hi-rise buildings are not.One wonders of the wisdom in allowing such a tall building such as the one at GWQ so close to an approach to  one of the planet's most busy airports but also beside a navigable location of the river and the A4/M4Other cities moved their airports so skyscrapers are never in a flight zone but have not done so. Others do not build more than 6 storeys within 20km of an approach zone and this reduces every 5kmIt was a sheer miracle that the aircraft missed the bridge and the train from Hounslow by just some 20 metres.But it must be a warning to have a better strategy before something really big happens.The odds cannot be good.

Anthony Waller ● 4587d27 Comments ● 4275d

Tesco Express London Rd

We residents who live above this shop are fed up with several things, we have twice Wrote to the store manager with NO reply and emailed head office twice they replied stating they would get back to us within 10Days.We have Written to Head Office with our complaint and still No reply.It seems they care about Profit not their Neighbours.What we are disgusted about.1. Lorries turning up to make Deliveries before the time they are allowed to by the Council 8am - 8pm some mornings they do deliveries at 0630 they are VERY noisy and it wakes up people who's bedrooms are above where the Truck Parks.We have notified the Councils but nothing has been done.2. Customers parking in front of our Front Communal door.This is a Health and safety issue as the door serves as a Fire Exit.Tesco are responsible for the Front Forecourt and for their Customers.We have a Single mum and a Disabled Resident who sometimes cant use the Front door because of Vehicles parking in front off our door.We asked Tesco to put a sign up telling their customers not to park in front off our door and they have ignored us.3. Big Metal trolleys at the Back of the Property.Sometimes there can be up to 30 Tall Trolleys at the back which they place half in our car park and sometimes they block are Back stairs when you tell them to move them they don't.4. Rubbish Bin.At the side of their store they have a large container Bin which is kept behind a tall wooden fence and gate, this Gate is always opened which allows kids to go in and pull stuff out of the Bins.We have asked Tesco to start padlocking the Gate, as a child could one day fall inside the Bin.5. Out Of date Bakery Items.Tesco do not place this in their Bin they place it ion a small open trolley which can cause Rats and Mice which they seem to not care about.6. Lastly a couple years ago tesco placed a air vent pipe in our communal area and the residents say they were not asked or notified about this.Now there is Damp around the Pipe.We Feel Tesco should sort out all these issues.

Simon Anderson ● 5933d146 Comments ● 4292d

scrap timber / recycling materials required

As Brentford now enters the "season of hibernation", building work slows to a pause, businesses and residents alike tighten their belts in the frantic run-up to Christmas, and tourism begins to stall, I have decided to take some affirmative action.I propose we gather together scrap timber, excess wooden materials, knackered furniture etc, things which would otherwise simply be taken to a recycling centre (I saw a man thrown a whole single bed frame into a compacter once, it looked perfectly usable! what a waste.) In hindsight, if my memory serves, this was at Morrisons car park; perhaps I should ask Jim about this; people will just dump their rubbish anywhere these days. It's horrendous. Anyway, to get to the point, I had a few small moments of inspiration lately, feeling the chill of winter start to approach, seeing all the Halloween decorations go up (and come down the next day!), and hearing the Diwali fireworks reminding us all that the Fifth of November approacheth; it just all made sense.I suggest we build our tower of timber (about sixty feet tall by twelve wide) in the shape of a man, so as to reflect our ongoing striving endeavour to put the good of the whole community before the needs of ourselves as individuals. We will need someone pious, virtuous, virginal, and Christian. Though the clergy of Brentford are therefore precluded, it shouldn't be too hard to find an unscrupulous, honest soul among our Hounslow councillors. Failing that, and in tune with modern values, environmental activism seems to draw the good and worthy into its flock these days. I'm sure we'll find someone suitably inflammatory. If we honour the old gods properly we'll be sure to see great prosperity in the new year! Reynard Mills may finally see some action, the high street will flourish, who knows, The Lion King might come to the Watermans Arts Centre! We may even end up with a half decent pub in town! I know, I know; fanciful but we can but try. Suggestions welcome for the blood sacrifice; but can we please all get firm agreement first, as the last time I recommended this (Chiswick, 2007), it was a bit poorly organised and we ended up with six small (mostly failed) attempts at the ritual, rather than one big successful one. Three of the candidates for immolation didn't even show up, one of the town councillors was found burnt to a cinder on the morning of the event, (before building of the wicker man had even had a chance to begin) (I still suspect foul play though the coroner declared spontaneous human combustion - he was a bit of a drinker), ((the coroner, not the councillor)), and the Oxjam promoter... Peter? I forget his name - barely got his feet warm despite the most earnest bellowing efforts. An utterly unincendiary man, to say the least. It was a bloody shambles - no pun intended.Anyway, suggestions welcome for candidates and locations! I have a few spare pews to donate. "This is the remix to ignition!Hot and fresh out the kitchen!Mama rollin' that body;Got every man in her wishin'!Sippin' on coke and rum,I'm like so what I'm drunk!It's the freakin' weekend baby,I'm about to have me some fun!" - R Kelly. Toot toot! Beep beep!

Jacob P Aitken ● 4297d1 Comments ● 4297d

Councillor's Special Expertise/Interests

I very rarely find I need to contact The Council, but something happened recently where I thought I should contact "somebody" for clarification of the issue.I Googled, and several names were possibilities, e,g, there were three people who were councilors for my ward, there were people who were on the committees for the question I needed answering etc.To narrow it down I looked for the three councilors in terms of what was their career progression, who had done what etc.Nothing special, I wanted to to link a ward with experience.Finding their pevious experience seemed impossible.Anyway, it looked like the best bet was a chap called Steve Curran, but I didn't know how to double check that.  This question is not about SC specifically but I was surprised to find that the only SC hits said that he was a councilor, I couldn't find out what he knew and didn't know about from his earlier career.I apologize again for being so naive, but I remember seeing the name Seema Malhotra many years ago in the discussions about the "Brentford Market" and thinking that Seema seemed unbelievably interested in a local market?Now that it's Seema Malhotra MP, I understand her interest in regenerating the High Street etc.So, to summarize, if one wants to know what Steve Curran's special skill are, what his job was previously (of course, I mean any councilor) - how does one find out what they might be good at and less good at?Thanks...Dave.

David Johnson ● 4319d9 Comments ● 4317d

Isleworth Public Hall- A Valuable Community Asset

PR 2578 11 September 2013For Immediate ReleaseCouncil seeks proposals over future of Isleworth Public Hall Hounslow Council has invited interested parties to submit proposals on the future management of Isleworth Public Hall.Councillor Ajmer Grewal, cabinet member for leisure and public health, said: “Isleworth Public Hall is a much loved and valuable community asset.“We have had some interest in making better use of the hall and in its future management, which is why we are going out to the community seeking proposals from interested parties.“I want residents or community groups to get involved and make their views known over the future management of Isleworth Public Hall.”                                     Any organisations or person wishing to submit proposals on the future management of the hall should register at procurement@hounslow.gov.uk and title the e-mail ‘Submission of proposals for IPH’. An application form will be sent electronically to you within two working days. The closing date for receipt of submissions is 4pm on Friday 4th October 2013.  Cllr Grewal added: “No decision on the future of the hall will be made until we have carefully considered all submissions.” For more information click on to www.hounslow.gov.uk/isleworthpublichall Notes for editors:Two open days for parties interested in submitting proposals and who wish to view the building and ask any questions, have been arranged at Isleworth Public Hall. These dates are Tuesday, 17 September, from 1pm to 7pm and Thursday, 19 September, from 9am to 2pm.

John Todd ● 4349d27 Comments ● 4320d

Notorious Murderer Caught In Brentford.

Last night's  TV programme, A Very British Murder, revealed that in 1828 William Corder was arrested on Wednesday April 23 at Everley Grove House, Ealing Lane in Brentford, for the notorious Red Barn Murder in which he killed Maria Marten in Suffolk.Wiki explains:Corder was easily discovered; Mr Ayres, the constable in Polstead, was able to obtain his old address from a friend, and with the assistance of James Lea, an officer of the London police force who would later lead the investigation into Spring Heeled Jack, he tracked Corder to a ladies' boarding house, Everley Grove House, in Brentford.Corder was running the boarding house with his new wife, Mary Moore, whom he had met through a newspaper advertisement that he had placed in The Times (which had received more than 100 replies).Lea managed to gain entry under the pretext that he wished to board his daughter there, and surprised Corder in the parlour. Thomas Hardy noted the Dorset County Chronicle's report of his capture:[7]    …in parlour with 4 ladies at breakfast, in dressing gown & had a watch before him by which he was 'minuting' the boiling of some eggs.Lea took him to one side and informed him of the charges; Corder denied all knowledge of both Maria and the crime. A search of the house uncovered a pair of pistols supposedly bought on the day of the murder; some letters from a Mr. Gardener, which may have contained warnings about the discovery of the crime; and a passport from the French ambassador, evidence which suggested Corder may have been preparing to flee.JL

Jim Linwood ● 4337d5 Comments ● 4328d

"Erections" - Brent Way Polytunnels

Hello everyone,I am the General Manager of Cultivate London, and just wanted to respond to this thread to clarify any misunderstanding about what is going on on the former trading estate in question, on Brent Way.  First of all, for those of you who don't know us, we are a horticultural social enterprise and charity, with a primary aim of providing work experience and training for long-term unemployed youth from around Hounslow and Ealing.  We have three apprentices, and work with 10 volunteer trainees at a time (30 per year), all who come to us through the job centre and probation services.  We grow produce on three sites in Hounslow (Commerce Road, London Road in Isleworth, and most recently, Brent Way), and sell it to businesses and individuals across London.  All income is directed back into our training program.  You can fund out more about us on our website: www.cultivatelondon.org.Yes, the polytunnels on Brent Way do indeed belong to us, and I am sorry if their appearance has startled or offended anyone.  In retrospect, it would have been more considerate of us to consult residents before erecting them, however, as there do not appear to be any homes immediately overlooking the site, we did not think that it was particularly necessary to do so at the time.  Once again, apologies for this if we have upset anyone.As for the state of the site, we had originally planned to have the site up and running early in the spring, but due to a variety of factors we were not able to start building on the site until May, by which point our growing season was in full swing on our other two sites.  As a result, we were unable to attend to getting the Brent Way site properly up and running throughout the summer, despite our best efforts (hence the weeds and dead tomatoes). However, may I point out that while yes, the site did get a bit over grown, it was certainly no worse than it was before we took it over!Anyway, I hope that this clears the matter up to a degree.  If ever you would like to visit one of our sites to find out more about what we do, and to meet the youth with whom we work and who are the direct beneficiaries of activities that will be undertaken on the Brent Way site, and elsewhere, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me - adrienne@cultivatelondon.org.  Of course, if you have any more questions specific to the Brent Way site you may contact me as well.Thank you very much.Kind regardsAdrienne Attorp

Adrienne Attorp ● 4335d4 Comments ● 4329d

Aliens? They've already landed

This last week I have the most surreal experiences, so much so that I am beginning to think I have strayed into some other universe peopled by beings who are doing their very best to send me screaming over the edge.First there was the saga of trying to help a poor stray cat, and the obstacles that some vets who were supposed to be part of a scheme to help in cases like that put in the way. I was just sent round in circles and asked to do the most time wasting things, all to no avail. Only Cats Protection and the wonderful, and on her own account - bolshie - Janet were helpful, as were my own vets. Then came the second saga of the unwanted rear access gates with Hopeless Homes completely losing the plot, and their map, and seemingly confusing Crane and Worple Avenues in Isleworth with Crane Lodge Road in Cranford, like you do. Are they contactable - are they b***ery, Clearly lessons must be learned from E.T. As for the roundabout disaster, we will have to agree to disagree, but sorry traffic engineers you obviously operate on a different plane to the rest of us, with cloth ears.I feel as if I have been trying to walk through treacle whilst talking an unintelligible language that no-one can understand. It is exhausting and very frustrating, I thought it was me, but no! it isn't. A friend who is active in the local community is also having the self same cr*p, she too thinks she may be on the edge of insanity. I know the government thinks we are all living too long - so this could be some dastardly plot to finish us off, please someone tell me - why does the simplest thing have to be made so bloody difficult? There has been much in the media about Area 51 and research into aliens recently - I've got news for them - they're already here in Isleworth!

Vanessa Smith ● 4372d5 Comments ● 4365d

Council Wont Take Responcibility

In October 2012 my scooter got stuck between 2 Barriers when i tried to access the Public Footpath between Worton and Wheatley Rd. The Frame snapped, Cracked and got Scratched and my Battery time usage went from 2hrs+ to 30mins meaning i cant go out to far now. I contacted Hounslow Council and they sent me a claims form which i filled out and sent back with Photos Stabled 2 the forms (inc a Invoice to fix the damage £545). I got a email confirming they Recvd the Photos. In January i emailed the Gentleman dealing with the case several times but they were ignored so i made a Official complaint to the council which i recvd a Confirmation but NEVER got a reply. Then a couple Months ago Cllr Harmer contacted the council for me and they emailed 2 say that as they didn't Recv the forms and didn't hear back from me after emailing me in December they closed the Case (all total rubbish)I filled out the forms again and sent them back and this time they confirmed Recv them and i got a Email saying they passed it over 2 their Claims Department. Then i got a letter last Month from Travelers saying they wouldn't pay out, they said Prior 2 my incident the Footpath was inspected and no defects were Noted and that there is a Width restriction to prevent Motorbikes. I then contacted them to say if there was no defect why did they move the 2nd Barrier back 2 its original spot (as u can see where it used to sit into the ground) after i reported the Incident. I took measurements of the Barriers at Wheatley rd end and they were 134m apart (Scooter can get threw as like Prams) the Measurement between the barriers at Worton Rd are as follows:  On the Day of Incident 109m (not wide enough 4 Scooters, wheelchairs of Push chairs) after incident 162m (now wide Enough) I also took photos of the Spots where the Railing was in the ground on day of incident and the damaged Wall next to the Railings (which was like this on the day of Incident) I also mentioned there was no Signs stating the width restrictions and to prevent People with Prams, Wheelchairs or a Mobility scooter to use a Public footpath was discrimination. Now Travelers have emailed me (see below) and what they have said i feel is wrong. All Barriers ive come across are all wide enough for my scooter to get threw it was just this 1 which is obvious the council moved it and placed it to close to the other railing and as soon as it damaged the scooter they moved it back and NOW i can get threw. I am left with a scooter i can only go as far as Tesco and Back so i am back to not going out again. I cant afford 2 ave it fixed or buy a 2nd Hand replacement and the council don't care at all. If anyone has any advice or help they can give me it be appreciated.  This is the Email from Travelers:Insured: London Borough Of Hounslow Policy Number: UCPOP3916388 Claim Number: 829255 Claim Handler: Moira Taylor Date Of Loss: 08/10/2012 Dear Mr Anderson  Thank you for your email of 5th August 2013. We note your comments.  While we have no reason to believe that it is or has ever been the intention of the council for these restrictions to discriminate against any section of society, the matter of whether or not the width restrictions could be considered discriminatory is unfortunately not something we are able to comment upon as it falls outside the scope of the damage claim itself. You are pursuing a claim for damage to your mobility scooter which you attempted to drive through a footpath with a width restricted designed to prevent vehicles, such as motor cycles, from driving down it.  The barriers are similar to those in use in many places across the country and their design is not unusual.  Their purpose range from things like crowd measures (such as preventing people running out from a blind alley onto a main road) to things like preventing small vehicles and motor cycles from inappropriately using footpaths and alleyways making a convenient cut through and thereby creating damage to footpaths not designed to take their weight or, more importantly, to ensure the safety of pedestrians.  The use of barriers in this manner is not unusual and not something for which the Council could be considered to have been negligent. As the barriers are on a footpath there is unfortunately no duty to sign post the width of the barriers.  The requirements to sign post on the road relate to the fact that vehicles will be travelling at speed and the difficulty in judging the size of the gap in relation to the size of a vehicle when taking into account the full extent of the vehicle (including wing mirrors) and while a vehicle is in motion.  No such requirement exists on a public footpath as people will be moving at significantly slower speeds and will have a greater awareness of their own width in relation to the gap they are attempting to negotiation.  Similarly with a mobility scooter it would be expected that you would be moving at considerably less speed and, given the size of a mobility scooter is much smaller than motor vehicle, would allow the user much greater awareness of the width in relation to the gap.  Unfortunately the fact that there is no sign confirming the width of the gap cannot be considered an act of negligence or breach of duty on the part of the Council. While the width of the entry is restricted, the size of the gap is clearly apparent and it would be for the person entering the gap to assess whether or not there was sufficient space for them to pass the barrier successfully.  The barriers are there to be seen. You have commented that the barriers have been moved back which you state is proof of a defect.  Whether or not the barriers have now been moved unfortunately does not establish a defect.  The inspection would be to check if there had been any damage to the barriers or if they had become loose or were otherwise creating a foreseeable hazard.   Additionally the fact that the damage to the wall has not been noted on the inspection would not affect the validity of the inspection of either the barriers or the pathway nor does it create a hazard to the public.  Our understanding is also that the wall is we believe the boundary to private property and therefore would not be considered by the council on their inspection unless loose bricks had fallen onto the public highway; the condition of the wall would not be something the Council would respond to. Whether or not the gap between the two barriers prevented access by mobility scooters  and whether or not that could be considered discriminatory (though we have no reason to believe that there was ever any intention to discriminate) is unfortunately not something about which we are able to comment and any comments you feel need to be made in connection with the size of the gap going forward will need to be directed to the Council.  However with regard to the claim, regardless of whether or not this is an issue the Council need to address; the damage to your mobility scooter must be considered separately and unfortunately we cannot agree that the damage has been caused either by negligence of breach of duty on the part of the Council. We appreciate that our decision is disappointing, but we are only able to consider the damage claim on the basis of legal liability, for which we can find no evidence.  Our decision therefore remains unaltered.  We regret we are unable to offer you any financial assistance on this occasion. We must remind you that you are entitled to seek legal advice in respect of your claim and you may wish to discuss your claim with a solicitor, Citizens Advice Bureau or other legal representative. Yours sincerely  Moira TaylorClaims NegotiatorTel: +44 1737 787 242Fax: +441737 786 720Email: uksirteam@travelers.com

Simon Anderson ● 4378d0 Comments ● 4378d

Victory for common sense!

I think this is "up yours Ellar"!!From the Chronicle online:Councillor Elizabeth Hughes had the whip withdrawn by Hounslow Labour Group at the beginning of July for using 'uncomradely behaviour and racist' language.However, the decision was overturned on appeal by Labour's London regional group last night (Thursday, August 1), a party spokesman today confirmed.Mrs Hughes had sent an internal Labour email in 2010 complaining about the behaviour of an 'Asian boy's club'  which she said was dragging the party down.    Her email referred to fellow Labour councillor Mohinder Gill, who had voted against the destruction of an illegal extension in the face of clear photographic evidence.It later emerged the property in question was the home of Harleen Atwal, a former Labour candidate and daughter of a prominent party supporter.Mr Gill was eventually found by an appeals tribunal in May to have abused his powers and breached the members' code of conduct on three counts. However, the tribunal ruled there was insufficient evidence to show Mr Gill had known of Mrs Atwal's connection to the property when he made his decision.Deputy council leader Colin Ellar had seconded the motion to suspend Mrs Hughes, which was proposed by Balvir Sond.Mrs Hughes has represented Heston West ward for Labour since 2006. Her husband, David Hughes, is a Labour councillor for Hanworth.No internal party action has been taken against Mr Gill, though he was stripped of his planning powers by the tribunal panel and is not planning to stand in next May's local elections.

Vanessa Smith ● 4389d4 Comments ● 4388d

Prudential Ride London 4th August 2013

This event could have a knock on effect to Brentford residents The Post below has been copied from CCF post on Chiswick w4The following roads will be closed in our borough on Sunday 4 August:• The A4, westbound only from central London to the Hogarth roundabout, from 0500hrs until c1430 hrs (also closed eastbound from Earl’s Court)• The A316, both directions between Hogarth roundabout and Chiswick Bridge, from 0500hrs to c1500hrs.This will leave the following area landlocked to motor vehicles for much of the day:• Chiswick Mall / Church Street / Fullers Brewery• Pumping Station Road / Chiswick Pier• Edensor Road / Chiswick New Pool / Dukes Meadows playground• Staveley Gardens• Riverside Drive / Esporta Riverside Leisure Centre  / Rowing Clubs / Golf Club / Dukes Meadows recreation groundsAccess for pedestrians and cyclists will be via the A4 subways at Hogarth roundabout and Chiswick Lane and further east towards Hammersmith.Bus routes affected:The E3 buses are likely to terminate at or near Chiswick mainline station and route 190 is likely to be completely suspended or diverted via Kew Bridge.  Details expected shortly.Effect on Chiswick town center: Possible long eastbound queues on the A4 between the Chiswick and Hogarth roundabouts (due to queuing back from Earl’s Court and the closure of the A316 through to Chalker’s Corner) will mean lots of eastbound traffic diverting onto Chiswick High Road, Sutton Court Road, Dukes Avenue, and Chiswick Lane etc.  Plus lots of extra westbound traffic from central London on Chiswick High Road.  No rail maintenance works expected that weekend, but lots of delays on the road network.Take heed and prepare!

Paul Allen ● 4391d2 Comments ● 4390d

For all who care about Brentford

I had an email today which I've pasted below.It concerns the future of Brentford and has some rather alarming aspects. The idea of more tower blocks amidst the low rise victorian houses and a Croydon like series of development opportunities leaves me cold, but that's what some of the aspects of this proposal/consultation could well lead to.Anyone who cares about the town we live in should take the time and read this stuff and answer in the questions.Copied below is an email which WRAG sent to its contact list earlier this afternoon.  Some of you may have already received it. Also attached are copies of the consultation version of the Local Plan and the PDF version of the questionnaire.  I do hope this doesn’t overload you inboxes. I hope the email below and the attachments are of some help.  Please don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions. : As we explained last Saturday, the proposed “area of growth and regeneration” zone would enable developers to argue that they could build taller and more densely on key regeneration sites within the area than they would otherwise be allowed to.  A possible example could be the car park and car dealership on the former sidings site between Layton Road and the railway line.  Other sites could be the container storage between Orchard Road and the Station, and either side of Boston Manor Road between the railway and the A4. We really do hope that the low rise residential roads can be removed from the growth area and its boundaries reduced to just those employment sites which front directly onto the Great West Road. Please feel free to forward this email and attachments your contacts, as it’s vital that as large a number of residents as possible respond to the Council about the proposed Great West Road growth corridor and the proposals for the Reynard Mills site.  Just short submissions on these two issues would be an immense help. There will be a short briefing to councillors about the Local Plan consultation at next Thursday evening’s Isleworth and Brentford Area Forum at the Brentford Free Church near the Library.  The meeting is open to the public.  The following links might be useful: Agenda:  http://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=576&MId=7783&Ver=4 Local Plan Presentation:  http://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=81819

Michael Brandt ● 4410d17 Comments ● 4403d

Local Plan Consultation - New rail routes ?

Consultation onhttp://www.hounslow.gov.uk/local_plan_consultation_low_res.pdfhas been opened for six weeks according tohttp://www.hounslow.gov.uk/index/environment_and_planning/planning/planning_policy/localplan/planning_policy_options_localplan.htmI was interested in the medium term aspirations for rail improvements. The idea of a Hounslow to Brent Cross overground service and a tram/train link from the centre of Brentford to Southall were new to me. :Improving orbital and Overground rail connectionsPromotion of a new passenger service between Hounslow station and Brent Cross via Old Oak Common, calling at Isleworth, SyonLane and Brentford. This proposed scheme relates to a broader aspiration to improve orbital transport provision from Hounslow andis connected to the wider business case for High Speed 2 (HS2), though the connection could be implemented earlier. The schemewould connect the borough to the proposed transport interchange at Old Oak Common, which will include links to Crossrail.Promotion of a new passenger service between Brentford (Golden Mile) and Southall. This proposed scheme would provide directlinks between the employment corridor and Great Western Main Line and planned Crossrail station at Southall. Currently thereare few options to access the site from the north by sustainable means. It is also feasible that this could also be extended to feedBrentford Town Centre and the South West Trains line, possibly via an on street alignment (e.g. utilising tram/train tech).Improvements to Piccadilly line accessPromotion of Turnham Green station as a permanent stop on the Piccadilly line; this would improve public transport accessibility inChiswick as the present timetable only serves the station in the early morning and late evening. In addition, promotion of improvedpedestrian access to the employment corridor located on the Golden Mile, providing links to the Piccadilly line. Developmentproposals should contribute to potential pedestrian links in this area.

Tim Henderson ● 4430d4 Comments ● 4426d

New 'Brentford North' CPZ - Enfield Road

Are any other Enfield Rd residents concerned about the fact that the pavement-mounted boxes have been painted way further out into the street than residents have been usually parking, making the road even narrower? The line painting took place on Friday 14/06 and over this weekend, I have already noticed larger cars and vans driving really cautiously to avoid hitting parked cars - I dread to think what will happen with rubbish collections on Wednesday and I certainly do not want any damage to my car!  I can only think that the council thought this would be better for pedestrians and also didn't think to measure where cars were already parking before they had to leave the street for line painting. I also have issues with the positioning of the yellow lines for passing spaces and also the general poor surface of the re-surfaced road with all the loose stone chips damaging my hall floor and also sore feet when trodden on, as the chips are carried into the house stuck into shoes soles.This morning I have emailed Amarpal Soor who is the named Senior Traffic Engineer for the council and copied in Matt Harmer - as the only councillor's email address I had to hand.  His direct telephone line is given on the letter but of course there is never any answer nor option to leave a voicemail. If any other residents have concerns, I am sure multiple voices could help us sort this BEFORE the actual CPZ comes into force on 1st July.   amarpal.soor@hounslow.gov.uk

Natasha Manganaro ● 4436d0 Comments ● 4436d

London Underground and Overground disruption this weekend (8-9 June 2013)

The District line and Piccadilly line will be disrupted all weekend due to track replacement at Turnham Green and Acton Town. District line:No service between West Kensington, Ealing Broadway and Richmond all weekend. Piccadilly line No service between Hammersmith, Northfields and Rayners Lane all weekend.  (Piccadilly line services will operate between Heathrow and Northfields.)Replacement buses operate: Service A: Hammersmith – Ravenscourt Park – Stamford Brook – Turnham Green – Chiswick High Road (for Chiswick Park) – Gunnersbury – Acton Town - Ealing Common – Ealing Broadway (for the Central line) – NorthfieldsService B: Low floor buses with luggage capacity for customers travelling to/from Heathrow: Ealing Broadway (for the Central line) – Boston Manor (to reconnect with the Piccadilly line to Heathrow Airport)Service C: Hammersmith – Boston Manor Service D: Hammersmith – Ravenscourt Park – Stamford Brook – Turnham Green – Chiswick High Road (for Chiswick Park) – Gunnersbury (for London Overground services to Kew Gardens and Richmond on Saturday) and on Sunday serves Kew Gardens and Richmond Service E: Rayners Lane – South Harrow – Sudbury Hill – Sudbury Town – Alperton – Hanger Lane (for the Central line and Park Royal) – North Ealing – Ealing Common – Acton Town Passengers from the Chiswick or Brentford areas who wish to travel to Heathrow this weekend should take the E2 or E3 to Northfields station, the 195 or E8 to Boston Manor station, the H91 to Osterley of Hounslow West station or replacement bus service A from Turnham Green to Northfields. London Overground:On Sunday 9 June there is no service between Richmond and Willesden Junction owing to Network Rail bridge work at Chiswick Park and track work at Gunnersbury. Valid rail tickets will be accepted on rail replacement buses.Bus service: Richmond – Kew Gardens (bus stops in Kew Road) – Gunnersbury – South Acton –  Acton Central –  Willesden Junction.Further information:  www.tfl.gov.uk

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4446d6 Comments ● 4443d

All Change on Planet Lampton

I'm afraid I just don't buy this thing about Ruth leaving the Cabinet to concentrate on getting herself selected as the Labour PPC for Brentford & Isleworth.  Just how many person hours need to be put into composing a presentation to a selection panel?At least part of the reason for her change of roles will have been to provide the Labour Group with a credible, heavyweight alternative to Theo Dennison as Chair of Planning. Alone amongst Hounslow Labour councillors in recent times, indeed over recent decades, Theo gives an unmistakable impression of one who acknowledges and accepts the primacy of community.  Or the notion, if one prefers, that the role of the party is to serve the wider community according to its desires, and not the other way around.  On this he has been quite uncompromising, as a consequence of which he has established for himself an excellent reputation amongst his constituents and the local public in general, and has earned a level of respect on the streets and the doorsteps that is unusual for a party politician of any hue.For this he has been ostracised and vilified by his so-called comrades, purged first of all from the Cabinet and now from all posts of any consequence within the local authority.  Thereby the administration at Hounslow has sent a clear message of intent to those of us who value community engagement, and all in all it is a distinctly unfriendly one.Ruth will now be in a position to adopt her own Statement of Community Involvement, drawn up in her former capacity as Lead Member, in such a way as to ensure that the borough's political leadership, as opposed to the community itself, retains ownership of it.As for Steve Curran, well that's one helluva portfolio for a guy who just a few years ago didn't want to be a councillor.  He is obviously a very powerful man within the hallowed ranks of Lampton's Chosen Few.  Like Theo Dennison, he is an elected member for Syon ward.  The selection process for that ward which gets underway shortly is likely to be very interesting indeed.

Phil Andrews ● 4468d36 Comments ● 4445d

Just the Facts Cllr J Sharma

Cllr. J. Sharma,  Hounslow's  Leader, has the temerity  to challenge my comments  and by implication HM Govt figures regarding the UK Council Tax collection data. These figures showed Hounslow as having the fourth highest council tax debt per household in the UK - £325 per household. It is unbelievable that Cllr Sharma should claim Hounslow is 'One of the  Best performing  Councils in London'.He says “As a former teacher, I’m used to marking homework, and in this case I think I need to give Cllr Todd a D for his maths. The last few years have seen us collecting more historical debt than ever before - £4.5 million last year, compared to £2.5 million in 2008/09 when his party were in control of the council.“We have always said we are committed to recovering as much debt as we can, and we don’t write off historical debts like other authorities'.  Councils have the powers to go back 20 years and this is what the Labour Group are doing.“Given this was fully explained to him by officers last week, it’s a shame he’s not willing to recognise the good work being done.”Well thats a severe put down if ever I saw one. I had better justify my case.1. The UK council tax collection average is 97.3%; LBH is 97.4%.2. As at the 30th April the Council tax debt in the LBH books was  £31,497.000. This huge figure places LBH in the top four Councils with the biggest council tax debt.3. Cllr Sharma says we  'are collecting  historical debt'  and we 'don't write off historical debt'Well let's see what a senior officer said'We do indeed perform well and I suspect this leads to the obvious question of how can we perform so well yet regularly appear on the bad debt league tables.  The answer is that we are not so good at writing debt off.   We have a very long list of very old debt that the team have been asked to actively manage.  Within the list are some recoverable sums and the £4.5m recovery shows that they  have been successful in bringing the old debt down during 2012-13 and this is work that continues in 2013-14.  However, over the years there is a considerable proportion of unrecoverable debt (e.g. bankruptcies, gone away, deceased etc) that has just sat on the balance sheet.  Work is underway to consider future treatment of this'.This  explanation  does not corroborate Cllr Sharma's comments nor his harsh and clearly unjustified homework mark.LBH is not the leading performer in London  and the existence of apparently worthless debt in its accounts may,  amongst other  things  indicate that the recoverable /viable debt shown in the LBH accounts is incorrectly included.I have  some time ago raised the viability and accuracy of this  debt at Audit Committee.  I will query it again.Before issuing puffy Press Releases Cllr Sharma should as Lead Member for Finance take the occasional look at the books.We would be happy to assist him if it would help.  If he hadn't scrubbed the Scrutiny Finance and Performance sub committee  we would have probed further.  So has he got something to hide?As he is coming to the end of his so called leadership, I'll let others judge his performance.  I think a period of detention is required

John Todd ● 4456d0 Comments ● 4456d

Is this the latest development in the drive for a borough-wide CPZ?

Not a Brentford issue, but those who have followed the saga of the Grove Park CPZ may find this little story interesting.Here in Isleworth we have for many years had our own CPZ in place which operates only on rugby match days.  Because it was designed with a specific purpose in mind – preventing visiting rugby supporters from occupying valuable resident parking space whilst games are in progress – it works rather well, and the CPZ is popular with local residents.However, the funding for the scheme was provided solely by the Rugby Football Union at no cost to the local authority and hence no cost to residents.  Residents had to apply for a parking permit, but there was no charge.That was always the deal, and they were the terms upon which the CPZ was agreed, cross-party, by the then Isleworth & Brentford Area Committee.Last week it was brought to my attention by a local resident (I have a copy of the letter) that the London Borough of Hounslow is now asking for money for a renewal of the parking permit – a scale of charges starting at £60 for one car.  No prior warning, no consultation.  Presumably the reason why no prior discussion with residents was considered necessary was that this was an existing CPZ rather than a new scheme per se.  But the terms of the agreement have been fundamentally altered.This is in Isleworth ward, as well as in neighbouring Hounslow South.  I was wondering whether our lords and masters at Lampton Road, or any of their cheerleaders on this forum, would care to comment?

Phil Andrews ● 4465d49 Comments ● 4459d

London Underground and Overground disruption this weekend (18-19 May 2013)

The District line and Piccadilly line will be disrupted all weekend due to track replacement at Stamford Brook and Ealing Common, and drainage improvement works at Hammersmith. District line Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May:No service between West Kensington, Ealing Broadway and Richmond. Replacement buses operate:Service A: Earl's Court - Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - Acton Town - Ealing Common - Ealing Broadway - Northfields.Service D: Earl's Court - West Kensington - Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - late night and early morning also serves Kew Gardens and Richmond Piccadilly line Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May:No service between Barons Court, Northfields and Uxbridge. Replacement buses operate: Service A: Earl's Court - Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - Acton Town - Ealing Common - Ealing Broadway - NorthfieldsService B: Ealing Broadway - Boston ManorService C: Earl's Court - Boston ManorService D: Earl's Court - West Kensington - Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - late night and early morning also serves Kew Gardens and RichmondService E: Rayners Lane - South Harrow - Sudbury Hill - Sudbury Town - Alperton - Hanger Lane - North Ealing - Ealing Common - Acton Town Passengers from the Chiswick or Brentford areas who wish to travel to Heathrow this weekend should take the E2 or E3 to Northfields station, the 195 or E8 to Boston Manor station, the H91 to Osterley of Hounslow West station or replacement bus service A from Chiswick Park/Turnham Green to Northfields.London Overground Sunday 19 May: On Sunday 19 May there is no service between Richmond and Willesden Junction. Valid rail tickets will be accepted on rail replacement buses.Bus service: Richmond - Kew Gardens (bus stops in Kew Road) - Gunnersbury - South Acton - Acton Central - Willesden Junction.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4466d4 Comments ● 4464d

Love walking or cycling? I'm looking for volunteer champions in Hounslow

We are looking for volunteer champions in the London Borough of Hounslow who can help people be more active through walking or cycling more for their everyday journeys. As a champion you can select which volunteering activities you organise or take part in. These activities include: holding an information standorganising group rides or walkscreate an information displayarranging travel advice clinicsgiving talks Setting up bike user groups or walking groupspromoting the Hounslow Travel Active schemeor, if you have your own ideas for activities the champions support team can work with you to develop them.Time commitment: This is a fully flexible scheme designed to fit around your existing commitments, however most champions do something every month or so. We recognise the valuable time that goes into volunteering with us with gold, silver and bronze certificates. There are also incentives available such as gift vouchers and prize draws provided by Hounslow Council. Why be a champion? Improve lives and environments through increasing cycling and walkingDo something you loveDevelop your leadership, communication and influencing skills through specialised trainingChampions are people who are active or want to be more active. They are good communicators, good motivators and can be a source of support and encouragement for others. If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you.Contact me Laura on atchampions@sustrans.org.uk or 0n 0207 017 2356

Laura Slater ● 4469d2 Comments ● 4468d

EU Referendum

David Cameron is for ever going on about re-negotiating with the EU to look after our own borders and make our own laws once again without EU directives.However he cannot start without first invoking Article 50 of Lisbon Treaty which is the only mechanism that exists within the EU Law to get Powers back to our country,he has not done this yet! so how on earth can he persist in telling us that he is on the case as it were! does he really think that we the populace are ignorant and have no understanding.At the moment we are completely controlled by the EU as to whom we can Trade with, we as a country need to be able to trade with our Commonwealth, Asia, China, North & South America, we should not be held to ransom by the EU does Nick Clegg,Ed Miliband and David Cameron seriously believe that if we were given an in/out referendum and we chose to leave the Euro Zone that Europe would no longer trade with us, for heaven’s sake we import approx 60% of their trade, that they even conceive this might happen beggars belief.We now know that if Ed Miliband were to win the 2015 election he would not take us out of Europe let alone give us a referendum because he deems that it would be wrong for us,Politicians have to remember that they were voted in to do the best for our country, not take John Prescott's attitude "They voted us in and they will do as they are told" People age 40 did not have the opportunity to vote and it has been nearly 50 years since we voted to enter the COMMON MARKET to trade not to be dictated to by the EU who gave them that right did you because I certainly did not and I want a say in both mine and my countries destiny.

Dawn Hardy ● 4470d33 Comments ● 4469d

Disgraceful behaviour on 237 bus this morning

I was absolutely disgusted this morning to witness abuse from a man with 2 small children directed at my 71 year old mother and then have this abuse turned onto myself for sticking up for her.I was waiting for the 237 bus as I was making my way into work. Whilst I was waiting a man in his 30s with 2 small children arrived amongst several other people as the bus took a good 10 minutes to arrive. My mother than joined me at the bus stop as she was going to do her weekly shopping. The bus then arrived and stopped in front of my mother who got on the bus first (bear in mind she is a pensioner and the bus was already pretty crowded therefore she would struggle to get a seat).The man who was waiting next to me then said "There's a queue you f****** *****" and I turned to him and said "That is my mother you're speaking to". He then went into a tirade of verbal abuse as we got onto the bus (which was now crowded full of people) to which I refused to resort to his level, only pointing out that this is how he shows respect to his elders. He even offered for me to get off the bus and fight him! This was highly embarrassing and insulting, not only showing a poor example to his children but also a lack of respect for women, elders and his fellow passengers. What has happened to these values in our community?It is so disappointing to find that there are grown men like this who have no shame in behaving in such a disgraceful manner and I only hope that other people on this board have not had to witness similar experiences to this!

Norman Hayes ● 4484d24 Comments ● 4478d

Gunnersbury Park - What if.....

Thought I would peel away from the debate around the park being under threat of development by a commercial enterprise and see if we can get something going on the subject of - "INSTEAD"Picking up on the anger felt by some at the thought of a Labour Council waving through a scheme that flies in the face of the state education system and ignores social "ownership" of an asset. Noting the affront felt by those inextricably linked to the covenant under threat and how for them there is no getting around the fact that it exists and in perpetuity.Also sensing that there are observers out there who whilst they may not sympathise they do acknowledge the woeful state of local authority finances. That, politics aside, the administrators/managers of the park have boxed themselves into a corner having let the park and its buildings become so run down over the years for one reason or another.The facts are that the populations of Hounslow and Ealing come to around 590,000 and in Ealing there are around 50 dependants for every 100 working age people compared to a London average of 45-odd. You can make some assumptions on the council tax per household and what that means in terms in the per capita/domicile levy that a capital intensive project such as a restoration and refurbishment of the Parks buildings might entail. And whatever your own answer comes out to you can imagine what a complicated political "sell" that might be even if it were just one council managing the parks affairs. So, would it or would it not be fair or safe to assume that the two councils will struggle massively to come up with a golden egg/solution for Gunnersbury Park. Could they hope to find a solution that realistically enables them to retain the park's status quo and by that I mean keeping it as - 100+acres of green with a collection of fine buildings for the enjoyment of many but in practice the pleasure of but a few?Now to the What if...?What if there were no council involvement? Instead a Trustee body were created to manage the "estate" with the help of a grant from the councils which would be in the order of £300,000 to £450,000 (I think those were the last figures I saw in a budget for the Park). If the buildings were in good nick and the landscaping sorted that would be enough to have the railings painted, the bins emptied, the grass cut, the lines painted etc etc. But the buildings are all in a sorry state so what is to be done? Where are the many, many millions to be found to fix them? Lottery? Sports Council grant? Brentford FC? London Assembly? Any number of those options put forward by those costly consultants - they are all chip-ins, contributions. There is a huge shortfall and that, they have proposed, is made up by triggering a perfecting legal planning solution (covenant notwithstanding). Its called Enabling Development and it translates into flats and houses in the South West corner. Well, thats just for this decade but in 30 years time when the buildings need a further injection of capital the land bank (park) probably puts up another 10 acres in the South East. Its relatively easy to see that the 200 years  - that people keep mentioning - of being deprived of the small mansion to look at is the equivalent of getting rid of 40 or so acres of park to pay for the upkeep. Does that make any sense?Devils advocate. What if there were no buildings? What if we petitioned English Heritage and said - we can't bring ourselves to sell to a developer (Alpha); our councils can't afford to restore them; we don't want to build on the park to pay for it either so if they can't be used let's just flatten them. No point just looking at a building - even less point looking at a building clad in scaffolding with big signs saying "KEEP OUT" plastered all over it. The General Public can't really enjoy the buildings - Large Mansion museum is nice enough, could be improved but its just a ground floor. Not allowed upstairs. Orangery,closed and empty, Temple open for school visits; Victorian kitchen ditto; stables "danger keep out"; bathhouse closed; Small Mansion closed. Take these away and you have some sports facilities to keep maintained, a playground to smarten up, a pond to keep clean etc. I guess that that is what happens when a private enterprise takes a look at a building in the park the councils say to themselves - Oh good, getting rid of something that nobody uses. I'll just leave it here for now and see if anyone else wants to come in with some thoughts? I've tried to provoke debate and not be prescriptive as I think that its too easy to take pot shots at the Councils and just a bit more useful to try and work out what we could realistically do and do better than the elected people.

Alistair Milward ● 4491d13 Comments ● 4480d

Attack on social housing tenants

Today's "i":Social housing tenants will be expected to keep fit, give up smoking and actively look for work under a controversial new scheme devised by a major housing association. Yarlington Housing Group, which manages 9,000 homes in Somerset, has come under fire for its so-called Household Ambition Plan (HAP), which new residents will be expected to sign when they agree fixed-term, seven-year tenancies. Among the ambitions they could be expected to work towards are "skills and qualifications so that you stand a better chance of finding the job you want". "Skills for life" include "cookery, gardening or DIY" and "health and wellbeing" includes "thinking about what you eat". Prospective tenants have been told: "We will look at the progress you have made with your HAP when we consider the renewal of your tenancy at the end of the seven year fixed period".Am I on my own in thinking this is just about the most insulting, patronising  and quite possibly illegal load of rubbish. When did being a tenant in social housing entitle any landlord to rule an individual's life? How bloody dare they? There just has to be a contravention of Human Rights here, who do these people think they are? In the same paper is a letter from someone commenting on a piece by Amol Rajan about "the "Etonisation of the Tories": the whole political class is being discreetly stuffed with officer-class people, resulting in the shrinking of our remaining pretensions to democracy. We are just going backwards, fast. Maybe the subjugation of the common stock of the UK will be achieved by the same Eton upon whose playing fields the First World War was won, because most surely, war has been declared by them, against us." Judging by events in Somerset that correspondent isn't far wrong...........

Vanessa Smith ● 4486d8 Comments ● 4480d

Kew Village Market - Sunday 5th May

Presents perfect!It’s the May Day weekend so there’s bound to be a special holiday air about Kew Village Market this Sunday 5th May! Of course all your favourite food stalls will be there so you can enjoy a taste of the seaside from the Portland Scallop Company, fantastic flavours of the Mediterranean from Thee Olive Tree, or gorgeous goat’s milk cheeses from Nut Knowle Farm.While our food stalls remain regular our craft content changes with each market – and this month we’re particularly pleased with the quality and range of hand-made originals on offer. If you’re looking for a gift for someone special or simply to treat yourself, don’t miss Kew Market this Sunday!If your taste in jewellery is for natural materials with a contemporary edge, Victorious Bee is for you. They’re launching their new Spring/Summer collection at Kew Market, featuring semi-precious stones in bright, tropical colours with notes of silver or gold vermeil. Or you might be tempted byHoneypot Beads – unique beaded and glass jewellery ranging from pendants to earrings to mobile phone charms.If you’ve a wedding in the offing you’ll be stopping at Camilla Spaven Millinery  – her vintage-inspired hand-made hats with a modern twist are wonderfully wearable works of art. As well as summer hats and headpieces for the guests Milly offers a bridal range and a bespoke service.Perhaps you’re looking for a wedding present? Charlie Bale Textiles has lovely fabric gifts for the home – embroidered cushions, garlands, decorations and much more. At Board n Bread Alan Voysey uses recycled wood to make solid oak cutting boards, cheese board and serving platters, and is happy to personalise presents.  And Jo Beckett’s ceramics would always be welcome: simple shapes in subtle colours with interesting textures, they’re not just beautiful but really useful – all her pieces are both dishwasher and microwave safe (and how often can you say that about hand-made pottery?).Sarah-Jane Hemsley’s service is just as beautiful and useful: at SJ Upholstery she breathes new life into tired furniture, restoring and re-upholstering antique, mid-century and modern chairs, picking the perfect fabric – from designer to original vintage finds – to complement the piece.Finally Botanic Health Care can reach the parts other stalls cannot reach, providing natural products to look after your body inside and out. Their three skincare ranges include therapeutic products to alleviate skin problems.Find a list of all Sunday’s stallholders on www.kewvillagemarket.org and be sure to join us in time for live music from King Ralph at 11:30 and 12:30.

Hilde Bysheim ● 4480d0 Comments ● 4480d

Twickenham Road junctions - CCF please give TfL a kick up the rear !

I know CCF will pick this up at some point - any chance of a further word with TfL regarding the traffic light sequencing at both Busch Corner junction and also the Mogden Lane/Twickenham Road junction.At Mogden Lane/Twickenham Road, the sequence for drivers heading northbound towards Isleworth from the A316 simply isn't long enough.  There's a absurdly (given the relatively light amount of vehicles doing so) long period for drivers heading southwards to turn right using the filter, but northbound the sequence is absurdly short and increasingly traffic is queuing back towards the A316.  This particularly hasn't been helped by the recent opening of TK Maxx on the retail park.  Very easily resolved, simply shorten the time allocated to the right filter heading south and restore that time to the northbound traffic.As for Busch Corner, the right filter from Twickenham Road onto London Road towards Brentford remains absurd.  3 times out of 4 sequences that right filter will last long enough to let 4 or 5 cars through.  At rush hour with the bus lane along Twickenham Road in operation it is creating havoc.  Drivers going straight on at the junction either end up complying the rules and then having to queue for ages in the right lane before rejoining the left lane when the bus lane ends.  Any poor 267 driver regularly ends up blocking both lanes of traffic.  Many drivers (myself included) have resorted to rat-running through Teasdale Gardens or Teasdale Avenue and then turning right onto London Road because it's much quicker.  That junction approach from the south has been a farce ever since TfL changed the phasing last summer.Thanks,Adam

Adam Beamish ● 4532d14 Comments ● 4489d

Re Mentoring/Befrienders for former Remploy staff

May I take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am a Regional Attraction Specialist for Equal Approach.Currently Equal Approach are working on a project with the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation and Remploy called Mentoring for Success. The sole purpose of this programme is to find Mentors/Befrienders for ex-Remploy staff who have recently been made redundant. Remploy’s mission is to transform the lives of disabled people and those who experience complex barriers to work by providing sustainable employment opportunities, either within their own factories or by helping individuals into work with outside organisations. It was established in 1945 under the terms of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, and opened its first factory in Bridgend, Wales, in 1946.Following a review, a number of factories across the country have been closed and the staff made redundant, including the factory in North Acton. Due to the barriers to work faced by Remploy employees not only did they reside locally in the London Borough of Ealing but many of them commuted from other boroughs including Brent, Harrow, Hounslow, Westminster and Wandsworth.Across the country Mentoring for Success is currently of the biggest volunteer programmes in operation and it offers individuals the opportunity to do something practical for the former Remploy staff members whilst receiving training and learning a new skill.This voluntary role is for 1-2 hours a week over a period of 6-18 months. Each mentee will have different things they want to get out of the relationship and this may include the mentor providing support and guidance in finding another job or just being somebody independent to talk to. Full training will of course be provided and ongoing support from a Regional Co-ordinator through the length of the relationship. Expenses will also be contributed to.Please visit http://www.equalapproach.com/mentoring.php for further information.

Gary Draycott ● 4496d0 Comments ● 4496d

Kew Village Market - Sunday 7th April

‘The hidden gem’That’s how the Mayor of Richmond, Rita Palmer, a great supporter, described Kew Village Market last month. She went on to say: ‘Of course it’s becoming known much wider afield because of its wonderful atmosphere and quality foods and crafts. I feel proud to be part of its success!’ she added. It’s a feeling echoed by all the organisers, especially when looking back. The market is so right for Kew it seems as though it’s always been there – but in fact it only came into being a year and a half ago. Many of the stallholders who made the leap of faith to take part in the very first Kew Village Market have become its seasoned regulars and will be with us as usual this Sunday, 7th April. If, like the Mayor, you’ll be shopping for your Sunday lunch, you can take your pick of seasonal lamb and rose veal from C&S Stileman or British Lop pork from Noggin Farm (now also selling eggs). Select your week’s vegetables from Beech Hill Farm, with perhaps some Howgate Wonders for an apple crumble, and be spoilt for choice at Norbiton Cheese. Treat yourself to a flavour of A Cena with something savoury from The Food on the Hill, partner of the acclaimed Richmond restaurant, or to Indian delicacies from Kew favourite The Curry Garden. Sample the best of British beer from Real Ale Ltd and pick up a speciality loaf or two from Ruben’s Bakehouse (whose stall at Kew Market has been such a success he’s opened a shop in Twickenham). If your craving is cake-shaped, Sugar Maddy is a must, or you can stop at The Original Maids of Honour for a whole range of beautiful bakes. Discover the wonders of linseed at Flax Farm and tuck into very moreish spicy nibbles at Nutty Lady Ltd. And if you’re in the market for a gift, don’t miss Holly Francesca’s original artwork and home accessories or Becky Harris’s unique yet  affordable jewellery. Since all the above first set up their stalls in Station Parade, the market has nearly doubled in size – you can find a full list of this month’s stalls on www.kewvillagemarket.org. We’re grateful to all our stallholders (and indeed our customers) who make the market what it is – but special thanks this month to our pioneers! Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday, 7th April, 10am to 2pm!

Hilde Bysheim ● 4507d0 Comments ● 4507d

April fools

Great post on the Chiswick's W4 siteBrentford and QPR could share new 60,000 capacity groundLatest ChiswickW4.com NewsClub Merger Could Triple Size of Lionel Road StadiumA Clean Sweep for the Dark BluesChiswick Postmistress Sent to the TowerIt's the Tabard What Dun It - Again!Chiswick's Cafe Culture Attracts Foreign Buyers ParticipateSign up for our free weekly newsletter Comment on this story on the forumThe football world is set to be rocked today with an announcement about a merger between two of West London's clubs. Brentford F.C. and Queens Park Rangers are believed to be in advanced stages of discussions about a deal which will see the two clubs come under the ownership of the same company to make their new home in a 60,000 seat stadium at the Lionel Road site. Computer graphic of new stadiumBrentford FC are believed to be taken aback by the negative reaction to the enabling development which was to provide them with the funds to build a new ground at Lionel Road. The massive commercial and residential development would see ten new tower blocks of up to 14 storeys high built on the border of Chiswick and Brentford.Under the arrangement with QPR and a consortium of oil-rich backers the plans are now to be drastically overhauled with the stadium tripling in size to accommodate top flight football but the surrounding development to be much smaller in scale.One reason for Brentford to consider the offer from QPR is that extra funding will be available for the ground allowing a larger stadium to be built and reducing the size of the surrounding development making planning permission more likely. The source of the extra capital has not been revealed but speculation is rife that Qatari investor Yuran Ap Rilful is backing the scheme.Current development would dominate the sky line in West ChiswickNew FA regulations are to be introduced to allow a club in the lower leagues to be under the same ownership as a premier league club and that team to operate as a feeder club for the team in the higher division. This system operates in Spain and the football authorities believe it will add to the financial stability of teams in the lower league and ensure that the top young talent with the top clubs get regular competitive football.QPR have been unsuccessful in their attempt to secure a site for their own ground and have concluded that Lionel Road would provide the only option. Sources close to the deal say that the Loftus Road based club were so desperate to agree to the deal that they agreed to many of Brentford's demands including changing their name to Griffin Rangers. In a huge gamble for the club they have also accepted that may have to drop down two divisions at the end of this season. The league rules stipulate that two teams under the same ownership cannot play in the same division so if Brentford were promoted from League One and QPR were relegated from the Premier League it would be Brentford that would play in the higher division under the terms of the deal. QPR's higher paid players like Ji Sung Park, Abdel Taarabt and Christopher Samba would move to Brentford while players like Shaun Derry and Clint Hill would probably stay along with Harry Redknapp with a team which would effectively be the Bees' B's.The literally incredible idea would be to create a new West London super club funded by oil money capable of challenging for top European honours. Spokeswomen for the consortium backing the deal, Avril Amadan said, “We want Brentford to be playing Barcelona rather than Barnet. We see them in the Champions League within three years.”They believe that a fan base big enough to attract a crowd big enough to fill the stadium will be easy to establish. Ms. Amadan said, “Recent events has shown that the position of a Russian oligarch isn't always stable and if Roman Abramovitch was to fall out of favour and no longer able to financially back Chelsea and they stopped being good, lots of their fans would be looking for a new team to support.”It is understood that QPR had previously talked with Fulham FC about a similar arrangement and possible merger. Negotiations progressed as far as a short list of names for the new team which included the Craven Queens and the Bush Cottagers but Mohammed Al Fayed refused to budge on joint ownership of the Michael Jackson statue.The consortium have dismissed concerns about transport infrastructure pointing out that there is a regular train to Kew Bridge and the 237, 267 and 391 buses go past the site. Under a green travel plan that will support their planning application they will have a scheme in which visiting supporters will be encouraged to ‘park and ride' by leaving their cars or coaches in the Grove Park area of Chiswick where there is currently no residents' parking zone.April 1, 2013

Kevin Farnan ● 4512d0 Comments ● 4512d

Brentford becoming Croydon?

I do hate the phrase ‘Landmark development’ used so frequently by the developers battling to build ever more high-rise buildings in Brentford.  ‘Landmark development’ is quite literally ‘buildings big enough to be used as landmarks’.  Those 1960’s concrete council tower blocks are landmarks, but not exactly one the council can be proud about.  And interestingly, on discovering quite how ugly they were after they had been built, the council rightly said these towers could not be used as a precedent for further tall buildings.  However every single developer points to them as setting the precedent for Brentford going high rise.Landmark developments stick out like a sore thumbs amidst the low rise Victorian and Edwardian property that is the real Brentford.  According to the article on the Lionel Road development, ‘If all the schemes with consent in Brentford were fully built and occupied, the population of Brentford would increase by over 40%’.  That’s just the schemes that already have consent!!  How many sore thumbs do we actually want?If you take a look at the artists image of the Lionel Road development you’ll see some of the games developers play to get these landmark developments past council planners: The artists image is taken at a considerable distance from the buildings to downplay their sheer bulk, the Victorian water tower is included in the foreground to dominate the image and draw your eye from the proposal, the Jet petrol station is prominent to subconsciously increase the rundown feel of an area needing new life, there are absolutely no Victorian or Edwardian houses of Brentford proper to be seen, and there are only 2 cars on the road – even though 950 more flats will increase the car population of Brentford by oh about 950 cars!This high rise Croydonisation of Brentford is getting out of control and transforming a low rise borough into a Landmark of vulgarity and monstrosity.

Lorne Gifford ● 4516d6 Comments ● 4513d

Brentford FC. Football club or property developer?

It's a huge conundrum.The club I have been a supporter of since 1963. All the years of faded glory, dashed aspirations, and almost success.  But all the same, the club I follow and watch above all others.Anyone who follows Brentford knows Griffin Park is far from perfect, but the ground is known far more widely than ought to be by the proximity of the four pubs on each corner. Unique in world football.The ground is a firmly rooted site for fans and one of the season highlights for visiting fans.It's not Stamford Bridge, but it is arguably better than Craven Cottage.But now it's a dilemma. Is the club now a football club or a property developer?As a resident, like most around here, we tolerate the hustle and bustle of matchdays, the cars, the noise and the crowds. and in years gone by, the agro.But it is what keeps this long neglected town alive and vibrant and keeps alive it's industrial and social past. It's been here as long as most of the streets around it, and if you don't like it, well go live somewhere else, it wasn't imposed out of the blue like some of the other stuff appearing around hereIf Brentford FC have to move then I, as with most, am (or was) delighted that the new site is just a mile away and still in Brentford.  Like the Watermans, move it out of it's spiritual home and it risks terminal decline.But all around this town are ill-designed and overblown luxury developments. Housing for the investors and the wealthy. Nothing of quality nor affordable. It is sprouting up and looming, almost surrounding the old town and bringing no benefits, just a long list of problems and burdens to the inhabitants and community of Brentford.The proposed development by the football club just adds to that and if granted will just give a green light to all the other developers who are queuing up to turn the riverside town into a hi-rise metropolis.It is flawed, badly flawed, and I suspect nothing more than a quick revision of the former site owners proposals which probably would not have got approved. For a medium to large stadium to have almost no parking is a recipe for failure. If fans were going to come to Brentford en masse by train they already would. South Ealing is a 5 to 10 min bus ride and a 15 min walk. Brentford just 5 mins away, 7 bus routes ranging from 30 seconds to 5 mins away as well.But most Championship and league One sides are not connected by these lines. Brentford and Gunnersbury are on Branch lines and not connected to the mainlines to the north, east and west of the country. Fans will still only come by car and coach.The complete lack of open space, health, education and all the other facilities to facilitate a harmonious and decent quality of life for inhabitants is totally devoid, not just in this scheme but in all the others. In fact, the whole place is already beyond breaking point and cannot deliver quality anything.Yet our elected councillors it seems, regardless of party colours cannot or will not make any sort of stand to accommodate this. In fact they are almost doing the opposite and letting things roll. How they can keep approving luxury developments and yet approve piddly little token projects under affordable of shared partnerships seems completely inconsistent or incompetent.These proposed developments are way too high,way too dense and too convoluted to be justify a benefit to simply the football club's well being. At the expense of the people of Brentford?  The very same people who have been the backbone of the club to this very day?It is perplexing, I want the club to be successful, but primarily on the pitch. but not successful to the detriment of Brentford the town.

Anthony Waller ● 4516d5 Comments ● 4515d

Be very careful

Wednesday (27 March) at approximately 11:20 hrs Scruffy White heavy built male ( height approx 5' 8) aged 30/40 ish rang my doorbell and when I opened the front door he asked to leave a card through my letterbox?!  I said ok and closed the door.  About 5 mins later I left the house and I passed 3 white males standing on the corner of Whitestile/Enfield Road.  I then crossed the road and went to the shop and then went to talk to a neighbour to tell him about these guys. The 3 men started walking down Enfield Road and into Avenue Road. I  later learned that whilst I was at the shop that the same man returned to ring my door bell.  My partner answered (thinking that I had forgotten something) and there was the same man who mumbled something along the lines "forgot to leave you our leaflet"!  I think he had seen me leave the house and was just checking to see if anyone else was in!  The 2nd man was slightly smaller than the 1st and a bit tubby too, similar age.  The 3rd one was approximately 5'11, slim, ruddy complexion, with either scratches or sores on his left cheek, age 45/50 ish. Their 'calling card' looked impressive - well laid out with good copy and photo work, even an office number to lend an air of authenticity. I checked the office and I think it is a automated tele marketing number, so they will never answer it. You will just get a recorded message and you cannot leave a message so therefore you have to use their mobile number after all!  No contact address for the office of course.Maybe these guys were just checking who's away for the Easter Holidays - so please be careful.

Mari Austin ● 4517d2 Comments ● 4516d

Brentford Police Station Closing, Chiswick scaled back

The Met is proposing that Hounslow Police station will be the borough's only 24/7 station, with Chiswick scaled back to 9-5 weekdays and Brentford closed completely. All as part of the Mayor of London’s  20% budget cuts. What do readers think?The Met are saying the public can meet the police in cafes, supermarkets and Council offices. However there is no detail about this, and when questioned about the scale and permanence of alternatives at the consultation meeting in Hounslow on 9th February, Stephen Greenhalgh could give no details.  Queues are already long at police counters, but perhaps more importantly, they provide safe space for the public - with an outer waiting area, going through to a separate space at the counter, protecting people from the waiting area.  This is particularly valuable for those in fear of attack when reporting crime to the police.  I cannot see how this can easily be replicated in shops and supermarkets.  Most shops are very tight for space, and supermarkets need flexibility in their space and may be reluctant to cover the cost.  The Council doesn't have suitable premises in the Brentford area but will of course be willing to discuss with the Council - no approach has been received yet.I have little faith that the current consultation is actually about "bringing the police to the people", and has everything to do with scaling back the "front of house" to the bare minimum service - with resulting increase in un-reported crime.

Ruth Cadbury ● 4554d15 Comments ● 4516d

Public Inquiry at Lampton Road - what are Hounslow’s Legal & Planning departments up to?

Publicity has been given recently to the struggle through to the higher courts of the land, for one small boater to retain the rights to continue a long-held [150 years +] tradition of mooring to the banks of the ancient river Brent. It is now possible to reveal the role that Hounslow Council has taken, in seeking to circumvent the Appeal Court rulings against the Canal & River Trust [CART].During preparations for my appeal to the Royal Courts of Justice [against the eviction notices that the predecessors of the Canal & River Trust had served on my boats], I had applied to Hounslow Council for a “Lawful Use Certificate” for the mooring of my boats. This is a certificate that Local Planning Authorities [LPA’s] are obliged to issue upon application, if the “use” applied for does not require planning permission, or alternatively has been carried on for at least 10 years.The purpose of the application had its roots in the 2012 judgment by Mr Justice Hildyard of the High Court [recently discredited and set aside], to the effect that I had to produce evidence of some positive right to moor, if I wished to escape the waterways authority’s accusation that the boats were moored “without lawful authority”.Mindful that such a certificate alone would have sufficed to pre-empt any action on their s.8 Notices, the Canal & River Trust acted to persuade Hounslow Council against issuing the certificate before the then pending trial took place. In submitting a 4 page set of arguments for the Council planning officer to use, they requested that their submission be “treated sensitively”. It is to the eternal discredit of the Planning AND Legal departments of Hounslow Council that they interpreted this as a request that the submissions be kept secret from the applicant – and that they unlawfully acted in accordance with that understanding. The upshot was that they refused to disclose the content or even the tenor of the submission against the application, and unilaterally, in defiance of the regulations governing their conduct, refused the application after long months of delay, without any chance given to the applicant to answer points at issue. Having subsequently goaded the legal department into first producing the submissions and then having a face-to-face meeting, the advice was taken to prepare a second and simpler application requiring no evidence of use at all. Once again, CART intervened effectively, and protracted processes were claimed to be unavoidable so that the date for production of the Certificate in time for the Appeal came and went, and I consequently withdrew that second application.The Planning Inspectorate [PINS] appeal having been lodged, CART once again repeated their objections online, and the Council’s position in regard to the appeal hardened – moving from the claimed readiness to concede that a certificate would be granted, to a reversion to the original discredited claims for the unlawful status of the moorings.In short, instead of simply conceding the facts that they had been presented with, the Council dug in their heels and procured the services of a high-powered barrister – who, last Tuesday 12th March, had to leave home at 0630 hours to force her way out through the snow-bound roads of Kent, to reach the Civic Centre in time for the Public Inquiry. How many thousands of pounds of council tax payers money were spent on this fruitless exercise will probably never be known – but the barrister came primed by CART with extraordinary [and ordinarily persuasive] arguments against the lawfulness of the moorings.Faced with a few blunt truths that she apparently had been kept in ignorance of, the barrister made a brave attempt at mitigating the situation for the Council – but they were intransigent about backing off, and so in the end, we spent a day arguing over whether some pot plants had been in place for more than 10 years or not.That utterly ludicrous situation was where we ended up despite my pleas to the planning committee to intervene, and despite promises from the planning chairman Theo Dennison to investigate the situation, months before we ended up in this farce.Why the Council acted so unlawfully in support of an old enemy [British Waterways, now CART] in so intransigent a fashion, and why the planning committee should have supported such unlawful behaviour, is frankly incomprehensible. Even less understandable is how the legal department could be so utterly debauched as to have not only encouraged such unlawful behaviour but urged defence of the indefensible as they did – at such cost to the taxpayer. Is it not about time that some serious independent investigation into the Council was carried out? The Council’s salaried officers are evidently a law unto themselves, and our elected officers are pusillanimously powerless before them. Is that a state of affairs we should be content with? "Yes Prime Minister" is reality not fiction, and such farce is amusing only on the TV screen.

Nigel Moore ● 4527d11 Comments ● 4520d

Thinking of buying a Kindle

I purchased my first Kindle in October 2010. I successfully mastered how to send my word docs to it, and have ever since been busy downloading various documents/stories etc. from the internet to my PC where I copy and paste into Word,  I then top and tale the document, change the font and size that I like and then send them to my Kindle using its email address. This has been highly successful. I should also tell you that there are many sites on the Internet where you can find free books, usually those out of copyright. That being said there is a site called “Calibre” which has a library  available of many thousands of books, even some well know authors such as Cussler,  Vince Flynn, Daniel Slva, Lee Child, David Baldicci, Nora Roberts and Stuart Woods to name but a few. For more just Google “Free ebooks” Now this sounded all wonderful, and I use my Kindle on my extensive cruises. After the first year of my first Kindle in October 2011, I found that it closed down and had to be rebooted. I rang the 800 number and was sent a replacement machine, as it was just within the 12 month warranty. The second kindle lasted until January 2013, 15 months. So when I called again to complain, I was told I could have a replacement kindle at a reduced price if I was to return the faulty one. This I did and I now have a Kindle Touch, for which I was charged just over $50.I cannot speak to highly of their after sales service and the helpful operators who will assist you if you have any queries.I also discovered that I might have been the cause of the breakdowns of the unit, in that I used to be very lazy and when I had finished a session of reading, I just used to close it and touch the slide switch when I wanted to re-use t. A friend who is somewhat of a computer guru suggested  that if I had bothered to totally shut the machine down after each use I would probably have got a lot longer battery life out of the machine, so this what I am now doing. That being said I have my own suspicions that it might be caused by having it Xayed, every time you board a flight or Ship, as the shut downs usually started to occur after several Xrays. This was not supported by the people at Kindle Help Line.That being said if after a year it fails again, I would definitely buy another one, this has been the greatest innovation for me in being able to read and take hundreds of books with me on the bus, tube , train, flying and cruising.

Philip Weaver ● 4549d0 Comments ● 4549d

Pensioners body lay undiscovered for 6 months

Further to my appeal for help on Jan 30th in Ealing Today news letter I was hoping that somebody may be able to offer me some advice on what I could do?Pensioner's Body Lay Undiscovered for Six MonthsFamily seek help in mystery of Betty Walsh Related Links Betty (on left) with her brother John and sister-in-law May taken several years ago.In the photo Betty's hair is dyed dark red, but may well have greyed.ActonW3.com, ChiswickW4.com and EalingToday.co.uk ParticipateComment on this story on the forum The decomposing body of a 76 year old woman lay for six months under a pile of post at her run-down property in Southall.The family of Betty Walsh travelled to Ealing from Ireland in November 2011 concerned they had not heard from her for some time.They made the grim discovery when police broke into the near derelict house on Lyndhurst Avenue.A coroner's report said the body was 'in an advance state of decomposition of mummification type.. which is not inconsistent with a perceived post mortem interval of six months.' The cause of death was unascertained and, at the inquest in May last year, the verdict was left open although it's not thought she died in suspicious circumstances. The house had broken windows and no heating or running water and neighbours said they didn't think anybody lived there.Her family believe she may have only used it as a mail collection point and didn't find any of her personal belongings.Last February the Coroner issued an appeal for anyone who might have known Betty, or knew where she may have otherwise lived, but there were no leads and her family have now contacted us for help.It's thought she once owned a property in Chiswick, but there are no details, nor of the will that she is thought to have made in the UK.Caroline Walsh from County Kildare says her Great Aunt may have led some sort of double life and she wants to solve the puzzle. She says it's a total tragedy that her life ended in this way:''Despite my efforts I have found no information on her at all e.g medical history. There were no personal belongings in this house which leads me to believe she did live somewhere else. She had been a state registered nurse and was a very caring woman, somebody must know this lady and I am very eager to try find out how this happened.'' Can you help? If you can please contact the editor30th January 2013

Caroline Walsh ● 4563d7 Comments ● 4556d

Disruption to London Underground & Overground and South West Trains services this weekend (9-10 Feb

Disruption to London Underground & Overground and South West Trains services this weekend (9-10 February)Due to planned engineering work this weekend (9-10 February) the following services operating within Hounslow borough will be affected:District Line:There is no service this weekend between West Kensington and Ealing Broadway/Richmond while London Underground carries out track replacement work at Turnham Green.Piccadilly Line:There is no service this weekend between Hammersmith and Northfields/Uxbridge while London Underground carries out track replacement work at Turnham Green. Passengers from the W4 and TW8 areas who wish to travel to Heathrow this weekend should take the E2 or E3 to Northfields station, the 195 or E8 to Boston Manor station, the H91 to Osterley station or replacement bus service A from Chiswick Park/Turnham Green to Northfields. Rail Replacement Buses:The replacement buses for this closure are:Service A: Northfields - Ealing Broadway - Ealing Common - Acton Town - Gunnersbury - Chiswick Park - Turnham Green - Stamford Brook - Ravenscourt Park - HammersmithService B: Ealing Broadway - Boston ManorService C: Boston Manor - HammersmithService D: Richmond - Kew Gardens - Gunnersbury - Chiswick Park - Turnham Green -Stamford Brook - Ravenscourt Park - HammersmithService E: Acton Town - Ealing Common - North Ealing - Hanger Lane (for Park Royal and the Central line) - Alperton - Sudbury Town - Sudbury Hill - South Harrow - Rayners Lane.London Overground: There is no service this weekend between Richmond and Willesden Junction. Valid rail tickets will be accepted on rail replacement buses which will serve Richmond, Kew Gardens (bus stops in Kew Road), Gunnersbury, South Acton, Acton Central, Willesden Junction.South West Trains:Engineering work will take place between New Malden and Twickenham / Shepperton on Sunday 10 February.Trains between London Waterloo and Windsor and Eton Riverside will start / terminate at Staines, but call additionally at Queenstown Road, Wandsworth Town, Barnes, Mortlake, North Sheen and St Margarets - services from London Waterloo towards Windsor & Eton Riverside may run earlier than normal.  This information has been obtained from the TfL and Southwest Trains websites.  No responsibility will be taken by the Borough for its accuracy.Other London Underground and SWT services outside Hounslow borough will also be affected by track work this weekend. For more information:  www.tfl.gov.uk and www.southwesttrains.co.uk

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4565d0 Comments ● 4565d

Watermans out of touch?

Having read the message to patrons and the piece on TW8 I am beginning to feel that Watermans has become out of touch with both reality and it's paying clientele.Moving to a new site, even in Brentford, won't make it better. If it ends up in the ghastly proposed site along the hight street it will be bankrupt, dead and gone forever in no time.I wonder if any of the committee, management or friends actually live in Brentford. Unless it's the deep cushioned haven of the Butts.If they did they will know that almost all the new developments that currently exist are ghost estates with business/retail units that are completely non viable as going concerns. Brentford is a long non radial town and the existing site is perfect for a more arts orientated patronage from both Ealing and Richmond.That will be lost in an instant.For most in Brentford, it is not more than a 15 min walk ( with the exception of the Boston Manor part.)Now they must be on a deathwish. The last USP for getting bums on seats. - Free parking is to be abolished in exchange for a 'policed' car park.It will make no difference, the car park has been bandit territory for decades and everyone will continue to park where they always park, around Brook Roads streets.They must be daft. But also deluded. It could be years before they move and no way should they move unless the alternative site beats the pant's off the existing one - which is a classic example of Hounslow's architectural pedigree which endures to this day!Free Parking is a banner that even Hounslow council has recognised as a lifeline for ailing commerce. They have it and want to ditch it when no-one will use it anyway. How do they think they will attract people to use it? They blame the Olympics for a dismal summer. What about the dismal weather? Perfect for indoor activities. But the list of films this summer was dismal as was the events arranged.Dull and lacklustre. More to do with a mentality of Art School highbrow intellectualism than running an all embracing art centre.At least after months of denials and silence we know that are planning to move but to what? A Potting shed or the few remaining garages?Myopic and Naive....yet again.

Anthony Waller ● 4601d68 Comments ● 4568d

Kew Village Market - Sunday 3rd Feb

Welcome back to Kew Village Market this Sunday – the first of 2013!And how about making a New Year’s Resolution to skip the supermarket on market weekends and do all your food shopping here? Look up http://www.kewvillagemarket.org/stalls-this-month/ for a complete list of this month’s traders (26 food stalls and 5 craft stalls), though here are a few ideas to start your shopping list…As well as bagging the very best bacon and bangers from Noggin Farm, why not stop by at Winterbourne Game to pick up pheasant or partridge, which will soon be out of season? If you’re not sure how best to cook them, Chris or Kate will be happy to help. The Portland Scallop Co has quickly become a Kew favourite: as well as his usual wet fish and shellfish (scallops to die for!) Jamie Wright is hoping to have turbot or brill this month. Add vegetables and fruit (especially English apples and pears) from Beech Hill Farm and artisan bread from Ruben’s Bakehouse and that’s your food shopping – job done! But then there’s cheese and special olive oil, all manner of yummy sweets and deli treats and terrific takeaways – better make that two shopping baskets…We’d also like to welcome some new-to-Kew stalls this month: try Nochia’s fabulous flavoursome African stews, the melt-in-the-mouth makings of Madame Macaroon and the moreish cookies from Fidelma’s Kitchen. On the craft side, Atelier Chokerbali offers unique pieces from a French jeweller who’s recently moved here from France; and Larkspur of Kew has the prettiest little girls’ ‘Sunday best’ dresses, all lovingly hand made.Talking of handmade, don’t forget to stop at the Kew Village Market Stall for the preserve of the month – your choice of Seville Orange or Lemon Marmalade to brighten breakfast till the next market!As always the Market takes place in front of Kew Gardens station between 10am and 2pm, the first Sunday of the month.

Hilde Bysheim ● 4570d4 Comments ● 4570d

Snow Alert!  Friday 18 January:  Southwest Trains changes

From SW Trains website:Changes to South West Trains services on Friday 18 JanuaryDescriptionHeavy snowfall is forecast to affect parts of England, Scotland and Wales during Friday 18 JanuaryAs a precaution, South West Trains will run an amended timetable on Friday 18 January, with changes on many routes as shown below.  The Journey Planner will be updated with this information later today but in the meantime, timetables can be obtained from this linkThe following routes will be closed:•Ascot to Ash Vale•Hounslow to Whitton•Leatherhead to Effingham Junction•Virginia Water to WeybridgeAll other routes will be open but the following South West Trains managed stations will not be provided with a train service:•Addlestone•Bagshot•Beaulieu Road•Bookham (Southern will provide a limited service to and from this station)•Camberley•Chertsey•Frimley•LongcrossThe following stations will not receive a South West Trains service but will be provided with a service by First Great Western:•Bath Spa•Bradford-on –Avon•Bristol Temple Meads•Trowbridge•Warminster•WestburyTwitter hashtag: #uksnowFor the latest rail travel news, why not follow National Rail Enquiries on Twitter, or find us on Facebook.Routes AffectedMost South West Trains routes+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++NB:  This information has been obtained from the Southwest Trains websites  No responsibility will be taken by the Borough for its accuracy.For more information:  www.southwesttrains.co.uk

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4586d1 Comments ● 4584d

Disruption to Tube, Overground and SW Trains this weekend (19-20 Jan)

Disruption to London Underground, Overground and Southwest Trains services this weekend (19-20 January)Due to planned engineering work this weekend (19-20 January) the following services will be affected:District line:There is no service this weekend between West Kensington and Acton Town/Richmond. Piccadilly line:There is no service this weekend between Hammersmith and Acton Town/Ealing Common, and no service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.NB:  To travel between Central London and Heathrow Airport: take the Central line to Ealing Broadway, change there for the District line to Acton Town and connect with the Piccadilly line to Heathrow.. To travel between Heathrow Airport and Central London, take the Piccadilly line to Acton Town, change to the District line to Ealing Broadway and connect with the Central line. This journey is step-free between Heathrow and Ealing Broadway in both directions.London Overground: There is no service this weekend between Willesden Junction and Richmond.Rail Replacement Buses:Service A: Richmond - Kew Gardens - Gunnersbury - Chiswick Park - Turnham Green - Stamford Brook - Ravenscourt Park - Hammersmith.Service B: Acton Town - Gunnersbury - Chiswick Park - Turnham Green - Stamford Brook - Ravenscourt Park - Hammersmith.Service C: Acton Town - Hammersmith.Southwest Trains:Due to engineering work between Twickenham and Hounslow / Virginia Water on Sunday 20 January, the following changes will apply:Buses replace trains between Twickenham / Hounslow and Virginia WaterOne train an hour will run between London Waterloo and Reading via Wimbledon and WeybridgeOne train an hour will run between Weybridge and Reading, calling at Addlestone and ChertseyA revised train service will run to / from Kingston, connecting at Twickenham with replacement buses One train an hour will run between London Waterloo and Hounslow, connecting with a replacement buses to Virginia WaterReplacement buses will run between Twickenham and Virginia Water, also between Twickenham and Windsor & Eton RiversideTrains between Ascot and Guildford will be revised to connect at Ascot with the amended Reading trains.This information has been obtained from the TfL and Southwest Trains websites.  No responsibility will be taken by the Borough for its accuracy.For more information:  www.tfl.gov.uk and www.southwesttrains.co.uk

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4586d0 Comments ● 4586d

Brook Rd Sth development may risk flooding

I have just been shown a set of letters and drawings from another resident who has been concerned about the proposed developments at council garage sites in Brook Road and Lateward road.It appears that a series of flood relief vessels exist at both sites and under the road at another site, and are located to prevent breaches of the underground brook that runs to the Thames.Speaking to an elderly neighbour tonight, she recalls Brook road flooding regularly as well as torrents flooding Grosvenor Road and Lateward road as well as St Pauls rec being regularly waterlogged in the north east corner. She recalls this occuring as late as 1973 and the then Metropolitan water board making a lot of excavations to remedy the problem.It seems that the MWB was in transition to the TWA and records do not seem to exist in clarity nor do they seem to exist at all at L B Hounslow. We already know that the planning officers had not identified the Electricity sub-station at one of the sites and failed to inform   councillors voting on the development permissions.The developments will pose a risk to all the local properties as these flood protections will have to be removed for building to take place.It seems too, that the councils developer partner expects the sites to be pre build prepared at the expense of the authority.Does anyone who has lived here for a long time have any recollection of the flooding problem and when the remedial works were carried out?This could have many implications as it will cause issues with insurance, property values and above all risk of flooding during storms.

Anthony Waller ● 4658d33 Comments ● 4610d

Scout Bazaar - Saturday 17th November - Isleworth & Syon School  TW7 5LJ - 1.45pm

The Autumn bazaar for 1st Osterley Scouts is here again, chaps!  This is the 62nd annual bazaar held by the local group and is to be held at Isleworth & Syon School Ridgeway Road Isleworth TW7 5LJ at 1.45pm on Saturday 17th November 2012.Plenty of parking and easy access from the A4 to Ridgeway Road.A group of volunteers have been out collecting donations and sorting them ready for sale.  Everyone will be donating their time as volunteers and there will be many people from the local community helping out with the collecting, sorting, at the bazaar and afterwards to tidy up.  You will probably recognise many friends and neighbours helping out or bagging bargains, on the day.Collected items includeJewellery; books; bric a brac; childrens, mens and ladies jumble; hats; bags and belts; shoes; household goods; small electrical items; white elephant items; toys; fancy goods; furniture (small items only). There is also a raffle and a tombola stall.Should you have any donations these can still be dropped off at the school, early on the day of the bazaar, make sure you find a leader to agree to this and to tell you where items should go.1st Osterley are a local successful Scout Group, offering exciting activities based on the scout programme. The HQ is in the alley next to 63 Osterley Road, close to St Mary's Church. They get no central funding, and depend on income from termly subscriptions and fund raising events such as this bazaar.  They are always in need of more adult helpers and leaders and if you think you may be able to help please contact the Scout leader, Jane Bourne on 020 8758 9850.See you on Saturday!  Come along and bag a bargain! :-)

Sarah Felstead ● 4654d2 Comments ● 4614d

Opinions from Regeneration meeting 21 November 2012

I attended the meeting last night, and have been wondering what other people's views of how the meeting went were.  Mine:- I thought Andrew Dakers, and the woman from the Chamber of Commerce made some very valid points (particularly about our invisible town centre manager who says £1.3m has been spent on Brentford - maybe some of that could have been used to fund a full-time town centre manager to focus on Brentford and not Hounslow)- Hounslow Council were superb at avoiding answering any question.  Density of 198 hrh, when guidance says it should be 70-170 hrh for the size of and PTAL rating of the site....hmmmmm....Is it really conceivable that Ballymore, who have had meetings with the GLA (who apparently are happy with the density figures), and who will have spent somewhere between £500,000 - £750,000 to have got the planning application to the to a point of detailed and outline design stage (not to mention the maquette of the proposed development) will have done so without guidance and input from several Hounslow Council departments? According to the Senior Planning Officer at the meeting - that is what we are expected to believe.  When asked about the density, the reply given was that the council are yet to assess Ballymore's planning application. - I saw one of our local ward councillors there - Ruth Cadbury. I think the meeting was a good use of her time - which was spent working on her Ipad.  good on you Ruth.  At least our MP sat in the middle of the crowd, gave the appearance of actually listening etc,  and stood up and spoke. Not too impressed by our local ward councillors though.Be interested to read anyone else's thoughts on the meeting.

Andrea Hall ● 4643d23 Comments ● 4640d

Syon - Duchess Gate Access ?

Does anyone know the state of play with the footpath access into Syon Park from Duchess Gate ?I thought it was meant to be opened up in connection with the construction of the Waldorf Astoria. However it has always been closed when I have travelled along London Road. Yesterday I was in the park and saw a dedicated board at the Astoria end of the path which showed the opening times - but it was covered up with an old notice reading something like "Path closed - Construction Works". I couldn't see any obvious indication of work activity having taken place recently.Googling, I came across a Sustainable Development C'tee Proposal from 2003 which included:"...SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE  11 MARCH 2003Phase 1 – prior to hotel openingRestoration and re-opening of Duchess Gate for pedestrian use with an associatedpermissive footpath with hours to be agreed.3. Duchess Gate AccessThe report previously stated that ideally the gates should be open between 6am ordawn which ever is earlier until 6pm or dusk whichever is later. The DuchessGate is proposed to be open between the hours of 8am to 5:30pm from Novemberto February, 7am to 7:30pm during March, April, September and October, and7am to 9pm from May to August. This compares with the previous offer of 8-00am to 5-30pm. The proposed hours broadly comply with the hours sought andreflects the hours of daylight throughout the year particularly in the evening.Recommendation: This is considered to be acceptable"Any target date for opening ?

Tim Henderson ● 4709d36 Comments ● 4648d

Why will Hounslow Labour Group not stand by their colleague?

On another thread an individual poster, presuming to speak on behalf of the Hounslow Labour Group, made a nasty personal attack on Councillor Theo Dennison - elected ward member for Syon, Chair of the Planning Committee and until recently a member of the Cabinet.Amongst other things, he offered what purported to be an informed explanation for Councillor Dennison's demotion from the Cabinet.The individual concerned is not a member of the Hounslow Labour Group, not a councillor, not a resident of Hounslow and, depending upon whom one believes, maybe not even a member of the Labour Party.I asked at the time whether any member of the Hounslow Labour Group wished to disassociate themselves, and the Group, from the remarks.  Theo, as is his very honourable but irritating wont, responded in haste to defend his colleagues and to mitigate their lack of support for him by protesting that they never post on this forum (is this attributable to a medical condition?).Within minutes he was further undermined by a member of the Hounslow Labour Group, in fact a Cabinet member, who did indeed post on the forum, not to defend her colleague but to heap compliments upon the man who had abused him.  No disassociation by the Hounslow Labour Group was made from the comments posted by the non-councillor, non-resident and possible non-member.As a local resident and as a constituent of Councillor Dennison I would like to know whether my ward councillor is going to receive the support of his colleagues on this matter.  Or, if not, I would appreciate an explanation as to what power this non-resident wields over the local party which renders them unwilling to challenge a personal attack by him upon one of their own colleagues.

Phil Andrews ● 4696d20 Comments ● 4690d

Richmond Council to hold Referendum on Heathrow Expansion

Conservative-run Richmond Council is holding a referendum on the expansion of Heathrow Airport. It will be held before May next year and other west London councils will be encouraged to take part.The Council Leader, Councillor Nicholas True, said:“Richmond Council has again taken a united stance on an issue where people rightly expect us to put aside party bickering in local politics. We are all elected to fight for our residents - and there is no issue more important to them than this."I deeply regret that the nightmare vision of Heathrow expansion that had been so wisely laid to rest by our Coalition government has been resurrected. This time we must kill it off for good. As far as this Council is concerned it will be all-out war with the big money interests and slick-suited PR men peddling this foolish project. It is perfectly possible to deliver increased airport capacity in south-east England without expanding Heathrow. No-one in their right minds would consider building a new airport on the Heathrow site today - that must surely go for a new runway, too."Frankly, Richmond and other west London residents have had enough. They have patiently borne the scourge of Heathrow, with all the noise, pollution and risks, for decades. In 2010 they were given hope of permanent relief from expansion - they trusted the word of those who gave that promise and it should not be broken. "As their elected representatives we are not prepared to sit meekly and take incoming fire from the Heathrow lobby without giving our residents the chance to hit back and have their say. The proposed ballot will give the long-suffering people of west London an unprecedented opportunity to shout loud and clear to those that run the airport, and anyone inside government who may support them, that Londoners simply won’t take it. I hope that other boroughs will join us.”The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: “I warmly welcome the news of this ballot in Richmond. It is a positive step that people living in the vicinity of Heathrow and who would feel the impact of any expansion most acutely, are given an opportunity to have their opinions clearly heard. Londoners elected me on a platform of opposition to expansion at Heathrow and it is a mandate I am absolutely determined to defend. A third runway would mean more traffic, more noise, more pollution and a serious erosion in the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people. We need to rule out this option once and for all and quickly take forward a bolder, longer term solution capable of supporting the needs of the capital, namely a new hub airport ideally to the east of London."Will Hounslow Council follow Richmond's example ?

David Giles ● 4693d16 Comments ● 4690d

Hounslow Community Fair this weekend (22 September)

In case anyone missed news of this elsewhere:Hounslow Community Fair this weekendHounslow Council is marking the borough’s fantastic summer of celebration this weekend with a unique community fair showcasing everything the borough has to offer.There’ll be plenty on offer at Hounslow Community Fair, which takes place this Saturday (22 September) in Lampton Park, with fun activities and entertainment including the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards 100ft Army assault course and paintballing gazebo; a display of police cars through the ages; funfair rides, arts and crafts stalls, magicians, balloon-modelling and static bikes and rowing machines.Dr Bike will be on hand to give your cycles a health-check, and young families can get advice and help with the installation of child car seats from the Road Safety Team, supported by Mothercare.Information stalls on Hounslow Highways, the new 25 year street maintenance contract, and the Hounslow Town Centre Master plan will also be available, and residents can also show their support for West Middlesex University Hospital by responding to the NHS consultation on changes to hospital provision.Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Jagdish Sharma, said: “It’s the grand finale of a unique and memorable summer which saw everything from the Thames Pageant and local street parties to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, to sporting excellence at the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as many free events across the borough to mark the Cultural Olympiad.“Our Community Fair is a tribute to our incredible summer of celebration, and as well as fun activities for all the family, there will be many stalls staffed by community and voluntary groups from across the borough where you can find out how you can give something back to your community through volunteering.“I’ll also be there with colleagues from the Police and Health services to answer your questions at a special Leader’s Question Time session, and we’ll also be launching Our Summer of Celebration, a souvenir booklet with photographs – many sent in by residents – as a record of this amazing summer.” A subsidised food court will be set up in the Lampton Park Conference Centre, which will also host the Leader’s Question Time event, where residents can quiz the Leader of the Council and colleagues from the police and health services, as well as getting information on how the council and its partners aim to improve the quality of life in the borough.  Questions should be emailed to communications@hounslow.gov.uk.The council will also be launching a special commemorative booklet featuring photographs from our Summer of Celebration. Proceeds from the booklet, which costs just 50p, will go to the Alzheimer’s Society Hounslow.For more information, visit www.hounslow.gov.uk/communityfair

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4704d1 Comments ● 4704d

Watermans to Close

I've read, with interest, the article on the front page about Ballymore's development of Brentford's waterside.  Most of it appears rather airy-fairy and seems to say it's still all in the consultation stage.  Really?Some people who work at Watermans on a rolling term contract have not been given new contracts for 2013 so effectively their contracts terminate by the end of this year. Of course they're talking about this but word on the grapevine is that they maybe relocated to Feltham - what relocate Watermans Art Centre to Feltham - even though there is a huge cineplex in that area?De Souza - the agents marketing the now defunct Max Factor headquarters situated adjacent to Watermans have taking it off the market and won't even consider a six month lease for the premises - we've tried to get this for a project - and failed - even though we've all the money in place to do this.  De Souza told us it had been taken off the market even though it's been empty for the past two/three years.Barratts have demolished and are building on the old, derelict cop shop - which had to be disbanded because the cells flooded on numerous occasions and because there was a 'mysterious' fire in the derelict office block next door which was only built during the late 1980s, have also been able to demolish these office blocks too and are now building a whole load of flats called - Kew Reach.  It maybe in Brentford but Kew is a far better marketing strategy.  What's the betting these flats will look more like overblown greenhouses - all glass and no bricks - in an attempt to fry residents to make the flow of people a 'green emission'. This is what will happen to Watermans and the adjacent office block and then flow into the park - which, afterall, was only created from a decrepit slag-heap of bygone years from the gas-works with monies given to the council from monies spent by Max Factor to get a waterside location for their head office to now being prime real estate being sort after the likes of Barratts.  Why aren't heritage sites like Kew opposing this every which way?  Afterall, back in the day, they made Hounslow council plant a load of trees to try to obscure the Haverfield estate from being seen by the Kew brigade.  And very fine trees they are too.Watermans will be closing.  Some time soon.  You heard it here first.

Xanthe West ● 4719d13 Comments ● 4715d

Who would believe it part two

From the ChronicleWas this problem not one of Labours key pledges before the last local elections?HOUNSLOW is London's dirtiest borough, according to shocking new figures.The borough is among the worst offenders for five separate criteria used to judge tidiness - the only one of 20 local authorities examined to achieve this dubious honour.It is in the bottom five for fly-tipping, litter, levels of detritus, graffiti and fly-posting, according to combined figures for last year and 2010/11 published last week by the council's overview & scrutiny committee.It is the worst borough, according to the statistics, when it comes to litter, detritus and fly-posting.Only Lewisham, which tops the list of shame in the other two categories and makes the bottom five in all bar one, comes close to matching the levels of grime found in Hounslow.Even boroughs spending significantly less per head on street cleaning than Hounslow, like Harrow, Kingston and Sutton, are performing better, according to the committee's report.Committee members criticised the council for doing too little to address the situation before a new £800 million PFI road maintenance contract, which will include street cleaning, begins in January.Although levels of detritus, fly-posting and grafitti have fallen slightly in the last year, the amount of litter on Hounslow's streets has risen during this period. Hounslow Council currently spends £12.15 a head on street cleansing, less than a third of that forked out in Hackney, according to figures produced by London's Environment Directors' Network (LEDNET).Colin Ellar, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, said: "For many residents in Hounslow the state of our streets and their cleanliness is the number one issue."We are taking steps to improve the situation now by increasing the amount of resources available, and we hope that as people see improvements, they will help us keep the borough’s streets clean."From January 2013, a new Hounslow Highways contract begins to launch the biggest programme of road, pavement and street lighting work the borough has ever seen, as well as improve the cleanliness of the borough."We all have a responsibility to help keep the borough clean and we hope residents will do their bit by not dropping litter or cigarette butts or leaving rubbish lying around. That way we can work together to keep our streets tidy."

Paul Fisher ● 4764d18 Comments ● 4734d

Well who would have believed it eh?

I can think of about 20,000 reasons why this councillor does not intend standing down until 2014!A LONG-SERVING Labour councillor is facing calls for his resignation after being found to have abused his power.Mohinder Gill failed to support enforcement action against an illegal extension at the home of a known Labour candidate, according to a damning report.The Heston Central ward councillor was found to have breached the members' code of conduct on FIVE separate counts, following an investigation by Hounslow Council's standards committee. He was this week banned from sitting on any planning committee as a councillor and ordered to write a letter of apology for his behaviour.However, former Labour agent Noel Murphy insisted the sanctions did not go far enough and called on the party to suspend or ban the disgraced councillor.The row dates back to a meeting of the Heston & Cranford Area Committee on September 23, 2010, when members gathered to discuss an innocuous-looking terraced house at 74 Victoria Gardens, Heston.Despite aerial images clearly showing the building had been illegally extended, Mr Gill and other Labour councillors rejected planning officers' advice to order the extension's destruction.The decision was later overturned and an independent investigation was launched into their actions, which cleared everyone except Mr Gill.The report found strong evidence suggesting he had known the owner of the property's wife to be Harleen Atwal, a Labour candidate for Osterley & Spring Grove in May 2010.Mr Gill admitted knowing Ms Atwal, whose father was a long-standing member of the local Labour Party, but claimed to be unaware she lived at the property.However, the report states how he indicated in a conversation to the council's then legal chief Terry Walsh that everyone knew she was married to the property's owner.He even made representations regarding the house to members of the council's enforcement team, it goes on to reveal.All councillors are required to declare an interest if they, or someone known to them, is affected by a decision they are involved in making - something Mr Gill failed to do at the meeting in question.The independent report found Mr Gill to have breached the members' code of conduct on five counts, including the 'use of position to confer an advantage' and 'bringing the office of the councillor into disrepute'.The council's standards committee, which met on May 28 to discuss the report's findings, said: "His (Mr Gill's) relaxed attitude to the relevant proprieties both in terms of attitude to officers and in relation to the transparency and openness of planning procedures was appalling and to be deplored."Members of the committee added that they had stopped short of suspending him from the council largely because he is due to retire at the end of his current term in 2014.But former Labour agent Noel Murphy described the sanctions as a 'disgrace' and urged the party to expel Mr Gill.Opposition leader Peter Thompson said: "I don't think it is the job of the standards committee to throw councillors off the council but many people will be asking if Councillor Gill should reconsider his position, do the decent thing and resign now."However, deputy council leader Colin Ellar called the sanctions a 'travesty' and said he expected Mr Gill to appeal.A spokesman for the London Labour Party said it would launch an internal investigation to decide whether further action was necessary.Councillor Gill has been a Labour councillor for 18 years and was mayor in 2001/2.This is not the first time his actions have been called into question.In 2007, he was part of the Heston and Cranford planning committee which was temporarily banned from taking decisions on enforcement action after a damning report from the Local Government Ombudsman.The report's findings also raise serious questions about why Mr Gill was made chair of the Sustainable Development Committee (SDC), which made planning decisions, last year, despite Labour councillors knowing about the investigation.Mr Gill was unavailable for comment.

Paul Fisher ● 4767d9 Comments ● 4763d

M4 open J1-J2, closed J2-J3 - traffic conditions

On Sunday afternoon, at the behest of the Borough, the Highways Agency agreed to reopen the M4 elevated between J1 (Chiswick) and J2 (brentford), so that traffic could bypass the Chiswick roundabout from early this morning onwards.  With extensive media coverage warning of major delays (many drivers didn’t realise that J1-J2 had reopened), a large proportion of this morning’s commuter traffic appears to have opted for the M40/A40 or M3/A316, which were very heavy.  Consequently, traffic wasn’t too horrific in Chiswick and Brentford, although there was considerable congestion around Kew Bridge junction and along the Chiswick High Road.  There was also considerable queuing westbound on the A4 between GSK and Henlys roundabout.Notwithstanding many drivers having taken different routes this morning, this afternoon’s peak is likely to be very heavy on all approaches to the Chiswick roundabout /Kew Bridge junction area, with long queues eastwards from central London (via the A4 and A315) and inwards from Heathrow/Hounslow/Brentford and Richmond, Kew and Ealing.  Eastbound queues are already building up on the A4.Traffic patterns are extremely variable:  a lot of the morning peak traffic that diverted this morning may switch back tomorrow morning, until an unhappy equilibrium is reached on Wednesday and the viaduct hopefully reopens on Thursday.The advice remains the same:  avoid the area if at all possible; walk, cycle or use the tube if you can; and if not, be patient and allow plenty of extra time for your journey.Chris Calvi-FreemanHead of TransportLondon Borough of Hounslow

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 4778d2 Comments ● 4778d

A message from Clark French, an MS sufferer who uses cannabis to treat his symptoms. Do you think Cl

Because my medicine is "Illegal", i face the choice, break the law and have a better quality of life, or respect it and suffer. I face stigma, ignorance and sometimes even hatred, for nothing more then taking a medicine that has been used by humans for thousands of years, wanting to live, wanting the same chances as everybody else, wanting to contribute to society. Is this really such a crime? Do you really consider me a criminal? I have thought about it long and hard, i am not a criminal, i am a good, honest person who wants the same chance in life as everybody else, nothing more nothing less. in two months time, by using my medicine i have saved the NHS over £30'000 on the nasty nasty treatment they wanted to put me on. Its called Tysabri and is only usually prescribed as a second line treatment after several severe relapses- it is a measure of how ill i was that i was offered a drug usually only given to people after 5-10 years of diagnosis - when i was first diagnosed. Tysabri had a chance of putting me into a coma which i will never wake up from. and thats just one of the drugs out of the cocktail i would other wise be prescribed. since coming off the prescription drugs i feel so much better and able to be myself - opiates mame me into someone im not. Because of this I feel Morally obliged to get my name out there, to share my story, and to have a voice. If i have a voice maybe i can speak for all those millions of sick people who dont have one. Cannabis is medicine - in the last two years i have met hundreds of people with a vast array of illness's like ME, Chrons Disease, Fybromialga, PTSD, Bipolar, Spinal Injuries, Depression, Autism, Parkingsons, HIV, Cancer many many people with MS and so many more illness's it would take me an age to write them all down. Cannabis helps all of them have a better quality of life. why do they face prison for wanting more from life then a permanent disability? Surely it should be everyones right to treat their own illness the way that they see fit?? especially if its backed by science, which for many illness's especially MS it is. Now i dont really ask for much, and im not one to really complain about my situation, having a chronic condition is awful- id never wish it upon anyone, not even my worst enemy. For change to happen i need my friends, my family and the people i know to help me. Please help me get my voice heard, if not for the millions of sick and disabled people who would benefit from it right NOW, then for no other reason that one day that sick person in need of safe and effective medicine might be you. - im not ashamed to say i have tears in my eyes while i write this - these tears are for all my friends in need - i will fight for our rights until the end of my days, ONE LOVE.

Philip Walsh ● 4800d6 Comments ● 4797d

Mogden Expansion.

From:  http://www.environmental-expert.com/news/the-right-formula-for-mogden-29079923-April-2012 -- Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies will design and build an extension to the existing Sludge Pasteurisation Plant at Thames Water’s Mogden Sewage Treatment Works. The work is part of a major upgrade that will see Mogden’s process capacity increased by 50%. The increased throughput means more sludge production at the works, and this will be digested to produce biogas fuel which will meet the GLA’s target of 20% energy for the entire works from a renewable source.The works extension is required to limit the quantity of partially-treated storm water discharged following heavy rain by increasing the works capacity of 1,064Ml/day flow to full treatment and to meet a revised consent. The resulting increased flow to treatment will result in a higher sludge load to the Pasteurisation Plant and then to the Digesters; the Pasteurisation Plant being a process adopted to kill pathogens before the digested sludge is taken off site for disposal.To provide the additional pasteurisation capacity needed, Principal Contractor Black & Veatch selected Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies whose experience in the field is unrivalled. Each of the four new pasteurisation streams will comprise thickened sludge transfer pumps, a pasteurisation reactor, a heat exchanger, reactor blowers and pasteurised sludge transfer pumps. Each stream of the new plant will be controlled by a local control panel which will interface with the Mogden SCADA system.  Site construction started in September 2011 and is scheduled for completion by January 2013.JL

Jim Linwood ● 4827d0 Comments ● 4827d

Live marriage debate this Monday in Chiswick...

On Monday 30th April 2012 at Gunnersbury Baptist Church in Chiswick, there will be an exciting and relevant, free public debate on the subject of the Governments recent proposals to redefine marriage to incorporate same-sex couples.Two top-class speakers with differing opinions will discuss this very important topic.1) Adrian Trett is Chair of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) + Liberal Democrats since the Coalition Government was formed, and the author of the original motion on Equal Marriage in the UK for Liberal Democrat Conference in 2010. His campaigning group has been working with our Liberal Democrat Ministers, in particular Lynne Featherstone MP to enable this issue to be brought on to the Government's agenda, now with the public consultation and hopefully for legislation to be passed by 2015 to enable equal marriage in the UK.2) Rev. David Robertson is the Pastor of St. Peters Free Church in Dundee. He is the Author of 'The Dawkins Letters' and regular conference speaker and debater for the Evangelical Christian Church. There will be a chance, during this debate for questions from the audience.Doors will open at 7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start. Entrance to this debate is absolutely free although early arrival is recommended.Watch out for the formal publicity - fliers and posters!I hope you will support this important event,Many thanks,Laurence TruettDebate Coordinator

Laurence Truett ● 4855d5 Comments ● 4834d

Ball/street hockey (children and adult beginners programme)

West London Ball Hockey Club presents this exiting new sport to the local community of Ealing.  "something different"  "Important:  We play with trainers not roller blades"We have just moved into this new facility  "Elthorne Sports Centre. Westlea Road, off Boston Road, Hanwell W7 2AD".This sport is hugely famous in Canada, Czech and Slovak. Our Values are; Respect, Sportsmanship, Considering others, Affordable, Family friendly, Fun.  These values resonate in our both, children's and adult beginners programmes.We are affiliated with UK Dek (Ball) hockey association. & International street/ball hockey association. "One of our Aim is to Celebrates multiculturalism by introducing children (boys/girls age 5-14 year) and adults (male/female) to this fast & active sport which is good for fitness and health.Our Children programme costs £16 per-child for the whole term(9weeks)or £3 per-session.  New term starts on the 21st of April 2012 from 09:45am - 10:45am, Saturday mornings. Equipment provided.  Coaching followed by a game. End of term prizes awarded.Our adult 14years+ beginners programme is for male & female.  It costs £5 per-person and £3 for students and unemployed.  We play every second Monday 08:00pm-9:30pm.  Equipment provided. Coaching followed by a game.To learn more about our aims, prizes for the children, and how do we ensure safe and fun environment for children and adults.Please contact: Nicky Rae on 07906 638 612 (for children's programme), OREmail: westlondonballhockeyclub@hotmail.co.uk for further details (you can also request e-brochure).Website:  www.londonballhockey.co.uk

Waseem Nayyer ● 4835d0 Comments ● 4835d

Ball/street hockey (children and adult beginners programme)

West London Ball Hockey Club presents this exiting new sport to the local community of Ealing.  "something different"  "Important:  We play with trainers not roller blades"We have just moved into this new facility  "Elthorne Sports Centre. Westlea Road, off Boston Road, Hanwell W7 2AD".This sport is hugely famous in Canada, Czech and Slovak. Our Values are; Respect, Sportsmanship, Considering others, Affordable, Family friendly, Fun.  These values resonate in our both, children's and adult beginners programmes.We are affiliated with UK Dek (Ball) hockey association. & International street/ball hockey association. "One of our Aim is to Celebrates multiculturalism by introducing children (boys/girls age 5-14 year) and adults (male/female) to this fast & active sport which is good for fitness and health.Our Children programme costs £16 per-child for the whole term(9weeks)or £3 per-session.  New term starts on the 21st of April 2012 from 09:45am - 10:45am, Saturday mornings. Equipment provided.  Coaching followed by a game. End of term prizes awarded.Our adult beginners programme is for male & female.  It costs £5 per-person and £3 for students and unemployed.  We play every second Monday.  Next session is on Monday the 16th of April 08:30pm-10pm.  From May its going to be 8pm-9:30pm. Equipment provided. Coaching followed by a game.To learn more about our aims, prizes for the children, and how do we ensure safe and fun environment for children and adults.Please contact: Nicky Rae on 07906 638 612 (for children's programme), OREmail: westlondonballhockeyclub@hotmail.co.uk for further details (you can also request e-brochure).Website:  www.londonballhockey.co.uk

Waseem Nayyer ● 4850d0 Comments ● 4850d

New A380 at least as noisy as a 747,

Following a post on the Chiswick W4 site,I checked it out.  I've got this reply from John Stewart today - Chair of HACAN Clearskies (the community  campaign group of residents around Heathrow; do join if you havn't already).Cllr Ruth CadburyLB HounslowRuth, Rob,As it happened, I was in Brussels yesterday for the biannual meeting of theHACAN-type groups from around Europe.  It is chaired by Martin Kessel, fromthe Frankfurt Group.  He confirmed the story.  Below is an account inEnglish.JohnA380 is louder than assumedMedia: Frankfurter RundschauAuthor: Wolfgang SchubertDate: 05 November 2005Fraport and expansion opponents present results of measurements/not testedin normal every-day conditionsThe Airbus A 380 was as loud as a Boeing jumbo jet 747 during the testlanding in Frankfurt a week ago. Moreover the [A380] causes dangerous wakevortices because of its size, communicated the German aircraft noisemonitoring organization on Friday in its measurement results. Fraportconfirmed the measuring data to a large extent.Frankfurt . "The shouts of joy [about the A380] are to be referred to theland of fairytales", said Sascha Friebe, chairman of the German aircraftnoise monitoring organization (DFLD). Lufthansa managers, airport CEOWilliam Bender, Minister President Roland Koch and Chief Burgomaster ofFrankfurt Petra Roth had talked about a "quiet giant bird" after the landingbefore 10,000 spectators last Saturday, which flew in "like a glider."The measurements of the aircraft noise service in Moerfelden Walldorf, whichconsiders itself as an "independent non--governmental organization" and ispredominantly organized in the airport development opposition, show theopposite. The mega-airplane, which should have been three to four decibelsquieter than the largest passenger airplane the Boeing 747-400 according tomanufacturer data, was as loud as other large-capacity aircraft during thelanding. The measuring instrument of DFLD registered 67 decibels overNeu-Isenburg south of Frankfurt.The noise might have been even stronger. On Friday airport operator Fraportsubmitted its own results of measurement, which are even higher than thoseof the DFLD. For Offenbach-Bieber Fraport indicated 70.3 decibels, inOffenbach-Lauterborn was it 71.8, in Frankfurt-South 75.3 and at level ofthe Stadtwaldhaus just before touch down 82.3. In comparative values with a747 plane, which had landed during the same morning, were only lower at theStadtwaldhaus. In Frankfurt-South and in Offenbach-Lauterborn the A 380 wassubstantially louderDuring takeoff, Fraport registered values that were below those of the 747.The Airbus however only weighed 400 tons. If it would be fully occupied fora flight to Tokyo and would have been refueled, the plane would have weighed560 tons and would have been much louder than the 65.7 decibels overRaunheim and the 74.5 over Weilbach.Fraport emphasized however that the measured values of only one landing andone takeoff of a prototype is not representative. The test plane was evenequipped with measuring instruments at the fuselage and the wings, whichwould have caused additional surge noises.The aircraft noise monitoring organization criticized also that the A 380was not tested under everyday life conditions. The air traffic control (DFS)granted the pilots "ideal landing conditions". The distance to the next jetfor instance was with ten miles so large that the A 380 could land "with lowspeed and therefore quietly". DFS spokesperson Axel Raab said, they hadopted for a large distance for safety reasons because of possibleturbulence.Those are extremely large according to data of the DFLD. The A 380 hascaused, "a good two minute tornado with noise values of about 70 decibels,"said Friebe. Such turbulence he has "never experienced". If the plane wouldhave flown very low over Raunheim, "the roofs would have blown off".Wolfgang Schubert

Ruth Cadbury ● 7209d13 Comments ● 4851d

Livingstone uses private healthcare

According to City AM on 19th April" Ken Livingstone, the Labour candidate to be Mayor of London and a noted opponent of NHS privatisation, uses private healthcare services, City A.M. has learned. "A spokesperson for the 66-year-old Livingstone said he uses an “external provider” for annual check-ups, in an admission that is sure to lead to accusations of hypocrisy. “Like many people he has an annual check up from an external provider – if he ever needs to see a doctor for anything it is with his local GP, or with other NHS services,” a spokesperson told City A.M. last night."Private check-ups generally cost anything from several hundred pounds to several thousand, although it is not known how much Livingstone’s annual appointments cost. "In a post for the Labour Party’s Save London’s NHS petition earlier this year, Livingstone said: “The people of our capital city deserve top quality care and demand our health care should not be broken up, sold off or be privatised by the back door.”"The admission comes just weeks after Livingstone was widely criticised for channeling his income through a company to reduce his tax bills, despite describing people who use these kind of legal tax planning measures as “rich bastards”. "A spokesperson for Boris Johnson, Livingstone’s Tory opponent and the incumbent Mayor, said: “This is yet another example of Ken Livingstone’s hypocrisy – saying one thing but does another. First we discover that at the same time as attacking tax avoiders, saying they shouldn’t be allowed to vote in elections, he is avoiding tax himself and standing in an election. Now we learn that while campaigning as a defender of the NHS he uses private healthcare "It was also revealed recently that Livingstone told a meeting of Latin Americans in South London that he will instruct the police not to spend a large amount of time rounding-up and deporting illegal immigrants. It's fractionally more subtle than when he previously promised Latinos "well-paid jobs" at TfL.Someone needs to tell Livingstone that the Mayor of London is not in charge of immigration policy and enforcement.

David Giles ● 4856d15 Comments ● 4851d

Hounslow Council at its slimiest

I see that Hounslow Council have issued the following statement which looks like a thinly disguised attack on MRAG and the hard work they do in encouraging residents to make complaints against Thames WaterNo mention of course of the residents High Court victory or any information on how thousands may be entitled to claim compensation but I suppose that was to be expected considering that some senior officers would not want that mentioned"Residents living close to Mogden sewage works have been assured that the London Borough of Hounslow will continue to act on their complaints about nasty smells.The council will act on complaints made during working hours, as part of its determination to ensure a healthy environment for people who live near the Thames Water facility.The council’s pollution team will continue to carry out regular monitoring of the site to protect the public from any odour and uphold a Section 106 agreement on the redevelopment of the site, which carries penalties for Thames Water if it does not comply with the agreement.The council’s 24-7 complaints line will now operate during normal 9am-5pm office hours, with an answerphone service available outside of those times. Residents can also email mogden@hounslow.gov.uk to report issues. Mike Jordan, Hounslow’s Director of Environment, said: “Thames Water has assured us that the upgrade of the works will further reduce the need for people to complain about the smell. But residents can rest assured we will take action if problems reoccur.”A meeting of Hounslow Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday (April 17) heard that the majority of recent complaints about odour have been made via the local residents’ action group. This has sometimes made it difficult to identify the source of odour. Complaints have been falling in recent years. The water company has assured the council that an upgrade of the site and accompanying Section 106 obligations on its expansion will allow the number of complaints about odour to continue to fall.Residents can complain about Mogden through the hotline number 020 8583 2222, through the council's environment switchboard number 020 8583 5555 or through the council website: www.hounslow.gov.uk.A to Z of Services »"

Paul Fisher ● 4854d3 Comments ● 4853d

Live Kidney Donation - Please help increase awareness to save my mum and patients like her :)

Hello everyone,My mother has recently been diagnosed with end stage renal failure and is in need for a transplant. Last night I made a facebook page to try and increase awareness of live kidney donation in the hope of finding my mum a donor. I realise this is quite an unconventional approach but I have been overwhelmed by the response from my friends offering to be considered as donors and helping spread the word.I am not a regular user of Twitter but made an account today to try and spread the message even further than my Facebook network. As you can appreciate I will do anything to try and save my mum. So, I thought I would post the link on here too. We have lived in West London for about 30 years and mums renal team are based at Hammersmith Hospital. I was hoping that perhaps some of you might be willing to help increase awareness of live kidney donation by posting the FB page I have created for my mum on your own walls and Twitters (link below) or anywhere you can think of, in the hope of finding a donor for my mum and for patients like her. I think this is so important as not many people actually know they could be considered as donors and if they did, perhaps we could reduce the suffering people experience waiting for years on dialysis and save more lives. People don't realise that living with one kidney does not mean that life will be any different to what it would be with two.The link below takes you to the page I created if you are interested in helping out and I am contactable on http://www.facebook.com/TalulahDelilahhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-find-a-living-kidney-donor-for-my-mum/345334168849821Thank you so much for taking time to read this.Natalia

Delilah Natalia ● 4859d0 Comments ● 4859d

New housing development Windmill Road

It was with great disappointment I read the Vicar’s piece on the website about the proposed Windmill Road development.  It is astonishing how so many people can be whipped into action to try and stop new housing development when it is on their own doorstep.  How many of these people who have these “No to Reynard Mills” stickers in their windows actually live anywhere near the development?  I live in Windmill Road and my back garden looks out on a horrible brick wall that obliterates sunshine into my little back garden in the summer.  It also shades all kinds of dodgy goings-on in the back alley behind my house.  I would dearly love it to be replaced by people in houses.The people who want to stop the new development quote the change to the skyline as a reason for stopping it.  Has anyone looked at the skyline recently?  We are surrounded by tall buildings that make the entrance to West London along the M4 look like a twenty first century city.  Do you think one more is going to make that look bad?  I don’t think so.Another objection:  queues for doctors’ surgeries.  I work in the NHS and I know that the queue to get an appointment at a given practice is not because of the demand from new people coming in but because the doctors’ surgery is unable to properly manage its list and too greedy to say “No” to new patients.  Only a few weeks ago we were leafleted by a new GP surgery at the Brentford health centre that is looking for new patients.  There is choice.The traffic flow along Windmill Road has long been a problem.  Even with the zebra crossing put in a few years ago near the Globe pub, the traffic is still too fast out of rush hour.  We have fatal accidents waiting to happen.  Both Ealing and Hounslow Councils have done little to address this.  Regulated traffic junctions in and out of the proposed development will certainly help control the traffic flow, a plus for the development.As long as the new development provides enough car parking spaces for the homes proposed, the council considers improved traffic control, and Thames Water attends to the problems with sewerage and drainage, I welcome the new development and just wish that the perpetrators of all this nimbyism, xenophobia and hysteria would stop giving people invalid information about the management of GP practice lists, how planning permission is or is not obtained, blaming the greed of Thames Water on developers.  It would be a better use of their time to lobby for Thames Water to attend to the rotten drainage problems in Brentford, surely, whether or not any new developments are proposed.I would have thought the Vicar would welcome more people into her church.

Lesley Foote ● 4971d30 Comments ● 4881d

Public Bodies Bill

British Waterways are unquestionably seeking to utilise the Public Bodies Bill as a channel for grasping at greater powers as they become a private sector body. That the new body will be the identical organisation with modified governance and funding arrangements is clear from the speech of their CEO, Robin Evans, at the 2010 Annual Meeting. He plaintively acknowledges the general enthusiasm of many for the abolition of BW – “Some of you make great play of NWC [New Waterways Charity] being ‘a completely new organisation’, one that ‘is not BW dressed up in new clothes’, ‘not BW as we know it today’. I understand why you want to make the distinction and I agree NWC has to be different in many respects but I don’t think you understand how demoralising it is to the 1,700 people who are employed by BW today and will almost entirely make up the staff of NWC”  . . . “They will be the same people on April 2012 as they were in March 2012 – don’t expect them to think BW and its employees are something different from NWC and its employees.”BW is an organisation typical of the brutish type of authority that prefers the use of force to that of persuasion when dealing with its “subjects”. The constant cry of such authorities is “I need more powers!” – and that has characterised their dealing with Parliament since 1962. The Select Committee reports on BW’s private Bills [those that became the BW Acts of 1971, 1975, 1983 and 1995] make sobering reading. Had Parliament not spoken out so strongly in condemnation of the draconian and inappropriate levels of powers that BW constantly sought, the waterways would have become subject to an intolerable dictatorship. Even so, BW regularly exercises such powers on a bluff basis, asserting their rights to violate the public rights in the confidence that anyone foolhardy enough to challenge them could be easily seen off in local county courts.It was only an unbroken continuation of this approach that led the present Board of British Waterways, as recently as January 27th this year, to discuss “The possibility of introducing greater enforcement powers for BW as part of the new legislation . . . Mr Johnson agreed to report back on the subject to the May Board meeting.”BW have stalled on FoI requests for the May minutes, which has understandably given rise to much consternation in the boating fraternity – especially in light of the HL Select Committee Report damning the subsequent amendment to the Public Bodies Bill relating to BW and the Environment Agency.I am not altogether sure that the boating websites are correct to see the amendment as granting new powers in so direct a form as they are thinking. What the Select Committee objected to was any exception being made to the general clause in the Bill that outlawed the transference of powers that, however appropriately exercised by a body with powers of public governance, would be highly inappropriate for a new, private sector body. Understood in those terms, BW would be correct in asserting that [in the amendment as presently under discussion] they only want to retain powers already possessed by them. The danger is, of course, that this Amendment 99A is but a step in what BW see as the right direction!If I am correct in this, then there IS some hope for improvement after all – the objectionable behaviour of BW in pursuing so many boaters and waterside businesses [even where they are in fact empowered to take the particular course of action] would be definitively curtailed. They have shown themselves to have total disregard for human rights and consultative process; having the same people shorn of any excuse to violate those would indeed be a step forward, and I for one am grateful to the Select Committee for flagging up to government just how FURTHER INAPPROPRIATE it would be to have such powers exercised by a body without the same degree of even nominal oversight that the present organisation 'suffers' under [as BW see it].If the Public Bodies Bill is to be of any benefit to users of the waterways and to those living and working alongside [the powers affect riparian owners & occupiers also, not just boaters, walkers, cyclists anglers etc.], then it is essential that the amendment is voted against come July 12th. If it is passed, then not only will the chance for reform have been lost, but BW will see their way clear to indeed obtaining greater powers. Some of those powers are already 'waiting in the wings' in the form of their new proposed Byelaws, that incorporate powers identical to those BW have been refused before. BW are just waiting for Amendment 99A to be passed before pushing these through for approval, in time for transference to their new structure.

Nigel Moore ● 5149d15 Comments ● 4887d

Tate Hindle/Invista:- Massive Development Plans for Chiswick High Road / Sainsburys

On ChiswickW4 website, there is an article about planned huge development involving Sainsburys on Chiswick High Road.  See also the Chiswick forum postings "Developing this part of CHR..."I would also like to point out that this is the same land agents & architect partnership (Invista & Tate Hindle) that are trying to build the Reynard Mills tower blocks off Windmill Road on Brentford/Ealing borders that we all should already know about. When I saw this architect's impression image this morning, I had a bad feeling of déja vue.In short, the plans are to demolish Sainsburys and rebuild with shopfront on the high road facing Turnham Green Church & Green. Huge glass personality-void monstrosity - same as so many other high streets, Croydon was mentioned on the Chiswick forum!  And where the car park currently stands, there are plans for housing and, yes tower blocks! And where are the Sainsbury's shoppers meant to park?Why do Invista want to build tower blocks everywhere?  Where is the community consultation? and finally .... I bet this is only outline planning with the view of selling on the land once planning is approved, to a developer for big bucks?   But nothing to be found on Hounslows website yet?Its all about money - nothing is ever done for the "best of the community".  I am fairly sure that current Chiswick residents would not like their high road to look every other high street. Here we go again.....

Natasha Manganaro ● 4898d3 Comments ● 4895d

http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/02/28/petition-in-support-of-guatemalan-presidents-call-for-drug-le

Underneath, I will give you some hints of actions you can take to help spread the word. You can find more tips and links at: http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/02/28/petition-in-support-of-guatemalan-presidents-call-for-drug-legalization/. Feel free to be as creative as you want and come up with your own strategy. Let me know what worked for you, to share with others.LEAP endorsed today the petition in support of the Perez Molina initiative. People can now sign directly from LEAP website http://www.leap.cc/. It will be broadcasted to their 50,000 + members over the next few days, so we should expect some amazing bumps in the numbers.The petition is also posted on the ENCOD website (European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies)http://www.encod.de/info/SUPPORT-GUATEMALA-S-PRESIDENT-S.html. Thank you to whoever posted it there.I encourage everybody to contact any groups or forums that may promote the petition.I contacted AVAAZ and could use your help to get their attention. You can go to http://www.avaaz.org/en/contact/ and fill up the form. The more request they get to support the petition, the more likely they are to take it over. There is the option to create a new petition on http://www.avaaz.org/en/contact/, but that wouldn’t give us just the AVAAZ platform, not the AVAAZ logistical support. It might be best to be consistent when we contact them. Underneath are the title and copy of my message:Support the Guatemalan President Perez Molina Initiative for drug legalization You may be aware of the recent developments on the drug policy reform front in Latin America, starting with the Tuxtla declaration on December 6th, and the recent proposal put forward by Guatemalan president Perez Molina, to raise the issue of legalization at the sixth Summit of the Americas on April 14-15, 2012. For the first time ever, legalization will be debated at a major international Summit, with the leaders of the 34 countries of the Americas in attendance! This is an unprecedented event. All activists should take advantage of this opportunity to generate massive mobilization of support for significant and meaningful debate on drug policy reform, especially as obstruction can be expected from the US.In support of this action, was initiated on Monday February 27, 2012, a petition in support of Guatemalan president's call for drug legalization http://signon.org/sign/support-guatemalan-president.?source=s.em.cr&r_by=2727050&mailing_id=2370 Considering your history of support for drug policy reform, I kindly request your help for its promotion. Having the logistical support of AVAAZ would give this action the exposure it deserves. This can and should be one of the largest AVAAZ campaign ever, similar in scope to the action you had last year on drug policy reform.Please feel free to contact me for any clarification you may need. Thank you for your consideration.You may also contact AVAAZ founder Ricken Patel on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/rickenpatel77Update on the Perez Molina Initiative Despite the hurried dispatch, one day ahead of Roxana Baldetti’s own tour, of Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on a tour of the region on February 28th to drum up support for the War on Drugs, Guatemala managed to get the support of Costa Rica so far. http://telenoticias7.com/detalle.php?id=122813The UK government quickly aligned behind the US position, but the powerful British Inter-parliamentary group on drug policy reform was just as quick to warmly embrace the Perez Molina initiative. http://www.guatemala.gob.gt/index.php/2011-06-30-23-44-4/agenda/item/74-parlamento-brit%C3%A1nico-apoya-%E2%80%9Ciniciativa-p%C3%A9rez-molina%E2%80%9DColombia and Mexico are still on the sidelines and haven’t reacted yet to the Guatemalan proposal. A lot will depend on the attitude of these two most influential countries in the region. Should these countries decide to seriously explore alternatives to the War on Drugs and move resolutely towards more pragmatic and realistic policies, the balance of power would be drastically altered and other countries could be persuaded to align behind them, but nothing can happen without Colombia and Mexico onboard. Therefore, if you live in Colombia or Mexico, or if you have friends and contact there, please sign and diffuse the petition. Reach out as much as you can in Latin America. Perez Molina talked about a regional meeting to discuss his proposal on March 6 and 7. Between now and then, we must drum up as much support as we can.Finally, I have been sending press releases and 2 have been published so far. Feel free to send as many press-releases as you want. You can also write opinion pieces or letters to the editor. Feel free to use the material found on my blog (www.world-war-d.com) or write your own. If you could help me translate some of this material in Spanish, that would be great. You can reach me at jd@world-war-d.com http://colombiareports.com/opinion/157-guests/22546-drug-legalization-must-on-the-summit-of-the-americas-agenda.htmlhttp://www.guatemala-times.com/news/guatemala/2966-support-guatemalan-drug-legalization-initiative-at-oea-meeting.htmlFeedback from signers I got a lot of wonderful feedback and I apologize for not being able to reply to everybody.LEAP co-founder and chair, Jack Cole wrote: “I am the co-founder and Board chair of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). I am also a retired detective lieutenant—26 years with the New Jersey State Police and 14 in their Narcotic Bureau, mostly undercover. I bear witness to the abject failure of the U.S. war on drugs and to the horrors produced by this self-perpetuating, constantly expanding policy disaster. You have the backing of LEAP's 50,000 police, judges, prosecutors and supporters in 86 countries.”Neill Franklin: “As the executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), our organization of over 50,000 supporters worldwide, support this petition.”Jude Hider, from the UK, summed up the sentiment of many: “Dear President Otto Perez Molina & Vice-President Roxana Baldetti thank you very much for this courageous action.”

Philip Walsh ● 4908d0 Comments ● 4908d

http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/02/28/petition-in-support-of-guatemalan-presidents-call-for-drug-l

Underneath, I will give you some hints of actions you can take to help spread the word. You can find more tips and links at: http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/02/28/petition-in-support-of-guatemalan-presidents-call-for-drug-legalization/. Feel free to be as creative as you want and come up with your own strategy. Let me know what worked for you, to share with others.LEAP endorsed today the petition in support of the Perez Molina initiative. People can now sign directly from LEAP website http://www.leap.cc/. It will be broadcasted to their 50,000 + members over the next few days, so we should expect some amazing bumps in the numbers.The petition is also posted on the ENCOD website (European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies)http://www.encod.de/info/SUPPORT-GUATEMALA-S-PRESIDENT-S.html. Thank you to whoever posted it there.I encourage everybody to contact any groups or forums that may promote the petition.I contacted AVAAZ and could use your help to get their attention. You can go to http://www.avaaz.org/en/contact/ and fill up the form. The more request they get to support the petition, the more likely they are to take it over. There is the option to create a new petition on http://www.avaaz.org/en/contact/, but that wouldn’t give us just the AVAAZ platform, not the AVAAZ logistical support. It might be best to be consistent when we contact them. Underneath are the title and copy of my message:Support the Guatemalan President Perez Molina Initiative for drug legalization You may be aware of the recent developments on the drug policy reform front in Latin America, starting with the Tuxtla declaration on December 6th, and the recent proposal put forward by Guatemalan president Perez Molina, to raise the issue of legalization at the sixth Summit of the Americas on April 14-15, 2012. For the first time ever, legalization will be debated at a major international Summit, with the leaders of the 34 countries of the Americas in attendance! This is an unprecedented event. All activists should take advantage of this opportunity to generate massive mobilization of support for significant and meaningful debate on drug policy reform, especially as obstruction can be expected from the US.In support of this action, was initiated on Monday February 27, 2012, a petition in support of Guatemalan president's call for drug legalization http://signon.org/sign/support-guatemalan-president.?source=s.em.cr&r_by=2727050&mailing_id=2370 Considering your history of support for drug policy reform, I kindly request your help for its promotion. Having the logistical support of AVAAZ would give this action the exposure it deserves. This can and should be one of the largest AVAAZ campaign ever, similar in scope to the action you had last year on drug policy reform.Please feel free to contact me for any clarification you may need. Thank you for your consideration.You may also contact AVAAZ founder Ricken Patel on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/rickenpatel77Update on the Perez Molina Initiative Despite the hurried dispatch, one day ahead of Roxana Baldetti’s own tour, of Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on a tour of the region on February 28th to drum up support for the War on Drugs, Guatemala managed to get the support of Costa Rica so far. http://telenoticias7.com/detalle.php?id=122813The UK government quickly aligned behind the US position, but the powerful British Inter-parliamentary group on drug policy reform was just as quick to warmly embrace the Perez Molina initiative. http://www.guatemala.gob.gt/index.php/2011-06-30-23-44-4/agenda/item/74-parlamento-brit%C3%A1nico-apoya-%E2%80%9Ciniciativa-p%C3%A9rez-molina%E2%80%9DColombia and Mexico are still on the sidelines and haven’t reacted yet to the Guatemalan proposal. A lot will depend on the attitude of these two most influential countries in the region. Should these countries decide to seriously explore alternatives to the War on Drugs and move resolutely towards more pragmatic and realistic policies, the balance of power would be drastically altered and other countries could be persuaded to align behind them, but nothing can happen without Colombia and Mexico onboard. Therefore, if you live in Colombia or Mexico, or if you have friends and contact there, please sign and diffuse the petition. Reach out as much as you can in Latin America. Perez Molina talked about a regional meeting to discuss his proposal on March 6 and 7. Between now and then, we must drum up as much support as we can.Finally, I have been sending press releases and 2 have been published so far. Feel free to send as many press-releases as you want. You can also write opinion pieces or letters to the editor. Feel free to use the material found on my blog (www.world-war-d.com) or write your own. If you could help me translate some of this material in Spanish, that would be great. You can reach me at jd@world-war-d.com http://colombiareports.com/opinion/157-guests/22546-drug-legalization-must-on-the-summit-of-the-americas-agenda.htmlhttp://www.guatemala-times.com/news/guatemala/2966-support-guatemalan-drug-legalization-initiative-at-oea-meeting.htmlFeedback from signers I got a lot of wonderful feedback and I apologize for not being able to reply to everybody.LEAP co-founder and chair, Jack Cole wrote: “I am the co-founder and Board chair of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). I am also a retired detective lieutenant—26 years with the New Jersey State Police and 14 in their Narcotic Bureau, mostly undercover. I bear witness to the abject failure of the U.S. war on drugs and to the horrors produced by this self-perpetuating, constantly expanding policy disaster. You have the backing of LEAP's 50,000 police, judges, prosecutors and supporters in 86 countries.”Neill Franklin: “As the executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), our organization of over 50,000 supporters worldwide, support this petition.”Jude Hider, from the UK, summed up the sentiment of many: “Dear President Otto Perez Molina & Vice-President Roxana Baldetti thank you very much for this courageous action

Philip Walsh ● 4908d0 Comments ● 4908d

Why would you?

Just perusing the Chronicle whilst still bleary-eyed this morning for some reaason I looked at the Public Notices when I spied something about Mogden Lane. It seems for some obscure reason known only to the people who inhabit planet Traffic there are to be 4 - yes, 4 more speed humps installed in Mogden Lane at the junctions with Beaumont Close, Trevor Close, Briar Close and Manns Close (this one complete with apostrophe?!!) The longest of these humps is to be 9.5 metres. This part of Mogden Lane is often backed up with traffic caused by the daft arragement at the junction with Twickenham Rd. because traffic that wants to turn left on the filter light cannot do so because of the traffic waiting to turn right being down to one lane only. There is an ambulance station nearby also of course Twickenham Stadium, plus this is a bus route too. So why do there need to be traffic calming measures? If Hounslow has money to burn can't they do something about the increasingly poor state of the road surface in Whitton Dene, or even the cycle track which is pretty poor, or even somewhere for the delivery lorries for Tesco to park up as they often cause a problem. Or what we could do with is for the road layout at the junction with Twickenham Road to be looked at to avoid the back ups. Objections to these proposed Traffic Orders can be sent to the Director of Environment Michael Jordan, Ref: TMO/P002/12 by March 16th. The existing speed humps in Whitton Dene must be the biggest waste of money ever, as they do nothing and most people drive around them, but is there anything to enable pedestrians to cross to Tesco? - no, of course not. If anyone can explain to me why this is necessary I'd love to hear as I use Mogden Lane frequently and I just cannot see any rhyme or reason for this ridiculous colossal waste of money.

Vanessa Smith ● 4913d15 Comments ● 4911d

Shopping, Customer Service GRRRR

One of my daughters bought me some M & S suede moccasin slippers at Christmas along with the receipt should I wish to exchange or return them.  Last week I finally got round to wearing them so threw away the receipt.  Yesterday my toe poked through the top of them where the stitching appeared to have vanished and the suede appeared to have perished.  Today I returned them to M&S and was told it looked like "wear & tear".  I pointed out that it was obvious these were brand new as they were spotless inside and out and a weeks wear was not acceptable for slippers that cost £19.  The assistant went off to speak to a manager (who remained out of sight) and came back saying they would have to go off for examination as it looked as though the damage was deliberate!Needless to say I was extremely put out and have already emailed & written to M&S to express my feelings.  Who knows what the response will be but I know I will be giving the wonderful M&S a wide berth from now on.  Having been probably one of their best customers for too many years to mention I have never ever been accused of deliberately destroying something that may have been faulty.I then stopped to look at watches in H Samuel's window - within seconds a gentleman came out of the shop to ask me if I was alright and could he help me with anything".  Since I was already annoyed I let him have it both barrels.  I asked weather I was allowed to look in the window and told him if I wanted help with anything I would ask for it.  He apologised and said "we have been told to approach customers".  I said I was not a customer I was merely looking inI e window.  I pointed out that in my opinion that was the surest to scare off any potential customer and flounced off where the experience was repeated when I looked in Ernest Jones' window and where I repeated my feelings to the female assistant that came out of the shop to drag me in.I have long been suppressing the urge to tongue lash the many hapless shop assistants that have for some time now been driving me bonkers in shops by approaching me with the immortal words "are you alright".  The last time was in Monsoon and I said "no - please call me an ambulance I can't be well because in every shop I have been in someone has asked if I am alright".  Needless to say the assistant was flumoxed.Last week my two sisters and me stopped to look at the menu in the window of the Greyhound pub in Kew only for the barmaid to appear asking if she could get us anything? I know we are in a recession and times are hard for shops but I wont be responsible for my actions if this gets any worse or.... is it just me?The final straw was when I discovered that my brand of cigarettes has been discontinued after 40 odd years of smoking St Moritz - woe betide anyone that upsets me now.

Bernadette Paul ● 4925d14 Comments ● 4921d

Christmas Lights and Funding

The Brentford High Street Christmas Lights were officially switched on last night from the Watermans.  The evening was a great success with children from St Pauls singing carols, a gorgeous merry-go-round gave rides to the children and lots of mulled wine drank by us older ones.  We sold some Brentford Christmas cards (proceeds go towards the lights) and collected donations of just over £50 which was great.  Thank you to everyone.The fund raising is going really well for the lights this year.  We did want to improve on last year's lights but unfortunately there was a shortfall of £2,068 owed to the Council from last year which we had to find first.  This year the Council is charging us £3,200 to erect and take down the lights as well as for storage when not in use.  However we were able to apply to the Council's Area Committee for a grant towards the lights and were awarded £500.  Together with proceeds from the Fund Raising Auction in September, donations made by local residents and businesses and the sale of Christmas cards we have now raised £2,906 which is very close to our target.For anyone who hasn't bought their Christmas cards we still have plenty left at 206 High Street.  We are also selling some cards for Boston Manor Park.  For anyone wishing to make a small or large donation we have a collection box at the office.Thank you to everyone who has helped make the Christmas lights possible this year.Julia QuilliamQuilliam Property Services020 8847 4737

Julia Quilliam ● 6096d6 Comments ● 4929d

Claims against Thames Water

Following the recent High Court judgement finding Thames Water liable for causing an odour nuisance from  Mogden at various times between 1999 and  2007, more than 1000 families'  claims for compensation are being processed by Hugh James Solicitors. The Judge ruled that between 1999 and 2009 Thames Water could have run the works to a higher standard and has awarded damages until 2007.  When preparing the litigation it was estimated by experts that approximately  36,000 residents could be affected by nuisance from Mogden. Residents who did not sign up to the Group Litigation may still be entitled to claim compensation for odour and/or nuisance from 2006 onwards on a no win no fee arrangement.Residents who think they have a claim should contact the Environmental Team at Hugh James Solicitors for further information and/or to register their claim.Tel 029 2039 1118email  environmentgroup@hughjames.com Residents will be aware that the last Tory regime at Hounslow Council approved the massive expansion of Mogden which is currently half way to completion. The Judge therefore found that until the expansion is complete, an injunction to restrain further odour would not be practical. It is therefore important that victims of  continuing odour from Mogden register their interest with Hugh James Solicitors so that further action can be considered after completion of the expansion next year if the odour off site has not been eliminated.

Steve Taylor ● 4934d3 Comments ● 4933d

U.S. Government Repressed Marijuana-Tumor Research

Alternet, May 31, 2000Title: Pot Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew in ‘74Author: Raymond Cushinghttp://www.alternet.org/print.html?StoryID=9257Faculty Evaluator: Mary King M.D.Student researchers: Jennifer Swift, Licia Marshall,Corporate media coverage: AP and UPI news wires 2/29/00A Spanish medical team’s study released in Madrid in February 2000 has shown that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in marijuana, destroys tumors in lab rats. These findings, however, are not news to the U.S. government. A study in Virginia in 1974 yielded similar results but was suppressed by the DEA, and in 1983 the Reagan/Bush administration tried to persuade U.S. universities and researchers to destroy all cannabis research work done between 1966 and 1976, including compendiums in libraries.The research was conducted by a medical team led by Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutence University in Madrid. In the study, brains of 45 lab rats were injected with a cancer cell, which produced tumors. On the twelfth day of the experiment, 15 of the rats were injected with THC and 15 with Win-55, 212-2, a synthetic compound similar to THC. The untreated rats died 12-18 days after the development of the tumors. THC treated rats lived significantly longer than the control group. Although three were unaffected by the THC, nine lived 19-35 days, while tumors were completely eradicated in three others. The rats treated with Win-55,212-2 showed similar results.In an e-mail interview for this story, the Madrid researcher said he had heard of the Virginia study, but had never been able to locate literature on it. “I am aware of the existence of that research. In fact I have attempted many times to obtain the journal article on the original investigation by theses people, but it has proven impossible,” Guzman said. His response wasn’t surprising, considering that in 1983 the Reagan/Bush administration tried to persuade American universities and researchers to destroy all 1966/76 cannabis research work, including compendiums in libraries, reports Jack Herer. “We know that large amounts of information have since disappeared,” he says.Guzman provided the title of the work-”Antineoplastic Activity of Cannabinoids,” an article in a 1975 Journal of the National Cancer Institute-and author Raymond Cushing obtained a copy at the UC Medical School Library in Davis, California, and faxed it to Madrid. The 1975 article does not mention breast cancer tumors, which were featured in the only newspaper story ever to appear about the 1974 study in the local section of the Washington Post on August 18, 1974. The headline read, “Cancer Curb Is Studied,” and was followed in part by, “The active chemical agent in marijuana curbs the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice and may also suppress the immunity reaction that causes rejection of organ transplants, a Medical College of Virginia team has discovered. The researchers found that THC slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers, and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent.”Drug Enforcement Agency officials shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis research, according to Jack Herer, who reports on these events in his book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes. In 1976, President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies. These companies set out-unsuccessfully-to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the “high.”Update by Raymond CushingWhen I was a cub reporter twenty-eight years ago at the daily Advocate in Stamford, Connecticut, my first city editor-a white-haired veteran of the International Herald Tribune named Marian Campbell-told me that the cure for cancer was the holy grail of all news stories.“Unless they discover the cure for cancer,” she would say over the clackety-clack of the manual typewriters, “this paper goes to press on time.”What I found out a quarter-century later is that not even the cure for cancer is a big enough story to crack the Berlin Wall of media censorship in this country. Toss in the facts that the cure appears to be a benign substance that has been illegal for 63 years, and that the government knowingly suppressed evidence of its curative powers 25 years, and you get twice the storyæand twice the censorship.I won’t name the “investigative journalists” who didn’t respond when I sent them this story. I won’t list the numerous “progressive” publications that ignored it. I won’t describe the forbidding sense of professional isolation I endured in the months I tried to place the story.Suffice it to say that it’s what one would expect in a society that has criminalized its own young for two generations around the cannabis issue simply because we were told to do so.Thousands of innocent people who are in U.S. prisons for possessing or selling “the cure for cancer” await liberation and reparations. Someday our grandchildren will look back and ask, “What did you do to set the cannabis prisoners free?”Here’s what any responsible journalist should be doing:Go to primary sources when evaluating cannabis research. The AP and other news organizations love to elevate “bad science” and suppress “good science” when it comes to cannabis. You have to read the original research articles yourself and make your own judgments.Investigate and report on the war on children that is a major component of the war on drugs. The marijuana laws are the main tool the police use to persecute minors. No other policy affects more families in more insidious and devastating ways than cannabis prohibition.Learn about the history of cannabis prohibition and about the pharmaceutical, liquor, and tobacco giants that are behind it. If you don’t know the history of cannabis and hemp prohibition, you’re too ignorant to justifiably call yourself a journalist.If it turns out-as my story would seem to indicate-that cannabis is the cure for cancer and the government suppressed this information for 25 years (and continues to suppress it), then the body count alone will make this the biggest holocaust in recorded history. Virtually all federal drug policy makers of both parties since 1975-including legislators, presidents and the DEA-will be complicit and criminally liable.That’s why they don’t want this story covered.To learn the history of cannabis prohibition, read http://www.jackherer.com. To read my story, type in the address at the beginning of this segment.Raymond Cushing: raymondcushing@ireland.com

Philip Walsh ● 4939d0 Comments ● 4939d

Brentford 'improvements'

Quoting from the front page article, for £1,000,000 Brentford will receive the following "improvements" :"In Brentford, the funding will see a range of projects taking place to connect the Great West Road and Brentford High Street through: A launch event along the Grand Union Canal with the Royal Opera House during the Olympics.Improving access from the Great West Road to Brentford Lock through a new cycling and pedestrian junction via the canal’s towpath and new bespoke signage on the Golden Mile.A project to improve signage in and around Brentford town centre.A bespoke lighting scheme linking up the Great West Road with the towpath, bridge underpass, towpath, Piazza, High Street and Market Place.Development of a new cycling junction outside Holiday Inn.Improvements to entrances to St George’s Piazza, new lighting and signage and bringing empty retail units back into use.Improvements to the north side of High Street, with new street furniture, lighting and further shop frontage improvements.A one year long community programme to develop a spectacular performance for a celebration event in March 2014."How much of that does Brentford actually need or will benefit from in the long-term ?.  The "launch event" - what has the Royal Opera House or the Olympics for that matter got to do with Brentford ?.  Waste of money.Access from GWR to Brentford Lock - is a new cycle/pedestrian junction really needed ?.  Bespoke signage on the Golden Mile ? - why can't this be left to private companies/developers ?.Improving signage - is Brentford that much of a maze to get round ?.Bespoke lighting scheme - the towpath does need to be better lit in places, but no need for anything OTT.New cycling junction outside Holiday Inn - is that particular spot a hotbed for cyclists ?.  Has a guest at the Inn ever arrived/departed by bike ?!.  Ok so some staff might, but is it really needed ?.Bring empty retail units back into use - how ?.  By reducing rents or offering similar incentives ?.Improvements to the north side of the High Street - presumably afew new benches or such like.Community programme/celebration event - hmmm...No doubt I'll be accused of being cynical again, but this seems an utter waste of £1,000,000 to me.

Adam Beamish ● 4952d18 Comments ● 4939d