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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 ● 4192d1 Comments ● 4192d

CPZ - Cllr Melvin Collins response

I sent an e-mail to Andrew Nye and our local councillors asking if they could clarify when the start date was and also asking about the hours of operation. This is Cllr Melvin Collins response...Hi Caroline May I remind you that CPZs are automatically reviewed in 6 months time from 27 April.  My Facilitator, Eileen, knows of a road with 8.30-6.30pm in Ealing.  It is completely empty during the day as a result and is not the best use of the space.  May I also remind you that residents do NOT necessarily have the right to park in their road.  This ‘gift’ come from the Council. With kind regards Cllr Melvin CollinsBrentford WardMob: 07925 693655Via Eileen HendersonFacilitatorWords fail me...

caroline small ● 4218d26 Comments ● 4193d

Is a vote for Ruth Cadbury a vote to break up the UK?

If Ruth Cadbury should be elected is that one seat closer to Ed Miliband doing a deal with The SNP and Nicola Sturgeon?

Chris Lucy ● 4198d55 Comments ● 4193d

Helicopter over Sky TV

Is that where it is?  Beams of light into the Sky so is the very noisy helicopter theirs as well?  People do have to sleep.  :(

Sarah Felstead ● 4194d0 Comments ● 4194d

CPZ

The CPZ isn't in force yet (though you wouldn't know that from the signs) but it does seem to have had an immediate effect.  Brook Road South is half empty in the afternoons and also plenty of spaces along that road and Clifden Road the past two evenings.  I notice there are lots of cars without permits but difficult to know if these are residents who haven’t got their permits yet or infiltrators?

Reg Ghosh ● 4216d21 Comments ● 4194d

Labour too scared to knock on my door?

It appears so. Two labour canvassers decided to skip my house whilst knocking on doors down my street this weekend.  They also appeared to skip any other house that looked like it might be owned by someone who would disapprove of the party policies.  Perhaps Ruth Cadbury would like to knock on my door one evening or weekend to apologize for her canvassers doing what every labour politician does and judging people by their pre-concieved notions of who might support them and who might understand economics.

Lorne Gifford ● 4204d50 Comments ● 4195d

'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 ● 4203d18 Comments ● 4195d

If you don't want two Ealing wheelie bins

then please sign the petitionhttp://ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/ePetitions/tabid/96/ID/18/Against-Wheelie-Bins.aspx

Nigel Brooks ● 4196d0 Comments ● 4196d

A new Princess

Congrats to Kate and Wills

Steve Taylor ● 4199d5 Comments ● 4197d

Ballymore Advertisement on the hight street

Hello Last Friday I noticed the Ballymore's advertisement on the derelict building in front of Moorison/BeeHive.Does anyone know when they start working on the high-street redevelopment plan?In your opinion would it be a good thing for Brentford?Many thanks in advanceRegardsDomenico

Domenico Urzi ● 4203d4 Comments ● 4197d

Jersey potatoes

Does anyone know where I can buy proper Jersey potatoes - not the ones washed in a bag that have no flavour.  The ones that you have to scrape yourself.  Thanks.

Pat Kingham ● 4198d1 Comments ● 4198d

Brentford V Middlesborough

The first leg of the play offs against Middlesborough is on Friday 8th May at 19.45 & NOT on Saturday 9th as posted on the front page.

Kevin Farnan ● 4198d0 Comments ● 4198d

BBC series on waste disposal

Worth a watch for those who complain about changes in local authorities approach to 'the bins'.... http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p02npndq/wastemen-1-the-home-front

Iain Muir ● 4199d0 Comments ● 4199d

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 ● 4207d13 Comments ● 4199d

Brent Lea Recreation Ground

I have received the letter from the council notifying us of a planning application by Floreat for two temporary school buildings and a covered playground for the school children.Our house backs on to this area and it is used all day. It has been said that it is under used and that is why they feel it's ok to build on. If the council had looked after it properly it would not be underused.Objections have to be made within 15 days  to Stephen.Hissett@hounslow.gov.uk  Planning ref 00707/AK/P1We need our rec more than ever considering the large numbers of flats being built in the area.If we let them build on this local recreation ground, where will it stop?

Joanna Russell ● 4211d37 Comments ● 4199d

Hounslow and Private Eye - again!

Regarding the 'massive fallout' after the discovery of Hounslow Homes losing millions of pounds  to fraud and incompetence, or as the 'Eye' puts it "That's 'massive fallout' in the sense of 'hardly any fallout at all'."There have been no prosecutions, despite the exposure of a culture of routine theft, private jobs, nepotism, bullying, sexual harassment and abuse of hospitality and expenses, with managers enjoying jollies such as rugby matches and days at the races. The woman who presided over it all for seven years, chief executive Bernadette O'Shea, was allowed to slink off with a package worth more that £250,000.Yet the debacle seems to have done her no harm. She now has a new job as managing director of Triathlon Homes, which manages 2,818 homes at the site of the former Olympic village in Newham. Curiously, while Ms. O'Shea's LinkedIn profile proudly trumpets this role- and indeed - all her other jobs back to 1987 - she has not found room in it for any mention of her years at Hounslow. Fancy!"

Vanessa Smith ● 4201d1 Comments ● 4201d

It's official Hounslow Highways are rubbish!

We had notices delivered a few weeks ago saying our road was to be re-surfaced - why? Nothing wrong with it, however, this was followed by a notice before the start of work which was today. Obviously we were told no parking on the highway - given we have designated pavement parking as the roads are quite narrow, we thought we'd 'phone and ask if we needed to move our cars or whether or not they'd be O.K. THIRTY EIGHT minutes my husband hung on the 'phone, the only contact given being the Civic Centre number, when a human eventually answered he explained the matter, and got "Ah - not sure about that, I'll get someone to ring you back". This morning I was in the shower only to be told we needed to move our cars! I appreciate this is not the crew's fault, but we did take the trouble to ask and as per usual Hounslow Council couldn't give a sh*t about residents. Their communications are dreadful. None of can understand why this work is being done as the roads are fine, why not take a look at Whitton Dene, Rosebery Rd. or Riverside Walk not to mention Central Avenue - all of which are in the most appalling state? Talk about lunatics running the asylum.

Vanessa Smith ● 4207d21 Comments ● 4202d

Job Vacancy

SEPG is an Early Years childcare provider, operating as a charity.We currently have a vacancy for a Finance Officer.This role will cover the financial admin for the charity e.g. cash flow, invoicing, banking, local authority grants, salaries & taxes to name but a few.You will also be the first point of contact for all membership enquires, liaising directly with parents and working with our Manager to ensure our ratios are maintained.This is a part time role with an average of 12 hours per week, working from your home. Remuneration will depend on skill set, however, please bear in mind that we are a charity.We are a friendly bunch but we need a person with strong financial competencies and good interpersonal skills.If you are interested, please email sepgstaffdev@gmail.com with a brief description of your talents and/or a CV.

Holly Newth ● 4203d0 Comments ● 4203d

Jacket Size

Can anyone help me.If a jacket has the measurements as follows what size is this is it M, L, XL etc etc??Armpit to Armpit 24.5"Shoulder to Shoulder 21"Neck to bottom (length) 33"Under Arm to Wrist 17.5"In the add it said 48" chest but in the email i got sent it stated a 42r

Simon Anderson ● 4203d3 Comments ● 4203d

Advertising at Brentford Lock

It seems the lovely wooden bridge at Brentford Lock is becoming an advertising hoarding, with big banners from Time and Siracusa - are they paying for this prime site advertising?  It looks awful and cheapens an area that has had so much money spent on its development.

Nigel Lewis ● 4222d10 Comments ● 4203d