If the extra money goes towards better quality and range of food – and the take up for cooked school meals improves, then I don’t think the extra 10p per meal is unreasonable. I completely object to parking charges without a full understanding of why they are being imposed – the reliance on them for extra revenue is totally wrong, IMHO. The parking charges around Osterley library are completely wrong and are preventing the efficient use of the library – if an afternoon session with kiddies is 1 ½ hours – and the idea is to stop all day commuters - why not have 2 hours free parking in the empty spaces outside?I have some issues - that the pavements and street maintenance are not apparently managed – and that houses are not reassessed for Council Tax after going through the planning process and being extended from 3 bed’s (often without a garage) to 5/7 beds garage and bungalow at the bottom of the garden. At present the house keeps the 3 bed status but has often been doubled in size, and it keeps this status and the lower tax band until the house is sold.I also object to the Council Tax being waved whilst the house is unoccupied and ‘under development’. This is not a poor area and in need of ‘financial encouragement’ to develop the houses, so at least there should be a 50% levy especially as the destruction/neglect to the area and community can be pretty significant during the development process.I would argue that a property whilst not being ‘lived in’ in the normal sense of the term – ‘is’ lived in by the nature of the development process. Same argument I think can apply to these empty office blocks and sites which are covered in very lucrative bill boards, masts and temporary car parks across the Borough except in my opinion, they should be paying a considerable Council Tax, to repay the community for the vandalism of neglect …I have spoken of my disappointment when a few years ago it was announced that every area within the Borough would have a named person responsible for the maintenance of an area of streets and roads. For a short while, and knowing the issues with the destruction of the pavements I was pleased that somebody had realised the need for a closer management of this section of the Councils purse. My excitement was short lived – and then came the pavement thread and photographs and accidents detailed and then the lady dying.There were a number of obvious areas which a ‘management strategy’ would have addressed – not in the least that there was a suggestion that the named person would actually walk around the area and familiarise themselves with their areas of responsibility, on a regular basis – keeping the information fresh.If somebody dares to pop up now and tell us that this does happen - - - - - !One simple example – just one, allow me to cherry pick - was the road surface in our street. For years people had taken to parking on one side of the road. This side of the road – its surface – was pristine and very good quality. The other side however was disintegrating and obviously going to require mending along the gutter because of the constant use. In one of my moments when speaking to several people, within, I suggested that rather than let this continue and the obvious expense we were heading towards, why not have a conversation with the residents and move the parking to the other side of the road? Do you really need me to tell you that, of course, nothing happened, and yes the money was spent – and will continue to be spent as the weakness is still there even through the patchwork bits of tarmac?There is another example you can go and check out – unless it has been sorted out recently – and that is Park Road running from Busch corner to Old Isleworth and the river, quite a fast cut through in the rush hour. Parking on one side of the road has protected the road surface whereas the other side is shiny from the passing traffic – why not shift the parked cars to the other side to give an even wear to the road surface? Why not have proper Street management processes which works and addresses the needs of how the areas streets are being used these days? A stitch in time saves £££ - doesn’t it?
Sarah Felstead ● 6684d