CHURCH STREET WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – September 2021
News from your Church Street Labour Councillors Aicha Less, Matt Noble and Aziz Toki
Dear Resident,
We hope you are well.
With the number of people getting vaccinated increasing every day, we hope that we will soon be through the worst of the pandemic. Along with Karen Buck MP, we are doing all we can to help the local community and individual residents and their families.
Below are some of the Church Street issues we have been taking up recently, many as a result of residents’ responses to our regular newsletters. Let us know if we can take up a local issue in your area.
You can read our latest news on http://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk
If you know of anyone else who might like to receive this report, please send them this sign-up link https://bit.ly/labour-news
Please let us know if we can be of any help or assistance.
Lisson Green
Church Street Councillor Matt Noble presented a petition from over 100 Lisson Green residents to the Council meeting on 22nd September calling on the Council to return the Greenside Hall back to community use after 18 months as a Covid test centre.
Paddington Green police station site
Westminster Council has rejected plans for a 32-storey tower and a 15 and an 18-storey block on the Paddington Green Police Station site. Council planners had recommended the plans for approval. Councillors on the Planning committee voted five to one to reject the application, citing concerns over the height of the building and its effect on Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill – as well as four local conservation areas, containing four Grade II-listed buildings and two Grade II*-listed buildings.
Councillors also raised concerns over the overshadowing caused by the building, noting that just 23 per cent of rooms in a next-door block would have enough sunlight. Councillors also expressed concern about residential amenity, with 55 per cent of flats being single aspect and 6 per cent of flats being both single-aspect and north-facing.
Rubbish dumping
Westminster’s streets are littered with mounds of dumped rubbish from Pimlico to Paddington despite the Council spending £50 million a year with Veolia whose contract has just been extended for another three years. The time is long overdue for tough action against the regular rubbish dumpers who litter the streets of Westminster and who are currently getting away with this particularly selfish and nasty form of anti-social behaviour. We have put forward a 5-point plan to tackle the rubbish dumping menace.
Marble Arch Mound
We have called on the Council to remove the £6 million Marble Arch Mound as soon as possible. The Mound project has been a major embarrassment to Westminster Council who have lost £6 million of taxpayers’ money. It highlights the incompetence and arrogance of a Conservative administration that has been in power for far too long.
The Marble Arch Mound fiasco continues with this article highlighting the Council’s failures
We have identified many ways in which the £6 million could have been better spent to benefit local residents
Voting by post
It is much easier, quicker and safer to vote by post.
You can use this form to apply for a postal vote
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/sites/default/files/postal-vote-application-form.pdf
You can email your completed form to electoralservices@westminster.gov.uk or post it to Electoral Services, Westminster City Council, 14th Floor City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6QP.
North Paddington Foodbank
If you are in need of emergency support, please contact your support worker or Westminster CAB for a referral, you will then be contacted by the food bank to arrange a delivery or collection. If you are struggling to access a referral or are concerned for someone you know, please call the food bank directly on 07932 623443.
The Foodbank is on the frontline helping more people than ever before in a very difficult situation. Please donate here
The Food Bank is in need of volunteers of all ages across all roles. From lunch hour delivery drivers to evening packers and daytime support. If you would like to find out more please get in touch at volunteers@npfoodbank.org.uk
Free NHS Health Check
If you are between the ages of 40-74, you might be at risk of developing heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, stroke, or dementia. A FREE NHS Health Check can lower your risk and make sure that you stay healthy for longer.
The NHS Health Check is your chance to get personalised health advice and access specialist support. The health check-up is FREE of charge and is designed to spot the early signs of high-risk conditions. You will be invited by your local GP surgery if you are eligible for this health check. Act now and enjoy a healthier life for longer. For more information, please visit oneyou.westminster.gov.uk/check-yourself
E-Scooter hire trial
Transport for London is holding an e-scooter hire trial over the coming months. If you have any comments on the trial, please contact TfL by email at haveyoursay@tfl.gov.uk.
‘Westminster Extra’
You can read the ‘Westminster Extra’ online
Refuse collection and Recycling collection times
Recycling bags can be ordered from https://webforms.westminster.gov.uk/order-recycling-bags/
Bags will be delivered within approximately 48 hours of order.
You can check when refuse and recycling is collected from your street here http://transact.westminster.gov.uk/env/streetsearch.aspx
The doorstep recycling service concentrates on the recyclable materials most commonly produced by houses so that these can be easily separated into the different material types. The link below summarises what can be put in recycling bags
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/what-can-i-recycle-home#can-recycle
Lots of other materials can be recycled but not through the doorstep collection service. The A-Z list below gives details of what and where items can be recycled or re-used:
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/a-z-recycling
Report It
You can report rubbish dumping, graffiti, broken street lights and more at https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it
Coronavirus (Covid-19) UPDATE
Interactive Map
You can see the latest data for your area here
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map
Westminster Connects COVID-19 phone line – 020 7641 1222
Please let us know if we can be of help or assistance on any local issues.
If you know of anyone else who might like to receive this report, please send them this sign-up link https://bit.ly/labour-news
Keep well, take care and look after yourself and your neighbours in these difficult times.
Regards
Councillors Aicha Less, Matt Noble and Aziz Toki
Your Church Street Labour Councillors – Here to Help, All Year Round
aless@westminster.gov.uk
mnoble@westminster.gov.uk
atoki@westminster.gov.uk