News from Maida Vale Councillors Rita Begum, Geoff Barraclough and Nafsika Butler-Thalassis and the Little Venice Labour Action Team – Iman Less, Murad Qureshi and Sue Wolff
Dear Resident
We are living in very difficult times and, 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 local 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 the area. You can read our latest news on http://labourwestminster.org.uk
Please let us know if we can be of help or assistance on any local issues.
WARD NEWS AND ACTION
Milad Supermarket
We have been working with residents to resolve longstanding complaints that Milad Supermarket on Maida Vale needs to do more to keep the footway clear. Milad is a great shop and a really useful resource for local people, but when food and cardboard boxes are left lying around, it can be hard for pedestrians (especially those with limited mobility) to pass by. Following intervention from the City Inspector, the situation has improved in the last couple of weeks. Milad currently has permission to display goods up to 1m from its wall but has now applied for 2m. We think this is too wide and will be opposing the plans. You can comment on the planning application here: https://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=QDIQE5RPI2G00&activeTab=summary
St Augustine’s School Safety Scheme
Working with Paddington Waterways Maida Vale Society, we have responded to Westminster plans for traffic calming measures outside St Augustine’s School. These include widening the pavement to stop parents double parking. We are supporting the plans but want to keep as many single yellow spaces as possible so that people can park here to visit the Flea Market on Saturday and St Augustine’s Church on Sunday and also as overspill from the main part of Kilburn Park Road which can quickly fill up on Saturdays.
Essendine School – School Streets
We are working with local residents to respond to plans to change the traffic flow on Wymering/Essendine/Morshead Roads in order to reduce congestion outside Essendine School.
Widley Road Garage
Residents have been in touch concerned about drug dealing and litter on this site. We have asked the Neighbourhood Police and the City Inspector to investigate.
Carlton Vale Estate
The Carlton Vale Estate is to be cabled for superfast fibre broadband by Hyperoptic. This is good news and will give residents a choice of providers. We have asked that Westminster keep a close eye on the work to ensure that cables are tidy and unobtrusive.
Laptops for schools
We have been pressing Westminster Council for details of laptops delivered to local children who need computing facilities to keep learning during lockdown. We were told that just five had been distributed in Maida Vale. This is a wholly inadequate response in an area where 24% qualify for free school meals.
Torridon House Car Park – infill development
We asked Westminster Council why the decision notice on this developmenthad not yet been published although it was approved by Planning Committee in June. The Council replied: “Following a committee decision, there is a legal and governance process that needs to be completed to formalise and approve the S106 obligations attached with the decision. The decision notice can’t be published until this is completed. The necessary steps are already being progressed, it’s not untypical that this can take quite a number of weeks. I will update you further as it progresses.”
Paddington Recreation Ground – CycloPlay
Westminster Council has started consulting on a proposed new CycloPlay area in Paddington Rec. This would take a large area, today partly occupied by a dog exercise run, between Morshead Road and the running track. The CycloPlay area would be for training young and old people to ride bicycles. There is also planned a new cyclocross track. https://active.westminster.gov.uk/digital-consultation-proposed-cycloplay-outdoor-facility-at-paddington-recreation-ground/
Maida Centre
Westminster Council is looking for an organisation to take the lease on the new Maida Centre on Lanark Road. This is 87sqm of mainly office space which could be use as managed workspace for SMEs or for the operations of a local charity.
Carlton Dene
There is a new consultation launched on the future of the Carlton Dene site on the junction of Carlton Vale and Kilburn Park Road. Westminster is planning to replace the current care home with a larger building incorporating 65 affordable “extra care” units for older residents. This will include a cafe/restaurant and hair salon open to the public. Peebles House next door would also be replaced with a new building of 22 affordable flats. You can see more details here: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/carlton-dene
Unauthorised recycling bin
We reported an unauthorised clothing recycling bin on the corner of Grantully Road and Ashworth Road and had it removed by the Council. These bins are placed by enterprising criminals to con members of the public into thinking they are donating old clothes to charity.
Shirland Road/Chippenham Road junction
We have again contacted the Parking Team about this recurring issue:
“Again, cars are parking right up to the lights at the junction causing chaos – 3 changes of lights to get through in single file. it’s just not good enough. The more they get away with it the more they assume carte blanche to continue doing it. Something has to be done!! The junction is a complete disaster anyway”
Social Services
Following calls from Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, Westminster Council are conducting an independent review into the death of a Maida Vale man who was “left” by social services during lockdown. David Ross, a former helicopter engineer for the RAF, passed away in Hammersmith Hospital, after suffering from terminal lung cancer. An independent management review has been launched to look at his care over the last few months. Read more hereHam & High
Warrington Crescent
We are making enquiries with TfL about this issue:
“I live on Warrington Crescent and we are having a problem with noise from the tube. A couple of years ago the noise, which is a loud rumble every time a train goes through the tunnel, was quite bad. One of the other residents complained and London Underground must have done something, because for the last couple of years there has been no noise. But now, either there is a rattling rail, or something, because the noise has returned and it’s quite loud. I live on the first floor and it can be quite intrusive even up here.We would really appreciate your help to see if London Underground could repeat what they did last time.”
North Paddington Foodbank
If you can help the foodbank or are in need of emergency support please see the information here: https://www.npfoodbank.org.uk/
20mph speed limit
We have welcomed Westminster Council’s decision to introduce a 20mph speed limit on all roads, following recent consultation when two thirds of the respondents supported the proposal. The 20mph speed limit comes after there were 3 deaths and 269 seriously injured casualties on Westminster’s roads in 2018 – the highest of any London Borough.
Cycle hangars
We are calling on the Council to speed up the expansion of cycle hangars in residential areas and to increase the number of Santander Cycle docking stations in North Westminster.
Summer Activities for Young People
The Young Westminster Foundation has organised summer activities for young people within the programme in the following link, which will be updated weekly: http://www.ywfoundation.com/2020/07/20/whats-young-people-westminster-summer/
Children’s Art and Poetry Competition
The Westminster Faith Exchange,a long-standing initiative to facilitate and encourage dialogue between the council and the different faith communities, has announced a Children’s Art and Poetry Competition.In this exceptional year, children are invited to send their artwork or a poem which fits the theme ‘Covid-19, Lockdown and My Faith’. The competition is open to children and young people of all faiths, entry is free and there are prizes to be won. Entries must be submitted by Friday 21 August. For more information and to submit your entry, click here.
Bus and Tube fares
The Government has told the Mayor that, in return for additional funds to keep London’s public transport system operating, bus and tube fares must go up next January. The Government has also insisted that free travel is temporarily suspended for Freedom Pass and 60-plus cardholders at peak times and all the time for those under 18. We have started a petition to call for the reinstatement of free travel for under 18s https://action.labour.org.uk/page/s/keep-free-travel
For an independent view of the Government’s action read https://www.onlondon.co.uk/dave-hill-governments-tfl-power-grab-is-the-wrong-direction-of-travel/
Voting by post
Voting by post is an easy and convenient way of voting. You can use this form to apply to 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.
‘Westminster Extra’
You can now 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
Also, here are details of 9 companies that reward you for donating unwanted things, from H&M to M&S https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/g15049323/brands-reward-throwing-things-away/
Report It
The new Report It service has been unveiled. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it
You can register here https://www.fixmystreet.com/alert for alerts of everything reported in your area (just use your post code and it will offer you options).
Coronavirus (Covid-19) UPDATE
For the latest information, visit the following:
Health advice
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Westminster Council’s advice and response website:
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/coronavirus-advice-and-information
Westminster Mutual Aid Group
Westminster Mutual Aid is a group of local volunteers (Westminster Covid-19 Mutual Aid group) trying to help the local community. You can contact them at https://www.westminstermutualaid.co.uk
Beware the Coronavirus scammers
https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/westminster-news/2020/03/27/beware-the-coronavirus-scammers/
And finally
To mark the 75th anniversary of Labour’s 1945 General Election victory, Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg has written a new book, ‘Cheer Churchill. Vote Labour’ – The story of the 1945 General Election.Starting with the creation of the wartime Coalition Government and the harnessing of the entire machinery of the state to serve the war effort, the book charts the political currents and events which led to Labour’s sensational General Election victory on 26th July 1945.
‘Cheer Churchill. Vote Labour’is available in e-book and paperback format at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08975HFS7/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1590583600&sr=1-3
All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Foodbanks in Westminster
What you say
“Once again, an excellent round up/report and so much better than the Tories!”
“My family all want to say how pleased we are that a proper cycle lane has been put in over Westbourne Bridge. I know this is part of the plan for the cycleway out to Acton, but please can we now do a good job of connecting it to Westbourne Terrace Road and Blomfield Road? Better cycling infrastructure is one of the good things getting a push thanks to Covid, and I’m really pleased with the 20mph speed limit too.”
Please let us know if we can be of help or assistance on any local issues.
Keep well, take care and look after yourselves and your neighbours.
Regards
Councillors Rita Begum, Geoff Barraclough and Nafsika Butler-Thalassis
Your Maida Vale Labour Action Team
Tweet @MaidaValeLabour
https://www.facebook.com/MVLabour/
gbarraclough@westminster.gov.uk
nbutler-thalassis@westminster.gov.uk
You can read our news here
https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/your-ward/maida-vale/
Iman Less, Murad Qureshi and Sue Wolff
Your Little Venice Labour Action Team
Facebook @labourforlittlevenice
Tweet @labourforlv
You can read our news here https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/your-ward/little-venice/