CHURCH STREET WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – August 2021
News from your Church Street Labour Councillors Aicha Less, Matt Noble and Aziz Toki
Church Street Regeneration
Local organisations have written to the Leader of Westminster City Council and the Cabinet Member for Communities & Regeneration, raising concerns about the regeneration proposals for Church Street – Site A. They say:
“We are writing to express strong concerns around the current proposals for developments along Church Street. We are particularly unhappy about the proposals for the new library and about the height of the planned new housing.”
You can read the letter here
http://westendextra.com/article/think-again-on-church-street-plans
Ashbridge Street
A man has been charged with murdering two people who were found with fatal stab wounds in the Church Street area. Sharon Pickles, 45, was pronounced dead at a home in Ashbridge Street on 19 August. In the early hours of 20 August, Clinton Ashmore, 59, was found stabbed at a property in Jerome Crescent. Lee Peacock, 49, has been remanded in custody and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 30th August.
Residents of Alpha House have written to the Leader of the Council:
“The residents of Alpha House lived in fear for more than a decade. Westminster City Council received our complaints and witness statements regarding the ASB and criminal activity from the council flat in question, yet nothing was done to prevent this “time bomb” resulting in a murder. The residents demand immediate action from WCC to re-house the vulnerable tenant in question from our building forever more. Our lives and lives of our children are in danger because of WCC failure to deal with their tenants accordingly.”
Cosway Street
We have asked the Highways Team to replace the missing street sign at the corner of Cosway Street and Marylebone Road.
Canal Tow path
We have written to the Canal & River Rust about this long-standing issue:
“Could you find out when will we regain access to the Regent’s Canal towpath from the North end of the Maida Hill Tunnel to the access near Park Road. This section has been closed, nominally for repairs, for two years or more.”
The Canal & River Trust say:
“The towpath has been closed since the spring of 2019 due to the towpath being unsafe. There are two main reasons for this, oil leaking from the redundant underground cables and a collapsed waterway wall in a couple of areas along the towpath. The oil has been purged from the cables and as such is no longer a problem.
The waterway wall repair works are due to be done from the 19/4/21 – 25/7/21. Once these are complete and Permanent Moorings returned to their berths, I believe our health & safety department should be attending site and giving their opinion on the re-opening.”
Remembering Joe Hegarty
It is with deep sadness that we heard that Joe Hegarty, who was a Westminster Councillor for Church Street ward from 1974-90, has died aged 77. Joe was Leader of the Westminster Labour Group from 1981-87 and was Chair of Westminster Primary Care Trust from 2004-11. He was chair of the Church Street Futures Group from 2012-16. He will be much missed by many residents who knew him and who he helped.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/04/joe-hegarty-obituary
Marble Arch Mound
The £6 million Marble Arch Mound fiasco continues with this latest article highlighting the Council’s failures
Westminster residents’ groups have issued a scathing response to the Council’s £6 million Mound fiasco and the lack of meaningful consultation on major projects.
http://westendextra.com/article/marble-arch-mound-anger-at-top-down-tories
Following the Council’s admission that its Marble Arch Mound project is costing local taxpayers a massive £6million, three times the £2 million cost originally planned, we are calling for an independent inquiry into how and why the costs escalated and who was responsible for the gross mismanagement of this project.
According to the ‘Evening Standard’, “the £2m Marble Arch Mound has been branded London’s worst attraction. The unbelievably depressing picture gallery lets you see why from about 27 different angles – and will save you £4.50.”
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
E-scooters
The police have told us the following:
“Currently in the UK, you can legally buy an e-scooter, but you cannot ride it on a public road, cycle lane or pavement. The only place it can be used is on private land. The reason for this is that e-scooters are treated as motor vehicles by the Department of Transport and are subject to the same legal requirement as other vehicles, such as MOT, licencing, tax and insurance. Because they don’t always have number plates, signalling ability or visible rear lights, they cannot be used legally on the roads.
What happens if I am stopped by the police? The police will advise you on the law and may ask you to take your e-scooter home. They may, however, still penalise you depending on the seriousness of the offence. If caught riding an e-scooter, fines you may receive can include: (a) a Fixed Penalty Notice for no insurance, with a £300 fine and six penalty points, (b) a Fixed Penalty Notice for no driving licence, up to £100 fine and three-six penalty points.
Other offences which may result in penalties include riding on the footpath, using a mobile phone, riding through red lights and drink driving offences.”
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.
Survey of Residents’ Views
We want to know what you think the Council’s priorities should be over the coming years. Please let us know by completing this short survey so we can take action on your priorities. Thank you
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90333853/Westminster-Labour-Survey
‘Westminster Extra’
You can read the ‘Westminster Extra’ onlinehttps://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=09649383-4dbb-4a3d-b164-9d26398578f3
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
Dispelling the vaccination myths
Here is the link to a video featuring Black and Minority Ethnic celebrities dispelling myths about the vaccine and encouraging people to have the vaccination
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Ald__AhbI
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
What you say
“Just wanted to thank you again for helping us deal with the problem at the flat. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help us out.”
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