QUEEN’S PARK WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – March 2022
News from your three Queen’s Park Ward Labour Councillors Paul Dimoldenberg, Patricia McAllister and Hamza Taouzzale and Action Team member Cara Sanquest
WARD NEWS AND ACTION
Food Waste recycling service
A food waste recycling service will start in Queen’s Park ward from the week commencing March 28th (where the property is suitable to receive the service) over a two-week period. The Councill will be sending out letters to residents with details of the new service and there will be door-to-door visits to explain the new service and answer your questions.
Further information please see: www.westminster.gov.uk/food-waste-recycling or email foodwaste@westminster.gov.uk
Ilbert Street
Ilbert Street residents will receive a separate letter with details on the delivery of new recycling and rubbish bins for the storage of household rubbish and recycling bags.
Queen’s Park Gardens
We have again asked the Parks Department to reinstall the bench in the dog run area which has been moved. Also, we have asked for the area to be inspected urgently following reports that it’s a ‘mud pit’. The Parks Department say:
“I have been advised by our Contractor Continental Landscapes that the bench is being moved this week (weather permitting). We will then returf part of the damaged area.”
The works have now been completed. There is also some work being done in the table tennis table area. However, in the course of the building work, large quantities of soil were dumped on top of a flower bed in the wildlife garden. The Friends of Queens Park Gardens worked very hard on planting these and the dumping means they have had to spend time moving the soil and trying to rescue the flower bed.”
We have written to the Council calling for an apology to The Friends of Queen’s Park Gardens for this shoddy and unprofessional working.
Empty properties
A resident has identified the following empty properties in Queen’s Park Ward. Can you add any others?
“The three empty properties I know of are (a) The Lancer pub in the corner of Mozart and Lancefield Street, (b) the Flora on Harrow Road (I think re-development has been agreed/about to start here) and (c) the ground floor of the corner house on Mozart Street that used to be the post office. In addition, there are vacant plots at 260 Shirland Road and on Lancefield Street between the Sunrise Day Nursery and the back of 24 Mozart Street. Empty shop premises: ground floor of the boxing gym, pharmacy at the bottom of Ha’Penny steps and several others on Harrow Road, old dairy on corner of Third Ave and Ilbert Street.”
Queen’s Park Court
We have been contacted by a leaseholder at Queen’s Park Court who says, “this estate is very poorly maintained and has been for a very long time (e.g. rubbish everywhere, dirty communal areas, frequent smell of weed, drug dealing, cars parked on the pavements, loud music, front door buzzers that don’t work properly, etc). It is shocking that we are paying over £2,000 a year – we don’t even have a lift either which is usually what swallows a lot of money!”
We have asked the Housing Department to explain the poor service and high service charges.
Environmental and other issues
- Lothrop Street – we have asked the police to investigate a property in Lothrop Street where drug dealing is suspected.
- Queen’s Park Gardens – we reported graffiti on the wall in Queen’s Park Gardens and are delighted that it has now been removed.
- Galton Street – we have asked the City Inspectors to remove paint from a wall in Galton Street.
- Bravington Road – we asked the City Inspectors to investigate a broken sewer pipe at a property in Bravington Road.
Housing Issues
- Bravington Road – we are continuing to urge the Housing Department to deal with persistent anti-social behaviour from a number of flats in Bravington Road.
- Fifth Avenue – we have asked the Housing Department to fix an electrical fault at a house in Fifth Avenue. Following our enquiries, residents told us, “just had a call from Westminster housing saying they will send an electrician round tomorrow morning.”
- Kilburn Lane – we have asked the Housing Department to give urgent assistance to a family in Kilburn Lane who have been badly affected by flooding from the flat above.
- Third Avenue – we have asked for an update on the refurbishment of a property in Third Avenue.
- Mutual exchange – we are helping a local resident organise a mutual exchange with a resident from outside Westminster.
- Bantock House – we have asked the Housing Department to complete a number of outstanding repairs to a flat in Bantock House.
- Lothrop Street – we have again asked the Housing Department and L&Q to fix a guttering problem affecting two neighbouring properties in Lothrop Street.
- Oliphant Street – we have asked the Housing Department to deal with a guttering problem in Oliphant Street.
- Pine House – we have asked the Housing Department to take strong action to stop the continued noise and anti-social behaviour from a flat in Pine House which is affecting the health and well-being of residents.
- Dowland Street – we are helping a family in Dowland Street who are overcrowded and whose flat is in need of repair.
Anti-vax leaflet
We were very concerned about the distribution of an anti-vax leaflet in Queen’s Park Ward recently which contained inaccurate and misleading information which could put residents at risk.
We have asked the Westminster Director of Public Health to prepare a brief rebuttal to all the false and misleading information contained in the leaflet in the next Westminster Council Magazine delivered to every household. The Director says:
“I do agree that it would be helpful to include a specific vaccination piece in the next Westminster magazine that has a myth-busting element, I will ensure this is actioned and taken forward.”
Queen’s Park Book Festival
The 2022 Queen’s Park Book Festival will return on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September 2022.
£6 million Marble Arch Mound
The scale of Boris Johnson’s Westminster Conservatives’ £6m Marble Arch Mound financial mismanagement has now come into sharp focus as Westminster Council unveils its budget for the next financial year. As a result of the Conservatives’ financial blunders:
- Council rents are going up £5 a week, bringing in £3m extra income.
- Parking charges are going up, too, raising £1m extra income.
- Adult Social Services are being cut by £500,000 and
- Mayfair Library is under threat of closure to save £200,000 a year in rent.
Council Tax
We have called for No Rise in Council Tax until at least 2024. As residents face a challenging winter with rising prices and energy bills, they want to know that they aren’t going to have any nasty surprises in the spring in when it comes to Council Tax.
We will vote against any increase in Council Tax until at least 2024 to try to help residents through these difficult times. We think that at the very least Council Tax should be frozen at its current rate, while further efforts are made to protect those on low incomes.
Council Rents
We are also calling on the Council to freeze Council rents. We have been told that the upcoming Council budget in March will include a Consumer Price Index inflation plus 1% rise in rents for council flats, shops, and other commercial properties owned by Westminster’s Housing Department. That’s the maximum rise local authorities are allowed to impose.
Energy bills
We have called for local action to help with energy bills.
Dogs
If you have any issues with dogs you can contact Crissie Chambers (canineculture@googlemail.com) as well as Nuno Reis (nreis@westminster.gov.uk) and they will deal with them together on their twice weekly patrols.
Voting by post
It is much easier, quicker and safer to vote by post. You have two weeks to cast your vote and you can vote at home.
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.
‘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 10 days 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
Recycling small electrical appliances
Any household electrical and electronic item that operates on a battery or has a plug and is smaller than 60cm in length and under 30cm in width and height, can be put in an on-street small electrical appliances recycling bin. For details of locations see https://www.westminster.gov.uk/recycling-and-rubbish/reusing-and-other-recycling-services/how-recycle-electrical-appliances/small-electrical-appliances
Report It
You can report dumped rubbish, graffiti, broken paving stones and street lights and more to the Report It service https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it
Electric Car charging points
Charging points have been installed in lamp columns across the area and you can register your interest in having a lamp post charger installed near you by completing the form below. You can also register an interest in having stand-alone charging posts installed in your local area.
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/request-vehicle-charging-point
Cargo bikes survey
The Council is asking Westminster businesses and residents to complete a 10-minute survey about using cargo bike services, such as deliveries, and household cargo bike use such as bringing home the weekly food shopping or moving large items (furniture etc). There’s a prize draw and responses will help shape future cargo bike projects.
Resident Survey:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CargoBikeRes
Business Survey:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CargoBikeBiz
Local Police
You can keep an eye on the latest local crime information through the Met Police website:https://www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/met/westminster/queens-park/
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 Council’s advice and response website:
https://www.westminster.gov.uk/coronavirus-advice-and-information
What you say
“As ever, thank you.”
“Thank you as always for the update. I am pleased to see the tree planting in the streets around the estate. It’s a pleasure to see them filling in the gaps.”
“Thank you again for your help. I really appreciate all that you have done for me in the past.”
Please let us know if we can be of any assistance.
Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your neighbours. 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.
Regards
Paul Dimoldenberg, Patricia McAllister and Hamza Taouzzale
Your Queen’s Park Ward Labour Councillors – Here to Help, All Year Round
pdimoldenberg@westminster.gov.uk
pmcallister@westminster.gov.uk
Facebook @QPLabourTeam