HYDE PARK WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – May 2022
News from your Hyde Park Labour Candidates – Judith Southern, Md Shamsed Chowdhury and Paul Dimoldenberg
Your three Hyde Park Ward Labour Candidates
Md Shamsed Chowdhury has lived and worked in Westminster since 2016. He is experienced in the business and hospitality industries and keen to use his knowledge to support young people into work. Shamsed is also a volunteer with a homeless charity in Westminster. He speaks English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and Bengali and is keen to support all residents in the ward to ensure everyone has a decent home and feels safe on our streets.
Paul Dimoldenberg has been a Queen’s Park Labour Councillor for nearly 25 years and was a Harrow Road Councillor for 8 years before that. He is a former Leader of the Labour Group and led the Team that uncovered the ‘Homes for Votes’ and ‘15p Cemeteries’ scandals. Originally from Manchester, he has lived on Marylebone Road since the 1970s. Paul’s knowledge of the Council has enabled the Hyde Park Labour Action Team to ‘get things done’ for local residents.
Judith Southern grew up in rural Cumbria and trained to be a nursery nurse. She then worked in West Yorkshire as a bus driver before starting nurse training. She worked at Paddington Green Children’s Hospital and has lived in Hyde Park ward since 1985. Before retiring she worked at Trinity Hospice at Clapham Common where Judith says she felt privileged to be able to give the best palliative care possible.
Don’t forget, you have three votes in the Council elections on 5th May. You can vote for all three of us. Please use your three votes to vote for Shamsed, Paul and Judith.
Our priorities for Hyde Park Ward
- Freeze Council Tax for all residents until 2024
- Keep our area safe with more police to tackle crime
- Stop illegal rubbish dumping with fines for offenders
- Put residents first in the planning system
- Stand up for better NHS services against cuts and sell-offs
- Deliver cleaner air, and greener homes and transport
- Stop the financial waste – no more £6m Marble Arch Mound disasters!
You can read our Manifesto here https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/manifesto-labours-plan-for-a-fairer-westminster/
Why 3 votes for Labour makes sense on 5th May in Hyde Park Ward
Paul, Judith & Shamsed – Getting things done for Hyde Park residents
Hyde Park Ward – The Three Key Election Issues
NEWS AND ACTION
The Hyde Park Estate area, bounded by Edgware Road/Bayswater Road and Sussex Gardens
Bathurst Street/Westbourne Street
We have again urged the Council to put up large ‘Don’t Dump’ signs by the tree at the junction of Bathurst Street and Westbourne Street. There and hasn’t been a ‘Don’t Dump’ sign here for months, despite the Council’s promises. There is no CCTV to catch those responsible, either. Residents say:
“Yet again after years of reporting there is continued evidence that the Council’s policy/strategy on fly tipping is failing. Labour has a much tougher policy and I hope they come in after the local elections on 5th May and get tough on this. It’s worth voting Labour on this alone.”
If Labour is elected to run the Council on 5th May we promise that bigger ‘Don’t Dump’ signs and CCTV will be a top priority at this location and other dumping ‘hotspots’.
Park West
We have continued to take up issues with Freshwater and other landlords in Park West on behalf of tenants to get long-overdue repairs and improvements done to flats.
Cambridge Square/Southwick Street
Following our enquiries about the broken lock on the Virgin telecoms box at the corner of Cambridge Square and Southwick Street, the Highways Team has now secured the doors to the box.
We hope that this will avoid any further vandalism so that residents do not experience problems with their broadband reception.
£6 Million Marble Arch Mound
You can read the latest on the £6m Marble Arch Mound disaster here
The Star Street area, between Sussex Gardens and Praed Street
St Michael’s Street – housing issues
Following our request to Notting Hill Genesis on behalf of residents for new intercoms to be installed as part of the improvement works in St Michael’s Street and Star Street, NHG have told us: “I can confirm that we will be looking to include this work with our internal improvement works.”
Residents say, “Wow, that is really good news… Thank you”.
St Michael’s Street – rubbish dumping
We have asked the Council to clear dumped rubbish from the Edgware Road end of St Michael’s Street. Some of the dumped furniture had been there for nearly a week. Residents believe they get a second-class service and we have called on the Council to ensure that this neglected end of St Michael’s Street is regularly cleared of rubbish.
Star Street
We have asked the City Inspector if action can be taken on these two issues raised by Star Street residents:
“Can something be done about people chaining their bikes to lampposts and obstructing the pavements for disabled people and kids. Can something done about the International School buses morning and afternoon blocking the streets.?
Praed Street – taxis in front of the Paddington Station Hilton
We are continuing to urge the Council, the police and Network Rail to take strong action to stop taxis using the road in front of the Paddington Hilton as a drop-off/pick-up location with the consequent ‘engine idling’. Residents say:
“Thank you for taking action regarding the taxis outside the Hilton Hotel. This has been going on for so long now that I despair the situation will ever be resolved. It got a bit better during covid but now at certain times of the day the taxis are back queueing down Craven Road in the left turn lane to Eastbourne Terrace. You can always tell when a traffic warden is in attendance because there are no ‘parked’ taxis. However, it only takes a few minutes after they leave for the taxis to return. I always try and take an alternative route when I’m on foot now so that I don’t have to inhale the exhaust fumes from the idling taxis.”
Southwick Street
We have asked the Highways Team to inspect the sewers in Southwick Street area after residents told us: “There is a stench in the morning in the alleyway/Rainsford Street. The sewage from Imperial College accommodation drainage is via the alleyway/Rainsford Street connecting to the mains at Southwick Street.”
Residents tell us, “Your email to the Council indeed achieved results. Thames Water are here checking the street sewer”.
Talbot Square
We have asked the Environmental Health Department to investigate Talbot Square residents’ concerns that residents in the Rose Park Hotel “are cooking inside the rooms which is forbidden due to risk of fire and smoke.”
Edgware Road area
Edgware Road
We have asked the City Inspectors to visit a number of restaurants and shops on Edgware Road and tell them not to dump rubbish on the street. This anti-social behaviour ruins the local environment and makes the street look rundown. Tough action needs to be taken against those who continue to flout the rules.
The Chapel Street, Cabbell Street and Transept Street area
38a – 47 Chapel Street
We have again chased the Housing Department on the failure to install a permanent sign on the Chapel Street gate pointing out that the entrance to the flats is in Transept Street. The Housing Department says:
“We are sorry to report a delay in the provision of the signage. This is because we have approached a different contractor to provide the sign. We expect the delivery date to be confirmed shortly and it will be installed shortly after delivery is received.”
We are also chasing the Housing Department on the long-promised installation of bike stands for residents and we have finally heard that “the bike racks are scheduled to be installed on Monday 9 May.”
Paddington Basin/Sheldon Square area
Travis Perkins site
The Mayor of London has decided not to call in Westminster Council’s decision to reject planning permission for the 20-storey student block on the Travis Perkins site. The Mayor upheld the council decision to refuse permission for several reasons including impact on light and lack of capacity in local amenities. This means that the planning application is refused by both Westminster Council and the Mayor.
You can read the Planning Report to the Mayor here https://planning.london.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i4J000006btkMQAQ/20210909?tabset-c2f3b=2
We campaigned against the proposals alongside Sheldon Square residents for a year and we are delighted that the Mayor has taken this decision to refuse planning permission. Residents say, “Great news!”
Paddington Works
We have again asked Paddington Works when the seating piled up outside their offices will be removed. People are dumping litter on it, and it looks very unsightly.
South Wharf Road
Following our enquiries, the loose kerb stones in the layby outside Tesco in South Wharf Road have been fixed.
Westbourne Terrace area
Chilworth Street
We have asked the City Inspector to investigate this issue and take the necessary action:
“I am writing regarding the flats on 18, 20 and 22 Chilworth Street, which are all used as serviced apartments. The short-term residents regularly leave their garbage on the pavement in front of these three addresses. Permanent residents inevitably have to pick it up to put it in the nearby bins to avoid the situation quickly deteriorating. Could notices be given to all three addresses to let them know that refuse should be brought to the bins on the corner of Westbourne Terrace, just a few meters away.”
The City Inspector has actioned the removal of the dumped rubbish and residents say, “Thank you very much for taking the time to look into this so quickly.”
Eastbourne Terrace
We have asked the Highways Team to fix a loose drain cover on Eastbourne Terrace right by bus stop D which makes a huge racket when someone drives over it.
Other Issues
Ukraine Appeal
We are standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine in their hour of need. You can support them in their struggle against Putin’s invasion here
https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
Council Tax
Labour Councillors voted for No Increase in Council Tax at the last Council meeting. We are 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.
Service charges
Amongst the many rising costs landing on hard-pressed residents are service charges (for tenants and leaseholders). Labour councillors in Maida Vale have just successfully challenged service charges affecting a number of leaseholders where bills rose 30% in a year and included multiple charges for the same service. Westminster Council accepted that a mistake was made and lower bills will now be sent out, so it is essential to check, query and where necessary challenge because bills can be wrong.
However, bills are still rising even when they are accurate. In these cases, it is important to be as clear as possible about what rights you have because it can be complicated. There is a useful page on the LEASE website covering many of the key issues (what you can ask for, how to challenge bills). Service Charges – The Leasehold Advisory Service (lease-advice.org)
Air pollution
Under a recent Freedom of Information request, we uncovered that Westminster Council has issued just 1 fine for every 1,112 reports of unnecessary engine idling since 2017. Over the 5-year period, over 70,000 incidents were reported to the Council, but a mere 63 fines were handed out and only 34 were actually paid.
Green New Deal for Westminster
We have launched a Green New Deal for Westminster which sets out a clear, ambitious agenda to achieve the change we desperately need. Key measures include:
- Appointing a Cabinet Member with responsibility for climate action. This will be pivotal to driving change from day one of a Labour Council.
- Implementing a Net Zero Test for all decisions to assess the climate impact of decisions made, and a sustainable approach to procurement.
- Seeking to refurbish first, rather than demolish, putting real emissions standards on all developments, and retrofitting our existing housing.
- Driving a green recovery and a just transition, with a Local Climate Bond for investments in our neighbourhoods, a focus on green jobs, and training available to all.
- Starting recovery in the streets, with a commitment to 15-minute neighbourhoods, new tree planting, and high streets that attract customers with active travel infrastructure.
In the spirit of working collaboratively with others we are keen to hear from residents, experts, and other stakeholders about how to develop and build on this plan. So please do get in touch with us to share your thoughts.
Handyperson service
Westminster residents aged over 60, or in receipt of disability benefit, can request free help from a handyperson. The service covers minor works to a home such as replacing light bulbs and other small DIY jobs. It does not cover gardening, plumbing or decorating, and it is not an emergency service. Please see the following link for details https://www.westminster.gov.uk/handyperson
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
Local Police
The Hyde Park Ward Safer Neighbourhood Police Team is PC Adam Oddy, PC Harminder Purewal and PCSO Grant. You can contact them at AWMailbox.SNTCWHydePark@met.police.uk
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/hyde-park/
Heathrow flight path
We are supporting local residents who are concerned about Heathrow planning a flight path over Paddington, Bayswater and Notting Hill.
https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/post/ugc-voting-petitions/989b8335-15f5-4964-adda-13342cf3299f
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
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 tell the Council about dumped rubbish, broken street lights, graffiti and more by using Report It https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it
Street Link
If you see anyone sleeping rough, please contact Street Link who are able offer help and assistance. You can contact Street Link 24 hours a day at www.streetlink.org.uk.
‘Westminster Extra’
You can read the ‘Westminster Extra’ online
Coronavirus (Covid-19) UPDATE
Interactive Map
You can see the latest data for your area here
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map
What you say
“You are the only ones in all my years of living here that have ever acted on something that I have requested. Thank you. As a result, I am on this occasion changing my vote. All three of you will have my support. Action like you took deserves recognition.”
“Wonderful. Thank you. You can be sure of my vote.”
“Good work. What Westminster needs is a kick up the backside”
“Thank you for all the good work you’re doing.”
Please let us know if we can be of help or assistance on any local issues.
Please feel free to pass this report 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
Please keep safe, stay well and look after yourself and your neighbours.
Regards
Judith Southern, Md Shamsed Chowdhury and Paul Dimoldenberg
Your Hyde Park Ward Labour Candidates – Here to Help, All Year Round
You can contact us at hplabour@gmail.com
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Facebook @LabourHydePark
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Twitter @HydeParkLabour
Promoted by Margaret Lynch on behalf of the Hyde Park Ward Labour candidates, all at 4G Shirland Mews, W9 3DY.