HARROW ROAD WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – MID-SEPTEMBER 2024
News from your Labour Harrow Road Councillors Concia Albert and Ruth Bush, and Regan Hook.
Dear Resident,
It has been another busy few weeks and we have met many residents face-to-face and had many positive conversations, as well as answering your questions in advance of the Harrow Road Ward Council by-election on Thursday September 19th.
Regan Hook is your Labour Candidate and you can read more about her here https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/issues/2024/08/20/harrow-road-action-team-welcomes-regan-hook/
Please do let us know if you would like to speak to us about any local issues.
The Polling Stations are open from 7am to 10pm.
Don’t forget you need to take photo ID to the polling station when you go to vote.
NEWS AND ACTION
CCTV CAMERAS FOR HARROW ROAD WARD
Labour Westminster City Council is restoring CCTV to Harrow Road Ward and the rest of Westminster to help tackle anti-social behaviour and crime. The new network of 100 high-tech digital cameras will be placed in priority areas for Westminster residents, including Harrow Road and the rest of North Paddington, with the job of helping the police crackdown on anti-social behaviour and capturing evidence needed for prosecution in court.
In 2016, the Conservatives in Westminster took the decision to scrap the Council’s CCTV system, citing the impact of the Conservative Government’s austerity programme.
The new Council system will concentrate on addressing problems that most affect local people. The new digital cameras can be moved to different locations to tackle different issues ranging from anti-social behaviour to fly tipping. Evidence gained by the new cameras will help the police and will be used to inform how the council works to tackle anti-social behaviour and to design out crime.
GOOD NEWS FOR HARROW ROAD WARD RENTERS
The Labour Government has introduced the Renters’ Rights Bill which will ban Section 21 evictions, introduce standards for the private rented sector and crack down on tenants outbidding on rental homes.
Banning Section 21 will help reassure tenants they can challenge bad practice without the fear of retaliatory eviction, as landlords will need to provide a valid cause to end a tenancy early. The no-fault eviction notice will be abolished for both new and existing tenancies at the same time, giving all private renters immediate security and assurance.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-reforms-to-give-greater-security-for-11-million-renters
SUTHERLAND AVENUE/SHIRLAND ROAD
We told Lime to remove an e-bike and e-scooter dumped by the library at the corner of Sutherland Avenue and Shirland Road.
We are very much in favour of increasing cycling in Westminster – in July there were 670,000 e-bike journeys in Westminster, the most in London – but we want the powers to control e-bikes so that the Council can issue fines to riders who dump bikes in dangerous places and who obstruct the pavement.
The Council has already designated over 330 locations for e-bike parking and is working closely with the e-bike operators to get their riders to behave properly and only park in the designated bays.
We have called on the Government to give the Council the extra powers we need to control e-bikes so that residents in Harrow Road and everywhere else in Westminster can walk our streets without fear of being obstructed by a dumped e-bike.
FERNHEAD ROAD
Keeping our streets in good shape is important to your Labour Councillors. We reported several issues to the Highways Team recently, including:
- We asked for the railings at the junction of Fernhead Road and Shirland Road to be repaired following a collision. This is the second such damage in recent months, so we asked if changes are needed to the road and junction layout – UPDATE – New railings have now been installed!
- We asked for the white lines on the zebra crossing at the Saltram Crescent junction to be refreshed as they are very faint and might not be seen by approaching drivers – UPDATE – The zebra crossing now has new white lines!
- We asked for 20mph signs to be installed along Fernhead Road and Shirland Road to warn drivers not to break the speed limit.
Please let us know if there are local issues of concern to you and we will do the very best we can to help.
MAIDA HILL MARKET UPDATE
Your Labour council has invested in improving Maida Hill Market Square to make it a welcoming space for everyone. The scheme is underway and include:
- new areas of planting, including trees,
- an improved sustainable drainage system,
- improved lighting,
- new seating,
- new market pitches with electric connections, and
- new toilet facilities.
A programme of Council-funded community events will also follow.
Last year, a new Santander cycle hire docking station was installed at Maida Hill Market and TfL has now added electric bikes to its fleet.
https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/ward-news/harrow-road/2024/09/10/maida-hill-market-update/
WALKING
Using the new Footways digital map you can discover a whole new side of Westminster. The new interactive walking map reveals quiet streets for walking, with fascinating features to discover on the way. The map connects major places with quiet and accessible routes to help you choose an enjoyable, efficient, and healthy way of moving around the city.
These places include train stations, green spaces, shopping streets and cultural destinations. Get to know more about Westminster and get about in a healthy way using our new Footways map https://footways.london/westminster
Please let us know if we can help with any local issues and we will do our very best to help.
regards
Councillors Concia Albert and Ruth Bush, and Regan Hook
Your Harrow Road Ward Labour Action Team – Here to help, all year round
Promoted by Rhys Thomas on behalf of Regan Hook, both at 4g Shirland Mews, London W9 3DY