White (Goods) Christmas

Christmas came early for residents of Lanark Road on 23 December, when Santa (or a friend of Santa) left this lovely dishwasher near Braemar House.

We called Westminster Council's Environmental Action Line and the dishwasher was removed.

Abandoning waste and rubbish on a street is really anti-social, and Westminster Council will pursue legal action against offenders.

Lee

Paddington Rec Update

Over the last year, Westminster Council has invested a significant sum in improving the facilities at Paddington Rec. Many local residents have told us all how delighted they are with the investment and the changes.

So far we have replaced the playground, football pitch and tennis courts, along with repairing the track and hockey pitch fencing - all of which have had positive feedback from users. Work to the cricket nets and 5-a-side astroturf pitches is shortly due to be completed.

Going forward, works to the pavilion and cafe are expected to begin in the new year, to expand and improve the gym facilities currently available.

Paddington Rec is one of four Westminster parks to have been awarded a "Green Flag", which highlights the best green spaces in the country.

Lee

Graffiti: Cut it Out

In the last few months we have been very active in trying to crack down on graffiti in Maida Vale. To us, graffiti is one of the worst sorts of anti-social behaviour, immediately making a street look ugly. Back in September, we wrote about how we'd got a number of sites around the Rec cleaned up (see here and here). Since then we have regularly reported graffiti to Westminster Council's graffiti unit and our local police team, both as we have seen it and as residents have contacted us.

The Maida Vale police team have also been busy cataloguing instances of graffiti as they have appeared, ready for potential future prosecutions. However, we also need your help. If you see any instances of graffiti or - better still - can identify who is doing it, please let us know.

You can also report graffiti directly to the Council's graffiti team by clicking here. And you can get in touch with Maida Vale's police team on 7321 8305.

Lee

Labour's Not Listening (No.3 in a series)

Last week, the government announced how much money it would give to local councils in 2007/2008 to run their services. While we were very glad for an increase in the money we are due to receive, Westminster residents remain desperately short-changed by Labour.

How? Well Labour is currently changing the distribution formulas for local government, with the result that more money is going out of London. When the final effects of the formula changes are felt, Westminster will see reductions in children's social services (a 40% reduction in underlying resources per child) and a 25% cut in services to rough sleepers and those with mental health needs.

Tax, spend and still fail. Not good enough, Gordon.

Lee

Livingstone wants MORE money

Ken is coming. Watch your pockets.

Our illustrious mayor (a former resident of Randolph Avenue) yesterday released his draft budget for next year. After a huge hike this April, the Mayor is proposing to hit Londoners again - another £15.08 for a Band D household starting next year.

You are now paying almost half of your council tax to the Mayor. The extra police are very, very welcome. But what else does Ken do that is of any use?

Lee

Going Green

Last week, Westminster Council launched the first free on-street charging points for electric cars on the streets of the West End.

The move, which is a pilot to test demand for charging, is another step in creating a viable support network for environmentally-friendly cars, and highlights how Conservative councils are actually making real progress in developing green policies.

Westminster already offers 48 free car charging points in 13 council-run car parks across the city. We were also one of the first councils to introduce a range of financial incentives for electrical vehicles, including free parking at meters and discounted residents parking.

Lee

Westminster Housing Conference

On Friday, I attended a conference organised by Westminster Council to discuss the report of the Housing Commission (see here) and to debate how the Council should develop policy for the future.

It was great to see so many people in one room passionate about improving urban housing. The leader of Westminster Council, Simon, and the Cabinet Member for Housing, Angela, both spoke at the beginning, along with representatives from housing providers and the Housing Corporation.

Later, we split into five groups to discuss particular aspects of housing policy, and I attended a group which debated how to make neighbourhoods ‘work’, led by the Deputy Director of PCHA (much in our thoughts this year after Genesis’s acquisition of Dibdin House). The debate was well led, with many great suggestions from people on the ground, in Harrow Road, Maida Vale, Church Street and Queen’s Park.

The conference was the second opportunity this week for us (along with the Scrutiny Committee) to highlight how we believe housing can be improved in Maida Vale. Westminster’s new housing strategy will be published early next year.

Lee

Alastair's Surgery This Tuesday

Alastair will be holding his surgery this Tuesday, 12 December, between 7pm and 8pm at the Maida Centre, Lanark Road.

If you have any problems or issues we can help you with, please do come along.

Alastair

Labour's Not Listening (No.2 in a series)

Last week, the government announced how much money it would give to local councils in 2007/2008 to run their services. While we were very glad for the increased amount of money, Westminster residents remain desperately short-changed by Labour.

How? Well since Labour introduced its new Licensing Act last year, Westminster council taxpayers have contributed the equivalent of £42 per band D property to fund the costs of administration.

Not good enough, Tony.

Lee

Committee Report: Health and Community Services

On Monday, Jan and I sat on the Health and Community Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee, which analyses and comments upon Westminster's policies and decisions in housing, health and social services.

The committee looked at the following:

(i) received update reports from the Cabinet Members for Customer Services, Housing and Adult Services
(ii) commented upon the new "Older People: Housing and Care" report which sets out the framework for developing our housing stock to better serve older residents (local residents and organisations will shortly be asked to comment also)
(iii) watched a presentation on the recent Westminster Housing Commission report (for more information see here)
(iv) questioned the Chief Executive of CityWest on how the company intends to improve going forward

Lee

Saturday Street Stalls

On Saturday, we held street stalls in Church Street and on the Harrow Road to protest against Labour's NHS cuts. Over 100 signatures were gathered from local residents.

You can find out more about the campaign and can sign the petition here.

Alastair

Local History Group

Last night I attended the Local History Group of Paddington Waterways & Maida Vale Society, the local amenity group in our area. There was a wide ranging discussion about subjects as diverse as street names, mansion blocks, the history of communal gardens, World War II bombing and the canals.

If you are interested in getting more involved in the History Group, or the Society in general, more details can be found here. The society does sterling work to maintain and improve our local area.

Lee