The Great Xmas Tree Flytipping Debate

My favourite Top Tory and I have been having a bit of a January ding-dong today about the issue I’ve seen a lot of you complaining about, namely the mass dumping of Christmas trees in the streets which seems to have affected almost everywhere in the Bush for around a week or more.

One reader, who drives the 148 bus for a living, even remarked that he’d had to stop the bus repeatedly to drag trees out of the way on the Goldhawk Road. Apart from causing traffic hazards as they roll into the roads from my point of view it’s just people being pretty lazy.

But Cllr Greg Smith, who is a contender for the leadershipof H&F Council in the wake of Council Leader Stephen Greenhalgh’sresignation, took umbrage – and in fairness to him he has a perfectly valid point of view as well. Which is that the Council’s own Xmas tree pick-up service, which is presumably why so many trees are left in the streets, is a welcome service that is appreciated by local people.

To be honest, in the league of major issues, this is QPR-like near the bottom of the table, but I thought it was worth playing Devil’s Advocate for a bit and you can see the exchanges above left. At one point, Cllr Smith, got a bit snappy and said he’d remember my “feedback” next year as he implied darkly that the service may be withdrawn as a result. Two things to say about that – 1) I’m just some bloke with a blog so I hardly think that would be fair on everyone else and 2) I really do think that if people can’t take a bit of responsibility and dispose of their trees themselves is it really something that local taxpayers should be funding – instead of, say, other services for children?

Open question – and one to mull over as you finish off those mince pies. Happy New Year!

courtesy of Jonathan Werran

Monday UPDATE - Meanwhile, reader Jonathan Werran has sent in this image of a bunch of trees left out on Milson Road- it's a forest out there!

Hadyn Park sheltered housing fire

Hadyn Park has had two major fires in the last few weeeks. First there was this one on December 23rd and yesterday a sheltered housing block has also suffered the same fate, though thankfully also with no major injuries. Here's what the London Fire Brigade have to say:

"Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters were called to a fire at sheltered housing complex on Hadyn Park Road in Shepherd’s Bush. Half of the second floor flat was damaged by fire"
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"Twenty one residents were evacuated to a place of safety and a further nine people left the building before the Brigade arrived". 

"One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service crews.

The Brigade was called at 1433 and the fire was under control by 1527. The cause of the fire is under investigation".

Hammersmith Flyover: Boris to the rescue

The Mayor of London, back from the Italian ski slopes, visited the A4 Hammersmith flyover today to inspect work being carried out to repair one of the most vital stretches of road in the capital as soon as possible.

The complex flyover was forced to close due to water damage that has corroded and weakened the cables that give the bridge its strength. It had been thought that it would be up to ten years before any major work was required on the flyover, however recent maintenance checks showed work would be required much earlier than anticipated.

A detailed investigation was launched immediately and a team of 80 Transport for London engineers, contractors, and leading structural engineering experts have been working nonstop on site and within the structure throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

The engineers have inserted cameras into the structure of the flyover at 100 different locations to assess key sections of the cables it contains. Today they told the Mayor that investigations of the extent of the damage to those cables must continue for a further week before engineers will be in a position to decide whether it is strong enough to allow its reopening even to light traffic.

However they confirmed that preparatory work can begin ahead of the installation of new cables within the structure that will strengthen the flyover and allow it to take full vehicle loading again. They also confirmed that the flyover will be repaired and fully available to traffic before the London 2012 Games.

I understand from a local source, however, that there is some doubt about that behind the scenes and in any case this blows a very big hole in the spin being put on things by the Council recently, about the flyover being open by the 9th Jan. It also seems the BBC were a little quick to apologise for their claim that it would be closed until Feb - the Olympics are of course not until summer, after February when they were predicting it would be shut until.

This really does have the makings of an almighty mess for the Games, let alone the continued gridlock in and around Hammersmith.

One of the Mayor’s chief concerns has been that TfL do everything possible to keep disruption for Londoners and people passing through the area to the minimum. Today the team on site outlined the measures they have put in place. They include:

• Traffic police rapid response units on placed on permanent standby in the area so they are ready to unblock any incidents or clear accidents as soon as possible; 
• Local traffic diversions, along with Variable Messaging Signs – including on Highways Agency roads – advising drivers to avoid the area as far out as the M25 and M4 from the flyover. All signage, alerts and traffic mitigation plans are kept under nearly hourly review to minimise disruption or give drivers the maximum opportunity to avoid the area; 
• The re-phasing of hundreds of traffic signals in the area to reduce disruption as much as possible and ease traffic flow; 
• The cancellation of any non urgent roadworks in the local area and a daily review of whether other works should be suspended. Works cancelled have included previously planned works at Earl's Court Road, Cromwell Road and the Westway; 
• The creation of an extra lane on Talgarth Road to help minimise the impact of the closure; 
• Close liaison with the relevant local authorities to keep local people, businesses and organisations informed of the ongoing work taking place;
• Plans to divert traffic from the M4 to other routes if necessary; 
• Working with boroughs on the efficient management of their roads to help cope with the closure

However, until TfL can ensure the flyover is safe to be reopened to traffic, the advice to motorists continues to be avoid the area if at all possible, or if you have to drive allow more time for your journey.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London said:

“I want to reassure the thousands of motorists and local people who are suffering traffic hell that the flyover will not be closed one day longer than necessary. Safety has to be the number one priority but Transport for London will reopen this vital stretch of road as soon as they are able to do so. One thing I can assure Londoners of is that a plan is being finalised within the next few days and work is already beginning on strengthening the flyover so that it is fully operational well ahead of the 2012 Games.”

1700 UPDATE - The Evening Standard appears to have an exclusive insight into the realistic likely opening schedule, and it isn't good news. Talking to Peter Dominiczak, the Standard's City Hall Correspondent, Chris Burgoyne, a reader in concrete structures at Cambridge university, said drivers could still face months of disruption.

Mr Burgoyne, who was drafted in to assess the damage, said:

"It could be months before the bridge is completely reopened. It is likely that they will say the bridge can re-open with one lane in each direction taking light traffic only - no trucks. But it is possible that motorists will suffer a number of months more of disruption."

While Andy Slaughter has posted this column on his website in which he also throws doubt on the official version and argues that the real problem is that TfL is basically unaccountable to anyone.

SATURDAY UPDATE - LBC Radio reported Tom Cheal has uploaded a video which he took while accompanying Boris' visit to the site yesterday which gives you a visual insight into what the problems are and what's proposed to be done about it. LBC are really quite good at this, and last helped me in May last year in the wake of the Hammersmith bus station stabbing with a recording of a witness statement. Well worth listening to.

Masbro Centre roof appeal

The Masbro Centre, which I last wrote about after a family fun day in August, launched its roof appeal this month in an audacious bid to have a new sports pitch roof by the end of 2012. A look at the pic above, taken after the downpours earlier this week, gives your a sense of the need! Working with Matt Hedges from CP Architects based in Askew Road W12 they have put together a comprehensive design package for a new roof which includes solar energy options and changing facilities. They have already raised £100,000 to this quarter million pound project – and have submitted a bid of over £100,000 to the Mayor of London Facility Fund.

Our Council has already stumped up £20,000, for which they deserve real credit, and can also help by covering the VAT for the works. 

The key to Masbro's success will be the Mayor’s London Facility Fund. If this bid is successful they would be only an agonising £45,000 short of their target. It is a two stage process with decision on the first stage by Friday 13th January. If they are successful they then submit a second stage application by the 2nd March and a decision in early June. The works would start late August/ early September with a new roof in place before the end of the year. 

In these difficult times, they tell me, they are not looking to make a general appeal but target people who may have used the Centre in the past and are now in a position to donate something back to the Centre. 

They would even be interested in a low cost or interest free loan that could be paid back over 5 or 10 years. Another possibility could be the new forms of raising capital monies that the government are considering.

Capital expenditure is good for business and help stimulate growth in the local economy in these austerity times. 

The Urban Partnership Group has a lease on the Masbro Centre until 2031. A new sports pitch roof will secure this facility for the next 20 years. 

Andy Sharpe Chief Executive of Urban Partnership Group, speaking yesterday, said this: 

"The Masbro is one of the most popular Centres in the Borough with a footfall in excess of 2000 people a week. We are confident that through a range of funding bids, donations and low cost loans we will have a new sports pitch roof for Masbro by the end of 2012. The people of Hammersmith and Fulham have a great tradition of giving and take pride in their community and public assets. I am sure our appeal and fundraising efforts will be a huge success."

The Masbro has already proved its worth to our community many times over - if you can help, please do. Either contact them by telephone on 020 7605 0800 or their website is here

Stephen Lawrence and the police

I was 18 when Stephen Lawrence was murdered, and was at A-level college as he was. The killing, and the subsequent behaviour of the police, led to me going on my first ever march and joining a political party. Just a small, personal, example of how that young man’s life reached people far away who would never know him or his family.

The police today have changed radically, they had to in the face of repeated exposures of prejudice and even corruption, as we were reminded vividly by Doreen Lawrence this week, speaking outside the Old Bailey at the end of a case that should have taken place in 1994 at the latest. Instead, the police investigated Stephen himself for being a suspected gang member. He was black, after all.

Mr Justice Treacy, who presided over the trial, showed how much change had taken place when he talked about the “shame” of past police behaviour, but commended the recent police investigation that led eventually to the trial. But he also saw fit to call Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll, who has been looking after the case in recent years, before him to urge him not to give up on finding evidence to convict the others known to have been involved in the murder.

And Mrs Lawrence also called on the police not to use her son’s name as an illustration that all of the dark practices it shone a light on, had somehow gone away. They haven’t, she said.

So what does this mean for Shepherd’s Bush, one of the most ethnically diverse areas of London? Regular readers will know that I have spent a lot of valuable time with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team who police our streets since the murder on Lakeside Road in May 2011. In doing so I’ve witnessed first hand how officers have handled potentially explosive situations with dignity and respect. This included one group of young black men who were reported by their neighbours as breaking into a car. We ran to the scene and sure enough found a group of young black men standing outside a car, with its door hanging open.

The only problem was that it belonged to one of them and he was showing off his new seat covers to his mates. As the net curtains on a well to do W12 Street twitched up and down the road it was quite clear to everyone what the big elephant in the room was and the young lads were quite understandably not best impressed. The officer leading the team treated them throughout with respect and within minutes they were comparing local kebab houses, and visibly relaxed.

One small incident which on its own doesn’t mean a great deal – but it did to those young lads, and probably to the less experienced officers who watched and hopefully learned from it.

Yesterday, however, the Borough Commander Lucy D’Orsi, who I have a great deal of respect for both as a woman who’s worked her way to the top in what is still a very masculine profession and also someone who clearly gets what it means to actually talk to people effectively, held a session on Twitter. So, given the news of the week, I asked her what the police could learn from the Lawrence case to apply in policing one of the most ethnically diverse areas of London.

Her response was a dismissive one, as you can see above. The logical conclusion of what she said was that no lessons have been learned because the case remains open. Thankfully that is not actually true. Two hours later, and I would imagine having had a word with her press people, she sent me another message which you can see below. As a response to Lawrence it was pretty cack-handed. 

I don’t for a minute doubt that Ms D’Orsi does regard the lessons of the Lawrence case as being of vital importance, she and her officers demonstrate that by their actions on a regular basis. But I would just sound a warning about how the good work of her officers could be undermined by a few ill-chosen words. 

Boris rushes to hike fares but delays penalty fares

Shepherd's Bush had the last surviving bendy bus - the 207 - until December 10th last year when the "free bus" as the route was widely known in reference to the fare evasion that was quite obviously routine among its passengers, was withdrawn. At the time there was controversy about the fact that this change would reduce passenger numbers on the route - and also that the Mayor had spent £11 million on the new routemaster design which is set to be introduced just before the Mayoral elections, as part of his flagship policy on buses.

What we now know, according to the Mayorwatch blog from yesterday, is that the Mayor has also delayed the introduction of new penalty fares which he also trumpeted at the time as a means of clawing back the lost revenue from fare evaders who were enjoying their bendy "free buses". The penalty was to rise, from Jan 2nd to coincide with this years hike in fares, to £80 as you can see from this "Mayoral Decision".

Notices on buses? No problem.

A TfL spokesperson has told Matyorwatch that the problem is down to not being able to get notices up on buses in time. Pathetic. I saw no such inability to put notices up to announce the new fare hikes and in any case as Mayorwatch ask, it's not as if they didn't have enough notice.

They certainly had enough time to pump out press releases about it.

LibDem Leader on the Greater London Authority Caroline Pidgeon is not best impressed. She said yesterday that:

"This is a necessary step to reduce fare evasion - and indeed the Mayor needs to explain why this proposal has now been delayed. 

"Given the high cost of fares, passengers expect the Mayor to tackle fare evaders who are playing the system.  

"However honesty cuts both ways. We must now end the abuse where so many passengers are being overcharged on their Oystercards."

Hard to disagree.

Hammersmith Flyover - new pic, more spin and an apology

The BBC's Tom Edwards has just posted the above pic of twisted, and deteriorating iron inside Hammersmith Bridge which brings home the full extent of the damage that has been done to its infrastructure. It follows our MP Andy Slaughter deriding our Council's assurance that the flyover was expected to be open by the 9th Jan - Mr Slaughter published an email to him from TfL which appeared to contradict the spin that H&F were putting out. TfL said bluntly, to a question about whether what H&F were saying was true:


"TfL will not be able to open the Hammersmith Flyover next week, as while the inspections will be concluded, the structural calculations will not be and we need to put strain gauges on the structure and also check the completed workings with our external expert. We are hopeful of some return to traffic by the beginning of the week after once these steps are completed, but will only be fully certain when that is done".

And they added, tellingly:

"We communicated this to H&F".

Meanwhile at the other extreme the BBC were breathlessly reporting earlier today that it is now likely that the flyover will be shut for the duration of January - but were then forced to publish a correction, the like of which I don't think I've seen from them before - look at the end of this article.

So cutting through the media & political spin the truth seems to be somewhere about the "wait and see" point - not as good as open by the 9th but not as bad as closed till Feb. We shall see.