Washington Bound

 I will be in the US for the rest of this week so the blog will slow down ... keep the stories coming though, dear readers

Charing Cross "Saved" - an alternative view

Our Council is in the repeated habit of claiming to have saved Charing Cross Hospital when the reality is plainly the reverse. Inevitably in the age of social media and YouTube a spoof has emerged by what looks like an angry resident rather than the community Save our Hospitals campaign. But it does give a flavour of the anger that is out there at how our Council has behaved in contrast to, say, Lewisham.

Tales of the White City: Screening at the Bush!

Bush Blog Editor Nathalie Bristow reports on a superb new film about the Bush...

As part of their RADAR New Writing Festival 2013, the Bush Theatre is screening Tales of the White City, a moving and original film created for BBC Outreach by Benjamin Till with the people of the White City Estate and produced by LandSky. Come to the Bush Theatre on Monday 18th November with 2 screenings (1815 & 1930) - it's free but you have to reserve tickets here http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/production/tales_of_the_white_city/

The film celebrates White City and our local community and there's a party in the bar and a post-show Q&A (7.30 performance only) with the director and producer of the film.

Over 500 local people were involved in the film, which was created to help celebrate the community spirit and diversity of the people who live on the White City estate - an area of London which the BBC and the Bush Theatre have been closely linked to for many years. Tales of the White City is a unique, uplifting film which contains moving performances and real life stories.

Featuring tales from the lives of individuals and with lead performances from eleven local characters who contributed their own lyrics, the musical includes stories such as the enduring love of an older couple and life at a local Egyptian restaurant. Performances include poetry, dancing and a song from 400 children from three different local primary schools, with words written by the children themselves.

People have been talking about it up and down the Uxbridge Road and this is your chance to see it and meet the people involved- who you probably know - like Bob the vicar who has a starring role!

Amazing: Fly through 17th Century London

Just breathtaking. A project by a bunch of students at De Montford University recreates the streets of our capital centred on the old city around Pudding Lane, prior to the Great Fire. The students have based many of the buildings on conjecture using what we know from drawings and paintings but have also used actual street plans and the names of pubs we know existed. That, and the evocative soundtrack, creates what for me is a very profound reminder of why London really is the best capital city on Earth. Enjoy.

Fulham Palace: The movie

I last blogged about having discovered Fulham Palace here. But now a new video has come about which captures the greatness of the place by focusing on how historic secrets continue to be unearthed about it. Well worth a watch - and a visit.

Living costs soar in H&F as Council ups wages

Living costs have soared in Hammersmith & Fulham in the years since the crash a new report from the trade union Unison has revealed. The research shows that a resident, living in a two bed home, earning the National Minimum Wage and commuting to work in central London from Hammersmith & Fulham has to spend an estimated 12.41 per cent of their pay on travel and 186.5 per cent on rent, compared with 4.96 per cent and 74.6 per cent in 2008 respectively.

That is a massive increase in anyone's books, and Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi (pictured left) has jumped on the findings to demand that all statutory authorities in London adopt the London Living Wage (as opposed to the Minimum Wage) to lead the way in closing the gap faced by the poorest paid between their wage packets and their bills.

Mr Qureshi said:

“The London Living Wage has been successful in ensuring thousands of workers in London receive a fair days pay for a fair days work. Today’s report shows that introducing a statutory living wage could lead to an increase in jobs rather than a reduction. I am delighted that there are now plans to introduce measures to encourage more employers to pay a Living Wage through tax incentives. 

“The Mayor must do more to encourage employers to pay the London Living Wage and he can start by making the institutions he is responsible for accredited London Living Wage employers. At the current rate of progress it will take 450 years for all workers to be paid a living wage in London. Londoners are struggling and the Mayor’s inflation-busting fare increases mean that residents earning the National Minimum Wage and travelling to work in zone one have to spend an estimated 12.41 per cent of their pay on travel, and 74.6 per cent on rent". 

It was announced that the LLW will rise next year to £8.80 from its current rate of £8.55 compared to £6.31 which is the National Minimum Wage.

But there is good news in our borough too - it turns out that our Council pays well in excess of the LLW, with a Council spokesman telling me this afternoon:

"The Council offers its employees a minimum wage of £9.21 per hour, hence going beyond the minimum set down as the London Living Wage."

Regular readers will know I have lots of disagreements with this Council - but they really do deserve serious credit for this. By setting this sort of example it becomes very difficult for others, particularly in the public sector, not to follow. I would be interested to know, for example, whether the workers sweeping our streets for Serco are paid this amount or others who work for outsourced firms. I plan on finding out. But in the meantime full marks to the Council.

£177 million housing repair contract awarded

Our Council have awarded a huge contract to MITIE, who describe themselves as a "strategic outsourcing company", to perform repairs to properties in the borough over the next ten years. As ever our Council claims this is in support of its drive to cut bills but respond to residents concerns.

Here's Councillor Andrew Johnson, cabinet member for housing:

"The council carries out around 50,000 repairs a year and when we ask residents what matters most to them, repairs comes out on top time and again. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with MITIE that will further improve standards and achieve the best value for money deal for residents possible."

And MITIE are mighty pleased too. Here's their Head Honcho, the magnificently named Ruby McGregor-Smith:

“We are extremely pleased to be further developing our relationship with Hammersmith & Fulham Council. We are looking forward to delivering innovative and efficient services and supporting the vision of this forward thinking council.”

This is the second strategic partnership MITIE has with the Council having being awarded a three year £30m cyclical painting contract earlier this year.

Initiatives unique to the contract include a 24/7 contact centre, that provides a flexible appointment system enabling residents to select convenient times for repairs to take place. MITIE’s innovative approach to service delivery is expected to save the borough £20m on its repair bill over the next ten years.