March 2013

Welcome to the March email bulletin from Brentford ward councillor Matt Harmer. You’re getting it because we have communicated on local issues. If you would prefer not to receive these bulletins then you will find a link below that will unsubscribe you.

Well, hello. I know it’s been a long time. Anyway I’m back from holiday, refreshed, and I’ll try and make these updates a bit more regular than they have been. Anyway, welcome new readers and hello again to old friends.

* Ealing Road junction *

Thanks to you if you have written to me about the traffic lights at the junction of Ealing Road and the High Street – where the Red Lion used to be and the MacDonalds is now. Last year some new lights were put in that would keep the traffic moving but still allow people to cross. Without spending thousands of words on what’s there, they include different lanes for people turning left onto Ealing Road from the High Street and people going straight on.

All good ideas, except that drivers don’t seem to be able to know which red light is for them. A couple of times I’ve been driving down Ealing Road and having to brake quickly despite having a green light because a car that should have stopped hasn’t. Now, it’s the driver’s fault if this happens but there’s a problem if it happens a lot and It seems to be. The traffic people at Hounslow have been helpful and Transport for London are on it too. Already a couple of changes have been made to timing and I think this has helped. But please keep the information coming. I’m not saying that we have created some sort of deathtrap and that everything is terrible, but we can do better and we are working hard to do so.

By the way, some small changes have been made to the A4 traffic lights that we have talked about and more are due. If you think this has taken too long I won’t argue with you but I’m glad that things are moving.

* Parking, continued *

Now, shall we talk about parking? OK then. I was presented with a petition last month from residents in Lateward Road who want, you guessed it, a CPZ. So we will consult again. I know that many people think that councillors are obsessed with CPZs and want to impose them. Believe me, that’s not the case. They cause so much division and argument that, frankly, I sometimes wish they’d never been invented. We put them in when a majority of people who respond to our consultations say they want one. And we only consult when we are asked.

So, are the consultation forms going out soon in Lateward Road? As it happens, no. The day after we agreed to consult Lateward Rd, I was told that another petition was on th way from Braemar Road. (It hasn’t arrived yet). Now, CPZs seem to cost around £50,000 to put in (not just the white paint but all the legal stuff that has to be done) and I’m still checking if we have the funds to do many more consultations. (Hopefully this too puts into doubt the idea that they are huge moneymakers).

Do they work? Probably. I cycled down Hamilton Road the other day at 11am. Now, when councillors discussed putting a CPZ in I went with the scheme being monitored from 2pm to 3pm. At 11am I counted room for 16 cars. Cycling back at 4.30 the road was pretty full, maybe one or two spaces. We will survey Hamilton Road residents when the scheme has been operating for a while and if they want longer enforcement then we can look at that. (And Hamilton Road residents will be shouting at their screens for reasons that it’s best not to go into here; all I’ll say is that we’re aware and we want to fix the problem and sort out the payment issues).

From my point of view I suspect that there will be one around Griffin Park before too long. I’m coming up to 17 years on Ealing Road, I know how hard it can be to park up. Furthermore I suspect that we may be looking for evening enforcement. But no-one has asked us to bring in a CPZ and until they do, I won’t support the installation of one. As ever, happy to hear your views.

* Train time *

Some of you will have visited our local Brentford and Isleworth Area Forum meetings, perhaps to listen to us decide on CPZs or planning applications. I’ve been temporarily charged with increasing participation at these meetings and wuld be pleased to receive your ideas on how this might be done. At our next meeting on Thurs 21st March we will be joined by representatives of South West Trains, so if you would like to come along and congratulate them on their uniformly excellent service (or, of course, you have any other views) then you will be very welcome. 7.30 at the Free Church, just down from the library. Please do let me know what would encourage you to come along. On Thursday we'll also be talking about street trees and getting a local policing update and contributions on those items will be welcome too, I'm sure.

* Tax and spend *

You’ll be getting your council tax bill soon. I’m sure you think it’s a bargain and you’ll be happy to pay it. Hmm. Anyway, for many people it will be a bit cheaper and for dome it will be dearer. I’ll explain. In the budget that the Labour group of councillors – of which I’m one – passed in February to be charged in May we included scope to make a cut in the amount collected. A cut of 0.5%. So it’s not going to pay for your summer holidays, totalling around a fiver, but given the reduction of around £60m in the amount that Hounslow receives from central government over the four year life of the council it’s not too bad an achievement.

Should we have done it? Some say no, that we can’t complain about government cuts and then make our own on top. But there’s a very good reason to do what we did – and it’s a simple one. We said we would. In the 2010 council election we made 5 pledges and one of them was a cut in council tax.

* Toy Library latest *

Brentford Toy Library’s been in the news a bit. At the end of last year the Toy Library announced that it would end its operations. For those who don’t know, the Toy Library has run sessions at St Pauls Church for some while and had recently started sessions on the Haverfield and Clayponds Estate. There was understandable anger at this and Brentford councillors received a number of emails asking why the Council couldn’t put money into such a valuable resource. I looked into this a little and, as so often happens, it’s not as simple as that.

One of the Toy Library’s difficulties was finding volunteers. As I understand it it’s necessary to have two play workers present at all sessions who have CRB checks and there is also the job of managing other volunteers. On the question of funding, the Council has provided just over £42,000 since 2007 and this includes £10,000 that was to go towards the new sessions at Clayponds and Haverfield. Brentford councillors asked for that £10,000 to be re-allocated to the Toy Library provision at St Pauls and I’m pleased to say that the service continues to be available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at St Pauls following this intervention. There is also, until the end of February, the Shop service at the Docking Station on the High Street. There’s new and used toys etc on sale so if toys at good prices would be helpful, please pop in there.
For the Toy Library’s future, well, it’s a test of what used to be called the Big Society. Anyway, if you think that you can help in some way then let me know and I’ll forward your details. There were paid positions available and these may or may not have been filled by now but, either way, I’m sure the Library will keep your details on file. So if you fancy helping as a volunteer or trustee or, well, anything really then please let me know.

* Your road *

Looks like winter is back, roads being gritted. That’s now the responsibility of something called Hounslow Highways and their new website at http://www.hounslowhighways.org/ is a good place to report any problems with street cleaning, road maintenance etc. It marks the start of a programme to replace all the street lights, roads and pavements in the borough that are managed by the Council (in other words, it excludes the A4 and M4 and some roads and paths that Hounslow Homes, who manage the council’s own stock of homes, look after).

There’s a map function on there that will tell you when your road is going have new lights/paths/roadways. Put your postcode in the box on the lower right of the Home page and click the little spyglass. You’ll get taken to a map helpfully showing where you live. Then click on the years and you will see what is scheduled when. I know that we would all like our road sorted out this month but please bear with us. It’s a big job and it will get done, promise.

* RIP *

Finally, a tribute. Whilst I was away I heard about the death of Phil Scarrott. Phil lived in one of the Brentford Towers and did a huge amount of work on behalf of residents there, got involved in the Haverfield, and the Hounslow Federation of Tenants and Residents and all sorts of other things. He was a huge help to many people, including councillors. Most importantly of all, he was a good man and I’ll miss him. Thanks for all your help, Phil.

* Can I help? *

Please get in touch if you think I can help, either by replying to this mail or calling 020 8560 7033.

In the meantime, thanks for reading.