Election Day!!

We have finally arrived at election day. As a reminder, everyone has four votes--three for your local councillors and one for your MP.

As a summary of our campaign, I copy below a letter we delivered ahead of the election. It sets out our three key promises for this election.

Whatever the result, it has been a pleasure meeting thousands of you over recent years. North End is a special area, and it deserves a Council that truly puts its residents first. We feel that the promises below demonstrate that Labour wants to put local residents first.

"Dear North End Resident,

As we enter the final days of the election, we wanted to write one last letter to you summing up our three, key promises for the area. We have been speaking to residents for several years now, and we developed these promises during those conversations. We have made sure that each promise is included in the local Labour manifesto.

Crime and anti-social behaviour: Despite being elected in 2006 under a mandate to cut crime in the Borough, the Tory administration has not delivered on their promises. Crime in your local ward was up 2% in 2008/09 compared to the prior year. This compares to a decrease in crime in London and the UK overall. The Tory Council has failed to put extra money into policing for North End throughout the whole of that last 4 years, and they have voted against Labour proposals to do so on 4 occasions. We have promised to invest in 24/7 police patrols for North End. This is a proven way to reduce crime and is being done elsewhere in London.

Gibbs Green and West Kensington Estates: For a number of years, Labour councillors accused the Tory Council of trying to sell off the Gibbs Green and West Kensington Estates to developers. After years of stonewalling and denial, the Council has now confirms that this is the case. We are worried about the future of the families who live there, over 80% of whom signed a petition opposing the demolition. We are campaigning to make sure their interests are protected. We are also worried about the impact of the redevelopment on your local area, which would face years of construction noise and other nuisances. The Council and their property development partners want to triple the density of occupation in the area of the estates. The impact that would have on already overcrowded roads and services would be catastrophic. We promise to halt these plans and end the Council’s unhealthy relationship with developers.

Match Day Parking: Chelsea match days see much of the ward flooded with non-resident parking that can make life a misery for locals and their guests. We wrote to residents in March letting them know that we had secured the inclusion of this issue in the local Labour manifesto. We were pleased to see that the Tories later sent a similar letter in April, but we are worried that after four years in charge of local parking they are not treating the issue with sufficient urgency. We promise to urgently review match day parking with a view to improving conditions for local residents. This problem has been allowed to continue for too long.

Our manifesto promises to achieve these measures while still supporting Council Tax cuts. We will fund this by selling the Council’s costly propaganda organ, H&F News, cutting other Council publicity and ending the vain £34m plans to refurbish the perfectly adequate Town Hall.

Kind regards,

Max, Matt and Daryl"

3 days to go

We are in the last day of a very busy long weekend campaigning around North End, with three days to go until election day. It is clear that there are still many undecided voters, and this is looking like it will be the closest election for decades, at the local, parliamentary and indeed national level. This is making the campaign very interesting, and the large number of new volunteers to help in these final days is evidence that the close election is grabbing peoples' attention.

While campaigning yesterday, our canvass team saw the police make an arrest on Barons Court Road. In addition, in the past month one of our activists has seen two attempts to steal his bike foiled only by good fortune. This is a reminder of one of the key promises of our campaign. Crime in North End was up over 2% in 2008/09 compared to the year before. North End needs investment from the Council for 24/7 police patrols to combat these rising numbers of crimes. Our manifesto has promised these in the North End area and all the other wards in the borough. The cost of these can be met by cutting Council waste, most notably the shameful Council propaganda organ that your Council Tax pays for. We feel that extra police is a better investment of your hard-earned money than Council self-promotion.

Cabinet Minister visits West Ken and Gibbs Green

Yesterday evening, the three Labour council candidates and Andy Slaughter gave Shaun Woodward, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, a tour of the West Ken and Gibbs Green estates. We are pictured to the left in Dieppe Close.

Shaun spent an hour knocking on doors with us, talking to residents on the street and in their homes. As you would expect, most residents expressed their concern over the future of the threatened estates and asked for help in their fight to save their homes from demolition.

Shaun was visibly moved by the situation. In particular, he noted the discord between national Tory promises of a "Big Society" with inclusive government, and the hard reality of working families being displaced by a Tory Council against their will to make way for luxury flats and office blocks.

Campaign Update

We are a little over half-way through the official campaign period, with less than two weeks until the council and general elections on 6 May! The Labour candidates have been out every day talking to voters, and we have been encouraged by their response so far. Many people have reacted well to our three local promises:

1. Invest to stop the increase in crime experienced in North End. We feel the Council should invest in 24/7 patrols for the area. Many other areas in London have these, and they are a brilliant way to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

2. Halt plans to demolish the West Ken and Gibbs Green estates. We want to do this to protect both the homes of the 800 families on the estates and the quality of life of those in the area, most of whom don't want to have front-row seats to a mega-construction project that will stretch over many years.

3. Urgently review parking arrangements to end the inconveniences experienced by local residents on Chelsea match days.

We developed these promises after spending the past few years talking to local residents, and we are proud that they are all contained in the Labour manifesto for Hammersmith and Fulham, launched earlier this week. With only 12 campaigning days to go, we still hope to cover a lot of ground and speak to as many of you as possible. We hope to see you soon.

Max, Matt and Daryl

West Ken & Gibbs Green Redevelopment Plans

This weekend we delivered another letter to the ward, this time focusing on the effects of Tory plans to demolish the West Ken and Gibbs Green estate and build luxury flats and offices. As the letter explains, we are worried this will have adverse consequences not only for those on the estates, but also for those who live in the surrounding area.

Dear North End Resident,

For a number of years, Labour councillors accused the Conservative Council of trying to sell off the Gibbs Green and West Kensington Estates to developers. After stonewalling and denying, the Council has finally confirmed this is their intention.

We are worried about the future of the over 800 families who live on the estates, the overwhelming majority of whom recently signed a petition opposing the demolition. We have campaigned to make sure their interests are protected. We have promised in our manifesto not to demolish these estates. The Council says it will rehouse displaced tenants in the local area, but social housing is already oversubscribed, and it is unclear where space for new housing can be found.

We are also concerned about the impact of the demolition plans on the surrounding areas, which would face years of construction noise and other nuisances. The Council and their development partners want to triple the density of occupation in the area of the estate. That would have a catastrophic impact on already overcrowded local roads and underfunded local services.

The Tory Council’s management of large construction projects to date is not impressive. Our colleagues in Shepherd’s Bush report waves of local anger over the Council’s failure to manage the Westfield project. Mercy Umeh reported at the time, “The construction has generated amazing levels of dirt and noise. The area is continuously dusty, getting into people’s homes, onto their belongings and covering their windows. At one point rats, escaping from a demolition on the site, ran openly down Wood Lane and into the surrounding streets.” Shepherd’s Bush tube was unilaterally shut down for 8 months at short notice. Problems did not end after construction was completed. Many North End residents rightly complain of parking problems on Chelsea Match Days—near the Westfield centre, similar parking headaches are now experienced seven days a week.

Unfortunately, the Tory Council has a record of serving developers instead of residents. Consulting firm London Planning Practice (LPP) even boasts on its website that it has “achieved significant reductions in S106 contributions” that the developers it was working for had to pay to the Council for local services.

We think it is time for the Council to break free from this unhealthy relationship with developers. If elected, we promise to truly put all residents first, and not sacrifice their interests to the demands of property developers. Decisions should be weighted in local residents’ favour and only reached after extensive and meaningful consultation.

Kind regards,

Max, Matt and Daryl

Chelsea match day chaos

While out talking to residents last night, the Labour candidates captured on camera the parking and traffic chaos caused by Chelsea Match Days.

Over the past year of campaigning, many residents raised this issue. In autumn 2009, we asked the local Labour party to include a manifesto commitment to review this problem with a view to quickly protecting the ability of local residents and the visitors to park. This was agreed and is a manifesto promise, as we confirmed in a letter to residents in the worst hit streets in March.

Sign the petition!

Two weeks ago we mentioned the success of the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle's switch to a free format. In the past few weeks, it has ran a growing campaign to demand that the Tory Council shut down their propaganda mouthpiece, H&F 'News'.

The Labour team in North End supports this call for the Council to stop their Soviet-style attempt at massaging news, using spin doctors instead of journalists. Our election manifesto calls for the paper to be sold off. We will also cut back the huge sums currently spent by the Council on promotional advertising. We think the Council should spend money improving services, not telling residents that they are improving services.

We urge you to join us in signing the petition. You would be horrified if the national Government ran its own newspaper filled only with favourable stories-- you should be equally horrified that the Tory Council is spending your council taxes to do just that at the local level.

4 votes on 6 May!

Gordon Brown has called the general election for 6 May. This means that voters in North End will have four votes in two separate elections on that day--for their three local councillors and for their new member of parliament.

As your area's Labour candidates for the Council, we (Daryl Brown, Max Schmid and Matt Turmaine) are delighted that the General Election has been called. While we have been actively talking to residents in North End for well over a year, the national election will now mean that many more people are paying closer attention to what’s going on in their neighbourhood.

The Tory council’s plans for social housing will bring devastation to residents in those estates affected and chaos to the streets and services that everyone else in the area depends on. The Council's failure on crime has seen an increase in North End and Hammersmith despite crime falling in London and the rest of the country.

We are committed to being excellent Councillors – we want to win the Council back for Labour and, more importantly, we want to represent you! That’s why we have signed up to the Labour Group’s Safer Neighbourhood Police Pledge and why we’ve developed ideas on, for example, Match Day Parking that we’ve been talking to you about locally.

We will be updating this blog on a regular basis over the next month, setting out the local issues and explaining how our manifesto promises will deal with these issues.

kind regards,

Daryl, Matt and Max

Stairway to injury

On a recent canvassing session, we came across another example of the falling standards in H&F’s social housing. Dan Power, a Labour candidate in Avonmore and Brook Green ward, is pictured in an estate just north of Talgarth Road, pointing out a deteriorating staircase. It was one of several such crumbling staircases across the estate. Local residents informed us that they have repeatedly raised this problem with the Council, but nothing has been repaired—instead, they say, it is slowly getting worse. Even more worryingly, the estate contains a number of residents with limited mobility who depend on the staircases to get in and out of their homes. Dan has raised the issue with Andy Slaughter MP, whose office is contacting relevant Council officers on the behalf of local residents.

This situation is a timely opportunity to reiterate one of our central campaign promises. If we regain control of the Council, Labour’s councillors will focus on improving the condition of H&F's estates rather than trying to flog them off to developers.

Small success on Aisgill Avenue

It is always good to be able to report good news. In the winter, we spoke to residents on Aisgill Avenue, and several complained that a gate next to a basketball court was unlocked. Youths were using this as an access point to go behind residents' homes into their gardens--sometimes just to collect stray balls but occasionally leaving behind rubbish and causing damage. Residents reported that they had long raised the issue with the Council but nothing had been done.

We rose the issue with Andy Slaughter MP, and he wrote a letter to the Council on residents' behalf. When we returned in early March, the gate's lock was fixed, and residents were pleased. Prospective Labour candidate Max Schmid is pictured to the left next to the newly-secured gate. A small victory for local residents, but not one that has gone unnoticed on Aisgill Avenue.

Fulham Chronicle successful conversion to free format

A growing number of residents are telling us during our weekend canvassing trips how pleased they are with the quality of the now free Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle. The newspaper is now delivered free to residents on a weekly basis since mid-January, after a 120 history as a paid-for newspaper, and every indication is that the change has been a big success.

There have been a number of local scoops in the past few months that would have gone previously unnoticed but are now regular talking points for local residents. We suggest not shoving the paper straight into the recycling bin along with pizza leaflets and speculative letters from estate agents-- it is well worth a weekly glance. Alternatively, you can read the paper online at: http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/

Match Day Parking Mayhem

Over the past few days, the North End Labour team wrote and delivered the following letter to residents in the south-east of the ward. It sums up the type of local campaigns we are running now and we will continue to run once elected:

Match Day Parking Mayhem

Over the past year, we have been talking to residents in your area about local concerns and issues. We are writing to highlight one problem that you raised and that we want to solve.

What you said:

On Bramber Road, Chesson Road, Archel Road and Turneville Road, you have told us that the volume of cars on Chelsea match days causes a major local headache. Parking restrictions closer to Stamford Bridge are forcing cars further north, which is still only a brisk ten minute walk from the ground.

Residents tell us they have been complaining about this issue for years but nothing has improved, despite a public consultation held almost two years ago. Chesson Road resident Elaine Blagrove told us, "As a Blue Badge holder, I am extremely angry and deeply upset at not being able to park on our road or the surrounding roads due the the influx of football fans on Chelsea match days".

What we have done:

The Labour Action Team raised this issue with other Labour supporters, and it has now been included in the local party manifesto. If elected, we promise to launch a review of parking regulations on Chelsea match days with the specific aim of helping local residents. This will consider how to implement targeted parking restrictions that will make it easier for you and your visitors to park on match days and evenings. The three of us see this as a matter of urgency and not one that should be allowed to drag on for years.

We feel that this is exactly the type of issue your councillors should be tackling if they truly want to ‘put residents first’. We hope you will give us the chance to turn this promise into reality by supporting Labour in the local elections on 6 May.

Kind regards,

Max, Matt and Daryl

Neglect in Cheeseman's Terrace

The North End Labour Action Team came across this sight when conducting a street surgery recently on Cheeseman's Terrace.

What is supposed to be a communal park, children's playground and recreational area is more like a dumping ground. Rubbish remains uncollected and the drains are blocked, leading to stinking water collecting and covering a large area.

Residents say that the problem is caused by both broken security gates, which are meant to restrict access to the park to residents, and by the service gate being left open by refuse collection vehicles. Perhaps most inconsiderately of all, vehicles also appear to have simply driven onto and ruined the grass, which is supposed to be an area for kids to play in!

The playground facilities also remain in a state of distress. Local residents told the Labour Action Team they were disgusted and did not feel safe letting their children play there.

What is the Tory Council playing at? We know they have plans to demolish estates across the borough, but there is no reason to treat properties that they are responsible for so poorly.

Talgarth Parking Ban Continues

A number of residents of Talgarth Road have recently expressed their anger to us regarding the Council's failure to convince TfL to lift the street's parking ban.

Since April 2008, parking along the south of Talgarth Road has been severely restricted due to TfL concerns over the integrity of the road . When the ban was first introduced, the Tory Councillor responsible for streets in the borough, Nick Botterill, feigned outrage and said the Council would be "doing everything we can to put pressure on TfL to reconsider this course of action." Almost two years later, the problem remains.

In fact, after Boris won control of TfL in May 2008, the Tory council went strangely quiet on the issue. A H&F news story in May 2009 found Mr Botterill much calmer, saying the Tory Council "understand TfL’s concerns over the parking bays on Talgarth Road and are calling for them to reach a solution to the problem as quickly as possible." Yet, again, another year after this, the problem remains and TfL has not even yet launched a long-promised public consultation.

The local Labour Action Team is worried that the Tory Council is unwilling to effectively challenge Boris' TFL over an important local issue. If elected, North End Labour councillors are committed to standing up for local residents to the Council, the London Mayor and the Government, no matter what party is in power.

Neglect in North End Neighbourhoods

Hammersmith & Fulham Conservatives may be trying to deny what local residents know to be true - the planned demolition of people's homes in 2012 - but our local canvassing work has revealed that the Tories are doing themselves no favours in the run up to that date.

These pictures show the shocking state of neglect in some of the social housing blocks in our Ward.

North End Labour Action Team, Daryl Brown, Max Schmid and Matt Turmaine were canvassing in late December at Lickey House and Desborough House on the West Kensington Estate. At the top of the block and on the stairwells, the Council's lack of care or effort is evident; as rust-riddled infrastructure and stairs that look like they've not been cleaned for months have to be endured by local residents.

Daryl (pictured above) commented: 'It's a disgrace. Why isn't the Council keeping these areas clean and tidy? These flats are people's homes. Just because they're planning to knock them down shouldn't mean residents can't expect cleanliness in the meantime.'

The Tories may try to deny their plans for social housing in the area but their unwillingness to spend

any money keeping standards even vaguely acceptable suggests that in practice they've given up trying to pretend.