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.

Tenants aim to buy homes to prevent demolition

This week, council tenants and lease holders from the West Ken and Gibbs Green estates served notice to quit the Tory Council landlord, who is aiming to demolish their homes despite the opposition of a least 80% of residents.

Andy Slaughter MP has handed copies of the notice to the Secretary of State, John Denham, to request him to make regulations to allow the transfer of land to take place. Residents believe that this is the only way to prevent a consortium of big business interests, including the Council, intent on destroying their homes to build office blocks and expensive accommodation.

Andy said, "The Tory council said it didn't want these residents living in the borough and that their neighbourhood was 'not decent'. By serving this notice, the residents intend to take charge of their own homes and estates which they will no doubt manage far more competently and compassionately than their Tory Landlords."

Matt Turmaine, a member of the local Labour Action Team, added: "The residents of these estates, and most people in the wider area, don't want this demolition. It will create one of the biggest construction sites in the UK, and this Tory Council has a poor record making big projects work for local areas.

"This action by residents is a positive development, and we will do everything we can to support it."

More H&F Stealth Tax Shame

Usually, you want to hear that your Council is in the top ten of something... but not always. The Daily Telegraph has exposed Hammersmith and Fulham Conservatives for having some of the worst parking stealth taxes in the country.

In 2007, H&F Conservatives helped get parking fines raised by 50%. They then added an extra £500,000 cash target for wardens to generate through new parking fines. Now, as the Telegraph points out, Hammersmith and Fulham is amongst the “10 councils who have raked in the most in fines per head of population” in the UK.

Labour campaigns for 24/7 police cover in North End

According to figures from the Metropolitan Police, crime in North End rose almost 3% in the last year. That is why North End Labour candidates have joined H&F’s Labour Councillors in a commitment to deliver the investment needed to provide North End with 24/7 Police Task Squads.

During the last two years, the Tory-run H&F Council have only provided £750k per year in police funding out of a total £189m budget - which is far less than they spend on their advertising, PR and propaganda programme. This low funding means that 14 out of 16 wards in H&F, including North End, do not have 24/7 police cover.

Cllr. Lisa Homan (Lab), the Shadow Cabinet Member for Crime & Anti-Social Behaviour underlined what would happen if the public elect Labour to form the next Administration after the local elections in 2010, saying "Hammersmith and Fulham was the leading crime fighting borough in London under Labour. Now, under the Conservatives it is languishing behind Lambeth, Waltham Forest and even Richmond. The Conservatives actually spend more of the Council's budget on advertising, PR and propaganda than they do on policing. That can't be right and it doesn't reflect the public's priorities. We will change that, if elected to form the new Administration next year and commit to providing the necessary investment to ensure all sixteen wards in the borough gain extra 24/7 Police Task Squad cover".

Tory Council Pressing Ahead with Demolition Plans

This June, the Tory-run H&F Council published its future strategy for the Borough. It stated that a number of council estates, including West Ken and Gibbs Green, are not decent neighbourhoods.

Instead of working to improve these neighbourhoods, as Labour did in Cheeseman’s Terrace when it was in power, the Tory Council proposes that:

1. Your homes in Gibbs Green and West Ken will be knocked down.

2. Residents will be forced to move, whether council or housing association tenants, freeholders or leaseholders. As the Tories are not building any new social housing, this means residents—many of whom have lived in H&F all their lives—will be forced to leave the borough and be relocated elsewhere.

3. The areas will be developed as luxury private flats and – in West Ken – a conference centre.

Reacting to these plans, Labour MP Andy Slaughter said “I am disgusted that your landlord, who is also your local authority, should hold this community in such contempt as to brand the neighbourhood not decent. And I am horrified that their solution is to demolish your homes and to destroy the existing community.”

Labour’s council candidates, together with Andy, believe that residents should decide the future of your community. It is clear that some areas of the West Ken need improvements, but these should be designed to help the residents of the estates, not to enrich property developers and drive hard working people out of the borough. The best way to stop Tory councillors knocking down your homes is to vote them out of office next May.