New Faces

The Redbridge version of The X-Factor has today revealed the winners – and losers. The new Redbridge Cabinet, headed up by Council Leader elect, Keith Prince, has been named in the Ilford Recorder.

"I have tried to get a balance of experience and young talent and I have brought more women into the cabinet to give the line-up a better mix." Says Keith. Well, they are certainly "younger" and the number of women has increased by 50% from two to three.

He also said: "Deciding on the line-up was a very tough decision; I had a lot of talent to draw from." Oh really?

Anyway those who got the elbow are Cllrs Hugget, Stark, Aaron and Goody. Also leaving the cabinet is Cllr Chan but he is going to be Mayor. So, that’s five vacancies.

The rising stars are:

Michelle Dunn – Environment and Highways. Has been on the scrutiny committee for a while and is personally recommended by a former Leader. We have high expectations and hope to see her at the Environment Partnership meetings.






Gary Monro – Children’s Services. I have discussed matters general with him on his now defunct blog and he is quite lively. At least Cllr Griffin will now know who he is, perhaps.







Robin Turbefield – Housing. Currently Chairman of the Environment & Highways Scrutiny committee and, I think, the only councillor to attend an Environment Partnership meeting. He got brownie points for that. Not a second string to Batman.






Nick Hayes - Planning and Regeneration. The man who "knocked up" an opposing candidate on election day in 2006. Tells a story long, but knows his stuff. Likes to get into the detail. Promising.





And there is a return for that sparkling Comet:

Sue Nolan – Resources. Has been in remote orbit for far too long. Although has featured extensively in the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian with an ex-Bill actor.








Of those that remain, Cllr Prince is obviously the Leader, John Fairley-Churchill retains Adult Social Services & Health, Vanessa Cole stays with Community Safety and Ronnie Barden continues with Finance, which leaves Alan Weinberg [the deposed Leader] taking on Culture and Leisure, otherwise known as the "poison chalise".

With such an energetic and lively line-up one wonders whether the more "senior" members will be able to cope with Cabinet meetings without having their usual nap – they did seem to spend large parts of last Wednesday’s Area 4 meeting asleep.

Real Help Now

Last week I received an email from a Redbridge Council Officer containing information that may be of interest. What I didn’t realise at the time, because I didn’t look at the date, was that it was a belated April Fool’s Joke – and it’s a cracker.

It seems that on April 1st Minister for London, Tony McNutty, “launched 'Real Help for London' at Stratford Workplace in Newham, the borough proud to host the London G20 summit.”

“The new booklet, available from the 'real help now' website, details the wide range of support this Government has introduced to help families and business across the capital. Blah blah blah”.

What surprised me, was that they have even taken the trouble to produce said booklet and put it on the internet. Here it is PDF 273 Kbits.

Interestingly the section on money problems and debt leads to another government website www.direct.gov.uk/debtadvice where if you follow through the menu “money, tax and benefits” to “managing debt” to “plan your way out of debt” to “dealing with debt problems” you get to this piece of extraordinary advice from a government who have sold several generations of our children into debt slavery.

"If you're in debt and you are finding it hard to cope, it's important to deal with the problem straight away - the longer you ignore your debts, the worse the situation becomes."

So, the ‘Real Question Now’ is: why do we need 'Real Help Now' and will we get any 'Real Answers Now'?

May Day Sunday

Forest Farm Peace Garden,

this Sunday 3rd May 11am – 5pm [Map]
Click graphic to enlarge

Here are the details of the day:

- Come along to the Garden and gather some May (Hawthorn Blossom) to take home and bless your home.

- Learn about the wonderful medicinal qualities of the Hawthorn and how it can keep your heart healthy.

- Help Debbie our resident herbalist start to make a fresh Hawthorn tincture.

- Come early and help make May wreaths and try your voice in the traditional British round song 'Summer is a-comin in'.

- Bring the Children along as we are hoping to crown a May King and Queen and get them walk around the Garden’s beds to bless the crops for a good harvest.

- Then help make and eat a fresh Nettle soup in a cauldron on the fire pit. If you like, bring some small, simple dish with you to add to a communal feast.

May Day (Beltane eve) has always been a very important Festival in Britain.

People would go out into the woods to gather the May blossom (Hawthorn) and decorate their homes with it – and then go and have a wild knees-up around the May Pole that was traditionally constructed from Hawthorn.
Hawthorn is believed to ward off evil spirits and was considered sacred to the faerie folk – so when we go cutting the May, be polite!

The Fullwell Typo

Residents all over the borough are receiving through their letter boxes a Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhoods leaflet which gives the contact details for each Ward SN Team and details their priorities along with some general anti-crime advice. Except that the Fullwell one has a rather important typo – the phone number is missing a digit and PC Towler asks that it be highlighted on this site. It should be 020 8721 2570

Battery Recycling

Aha! This came up at our AGM yesterday evening as a question to Russell Ward who is responsible for recycling in Redbridge. So I was rather pleased to receive an email from Moixa Energy on this very topic.

It seems that as from last September all domestic batteries carry a crossed out wheelie bin logo indicating that they should not be disposed of through the normal household waste stream but recycled – but where and how?

We are also informed that new UK Battery policy was laid before parliament on 14th April and due to be enacted on 5th May, such that 10% of domestic batteries will be recycled by 2010, 25% by 2012 and 45% by 2016. It will also require retailers and producers to significantly improve battery recycling and awareness and compulsory in store collection schemes from Feb 2010.

In fact, say Moixa, many retailers and most local councils offer battery recycling services already. It’s just a question of knowing where to go…

Now you can visit www.savebatterywaste.com and use an interactive map to direct you to your nearest battery recycling point or links to UK council policy and recycling pages. The Save Battery Waste Campaign is reaching out to Schools, Companies and other organisations to participate in the Campaign by offering battery recycling facilities and schemes of their own.

Now, as far as I can see the map only shows one location in Redbridge, the council’s Chigwell Road Amenity site. But for those who commute into Central London there are oodles of them.

So if you are a retailer [Danny] who sells batteries why not sign up to the scheme? You are more likely to get repeat business if customers can bring their old batteries back to you.

Now I don’t normally do advertising on this blog but I do have some of those new USB rechargeables. The top comes off to reveal a USB connection and you just plug ‘em in to your computer to recharge – don’t need a recharger.

Forest Farm Goes Biking

Forest Farm Peace Garden is holding a bike day this Sunday 26th April to get would-be cyclists reaching into their garages and dusting off their wheels. There will be a free fix-your bike workshop with Luke from Triton cycles giving tips on maintenance and getting your bike safe and on the road. The Peace Garden will also have a stand, tools and DIY books on hand from now on so anyone wanting to use them in the garden are welcome..........Its from 11am - 2pm, we're hoping to see a good crowd rolling in.

Gareth

Wanstead Result

Alex Wilson, Conservative - 1300
Kate Garret, Liberal Democrat - 1030
Ross Hatfull, Labour - 694
Ashley Gunstock, Green - 256
John Evans, BNP - 171
Nick Jones, UKIP - 33

Turnout 40.7%
-------------------------------------------
Too tired to comment in the early hours but thank you to the candidate who texted me the result shortly before 1am.

As predicted the Conservative, Alex Wilson, won and will now represent the ward of Wanstead along with Cllr Tak Chan and Cllr Michelle Dunn.

We did note that the Conservative administration had been having some troubles and this might explain the reduced vote for them. The Labour vote went down as well, but not as much as I had expected. And the beneficiary, not surprisingly was the Liberal Democrats who made a respectable challenge in an area where they have not done particularly well before. As for the Greens their absolute vote also went down but their share of the vote remained constant. One must also remember that there were two additional candidates [over the 2006 local Elections] in the BNP and UKIP who between them took almost 6% of the vote so there were less votes to spread amongst the other parties.

Party	2006 Vote	2006 %	2009 Vote	2009 %
Con	5309	48.45%	1300	37.31%
Lab	3277	29.91%	694	19.92%
LibDem	1561	14.25%	1030	29.56%
Green	810	7.39%	256	7.35%
BNP	dns	dns	171	4.91%
UKIP	dns	dns	33	0.95%

What happens now? Cllr Wilson will join a Conservative group who reportedly is still suffering from fierce in-fighting over the leadership issue. The Guardian reporter notes [see 11:47pm] that at the count the Leader and Leader elect sat at opposite ends of the room and didn’t speak to each other.

More reports of "dog-fighting" in the Guardian here.

The Guardian report on the result.
The Ilford Recorder report on the result.

Slaying the Dragon

Thought I’d put the flag out today as it is Saint George’s Day.

Saint George is not only the patron saint of England. He is also the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Bteghrine, Cáceres, Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, Gozo, Pomorie, Qormi, Lod and Moscow, Scouting, as well as a wide range of professions, organizations and disease sufferers.

He is best known for the slaying of the Dragon, but since he is the very stuff of myth and legend just what does that Dragon symbolise?

There should also be plenty of crosses in Wanstead today as the good people go to the polls to elect a new Councillor. We, of course, will be celebrating in the New Fairlop Oak after our AGM whilst waiting for the by election result on our mobile phones.

Exposure

Apparently it is not only forbidden to take photographs of Policemen, like these, it is now "strictly forbidden" to photograph anything to with Transport.

Why can't we take pictures of policemen?
Is it a crime to take pictures?
Police warn UK man that taking photos of "hooded teenagers" is illegal

Tomorrow B21 is going to buy a pocket sized compact digital camera.

Meanwhile we learn from Dorothea that the man who invented the Congestion Charge was none other than……. The late Sir Alan Walters, former personal economic policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher.

And Flesh is Grass considers nostalgia and the Museum of Brands, sponsored by Tesco.

Flesh also highlights two exhibitions sponsored by Tesco.

“Packaging a Sustainable Future” 31st March - 29th November 2009

“Waste Not, Want Not” 22nd January - 29th November 2009

Tesco though have got themselves into a bit of a pickle with this ad.

Holey Wars

Boris Johnson has got the hump or rather the opposite, a hole. It seems that he was required to drive across London for an official event and was delayed due to Utility companies digging up the roads. And what’s more Bernard Cribbins was nowhere to be seen. That is, the hole in the road was coned off and there was nobody actually doing any work there when Boris passed by. But there must have been earlier otherwise the hole would not have been there. Boris says:

“Emboldened by my righteous anger, I summoned every Chief Executive of all the utility companies into my office to demand an explanation.”

Now, hold on here just a second. A few years ago I and the local community were without water - Clayhall Avenue got dug up. Some while later I and the local community were without a telephone and internet service – Clayhall Avenue got dug up. Wensleydale Avenue was off limits while new drains were laid and there was a major exercise in Chigwell Road replacing the Gas mains. These things have to be done.

The utility services, water, sewage, electricity, gas, communications have a duty to restore interrupted service as quickly as possible, but that’s not what Boris is complaining about. He wants the highways kept open so we can all roam around in our tin boxes at will. Fair enough, but he fails to recognise the importance of being able to shower and burn your toast before you set off.

True the Utilities could be more efficient and effective. But Roads are also a Utility in their own right and these are the responsibility of local Councils and a body by the name of "Transport for London " which Boris is directly responsible for. When he has put his own house in order, I might take him more seriously.

Barkingside High Street TfL NotWorks.

The Death of Democracy

Tut! And double Tut! The Wanstead by election Hustings, due this evening, have been called off. Reportedly because the Labour candidate, Ross Hatfull, refused to share a platform with the British National Party. Kate Garrett, the Liberal Democrat also had reservations but it appears that Alex Wilson, the Conservative, was "looking forward to it". So was I, and a nice meaty report on this blog. The Green Party candidate, Ashley Gunstock said "our policy is that we only share a platform with the BNP where there is opportunity to challenge their views, which is exactly what a hustings is for". He went on, "since it is the Labour Party who have created the problems that have fuelled the BNP, perhaps they feel that their debating position is a bit shaky?" Nick Jones, UKIP, was unavailable for comment and the BNP candidate John Evans predictably said that he was not expecting any trouble.

One can understand concerns that there might be some trouble at such a meeting, it has happened before, but we have had a BNP councillor in the north of the borough for three years now without anything untoward happening. There are no Labour Party councillors on Area 3 Committee so one may well ask if they would refuse to attend and carry out their democratic duties?

It is true that these Hustings have been noted on various "white supremacist" websites, but what do you expect? It has also been noted on many other websites, the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian, this site, Ashley Gunstock’s blog, and the Redbridge-i forum to name a few. If you are going to hold a public meeting word is going to get round.

If you disagree with the BNP’s views then it is no good burying your head in the sand and hoping they will go away. You have to take them on through the democratic process and that includes Hustings. Once we allow the potential for violence between those with opposing views to undermine the democratic process it will be the beginning of the end for Democracy.

I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it and I will point out where I think you are wrong.

By the way, apparently a BNP campaigner has been arrested.

Blog: Tool or Weapon?

Blogging is a relatively recent phenomena. The Labour Party have only experienced it whilst they have been in government and it would appear that they just don’t get it. Try the book on the left chaps!

The big boys of political blogging, Iain Dale, Guido Fawkes, Burning our Money, have been laying into the government in spades and in retaliation a bloke by the name of Derek Draper has been trying to fight back with Labour List and not very successfully. Trouble is, he and his mate Damien McBride saw it not as a vehicle for honest debate, news, views and comment but as a means to smear their opponents via a planned anonymous blog called The Red Rag. Exposing corruption, duplicity, hypocrisy and downright failure is one thing, but making it up is another.

Just as Watergate was uncovered so too has been Drapergate. McBride has resigned and the discredited Draper is expected to get the elbow soon. The internet, coupled with mobile phones that can take video recordings, makes it very difficult to cover things up as we have seen in the Ian Tomlinson case. And if the government want to read our emails why shouldn’t we hack in and read theirs? Saves the trouble of an FOI request! There are two sides to every sword and as Flesh asks, just who is watching who?

But grass roots political blogging can be and is alive and well elsewhere. There are some really good MP blogs. We, of course have Roger Evans, our London Assembly Member. And there are some jolly good local councillor blogs dotted around the country.

But none here in Redbridge. The nearest was the late John Beanse just across the border in Waltham Forest. Councillor Monro has blogged on and off in his personal capacity, but that’s it. Not one of our 62 councillors has recognised the potential for communicating with their constituents with a blog. For the most part they don’t even use the forum on the Council website either.

There are websites. All four Redbridge MPs have one and there are also websites for various Local Party associations. But a website is not the same as a blog. Websites are usually dull, boring, inhospitable places full of bland press releases. A blog has a voice, a personality, a unique identity and it’s interactive.

The Redbridge Mayor’s blog, even though non interactive was consistently good last year and though this years Mayor has not updated it since July 13th 2008 it still has it’s own unique style.

Methinks it’s about time the Redbridge Councillors and MPs woke up to the 21st century.

As Picard said: “Engage”.

The Heron

I am not a bird expert, and my distance eyesight is not that good without my specs. But I can identify some birds. Occasionally we see a Heron perched on the garages at the bottom of the back garden, which I quite like because the Wanstead Rugby Club just round the corner are known as The Herons. Anyway, there we are in the back garden on Sunday afternoon and we spot a Heron on top of a 30 foot rugby post through the gap in the houses opposite. Half an hour later it is still there and out come the binoculars to reveal picture left.

Now, if you would like to see some real birds the Nature Conservation Team do guided walks. All events are FREE unless otherwise stated and for some booking is required. The complete list of events, and they are many and varied are listed in the leaflet here [PDF 2.5Mbts]

Wednesday 22 April 9.45 am to 12 noon - Bird Walk
A fascinating bird walk with local birding expert and professional walk leader, Alan Hobson, along the Roding Valley Park and Ray Park.
Meet at Ray Park car park, off Snakes Lane East. Binoculars recommended, but not essential. FREE

Sunday 10 May 5 - 7 am - Dawn chorus walk
An early start is needed to hear the wonderful sounds of morning bird song. Come and join the rangers for a walk around the forest ending with a tasty selection of breakfast treats. Meet at Hainault Forest Visitor Centre, Fox Burrow Road, off Romford Road IG7 4QN Booking essential. Cost £3 per person. Families are welcome but children must be over 8 years. Binoculars are recommended.

Saturday 30 May 9.30 am to 12 pm - Bird Walk
Come and join local bird expert Alan Hobson for a gentle wander around Claybury Woods. Binoculars recommended. Meet at Claybury Woods, gate on Roding Lane North, near to junction with Vicarage Road. FREE

Please be aware that as all events are in green spaces and are outdoors there are often limited facilities and the terrain may be off accessible paths. Please get in contact to find out about specifics regarding each event, as we aim for our events to be accessible as possible. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and footwear for all walks and activities.

For booking and further information: 020 8501 1426 or email

Also, please don't forget there are bird and nature walks organised by the North East London RSPB group which can be found here.

And just to show we have got some real birds round these parts here is a Green Woodpecker nibbling my lawn.

New Garden Waste Service

Feedback suggests that not everyone gets the council’s propaganda news sheet Redbridge Lie Life, and even if they do it is not always read. Sometimes important leaflets come through the letterbox and get thrown away having got mixed up with all the other rubbish. And then there is no RSS feed on the Redbridge-i site for news. [moan, gripe]. So, being a belt and braces sort of bloke I thought I’d better publicise the New Garden Waste service on this ere blog, which according to Google Analytics has had 3,168 “Absolute Unique Visitors” since 3rd January 2009. Of course that is a completely rubbish figure but I just thought I’d drop it into the conversation.

The new weekly garden waste collection service here in Redbridge will operate from April through to October. There is no longer a need to pre-book; you just present your garden waste in untied sacks by 7am on the day after your normal refuse/recycling collection day. Please leave the sacks at the boundary to your property nearest the street and they will be collected free of charge. Maximum of 20 bags per collection but they do not specify how big a bag can be.

They will collect:

• Grass
• Hedge cuttings
• Flowers
• Plants
• Small branches – tied in bundles that are of a manageable collection size

More details here; including the Sunday Garden waste service, Chigwell Road Amenity site and subsidised compost bins. And this is where I notice another Red-i drop-off – no mention of Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre. True it is in Newham, but they are part of the East London Waste Authority as is Redbridge – so Redbridge residents, and particularly those in the south of the borough, ARE entitled to use it.

Please note that next week commencing Monday April 13th Refuse/recycling collections will be a day later as they will also be on week commencing Monday 4th May.

Here Comes Summer

Wanstead Tube Station shuts down for summer

Travellers react with horror

Gants Hell predicted as year of road works looms

Meanwhile, residents in the Maybank and Broadmead areas are dismayed that the planned signalisation of Charlie Brown’s roundabout has been cancelled by TfL and, we are led to believe, will not be reconsidered until after the 2012 Olympic Games. Is that what they mean by “legacy”?

“It is just amazing that shoppers from the Snakes Lane / Woodford Bridge area cannot walk to Southend Road Tesco's along the Chigwell Road without crossing this busy road twice. There is no pavement from Broadmead Road to the Petrol Station by the Wynn Bridge and nearer to Charlie Browns there is no pavement on the opposite side of the road from the Re-cycling Centre to the roundabout.” - RonK

Some people like to go swimming in the summer – tough!

Some people like to go abroad but since the £ has been devalued by around 30% some may have to think twice.

The latest plea for a bus route along Forest Road by our resident MBE has been met with “the benefits of providing a bus route along Forest Road are relatively low.” That’s a No then.

You could always visit a local country park but, as there is no bus, if you go by car be prepared for car park charges. If you walk be prepared to cross a busy road with no crossing. High visibility clothing is recommended.

The Nature Conservation Team’s application to Area 3 for £2,222 [that’s around 74% of the cost of the "Light of Day" project mentioned in the previous post] to create a "New garden incorporating wildflower meadow, wildlife pond and other habitats, vegetable area and garden plants for the benefit of the community at Hainault Forest" was turned down on the grounds that it would be an inappropriate use of Area funds and should be funded from the central Leisure budget. I would have thought it was precisely what Area budgets are for. Although there was agreement that this is a wonderful project only Cllr Griffin spoke in favour of committing funds.

An Exchange of Views

Below is an exchange of correspondence between Ron Jeffries and the Redbridge Public Art Officer. Normally I would do a summary as it is rather long but trust me, it gets better as it progresses. You will also note that unlike most posts on this blog there is no graphic. This is because I want to engage your imagination with the descriptions below.

Correspondence regarding Redbridge Public Art Project – The Light of Day

Letter to The Public Art Officer for Redbridge from Ron Jeffries, 1st April 2009
On Monday evening last I attended the launch of the Ley Street project – the Light of Day – at the invitation of the artist. Earlier this year the artist met with the Chairman of the Monday Club at St. Peter’s Church and myself when we were invited to spend an hour or so recounting our experiences as life-long residents of the Borough – something we were happy to do at the time as we understood that this was in the interest of art and culture.

During Monday evening I spoke with the artist who explained that she had completed four drawings to reflect the history and culture of London Borough of Redbridge. Each drawing would be projected onto the brick wall in Myrtle Road for two to three months. The other drawings would illustrate the Fairlop Oak, the Ley Street Laundry and adjacent farmland, and a taxi with an allotment on the roof.

In retrospect, I can understand and appreciate why the Fairlop Oak would feature in one of the drawings, but I would not have thought that the Ley Street Laundry was a business of note although the farmland certainly was, and I found the concept of a taxi with an allotment on top faintly bizarre.

It is a matter of fact that at one time more taxi drivers were said to live in Ilford than any other London Borough – although the majority have now moved out to the leafier parts of Essex. It is also a matter of fact that there was a move at one time by the Council to sell off many of the allotments in the Borough – although this appears to no longer be policy. But why put an allotment on top of a taxi? Sadly, I did not have the courage to ask the lady artist, who also told me that the bicycles being projected onto the wall that evening depicted the Woodford Charity Cycle Race – an event which was unfamiliar to me – but by this time I lacked the will to question why an elephant, a fox and a donkey were riding bicycles on the slide which was being projected onto the wall at that moment.

I will overlook the fact that the quality of the projection was extremely poor so that the animals and bicycles were so fuzzy as to be almost indistinct against the background of the brickwork and the text was indecipherable for this was the launch and clearly there were technical hitches to be ironed out. In fact, someone told me that the text read: “We are all going the same way” which I would say was true for all the bicycles were pointing in the same direction, but which added little to my understanding or appreciation of the project.

I am totally at a loss to understand why the London Borough of Redbridge is prepared to spend £3,000 of Council tax payers hard-earned cash (or, if the funding comes from central government, income tax payers hard-earned cash) on projecting a drawing of an elephant, a fox and a donkey riding bicycles onto the wall of a back street in Ilford, which is devoid of houses, but is overlooked by a multi-storey car park.

Furthermore, who made the decision to site the project in Myrtle Road? This is a back street down which no-one in their right mind would walk in the daytime and certainly not when the drawing will be projected in the dark at night – for to do so would risk being mugged or worse.

It is, in fact, a road along which taxis drift from the nearby rank and cars race to get away from the multi-storey car park that has eaten up their money in parking fees. The drivers and their passengers are hardly likely to pause to admire a piece of artwork that is – to say the least – obscure. Unless there is some visible explanation of what it is about, the project will remain a mystery to the very few folk who will spot it is there.

I also learned from the Council’s website that a similar project destined for Winston Way will cost £25,000. If it resembles what we have in Myrtle Road, dare I ask if it is too late to call a halt, save the money and use it for something that will benefit residents?
Or have I completely missed the point and is this some kind of joke?

Letter from Public Art Officer to Ron Jeffries, 3rd April 2009
Thank you for your letter of April 1st 2009. I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed with Laura Smith’s artwork. I have outlined the background to this commission in response to the issues and queries, which you raise.
1. Background and Development of the Commission
1.1 It was decided that a projection based art project would be developed for a site in Myrtle Street to explore how local communities relate to the backstreets around Ilford town centre and endeavour to enliven a space that might otherwise be perceived as unremittingly bleak.
1.2 A significant proportion of the project was based on working with a wide range of groups and individuals within the local community to explore perceptions of local identity and aspects of local history.
1.3 A range of artists were selected to put forward their ideas for the project and Laura Smith was selected with the involvement of the area committee in which the artwork is located.
2. Content and style of Laura Smith’s Artwork
2.1 Laura Smith worked with local writers, local historians and local children to identify creative themes for the artwork. In total she interviewed 30 individuals and organizations to create a mixed narrative for her work. As original artwork, which seeks to visually represent a diverse range of facts, stories and anecdotes about the local area, Laura’s work is by its nature interpretative and metaphorical. The work is layered in meaning and has resonance to distinctly different events and locations, emanating from the community work. For instance, the animals are a direct reference to the prehistoric animal remains, which were found in the local area which now form one of the premier collections in the Natural History Museum.
2.2 Obviously the artwork will not be to everyone’s taste and it will be interpreted differently and widely and this is all in the nature of visual art. We will however ensure that we put some background information on the artworks on Redbridge i, so those who are interested can find out more.
2.3 You are right to highlight the quality of projection. This does need to be improved and is something we will resolve within the next couple of weeks.
2.4 With reference to your query about Winston Way, a public art and lighting project is planned in and around the pedestrian subway. It is likely that the artwork will be sculptural and therefore substantially different from the small-scale project in Myrtle Street.

Letter from Ron Jeffries to the Public Art Officer, 7th April 2009
Many thanks for your letter of 3rd April which I received yesterday by email. I am grateful for your prompt response and detailed explanation.
I assume that you would be content for me to share your reply locally with interested parties.
I would be interested to know the funding source for the £3,000 which the Council’s website states is the cost of the project in Myrtle Road and the £25,000 which is the cost of the project at Winston Way. Is the cost being met from funds derived from the Council Tax or Government grants or from an outside source?

Letter from Public Art Officer from Ron Jeffries, 7th April 2009
In answer to your query, the funds are not from local or central government, they are provided by developers through the Council's Planning Obligation Strategy. The contribution is ring-fenced for public art and is not transferable to other locations or other services - it is directly linked to the provision of public art through Section 106 agreements.
It's probably appropriate to highlight that developers give far larger contributions to areas such as highways, health and education and these contributions are negotiated through the Council's Planning Department. The public art contribution represents a very small proportion of the money given by developers (often less than 1%).

Letter to Public Art Officer from Ron Jeffries, 7th April 2009
Many thanks for your letter of 7th April. I am grateful for this information.
I will be sharing this correspondence with interested parties.
My personal view is that this is a total waste of developers’ money. I will be contacting Councillors and suggesting that they should debate this issue with a view to Council Officers renegotiating the use to which this money is put.
This Borough does not need so-called art in inaccessible places but adequate leisure facilities – for a start a decent modern swimming pool for use by residents and schools in the south of Redbridge and a library for the residents of Seven Kings.
This is an appalling waste of public money and the Council should be brought to account for permitting this to happen, particularly at this time when many people are suffering from the financial situation.
ENDS

Election News

Roger Evans, the GLA Assembly member for Redbridge and Havering, was out canvassing in Wanstead last Saturday with the Conservative Candidate, Alex Wilson and Dr Charles Tannock [one of 3 London MEPs to give a positive reply to my email on the slaughter of Seals in Canada].

One wonders though, whether Roger is aware of the long running campaign of Wanstead residents in the local paper complaining about Aircraft noise due to the flight path for London City Airport. And how his support for the expansion of LCA went down on the doorstep coupled with his unfortunate jibe which labelled those residents “climate change Taliban”. Mr Cameron was not amused and Roger is facing an investigation by the Standards Board.

Meanwhile, UKIP are having Flame wars amongst themselves on the British Democracy Forum. The thread culminates with Michael McGough [last we heard he was the Chairman of the Waltham Forest and Redbridge UKIP] writing:

“The UKIP and Green candidates stood in this constituency at the last general election. Nick Jones for UKIP, is a chartered accountant whilst Ashley Gunstock for the greens WAS a house husband and part time theatrical stage designer.”

Which sets a new standard for political debate. Since the moderator [presumably a UKIP member] has not allowed my correction, I will publish it here:

Mr Gunstock is an English Teacher at a local Grammar School, a qualified Football Association coach, an Actor of Stage and Screen and runs his own Theatrical Production Company.
He has been active in the Wanstead ward for many years and is well known to the local community and respected within the mainstream political fraternity.
Mr Jones, on the other hand, merely bitches in the correspondence columns of the local press.

No news on the Labour and Liberal Democrat fronts, other than apologies for absence at our AGM which falls on election day, but the British National Party have found Jesus.

UPDATE: There will be a Wanstead ward Hustings next Wednesday 15th April 2009 at The Cricket Clubhouse in Nutter Lane E11, doors open 7pm for 7:30pm start. All 6 candidates have been invited.

Lord Reassures Swimmers

Pictured l-r: John Sharrock, Lady Rowallan, Lord Rowallan, Paul Alvarez

As reported earlier Lord Rowallen visited the Cricklefields site last Friday where he spoke to a Redbridge Planning Officer and later to John Sharrock and Paul Alvarez, officials of the Redbridge Swimmers Association.

In a nutshell the covenant stipulates that the Rowallan heirs must grant permission for any clause of that covenant to be amended. Lord Rowallan said that he had received a request from the council to build an academy on the site and representations from residents worried that there would not be any room left to replace the swimming facilities if and when funding became available.

Lord Rowallan indicated that he would give permission for the Academy but assured John and Paul it would be on condition that sufficient space remains available for a Leisure Centre including swimming.

The present Lord Rowallan’s grandfather was a builder, developer and philanthropist and granted a number of these bequests nation-wide. Bearing in mind that the present Lord had never been to Ilford it says a lot for his commitment to travel all the way from Scotland especially to see and hear for himself the background to this issue before he made any decisions.

John Sharrock

Blowing in the Wind

Well, having posted on earth, water and fire, I thought I’d better complete the set and do something on wind. No, not that sort, but come to think of it they are related in more ways than one.

Wind is caused by hot air rising and we certainly had a lot of hot air in London last week. I could feel the draft right out here in Barkingside. Coupled with inflated egos, nervous body language, and promises of a better tomorrow. Yes, this post is about the G20. But what does it all mean? Frankly I haven’t the faintest idea, but I have been reading a bit and giving it some thought and trying to tease out the basics from an innocent's point of view.

There seem to be two schools of thought. On the one hand some argue for a fiscal stimulus, that is putting more money into the economy to stimulate economic activity. This is the Keynesian approach and is what was used by Eisenhower Roosevelt to get the USA out of its depression last century. It was known as The New Deal. Others argue that governments should rein back spending in order to pay off their massive debts and not put future generations in hock.

Keynes argued that thrift at the individual level is fine but when applied by everybody has a devastating effect on the economy as a whole. However, Keynes views were a product of his time and he didn’t have the additional problem of environmental degradation to worry about. In those days there was no immediate threat to our life support systems, so who knows what he would have said about today. See the Paradox of Thrift by Molly.

There are also those who advocate a steady state economy, but frankly I do not adhere to any reasoning that there is a steady state in anything. All things change and all things have cycles. If you don’t bend with the breeze you break and that is what has happened. Our masters, including those who were and are waiting in the wings, thought they could control the system and have come unstuck. The balloon has burst big time and they have all been caught with their trousers down as well as some with their noses in the trough.

So do we trust the people who got us into the mess, to get us out of it? Well do you? I bleedin don’t.

This is the problem. Both of those schools of thought I mentioned earlier have the same objective and that is a return to business as usual. It is business as usual that is the problem. We have to update it, we have to adapt and adjust it to the new circumstances otherwise the circumstances will bite our bums, again!

We have become so efficient and productive that in order to artificially maintain prices [and the economy and jobs] we have to take stock out of the market and store it or destroy it. That’s why we have butter mountains, wine lakes and fields full of brand new cars. And land fills full of planned obsolescence and charity shops full of last years fashion items. A true free market would flood and you’d be able to buy a new car for sixpence.

We need a fundamental re-think about how our economy is structured and what people do to make a living. We need to move away from an emphasis on producing things we don’t need to an emphasis on producing things we do need. The things we currently take for granted. We need to make our economy resilient and our supplies secure. And to do this we need to revalue our priorities.

An economy is a way of distributing wealth amongst a people, it may not do it equitably but that is what it does. To my way of thinking an economy based on frivolities, however much we may like and want them, will fair worse during the storm than one based on essentials. And if we try to put off the storm, when it breaks, as it will inevitably do, it will be far worse than if we had let it take its course and we have not secured the basics of existence.

Those basics are: water supplies, food supplies. Energy efficiency including insulation, and our own renewable energy sources. Child Care, Health Care and Education.

Below: a field of unsold cars.
Below: Cargo ships parked off the Isle of Wight last Tuesday because there is nothing to take back and nothing waiting to be shipped here. There are more out of shot.

London Fire Brigade

The aim of The London Fire Brigade is to make London a safer city and consequently keep the residents of Redbridge safe from the dangers of fire. To help achieve this they visit people at home to advise them about fire safety and answer any questions or concerns they may have. They will also supply and fit smoke alarms where necessary, this service being free of charge. In Redbridge the aim is to visit every home in the borough to ensure that all our residents are as safe as possible. You can request a Home Fire Safety visit here and it’s not just for you, please remember your elderly of vulnerable relatives and neighbours.

They can also arrange visits to sheltered accommodation and residential homes, which would consist of a general fire safety talk for as many residents that wish to attend followed by individual chats to answer questions and allay any fears the residents may have.

There is plenty of fire safety advice on their website here.

I have asked for fire safety leaflets, posters and home visit request forms for those members who do not have access to the Internet, and made enquiries about a possible talk at one of our Coffee Mornings.

No Cash to Splash

Doreen reminds me that 1st April was the start of the government's new swimming programme whereby over 60s and under 16s are not charged an entry fee to the swimming pool, [note I have avoided the word “free”].

This was announced last June but since then two of LBR’s swimming pools have been closed down leaving the whole borough with just one. Back then we noticed that the funds available for refurbishing and maintaining pools was a rather meagre £60million, which sounds a lot until you consider it is for the whole country. Back then I wrote "Don't expect any help for Redbridge."

This week’s Redbridge Post [no link] reports that pleas for funding to the Prime Minister and the London Mayor have been rejected. This despite Redbridge having the worst provision in London. Approaches have also been made to the Sports Secretary. It also reports that the council are now looking towards going into business with a private company or borrowing money from the government [as if they’ve got any?].

So there you have it. Encourage people to swim, but don’t provide swimming pools. What I am not clear about is whether this new no fee entry system applies only to pools in the borough where the swimmer lives or whether it applies to any pool? If it is any pool then the under 16s and over 60s could use their freedom passes to go somewhere else!

Meanwhile there are some additional works going on at the pool [Note: we don’t have to specify which pool we are writing about now we’ve only got the one]. The existing cafeteria overlooking the pool is to be converted into a gymnasium and a new cafeteria will be located on the ground floor adjacent to reception in the present gym area, and more accessible to the public. A new lift for the disabled is to be installed.

Below is the report from the Post, click to enlarge. Sorry about the stain, I choked on me soup while I was reading it.

What is to become of Oakfield

A few weeks ago there was a letter in the Ilford Recorder from the Chairman of the Redbridge Swimmers Association who also happens to be the Chairman of Barkingside 21. In it he contrasts the fortunes of local swimmers against that of the Frenford Sports club who have been bribed persuaded to move from their present two sites to a new £6.4million sports centre on the former PLA sports ground off The Drive. One of their two existing sites is Cricklefields and we know that the Council have applied for funding to build an Academy school there. But this site also housed the now closed Ilford Swimming pools and it is not at all clear whether there will be sufficient space left to replace those pools if and when funding for a pool becomes available. The Cricklefield site is also subject to a Covenant that restricts the sites use to sports and leisure laid down when the site was given over by Lord Rowallan. The present Baron Rowallan will be visiting the site tomorrow [Friday 3rd] and presumably his permission will be required to release the covenant.

But of more immediate concern to Barkingside residents will be the fate of the Oakfield site and Frenford’s Jack Carter Pavilion which stands at its centre, see picture above. The buildings to the right abutting the railway line are those belonging to The Redbridge Sports and Leisure centre but the rest of the open space is currently leased by Frenford. So what will happen to it?

It is designated as Green Belt land but it is not impossible to build housing on such land, although it is difficult. It is a lot easier to build community facilities on green belt land, like a school. But there is already a secondary school on the other side of Forest Road and the demand, we understand, is in the south of the Borough. Perhaps it could be used for allotments, given that the two local sites both have waiting lists and our current economic woes can only fuel demand.

Correction: Morris reminds me that the south west corner is the Old Parkonians.

A Nicer Place to Live

I was out and about today on my daughter’s bicycle delivering our hardcopy newsletters. I can report that this example [picture below] of a dangerous kerbstone, reported last Thursday, has now been repaired and re-instated.
I can also report that the rubbish piling up at this seemingly unoccupied property [picture below] has been removed by Environmental Services. This was also reported last Thursday.

In both cases that is within 3 working days. The system works, it is up to you to use it. If you wish to live in a “nice” area then it is not somebody else’s problem, it’s yours. If the service doesn’t know there is a problem, they ain’t gonna do anything!

Soap on the Box

Reports are leaking out of the Town Hall that senior Redbridge Cabinet Members have brokered a deal to broadcast all Redbridge Council Meetings Live on the Internet.

What’s more it doesn’t cost us council tax payers a penny AND it generates INCOME to the tune of an estimated £2.4 Million over the 5 year contract. What’s the catch you ask? Well, we will be getting commercial breaks every 15 minutes and each councillor has been signed up to advertise a specific product. Each councillor will receive an individually negotiated fee from their sponsor but this is in place of their Councillor’s Allowance, so another saving on the budget, it just gets better.

Details are sketchy at the moment but we understand that Councillor Moth will be promoting dog biscuits for the Pet Shop in the High Street, Councillor Corfield has landed a major contract with Dunn & Co for waistcoats and Councillor Monro will be highlighting UBet, the on-line poker people.

For the ladies, Councillor Eyre has landed Mills and Boon, Councillor Candy has a contract with Trebor, Councillor Nolan will be giving the Tap to River Dance and Councillor Huggett has got Weightwatchers.

Elsewhere Councillor Leppert gets Daz which washes whiter than white, Councillor Sladden will model Next ladies wear and Councillor Hoskins is the pin-up of cardigan knitting patterns.

Audiences at area committees are expected to soar and B21 is considering offers to promote Greene King Abbotts and Marston’s Pedigree. Gordon’s Gin were disappointed when their preferred candidate passed out having overdone the samples and several other sponsors are eagerly awaiting the result of the Wanstead by election.

A councillor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said “If you are thinking that this windfall for the Council will result in lower Council Tax and increased spending on schools and swimming pools, you are very much mistaken, the gaping hole in our pension fund is top priority”.