Taken to TASK

This is a classic example of the way government [national, regional and local] operates in this country.

A group of people, probably including members of Take Action for Seven Kings [TASK] turn up at an Area 5 Committee meeting and complain about anti-social drunken behaviour in Seven Kings High Road. They want the alcohol exclusion zone operating in Ilford Town Centre extended their way, which would also give the Council more powers to refuse alcohol licences.

The councillors being nice accommodating people who want to represent their constituents to the best of their ability [and wanting to be re-elected next May] agree, BUT they can’t just go ahead and do it because a) nowadays these decisions have to be evidence based, b) someone will ask for the cost/benefit analysis and c) they don’t want to put their own bums on the line and need someone to blame if it all goes tits up later on.

Cue the ubiquitous Consultants and a cheque for £18,000 of taxpayers money. But there’s a problem. Somebody was a bit slack with the Terms of Reference and forgot to specify the studies result in advance. So, the Consultants came up with the “wrong” answer.

Cue outraged Councillors and members of TASK. Mr Ali Hai of TASK said: "I don't think we should pay you until you go back and do a proper job." While Councillor Balvinder Saund said: "We are very disappointed with this report. We were looking for a positive report so we could look at the number of licensed premises in this area, but this hasn't helped us at all."

This all begs the question: What evidence does Mr Hai and Cllr Saund have to support their claim that the report is wrong and why did they not give that evidence to the Consultants? More to the point why did they not just write the bloody report themselves and save us all £18,000?

Note: Picture taken outside the Gunmakers, Eyre Street Hill, Farringdon on Tuesday evening. Not in picture are loads of people [including me] outside the pub – drinking alcohol.

Handle with Care

Director, Fazlun Khalid, the founder of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences was invited by the Secretary General of the UN to participate in a round table discussion on Climate Change with world leaders on 22 September in New York. This is what he said:

"It hasn't quite entered the human consciousness, that if planet earth suffers we suffer and that we have nowhere else to go. We are part of an integrated earth and when we reduce the natural world to an exploitable resource this turns inwards on us. How else does one explain the consequences of climate change? Yes, the human species is unique. We have the capacity to observe the world around us, describe what we see, quantify it and then take advantage of it. However, the most extreme and all pervasive form of this is our collective, unfettered defilement of nature. For example we have managed to consume in a space of two hundred and fifty years or so, fossil fuel resources that have taken 250,000,000 years to lay down. That is, averaging consumption in one year, of what has taken nature a million years to produce. This is set to continue unabated until these resources run dry even as the chickens come home to roost. Prosperity it seems is based on creating discontent as consumers are seduced to vie with each other in pursuit of technopia. We have political, financial and industrial systems, in place that will ensure that this continues without interruption. If there is a lesson we can learn from the financial crisis it is that market forces are a fiction because money itself is a fiction. It can be created by the stroke of a pen or push of a button by those privileged to be bankers. The rest of us work for a living.

Individual nation states have their own priorities and agendas. But, the common denominator however is growth based on fictitious money. While those ahead in the race are able to create more money to stay ahead, those behind engage in an almost impossible game of catch up. The victim of this game is planet earth and climate change is the result. Moderating this appears to be what Copenhagen is about and this requires, the rich nations particularly, to tighten their belts severely, whilst those behind loosen theirs' ever so gently. There is no gain without pain. Current growth rates steal from the legacy that by right belong to future generations. It would seem that in allowing to be swept away by forces intent on destroying the natural world in the name of economic growth faith communities have surrendered their responsibilities, Muslims, not least amongst them. Our job is to prod this group, which constitutes twenty percent of the world's population, to wake up to their teachings and join forces with other like-minded people to leave a liveable planet for our children.

It is now or never - well almost."

Handle with Care

Overshoot Day

Earth to Humans

LCY Noise Action Plan

Yup, it’s another consultation. London City Airport has published its Noise Action Plan and the consultation with local communities, councils [not sure if that includes us] and other stakeholders will commence on Monday and last until 15th January 2010. Do let them know what you think.

Last week I was waiting at the bus stop in Clayhall Avenue when a medium sized jet propelled aircraft of the type used at London City banked overhead and disappeared off towards the north. It was very noisy. So, I was thinking about that during my bus journey. Part of the reason for the increased noise pollution is that the flight paths have been lowered by NATS. Why?

Well, it’s obviously fuel consumption. The steeper the climb and the higher you need to get the more fuel you need. And the Airlines are feeling the pinch right now, bless them. Customers are dwindling and fuel prices are rising, as we’ve seen at the petrol pump. Except that, well, not to put too fine a point on it, we are paying something like 90% tax on our petrol while the Airlines don’t pay any tax at all. Zero, zilch, nought, nothing, not a penny. And it’s not just us who pay that tax, it’s buses, coaches, taxis, trains and haulage. And where are those costs transferred to, yes you the consumer and good old taxpayer.

The Airlines, and their customers, are being subsidised by you the taxpayer just the same as those “feckless people who don’t want to work and sponge off the state”. And they are not alone, the Bankers have had their debts and misdemeanours underwritten by you the taxpayer so they can continue to live in a manner to which they have become accustom.

And all this is in the name of, wait for it, a FREE market. What? Free? Loaded more like in more ways than one! A fraction of this level of subsidy could, for example, upgrade the insulation of our housing stock with the knock on benefit of a massive boost to employment and economic activity; and by golly we need it right now. But of course the green lobby is ignored, it does not have access to the levers to pull or buttons to press. The National Wealth Service has been around for a lot longer than the National Health Service, but by and large it goes unseen and it’s excesses and inefficiencies unchallenged and unrecognised.

Does Government represent the people or does it represent the people who matter to them?

Now, before anyone jumps on me to say that saving fuel is a good green thing, yes I agree. It’s not easy being green! It’s just that if we are going to be ruled by the marketplace we need a level playing field for all modes of transport. It’s competition, and fair competition at that, that drives efficiency and excellence.

Yes, all you Iain Dale readers, it’s time we stopped people mumping off the state but don’t be surprised if it’s you who finds your wallet palpitating.

Youth Survey

Another day, another survey, this time for yoofs, innit. Not sure if we have much of a yoof readership here, maybe I should write in “txtspk”? Anyway if any of you know any yoofs, or have some of your own, perhaps you could drag them away from their i-pods, mobile phones, or gameboys or whatever it is they do, and draw this to their limited attention.

Online Youth Survey

The Safer Neighbourhoods online youth survey launches on the 21st September giving 11-18 year olds an anonymous way of telling their local police team about any areas on their school journey and in their neighbourhood that make them feel unsafe. Safer Neighbourhoods teams drive a range of initiatives that get young people involved in their community.
These include:
Youth ward panels - young people set and resolve local policing priorities that matter to them.
Volunteer Police Cadets - develop new skills and carry out activities that directly support community issues and policing operations.
Safer Schools Officers - engage with pupils and teachers to help reduce the risk of young people getting drawn into crime or anti-social behaviour.

Having attended the Fullwell Ward Panel last Tuesday I do know that the Fullwell Safer Neighbourhood Team are trying to establish a youth ward panel and to get youths involved. This follows on from their sterling work in arranging for the “youth bus” [it’s a sort of mobile youth club] to visit Hurstleigh Gardens on Thursday evenings. Contact PC Towler here.

Epping Forest Youth Bus
Ullapool Youth bus.

Redbridge Parks Survey

The Redbridge Parks Scrutiny Working Group [2 points for bullshit bingo] was recently established by the Council's Leisure Scrutiny Committee to look at Parks and open spaces across the borough. The Working Group is made up of 5 cross-party Councillors and the culmination of the group’s research will be a final report and recommendations for action, which will go to the Council’s Cabinet.

The Working Group aims to look at customer satisfaction with parks in Redbridge with a view to improving facilities and hopes to speak to as many local people as possible about parks. They are very interested in hearing views from residents and community groups in the borough and would be extremely grateful if you would fill out the attached questionnaire and circulate it to members of your group for them to fill out. They can arrange for hard copy forms to be delivered and collected for those without internet access.

If anyone or a community group would be interested in attending a future Working Group meeting to give your thoughts and feedback to the Councillors on how Redbridge can improve its parks, please do contact:

Emma James

Scrutiny Research & Development Co-ordinator

tele: 020 8708 2991 or email.

If you use Goodmayes Park there is a rather more specific questionnaire here.

And one monocle eyed reader has spotted this on page 56, in the bottom left hand corner, of the Ilford Recorder dated 24th September 2009. Can any of our Councillor readers explain what it means please? Click the graphic to enlarge.

38 Degrees and Rising

It’s not just the ice caps and the Greenland ice shelf that are shrinking. As the political temperature here in the UK rises as we approach next years elections so too is the Labour Party. Another local Labour Councillor has quit and this time he has joined the Conservatives. Councillor David Radford is not one I would have expected to jump ship let alone join the Tories.

Added to that 3 Sikh community leaders have now turned their backs on the Labour group after two other councillors had joined the Liberal Democrats.

Dr Chanan Sidhu, chairman and trustee of the Sikh Welfare Society; Mr Gurdip Hundal, general secretary of Council of Gurdwaras in South East England including High Road, Ilford and Seven Kings Gurdwaras; and Mr Jagdev Purewal, chairman of the Punjabi Centre, Ley Street, Ilford, who were all Labour group members have now also joined the Liberal Democrats.

However, the cock-a-hoop LibDem leadership should not count their chickens. It is not necessarily so that these community leaders will deliver a significant vote shift any more than one can rely on Trade Union members voting Labour.

The Labour Group Leader’s comment “I find it amazing that people can just abandon Labour party policy and principles” is quite apt. Many people are wondering how the Labour Party itself can abandon its principles. Still, if the remaining 14 Labour councillors don’t find the Tories or LibDems to their liking, there is always the Green Party. As one Labour voter put it, “the Greens are where the Labour Party should be, but aren’t”.

Arachnophobia

This little baby [above] is a Great Fen Raft Spider. They are well known for the striking white or cream bands along their sides. However, they also occur (less frequently) in an unbanded form. Dr Roger Key is trying to find out whether visual predators (such as birds.. or in this case people) find the banded or the unbanded morph easier to spot.

He is looking for volunteers to take part in a 12 minute spot the spider game available at the following link. Don't be put off if you can't see anything in the first few photos - you will definitely see some if you persevere until the end. You've got 30 seconds to spot the spider after which it will automatically go to the next picture. Everyone who completes it will be entered into a prize draw. I spotted 6 out of 24, but then I am a bloke. Isn’t it infuriating when surveys like this don’t ask for gender. I’d love to know whether the ladies have an in-bult spider detector.

More on Dolomedes Plantarius.

BT Cut Off Scam

The latest chain email scam warning seems to be genuine.
Here’s Snopes on the subject.
And here is Suffolk Police who report actual victims.

BT will NOT telephone you and threaten to cut you off unless you make an immediate payment over the phone, and it is quite easy for any incoming caller to simulate a “cut-off”. They just keep the line open so you don’t get dial tone.

Police are urging residents never to give this information out over the phone. Genuine companies will not call and ask for this information or demand that you pay a bill in this manner.

Never give out any personal details, particularly password information, card details or information that could be used to access your bank accounts.

Don’t give information but try to take the name of the caller and the company they claim to work for. Then find a number for the company from a previous bill or bank statement or the phone book and call that number to check if they are genuine.

Even then you should not give out any personal information unless you are happy to do this.

Please be alert when dealing with an unsolicited calls – whether they are in person or on the phone – and never give out any information if you suspect they are not who they claim to be.

Bits and Bobs [Updated]

The works at Gants Hill roundabout have hit a snag. Surprised? They have found unidentified “large pipes” which will need to be traced and re-routed adding another 6 months to the project timescales, which was 40 weeks, the gestation period for humans. Of course these “pipes” could be the two underground tube tunnels in which case add several years [the gestation period for a Diplodocus] while they figure it out. Goodness me, how will Essex Girl and Premier League footballers find their way to Faeces night club?

The good news is that Fiona is starting a consultation with the local community around Claybury Woods to gauge local opinion on a proposed natural play area near the woodland. The idea would be to try and entice young people and families into the woodland itself and hopefully get them to form a connection with their environment. Quite a big order for a play area but it will also complement the Nature Conservation Teams events. Francis Castro will be working on the project so it will be done with sensitivity to the ancient woodland status.

On the subject of play this site still gets visits looking for Al’s Adventure Playhouse. So, I am going to plug Old MacDonalds Farm not too far away in Brentwood. Here is a family enjoying the facilities recently. Mums get to have a go too by the look of it. Go on you know you want to.

But beware, if you want to take your children’s friends along too. You could be fined £5,000. The death of kiddies birthday parties, sleepovers and baby sitting is nigh. Paranoia rules.

Now let’s get political.

Councillor Gary Monro is none too pleased with the Ilford Recorder.

Molly reports that the Prime Minister has learnt a new three letter word, but questions whether it was misheard and actually contained 4 letters. At the same event the Trade Union Congress want to ban high heels in the workplace. No doubt a precursor for the regulation uni-sex tunic and hairdo? So much for diversity and individual choice.

Elsewhere some are upset that the BNP are to appear on prime time TV on BBCs Question Time. Not Liz Stephens at The Third Estate who argues that they need to be engaged with in a respectable environment so they can be compared to mainstream politicians….

Meanwhile Unite Against Fascism [who I am told are “Swappie splitters”] are having handbags at dawn with Searchlight. [Update:] Redbridge Councillors have got their handbags out too on a similar subject.

Local MP Iain Duncan Smith wants to shake up the benefits system. Sounds like a step towards Citizens Income to me, but I may be wrong.

So, having started with Roger, I’ll round off with Roger. The population of Greater London is LESS now that it was in 1939. In fact it was less in 2007 [the latest year for which we have figures] than in 1966 when us baby boomers were watching a local hero lifting a gold statuette. It is not immigration that is causing a housing shortage but a social shift from multiple to single occupancy.

Traders New Toys

In a bizarre new twist to Distraction Burglary traders in the High Street were duped into having their photographs taken outside their shops while an accomplice sneaked into the store and made off with the till.

You never can be too careful, even with Sergeant Chandler around. Fortunately, they now have new toys in the form of radios. These enable shopkeepers to communicate with fellow traders, on-duty police officers and the CCTV control centre in Ley Street, Ilford, at just the press of a button.

Twelve High Street shopkeepers have already signed up to the scheme, which has been part-funded by area committee three.

Daniel Kaye, owner of Barkingside Home Hardware, said: "We've already been able to use them.”

"When my till went missing we were able to track the offender down the street, warn other shopkeeprs and apprehend the villian, and more importantly get my till back” He went on, “Since then, when any known villain, photographer or shoplifter is seen we immediately warn each other, track them along the high street and ask the CCTV operators to keep an eye on them."

Of course these radios are valuable pieces of kit, and useful to villains too, so my advise to the shopkeepers is don’t leave them laying around or they may go missing. Recently thieves broke into a Garden Nursery and stole the guard dog. Beware!

Poppy Appeal Appeal

The local branch of the Royal British Legion need helpers/collectors for this years poppy appeal. Two hours of your time, more if you can spare it, is all they need to dangle a collection box outside a supermarket or tube station. Anyone from 18-80. If you wish to help out please contact John Coombes on 020 8599 6339.

The Appeal will run from October 24th to November 7th inclusive.
If you can help please make contact by early October.

JPCoombes, County Organisor Metropolitan Area

Fit for Charity

Grand Charity Sponsored Fun Run and Walk

Valentines Park

(Melbourne Fields entrance), Ilford
Sunday 27th September from 10am

The Cardinal Heenan Centre and the Ilford Athletic Club are organising this event to raise funds for Anxiety Care, Ilford Royal British Legion, Little Havens Children's Hospice, CAFOD, Arthritis Support Network (NE London), Cardinal Heenan Centre, St John Ambulance (Ilford division), Brentwood Catholic Children's Society (Childcare).

The first event is the 'competitive run' organised by the Ilford Athletic Club - £5 entry fee -10am to 11am. The second event is the ‘sponsored walk' –open to all - from 11am to 2pm - free entry, but sponsorship must have already been obtained when being registered.

To take part and for sponsorship forms, contact Kevin Madden at the Cardinal Heenan Centre on 020 8220 2290 or email for the walk, or Mart Clarke for the run.

The Happy Shopper

The sister blog “My Favourite Shop” has fallen a bit by the wayside, so I’m going to publish the posts here on the main blog. Our local Barkingside 21 High Street consumer affairs correspondent has been waxing lyrical about the new Veena’s store in the High Street.

Veenas has taken a big share of my food money from Sainsbury’s and Somerfield. The simple fact is, I tend to shop on foot at the end of my working day, and Veena’s sells food and ingredients I want but haven’t been able to get elsewhere in Barkingside.

That’s not all.

I’d prefer to see a better mix of shops here than we currently have, but what with the marvellous Ushan’s (Sri Lankan fruit and vegetable shop), Yossi’s (kosher baker), La Boucherie (kosher butchers and grocers), Rossi’s (the ice cream, coffee and chocolate institution), not one but two beautifully-kept Polish delicatessens, the eel and pie shop, the couple of unpretentious, high quality coffee, cake and brunch places, BK’s which is distinctively Turkish, Onur’s kebabs, the excellent North London Chinese take-away chain Oriental Chef, and the (”More than a”) farm shop selling local horseradish and Havering honey, we should now think of Barkingside as a cosmopolitan food-lover’s mecca.

Not sure that the last word there will go down too well with at least one local councillor, but I’ll bet he’s enjoyed a few “diverse” vegetarian dishes.

Redbridge Cares

I have received an email from a local resident wishing to use this blog to praise Redbridge council. Delighted. I like it when they get things right.

"We do a lot of Redbridge Council-bashing on this blog, and much of it is justified. But perhaps it's also beneficial to point out when Councillors and Council staff do a really good job.
Very recently, we had a major family emergency. First of all, I called Cllr Moth for guidance and I got prompt action and constructive advice. Then I contacted Social Services, and was given fast practical help in a pleasant manner. And finally, the
promised 'follow-ups' have all been followed-up.
I'm a great believer in expecting people to execute well the job they are paid to do (and I'll complain long and loudly when they don't) - but I also believe in saying 'thank you' to those who provide the good service you expect, and who then go just a bit further to make your life a little easier.
I shall be a bit less grumpy about paying my Council Tax in future."

Reading between the lines it sounds like a Care for the elderly issue and having been there myself, albeit having to deal with a different borough, I can understand just how difficult these situations can be. The main problem for me was trying to get respite care so that the carer can have a rest before they break and need care themselves. I would also like to point out to our correspondent that this is very much a “green” issue [in her preamble she thought it had no ‘green’ connection] and there are numerous examples on this blog where council successes have been recognised.

Caption Competition VII

Hat tip: Ray Frensham

More Musical Chairs at Council

Not to be outdone by the Conservatives, who lost 4 councillors to Independents in May and a further one later being expelled, the Labour Party have now lost two councillors to the Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Satnam Singh [Goodmayes] and Cllr Dr Faiz Noor [Clementswood] have both quit Labour and joined the Libs.

The line up is now:
Conservative - 29
Labour - 15
Liberal Democrat - 13
Independent - 5
BNP - 1

This will of course be put to the electorate next May in the local elections. The Lib Dems will be looking to make further inroads into the south of the borough but could face an upset by the Greens in Chadwell. The BNP will be looking to consolidate their position and the Greens could also challenge in Wanstead. I will make two predictions. None of the Independents will be re-elected. And we will see a bar chart like this one.

Size Matters

This post is going to nip around a bit, but it does have a theme. It follows on from the earlier post “What’s Left” and the discussion following in the comments. And in the context of recent events like MP expenses, the credit crunch and Banker’s bonuses.

We will start with Wat Tyler [Conservative] over at Burning our Money. He doesn’t much like Greens and is a Climate Change sceptic. A common phrase here is “If it’s too big to fail, then it’s too big”. His main beef is that it is the taxpayer who is bailing out the bankers. The phrase also applies to government itself which should be as small as possible. The thing is that Greens like things to be small too, although it is expressed slightly differently and they don’t like fat cat bankers any more than Wat. After all the vast majority of tax revenue comes from those on average incomes within the first quartile.

Wat’s critique of the banking crisis is not, as far as I can tell, that different from say Richard Lawson [Green] at Mabinogogiblog. And while most Conservatives recognise that there has to be some control and regulation the Greens want governance to be at the lowest practical level. Wat even seems to be fond of mutuals as does Jim Jepps [Green] at the Daily Maybe but probably for different reasons.

Which leads me to an interesting and insightful comment on Jim’s post from David Cox [Liberal Democrat]. The crux of this post.

“Giant socialist state-run enterprise is indistinguishable from giant corporate enterprise. The problem is one of size and ultimate power. Unfettered capitalism and socialism both end up in much the same place – centralisation, environmental destruction and alienation of people.”

Whilst Wat recognises the need for massive cuts in public expenditure, just to balance the books, the Greens are adamant that public services should be protected and fought for. So, the question for the Greens [given their fondness for small, local and mutual] and for that matter Wat, is how do we break up the monolith of say the National Health Service into smaller local units that are more cost effective and consumer focussed and still provide a universal and equitable service?

Now, let’s examine the public v. private debate a little further. There is an argument that says that top executives in the public sector have to be paid high salaries to attract talent from the private sector. Dopeyf gives lie to this fallacy in his analysis of the top echelons at Redbridge council who are all career Public Sector officers. So, what’s the difference between them and the bankers? It’s still the taxpayer who is footing the bill.

And just as the bankers screwed up so too can the public sector. Are those at the top in control or is it too big to control? According to the National Strategic Fraud Authority, fraud costs the average UK resident £231 a year. And it’s no different here in Redbridge.

Some are arguing for a “maximum wage”, but we pretty much had that back in the days of Harold Wilson with a 95% tax rate. George Harrison wrote a song about it. It didn’t work then, so why should it work now. Fortunately I recall a recent Green Party conference voting against it. While we perhaps all aspire to a fair and just society, there are other ways of achieving it.

Discuss.

Redbridge Replies on LCY

The letter to Redbridge Planning Department from Vic Danzelman published here on 14th August has received a reply. It goes as far as it can in Planning Terms. But what is really interesting is the attached submission by London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) to the NATS “consultation”. It doesn’t pull its punches and implies that the consultation was rigged and the decision already made by government. Reproduced below. If you ever want to reply to a consultation this is the way to do it.

London Councils response to the NATS Consultation on Airspace Changes to the Terminal Control North Region
London Councils Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) is a statutory joint committee representing all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. It is the main voice of the London boroughs and of their electorates on a wide range of issues relating to transport and the environment in London and related matters of concern to Londoners. It also carries out a number of statutory functions and works closely with the Local Government Association and with many private, voluntary and public sector bodies. London Councils TEC has considered the provisions contained within the consultation document and would like to make the following comments:
Consultation Process
London Councils is concerned that the consultation document does not give a true picture of the impact of overflying aircraft on the Terminal Control North (TCN) region. The consultation documents and associated maps only consider routes that are subject to change and do not address existing routes where changes are not proposed. Therefore, anyone reviewing the documents will not obtain a full understanding of the numbers of aircraft flying across the region, or the cumulative impact that will result from the proposed changes.
The consultation document has set out the preferred options but does not provide any information regarding the basis on which these options have been chosen. In particular, it is unclear what weighting has been given to key factors such as environmental and community impacts, safety, efficiencies and cost savings for airline operators. Understanding how these options were selected is necessary to enable stakeholders to fully understand what they are being asked to consider. For example, if the individual options proposed offer the greatest benefits in terms of noise reduction, then affected communities may view them very differently to options that have been selected because they offer the greatest cost savings to airline operators.
In addition, London Councils believes that an exercise to ascertain whether additional airspace capacity is actually necessary should have taken place prior to this consultation. London Councils opposes the Government’s ‘predict and provide’ policy towards providing airport capacity, as simply accepting projections based on previous growth trends is contrary to other parts of transport policy, such as road policy, where the principle of ‘predict and provide’ was abandoned as unrealistic over a decade ago. Rather than seeking to restructure and release airspace capacity to accommodate additional demand for flights, an exercise to ascertain whether this additional capacity is even necessary, including a comprehensive review of current operational arrangements at airports, should have taken place before any redesign of airspace arrangements.
The consultation document states that it “is not seeking, and will not respond to, feedback concerning the effects of aviation growth, focusing instead on the effect of the airspace change proposed” and the proposal “is not associated with, and does not assume, further development of Heathrow, Stansted or any of the other airports in the region”. However, London Councils questions how the issue of aviation growth can be separated from the proposals contained within the consultation document. The proposals in the consultation document cover the period up until 2014, during which time, should the current planning limits be lifted, Stansted could see an increase in the number of passengers using the airport from 25-35mppa. In addition, the recent DfT consultation on Adding Capacity at Heathrow has stated that mixed mode operations could be introduced at Heathrow as early as 2010/11. It is unclear whether these changes have been factored in to these proposals.
Furthermore, the recent DfT consultation on Adding Capacity at Heathrow, states that studies carried out by NATS to assess the impact of a third runway have indicated that: “airspace in the London area would require a significant re-design to accommodate growth at Heathrow” and it is not clear if this work represents the first stage of work needed to accommodate additional growth at Heathrow, or is entirely separate. London Councils is concerned that the consultation document has failed to provide any information regarding how any proposed increase in flights will impact upon airspace, whether this restructuring is taking place to accommodate future growth in air transport, which still has yet to be agreed, or whether any increase in airport capacity will require further restructuring of airspace arrangements in London. Without this information it is difficult for communities and stakeholders to make an informed decision regarding how these proposals will impact on them.
Noise
Aircraft noise adversely affects an increasing number of residents in London, and this situation is likely to become worse as the number of flights in to London’s airports increases. While these proposals benefit some London authorities, others will experience a greater degree of disturbance. London Councils has noted that this document uses the 57dBA contour as the definition of the limit of the onset of significant community annoyance, which was established in the 1985 United Kingdom Aircraft Noise Index Study (ANIS). However, the findings of the more recent Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England (ANASE) survey, which the Government commissioned in 2001 following on from the Terminal 5 enquiry, found that the onset of significant community annoyance is actually a much lower level of 50 dBA. This correlates with research carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research which has suggested that the Government’s classification of unacceptable levels of noise to 57dBA is too high.
The Government questioned the findings of the ANASE study in the recent consultation on Adding Capacity at Heathrow, but the reason behind the refusal to accept the findings of a six year Government commissioned study, carried out by international experts and the reason why it is felt that this is less reliable than a 23 year old study was not made clear. The World Health Organisation believes that exposure to noise at 55 dBA and above has a harmful impact on children’s learning. No consideration is made in this consultation document regarding the number of people that will be affected at the 50dBA level and it is disappointing that NATS has also chosen not to provide this information, despite the recommendations of the ANASE study. The consultation document indicates the population counts within the 57dBA contour at Stansted, Luton, London City (by 11%) and Northolt will all increase under these proposals. Although the numbers within the 57dBa contour at Heathrow will decrease slightly, the numbers affected in the 66, 69 and 72 dBA contours will all increase. It is, however, difficult to get a true picture of the overall impact of the proposed changes on noise levels. This is because the figures do not consider any increase in noise resulting from an increase in the number of flights, nor do they consider the noise generated by other routes that are not being considered as part of this consultation. Furthermore, it is also important to note that the population of London, and indeed that of the South East, is growing at a considerable rate and the construction of large numbers of new homes is planned across the region. It is not clear whether the calculations have taken into account the population increases that have been forecast and the numbers of homes that are expected to be constructed by 2014. This is likely to significantly increase the numbers of people in the region that are affected by aircraft noise.
Finally, of particular concern for London residents is the problem of noise from night flights. It is disappointing that the consultation document does not contain information regarding the impact of the changes on noise contours at night and in the early morning. Considering the Government’s pledge set out in the 2003 Aviation White Paper to “bear down on aircraft noise at night”, it would be expected that a key consideration informing decisions on airspace changes would be to reduce the numbers of people affected by aircraft noise at night.
Air Quality
London Councils questions the basis on which the consultation document has claimed that the air quality impacts of the proposals will be ‘neutral’. It is not clear whether these proposals have considered the impact of any increase in the number of flights, or taken into account current emissions generated by other routes not being considered as part of this consultation.
Safety
London Councils believes that, in the interests of safety, as far as possible attempts must be made to route flights away from population centres. However, increasing the number of aircraft using airspace above London does bring a number of safety concerns. Setting aside the environmental, social and economic issues, events in New York and Washington and more recently the terrorist attacks in London in July 2006 must stimulate very careful thought about the risks of increased flying over the capital. The potential dangers were again illustrated by the incident in January where only the skill of the BA crew prevented an aircraft crash landing before it arrived at Heathrow airport. These issues bring into question any proposal to increase the number of aircraft using airspace over London and other densely populated areas.
London Councils would be happy to discuss any issues raised in this response

Bin Feast

I don’t watch much television, except football. But this evening I made an exception. Reason: this morning I received a complimentary copy of "Waste" by Tristram Stuart from Penguin books which I will be reviewing on this blog later. At this stage I’ve just skimmed the chapter headings and the photographs which are truly shocking. So, I made a point of watching "From Bin to Banquet" on ITV3. Here’s the preview on the ITV website.

Anthony Worrall Thompson and Michaela Blowes cooked up a banquet from food thrown away in supermarket skips and served it up to passers-by in Borough Market. It all seemed to go down rather well. No surprises there for a lad who grew up with rationing. And that preview mentions that "The Government is now considering abolishing sell-by and display-until dates" – hoorah!

But that’s not the half of it. Those photographs I mentioned earlier show tonnes of rotting bananas, oranges, tomatos, potatoes etc dumped in landfill because of "cosmetic" reasons. The amount of perfectly edible food that doesn’t even get to market is just incredible. Why? Because the supermarkets won’t touch them, because the consumer won’t buy them. Or so they [the supermarkets] say. It is the Effluent of Affluence as its says in the books introduction. More later. I will be settling into the reading armchair in a mo.

Note 1: the graphic above has nothing to do with all this, or maybe it does? Maybe there’s a clue there about presentation. Whatever, it made me smile. Thanks Amy.

Note 2: I have also been offered one of the new generation of home electricity usage monitors to road test and review. This blogging lark is paying off.

Designing Women

Almost a year ago to the day [31st August 2008] I posted “The BBC reports that our towns and cities are not designed for women.”

Well girls, now is your chance to put that right and shape the future.

Women’s Design Service have set up a Women’s Design Group in Redbridge as part of a London Councils funded project and are looking for local women to get involved.
The aim of the Group is to influence major planning applications, policies and regeneration projects in Redbridge to ensure that women’s interests are taken into account.
Women’s Design Groups perform for gender what Access Groups delivered for disability, and ‘women proof’ local plans, policies and planning applications. WDGs include both women from the community who have an interest in shaping their neighbourhoods, and women who are professionally involved in planning and the built environment. The Group will include a diverse range of women from different age, disability, ethnicity, sexuality and caring backgrounds.
A range of training will be offered to enable women to participate fully in the Group including influencing town planning issues and sustainability.
Contact Georgia Wrighton, Community Development Worker via email or 020 7490 5210 if you would be interested in joining the Group, or you are a planning professional who would like to assist with the Group.

For more information see the Women’s Design Service website: click.

What do you think? Is this a worthwhile project? Will women get involved? Are they too busy already? Is it just another gimmick to waste taxpayer’s money? No jokes about scatter cushions on the benches in the High Street please boys, this is a serious issue.

What’s Left?

The Barkingside 21 blog has been packaged, wrapped, parcelled up and categorised as ………
a “Left of Centre” blog by Total Politics. What’s more it is ranked at number 55. What? Oy vey! Pause!

Now that I’ve had a lie down and a good strong cup of tea, and thought about it calmly and objectively, it all rather depends on where you define the centre, and wherever that is there is bound to be a very wide spectrum on either side that you get lumped in with. I know people who thought Mrs T was too “left wing”!

But even so you’d have thought that Labour Party bloggers would be mostly occupying that field. Instead the top 10 Green blogs have muscled their way into the list. And as far as I can see there are not that many Labour Party bloggers there. Lefty comrades yes, but not Labour Party.

Now, there are a few possible reasons why this may be so. Firstly that Labour Party bloggers are not “Left of Centre” – indeed some of those on the list have complained that Tom Harris MP [Labour and number 1] should be on the “Right of Centre” list and they could well be right, sorry correct.

Secondly, it could be that they boycotted the poll, and there is some evidence for this, because it is run by the arch enemy Tory pig dog blogger himself, Iain Dale [who is really very nice]. The thing is they don’t like playing second fiddle to the Tory blogs and think it’s all a stitch up.

Thirdly, Labour Party blogs are not very good, don’t have the zip or quality to engage a readership. This I think is a little unfair on the bloggers themselves but it is getting near to what I think is the bottom line. The problem for Labour Party bloggers is the Labour Government and the point at which it is in its tenure of that position. They are not exactly doing well in the opinion polls are they? The consensus appears to be that they are just treading water and preparing for opposition or lining up speaking tours or book deals for next summer.

The point is that no previous government has had to live with political blogging and the instant communications of the internet. I am looking forward to see how the next government handles it.

So, we accept the award, who are we to complain about the way others perceive us, but I don’t think the gong will go on the side bar.

Just as an aside here’s a rainbow. Look at what is at the centre:

Green!

Huge

Fill that!

The new extra large receptacle for cardboard recycling at Fullwell Cross Car Park. With two smaller baby ones at either end.

Things to Come

What with producing and delivering a hardcopy newsletter during August, September has sort of crept up on me. It’s Autumn folks and soon we will be putting our clocks back for extra dark evenings. The children will soon be back at school and I will have to start timing my journeys again to avoid the traffic. So, what’s happening?
This next weekend sees the Redbridge Carnival. A bit like the Notting Hill Carnival, I think, but with Bollywood, belly-dancing and Carnival Queens/Princesses instead of Reggie and steel bands. You’ll have to ask Ron Jeffries as he was Rapping there on Bank Holiday Monday. It will be opened at 12noon on 5th September by Lee Scott MP and the procession is on Sunday 6th.

Also on Sunday is the Wanstead Farmers Market, it’s there on the first Sunday of each month, 9am – 2pm. “Delicious fresh foods from locally reared meats to organic breads and cakes, free range eggs and freshly dug vegetables are on offer to tempt and tickle your taste buds.” Why haven’t we got one in Barkingside?

Then there is the Wanstead Festival on Sunday 13th September from 11am – 5pm.
“Visitors can expect a wide variety of stalls and exhibitions from regional organisations and groups.” And “Redbridge Council is encouraging visitors to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to the event.” I’m not sure if Wanstead Tube Station will have re-opened by then but there is always Snaresbrook and our ever reliable and punctual bus service.

Moving over Hainault way, the Forest Farm Peace Garden have an interesting programme of events. There's a herbal flavour to the next couple of months on Sundays. Debbie will be leading the making of hawthorne syrup (you can take a jar home) on the 6th September, followed by a workshop on herbs & men's health on 20th September. We will be learning how to make herbal tinctures on 18th October and how to prepare cultured veg on 1st November. All workshops are free but please let us know if you would like to join us (from 11am). More info is available on Debbie's blog.

As always our excellent Nature Conservation Team have a full programme of outdoor goodies for your education and enjoyment. The autumn/winter schedule of events is now ready to view on Redbridge i. They are running several practical conservation workdays and are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers! Also the usual guided walks and a range of events for children. To take a look at the full schedule, just click on the link. (and then follow the link to the events schedule PDF).

If all that fails to tickle your fancy there is always the ever reliable entertainment feast of Area Committee 3 on 23rd September and our own Coffee Morning on the following day [24th] when we have David Martin speaking on Fairlop Heritage. Do come along, it’s open to all and it’s free.