Liberal Democrats in Hillingdon have welcomed the election of Nick Clegg as the new Leader of the Party. The result of the vote of Liberal Democrat members was announced on Tuesday 18th December.

In a message sent to supporters in Hillingdon shortly after the result was declared, Councillor Mike Cox said, “Nick Clegg will be a great Leader of the Liberal Democrats and and I look forward to working with him soon.

“Unlike the Labour Party, who gave Gordon Brown a coronation and are already regretting it, we have had a vibrant contest, with the leadership contenders travelling all round the country, setting out their ideas and listening to the views and suggestions of party members. We showed once again how we are the most open, democratic party in British politics.

“This is an exciting time to be a Liberal Democrat. Gordon Brown’s Government is blundering from one disaster to another. But the Conservatives’ policy-lite PR agenda has failed to catch people’s imagination. People are ready to hear what the Liberal Democrats have to offer.

“We have already planned our first newsletters featuring our new Leader. They will be going to residents in the New Year. And over the next few months, I will be taking a team of colleagues to call on local people and encourage them to support the party.

“The election of Nick Clegg has put wind in our sails and under his leadership, we are moving forward in Hillingdon.”

The Labour Government’s recent data disaster where the personal details of 25 million parents and children were lost by the tax authorities, possibly falling into the hands of identity fraudsters shows why plans for Identity Cards must be scrapped.

The fiasco has shown the dangers of the Government holding huge amounts of information about each one of us whilst being slipshod in the way that information is kept.

This whole saga of incompetence has been shocking and families in Hillingdon are rightly asking whether their personal details are safe. The proposed National Identity Register will hold much more information on each one of us than the taxman managed to lose.

The possibilities for the loss of that information, either accidentally or through illegitimate means, must make the Government stop and think again seriously about their plan to store all the data they can on us on a central register.

This is a clear warning of the real dangers of a big brother state.  State control of personal identity details is a real threat to our civil liberties.   The Government should respond to the anger and abandon its ID card scheme. The Government cannot be trusted to manage effectively mass databases of personal information.

A debacle on this scale must give any government cause to think again. I would urge all our MP’s to press the Government to end the ID card scheme for good and to ensure that we do not risk a personal data disaster on an even more catastrophic scale.

The Mayor of London today announced £3.7m of funding for Hillingdon to spend on local transport improvements to make the borough safer, greener and more accessible.

This £3.7m investment will go towards directly improving transport for people in Hillingdon

Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner

The £3.7m funding includes £886,000 for the London Cycle Network+ for more cycle lanes and better facilities for cyclists in Hillingdon, £440,000 for School Travel Plans, £455,000 for road safety improvements across Hillingdon including the Joel Street and Tolcarne Drive junctions and £50,000 for noise barriers to reduce road traffic noise from the A4, A40 and A312.   

The funding is part of the record-breaking five year £792m programme for local transport schemes included in the Transport for London (TfL) £10bn Investment Programme.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: “This new £3.7 million investment in local transport schemes will make the daily journeys of people in Hillingdon, safer, greener and more accessible, whether they are travelling by public transport, by car, on foot or by bike.

“Thanks to extra investment in local transport schemes, cycling has increased by 83 per cent since 2000 and more than 1600 school travel plans have been approved which encourage and enable more children and their parents to walk to school.”

Local transport inprovements
London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy said: “This £3.7m investment will go towards directly improving transport for people in Hillingdon. Local people feel strongly about transport in their area and this funding will make a real difference to their experience each day.

“The investment will fund both large and small projects that will improve bus journeys and access to public transport, reduce congestion, improve the environment and promote a healthier lifestyle.

“This funding is an important part of our wider programme of spending in the boroughs to make improvements to local transport.”

Projects funded in Hillingdon for 2008/09 include:

• £886,000 for the London Cycle Network+
• £455,000 for road safety improvements, including Joel Street and Tolcarne Drive junctions reducing the carriageway space crossed by pedestrians and creating areas for pedestrians to safely stand in the middle of the road when crossing. It is estimated that these proposals will cut the number of accidents by over a third
  £150,000 for 20mph zones in Hillingdon to improve safety in local streets
  £50,000 to erect noise barriers to reduce road traffic noise from some of the loudest roads in the borough, such as the A4, A40 and A312.  A feasibility study will identify suitable locations
• £50,000 for measures to improve bus services and journey times, including a review of Route 282 to ensure all bus stops are fully accessible
• £20,000 to finish the reconstruction work on Swakeleys Bridge Road. Its 25 tonne weight limitation will be raised following strengthening work. This is a very important connecting route to the A40 16 November 2007

The Government’s data disaster over child benefit records shows why plans for Identity Cards must be scrapped, says Cllr Mike Cox.

Following the revelation that the personal details of 25 million parents and children have been lost by the Government’s Revenue and Customs department (HMRC), and may have fallen into the hands of identity fraudsters, Uxbridge and South Ruislip Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson Mike Cox has written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging him to withdraw his support for the ID cards scheme and a National Identity Register in which the Government want to store the personal information of everyone in the country.

Cllr Mike Cox, a local Chartered Accountant and Tax adviser said 

“The fiasco at HMRC has shown the dangers of the Government holding huge amounts of information about each one of us whilst being slipshod in the way that same information is kept,” 

“This whole saga of incompetence has been shocking and families in Hillingdon are now rightly asking whether their personal details are safe.

“The National Identity Register, which the Government are setting up as part of the Identity Card scheme, will hold vastly more information on each and every one of us than Customs and Revenue managed to lose.

“The possibilities for the loss of that information, either accidentally or through illegitimate means must make the Government stop and think again very seriously about their plan to store all the data they can on us on a central register.

“This is a clear illustration of the real dangers of a big brother centralised state.  State control of personal identity details is a real threat to our civil liberties.   The Government should respond to the anger and now abandon its ID card scheme. It is clear that the Government cannot be trusted to manage effectively mass databases of personal information.

”Gordon Brown voted for Identity Cards when the scheme went through Parliament despite some MPs taking a principled stand and joining the Liberal Democrats in voting against the Government’s big brother plans.

“But a debacle on this scale must surely give Gordon Brown cause to think again. I have written to him calling on him to press the Government to end the Identity Card scheme for good and to ensure that we do not risk a personal data disaster on an even more catastrophic scale.”

Ends

Hillingdon Council recently invited a Waterstones director to look at our libraries and come up with savings. The report produced aimed to make libraries more like bookshops. A deal was done with a multinational coffee company to sell coffee without any competitive tender.

The changes proposed could cause 13 librarians in Hillingdon to lose their jobs. It has seen Library staff being measured up for uniforms to sell coffee. This has happened without proper consultation of staff, unions or the public.

The administration admits “libraries provide a good service”. They just didn’t look as good as they should. This is extremely worrying for Librarians. They are not against change, but when this happens without any significant consultation then they and the public have every right to be concerned. There could be a loss of children’s activities at libraries. The coordinated program of reading schemes, activities for babies and children may be jeopardized. Libraries are not just bookshops, they are learning centres. 

There were already improvements in progress which looked to bring new users to libraries. These have been hijacked as part of this restructuring. Specialist expertise and experience will be lost. It takes experienced and motivated staff to organize and prepare events.  

Once again this administration thinks they know best and anyone who questions them is against them. It’s called paranoia. The Library service has been a jewel in Hillingdons crown and probably taken for granted. Its time to modernize our libraries yes! Its also a time to stand up for what is best.

Extract from letter from officer after Mike Cox called for Special Willow tree to be protected

“This tree was the subject of a detailed tree survey (T13 on plan) and arboricultural implications assessment submitted to the local planning authority as part of the planning application (ref. 7969/APP/2006/94) by The Barn hotel. Although the tree falls outside the proposed new fence line it is accurately plotted on the approved plan and shown ‘to be retained’. The specification of temporary protective fencing for this and a neighbouring tree (during the construction period) have also been specified to prevent accidental damage.

Although the tree clearly has some amenity value, the Willow is rated a ‘B’ category tree - that is to say its value and condition is considered moderate. While it is shown to be retained, it is not the type (or quality) of tree which would merit the serving of a Tree Protection Order.

However, in the light of your concern I will inspect the site to ensure that any activity on site is in accordance with the approved plans and that appropriate tree protection is in place.”

19384/APP/2007/2970                3 COLLEGE DRIVE RUISLIP

ERECTION OF A SINGLE STOREY PART REAR EXTENSION

51311/APP/2007/2975113A VICTORIA ROAD RUISLIP         

Following the meeting regarding Bessingby Park on 25th September, I thought I would give a round up of events so far.

Out of the 36 residents who attended, 30 feedback sheets were received back with over 90% of them in support of security measures (fencing) being the priority for any subsequent Chrysalis bid. Damien Searle has since submitted a bid for £65,000 which, if successful, will be able to provide fencing along three stretches of the Bessingby Park end that are the most vulnerable and which residents indicated to him on the night. These are:

Whitby Road, 280 metres  
Beverley Road, 244 metres
Fencing between Bessingby Bowling Club and the children’s playground. 222 metres

This would provide new fencing where residents have built gates to back onto their gardens which was a point of concern. It also fences off an access point used by motorbike riders which was highlighted by the SNTs.

Springfield Gardens, 72 metres ( if funding allows)

LIBERAL Democrats in Hillingdon have warned that a proposal by the government to take away cash reserves that local schools have built up will damage children’s education.

The government have put out for consultation a proposal to siphon off 5% of the cash held in reserve in school budgets. Many schools build up reserves to invest in new equipment or as cover for a rainy day.

Cllr Mike Cox, Leader of the Lib Dem group and Parliamentary Spokesman said, “Frankly, I am amazed the government can even think of doing this. Taking money from school budgets in this way is little more than a smash and grab on careful schools that have planned for the future. The effect could be felt by many school children in HIllingdon.

“The government claims the money will be given back to councils to spend on education. My fear is that all they want to do is claim they are spending lots of new money on education when the reality is the government is spending the same money twice.

“This proposal by the government should be dropped immediately. The money built up by schools in Hillingdon should stay with the schools for the benefit of children.”

I’m a great believer in preserving our heritage but sometimes this can go too far.

Our Underground and “tube” network, much of which dates from the Victorian era, is desperately in need of renewal and modernisation. Now that maintenance firm Metronet has gone bust, the upgrade work that’s so
badly needed is at risk. We always said this “Public Private Partnership” was a lousy system. Despite all his proud claims, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has completely failed to solve the problems created by his Labour
masters in Downing Street. Now the administrators have had to be called in to try to sort out the mess.

And who’s going to foot the bill in the end? My bet is that it will be us, the fare paying passengers, who end up paying for Labour’s PPP folly and Ken Livingstone’s failure to manage it. If we allow that, PPP will stand
for Passengers Pay the Penalty.

It would be wrong for Tube users to lose out over this. The Liberal Democrats have drafted a petition to the Mayor which I have signed and I hope many of your readers will too.

The petition is at

http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/tubepenalty

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone announced that he is abolishing Dial-a-Ride door-to-door fares for older and disabled Londoners.

The move will benefit around 50,000 Londoners who currently pay to take 1.2 million journeys a year.

Speaking at Disability Capital - the UK’s largest conference for Deaf and disabled people in London - the Mayor outlined that he has taken this step as part of his commitment to provide equal access to public transport for all Londoners.

Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door transport service provided by Transport for London for older and disabled people who cannot use buses, trains and the Tube.

It is used for everyday journeys that are taken for granted by people who use mainstream public transport - including shopping, visiting friends and family, attending college, doctors and dentists appointments and evenings out.

Following the Mayor’s announcement, services will be free from 1 January 2008.

Carers travelling with disabled and other people on dial a ride will also travel free.

I have a list at work dated 2006 detailing officers in Hillingdon I might contact for help. Since then a swathe of senior officers have gone, either sacked, moved on or retired. The loss of so much experience does not bode well for the future stewardship of Council business. One senior Conservative publicly welcomed some of these losses as the ditching of “Deadwood”.

An organisation’s greatest asset is its people and this is just as true for Hillingdon Council. I was reminded of this when I attended a meeting in Ruislip about a local park. A young officer had organised a survey, analysed the results, arranged a meeting, drafted support from Councillors, Police and other officers. She then stood in front of a sceptical audience with hostile questions, treated them firmly but with respect and achieved a positive step forward for improving our park. That work took drive, energy, persistence, patience and it took guts. We still have some excellent officers in Hillingdon. We need to keep them.

One departure however was greeted with universal shock. After 38 years David Brough has retired. It is difficult to imagine Hillingdon Council without him. In all his years here he defended our democracy, improved resident’s rights, fought injustices and stuck up for the rights of individuals and the disadvantaged.

David Brough was not just been a trusted officer, he was a tower of strength to many and the source of sound advice which will be greatly missed. It is a tribute to him that he will shortly be made a Freeman of the borough.

TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990

SITE: J J MOONS, 12 VICTORIA ROAD, RUISLIP

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: INSTALLATION OF TWO RETRACTABLE AWNINGS AND PROVISION OF TRANSPARENT WIND SCREENS TO ENCLOSE TWO OUTDOOR SEATING AREAS TOGETHER WITH PROVISION OF FOUR WALL MOUNTED HEATERS.

•  
  • • • APPLICATION REFERENCE NO. 32765/APP/2007/655
  • • •  
        •  
          • THE PLANNING INSPECTORATE REFERENCE NO. APP/R5510/A/07/2054562/NWF
• • • APPEAL STARTING DATE: 04 OCTOBER 2007
  • • APPELLANT’S NAME: J D WETHERSPOON PLC 

I am writing to let you know that an appeal has been made to the Secretary of State in respect of the above site.  The appeal follows the refusal of this Council to grant permission for the above application. 

The appeal is to be decided on the basis of an exchange of written statements by the parties and site visit by the Inspector. 

Any comments already made following the original application for planning permission will be forwarded to the Inspectorate and copied to the appellant and will be taken into account by the Inspector in deciding the appeal.  Should you wish to withdraw or modify your earlier comments in any way or request a copy of the appeal decision letter, you should write direct to The Planning Inspectorate, 3/14 Eagle Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN within 6 weeks of the starting date above, quoting their reference number. You should send 3 copies to the Inspectorate and ensure they are received by 15 November 2007, otherwise they will not normally be seen by the Inspector and will be returned. 

The Planning Inspectorate have introduced an online appeals service which you can use to comment on this appeal. You can find the service through the Appeals area of the Planning Portal– see www.planningportal.gov.uk/pcs. The Inspectorate may publish details of your comments, on the internet (on the Appeals area of the Planning Portal). Your comments may include your name, address, email address or phone number. Please ensure that you only provide information, including personal information belonging to you that you are happy will be made available to others in this way. If you supply information belonging to a third party please ensure you have their permission to do so. More detailed information about data protection and privacy matters is available on the Planning Portal. 

If you require further information regarding procedure, the Planning Inspectorate booklet ‘Guide to taking part in planning appeals’ is available, free of charge, from the Planning & Transportation Group Reception, Level 3, Civic Centre, Uxbridge. 

Following Council’s grant of Freedom of Entry on 25th January plans are under way for RAF Uxbridge to march along Uxbridge High Street to the Civic Centre Forecourt on 27th November.

The provisional starting time is 11.00 am.

7969/APP/2007/2780THE BARN HOTEL WEST END ROAD RUISLIP

Mike Cox has welcomed the new library which looks great.

Not just a library of course but also a coffee shop, Adult Education centre and yes more flats as well will occupy the site.

The Council has given Starbucks a licence to sell coffee at the new library without going to tender. Meanwhile the local Conservatives are trying to save £250,000 from the Library budget. It has even been reported they are making Librarians redundant.

Mike Cox said “The building is great but we need a library service intact to enjoy it.”

This month it was Ruislip Manor’s turn to benefit from the “Streets Ahead” programme.The day also involved the Police and Safer Neighbourhood teams, plus Hillingdon Homes, the Fire Brigade, the car licensing authorities (DVLA) and many others. Mike Cox attended all the planning meetings.

In the beginning of July I asked for your comments on a proposal to extend the existing 20mph scheme with traffic calming measures in Sidmouth Drive, Ruislip to include the rest of the road.

All comments received have been taken into account with the design. Attached is a copy of the plan for your information.

Sidmouth Drive - 20 mph scheme