28 June 2008

Tories back huge property developers

As residents of Shepherds Bush have seen in the last six months, H&F Tories are very much on the side of the massive property developers moving into the borough.

Shepherds Bush has been closed down by the Tory council to help their friends at Westfield develop White City. Forget the fact that local residents need to use the tube, local roads and the buses - the Tories don't care.

But more is in store for the rest of the borough. Which is why Tory cabinet member Cllr Mark Loveday went on a jolly to Cannes recently to meet some new developers.

Already the Tories are planning upheaval at Hammersmith Grove and in King Street. Now they are looking at redeveloping the sites of some of the biggest council estates in H&F. West Ken estate has been earmarked according to the Chronicle newspaper.

The Tories really do put local residents last.

Tories' cuts in services hit residents hard

With more than £36 million cuts by the Tory council in local services, it's not surprising that Hammersmith & Fulham is showing the strain.

Wherever you walk in the borough, piles of rubbish and uncollected bin bags litter the pavements. Cuts in the funding of refuse collection and street cleaning and the privatisation of the service have left their mark.

Money earmarked for investing in local homes is threatened by the incompetence of the Tory council. Already the council's decent homes improvement programme is way behind schedule.

More and more older people are left lonely and isolated in their home as care services are cut and charges increased for meals on wheels and homecare.

Or they are frightened about going out on the streets because of rising crime in the borough.

And cuts in local youth services and closure of facilities have left young people with nothing to do.

Tory council costs you more

The Tory council in Hammersmith & Fulham is cutting lots of local services and CHARGING local residents more.

Parking in the borough now costs up to £2.40 an hour. Rumours are rife that annual parking permit charges are set to go through the £100 mark.

Charges for homecare services for older and disabled people were recently agreed - up to £12.40 an hour. And meals on wheels now cost more than £200 a year extra.

And if you want to recycle garden waste, it costs £7.20 just to buy the right kind of bag!

Where is all this money going? Certainly not to improve services. What a con!

Whose side is Shaun Bailey on?

Does Conservative candidate for Hammersmith - Shaun Bailey - support Tory H&F council's cuts in local services and its councillors?

What does he think about the council cuts to care and support services for older people, given his charity helps the elderly? And what about all the new charges for people needing homecare support?

And does Bailey support the Tory cuts to children's and youth services and the closure of local facilities?

What does Bailey think about Tory cabinet member Cllr Lucy Ivimy's recent comments (see blogs below)? Everyone would like to know.

In fact whose side is Bailey on? Will he tell the electorate in Hammersmith?

23 June 2008

Another Tory example for Ivimy

The resignation today of Boris Johnson's political adviser in the latest Tory race row begs the question why Cllr Lucy Ivimy has not resigned - or been sacked - following her recent remarks attacking 'foreign born residents' (see previous blogs).

Speculation also continues as to whether Cllr Ivimy will attend the full council meeting this Wednesday when her comments are condemned by a special motion. The poor performance under the Tory council of H&F Homes - currently Cllr Ivimy's responsibility - is also condemned.

17 June 2008

Ivimy goes AWOL

Disgraced H&F Tory councillor Lucy Ivimy (see blogs galore below) missed her first Cabinet meeting as lead member for housing last night.

She also missed last week's Hammersmith North Housing Forum where residents were eager to ask her questions about her recent remarks insulting local residents.

If Cllr Ivimy had attended the Cabinet meeting, she would have seen disabled residents protesting against the introduction of homecare charges. Even though the Tory leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, admitted the move was a breach of the Tory manifesto, he refused to allow any resident to address the Cabinet.

The question on everyone's lips is: "Where is Cllr Ivimy?" Has she resigned without telling anyone? Will she be giving back her allowance for failing to undertake her public duties?

One week on, Cllr Ivimy's position remains untenable.

15 June 2008

Tories scrap manifesto pledge on care

On Monday the Tory cabinet in Hammersmith & Fulham will vote to introduce charges of up to £12.40 an hour for home care services for older and disabled residents.

The move goes against the Conservatives' manifesto commitment and personal pledges by several leading councillors before the 2006 H&F council elections not to introduce home care charging.

The Tories have already made big cuts in the number of older and disabled people who get support from the council.

What will make Ivimy go?

News that a Tory member of the Welsh assembly has stood down from two posts and been suspended as a parliamentary candidate following remarks he made about Italians raises questions as to why no decisive action has been taken following H&F Conservative councillor Lucy Ivimy's offensive comments about immigrants and Indians in particular (see previous blogs).

Cllr Ivimy's comments have attracted anger and criticism from local residents, national and international media. The local newspaper front page headline was 'SACK HER!'. But Lucy Ivimy has not resigned nor been sacked for her unacceptable behaviour.

What are we waiting for?

PS watch Rupert Bear's latest video - Poison Ivy - at: http://www.youtube.com/user/rupertbear21

14 June 2008

Greenhalgh fails leadership test

The failure by H&F council leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh to sack housing cabinet member Lucy Ivimy (see blog below) is an indictment of his leadership.

How can the views expressed by Cllr Ivimy be acceptable for anyone in public office, let alone in charge of housing? Cllr Greenhalgh has in effect condoned her racist comments. By describing her comments as 'idiotic', the Tory leader has suggested that she should have been more discreet in expressing her views.

Local residents are outraged by Cllr Lucy Ivimy's comments. They have brought H&F council into disrepute not just locally but across the world.

At the same time H&F Homes is reeling from the Audit Commission's assessment of its poor performance. How can Cllr Ivimy turn this round when her credibility has been completely undermined by her own actions?

11 June 2008

Will Greenhalgh sack Ivimy?

Less than two weeks after being appointed as cabinet member for housing in H&F, Tory councillor Lucy Ivimy faces calls to resign or be sacked for racism.

Today's Daily Mail and Evening Standard report that Cllr Ivimy blamed immigrants from India for littering an estate:

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1025615/Migrants-taught-litter-says-councillor-sparked-racism-row.html

Local residents are appalled by Cllr Ivimy's comments and called for her to be kicked out of office. Pressure is on H&F Tory leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh to take decisive action.

This latest incident follows exposure of Hammersmith & Fulham Tory MP Greg Hands' researcher in the media last October.

10 June 2008

Greg Hands descends into self-parody

If you have ever wondered what the Tory candidate for Chelsea and Fulham does in his spare time, check this out:

http://cornerstonegroup.wordpress.com/

Not sure what Greg Hands was doing ten years ago checking out the family of the then 16 year old Siena (sic) Miller?

PS perhaps it's also time for Greg to confess that his scare tactics back in 2004-5 about Charing Cross hospital closing were not true - in 2008 the hospital is flourishing with new investment and developments galore.

09 June 2008

Tories shut down Shepherds Bush - again

Not content with supporting the closure of Shepherds Bush station earlier this year, the Tory council has consented to closing Wood Lane to northbound traffic.

This severing of a major artery in the north of H&F has caused gridlock in Shepherds Bush for the last week. Ironically this also makes the replacement buses for the station closure worse than useless.

All this to keep the Tories' friends happy at the Westfield development.

PS bets are now off for an October opening of the new development - it will take a miracle for Shepherds Bush to be open again before Christmas.

Boxing and wrestling in the park, seconds away...round two

Having lost on points in round one at the licensing panel last year (see previous blogs), Tory cabinet member Paul Bristow is back in the ring next week to see if he can persuade local residents that boxing, wrestling and other activities in Ravenscourt Park are a good idea.

At least that would seem to be why Cllr Bristow is holding a public meeting on 19 June to consider future events in H&F parks. Let's hope residents deliver a knockout blow.