But what about the cars?

Westfield is open on time. It looks great. Let's not forget where credit lies for the vision to make it happen.

Meanwhile Tory H&F council has been caught short by failing to plan for the influx of cars to Shepherds Bush causing chaos for local residents. Not only is there gridlock, there is also nowhere to park on local streets.

Perhaps this is the end of the Tories' love affair with the car?

Council apologises in advance for gridlock

Just a few days before the opening of the Westfield shopping centre, the H&F Tory council leader has written to Shepherds Bush residents in anticipation of traffic chaos in the north of the borough.

Ironically Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh's letter bemoans local congestion at the same time as he and his fellow Conservatives do everything they can to campaign against congestion charging.

'Family friendly' policies given the boot at H&F council

Tory H&F council (David Cameron's 'favourite council') has just issued 90-day redundancy notices to all 4200 staff. This is so they can substantially cut staff terms and conditions including halving maternity leave, imposing seven day working, cutting leave and it goes on.

Why is such an attack on staff necessary? What are the 'service-critical savings' to be gained by preventing staff flexing out sometimes at 3pm to pick up kids from schools that generally (including in H&F) end the day at 3.30 pm? Or cutting maternity leave in half (or more)? Or reducing carers' leave to 15 hours a year?

Welcome to 'family friendly' H&F council - giving us another taster of what a Conservative government would do.

Council staff face worsening conditions

In a sign of things to come, Tory H&F council has given its staff notice that their terms and conditions of employment are to be drastically worsened.

A whole package of measures - covering hours, leave, sickness and flexible working - is to to be introduced next year.

Watch out for more Tory cuts and secret budgets as we approach the 2010 council elections.

Short back and sides?

The pavement on the Uxbridge Road between Boscombe Road and Percy Road was nicely re-laid only a few months ago, with railings removed to create more space.

But for the last two months part of it has been damaged, surrounded by cones and tape, and left untouched - outside No.179 (John's the barbers).

It's an eyesore and raises questions about why it hasn't been repaired. It's also not good for the small businesses along this part of the Uxbridge Road.

Who will fix it?

Now you see him, now you don't

Tory candidate for Hammersmith Shaun Bailey spent plenty of time on stage at the Conservative conference in Birmingham last week.

But today he seems to have gone missing. Bailey was billed to be on tonight's BBC Question Time but appears to have been pulled in favour of a Tory heavyweight Ken Clarke.

Costly, confused, crazy - and that's just the Tory councillors

It must have seemed like a good publicity stunt at the time but the photo on the front of the latest H&F News has several Tory councillors holding self-descriptive banners:

Cllr Nicholas Botterill - COSTLY
Cllr Paul Bristow - CONFUSED
Cllr Frances Stainton - CRAZY

Unfortunately Tory leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh isn't holding the banner marked ILL-CONCEIVED.

New station, no lifts or bike stands

The long-awaited re-opening of Shepherds Bush central line station - did it really take eight months to build a greenhouse over the old station? - is causing a few rows already.

Not only have no lifts been installed inside the station, but outside there are no bike stands anywhere to be seen.

What has Tory H&F council been doing for the last eight months? Bike stands now, please.

Cameron backs Fulham & Chelsea candidate

http://www.recessmonkey.com/2008/09/30/cheeky-monkey/

Check out the above link - the funniest blog/pic for some time.

At the Conservative conference in Birmingham this week, David Cameron posed for photos with the parliamentary candidate for Fulham & Chelsea - except Cameron must have forgotten that the Tory candidate is Greg Hands, not Alex Hilton who is standing for Labour!

Tories panic over gridlocked borough

With just four weeks to go until the Westfield shopping development opens its doors for business, panic is spreading about looming traffic chaos.

In today's Evening Standard H&F council leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh rather belatedly warns that local roads won't be able to cope with the extra cars heading into the borough to visit Westfield.

Three new stations are opening this month to serve the development but it's the road traffic which worries the car-loving Tories.

And having supported the closure of Shepherds Bush central line station for over eight months, the Tory council still hasn't managed to get a lift installed in the brand new station.

No wonder H&F Tories are expecting a backlash in the north of the borough come 30 October. A grim halloween is in prospect.

Lies, damned lies and the 'good council' leader

Tory H&F council leader Stephen Greenhalgh has been trumpeting his achievements in the Sunday Telegraph. Cllr Greenhalgh has also published a booklet on 'good councils' for the right-wing Centre for Policy Studies.

In his Telegraph article, Cllr Greenhalgh repeats untruths about residents' savings in council tax and fails to mention the impact of increased charges and huge cuts in local services.

For a full demolition of Cllr Greenhalgh's spurious claims, see: http://thecowanreport.blogspot.com/