hammersmith £ fulham airbrushed

Blank expression? Check out Rupert Bear's latest video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSbTgnen8g

It's back

'Polo in the Park' is returning for three days in June (4-6 June 2010) at Hurlingham Park in Fulham.

You can meet friends at one of the many bars in Hurlingham Park or in the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Garden:
• Afternoon Tea Package (Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June, 2010) Tea provided by Harrods of Knightsbridge and Champagne by Veuve Clicquot, served in the private pitch side corporate enclosure. Package includes grandstand tickets and complementary (sic) programmes. From £150.00 plus VAT pp.
• Picnic Package (Friday 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June, 2010). Individual picnic boxes served under cover in a shared facility (tables of 10) in the grounds of Hurlingham Club. Package includes grandstand tickets and complementary (sic) programmes. Limited availability. £185.00 plus VAT pp.
• Club Lunch Package (Friday 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th, 2010) Full hospitality including Veuve Clicquot reception at The Hurlingham Club with canapés, followed by 2 courses plus Harrods Afternoon Tea served in pitch side corporate enclosure in Hurlingham Park. Package includes grandstand tickets and complementary (sic) programmes. On Friday 4th drinks in the pitch side corporate enclosure are complementary (pass the sick bag) and on Saturday and Sunday only in addition to their Afternoon Tea, Harrods will be serving a Continental Breakfast in the pitch side corporate enclosure for those wanting to watch the pre lunch match. Friday £415 plus VAT pp, Saturday £265 plus VAT pp, Sunday £295 plus VAT pp.

Speaker puts Hands in his place

In a feeble attempt to re-write history, Greg Hands was put firmly in his place by the Speaker of the House of Commons this week. Clearly the Speaker thinks the same as Mr Betts re the Tory leader of H&F council, as recorded in the exchange below:

Mr. Greg Hands (Hammersmith and Fulham) (Con): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I have given prior notification to the Member concerned.

In Communities and Local Government questions yesterday, the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) put a question with a wholly erroneous set of comments attributed to the leader of my council, Hammersmith and Fulham, including the statement that

"one problem with social housing was that it was hard to get rid of these people".- [ Official Report, 26 January 2010; Vol. 504, c. 669.]

That comment is entirely false. The leader of the council never said any such thing, so I should be grateful for your guidance, Mr. Speaker, on how we might set the record straight for what is, after all, one of Britain's best-loved and best-run local authorities.

Mr. Speaker: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his attempted point of order, but as he will know, on the strength of his experience in the House, it was not a point of order but a most interesting point of debate, which has now been placed fairly and squarely upon the record.

The true face of Cameron's caring, compassionate Conservatives

An eight months pregnant woman was forced to sleep rough in a park for four nights after fleeing domestic violence because Tory H&F council wouldn't accept her as homeless.

H&F council has just been found guilty of maladministration by the Local Government Ombudsman in a damning report on how the woman was dealt with.

This news doesn't appear on H&F council's website (and is unlikely to feature in H&F News). But it is another example of what would happen if the Conservatives won the general election.

PS some five days after publication of the Ombudsman's verdict, H&F council has issued a press release, 'apology for housing mistake', without a quote from a Tory councillor.

Who's responsible for licensing?

Tory candidate for Hammersmith Shaun Bailey is calling for tougher licensing restrictions on late night cafes in Shepherds Bush. Has he forgotten that it's Tory H&F council that is responsible for licensing?

How much more chaos at Seven Stars?

Week three of traffic gridlock at Seven Stars is just about to start - with the prospect of chaos throughout February and beyond. And all Tory H&F council is doing is twiddling its thumbs with a few minor tweaks to signage while the north of the borough is paralysed.

Another blow to residents around Goldhawk Road. If this had been happening near Fulham Road, perhaps it would have been resolved a bit quicker...

Traffic chaos looming this weekend

After traffic chaos in Shepherds Bush recently, Hammersmith faces congestion for almost three months from Saturday 23 January.

Hammersmith Bridge will be closed in both directions every weekend until 15 March, and for ten days in mid-February.

Airbrushed for change

If you haven't seen through the real Cameron yet, have a look at: http://mydavidcameron.com/

Greenhalgh 'cupboarded'

The owner of the Cupboard cafe in Shepherds Bush, Nathalie Bristow (no relation), has launched a savage attack on Tory H&F council in today's Hammersmith Gazette.

When asked 'if you could change one thing about the borough, what would it be', Nathalie says:

"I would remove [council leader] Stephen Greenhalgh and his Margaret Thatcher policies. I would rather pay the extra three per cent council tax which the council has cut, as charges have been applied to other services, especially for elderly people who have to pay £12.40 for home care. I would also change the Tory council's charges for the meals on wheels policy."

H&F libraries under threat

A number of H&F libraries face closure after the May council elections, as the Tories' budget cuts deepen.

Already library staff are being axed and some libraries have had to reduce opening hours because of staff shortages.

But the Tory council is planning further cuts, with Baron's Court library and Sands End library first in the firing line for closure. In addition Askew Road library will be offering reduced services to accommodate a Royal Mail collection point.

Return of a free press in H&F

From Friday 15 January H&F will have a new weekly newspaper delivered to every household in the borough.

The Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle will provide a much needed source of local news and issues, challenging the council's fortnightly propaganda newpaper, H&F News.

Let the new Chronicle have stories about Tory H&F council by visiting www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk, calling 020 8572 1816 or emailing one of the reporters.

The final word on the 'super sewer'?

For Rupert Bear's latest video re Tory H&F council scaremongering, just click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f2wTbag7Wc

What a waste!

Another victory for Tory H&F council

Fulham Football Club cancelled its premiership match against Portsmouth tomorrow because it deemed the area around the ground to be unsafe for fans travelling to and from the game.

In other words, Tory H&F council had failed to grit and clear the streets and pavements around Craven Cottage - just like most of the rest of the borough.

Well done H&F council.

Get H&F streets and pavements gritted first, Cllr Bristow

With Tory H&F council cancelling refuse collection and schools being closed because of 'treacherous conditions' on the borough's roads, it's a bit rich for H&F cabinet member Cllr Paul Bristow to call on other councils to 'learn the lessons of the snow'.

Cllr Bristow - a Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Middlesbrough - has called on each of the Tees Valley councils to hold reviews into their reactions to the snow chaos once the icy spell is over.

Cllr Bristow commented: "There has been considerable criticism throughout the Tees Valley about the lack of gritting and snow clearance by the local authorities responsible, especially on side streets and pavements. In Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland there has been, at best, minimal gritting on main roads only. Pavements are particularly treacherous with many residents unsure if they are supposed to clear the path outside their home. We have had this icy spell for weeks and it seems our local authorities are still struggling to cope. I understand that they are under acute pressure but we hear the same excuses every year. What is needed is a comprehensive review of practice by each council to learn once and for all the lessons for dealing with bad weather. They should work together and listen to the public. Each local authority has a duty of care to local residents and should look carefully into what has gone wrong.''

Cllr Bristow clearly hasn't been on the streets of H&F recently, otherwise he would have realised that phrases about 'pots and kettles' would have come to mind. Or perhaps he thought Middlesbrough was far enough away for his hypocritical views to be expressed. In fact we keep hearing the same excuses in Tory H&F - and we are still waiting for most of our streets and pavements to be gritted.

What Greenhalgh will tell Dave tonight

H&F Tory leader Stephen Greenhalgh will tonight (Tuesday evening) get the chance to tell the leader of the Conservative party what he really thinks:

"My mates are all in the Shadow Cabinet, waiting to get those boxes, being terribly excited. I went to university with them, they haven't run a pissup in a brewery. They're going to get a department of state, in one case running the finances of the nation."

Tories' budget gamble reveals cuts

Tory H&F council's budget for 2010-11, published today, shows how they are cutting services to pay for their pre-election tax reduction.

£13 million new cuts in local services have been announced for the coming year, with £35 million cuts in total over the next three years to 2013. Taking the brunt of the cuts will be children's services, care for older and disabled people, and environmental services.

But the budget also comes with huge risks - some £9 million in the coming year has been identified as potential extra costs, almost equivalent to the council's total reserves. And over the next three years, the budget risks add up to £25 million.

The Tories' budget gamble shows how much the tax cut (worth less than 50p a week) is really costing local residents.

Meanwhile more money has been spent by the council to line the borough's streets with propaganda banners in advance of Dave's visit tomorrow. He is expected to face a barrage of protests from traditional Tory voters concerned by H&F council giving planning permission to controversial developments in Goldhawk Road.

New year, same old scare story

H&F Tories never change. They have recycled their so-called super sewer scare story for the front pages of the first editions of the local Gazette and Chronicle newspapers in 2010.

The Tory council's opposition to Thames Water's plans to stop raw sewage being pumped into the Thames puts them in conflict with many including the Tory Mayor of London, other local authorities, the government and green campaigners.

In the coming months we will no doubt see other Tory scaremongering resurrected - watch out for Charing Cross Hospital, the district line etc etc. All to deflect attention from the fact that the Tory council has done nothing over the last four years except cut local services and open Westfield and the new library which were planned under the previous administration.

But the Tories have been silent about Boris Johnson's huge hike in fares on London's buses and tubes. There's a really scary story...

Dave's Christmas message

For those of you preparing to quiz the Tory leader in Hammersmith on 5 January, take a look at this first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE_V29eS7EA

And for more Tory nonsense: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240181/Setback-Cameron-senior-Tories-revolt-shaven-headed-image-supremo-Steve-Hilton.html?ITO=1490