Tories put Shepherds Bush residents last

You may have heard that Shepherds Bush central line station will close for at least eight months from the beginning of February.

You would have thought that Hammersmith & Fulham council would have opposed the closure vigorously given how many residents use the station and will be affected. But no, they are happy to see it close according to Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, the Conservative council leader, in the local newspaper.

Never mind the inconvenience for the huge number of local people who use the station every day. Never mind the number of local businesses that will suffer as a result.

Join the campaign to stop this unnecessary closure at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19664727640

And don't forget how the Tories put Shepherds Bush residents last. Just imagine how agitated the Tories would have been if this had been Fulham Broadway, Parsons Green or Ravenscourt Park stations.

New year, same old Tories

Normal service is resumed after the Christmas break when the Tory Cabinet meets on 7 January to close local schools, cut services and spending in Hammersmith & Fulham.

The Tories are pushing through new cuts, closing local facilities, reducing housing options, and raising fees and charges for local services to pay for a small council tax reduction. They claim that this will save residents money but many local people are now faced with higher fees and having to pay for services that have been axed.

£34 million cuts in local services are the high price local residents are paying for a Tory council.

Happy new year in H&F?

Happy new year to all hfconwatch readers.

We have exclusive access to the new year resolutions made by the Tory cabinet in Hammersmith & Fulham. Their resolutions for 2008 include:

* we won't make any more cuts in local services
* we won't raise any more fees and charges for local services
* we won't close any more schools
* we won't sell off any more community buildings
* we won't cut any more voluntary organisations

Unfortunately, it looks like these resolutions will be broken within the first week of the new year when the Tory cabinet meets on 7 January.

hfconwatch resolves to continue to keep you posted about Tory cuts, charges and closures in 2008.

What Tory Cabinet wants for Christmas

One of Father Christmas's elves has leaked the Tories' secret santa stocking wishlist. Now hfconwatch can reveal what the Tory cabinet in Hammersmith & Fulham wants for Christmas:

Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh: a borough of opportunity with free mince pies for all those earning over £250k a year

Cllr Nick Botterill: lots of higher fees and charges and a new train set

Cllr Mark Loveday: an airfix model of Hammersmith town centre complete with squashed strawberry and removable extensions

Cllr Frances Stainton: a pair of ice skates and a map of Shepherds Bush

Cllr Adronie Alford: old Mother Hubbard's shoes for a Crisis

Cllr Antony Lillis: more savings in the January sales

Cllr Greg Smith: DVDs of Z Cars, The Sweeney and The Bill

Cllr Paul Bristow: a pair of boxing gloves to use in the park and a shuttle bus to get there

And for Santa's helper, Cllr Harry Phibbs: a new pen to write more letters to the local press

Heartless Tories fail Christmas challenge

As reported by the Evening Standard, H&F Tories have refused to even talk with Crisis about a setting up a refuge for homeless people over Christmas at the BBC.

For the full story, go to:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23428986-details/Tories+ban+BBC+from+taking+in+the+homeless+at+Christmas/article.do

Let's hope the Tories don't have to spend too many nights out on the streets in the freezing weather this Christmas.

Going nowhere

H&F Tories suddenly want a transport summit to deal with impending gridlock in Shepherds Bush. Which is all a bit rich after they opposed every measure in recent years to improve public transport in west London.

And now they are surprised that Shepherds Bush central line station will be closed for eight months from February so it can be upgraded for the Westfield development.

Where have the Tories been? The last year has already seen traffic go-slow around Shepherds Bush Green with mysterious lane closures with no 'men at work'.

Council kills mobile library service

For the full story read: http://www.ourfulham.co.uk/OurFulham/Home/Entries/2007/12/16_Council_Kills_Mobile_Library_Service.html

As Our Fulham website says, why would anyone using the mobile library service want to use a replacement shuttle bus?

Another Tory con.

Seasonal requests please

What does the Tory cabinet in Hammersmith & Fulham want for Christmas? And what should their new year's resolutions be for 2008?

Please send your suggestions to: hfconwatch@hotmail.co.uk

hfconwatch review of the year

Rather than write another blog about how awful Hammersmith & Fulham Tories are, here are the top five stories of the year on hfconwatch (as based on reader visits):

20 January: Tory junk mail recycles council propaganda

18 March: Correction: pay rise was 'an administrative error'

23 April: Council in chaos as Tories back down on school closure

21 September: Secret leader's speech leaked

21 October: Psssst: voulez vous acheter une ecole?

There was also a very popular story about Greg Hands' research assistant.

* Send your favourites to: hfconwatch@hotmail.co.uk

Tory cons on council tax

H&F Tories are blagging about a small cut in the council tax. What they fail to tell the media is that local residents are also having to pay higher fees and charges for local services - from meals on wheels to recycling with plans to introduce charges for home helps.

And the Tories say they are cutting waste. Which is not how most people would describe the schools that are being closed, the home care services that have been chopped, the street cleaners that face the sack, the charities that have been cut, the mobile library service that has been scrapped and the community buildings that are being sold off. The list goes on - see previous blogs for the real story.

Finally the Tories say their performance is improving despite the cuts. Well, the 4 star rating in 2006 covered the last year of the previous administration - this year's verdict is awaited with interested.

These may be inconvenient truths for the Conservatives but they are the reality of 18 months of Tory rule in Hammersmith & Fulham. Beware Tory cons about the £34 million cuts in local services.