South Acton Councillors' February Report

Cllr John Gallagher updates residents

I hope CARA had an enjoyable party last week. I was hoping to attend but I had to write a couple of reports which took most of Thursday, including the evening.

The scandal of the 266 bus route continues. TfL have invited Cllr Daniel Crawford to an unscheduled meeting but Dr Onkar Sahota should be writing to the transport commissioner to find out why the contract which was changed last year is still not working.

Residents of Acton are setting up Acton Neighbourhood Forum. They had their last meeting in West London Trades' Union Club. Contact Rachel Pepper at Acton Community Forum for further information. I could not attend because the meeting clashed with South Acton Police Focus Group.

Rachel is also running a project for Acton Arts Forum funded by English Heritage based on the history of South Acton and its environs over the past hundred and fifty years. It includes training in the collection of oral history, filming and other aspects of local history.

South Acton Police are warning about thefts of SATNAVs, handbags and mobiles from cars. Please put articles out of sight to remove temptation! They have also dealt with a suicide and a fatal road traffic accident. Billington Mews has been gated and the anti-social behaviour reduced. If you cannot reach the police safer neighbourhood team dial 101 and ask to be put through. The police are doing a marvellous job in spite of vacancies, abstractions and an obscure fault with the telephone system members of the public have reported and councillors mentioned in the council debate.

Yvonne and I were both called to speak at the last council meeting. She spoke on the Conservative motion on the economy and I spoke on policing. The government claims there is a 17% fall in unemployment and wages are exceeding prices with part-time and 0 hours contracts. However, the runaway inflation in shops seems to be about 10% and I cannot estimate energy bills. Both will probably be worse with this bad weather which seems to have taken the government by surprise for the fourth year at least. Pickles, the anti-council secretary of state, said councils do not do enough to preserve road surfacing, a barb he, of course,shoots at all councils, regardless of their political persuasion, but Labour in Ealing have spent more on resurfacing in the past four years than the Conservatives promised in their manifesto.The area around Hale Park in South Acton Ward will be a particular beneficiary. Mik had a long and complicated meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, which he chairs, dealing with the budget preparations for the next council meeting. This will be the fifth year without an increase in the council tax.

The last South Acton Ward Forum I will have the privilege to chair will be on Wednesday, 5th March, at the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice, 105a, Mill Hill Road, W3, at 7pm.

Councillors have received a warning that Freedom Passes are being checked for residential qualifications to make sure holders live in Greater London.

Sad news. Two of our most respected clergy, David Brammer at St Mary's and John Wilmington at St Peter's and All Saints', are leaving us. They have both served the Community with great devotion and I am sure we all wish them the very best for the future.

Acton Town Hall is progressing well for its opening in March and the transfer of the library by April.

We are investigating the cost and sustainability of planting in the flower bed at the corner of Woodlands Park at the bottom of Crown Street.

Councillor John Gallagher

12th February 2014