Letter from New South Acton Ward Councillors

Ward forum, surgeries, Ealing Homes and more

We hope to hold the next South Acton Ward Forum on Wednesday, 21st July, at 7pm at a new venue, The Centre for Armenian Information & Advice, 105 Mill Hill Road, W3, opposite the Mill Hill Tavern and the other side of Gunnersbury Lane from our old venue, Acton High School.

The annual meeting of the council was held a fortnight ago at which John was appointed deputy mayor, Yvonne was appointed cabinet member for Finance & Perfomance and Mik was elected chair of the Audit Committee.

We will continue to hold our surgery at the Oaktree Community Centre, Osborn Road (opposite Berrymede Infants' School) on the second Wednesday of each month except August and December from 6:30 to 7:30pm. The Saturday surgeries will continue at Ruskin Hall with one of the Acton councillors available between 11am and midday unless it is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Eve or Day.

The council has agreed to bring Ealing Homes back into the council when the arms length management organisation's contract expires in March, 2011. We are aware of criticism of the organisation's past and present performance but there will be a further inspection by the Audit Commission in July to see what improvemnt has been made and where further is necessary. The South Acton councillors are working with the new cabinet member for Housing, Cllr Hitesh Tailor, especially in seeking improvements to sheltered housing. Regeneration plans slipped from completeion in 2015 to as late under as 2023 under the Tory council, which we must improve.

The first phase of Acton regeneration is almost finished with the work in Acton High Street nearing completion. There are dropped kerbs, cycle racks and lamp posts still to be provided but it did not take as long as the Mount in 2006 or the roadworks last year. Businesses who have lost trade should contact the Business Rate Collection Section if they wish to enquire about compensation. We are trying to persuade Transport for London to rephase the lights at the Windimill/ fish and chip shop and the King's Head/ Six Bells on the High Street so that pensioners and people with prams and in wheelchairs can cross without having to sprint. The Acton Labour Councillors are hoping to meet the Regeneration officers and Action Acton for a briefing on how far the plans for the town hall complex have progressed.

There have been reports of trouble at the Bollo Bridge Road end of Brouncker Road and increased street drinking by the town hall now the weather has improved. We have passed the reports on to Sgt Danny Williams on the police safer neighbourhood team, who has asked for information. We will be asking the Acton Central councillors and the Acton police if the wish to hold the joint meeting on street drinking which was being considered before the election intervened.

Best wishes from your Labour councillors for South Acton Ward
 

June 8, 2010