Subject: NewsBulletinfromGregHandsM.P.#327

Date: Friday,17February201209:54:41UnitedKingdomTime

From: GregHandsM.P.

To: news@greghands.com

 

In this edition: 

Greg Hands M.P.’s Diary Website of the Week:Fulham Boys School Fulham residents sayNO to super sewer  The Boris budget – your council tax cut Chelsea streetsget new trees Million pound boost for Sands End school andcommunity Awards for K&C’spolice cadets Hands in the papers:M.P.’s Column Hammersmith in thePapers: Labour MPforced to apologiseafter aide insults the Queenfor 'scrounging benefits for 60 years' on the day shecelebrates accession Hammersmith in thePapers: MP Slaughter'saide in 'Queen is benefitsscrounger' Twitter storm Hammersmith in thePapers: Anti-royalSlaughter jeeredat PMQs How to contactGreg Hands M.P.

 Issue 327 – Friday 17th February 2012

 

 Since the last edition, Greg: 

·  Handed in his submission to Thames Water to fight their 

proposals for a “Super Sewer” in Carnwath Road, SW6,together with representatives of the campaign group “Stopthe Sewer” LBH&F Leader and Deputy Leader, Cllrs.Stephen Greenhalgh and Nicholas Botterill.

·  Attended the Annual General Meeting of the Hammersmith

Conservative Association in Hammersmith Town Hall.

·  Attended the annual dinner of the Federation of Small

Businesses with guest speaker the Chancellor of theExchequer, Rt Hon George Osborne M.P.

·  Had a full schedule of activity as a Government Whip in and

around the chamber of the House of Commons, includingministerial meetings and organising votes and standingcommittees.

·  Held a weekly surgery for Chelsea and Fulham residents at

Fulham Town Hall. Greg’s surgeries are held generally everyMonday at either Fulham Town Hall or at Peter Jones, SloaneSquare. To ask for an appointment, emailmail@greghands.com or call 020 7219 5448.

 

Website of the Week:

www.fulhamboysschool.org 

The website of the proposed new Fulham BoysSecondary School. Greg is strongly supportiveof the proposed new school, and urges all localresidents to register their support via the website. 

Fulham residents say NO to super sewer 

Greg Hands M.P. hands his submission against theSuper Sewer to Thames Water representative Phil Stride.

 Fulham residents delivered more than 2,500 consultation responsesto Thames Water last week making it clear that the community isunited in its opposition to Carnwath Road being used as the mainwest London super sewer construction site. Local residents and school children joined senior Hammersmith &Fulham (H&F) councillors to hand over the questionnaires to ThamesWater’s Phil Stride. Local community groups, working together under the Stop themShafting Fulham (SSF) banner, have campaigned tirelessly sinceNovember to alert other local residents to the danger of lettingThames Water’s plans go ahead unchecked. Thames Water’s own consultation response document wasunintelligible and deterred people from responding according to thecampaigners but SSF designed a new simplified form – which wasapproved by Thames Water – and has resulted in hundreds of responses flooding in. SSF campaigner Ann Rosenberg said: “When Thames Water 

 presented their plans to local residents in December they told us that only 130 people had responded to their consultation. Today we havecollected over 2,500 responses making it quite clear that we do not want the sewer dumped on us. “The idea of a massive construction site running 24/7 for 6 years,flooding our community with noise and dust is horrifying. The area isalready badly congested but this project would see at least 29,000 extra HGVs on our narrow residential roads risking the safety of the4,500 children who go to school within 1,500 metres of the site.”  Greg Hands M.P. said: "It was good to join a big crowd of local residents to hand in the community's objection to Thames Water's

 proposal to devastate south Fulham. I congratulate residents for their campaign, and I also hope that Thames Water will give the proper weight to the points I made in my submission, which I handed ThamesWater at the same time. The middle of a residential area like Fulhamis a crazy place to dig a shaft the width of the Channel Tunnel from."  The human cost of the Thames Tunnel 'super sewer' plans for southFulham will be too high and too much for local people to bear if theyare not reversed, according to H&F Council. In a stark warning the council’s deputy leader has spoken out againstThames Water’s plans to dump the main west London constructionsite – which will be the size of six football pitches – on the tight-knitresidential community around Carnwath Road. Cllr Nick Botterill has warned that the elderly, vulnerable and theyoung will be the hardest hit by the major construction site which willoperate 24 hours a day for at-least six years. Thames Water is owned by Australian bank Macquarie and water industry finance experts have said the value of Thames Water as acompany could rise by 40% if the sewer plans go ahead. Currentregulations encourage water companies to build their way out of problems rather than consider greener, more sustainable options -

not be put at risk to boost profits for Australian bankers - especially when there are far less disruptive options available.”  Annette Dobson, Headmistress of Thomas' School on Hugon Road,said: “Even the youngest pupil in my school, and they start aged four years old, is intelligent enough to know that the preferred choice for amain drive shaft for this massive engineering project cannot be here at Carnwath Road. “The proposed site is adjacent to people's homes, near children'sschools, on top of people’s places of work and alongside an already congested road. It is plain and simple madness.”  

Greg Hands M.P. (right) with H&F Council Leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh (centre) and Deputy Leader Cllr Nick Botterill (left) and protestors campaigning

against Thames Water’s Super Sewer. 

The Boris budget – your council tax cut The Mayor of London’s budget for 2012/13 was passed at the finalvote last week. Boris Johnson’s budget included the unprecedentedcut in the Mayor’s share of council tax, known as the precept, whichhe had already frozen for the previous three years. Yet despite thecouncil tax cut, every one of Labour’s assembly members refused tosupport it. The budget shows the Mayor’s commitment to delivering value-for-money. It includes: 

·  A cut in council tax;

·  An extra £90 million to the Metropolitan Policing Authority;

·  A £1.9 billion investment in homes for Londoners that will

create 100,000 construction jobs;

·  1,000 more police officers on the streets.

 The budget adds savings of £1.5 billion to the £2 billion alreadyachieved. For example, there has been a 40% reduction in thenumber of posts at City Hall since 2008, saving Londoners £30 milliona year. This was the first time a cut in the Mayor’s share of council tax hasbeen proposed, let alone passed. Ken Livingstone increased the

Chavez, or £30,000 on a trip to Cuba. “By working over the last three years to turn around London'sfinances, I am able – for the first time in the history of the mayoralty –to cut my share of council tax.”  Greg Hands M.P. said: “The contrast could not be starker: Ken hasalways hiked taxes up, but Boris is bringing them down. Ken makes

 promises he can’t afford, but Boris delivers. “That’s what Londoners will remember when they cast their votes thisyear.”  

Chelsea streets get new trees Streets across the Royal Borough have been enhanced this winter after the Council planted 167 trees. Included in the number are two species new to the borough, a largeleaved form of the white mulberry (Morus alba platanifolia) and aCrape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) a small, hardy tree with beautifulflowers and a great autumn colour. Most of the trees planted will replace 110 removed over the winter dueto the tree being in poor health. Requests by residents for more trees in their area led to trees beingplanted at ten new sites. Councillor Tim Ahern, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea'sCabinet Member for Planning, said: "We have some magnificent street trees in Kensington and Chelsea and I know that they are very muchappreciated by residents and visitors alike. "I am very glad that this winter we have been able to further increasethe number of trees on our streets."  

Million pound boost for

 Sands End school and community More than £1.6m is being spent on developing Hurlingham andChelsea School and creating a new community hub for south Fulham. Hammersmith & Fulham Council approved plans at a cabinet meeting

on 30th January to contribute £1.3m towards developing newcommunity facilities at the secondary school, on Peterborough Road. That money has been promised from the capital receipt the councilwill receive from the sale of the Sands End Community Centre inBroughton Road, while the rest of the funding - £320,000 - is comingfrom the school.

learning ‘hub’ for the community in south Fulham. We are already   judged by Ofsted as an ‘outstanding’ school with excellent academic results.”  The development means that many of the services that either ran, or that will run until May, in the Sands End Community Centre, have anew home at Hurlingham and Chelsea School. One of the conditionsthe council stipulated last March when it decided to sell the communitybuilding was that all services would be re-located elsewhere in thelocal area. The pottery classes and table tennis club sessions have alreadymoved into the school, while the library and jewellery facilities willopen in May on the school site. Meanwhile, many of the other services, classes and programmes thatwere running in the Sands End Community Centre are continuing totake place at different venues. These include St Matthews Church,Sands End Playhouse, the Families Support Localities Service, theMacbeth Centre, and Langford School, which has now federated withHurlingham and Chelsea school under the leadership of Dr Cross, anda unified management team and governing body. Dr Cross added: “By federating with Langford Primary School and developing a strong community focus, we aim to establish Hurlingham& Chelsea as a leader in community education - nationally and internationally.”  Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, Cllr Greg Smith, said: “Theextra funding that the council is pumping into Hurlingham & Chelseawill lead to the school becoming even more of a key focal point for theSands End community. The thriving new hub of activity will offer all local residents, whatever their age or background, the perfect opportunity to access a broad range of first class services and activities all under one roof. Change is never easy but, once complete,I am confident that the local community will come to value this new innovative hub as much as they did the previous one. “We are very excited that Hurlingham & Chelsea is becoming evenmore of a focal point for the area, and is going to be a real hive of activity across the board - for education, youth, leisure and adult learning. “The development offers local residents the perfect opportunity to get really involved in their community, and to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together while continuing to provide first class servicesunder one roof. We want local people to support the scheme and get behind our vision of a hub developed specifically for the benefit of our residents.”  The school will continue to work with the council, and will look at

either already been relocated or are set to by the end of May. Theyare as follows: 

Existing or former provision at Sands EndCommunity Centre

New provisionImplementationdate

GymClub EnergieFitness in the Piper Building

Implemented in2011

Children’s Centre Ray’s PlayhouseImplemented in2011

PilatesSt Matthew’sChurch

Implemented in2011

KarateLangford PrimarySchool

Implemented in2011

Scariofunk DanceLangford PrimarySchool

Implemented in2011

PotteryHurlingham andChelsea SecondarySchool

Implemented inJanuary 2012

Table Tennis ClubHurlingham andChelsea SecondarySchool

Implemented inJanuary 2012

Agewell YogaHurlingham andChelsea SecondarySchool

Implemented inJanuary 2012

Agewell Circuit TrainingImperialCommunity Rooms

Due in April2012

DIY Class Macbeth CentreDue in April2012

Jewellery ClassHurlingham andChelsea SecondarySchool

Due in May2012

Stained Glass ClassHurlingham andChelsea SecondarySchool

Due in May2012

LibraryHurlingham andChelsea Secondary

Due in May

If that wasn't enough, the cadets also competed successfully againstother cadet teams in more than half a dozen gruelling and demandingcompetitions designed to test the physical and mental capabilities of the participants, each of which they completed with flying colours. In total throughout 2011, Kensington and Chelsea's cadets completedan astonishing 7,500 hours of volunteering activities. Both the Mayor and Chief Superintendent Gwillim expressed their support and thanks to the cadets for all the hard work andcommitment they had shown throughout the year before presentingawards to recognise some outstanding individual achievements by thecadets. Amongst the cadets who picked up individual awards were: 

·  Best new cadet - Ali Golchin

·  Award for excellence and commitment for three years -

Patrick McCleary and Hamzah Parvez

·  Cadets cadet of the year - Patrick McCleary

·  Cadet of the year 2011 - Alfie Bance

·  Team of the year - Iron team

 Cllr Julie Mills, the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington andChelsea, said: "I would like to congratulate these award-winning cadets. The borough is a better place because of the support they give to our community and the work that they do for charity. In the last year the cadets have helped with crime prevention initiatives and worked with our trading standards officers to combat underage and illegal sales of alcohol, tobacco and fireworks. "I would particularly like to thank all the officers and staff who givetheir time to ensuring we have such a wonderful cadet service and hope that even more young people decide to become cadets in thefuture."  Borough Commander Jason Gwillim said: "It is important that werecognise the positive and valuable contribution that young people

level, to do all we can to keep the cost of government down, andtherefore taxes too. Hammersmith & Fulham Council has announcedanother remarkable Council Tax cut, down by another 3.75% thisyear, meaning that my Fulham constituents have all saved more than£1,000 since Stephen Greenhalgh and his colleagues won the 2006Council election. The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea also

continues to be a low tax authority, with the 4th lowest Council Tax inBritain. Boris Johnson, as Mayor of London, who has never increasedCouncil Tax in his 4 years in office so far, has this year justannounced a reduction as well. This is all welcome news. What is more, these authorities, allConservative-controlled, show it is also possible to deliver a better service as well. Across London, crime is down. In Kensington &Chelsea, poorer pupils there do better than in any other schools inBritain. In Hammersmith & Fulham, the streets are far cleaner thanthey were in 2006. These are all records of achievement, of which my Chelsea andFulham constituents can be very proud. 

Hammersmith in the Papers:

Labour MP forced to apologise after

aide insults the Queen for 'scrounging

benefits for 60 years' on the day she

celebrates accession

 

Hammersmith in the Papers:

MP Slaughter's aide in 'Queen is benefits

scrounger' Twitter storm Adam Courtney, Hammersmith & Fulham Chronicle

Monday 6th February 2012 A key aide to Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter has been forced toapologise after likening the Queen to a benefits scrounger on Twitter. Matt Zarb-Cousin marked the Monarch's Diamond Jubilee bytweeting: "Congratulations this morning to Queen Elizabeth II. 60years of scrounging benefits off the taxpayer without being caught." The comment provoked an angry response from local Conservativepoliticians, including councillors Peter Graham, Harry Phibbs andCharlie Dewhirst. Mr Dewhirst tweeted: "Are these views shared by your boss? I'm notsure it will be a vote winner in Hammersmith at the next election."

there are 1,000 more officers on the streets of London at the end of his term than at the beginning. That, together with his reminder of the rule on the dangers of tweeting,is a good start to the day.

 

5 ways to contact Greg Hands M.P.: 

By Phone: 020 7219 5448

By email: mail@greghands.com

By post: Greg Hands M.P.House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA

In person: Click here for details of howto book an appointment atGreg Hands M.P.’s weekly