October 2006
Centre for Policy Studies
I visited Ruth Lea at the Centre for Policy Studies as I have been very impressed by their regular publications - I think that "No man's land" by Shaun Bailey should be mandatory reading, as should "From Latchkey to Leadership", by Kathy Gyngell and Ray Lewis. These are people who have made significant contributions to addressing the most pressing needs of our society and tackling head on the issues of inner city living.
Borough Community Relations
I chaired the annual Borough Community Relations meeting which was held at the Town Hall and was very well attended. The focus this year was on Community Safety and questions were answered by Dominic Clout - our Borough Commander in Kensington & Chelsea, and included discussion about the new PCSOs, stop and search and the apparent differences between services in the North and South of the Borough.
Conservative Party Conference
The first week of October was taken up with Party Conference in Bournemouth. An opportunity for us all to see the new Conservative branding and hear the shadow cabinet in action, this was generally considered to be a good conference, unless you were one of the many unfortunates who could not get in because of the delays with conference passes. I spoke at the Forum for Small Business about the importance of London, and the need for business to run their own companies with less interference from government.
Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre
"Breaking of the Fast", during Ramadan, at the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre is always an annual treat with generous hospitality. This is an occasion when the whole community comes together to join the evening meal, and enjoy a happy occasion. A time to meet local people, local police, school governors and others from the community.
Olympics
I met the senior executives of CLM which is the consortium who will be responsible for cleaning up the land for the Olympics site. There is a tremendous amount of preparation work to be done to the actual ground - as this is contaminated land, in a flood zone, and problems with old sewerage channels running through the site.
I enjoyed a very interesting tour of the Olympics site - we were guests of "London Councils" (Previously known as the ALG) and now headed up by Cllr Merrick Cockell, Leader of Kensington & Chelsea. On the Central Line the underground trip to Stratford takes about 40 minutes, and then you need to transfer to the actual site. It will be interesting to visit again in about a year when I am sure it will be clearer to see the actual progress of the work. I understand from talking to John Ross - Ken Livingstone's economic advisor that we are currently spending over a £billion a year on the Olympics - so what will the final cost be for Londoners?
Ken Livingstone' power grab
At the full council meeting we discussed the implications of Ken Livingstone's new powers which we in Kensington and Chelsea are firmly against and are an affront to democracy and local decision making. There is a summary of my views on the home page of this web site. The government talks about local accountability on the one hand and then takes it away with the other in granting such significant new powers to the Mayor.
Planning issues
Local issues that are still current:
- Tesco Tower - the proposal to build a very tall block adjacent to Tesco in Cromwell Road, at the junction with Warwick Road
If you want to get involved contact Richard Darley or Michael Duncan: michaelduncan@btinternet.com, or Hilary Temple at the Cromwell Road Residents Association: HilTemp@aol.com - Re building of Holland Park School by the Borough. This is now estimated to cost about £68 million, More information from Campden Hill Residents Association, David White: davidklwhite@hotmail.com
- Odeon Cinema is up for re-development, although the developers have significantly modified their plans in response to residents concerns. More information from Edwardes Square Residents association - Sarah Palmer: sp@edwardessquare.com
Contact me
Click here to email me
