Monthly Archives: July 2010

Boris invited to come and see tube misery for himself

Posted on July 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

A Liberal Democrat Councillor in Brent has written to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, inviting him to Brent to accompany the Councillor on a rail replacement bus journey so the Mayor can see for himself the difficulty local people face.

Residents in Brent have watched with dismay as the completion date for the work on the Jubilee Line has been pushed further and further back.  The work was initially supposed to be finished in March 2009, and then the end date was moved to Easter 2010, then to October 2010 – and now possibly beyond.  Each time a further deadline is announced, local people know it will mean more rail replacement buses and more difficulties at weekends.

Cllr Daniel Brown, Libdem Spokesperson for highways and Transportation, has written to Boris Johnson after hearing the news that TfL are reviewing the timetable for works to gain a more accurate understanding of the likely timetable (beyond October 2010) and now that Tubelines has gone in house and is under the Mayor’s direct control at TfL.

Cllr Brown believes his offer of showing Boris what local residents have to go through will help make him more determined to make sure there are no more delays on the Jubilee Line works.

Speaking about his offer Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Cllr Daniel Brown said,

“While everyone in Brent appreciates the need to upgrade the line, the weekend closures cause considerable disruption for local residents, especially when Jubilee Line closures are linked with Metropolitan Line closures.  I’ve invited Boris to come and see what it’s like for residents on a weekend when both lines are down.  I hope that if he gets a firsthand impression of the difficulties caused he’ll ensure we don’t see any further delays in getting the Jubilee Line work finished.  Local people have suffered enough with these works, it’s time they were finished properly.”

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Posted in Community, Mayor of London, Transport

Labour to slash Brent’s street sweeping and bin collection budget

Posted on July 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

It was revealed today by Brent’s Liberal Democrat Councillors that the Labour- run Council are looking to make a massive £1.2million pound cut in the cost of keeping Brent clean.

According to the Liberal Democrats items being considered as part of a Waste and Street Cleaning Review being undertaken by Brent’s Labour bosses at the Town Hall could include moving to two weekly bin collection or cutting back on street cleaning.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Cllr Daniel Brown said,

“Recently Labour who run Brent Council said that they were concerned about Brent’s rat problems and I am very worried that as part of their current Waste and Street Cleaning Review they may be looking at moving to two weekly bin collection or cutting back on street cleaning both of which may make the problem worse. When the Liberal Democrats ran Brent we did our best to make Brent cleaner greener and safer.”

Liberal Democrat Spokeswoman for the Environment Ann Hunter added,

“It is not for me to give advice to Brent’s Labour Town Hall bosses, but perhaps rather than posing for photographs and trying to blame people who live and work in Brent for problems, they should consider what the council can do to help. I don’t believe that cutting back on street cleaning will help the Council deal with the growing problem of rats that they claim to be so concerned about, I believe it would actually make the matter worse.”

According to the Council, proposals are likely to go before the August Executive meeting while most people are on holiday.

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Posted in Clean Streets, Council Tax, Labour Failure

Boris’ “Help Point” waste slammed

Posted on July 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

A Liberal Democrat councillor representing Dudden Hill today highlighted the waste on the Tube network, while delays in repair works continue to cost Brent residents cash, slamming the waste of £8000 in installing Help Points at Neasden Station which are not used – the only station in London where this is the case.

Councillor David Clues is questioning why Help Points were fitted on platforms at Neasden station that Metropolitan Line trains run through, but which don’t stop at for passengers, after Boris refused Liberal Democrat calls to stop the Met line trains there when the Jubilee line is down (as happens at Willesden Green).

London Mayor Boris Johnson confirmed in an answer to a question from Liberal Democrat London Assembly Leader Caroline Pidgeon recently that Neasden is the only tube station to have had Help Points fitted which are then not used.  He also confirmed that “on average the cost is £4,000 for the unit”.  The two disused Help Points at Neasden could have cost around £8,000 of taxpayers’ money.

The national Public Accounts Committee found that £410 million had been wasted by the former Labour Government by failing to properly risk manage of having various parts of the management of the Tube  leased to the private sector on 30-year leases.

Meanwhile, Conservative London Mayor Boris Johnson refuses to bring the Metropolitan Line train platforms at Neasden into public use when the Jubilee line is down – even though Help Points have been installed, for staff use only, and resident continue to be disrupted when work takes place.

Dudden Hill Liberal Democrat Councillor David Clues comments:

“The disused Help Points just sum up Boris’ failure to properly manage our Tube network.  The Jubilee line works have now overrun by months and we’re not convinced at all they will even be finished in time for Christmas shopping.  Boris’s is simply being short-sighted in not opening up the Met Line platform to give local Brent residents an alternative.  Instead, he seems happy to let TfL waste £8000 on installing Help Points which only staff can use.

When Sarah Teather and the Liberal Democrats successfully lobbied to get Met Line trains stopped at Willesden Green during Jubilee Line works, thousands of local people benefited.  Boris must now invest in Neasden station so residents are not left high and dry for as long as his team take to finally finish the job.”

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Posted in Campaigns, Mayor of London, Transport

Labour’s schools cheque bounces

Posted on July 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Reacting to the Government decision to halt the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme Liberal Democrats in Brent have slammed the previous Labour Government for writing cheques they could not honour.

Labour Treasury minister, Liam Byrne was recently criticised for joking about the seriousness of the county’s situation.  Mr Byrne left a note to his successor saying, “Dear chief secretary, I’m afraid there is no money. Kind regards – and good luck! Liam“.

BSF building projects already under way will be completed. The remainder of the programme, which would have cost around £5 billion in total, will be halted and reviewed, though another 500 BSF schemes, where work is at advanced stage, will carry on.  Brent Council had applied for BSF funding prior to 2006 and again in 2008, but was refused.  The Council was only allowed into the BSF programme in late 2009.  Brent’s projects have not reached the stage where building contracts have been let so they will be put back into the review.

The move comes after the former Labour Government’s cancellation of the “Building Colleges for the Future” programme when it was found there was not enough money for most of what had been promised (1).  In 2008 the £2.3 billion Building Colleges for the Future scheme was suspended because of “catastrophic” mismanagement of the programme. This led to around 150 colleges, including Brent’s College of North West London, having to put construction projects on hold.

In Brent Alperton Community School, Cardinal Hinsley Mathematics and Computing College, Copland Specialist Science Community College and Queens Park Community School were all promised BSF funding.  Former Labour education minister – and now Labour leadership contender – Ed Balls featured in press releases as far back as November 2009, 6 months before the elections, holding up giant cheque for £80m signed by “The Labour Party” – but despite Council requests the money never materialised: it is now clear that it was never there. At the same time Chancellor Alistair Darling was making his budget sums add up by forecasting a cut in capital expenditure of one third (from £69bn to £46bn).  Liberal Democrats say Labour was promising more money than the country could afford.

The Coalition Government’s review will scale back building plans, giving priority to providing extra school places in areas of shortage and to rebuilding schools whose buildings are in the worst condition.  Liberal Democrats are saying that whatever new programme emerges it is vital it is much less bureaucratic than the BSF programme. Councils and schools in BSF wasted a lot of money jumping through pointless hoops which could have been spent on education instead.

Speaking about the news, Cllr Paul Lorber slammed Labour, saying,

“Labour led many colleges on with their failed Building Colleges for the Future programme, now we find out they’ve done it to schools too.  Labour promised money that was never there, strung schools along and caused many councils to waste money on architects and other professionals.

Everyone remembers the Building Colleges for the Future debacle. Colleges – like CNWL, still in the papers locally – were promised money and were left in the lurch. It was hugely deceptive of Labour to promise everybody money when Alistair Darling’s last budget was proposing to cut capital spending by a third.   There was just no way Labour could afford everything they had promised.  It was unfortunately nothing more than a cynical attempt to get re-elected.

The coalition government has set out a sensible, open budget which is above all things honest – unlike Labour’s spending promises.”

Local resident Bob Wharton added,

“BSF had the wrong priorities.  It gave priority to local authorities with the worst school results in the belief that if you rebuilt the school the pupils would learn better.  Brent has good GCSE results and was therefore left to the back of the queue, despite having a shortage of school places and crumbling buildings.  The coalition government plans to use the remaining money to give priority to areas with shortages of places and the worst buildings.  Brent will have a good case to make in the review.  I am, however, sorry for all the school staff who have put so much effort into the doomed BSF scheme.”

More on the Building Colleges for the Future fund is here.

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Posted in Education, Labour Failure

Liberal Democrats demand action on Wembley Central station now!

Posted on July 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Local Liberal Democrats are supporting Wembley residents demanding action to finish long promised improvements to Wembley Central Station.  Councillor Paul Lorber, Leader of Brent’s Liberal Democrats, wrote to Boris Johnson in March 2010 urging that he intervene to resolve longstanding problems at the “appalling” and “unacceptable” Wembley Central station.

The approach follows almost 6 months of formal Council approaches to Network Rail about their lack of investment and planning, including joint initiatives with Transport for London.  Despite these, Network Rail has failed to improve the station.

Aside from constant problems of leaking rainwater onto the platforms, major upgrades including a disabled lift to enable full, step-free access to the Olympic station have been put on hold by Network Rail.  In a letter to Councillor Lorber late last year, Iain Coucher, Chief Executive, stated: “Network Rail cannot confirm whether or not the LDA further works will be completed in time to deliver step-free access for the 2012 Olympic Games.”

Now Boris Johnson has replied to Cllr Lorber, setting out what funding will be put into the station, but giving no firm commitment to a timescale.  Liberal Democrats are saying this is just not good enough.

Wembley residents and commuters continue to suffer from an ill-equipped, half-built, incomplete station with inadequate facilities and a leaky roof.

Councillor Paul Lorber, Leader of Brent’s Liberal Democrats, said:

“I’m obviously pleased Boris has finally decided to reply, but it just looks like he’s washing his hands of the whole thing.  Everyone in Brent has worked hard for the exciting opportunities the Olympics will bring.  Liberal Democrats have been pushing the regeneration of Wembley Central Square and the area around it for years and have made great progress.

Sadly, Network Rail seem to be the weak link in the chain, with no recognition of their responsibilities to provide a modern, acceptable gateway for the Olympics and a station that local residents want to use and can feel proud of.

I wrote to Boris to ask him to intervene, but all he did was raise our concerns with Peter Hendy, I’ve already done that! We need to ensure action urgently so the thousands of people who use Wembley Central Station week in and week out can receive the service they are entitled to, and travel in reasonable comfort without leaky roofs and lifts that don’t work.”

Local resident Daniel Bessong added,

“I’m obviously pleased Boris has confirmed over £2 million of funding for the station, but he really needs to make Network Rail speed things up.  It’s just not fair that local people should not have to put up with an unfinished station where the lifts or help points don’t work and the roof continues to leak. The state of our station is just not acceptable.”

You can read the response from Mayor Boris Johnson here.

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Posted in Campaigns, Mayor of London, Transport

Labours parking hypocrisy called to account

Posted on July 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrat Councillors have “called in” a Labour Administration decision to demand a top level meeting to discuss proposals for camera enforcement of parking.  The decision was agreed by Labour in a report entitled ‘Enforcement of Moving Traffic and Parking Contraventions by means of CCTV cameras’ that presented to Labour’s first Executive Committee meeting on 23rd June 2010.

Brent’s new Labour Council are proposing installing CCTV cameras by January 2011 at a cost of £1,104,000 so that they can begin to issue more fines to motorists, reaping about half a million pounds per year.

During the elections Labour claimed that Brent Council was raising too much from motorists, however at their first Executive meeting they have agreed to a spending spree of over a million pounds to catch out unsuspecting motorists and fine them for what the Metropolitan Police call ‘minor errors of judgment’ (Executive report section 3.2).

Even leading Labour Councillor Mohammed Butt admitted everyone “says this is going to be a money making scheme”, claiming that this big brother style enforcement was needed to keep people safe.

According to the Liberal Democrat Transportation spokesperson Daniel Brown this shows Labours hypocrisy on parking and that having Labour run Brent Council will cost local residents dear.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Daniel Brown said,

“You don’t make people safer by camera enforcement of parking offences and the fact that the Labour lead member for Finance is trying to defend the policy tells me that this is all about making money from unsuspecting motorists.  People who live and work in Brent are only left to wonder what Labour will do next.

When the Liberal Democrats ran Brent Council we made the first permit free for smaller cars and froze charges for all other cars – Labour must now promise that they are not going to increase charges for residents who live in Controlled Parking Zones to rake in yet more cash.”

The Executive report is here – Item 9: http://tinyurl.com/3ymyzcr

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Posted in Labour Failure, Transport