Category Archives: Mayor of London

Cricklewood drops off Brent Labour’s map

Posted on February 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Councillor Sami HashmiMapesbury Liberal Democrat Sami Hashmi wrote to the Wembley and Willesden Observer about the successful Cricklewood Outer London Fund grant:

Dear Editor,
 
Has Cricklewood dropped off the map? As far as Labour politicians at Brent Town Hall are concerned the place might as well not exist, going by the recent comments of George Crane and other Labour councillors.
 
I share his disappointment that the Outer London Fund bids he made failed. But I am shocked that he failed to give any credit to the residents of Cricklewood who successfully gained £1.6m from the Fund to invest in our community on both sides of the A5 borough boundary.
 
Admittedly, at first he and his Labour colleagues were not supportive. But when the Liberal Democrat Mapesbury ward councillors put down a motion calling on Brent Council to back the bid, we were delighted that all sides of the council chamber agreed with us. As a result the bid gained the formal backing of Brent Council – a key step in making it successful.
 
The £1.6 million will make a big contribution to revitalising  Cricklewood by supporting local buisinesses and young people, enhancing shop fronts,  and making other physical improvements requested by residents such as tree planting and improving access for cyclists.
 
How sad that instead of celebrating this achievement Labour have chosen to ignore it completely, because of their original preference that Cricklewood should miss out on the money.
 
Yours faithfully
 
Cllr Sami Hashmi
Lib Dem, Mapesbury

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Community, Environment, Liberal Democrats, Mayor of London

Tagged , , , , ,

Local Councillors and residents in Sudbury welcome Bus Stop back!

Posted on May 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

Local residents and councillors have welcomed the news that a bus stop which was mysteriously moved last year will be placed back at its original locations following a consultation with residents.

A number of residents in Watford Road, Sudbury were angry that a bus stop was moved without any consultation in July last year.  The bus stop, which used to be outside the parade of shops in Sudbury Town at 36 Watford Road for many years, was moved further down the road and then disappeared completely.

This meant many residents with mobility problems faced a longer walk to the stop and the residents of the houses outside which the new bus stop was placed, faced problems of obstruction when trying to get in and out of their driveways. Local residents and councillors called for the bus stop to be reinstated in its original place just 50 metres down the road outside the shops.

Liberal Democrat Councillors for the area, Cllr Paul Lorber and Cllr Chandubhai Patel, called on London Buses to take action to resolve the problem and move the bus stop back to its original locations familiar to local people.

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Paul Lorber also sent a petition to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, signed by local residents demanding a return of their bus stop in Watford Road, near Vale Farm Sports Centre and Sudbury Neighbourhood Centre.

The bus stop outside the shops at 36 Watford Road, Sudbury had been in position for over 30 years without any problems, however last year it was relocated to outside numbers 62/64 Watford Road without any consultation with local people or local councillors.

Thankfully, the Council and Transport for London have now seen sense after a public consultation on the road way along Watford Road and have decided to move the stop back as part of road improvements in the whole of Sudbury Town. They promise to have the bus stop back in its original location in August 2011.

Speaking about the issue, local councillor Chandubhai Patel said,

“This has taken far too long to sort out. There was no reason to move the bus stop in the first place and now the Council and TfL have just caused a lot of upset and wasted a lot of effort. I’m pleased residents have managed to be victorious however, it’s a victory for common sense!”

Local resident and Chair of Pensioners’ Forum, Vi Steele, added,

“Many elderly residents were quite concerned by the bus stop move. It meant they had to walk much further than necessary. I’m glad that local people have been listened to and the bus stop is being put back to its original place which is the best for local people. Our thanks go to Councillors Lorber and Patel for all their help.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Campaigns, Liberal Democrats, Mayor of London, Planning, Transport

Tagged , , , , ,

Less than half of Brent’s bus stops are properly accessible, say Liberal Democrats

Posted on April 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrats in Brent today slammed the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, for allowing shocking standards of accessibility in the borough’s transport system, with less than half of the borough’s bus stops meeting accessibility standards. Liberal Democrat Councillors are joining campaigners Transport For All in calling for more accessible bus stops and are urging Brent Council to help remedy the situation.

Only around 43% of Brent’s bus stops are accessible for people with reduced mobility and a shocking 21 out of the borough’s 27 tube stations have no step free access, meaning the vast majority of public transport access points are not accessible for disabled people in Brent.

Liberal Democrats and Transport For All are calling on Brent Council to take note of the situation and to fix it when they develop their ‘Local Implementation Plan’, which explains how the borough will implement Mayor’s Transport Strategy in the borough.

Speaking about the problem, Cllr Daniel Brown, Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Transport said,

“This is just outrageous. It’s difficult to believe that in this day and age we can still allow such poor services to be delivered. The fact that less than half of Brent’s bus stops are not accessible to people in a wheelchair or with walking difficulties is just beyond belief. Brent Council needs to get together with TfL and put in place a sensible plan for how they’re going to going to fix this.”

Lianna Etkind, Campaigns Coordinator at Transport for All added,

“Bus stop kerbs which are too steep, high or broken for a wheelchair ramp make bus travel difficult or impossible or wheelchair and scooter users. Every bus in London has a wheelchair ramp, but these are useless if they cannot be relied upon to work at more than half of bus stops. It’s high time that the council showed it is taking the independence and mobility of Brent’s disabled people seriously and fixed these bus stops”

More information about Transport For All can be found here: http://www.transportforall.org.uk/

Brent’s Local Implementation Plan (LIP) is a statutory document that sets out how the borough proposes to implement the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) in its area.  It takes into account the wishes of local politicians and stakeholders, regarding its geographical and policy context. The plan sets out detailed policies and programmes for every aspect of transportation, directed at achieving the sustainable and effective management of its street network. The plan represents a progressive approach to transport policy which the Transportation Service Unit is confident will deliver, on balance, the wishes of the majority of local people.

Brent’s local Implementation Plan is here: http://www.brent.gov.uk/transportation.nsf/Local%20Implementation%20Plan/LBB-50?OpenDocument&pp=200107

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Community Safety, Mayor of London, Transport

Tagged , , ,

Give us back our bus stop, say Liberal Democrats

Posted on March 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrats in Sudbury Ward today called on Brent Council and Transport for London to finally sort out the long running saga of the moving bus stop of Watford Road.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have been campaigning on behalf of a number of residents in Watford Road, Sudbury since summer 2010 who are angry that TfL moved a bus stop without any consultation.  The bus stop, which used to be outside the parade of shops in Sudbury Town for many years, was temporarily moved without warning to outside number 60 Watford Road – and then removed completely!

Last September, Liberal Democrat Councillors for the area, Cllr Paul Lorber and Cllr Chandubhai Patel, called on London Buses to take action to resolve the problem and move the bus stop back to its original locations familiar to local people.

Brent Council are now consulting on the ‘Sudbury and Harrow Road Urban Realm Scheme’ which has the potential to redesign the road layout in order to move the stop back. This will require moving the zebra crossing a few metres.

Speaking about the bus stop, Cllr Chandbuhai Patel, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Sudbury, said,

“This has been going on for nearly a year now, with TfL and Brent Council just ignoring our calls to sort it out. Local people have been unnecessarily inconvenienced by this and I see no reason why the bus stop shouldn’t be reinstated in its original location which has served local people fine for many years.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Community, Mayor of London, Transport

Liberal Democrats slam Brent Cross Development decision

Posted on November 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

Reacting to the news that the proposed Brent Cross Cricklewood Development has been given final approval, Brent’s liberal Democrat Councillors have slammed the development, warning that it will bring misery to thousands of Brent’s residents.

Barnet councillors gave the initial go ahead to the scheme in November 2009 despite formal opposition from neighbouring boroughs of Brent and Camden, who expressed concern about the devastating impact of extra traffic and pollution.  The development will bring an estimated 29,000 extra cars a day onto local Brent roads.

Speaking about the development, Cllr Jack Beck, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Dollis Hill said,

“This is really disappointing news. This development has the potential to cause massive disruption to the lives of residents living on the Brent side of the border.  Our significant misgivings about this proposal remain and are shared by many residents in Brent. Barnet have rubber stamped a deal for big money with no real consideration for the residents of Dollis Hill and Brent who are going to have suffer the consequences.

Spending big money on PR firms doesn’t hide the fact the development will be a disaster – I will be urging Brent council for cross party support on this matter and will be writing to Cllr Ann John to ensure that Brent does everything it can to protect its residents.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Mayor of London, Planning

Give us back our Bus Stop demand Sudbury residents!

Posted on November 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Paul Lorber has sent a petition to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, signed by local residents demanding a return of their bus stop in Watford Road, near Vale Farm Sports Centre and Sudbury Neighbourhood Centre.

The bus stop outside the shops at 36 Watford Road, Sudbury has been in position for over 30 years without any problems. A few months back it was relocated to outside numbers 62/64 Watford Road without any consultation with local peoples or local councillors and now, because the residents of 62/64 understandably objected to their private drives being blocked, the bus stop has been removed from the area completely.

The Liberal Democrats are urging Boris Johnson to intervene on behalf of local people, many of whom are elderly and disabled, who have been greatly inconvenienced by the removal of the bus stop from outside 36 Watford Road.

Speaking about the issue, Cllr Paul Lorber, said:

“Transport for London have been very unfair and irresponsible in the way they have let local people down. The old location for the bus stop outside 36 Watford Road was perfectly fine. Local residents including those attending nearby Sudbury Neighbourhood Centre for elderly and disabled residents, now face quite a walk to the nearest stop, which is difficult for many of those who used the stop. Boris needs to intervene and have the bus stop reinstated in its old location.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Mayor of London, Technology