Westminster Labour calls for an ‘outbreak of democracy’ over election of new council Leader

Labour Westminster Councillors say that the prospect of the election of a new Leader of Westminster City Council by just 48 Conservative Councillors, 47 of whom consistently voted to support outgoing Leader Colin Barrow’s failed West End parking charge plans, is an ‘insult to democracy’. Labour say that the new Leader of the Council should be elected by all 250,000 Westminster residents and open to candidates from all political parties.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said; “Confining the election of the next Leader of Westminster City Council to 48 out-of-touch Conservative Councillors is damaging for both democracy and for the credibility of the Council.

“Everything is shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Nobody knows who is standing for election. None of the likely candidates have issued a ‘manifesto’ setting out their values and priorities. And nobody knows whether any of the ’seven dwarfs’ who have been mentioned as possible candidates would do things any differently than Colin Barrow.

“The only people who get a say on who will be Leader of one of the most important Councils in the country are 48 Conservatives – 47 of whom, like sheep, supported the failed West End parking plans without a word of dissent. Is this really the way to inspire confidence in the future of Westminster after the appalling West End parking fiasco?

“Westminster Council is like the Titanic, with the 48 Conservative Councillors acting as the deckchairs, waiting to be re-arranged as the Council’s reputation sinks further below the waves.

West End Commission – open letter to Westminster’s Chief Executive

Below is an Open Letter to Mike More, Chief Executive, Westminster City Council, on the decision to scrap the West End Parking evening and Sunday parking charges and to set up a ‘West End Commission’.

Dear Mike

West End Parking and ‘West End Commission’

I understand that you will be preparing a report recommending the establishment of a ‘West End Commission’ following the Council’s decision to scrap the universally unpopular proposal to introduce evening and Sunday parking charges in the West End and to ban parking on 8,400 single yellow line parking spaces.

As you know, the past six months has seen the Council lose the trust, respect and confidence of West End residents, businesses, churches and people working in the West End. The Council has taken the first small step in winning back that trust by admitting that the parking proposals were wrong, but much more has to be done. I would like to make a few suggestions as to the next steps.

First, the Council has to say sorry. It may be hard for the Conservative Group to say that word, but it is essential for someone to say it and I suggest that, in the absence of anyone else, you should step forward and apologise on behalf of the Council for the misery, concern and expense that so many people have been put to in fighting these proposals. Given that the Council wants people to participate willingly and positively in the West End Commission, then a display of humility is essential.

Residents pick up £1m bill for Westminster’s parking fiasco

Labour Councillors have welcomed Westminster Council’s belated decision to scrap its proposed West End evening and Sunday parking charges but have asked who is going to foot the £1 million bill for the parking charge fiasco.

Labour Councillors say that the Council has run up a £1 million bill, including £300,000 for the cost of hundreds of new street signs which were ordered in August 2011 following the Council’s original decision to introduce the new £4.80p an hour parking charges and scrap 8,400 free single yellow line parking spaces. In addition, the Council has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on its botched consultation exercise, including the employment of traffic and research consultants, and on the legal costs of defending the Judicial Review brought by Peter Wetherell. On top of this, the Council has spent tens of thousands of pounds on laying down double yellow lines on 5 miles of West End roads.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said; “This parking charge U-turn is great news for West End residents, businesses, churches and people working in the West End’s night time economy. It is unbelievable that the Council took so long to listen to the overwhelming opposition to the charges and admit that they got it so very badly wrong.

Labour urges Westminster Leadership candidates to scrap West End parking changes

Labour has called on the four candidates for Leader of Westminster City Council to support a motion tabled for the City Council’s meeting on 25th January which would end the confusion and uncertainty over Westminster’s proposed evening and Sunday West End parking charges.

Having been left in the lurch by former Council Leader Colin Barrow, Labour say that the four candidates to succeed him – Philippa Roe, Ed Argar, Jonathan Glanz and Brian Connell – should support the motion which would scrap the proposed charges and loss of over 8,400 parking spaces on single yellow lines.

The motion reads;

“This Council agrees to recommend that the Cabinet withdraws its plans to introduce Evening and Sunday parking charges in the West End in September 2012 because of the huge damage that this will do to the West End economy, including the potential loss of over 5,000 jobs. The Council notes that the High Court has already ordered the Council not to introduce evening and Sunday parking charges in the West End on 9th January and to wait until the Judicial Review has been heard in March. The Council acknowledges that, while the Leader has since said that the charges will not be brought in until after the 2012 Olympics are over, this misses the point as introducing the charges in September 2012 simply delays the damage to the West End economy and the threat to over 5,000 jobs. This Council supports the protection of dropped kerbs through double yellow lines but is concerned at the high handed and arrogant pre-Christmas decision to introduce 5 miles of double yellow lines without proper consultation and scrutiny in a wilful attempt to undermine the legal process currently underway.”

Westminster Leader’s resignation is a victory for the West End

Westminster’s flagship Conservative Council sunk by its version of the ‘poll tax’.

Commenting on Councillor Colin Barrow’s resignation as Leader of the Council, the Leader of the Labour Group Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg said;

“This is a real victory for West End jobs, businesses and residents. For the past six months Westminster Conservatives have refused to listen to common sense and now Colin Barrow has paid the ultimate price for his poor judgement and failure to recognise the damage that his ‘nightlife tax’ parking charges would do to West End jobs and businesses. This was Westminster’s version of the ‘poll tax’ and it has suffered a similar fate.

“Councillor Barrow has says he is going in March but the ‘night life tax’ parking charge plans must be scrapped immediately if Westminster Council is to win back the trust, respect and confidence of West End residents, business and their staff. We cannot wait for a new Leader to be elected in March, the damage must be put right straight away.

Westminster Council gives up on housing those in need

Westminster Council today announced a housing initiative for single people who work in Westminster, but don’t necessarily live in the borough. Reasons for this are cited as affordability, high cost of transport, and housing people who are vital to the City.

Against this is the backdrop of 800 families in temporary accommodation (often in B & B hotels, with some being placed in Hackney) and 1,000 families living in overcrowded accommodation, many have children sharing a room with adults and with no place to study. Then there are the 400 empty Council properties in Westminster waiting for renovation.

Councillor Guthrie McKie, Labour Spokesperson for Housing, said; “It is quite astonishing that the Council can come up with a scheme like this when they have nearly 2,000 families in serious need of being housed. What is even more astonishing is that a Government Minister should give such wholehearted backing to it. We know what Westminster Conservatives think about housing the poor and vulnerable, and now we know what the Coalition Government thinks.

“The money used for this scheme should be used to build or convert more housing for families who live in Westminster. This initiative is a slap in the face of those families living in appalling housing conditions.”

Westminster’s parking fines deterring legal private hire cabs from the West End

As drivers earn £60 a day, a parking fine incurred while waiting to pick up a customer leads to the loss of a full day’s pay which members cannot risk so the West End abandoned to the illegal touts says the GMB trade union.

The GMB is complaining that Westminster City Council’s increased parking restrictions are deterring licensed private hire drivers from accepting jobs in the West End as they risk losing their living if fined while waiting for customers.

Terry Flanagan of the the GMB Professional Drivers Branch said; “Westminster Council’s parking restrictions are deterring licensed cab drivers from operating in the West End. This in turn is exacerbating an already dangerous problem as even more unlicensed touts operate picking up unsuspecting passengers from clubs, pubs, theatres and music venues that are the lifeblood of the West End’s economy.

“Legitimate cab drivers are licensed. They have had criminal record checks, medical and topographical tests. Their cars have been properly checked and they are properly insured for passenger transport.

“These drivers struggle to make £120 a day. Half of that will go on rent to the proprietor, petrol, passenger carrying insurance, maintenance and other overhead costs. That leaves the driver earning £60 net for the day. So if a parking fine is incurred while waiting to pick up a customer the day’s pay is gone. As the drivers have to pull up to pick up customers, there is no alternative but to abandon the West End to the touts.

Labour urges Westminster to scrap West End parking changes after ‘worthless’ consultation

Council consulted and took decision to scrap 8,400 parking spaces without any of the figures being given to Councillors, residents, businesses and staff.

Labour Councillors have called on Westminster Council to scrap its West End evening and Sunday parking charges after the Council’s City Commissioner for Transport, Martin Low, admitted to Councillors that he gave Councillors the wrong figures about the number of parking spaces that would be lost by the Council’s plans.

Labour say that Mr Low’s admission means that the Council had no idea how many parking spaces would be lost when it took the decision in August 2011 to ban parking on single yellow lines in the evening and on Sundays or when it consulted residents and businesses before and after the decision.

In a letter to the Council’s Head of Legal Services, Peter Large, Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said;

“Following Martin Low’s admission that, in September 2011, I was supplied with the wrong figures about the number of single yellow parking spaces that would be lost as a result of the Council’s plans to ban single yellow line parking in the evening and on Sundays in the West End, a number of points arise:

* At the time the Cabinet agreed the proposals in August 2011 Members were not provided with any information on the number of single yellow line parking spaces that would be lost. Cabinet members were therefore unable to give proper consideration to all the material facts.

The truth about Westminster’s five miles of new double yellow lines

An open letter to Councillor Lee Rowley, Cabinet Member for Parking:

Lee,

Everybody supports double yellow lines at dropped kerbs in order to make crossing the road safer for the disabled, the elderly and parents with prams. But Westminster Council’s proposals go way beyond just protecting dropped kerbs from parked cars. It has been used as an excuse to remove 5 miles of safe, free evening parking from the West End.

The issue of dropped kerbs was first raised in July 2009 when the Council was urged to paint double yellow lines in front of dropped kerbs to remove any confusion for motorists who were given parking tickets when they had assumed that it was safe to park there as there were no double yellow lines. There was then a formal report written in April 2010, again expressing the need to put double yellow lines across dropped kerbs. The August 2011 report into West End Parking also talks of painting double yellow lines across dropped kerbs. None of these reports mentioned extending the double yellow lines to 10 metres from the junction or Section 243 of the Highway Code, which is Westminster’s recent justification for extending the double yellow lines to 10 metres.

The fact is that single yellow lines were first introduced in the West End by Westminster in the 1950’s. All of those which were dangerous or a threat to safety at junctions would have been removed by the Council and converted to double yellow lines over the years. The Council say that they had very few comments on the proposal to convert 5 miles of single yellow lines to double yellow lines.

Westminster Labour urges Harrow Road residents to comment on Crossrail lorry plans

Labour Harrow Road Councillors and GLA member Murad Qureshi have urged residents to make their views known on the proposal by Crossrail to allow up to 70 lorries per day to travel along Harrow Road and right onto Great Western Road, W9.

Councillors say that this proposal will have a devastating impact on the area and on other parts of London for the following reasons:

* The area is surrounded by a number of schools and 2 Academies most of whose pupils live in the area. The proposal poses a real threat to the safety of children and local people.

* The pollution caused by such a high volume of heavy lorries will seriously impact on the health of local people. Harrow Road is one of the deprived areas in the City and part of that deprivation is caused by poor health.

* Local businesses will be seriously affected by this proposal. Many of the businesses in Harrow Road are independents and rely on that outlet for their living. Many of their customers will avoid the area when there is a large movement of heavy vehicles.

* Harrow Road is a main route into Westminster. This will become congested by this level of heavy vehicles.

* Bus timetables will be adversely affected. The bus routes that will be affected are: 28, 31, 328, 18, 36, 32 and the 23 that has the Westbourne Bus Garage as a terminus.