Westminster & City News, January 24, 2017

7.5 MB·English

by  Capital Media Newspapers Ltd

Westminster
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WITH THE
& City News
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Established 1857, part of the London Weekly News group FREE TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017
HEATHROW PROTEST LATEST
SEE
PAGE
6
More theatre apprenticeships
LONDON theatres are offering new apprenticeships
to young people seeking careers in the spotlight.
The London Theatre Consortium of 14 leading
theatres has announced plans for a fourth year of
its apprenticeship programme offering up to a fur-
ther 12 apprenticeships across the group this year.
In a new development, the LTC will work with the
National College for the Creative and Cultural In-
dustries to offer the apprenticeship qualifications
and will pilot a new apprenticeship training hub at
the Lyric Hammersmith.
The announcement comes as the consortium
published a new report on the programme’s first
three years which sets out how an investment of
£800,000 has created 56 entry-level apprentice-
ships into theatre.
FULL STORY ON PAGE 17
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The man known as London’s rudest landlord, Soho legend Norman Balon, famed for shocking customers at the Coach and Horses, was
shocked himself for once when his old regulars sprang a 90th birthday surprise on his return to the Greek Street pub. Mr Balon, pictured FREE shoe repairs
with his daughter Natasha and current landlord Alastair Choat, responded with characteristic bad language to the stunt SEE PAGE 7
up to £45!
Boffins link dirty air
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to violent crime rise Tel: [phone]
Mayor faces calls to launch new pollution investigation
BY GEOFF BAKER paigner Caroline Pidgeon says it Muehlegger of the University of and assault, rose 2.2 per cent in ar-
[email protected] is “vital” that the Mayor of London California, there’s something in eas of increased air pollution.
orders an urgent investigation the air which could be making peo- In Westminster and Kensington
Weknowthatmovingcanbeverystressful.
WESTMINSTER’S dirty air could into whether the capital’s filthy ple turn nasty. and Chelsea, named by Public Ifyouareconsideringmoving,thenletushelp
be to blame for a surge in vio- air, already causing the deaths of Comparing more than two Health England in December as takethestressaway.
lence –according to scientists. up to 10,000 a year by worsen- million crimes reported to London’s two worst blackspots for
Following recent research ing lung and heart condi- the Chicago Police Depart- air pollution, violence is on the in-
which revealed that pollution can tions, is responsible for the ment over a 12-year period crease whereas burglary is not.
increase the risk of dementia, now rise in violence in the cap- with pollution data, the Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal
another study suggests that Lon- ital too. researchers found no cor- Democrat member of the GLA’s
don’s toxic air may also be the According to research relation between air qual- General Assembly and a leading
cause of a rise in violent attacks. by Evan Herrnstadt of Har- ity and property crimes campaigner on air pollution, said:
US researchers studying how vard University and Erich such as burglary and rob- “There is a growing body of evi-
air pollution affects the brain say bery. However, violent dence which suggests there is a di-
it could contribute to violent crime GLA member Caroline Pidgeon crimes, including rect connection.”
and now leading clean air cam- is calling for action murder, rape
FULL STORY, PAGE 5
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU - PAGES 12&13
2LONDON WEEKLY NEWS THE BIG INTERVIEW TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017
IT literacy project ‘a holistic
CMN
answer to lots of problems’
Part of Capital Media Newspapers Limited
The London Weekly News Group
Westminster & City News
(Established 1857) Jaya Lalwani, right,
Kensington & with Citizens Advice
Chelsea News colleagues and
TechTalk volunteers
(Established 1857 & 1869)
Fulham Chronicle
(Established 1888)
Hammersmith Chronicle
(Established 2015)
Shepherd’s Bush Chronicle
(Established 2015)
London Weekly News
(Established 2014)
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Philip Evans
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Retail Advertising Display Manager E are living in heads up TechTalk, a unique pro- But it is available to anyone, of tiple solutions to multiple prob-
Garry Cole 0208 768 4926 a digital age ject run by Citizens Advice Ham- any age, living in Hammersmith lems.”
Classified and Customer Service where our fri- mersmith and Fulham specially and Fulham. Most people don’t want to
Manager ends and fam- designed to get people connected. Run entirely by volunteers, the admit that they can’t do some-
Candy Brown 0208 768 4919 ily are at our “They think ‘Why do I need to project is based on personalised thing, explains Jaya. But when
Distribution fingertips 24 learn how to use a computer support starting with a one-to- they are asked the question and
Hayley Bright 020 8768 4916 hours a day, seven days a week. when there are so many young one interview. offered the right support, they are
We only need to tap a few buttons people out there who could just Citizens Advice “digital cham- extremely determined.
to pull up the latest headlines, help me?’. pions” then guide people on a tai- “They want to know that they
check the football scores, watch a “If you have a situation from lored programme of training to are going to be supported, that
film or listen to music. which you can’t extract yourself bring their computer skills up to they are not going to be left on
But there are thousands of and it’s a recurring problem you speed. their own in front of a computer
Londoners who remain discon- can solve yourself, you shouldn’t “Some of our clients don’t have and three clicks later they are not
nected from the technological have to ask for help for that.” email, they don’t have an (email) going to know what to do.
revolution. TechTalk has only been up and address, they don’t know how it “It’s the idea that someone is
While servers, spreadsheets running at Avonmore Library works – they don’t even know there that is helpful, that is famil-
and hashtags are now second na- since March 2015 but it has al- where to start,” says Jaya. iar to them, that makes them
ture to most of us, many still find ready helped around 500 people “It’s kind of a holistic answer happy to come and ask you be-
themselves frozen out of the digi- to get online. to lots of problems, a one-stop- cause they have seen you talk to
tal world. The service is primarily there shop solution for them to come in others.”
“The predominant barrier to to help jobseekers and the el- and get some digital support. Avonmore is the only library
entry with digital inclusion is derly, who for various reasons “It makes people very comfort- in the country run entirely by Cit-
fear, this idea of being too old to have never learned how to use a able to know that they just have izens Advice.
Ross Noble at Richmond –review on page 20 learn,” says Jaya Lalwani, who computer. to come to one venue to find mul- Jaya says the multi-faceted set-
up enables the library to function
more as a community centre –
your council and the unique prototype is now
HAMMERSMITH & FULHAM
being used as a role model for
Adult social care Family information [email protected]<mailto:pa other Citizens Advice centres
0845 313 3935 service [email protected] across the UK.
Benefits 020 8753 2450 Planning People may check in just for
KENSINGTON & CHELSEA C0l2e0a 8n7e5r3 G 6re6e8n1er hotline [email protected]<mailto:[email protected] 020 8748 3020 digital support but end up staying
020 8753 1100 - 0845 313 3935 [email protected]<mailto:plan- to take part in one of the many
[email protected]<mailto:cl Libraries [email protected] other bespoke sessions and events
Accessible Transport [email protected] Parking - permit [email protected] 020 7361 3610 Register Office
020 7361 2390 Family Information Services (renewals) Council tax [email protected]<mailto: li- 020 8753 2140 at the library.
[email protected] 0207 361 3302 [email protected] 020 7361 3019 020 8753 6681 [email protected] registeroffi[email protected]<mailto:reg- “It’s the dedication of our vol-
Arts & Leisure Housing [email protected] Electoral services Parking control isteroffi[email protected] unteers coming in and being mo-
0ar2t0s a7n3d6l1e [email protected] h02o0u s7in3g6@1 3rb0k0c8.gov.uk P&a Ltiiaeinsto An dSveircvei ce e0l2ec0t 8o7ra5l3.s e4r4v6ic6e [email protected]<mailto: p02ar0k 7in3g7@1 l5b6h7f.8g ov.uk<mailto:park- Report it tivated to help,” says Jaya.
Benefits Land Charges 020 8962 4547 [email protected] [email protected] 020 8753 1100 “Quite a few of our digital
020 7361 3006 020 7361 3554 Planning Environment Parking permits Switchboard champions are clients who actu-
[email protected] Libraries 020 7361 3012 020 8753 1081 020 8753 6681 020 8748 3020 ally came in originally with a
Council Tax 020 7361 3010 [email protected] CITY OF WESTMINSTER problem of their own.
020 7361 3005 [email protected] Registrars
[email protected] Parking - general enquiries 020 7361 4100 “It’s that circle of people com-
Electoral Services 020 7361 3004 [email protected] Adult Services Children’s Services Housing waste and rubbish ing through the door and saying
020 7361 3444 [email protected] Streetline 020 7641 2500 020 7641 4000 020 7641 1000 020 7641 2000 ‘We really like what you do here’.
[email protected] Parking - penalty charges 020 7361 3001 [email protected] Libraries Planning Births, deaths and mar- General enquiries
Education 020 7361 4383 Social Services 020 7641 6200 0 2 0 7 6 4 1 6 5 0 0 riages 020 7641 7000 “It helps with their confidence,
020 7361 3009 [email protected] 020 7361 3013 Benefits Council Tax 020 7641 7500 020 7641 6000 with their CV development, their
[email protected] Parking - permit (new applications) [email protected] 0800 072 0042 0845 302 3400 Elections Westminster City Hall ability to stand up and speak or
Environmental Health 020 7361 4381 Tell Us Once Parking Licensing 020 7641 7500 64 Victoria Street lead a group session. We’re so
020 7361 3002 [email protected] 0207 361 3940 020 7823 4567 020 7641 6500 Household recycling, London SW1E 6QP
proud of that.”
TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017 WESTMINSTER AND CITY NEWS LONDON WEEKLY NEWS3
Council under attack for
‘Go wild’ call to
scarecrow fans
THE Royal Horticultural Society
is calling for pre-schools and
‘bungled’ regeneration plan
primary schools from
Kensington and Chelsea to
take “a walk on the wild side”
and design wildlife-themed
scarecrows for display at the
RHS Hampton Court Palace
Flower Show in July. 
The shortlisted schools will BY GEOFF BAKER were vacated. What is clear is that
be asked to build their
[email protected] the council’s farcical record on hous-
scarecrow designs which will
be judged by visitors at the ing continues.”
show. To enter, pupils must be WESTMINSTER City Council is A council spokesman said: “The
in year six or below and must under attack for spending almost Ebury Bridge redevelopment is part
be registered with the RHS £30 million on Pimlico’s Ebury of Westminster City Council’s ambi-
Campaign for School Bridge Estate regeneration plan with- tious regeneration plans.
Gardening.   out a brick being laid “The planning application for the
The winners will receive Questioning from Labour council- redevelopment of Ebury Bridge was
£200 worth of gardening lors has revealed that £29 million has approved in 2014 following a week-
vouchers, with second and
been spent on the Ebury Bridge Es- long ballot and the close involvement
third placed schools receiving
£150 and £50 worth of tate scheme before any building has of residents on the design process.
gardening vouchers. The begun. “The renewal plans for Ebury
deadline for entries is 10 Labour councillors have con- Bridge will provide high-quality new
March 2017. demned the management of the pro- homes and significant improvements
“The schools are challenged ject, which is expected to cost more to existing homes, along with vastly
to use plants and recycled than £40 million before work starts, improved public spaces, which will
materials to create their ‘walk as “bungled” and “farcical”. Erbury Bridge Estate enhance the character and value of
on the wild side’ inspired A Labour spokesman said: “Resi- the area. The plans will also provide
scarecrows,” said a RHS
dents in the Ebury Bridge Estate on the estate –but other costs include ing sum of money to be spent with residents with improvements to the
spokesman.
“Children can let their have been waiting more than three more than £700,000 on architects’ fees nothing show for it – not even a final energy efficiency of their homes, en-
imaginations run wild, taking years for better housing after voting and Sitex security doors. plan. In the meantime, it raises even hanced community facilities and pro-
inspiration from people, places in favour of renewal plans in 2013 that Cllr Jason Williams, Labour mem- more questions about the bungled vide future job opportunities.
and animals across the UK. would replace aging buildings, and ber for the Churchill Ward, said: council regeneration programme. “We are committed to delivering a
The wildlife theme will run provide 101 additional much-needed “Residents will be rightly concerned “The council need to explain why regeneration scheme across Ebury
across this year’s RHS homes. that so much money has been spent at least some of the properties pur- Bridge that honours the promises
Hampton Court Palace Flower “However, plans are many years yet there is still a lack of clarity as to chased have not been used for tempo- made to residents in the original vote.
Show, raising awareness of the behind schedule and it now appears the final plans for the estate. There is rary accommodation, instead of “Preliminary work is in full flow.
urgent need to support
more than £29 million has been spent an urgent need for the council to out- sending families to outer boroughs Building and quantity surveyors
Britain’s declining wildlife.”
To enter and to sign up to and a further £14.8 million will be line their proposals and get on with where they may have no local connec- were appointed to carry out the refur-
the RHS Campaign for School spent –totalling £43.8 million –before providing the homes residents were tion. bishment surveys in September 2016.
Gardening, schools should work will even begin.” first promised four years ago.” “They also need to come clean “Residents in Edgson House and
visit the website: The majority of the money has Cllr Tim Roca, Labour housing about how much rent and council tax Wainwright House have begun to be
https://schoolgardening.rhs.or been spent on purchasing properties spokesman, said: “This is a stagger- has been lost since the properties rehoused.”
g.uk/Competitions/Hampton-
Court-Scarecrows
Gemma Lake, Deputy Show
Manager for RHS Hampton Olympian’s talk inspires students
Court Palace Flower Show,
said: “The scarecrow
competition is an incredibly
popular feature at the show
and I’m really looking forward
to seeing the imaginative DLD College London welcomed a gold
ideas the children come up medal winner from the Rio Olympics
with this year.  I love seeing to give an inspiring speech on her
the excitement on the sporting success as well as her pro-
children’s faces when they
motion of LGBT+.
attend the show on Press Day
and see their hard work on Kate Richardson-Walsh, England
display.” and Team GB hockey captain, spent
an afternoon engaging with the
Railway death pupils at DLD College London to tell
them about her life, her Olympic ex-
‘not suspicious’
periences and her views on equality.
She also shared what challenges
A MAN died after he was hit by she faced growing up and what it
a train at Ravenscourt Park means to be married to an equally
station. high-profile woman – team-mate
Officers from the British
Helen Richardson-Walsh. The Atrium
Transport Police found the
man’s body on the tracks on was filled with admiring pupils from
the evening of Sunday January DLD and Portland Place School. A
15. video showing highlights of Kate’s ca-
A spokesman said the death reer, including hockey training and
was not being treated as winning gold at Rio, was played.
suspicious and that a file The talk was a great success with
would be prepared for the the pupils engaging and asking more
coroner. questions in the Q&A than with any
There were severe delays on other guest speaker to date.
the Piccadilly Line between
Jo Harland, BTEC creative media
7pm and around 9pm and the
production tutor and leader of DLD
service was temporarily closed
between Green Park and Pride, said: “Kate Richardson-Walsh
Acton Town. is such an inspiration, she freely and
openly speaks of her successes and
Taskforce to her experiences. I think that there
protect parks are many students with relevant
questions who do not understand the
issues facing LGBT+ people, or who
TOWN-HALL chiefs have set up are ignorant to the lifestyle choices
a new taskforce to safeguard
others make.
Hammersmith and Fulham’s
parks and green spaces. “Kate Richardson-Walsh was able
The Parks Commission, to help dispel some myths and show
which will comprise residents that a lesbian relationship is like any
and members of community other, based on love and mutual re-
groups as well as councillors, spect. Both Kate and Helen’s amazing
held its first meeting last  achievements show that with dedica-
week. tion and ambition, everyone can suc-
Protecting parks from the ceed. It was heartwarming to see the
threat of new developments is
admiration and respect shown by the
expected to be a major aspect
students at DLD towards this hard-
of the commission’s brief.
working, strong female role model.” The DLD students meet Olympic champion Kate Richardson-Walsh, who brought along the medal she won in Rio
4LONDON WEEKLY NEWS WESTMINSTER NEWS AND VIEWS TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017
Mayor is slammed for
Writing for you every week,
London’s most outspoken
entrepreneur
Charlie
slashing Met jobs fund
pipes up!
BY GEOFF BAKER and could badly damage public “Keeping Londoners safe is the
[email protected]
confidence in London’s elected mayor’s highest priority, and fol-
lAoSud lyth per omtesatyso arg aoinfs t Lgoovnedronn- offMicieaalns.w”hile, Mr Khan has tlaocwkisn gin tBhee rlhino rarnifdic I sttearnrbourils, ti ta its- Taking advantage of
ment cuts in police funding warned that “it would become more important than ever that the
which would make it “increas- increasingly difficult to keep Met has the resources it needs to new technology is
ingly difficult to keep London- Londoners safe from growing protect us,” said the mayor’s
ers safe from terror threats”, he security threats” if the govern- spokesman.
has been attacked at City Hall ment continues to underfund the “Already, the Met is having to firms’ key to succeess
for slashing almost £40 million Met, or makes further cuts in find £1 billion of savings as a re-
from the Met’s jobs fund. funding. sult of systematic government F
Sadiq Khan has been ac- “Over the coming weeks, cuts since 2010.
INDINGways to for example, we increased
cused of practising smoke and Sadiq will be calling on minis- “So far, this has led to the loss make a work- our focus on productivity by
mirrors populism by General ters to listen to the very serious of 2,800 police staff, including force more pro- investing in advanced vehi-
Assembly member Gareth concerns about Londoners’ hundreds of police community ductive can oft- cle-tracking systems to en-
Bacon, who has decried a safety ahead of a government support officers, and the closure en see en- sure we can always get the
move by the mayor to cut decision on funding,” said the of dozens of police stations –and trepreneurs closest and most appropriate
£M7e3t0’s, 0r0ec0r uait mweenet kb udfrgoemt. the ma“yAosr ’tsh sep gookveesrmnamne.nt prepares tehvee mn afuyrotrh hear si nas tkeerdm tsh eo fM reets ttoru gco- Twbuaakslikinn egtsh ased s vufiacnnceet aslgsi nea eon fdb t efeatciwhlunereoenl.- hdenuugcgiteni vedieitrfyfs.e rtoe njoceb st.o I to mura dper oa-
Conservative member Mr to change the way the policing turing and reducing back-office ogy is just one way to swing And it appears technol-
Bacon claims that the mayor’s budget is divided between costs to make efficiency savings. the result in their favour. ogy’s next weapon of choice
c1u,0t0b0ac okf fwiciellr sm. ean the loss of Mayor Sadiq Khan fiso rac eresa al,c raonsds pthoete ncotiuanlltyr yd ethvearse- the“ vIne rayd ddiiftfiiocnu,l t Sdaedciiqsi ohna sto m raaidsee wrTehstel edU wKi the ctohneo smoy-c alhleads iinty t hise wweaarr oanb lleo wte cphro. dAu fcitrimv-
council tax from April by an av- productivity puzzle for called Humanyze has come
In a furious attack on the removing £38 million from the tating, risk that the Met could erage of 8p a week per household years, often finding it a co- up with a credit-card-sized
Labour chief of the city, Mr Met’s police officer staffing lose millions from its budget.” to keep officer numbers as high as nundrum that even the bit of kit that can monitor
Bacon said: “Even for a mayor budget, meaning it cannot afford City Hall says that the last greatest-ever panel of Count- staff 24 hours a day.
who has rowed back on almost to recruit any more than the cur- time the police funding formula possible.” down contestants and Carol Some have laughed it off
all of his major pre-election rent level of 31,000 officers. was considered by the Last week the mayor warned Vorderman would fail to as bit of a joke –but trust
pledges, this is an astonishing “Does Sadiq Khan think he Home Office, in autumn 2015, “ththaet eMveent fwacieths athni se xetxrterma efulyn dchinagl-, solAvne.d particularly now, wmoer, keleercst riso noinc imtso nwiatoyr tion gU oKf
development. Just weeks ago can just promise whatever the Met stood to lose between lenging financial situation, and if when in the future UK busi- businesses and, in fact, it’s
Sadiq Khan announced he was seems popular at the time with- £184 million and £700 million further cuts are made then a fall ness will have to fight even here now.
mraaisiinntgai nc oau tnacrgile tta oxf i3n2 ,o0r0d0e rp oto- ou“t Thahvisi nkgin tdo odfe slimveork iet ?a nd mir- tferorsm a riets e yxepaercltye db utod gmeat.k eM ai ndies-- in police officer numbers will be thaabrldee, rf ifromr s ah apvlaec eto atth itnhke lanTyhaer db, ardegceosr, diwnogr nfi tnones sa,
lice officers in London. rors politics seriously under- cision about whether to proceed inevitable”. smarter about how they can productivity and stress lev-
“Now he’s confirmed he is mines the office of the mayor in March. donMerr sK shaafen issa midy: “fiKrsete ppriinogr iLtyo ans- bnuott omnolyre r epmroadiunc ctoivme.p etitive eallsle, da rien a tphpea rUeKnt layt bDeeinlogi tttrei-,
mayor. That means keeping po- Labour productivity, mea- parts of the NHS and a bank.
lice officer numbers as high as ning what we produce for People can whinge on
the amount of work it takes
possible, especially in the wake of to do it, is the key factor is about privacy and intrusion
all they like –but when their
recent horrific attacks in Berlin ensuring businesses succeed
choices are to use the tech
and Istanbul. in increasingly challenging
and avoid being on a plane
“But in the face of continued markets. with a pilot suffering a heart
pressures on the police budget, In common-sense terms, attack on landing, or run
there are two ways to be
exacerbated and deepened by over by a bus, whose driver
more productive by making
central government, this is be- more things or selling more has fallen asleep, maybe
coming increasingly difficult. services. they’ll change their minds.
Similar things used to be
“This year, I have done every- First is working more
said about CCTV, pagers and
thing I can to protect police offi- hours. With some of the mobile phones, and now
cer numbers – including making lEounrgoepset , wito’rllk inbeg htoouugrhs itno look at how things have
the very difficult decision to raise squeeze any more minutes turned out. So yes, I think
council tax. out of a day. That said, as a this stuff is a good idea, and
“But if the government sub- nation, because unemploy- I’m 100 per cent confident
jects London’s police service to ment is low, collectively we that it will be common place
any further cuts, it will become are working more hours in less than three years, and
near impossible to maintain the rtheaalnl yp rtheve iaonusswlye. r B.ut it’s not thrI eed cohne’et rsw faorn tt hatot I skanyo.w
number of police on our streets. The second option, and things only a person’s GP
“My message to the govern- the more practical, is to should know about but I do
ment today is clear: Londoners’ work smarter. That means want to know if people are
safety will be put at risk if police we can create more and do dragging the chain, and I
funding is cut any further, and more with the same amount also want to know if they are
ministers must listen to our con- of effort. in some way struggling and
There are a number of if there’s anything that I can
cerns.” ways to do this, one of which do to improve things for
The mayor’s spokesman said is through the use of tech- them.
one of the main causes of under- nology. As a plumber work- The world has come a long
funding is the government’s re- ing in one of the world’s way since the days of the
fusal to fully fund activity oldest industries, I’m not Roman empire built on slav-
undertaken because of London’s what’s known as an early ery or the workhouse-men-
adopter. My Nokia mobile tality of Victorian Britain.
position as a major global capital
phone is testament to that And this isn’t a draconian
and the seat of government, such but at least its battery lasts big business, Big Brother
as diplomatic protection, and me a lot more than four thing; this is businesses
policing major events such as hours. However, when it doing right by workers and
protests, concerts and football comes to business tech, I’d vice versa to ensure we can
matches. like to think I know my apps deliver the levels of produc-
from my apples. tivity required to deliver the
“This costs some £346 million
During the last recession, success our efforts deserve.
a year but London currently re-
ceives funding from government
for barely half of this,” he said. Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of this newspaper
London’s leading service
“The Met also has less money
company all day - every day!
because the previous mayor,
Boris Johnson, cut the police 020 7928 8888
council-tax precept last year –the
same year as the mayoral elec-
tion –against the advice of his
own government.”
TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017 LONDON WEEKLY NEWS5
6LONDON WEEKLY NEWS TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017
New action group insists: fight to
Garage sites
fit for new
stop Heathrow expansion goes on MORE than 16,000 new homes
could be built across London on
land occupied by unused or
rundown garages owned by
councils, according to new
research.
A study of local authority-
BY JACK DIXON
owned lock-ups in the capital
[email protected]
revealed 24 councils own a total
of 53,640 –with 41 per cent
FURIOUS campaigners in Hammer- empty or in disrepair.
smith and Fulham have vowed to lead Demolishing them and
the fight against Heathrow expansion replacing them with affordable
as protestors prepare to challenge min- one-bedroom flats could go some
isters over their decision to give the way to solving the London
housing crisis where the average
go-ahead to a controversial third run-
home now costs £475,000.
way. The figures were revealed in a
A new pressure group, called Freedom of Information request
h&fnothirdrunway, will meet for the by property crowdfunding
first time next week in a bid to rally platform Property Partner.
support against the plan. Researchers worked out that
The Government announced in the the 22,000 empty council-owned
autumn that it was backing the cre- garages in London covered a total
of eight million square feet.
ation of an extra runway at the UK’s
If they were replaced with
largest airport, despite major concerns developments made up of 500
over noise pollution. sq/ft flats, it is estimated 16,000
New flight paths created by the ad- affordable homes could be built.
ditional runway are likely to pass di- The London Assembly says
rectly over Hammersmith and between 49,000 and 80,000 new
Shepherd’s Bush – a prospect which homes are needed each year to
has angered many residents. cope with the projected
population growth of a million in
Campaigners are now beginning a
the next ten years.
new chapter in their bid to block the Dan Gandesha, CEO of Property
runway and are appealing for mem- Partner, said: “This is just a
bers of the public to show their sup- snapshot of publicly owned land
port. in London which is clearly surplus
Christina Smyth, who headed Ham- Protestors from Hammersmith and Fulham campaigning against Heathrow expansion in the Prime Minister’s to requirement, underused or
pmoerrtssm coitmhm ainsdsi oFnu lihna 2m01 5c,o fuonucnidl’esd athire- Maidenhead constituency last year Picture: h&fnothirdrunway un“dWevheelno pweed h. ave a crisis in
affordable housing not just in the
new group with fellow campaigner whether they are members or not. It is
capital but in the UK, it begs the
Victoria Timberlake last year. time to get involved.” question whether councils in
She said: “The campaign against a A number of environmental organi- Britain should either sell off the
third runway continues and we really sations, pressure groups and local land for development or build
want to get as much local support as councils have threatened legal action new homes themselves.
possible.” in the wake of the Government’s com- “If a significant number of
John Stewart, the chairman of the mitment to Heathrow expansion in Oc- council garages, which are part of
airports campaign organisation tober. housing estates, are not even
rented to those who should have
Hacan, will speak at the group’s first It came after the Howard Davies a right to them –local authority
meeting in Hammersmith on Monday Commission recommended the option tenants –then it could be argued
(January 30). to ministers in 2015. that this is a wasted opportunity.”
And organisers hope dozens of resi- Hammersmith and Fulham’s own The worst offending boroughs
dents who fear the impact of a third airports commission concluded two are Ealing, Havering, Brent and
runway on their day-to-day lives will years ago that Heathrow expansion Enfield, which have respectively
turn up to voice their concerns. would have a severe detrimental im- 74 per cent (1,480 empty
garages), 72 per cent (1,469), 71
“We are really lucky to have John pact on quality of life for people living
per cent (1,234) and 70 per cent
Stewart as our guest speaker,” Ms in the borough. (2,008) lying idle.
Smyth added. “He has expert knowl- The first meeting of h&fnothirdrun- The most expensive garage was
edge after campaigning for many years way will take place at Holy Innocents in Chelsea, which sold for
to protect the rights of residents living Church in Paddenswick Road, Ham- £670,000 in what is believed to be
under Heathrow’s flight paths. mersmith, on Monday, January 30 at a record for a garage in the
“Anyone is welcome to come along, 7.30pm. capital.
Teenager dies
Oops, has anyone
after assault
mislaid their OBE? A TEENAGER was killed just yards
from Wembley Stadium in the
early hours of Friday morning.
The victim, believed to be 19, is
HAS anybody gonged in the thought to be the first teenager
murdered in London in 2017.
recent New Year’s Honours
He was found collapsed near a
thrown their medal away al- block of flats in Wembley, north
ready? London, just a few streets away
If so, contact London bin- from the national football
men who found an OBE stadium.
medal in the rubbish. He was treated at the scene,
Ravello,Positano The waste clearance com- near a Novotel Hotel, by
Berlin,Colditz&Dresden &theAmalfiCoast pany EnviroWaste found the paramedics at 1.15am but he was
pronounced dead at the scene.
5daysfrom£499Flyingdirectfromanairportnear medal during a routine waste
8daysfrom£719Flyingdirectfromanairportnear Scotland Yard said he had been
you,2,24April,1,7May,2,18June,11,14September, you,MaytoJuly,September&October2017 haul and is appealing to the assaulted but further inquiries
8&13October2017 ThecolourfulcharmsofsomeofSouthernItaly’smost public for any information were under way to establish
DiscoverthreeoferstwhileEastGermany’smost celebratedresorts,discovered,exploredandenjoyed. that could help reunite the exactly how he died.
gloriouscitiesaswetakeafascinatingpeek medal with its owner. A man in his 20s was arrested
behindtheformerIronCurtain.Sincethe‘fallofthe Tourhighlights The medal is in a black on suspicion of murder and was
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the public for any informa- any information to share: Ambulance Service attended and
Call03301607747 QUOTESLP Call03301607747 QUOTESLP tion on anyone they know in http://www.envirowaste.co.u fsouuffnedri nag m fraonm in a hssisa ulaltte-r etelaetnesd
Visitwww.newmarket.travel/slp17728 Visitwww.newmarket.travel/slp19910 the London area who has lost k/feeds/news/can-you-help- injuries.
Theseholidaysareorganised&operatedbyNewmarketAirHolidaysLtd. Theseholidaysareorganised&operatedbyNewmarketAirHolidaysLtd. or misplaced an OBE. us-find-the-rightful-owner-of- “He died at the scene a short
ABTAV7812.ATOLprotected2325.Subjecttoavailability. ABTAV7812.ATOLprotected2325.Subjecttoavailability. To help with the search, this-lost-obe.aspx while later.”
SinglesupplementsapplyStandardphonecharges SinglesupplementsapplyStandardphonecharges
TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017 LONDON WEEKLY NEWS7
‘Rudest landlord’,
90, thaws thanks
to surprise party
BY GEOFF BAKER “When Norman first walked people would not have turned up
[email protected] in and saw everybody he turned here today if you were not held
to his wife Grazia and said ‘F-it, in such high regard. And on be-
“LONDON’S rudest landlord”, someone’s having a private half of everyone here, thank you
Soho legend Norman Balon, party, let’s go somewhere else’,” very much not for what you
famed for shocking customers at said Mr Choat. were but for what you are.’“
the Coach and Horses, was “She said ‘No, they’re all here Following the speeches, in-
shocked himself for once when for you!’ – to which Norman cluding from Mr Balon’s daugh-
his old regulars sprang a 90th characteristically responded ‘F- ter Natasha, the acclaimed car-
birthday surprise on his return off! They’re all f-ing mad!’.” toonist Michael Heath presented
to the Greek Street pub. But when the penny dropped Mr Balon with the latest cartoon
Mr Balon, notorious for his the once-famously miserable Mr addition to the pub’s collection,
abuse to customers at the bar Balon thawed. Norman’s 90th birthday card.
that he ran for 63 years before “As soon as Norman realised “Michael proclaimed Norman
his retirement in 2006, thought the good, the bad and the ugly of to be his father figure in his ve-
he was just popping in for a pint Soho were there to pay their re- ry moving speech. By the end
at his old pub – but he found the spects and celebrate with him, even Norman had a tear in his
Coach packed with pals going he was back in his stride as if he eye. But that did not put him off
back to the days when his regu- had never left,” said Mr Choat. his traditional style,” said Mr
lars included the Private Eye “But on this occasion Norman Choat.
team, artists Francis Bacon, Lu- was very happy and this was ev- “In his acceptance speech he
cien Freud and Damien Hirst ident in the smiles and laughter said ‘I hated the customers, they
and actors John Hurt and Peter ringing around the pub. were a bloody nuisance, every
O’Toole. “Struan Rogers, the actor and one of them.But I am very
At first he gave a typically Norman’s great friend and chess touched about all of this. It’s
grumpy response to the crowd of partner, really summed the oc- been a fantastic day, a complete Norman Balon at the surprise party to mark his 90th birthday. Top, Mr Balon with
120 who had been invited in se- casion up and left not a dry eye surprise and don’t forget to pay Michael Heath and Struan Rogers. Above, Mr Balon with his daughter Natasha and
cret by landlord Alastair Choat. in the house when he said ‘These your bill before you go’.” Coach and Horses’ current landlord Alastair Choat
ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
Why should I go to a public event
about health and social care?
The NHS and your local 65 stay fit and independent; tackling the roots of
mental-health problems in our community by
council are holding a joint
guaranteeing strong preventive care in the early
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Attendees at the event will have the opportunity
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HEALTH and social care in your local area is Your Careon 31 January. It will be a great benefits can be expected as a result.
changing. NHS West London Clinical opportunity for us to hear from patients, carers and
Councillor Mary Weale, the Royal Borough of
Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Royal the public, and an opportunity for them to get
Kensington and Chelsea’s cabinet member for adult
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are holding a some detail from us about how we will improve
social care and public health, said: “This is a chance
joint event called Your Health, Your Careto tell you services in the CCG area.”
about plans to bring health and social care closer NHS West London CCG has already set out its for users of these services to put questions to those
together –and give you the opportunity to ask priorities for joining up health and social care in the who plan and deliver them.”
questions about these plans. Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), which Booking is recommended as seating is
The doors will open at 6pm for you to browse was drawn up between eight CCGs and a number limited.
open stalls offering health and social care advice, of local councils. l RSVP online:
and locally tailored information on how to choose This shared North West London STP been improvingcareforlocalresidents.eventbrite.co.uk
the right NHS service for a particular need. submitted to NHS England for approval, and it has l RSVP by email:
From 6.30pm, there will be a series of short been published in its current form on the CCG
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residents, patients and carers can ask questions in a things: driving an overall improvement to the
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Dr Fiona Butler, chair of NHS West London CCG, sure the hospital services you use most are safe, engagement tool:
said: “We are really looking forward to Your Health, sustainable, and smartly run; helping people over healthiernwlondon.commonplace.is
8LONDON WEEKLY NEWS TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017
Time to share
memories of life
at prep school
BY GEOFF BAKER school memories book with anec-
[email protected] dotes, photos and memorabilia to cel-
ebrate the anniversary of the school’s
FORMER Kensington Prep girls are move in 1997.
being invited to share their memories “The school would love to hear
of school life to celebrate the 20th an- memories of former pupils about their
niversary of the institution’s move to childhood at Kensington Prep,” said a
Fulham. spokesman.
Kensington Prep is compiling a Former pupils are asked to email
Now and then –the photograph above, of a current classroom at the school, shows how times have changed
since the era shown in the picture left
their memories to alumnae@kenprep. ington – but it was destroyed by a facilities of any prep school in Lon-
gdst.net or write to Memories, Kens- bomb in 1941. The school was relo- don. The school is non-denomina-
ington Prep School, 596 Fulham Road, cated to Phillimore Gardens as a tem- tional. There are 290 girls in classes of
London, SW6 5PA. porary measure for the duration of about 20 girls.
Kensington Prep School traces its the Second World War while the man- The school offers traditional values
history to Chelsea High School, the agement searched for a better loca- combined with innovative teaching
first school founded by the Girls’ Pub- tion. and is at the forefront of IT.
lic Day School Company, now the In the end, the senior school was It has been awarded the prestigious
Girls’ Day School Trust. closed several years after the war ICT mark for the second time and
It opened in January 1873 at Smith ended. The junior school remained there are iPad tablets and laptops in
Street in Chelsea with 20 girls under open and became Kensington Prep. the classroom. There is also an IT
headmistress Miss Porter. The award-winning Kensington suite. The school has also just intro-
In 1879 it moved to Cromwell Road Prep is now an independent day duced a new digital learning platform
in Kensington and was renamed Kens- school in Fulham for girls aged four and parent portal.
ington High School. to 11. There is a now a large library at the
The original Chelsea High School The school is set in more than an heart of the school, a state-of-the-art
continued functioning until 1894. acre of grounds with netball and ten- science lab and dedicated specialist
In 1888 Kensington High moved nis courts and a pond for environmen- rooms for art, design technology,
once more, to Lytham House in Kens- tal studies and has some of the best music and drama.
Dayanan Chumburidze,
right, accepts her award
from special guest
Baroness Pauline Perry,
left, and principal
Rachel Borland
TEL: [phone]
Winter concert is ‘best yet’
THE annual winter concert at anists and singers to bands and Dayanan Chumburidze, 16,
DLD College London proved the ukulele group, the atrium gave a beautiful rendition of
“the best yet”, with 20 students was filled with music and superb Warrior’s Songby Stephen Heller
rewarded for their outstanding poetry and prose readings. on the piano and captivated the
achievements and a spectacular This academic year, the col- audience with her ability. The
display of talent showcased. lege also raised money for Crisis GCSE student then went on to
Parents, teachers, staff and at Christmas which helps people collect her certificate for her reg-
students gathered in the atrium who are sleeping rough. A pre- ular attendance and contribu-
of the Westminster Bridge- sentation was held by the stu- tion to concerts and events
based college to enjoy the show dent council to demonstrate the including judging the recent
and to applaud the students for importance of helping those DLD’s Got Talentshow.
their hard work and dedication. less fortunate and who may not College principal Rachel Bor-
MC Michael Brett welcomed have somewhere to live or eat. land said: “The entertainment
guests and introduced the prize A student who showcased has been exceptional. Every year
winners. An abundance of musi- her excellent musical talents was we say it couldn’t get better and
cians took to the stage. From pi- also presented with an award. every year it does.”
TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017 LONDON WEEKLY NEWS9
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10 LONDON WEEKLY NEWS TUESDAY JANUARY 24 2017
Notting Hill Carnival’s
Animal charity
lobbies MPs over
future ‘in mayor’s hands’
better protection
for greyhounds
BY GEOFF BAKER
[email protected] BATTERSEA Dogs & Cats Home has lobbied
Parliament for better protection of grey-
THE future of the Notting Hill hounds.
Carnival is now solely in the Representatives from the world-famous
hands of just one man – Sadiq animal charity have met with MPs to dis-
Khan. cuss the needs of racing greyhounds and
That is the clear message of the what needs to be done to better protect and
in-depth and exhaustive report safeguard their wellbeing.
on Europe’s biggest street festival At the meeting chaired by MP Angela
published by the London Assem- Smith, a member of the environment, food
bly, which states that now the and rural affairs select committee and the
mayor of London should “get a welfare member of the Greyhound Forum,
grip” on the carnival which Kens- Battersea chiefs pushed for changes in the
ington and Chelsea councillors, law.
Westminster Council, the organ- “In 2016 alone, Battersea took in 95 un-
ising trust, the Met, the local MP wanted, ex-racing greyhounds. The condi-
and residents have all failed to tions in which greyhounds are kept, and in
control properly. which they arrive at Battersea, can vary
The Assembly’s in- wildly, and the home is involved with cam-
part damning report, paigning to promote and monitor standards
Notting Hill Carnival – for racing and post-racing greyhounds
Safer And Better, reveals across Britain,” said a spokesman.
that the festival which Battersea’s director of operations, Peter
attracts more than one Laurie, said: “The current Welfare of Racing
million people has be- Greyhounds Regulations 2010 have delivered
come far too big an event some important improvements. However,
for it to remain any we believe there’s much more to do.
longer in the demonstra- “This is why we were so disappointed
bly incapable hands of lo- when the government’s review last year did
cal authorities and or- not propose additional requirements to ad-
ganisers. dress remaining areas of concern.
The carnival, which “We’re asking for the 2010 regulations to
for 50 years has been be amended to make it mandatory for the
lauded as a community The two faces of Notting Hill Carnival, which attracts more than industry to publish welfare data relating to
event, is now set to be- one million people injury, euthanasia and rehoming or retire-
come a London event, ment numbers.
with mayor Mr Khan at the helm based location. Very few other But funding from the Mayor’s said: “We must not shut our ears “These regulations should also cover
of it. events in London are comparable Office could cover the £7 million to the concerns being raised. We trainers’ kennels, which aren’t properly
While praising the great work to the carnival in this respect,” policing bill and, the crime com- need to improve the arrange- monitored, and yet are where greyhounds
and tireless efforts of Carnival says the report. mittee urges, provide the money ments for safety and crime reduc- spend 95 per cent of their time.
Trust chairman Pepe Francis and “For too long we have repeated needed by organisers, the London tion at the carnival so that its “Battersea works closely with other grey-
his tiny team of organisers, the the debate about what might need Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises success becomes the headline hound welfare charities, and is an active
report makes it clear that a mas- to change about the carnival, Trust, to hire of many more stew- story, not its crime and disorder. member of the Greyhound Forum. As a re-
sive cash infusion – possibly up with little action taken. It is be- ards who would be given greater The answer lies in giving those sult, we’re pleased to take in many ex-racers,
to £10 million – is now needed coming more and more apparent powers. in charge of the carnival greater who are lovely dogs and make wonderful
from the Mayor’s Office in order that the status quo is not an op- “Unfortunately, the LNHCET responsibility, ownership, capac- pets in the right environment. As with all
to prevent the ostensibly joyous tion. The mayor and the Mayor’s suffers from a lack of support and ity and capability to make the our residents, we’re committed to ensuring
and celebratory event further de- Office for Policing and Crime are capacity to deliver. It is run by carnival a success and make sure they go to the right homes with responsible
scending into a dangerous and well placed to help carnival or- volunteers, with little funding or it remains what it set out to be: a new owners.”
overcrowded orgy of disorder, ganisers get a grip on public staffing resource,” the report celebration of an exuberant cul- Current greyhounds at Battersea search-
drug-taking and violence which safety at the carnival: there is states. ture. ing for their forever homes include Jason,
puts public safety at risk. proven success with enhancing “It has come a long way and “The London Notting Hill Car- an 18-month-old ex-racer. He is described as
With more than 60 bands, public safety at events such as we congratulate its members who nival Enterprises Trust has come “friendly and affectionate with both humans
50,000 performers, 7,000 police of- the New Year fireworks.” work so hard to make the carni- a long way but admits that it and other dogs – he loves to curl up and
ficers, 2,000 stewards and the Limiting the numbers of peo- val happen every year. It admits, struggles. It cannot be right that snooze the day away”.
number of revellers equalling the ple permitted to attend the car- however, that it still struggles the group organising one of Lon- The spokesman said: “There is also beau-
population of Birmingham, the nival is an option that was floated and it is now time to provide it don’s most high-profile events is tiful brown-and-white 18-month-old Blitz and
carnival, the report warns, “is to the Assembly committee by with a greater level of support. staffed by volunteers and is not his kennelmate, four-year-old Beauty, who
now at tipping point”. the Met –but this has been op- “The mayor should now pro- receiving the support it needs.” can be rehomed separately or as a pair. Both
Add to that the 396 crimes com- posed as impractical by members vide advice and guidance to the Mr Khan is expected to report affectionate and eager for a fuss, these two
mitted last year, the 90 arrests for of the Labour group of Kensing- LNHCET to help put it on a more back with his proposals for the would enjoy home comforts for the first
possession of weapons, the 151 at- ton and Chelsea councillors, one formal and financially sustain- future of the carnival in May. time.”
tacks on people, the more than of the many bodies involved in able footing. This will in turn im- In the meantime, the last word
1,000 casualties treated and the the carnival whose squabbling prove its ability to deliver a safer from the report should be that of
stabbings which very nearly re- over the festival has now led to and more secure carnival. Mr Francis, chairman of the or-
sulted in four deaths and it is the intervention of London’s lead “LNHCET hopes that more ganisers, who told the police com-
easy to see why the London As- authority, the GLA. stewarding will help the event be- mittee: “Yes, I am very concerned
sembly members warn that the “Even if you could somehow come more self-sustainable… the under my watch that something
carnival now “risks people’s cordon off the large carnival role of the stewards may need to disastrous could happen in the
safety and its reputation”. boundary, ticketing would be a be further developed… carnival.
The report by the Assembly’s step towards making the carnival The driving philosophy around “Ladbroke Grove worries me
police and crime committee a commercial event, for which stewarding at the carnival is to when we come up there on an
states that one option for Mr the Carnival Trust would have to reduce the reliance on the police. evening, especially if we get there
Khan to consider is to restruc- pay full policing costs, and there We welcome any steps that will after 7pm, which I tend to try to
ture the current free-for-all on the seems no prospect of that possi- release officers from tasks that not do, trying to get there before
lines of London’s New Year’s Eve bility for the foreseeable future,” can be carried out equally well to make sure that we are all safe.
fireworks – with paid ticketing said the Labour group. “Since by others. This will help the Met “I am open to any change that
for the event and limiting the this would effectively be the end to refocus efforts on tackling will improve the health and
number of tickets. of the carnival as we know it to- crime and disorder, something safety of people.
“One of the most obvious risks day and very probably finally di- that is increasingly important “If change has to come, change
for the carnival is overcrowding. vorce it from its roots of the Afro- given the recent rise in serious has to come. However, change
This is made all the more acute Caribbean community’s reaction and violent crime.” has to come with proper dialogue
because of the carnival’s high at- to the 1958 race riots, we believe And Steve O’Connell, chair- and very good discussion and
Blitz and Beauty are in search of a home
tendance figures and its street- this cannot be considered”. man of the police committee, planning.”