December 2008 Archives

West Harrow councillor Anjana Patel is to urge more females from ethnic minority backgrounds to take part in public life.

She is a member of the BAME (Black and Ethnic Minorities) Women Councillors Taskforce, which is sponsored by the Government Equalities Office and is holding an event in Islington on Friday January 9 to combat the over-representation of white men in local government.

Mrs Patel will be speaking alongside the taskforce's chair, the peer Baroness Uddin, and Jyoti Vaja, a member of Islington Council.

Delegates to the event at Islington Town Hall will be led through workshops which describe what being a councillor involves and what a difference such people can make.

Charitable donations invested by The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust have lost more than £400,000 in value in just eight months due to the credit crunch.

The trust, which manages Northwick Park Hospital in Watford Road, Harrow, and Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, sunk sums bequeathed in wills and other monetary gifts into a fund managed by CLLA Investment Management and worth £5.6 million.

On April 1, the fund had made a profit of £412,559 but by November 30 2008 this had fallen by £902,726 because of the credit crunch.

The trust's board met on December 17 and was told if it cashed in the charitable fund now, it would lose an estimated £420,182.

In light of this, the board agreed to slash 10 per cent off the value of the fund to bring it closer to £5m.

A street corner pub in South Harrow that hosts live bands has been denied permission to open later into the night.

Pints can normally be pulled at The Shawl in Northolt Road until 11pm - with the doors closing half an hour later - but its owner applied to Harrow Council to be able to serve booze up to 11.30pm Monday to Thursday, to 1am Friday and Saturday and midnight on Sunday, including 30 minutes drinking up time each day.

However, a council officer rejected the proposal under delegated powers on November 25 on the grounds "it would result in increased disturbance and general activity at unsocial hours to the detriment of the amenities of neighbouring properties".

Five complaints had been received by local residents including one from David and Jean Marling, of Valentine Road, who, as the neighbours closest to the pub, observed: "The level of noise we have suffered over the past years, despite three changes of various owners and managers, was, and still is, totally unacceptable.

"There is no sound proofing or beat-cancelling equipment, and the doors are not kept shut, especially in the summer.

"Since pubs open seven days a week, there's no such thing as an early night."

The Shawl has operated since 1995, when the original owners won planning permission on appeal to convert a former carpet shop into a boozer, with strict trading conditions imposed because of its residential location.

A similar bid for an extension to the hostelry's open times was turned down by the council in August 2006.

A crackdown was launched on drivers abusing the blue badge scheme, which provides convenience for disabled motorists and passengers.

Eleven people were caught misusing the badges, which allow vehicles to park on double-yellow lines and in disabled parking bays, when Harrow Council watched two parkings bays in central Harrow for six hours last Tuesday.

It is a criminal offence to abuse the system and can lead to a fine of up to £1,000.

All those spotted misusing te badges in Greenhill Way and Havelock Place have been or are to be interviewed to decide whether a criminal prosecution should take place.

One driver's excuse was that the blue badge holder was shopping, although he or she never returned to the car in the hours that council officers and police officers waited to test this claim.

Eleven motorists were caught misusing the privilege of a disabled blue badge while parking their vehicle in Harrow.
The restricted permit makes it more convenient to park for a car carrying drivers or passengers with a disability.
It is a criminal offence to abuse the system and can lead to a court conviction and a fine of up to £1,000.
When Harrow Council watched a parking bay in Greenhill Way and another in Havelock Place in central Harrow for six hours on Tuesday, they spotted 11 people parked fraudulently.
All have been or are to be interviewed to decide whether a criminal prosecution should take place.
One driver's excuse was that the blue badge holder was shopping, although he or she never returned to the car in the hours that council officers and police officers waited to test this claim.
Harrow Council's Councillor Susan Hall (Conservative), head of environment services at Harrow Council, said: "People need to understand that blue badges aren't some kind of interchangeable perk you can simply loan out.
"Misuse of blue badges cheats those who use the scheme properly. It is a criminal offence and no amount of fanciful excuses will allow motorists to evade that fact."
Misuse of a blue badge is a criminal office which, on conviction in court, can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. Users of the badge are clearly told that they either have to be in the vehicle or accompany the driver when it is used in parking bays.

The latest Harrow Council Week of Action kicked off yesterday (Dec 8) in Rayners Lane with fly-tippers, rubbish dumpers and traders who block pavements among the main targets.

Environmental officers and the police once more joined forces for the latest in the series of week-long initiatives, which this time centres on the stretch of Rayners Lane close to Rayners Lane tube station. The busy thoroughfare is home to scores of traders and residents in flats.

Teams kicked off by removing graffiti, planting flowerbeds, and ensuring that busy pavements are not obstructed by boxes or shop stalls. Rear entrance roads to shops will also be checked to ensure food is kept in proper conditions.

Harrow Council has put up a series of posters promoting a clean and green message in Rayners Lane - ensuring one which warns fly-tippers that they could face a £50,000 fine for their selfish actions.

Harrow Council has carried out 10 weeks of action since the scheme kicked off in October 2007. More are already schemed in for 2009.

Cllr Susan Hall, Harrow Council's portfolio holder for environment services, said: "Fly-tipping and graffiti dumping are eyesores which can really drag an area down.

"All the weeks of action are designed to be intensive clean-ups. But they also become the start of a relationship for some residents with the council, or the Safer Neighbourhood Teams, and they are designed to show local people that Harrow is getting better - starting with the streets they live on."

Are you a top puzzler, the pride of your local pub quiz team?

We are looking for people to set quizzes, crosswords and puzzles to be published in the Observer series in our New Year edition.

If you would like to set a puzzle or quiz for our readers please email davidtilley@trinitysouth.co.uk, write to Harrow Observer series, Gazette House, 28 Bakers Road, Uxbridge, UB8 1RG, or visit our website www.harrowobserver.co.uk

Closing date for submissions is December 19.

A street corner pub in South Harrow that hosts live bands has been denied permission to open later into the night.

Pints can normally be pulled at The Shawl in Northolt Road until 11pm - with the doors closing half an hour later - but its owner applied to Harrow Council to be able to serve booze up to 11.30pm Monday to Thursday, to 1am Friday and Saturday and 12 midnight on Sunday, including 30 minutes drinking up time each day.

However, a council officer rejected the proposal under delegated powers on November 25 on the grounds "it would result in increased disturbance and general activity at unsocial hours to the detriment of the amenities of neighbouring properties".

Five complaints had been received by local residents including one from David and Jean Marling, of Valentine Road, who, as the neighbours closest to the pub, observed: "The level of noise we have suffered over the past years, despite three changes of various owners and managers, was, and still is, totally unacceptable.

"There is no sound proofing or beat-cancelling equipment, and the doors are not kept shut, especially in the summer.

"Since pubs open seven days a week, there's no such thing as an early night."

The Shawl has operated since 1995, when the original owners won planning permission on appeal to convert a former carpet shop into a boozer, with strict trading conditions imposed because of its residential location.

A similar bid for an extension to the hostelry's open times was turned down by the council in August 2006.

A Wealdstone park could be in line for a major makeover, but only if it proves its popularity with your help.

Byron Recreation Ground in Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone, is one of 47 of the capital's green spaces vying for one of 10 £400,000 grants to be dished out by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

A two-month public vote is being held to decide the winners, with the two parks with the most nominations from each of five sub-regions earning the cash. In addition, experts will help Mr Johnson pick one entry to receive the top prize, a £2million regeneration package.

Mr Johnson said: "I urge residents of Harrow to use their vote so the most deserving parks in the capital benefit from 10 hefty prizes.

"This investment will make the capital's open spaces cleaner, safer, greener and more enjoyable places for Londoners to use.

"Parks provide a free place for families to enjoy time out and often simple improvements such as better play areas and improved lighting can make a real difference in making parks much more attractive and safer for people to use."

You can vote for Byron Recreation Ground by:
logging on to www.london.gov
.uk/parksvote
texting 'parks' and your postcode to 62967 (texts will cost 10p plus your standard network rate)
requesting a postal vote by calling City Hall's Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.

Voting closes on January 30 and the winners will be announced by Mr Johnson the following month, with the prizes distributed during the next four years.

Harrow Councillor Susan Hall (Conservative), portfolio holder for environment and community services, said: "As the recession bites Harrow's parks remain a vital part of our community, giving individuals and families a place to relax and have fun.

"I would like to urge the people of Harrow to vote for Bryon Park today. Get your friends, family, neighbours to join in as this cash injection will make a massive difference to the park's facilities."

Isabel Dedring, the Mayor's director of environment, explained: "The money's not just about ongoing maintenance costs, which boroughs cover at the moment, it's about capital investment: new playgrounds, new planting, new flowerbeds."

Mr Johnson said the £6m prize fund had been created by pulling money out of previous mayor Ken Livingstone's publicity budget.

Two empty floors of a mixed-use block in Northolt Road, South Harrow, could become flats like the remainder of the building, if building firm Bellway Homes gets its way.

Harrow Council will decide if the ground and first floors of Raebarn House can be converted into one one-bed, six two-bed and two three-bed apartments.