Noisy Planes? - Sleep Deprivation's Impact on Health

Just had the Monthly bulletin from Airport Watch (www.airportwatch.org.uk) with worrying research news.

"Some interesting new work by researchers at the University of Surrey indicates that sleep deprivation causes adverse effects on health due to disruption of gene activity. They were looking at sleep deprivation, rather than sleep disturbance (eg. from aircraft overhead) but the results are worrying, indicating negative effects on the immune system, and circadian rhythms, increasing stress, heart disease, obesity and type II diabetes. More  at http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=488"

999SOS Petition Update

Yesterday 240 people signed the petition against Boris' cuts to Emergency services in London at our street stall in Chiswick, and this followed stalls last weekend in Hounslow and Feltham - taking the total to almost 700 in just a few hours of activity.

I've never had such positive support from a street stall as we've been having over the last two Saturdays. Nearly everyone has had direct or indirect use of the Ambulance service, their local police station, or the Fire service so threats to these are deeply unpopular.  The campaign, launched by the London Assembly Labour group is resonating way beyond party boundaries, and is really bringing home the impact of Osborne's cuts and Boris Johnson's U-turn on his election promises of last year

Leafletting at Brentford Station

Yesterday I was one of hundreds of people across London taking part in Labour's 999SOS Day of Action to highlight deep cuts to London's frontline emergency services being forced through by the Conservatives.

The reception I had at Brentford station was positive - people are becoming increasingly aware of the cuts in police numbers and counters, in the closure of hospital facilities and the cuts to the ambulance service, and feel they are too far and too fast.

On the day the Mayor of London forced through his Budget which will mean deep, risky cuts to our 999 services, local campaigners were out early leafleting at tube and rail stations from Chiswick to Hounslow.

Labour members of  the London Assembly have a fully-costed plan which shows the money is there to keep frontline police stations open, and retain the Safer Neighbourhood teams..

Runway Closures - Noisier Nights until October for Many Thousands

Residents living under the landing path for Heathrow's northern runway won't get any night-time peace between March and October, as the resurfacing works are carried out on the southern runway.  All alternation will stop between 10.30pm and 6am, so those 16 flights coming in from 4.30 am will be overhead every day, every week until the autumn - there's a useful explanation on BrentfordTW8.com.

These next months will be a useful taster for what life would be like without that essential alternation pattern, practiced at the airport for decades and essential for making life bearable for the hundreds of thousands of residents living so close to the airport - in communities that were there long before the airport was even thought of (1944). 

Of course for those living under the approach to the southern runway, there'll be peaceful nights until the autumn, but no doubt Heathrow will need to resurface the northern runway next year!

Hounslow Council has been campaigning for years for decent mitigation for residents living near Heathrow.  Our lobbying ensured that the Civil Aviation Act of 2006 retained alternation and the restricted night flights regime, and the Government ensured additional bedroom noise insulation for thousands of homes.  With the current debate about the future airport capacity in the south-east, we continue to fight for the right to periods of peace and a quiet nights sleep for the noisiest communities in the UK.

BRENTFORD & FELTHAM POLICE STATIONS SET TO CLOSE - Chiswick Fire Station gets a (temporary?) reprieve

Brentford Police Station

999SOS London –  UPDATE

The safety of borough residents is at risk as a result of cuts to emergency services being pushed through by the Conservatives in Government and at City Hall.

.   

Brentford & Feltham Police stations are now set to close, and Chiswick station’s opening times scaled back to a weekday 9-5 service, as part of the Mayor of London’s  20% budget cuts.  Only Hounslow station will remain as a 24/7 service.  The Met suggest that the public can meet the police in cafes, supermarkets  and Council offices. There has been no consultation with the Council about these proposals.  Police counters provide safe space for the public - with an outer waiting area, going through to a separate space at the counter, protecting people from the waiting area.  This is particularly valuable for those in fear of attack when reporting crime to the police.  I cannot see how this can easily be replicated in shops and supermarkets.  Most shops are very tight for space, and supermarkets need flexibility in their space and may be reluctant to cover the cost.  These cuts are on top of force the loss of 90 Police and PCSOs and  concern about changes to the Safer Neighbourhood teams in the borough.

The  Met Police consultation on their proposals is  Wednesday, 6 February, 8pm at Hounslow Civic Centre       More details at www.london.gov.uk/policingevents

NHS: The London Ambulance Service has received a 19% cut.  A&E Services at Ealing, Charing Cross, Central Middlesex & Hammersmith hospitals are set to close, leaving West Mid with a 70% increase in its catchment area.  With further NHS cuts, will West Mid cope without longer waiting times?

Chiswick Fire Station has won a reprieve since Labour’s intervention, but it could remain at risk of closure.

The cumulative effect of these changes needs investigation say Labour members of  the London Assembly, to fully understand the local impacts of these cuts.  And we need to address the impact for our borough too.

We Stuck to our Pledge to Cut the Council Tax

Council Press Release - Council tax cut is a little extra help for residents in difficult times

Tue, 29 January 2013

Hounslow Council has announced it intends to cut council tax in 2013/14 by half a per cent, following a six-year freeze.
Hounslow is the only outer-London borough to announce a proposed cut in council tax, which Council Leader Jagdish Sharma has said will provide a little extra help to make ends meet for hard-pressed residents.

The borough also proposes to invest over £2 million in services, on top of the extra £2 million invested in 2012/13 in services such as child protection (£250,000) and improving Hounslow town centre.
The investment is balanced by a commitment to save £12.5 million in the next financial year through working more efficiently through new contracts, partnership working and a continued war on waste.
The council has over-delivered on its savings targets by £500,000, which enables the reduction of half a per cent off council tax bills.
For a band D household, the decrease is worth £5.45 a year (£9.17 including  the GLA’s proposed  decrease).
When the council tax freeze over the past six years is taken into account, and inflation is added into the equation, Hounslow residents are over £200 better off.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Jagdish Sharma, said every little extra piece of help would be important for those on low incomes.
He said: "This proposal is a small but welcome boost to individuals and families.
"We have managed to keep our pledge to reduce council tax by working hard to reduce our costs and be more efficient – but we are also protecting front-line services.
"Local government finances remain extremely uncertain but we are the highest performing part of the public sector – I hope that the government gets its own house in order before it takes any more money from efficient local authorities."
The council’s proposals for the coming financial year include savings of £12.5 million alongside investment plans.
Cllr Colin Ellar, the council’s deputy leader, highlighted the fact that while many councils were cutting and reducing, Hounslow was continuing to invest.
He said: "We are already putting investment where it is needed most, in services like child protection and also in securing the future of and improving important local amenities like Hounslow and Brentford Town Centre and Feltham Arenas.
"New contracts like Hounslow Highways will deliver better services and a better borough. Our libraries and leisure centres are safe from the axe.
"But the challenges remain – huge pressures on social housing, the impacts of welfare reform, and keeping our local economy as buoyant as possible."
Hounslow’s 2013/14 budget will be set at the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday 26 February.

Brentford Football Club on the Move

Brentford is acknowledged as being one of the friendliest league clubs, and Griffin Park as a ground with a real family atmosphere.  For the community immediately around the ground, the club is seen a wonderful community asset.  The irritation of not being able to park easily on match days is outweighed by the buzz of welcoming home and away supporters to the area - even for those of us who are not football fans and seldom attend a match.  Living on a road that takes people from the station to the stadium, we've never had trouble, and of course local shops pubs and restaurants benefit from the regular extra trade. 

But the club cannot stay - the ground is so tightly squeezed into its site that there is no space for decent catering outlets for the fans, let alone the conference and other income-generating space that a league club needs to keep its head above water financially.  We have known for years that they needed to move to a modern stadium and the Council, led by local Councillors, has been determined that the club stays local if at all possible.  The club secured a stake in the triangular site on Lionel Road, between the A4 and Kew Bridge Station, some years ago - but are only now in a position to move forward on a development scheme.  It's currently a mix of uses including a waste transfer station.

Their initial plans - not yet submitted as a planning application, are now available.  You can see them on-line at www.brenfordcommunitystadium.com - or visit the exhibition at Griffin Park (Braemar Road entrance) on the 17th 18th and 19th January (more details below).  Their intention is to provide, not only a home for the club and maybe a rugby team, but also a home for the Community Sports Trust which delivers so many activities for young people across west London.  There will of course have to be "enabling" development  which is needed to pay for the cost of a new 20,000 seater stadium.

People have asked me what is happening to Griffin Park.  The club already have planning permission (the application number is p/2012/0026) to redevelop the site for housing and public open space - and this will help fund the new development. 

Many in Brentford will be sad to see the club move from Griffin Park, right in the heart of the community - but we know that if it's to survive, it has to move to a modern stadium. If it can do this on the edge of the town, that will be the best thing for the survival of our local club.

The Pre-Planning Submission Consultation Exhibition, where the plans will be on show and members of the development team on hand to discuss the plans and answer local residents’ questions will be taking place at the following times and dates, all at Griffin Park, (Braemar Road entrance)   Thursday 17th January, 5:30pm - 8:30pm;  Friday 18th, 1 - 5pm

    Saturday 19th, 9:30am - 12noon