Riverside CPZ Moves To Next Phase
Local councillor Sam Hearn writes a blog about his week
Friday 28th September: Late this afternoon a briefing
note from officers on the results of the latest Riverside CPZ consultation
plopped into my email in-box. I am a little surprised to find streets
in which no resident has responded. Residents living on private estates
are against any CPZ scheme but then the scheme consulted on specifically
excludes them from membership of the scheme. I will discuss the briefing
note with colleagues before meeting representatives of the Traffic Department
to discuss next steps.
An enjoyable evening spent listening to Nashville singer song writer Stephen
Simmons and his friend David Coleman perform at St Paul’s Church, Grove
Park. It was the opening gig of their UK tour. The thoughtful lyrics and
polished musicality would surely have won over the most trenchant critic
of country music.
Saturday 29th September: Reviewed the action plan that Hounslow Highways sent through on Thursday listing items recorded during the HH Wardabout that Cllr Giles and I participated in. Responded to more enquiries from residents about the CPZ consultation.
Sunday 30th September: Back to St Paul’s Church for a rehearsal for the “A Simple Soldier Boy” concert. Good to see that even at this relatively early stage things are coming together. The event will be largely a repeat of the hugely well received 2014 concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. I sneak out to pick up my wife from Heathrow T5. It is wonderful to live so close to an international airport but I regularly find myself awakened at 4.30 am to the reverberating rumble of an incoming jet.
Monday 1st October: I try to decide what to do with a sad case being reported to me from a ward further west. The standard protocol is to copy in the councillors representing that ward but there is always a temptation to wade in. Ultimately, I follow to the advice that I give to new councillors of only stepping over ward boundaries in extremis. I recently forwarded on casework to an Ealing Councillor. Once you have been a councillor for a while it is hard to remember that for most people ward and borough boundaries do not exist.
Tuesday 2nd October: Pick up copies of the responses submitted by individuals who wish to be considered for the Group Political Assistant role. Prepare for tomorrow’s meetings. Run off a couple of papers for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Wednesday 3rd October: Run through the CVs with Head
of Democratic Services and agree the date for interviews. Next a meeting
with Traffic Management to discuss the briefing note on the CPZ consultation
and what the next steps should be. The decision will not be formally published
until the end of October (more bureaucracy). In the meantime work will
begin immediately on the detailed measuring and planning for the next
stage of the consultation.
The Officers recommendations are well thought out and easy to agree. We
debate whether residents of private estates should be able to buy CPZ
parking permits. On balance we agree that previous experience suggests
that this would be a good idea. A paper on the CPZ consultation will come
to the next Chiswick Area Forum on 13th November.
I attend the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as an observer. Watch the new members of the Committee finding their feet. Cllrs Mushiso and Biddolph dip their toes in the water. The presentation on the Council’s finances was shocking but not unfamiliar. The failure of the previous administration to deliver promised efficiency savings and cuts e.g. recycling, are coming home to roost. It will be hard to deliver a balanced budget for 2019/20 without hard cuts. The overspends against this year’s budget are sadly predictable and hard to mitigate in year.
Thursday 4th October: Work on the Local Authority Boundary Committee grinds on and a notice from Democratic Services about a meeting on the 17th focuses my thoughts. Some Local Authorities have opted for fewer councillors but none of the Hounslow Councillors think that this idea has much to recommend it.
Date for the Diary: Next meeting the Chiswick Area Forum Tuesday 13th November 7.00pm at Chiswick Town Hal.
‘A Simple Soldier Boy’ two performances on the 11th November - 4.30pm and 7.30pm. Details eventbrite.co.uk search for Simple Soldier Boy.
Cllr Sam Hearn
October 21, 2018
