8/3/2019 News Bulletin from Greg Hands M.P. #322
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Subject: NewsBulletinfromGregHandsM.P.#322
Date: Friday,23December201114:17:51UnitedKingdomTime
From: GregHandsM.P.
To: [email protected]
In this edition:
Greg Hands M.P.s DiaryWebsite of the Week:New simplified way
ofresponding to Super SewerconsultationPhoto news:Christmas Post
2011Simplified form for
Super Sewer consultation make your voice heardnow!Local Carnwath
Roadbusiness Hitchcock & Kingadds voice to Super
SewerobjectionsHighlights of Governmentachievements in
2011Hammersmith and FulhamLeader to stand downK&C wins Loo of
the Year
awardWhat's going on in K&Clibraries?Rogue builder hit
withrecord fineLocal TV for London movesa step closerHands in the
papers:Tory MP Hands preaches atax-free sermonHow to contactGreg
Hands M.P.
Issue 322 Friday 23rd December 2011
Photo: Florence Cathedral (La Basilica di Santa Maria del
Fiore)in the snow, December 2010. Photo by Greg Hands.
Since the last edition, Greg:
Was a guest reader at the Fulham community carol service atAll
Saints Church, Fulham. Gregs appearance attracted anunlikely and
rather inaccurate write-up in the Mail on Sundaynewspaper, see
below.
Welcomed heartily Hammersmith & Fulham Councilsdecision to
cut Council Tax again, for the fifth year, by thistime a record
3.75%. The Royal Borough is expected tofreeze Council Tax next
year.
Took on a tour of the House of Commons an 8 year old
Fulham boy who had had his bicycle stolen on his birthday,as a
way of softening the blow.
Welcomed representatives of the Royal Brompton Hospital,Chelsea,
to the House of Commons, for an update on thehospitals campaign to
preserve childrens heart surgery.
Visited Royal Mails Fulham Delivery Office on FulhamRoad to see
the Christmas post being sorted, organised anddispatched.
Attended the Christmas party of the Italian embassy. Assisted in
unsuccessful Conservative Party efforts to win the
Feltham & Heston by-election. The victorious
(Labour)candidate was at least a Chelsea resident.
Welcomed the new Taiwanese Ambassador in London, DrShen, to the
House of Commons for talks on UK-Taiwanrelations. Taiwan is a
beacon of democracy and free marketsin East Asia.
Attended the annual business lunch of the ConservativeFriends of
Israel, in central London, with guest speaker, RtHon George Osborne
M.P.
Had a full schedule of activity as a Government Whip in
andaround the chamber of the House of Commons, includingministerial
meetings and organising votes and standingcommittees.
Conducted a surgery for local Chelsea and Fulham
residents at Fulham Town Hall. Gregs surgeries aregenerally
weekly, and held weekly, at either Fulham TownHall or Peter Jones,
Sloane Square. To make anappointment, email [email protected] or
telephone 0207219 5448.
Website of the Week:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/fulhamsewer
The new simplified way of completing Thames WatersSuper Sewer
consultation. See story below for details.
It is vital that ALL local residents respond to theconsultation
and give the projects proposed Fulhammain drive site the thumbs
down.
Photo news:
Christmas Post 2011
Greg Hands MP with Douglas Brammer, the Royal Mail's
FulhamDelivery Office manager, sorting the Christmas post for
SW6.
Simplified form for Super Sewer
consultation make your voice
heard now!Greg Hands M.P. has praised local residents groups and
the ownersof Hurlingham & Whiffen Wharf and Carnwath Road
Industrial Estate,who have worked together to produce a simplified
version of theSuper Sewer consultation form.Many of those
completing Thames Waters online form have found itconfusing and
excessively long. This independent version is muchmore
straightforward and asks a series of simple questions about
theCarnwath Road site. It has been reviewed by legal experts to
ensurethat anyone using it has their views counted in exactly the
same way
as those filling in the official form. On completion, the
organisers sendthe form directly to Thames Water.All residents can
respond using the simplified online form here:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/fulhamsewerA two-page hardcopy version is
also being circulated with a freepostaddress. The closing date for
the consultation is 10 February 2012.Commenting, Greg Hands M.P.
said: The only way to stop ThamesWater is for us to say No. Silent
opposition will be ignored if youwant to save Carnwath Road, you
have to respond to the consultation.
Lots of constituents have told me they find the official
websitecomplicated. This is a fantastic initiative by local
residents to make the
process easier, by breaking it down to the essentials. You dont
needa degree in engineering to know that a close-knit residential
area isthe wrong place for massive excavation works.I know that
many people are intending to respond, but havent gotaround to it
yet. This new form makes it easy please do it now.
Local Carnwath Road businessHitchcock & King adds voice
to
Super Sewer objectionsLocal Carnwath Road basedbuilding and
timber merchantsHitchcock & King Ltd have addedtheir voice to
the growing list ofobjectors to Thames WatersSuper Sewer.Hitchcock
& King is a well-
established family business whichhas been trading in
theHammersmith & Fulham boroughfor over sixty years,
includingtwenty three years at CarnwathRoad. They employ a total of
85people.In a letter to Greg Hands, DirectorRichard Hitchcock says,
In a
period of extremely difficulteconomic circumstances,
ThamesWaters proposed development would threaten the employment
of
hundreds of people in the area. This is the inevitable
consequence ofattempting to undertake such a project in relatively
central part ofLondon.I cannot understand why Thames Water would
consider such a
project in this area, surrounded by homes, schools and
businesses.The proposal would cause substantial disruption to the
lives ofthousands of people.You can click on the image to see the
full letter.
Highlights of Government
achievements in 2011
Steered Britain through the global debt storm. Cut income tax
for 25 million people. Biggest increase in the State Pension since
1948. Cut fuel duty, saving 10p per litre compared to Labour.
Funded a second year of Council Tax freezes. Introduced a permanent
levy on the banks. Took steps to get credit flowing to small
businesses. More doctors and fewer managers in the NHS. Better
access to life-extending cancer drugs. Saved billions cutting
Whitehall waste on contracts, IT
projects, etc.
Capped Housing Benefit to stop excessive payments. Many more
good school places, including 24 new Free
Schools.
Introduced tough new powers on school discipline. Largest ever
increase in the Child Tax Credit. New housing programme to help
people onto the ladder. Stood up for Britain in Europe and
introduced the EU
Referendum Lock.
Led international efforts to support the Libyan people.
Hammersmith and Fulham Leaderto stand downThe Leader of
Hammersmith & Fulham Council (H&F) seen bymany as one the
most influential council leaders in the country hasannounced that
he intends to stand down.
Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, who has been leader since 2006,
hasoverseen a council that is on track to reduce council tax five
times outof six while cutting its historic debt burden in
half.During that period resident satisfaction increased to a record
level,H&F was given the highest score possible by the Audit
Commissionfor the quality of services and the borough won the
prestigious LGC'Council of the Year' award in 2010.Standing down
will enable Cllr Greenhalgh to focus on how todecentralise power
from the town hall and Whitehall to theneighbourhood so that local
public services are more accountable tolocal people.He is helping
to pioneer plans for a Neighbourhood Budget for theWhite City
Opportunity Area. Nearly 70 million of taxpayers funds or 17,000
per household is spent in this area every year. Despitethis
unemployment is twice the borough average, the area has highlevels
of overcrowding, relatively low educational attainment
andrelatively high levels of crime. H&F wants to pool central
and localgovernment's spending into a single budget pot, involve
residents farmore in how that money is spent and ensure that every
penny isfocused on improving the life chances of the people living
there.He said: I am keen work with Whitehall and the town hall to
develop a
new approach to public spending at a neighbourhood level
whilecontinuing to serve the residents of Town Ward where I both
live andwork,"he said.I do not think the people of White City are
getting value for money outof that 70 million, nor do I think are
wider taxpayers, said CllrGreenhalgh. I want to focus that money on
getting much betteroutcomes for people living there and ensuring
that the neighbourhoodis fully involved in how that money is
spent.He went on to say: Being leader of the council is a
remarkablechallenge which I have been thrilled to have taken on. I
am immenselygrateful for the energy and professionalism of my
fellow councillors
and staff in making possible such a radical transformation of
thecouncil over the last five years.We can be so proud of what we
have achieved in becoming such aninfluential, trail blazing
council. From cutting tax to paying off debt, towidening choice in
schools and housing, from fighting crime to acleaner environment we
have blazed the trail. We have been theguiding star by which other
councils seek to navigate. I am confidentthat our course is firmly
established for the future."Recently H&F, Westminster City
Council and the Royal Borough ofKensington and Chelsea announced
plans to combine services and
management costs to save 33.4 million-a-year across the
threeareas by 2014/15.Another part of that reform, is seeing
H&F on course to reduce itsaccommodation footprint by half
which has been a major contributor tothe Councils ambition to
reduce its historic 176 million debt burdento 78 million by 2014,
saving local taxpayers 9.1 million a year indebt payments.H&F
has some of the cleanest streets in London, six of its parks
havebeen given the national accolade of 'Green Flag' status and
theCouncil pioneered spending on round-the-clock town centre
police.This year saw educational attainment reach its highest
levels ever
with the best ever GCSE results, three new schools opening and
H&Fbeing placed as the top borough for the number of children
going toleading universities.Local M.P. Greg Hands led the tributes
to Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh:As he announces a fourth year of Council
Tax cuts, Stephen hasannounced that he is going to pass on the
torch of the leadership ofHammersmith & Fulham Council. I am
very proud of the amazing jobhe has done over five years. In 2007,
he was the first politician inmany years at any level of government
to cut taxes, in what was amajor achievement that has now been
emulated by others. StephenGreenhalgh will leave a powerful legacy
of tax-cutting, creatingefficiency and never being deflected from
doing what is right. I wishhim all the best in his future
roles.Cllr Nick Botterill, Deputy Leader of H&F Council, said:
I hope many
people across H&F and beyond will want to thank Stephen for
histireless dedication to this borough and to local
government.Thankfully, he will still continue to play a major role
through his workwith the community in White City.It is extremely
difficult simultaneously to cut taxes, improve servicesand reduce
the debt burden and yet that is just what Stephen hasdone at
H&F. He has lifted the spectre of debts from futuregenerations
of residents - there can be no higher accolade than that.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government,
EricPickles, said: Stephen has been an outstanding council leader.
Healways understood that the role of the council was to stand
shoulderto shoulder with the public. People in Hammersmith &
Fulham aregetting a better service at a much cheaper price.
Hammersmith andFulham is truly a council to be proud of.Boris
Johnson, the Mayor of London, declared: "Stephen has made
afantastic contribution to local government over very many
years."
K&C wins Loo of the Year awardTwo newly refurbished public
toilets that serve Portobello andGolborne Road markets have won
five awards in the 2011 'Loo of theYear Awards'.The toilets, at
Bevington Road and Talbot Road, were refurbished bythe Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and reopened forpublic use this
year.Talbot Road toilet was judged to be the National Category
Winner inEngland for Full Time Attended Public Toilets.
The toilets scooped two of 240 Local Authority Public Toilet
Five StarAwards, one each for Talbot Road and Bevington Road.The
attendants at both facilities were rated as five star.Councillor
Nick Paget-Brown, Cabinet Member for the Environment,said: "I am
very pleased that these excellent public toilets have
beenrecognised nationally in the Loo of the Year Awards."
What's going on in K&C libraries?Next year an exciting range
of events for people of all ages arecoming to the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea's libraries.As part of the Bloomsbury
season, historians and novelists will give arare insight into their
latest works through a series of special talks.The programme kicks
off on Thursday 12 January with Anna Reiddelving into the history
of Stalinist Russia by discussing her bookLeningrad: Tragedy of a
City under Siege.In March critically acclaimed author Lady Antonia
Fraser comes toKensington Central Library to discuss her most
recent book Must YouGo? which celebrates her life with Harold
Pinter.BBC Correspondents Richard Hamilton and Mark Harper will
also beon hand in March to discuss their latest books and answer
questionsabout their experiences as foreign
correspondents.Throughout February there will also be a number of
fun events forchildren and families, including a workshop to
celebrate the ChineseNew Year, a cartoon workshop and a mask making
session.Tickets are on sale in all of the borough's libraries and
are priced at 5(3 concessions). Payments by credit or debit card
can be made via
Librariesline on 020 7361 3010. Events for children, young
people andfamilies are free.For a full list of events please visit
www.rbkc.gov.uk/libraries.
Rogue builder hit with record fineA rogue builder who turned a
quiet street in an historic conservationarea into a building site
after knocking down his house withoutconsent is now more than
500,000 worse off after being taken to
court by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.Piers Rance of
Cloncurry Street, Fulham, was fined 120,000 atIsleworth Crown Court
today (Dec 13) 40,000 more than theprevious highest fine for
similar offences in the UK.He was also told to pay the councils
legal costs of around 100,000and will have to meet his own costs,
said to be around 300,000 - tomake the eye-watering total of more
than half a million pounds.Conservation areas are designated for
their special architectural andhistoric interest and anyone wishing
to demolish a building needs toobtain permission from the council
before going ahead with the work.
Rance failed to do this breaching planning law and causing
hisneighbours considerable distress in the process.Cllr Nick
Botterill, H&F Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member forEnvironment,
said: "Rance showed absolutely no consideration for hisneighbours
or planning law by demolishing this house in aconservation area.
Most people in this borough realise that theiractions impact on
others, but Rance did not care and did whatever hewanted.The
colossal fine that Rance has been hit with is 40,000 more thanthe
previous highest record fine and reflects how serious his
offencesare. While we are keen to create a borough of opportunity
andwelcome responsible development, people simply cannot take
matterslike this into their own hands."Rance had submitted a
planning application to the council in April2007 to extend his
house on Cloncurry Street, Fulham, which includedthe excavation of
a new basement underneath the house, but beforethe council could
make a decision on whether or not to grant planningpermission for
these extensions, Rance had torn down the house andalready begun
digging out a new basement area.Rance claimed that the building
needed to be demolished as it was in
a state of collapse but in his appeal trial, which took place in
October,Judge Denniss did not accept this defence stating that it
wasextremely unlikely that Mr Rance would have purchased a property
for2.2million without carrying out a structural survey unless he
alwayshad the intention of demolishing it for financial gain.
Local TV for London moves a step closerThis week Ofcom published
its proposals for awarding the first roundof local TV licences.
They are consulting on these proposals and are
seeking views on: The 20 areas where we propose to award the
first round of
licences
The process and criteria for awarding licences The conditions we
should include in the licences
One of the areas where Ofcom propose to licence local TV is
London.They would be keen to hear from people with particular views
aboutlocal TV in their area.Background
Ofcom has been asked by the government to licence the
spectrumand the stations for local TV services. Last year, they
identified 65locations where local TV would be technically
possible. Subsequently,the government announced last week the first
20 areas where localTV may be licensed. The government has since
laid three Ordersbefore Parliament that, if they enter force, would
create a statutoryframework for local TV, including a direction to
Ofcom to reservespectrum for these services.Ofcom are consulting on
how to award two types of licenses: one setof local area licences
which will allow operators to set up local TVstations in 20
locations in the UK. The other type of licence would beawarded to a
multiplex operator for providing the masts andtransmission
equipment to broadcast into peoples homes acrossthese
locations.
The proposals in this consultation are subject to the three
Ordersbeing passed by Parliament.What are Ofcom proposing?Ofcom
propose to licence local TV services for 12 years, initially in
thefollowing areas: Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove,
Bristol, Cardiff,Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool,
London, Manchester,Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford,
Plymouth, Preston,
Southampton and Swansea.If the successful multiplex operator is
able to provide coveragebeyond these 20 locations, then local TV
services could be extendedto cover more areas in the UK and would
form a second phase oflicensing.How were these areas chosen?These
areas were chosen from a list of places where it is
technicallypossible to provide local TV coverage. Ofcom also
consideredwhether there is interest in providing a local TV service
in the area,evidence of strong local demand, as well as trying to
cover a spread
of the UK and ensuring a mix of different sized stations.They
are seeking peoples views on the areas we propose to licenceand are
particularly keen to hear from anyone interested in setting upa
local TV station in their area. These initial 20 areas may
therefore besubject to change, depending on the responses they
receive.How will we assess licence applications?Ofcom will assess
all applications against the statutory criteria setdown by
Parliament, including: meeting the needs of an area,broadening the
range of programmes available, increasing local
programmes; and also the ability to maintain the proposed
service.Clear commitments to local content - including a
localnessrequirement that the studio from which the service will be
broadcast,and/or the main production base of the service, should be
locatedwithin the licensed area.Ofcom will invite applicants to
describe how their programming willserve the tastes and interests
of the target community, and broadenthe range of local services
available in the area. These programmingcommitments will be written
into the licence of the successfulapplicant, so that this becomes a
binding licence condition.
Sufficient provision of local news - although they are not
settingquantitative requirements, consider news to be the most
importanttype of local television content. As a guide, it is
unlikely that Ofcomwould consider less than one hour of news per
day to be tooburdensome for even the smallest licensee.Ofcom also
expect local TV services to engage with the localdemocratic
process. Applicants will have to consider whatprogramming they
propose to facilitate civic understanding and fairand well-informed
debate, through coverage of local news and currentaffairs.Financial
viability - Ofcom will ask applicants to submit a clearbusiness
plan and strategy, including financial information budgetsand
funding for set-up and the first three years of operation.Provision
of subtitling and sign language - like any TV broadcastservices,
local services will also need to comply with Ofcoms Code
onTelevision Access Services setting out the requirements on
subtitling,sign language and audio description (although they
anticipate thatmany will be exempt due to their audience
share).What next?Local TV services are likely to begin broadcasting
within 2-3 years of
being awarded a licence.
The consultation closes on 19th March 2012. Responses can
besubmitted via www.ofcom.org.uk or by writing to:
Licensing Local Television - Consultation ResponseRadio Content
and Broadcast LicensingOfcom,Riverside House2A Southwark Bridge
RoadLondon SE1 9HA
Click here to read Ofcoms full consultation.
Hands in the papers:
Tory MP Hands preaches
a tax-free sermonBlack Dog, Daily Mail
Saturday 17th December 2011Tory MP and Treasury aide Greg Hands
has been banned from
reading his usual Christmas sermon from St Lukes Gospel
aboutJoseph and Mary returning to Bethlehem to be taxed under
Romanlaw at All Saints Church in his Chelsea and Fulham
constituency.They said I put too much venom into the word taxed so
I have beengiven a more cuddly reading this year, says Greg. His
boss, GeorgeOsborne, would be proud.
Strict sermon: Hands (centre) will no longer be able to read
histraditional speech amidst concerns over his tone.
5 ways to contact Greg Hands M.P.:
By Phone: 020 7219 5448
By email: [email protected]
By post: Greg Hands M.P.House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA
In person: Click here for details of howto book an appointment
atGreg Hands M.P.s weeklysurgery
www.greghands.com
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Published & Promoted by Jonathan Fraser-Howells on behalf of
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