Lib Dem Councillors Celebrate 30 years of the Gunnersbury Triangle

I was lucky enough to attend the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve on Bollo Lane recently.

Fellow local Southfield Councillor Andrew Steed was also present. Despite there being a large set of flats next door the wildlife reserve gives a great chance for kids to learn about nature in this hidden beauty off Bollo Lane.

The two mayors cutting the special cake

We were lucky to have the Mayors of both Hounslow and Ealing to cut the cake which was baked by a volunteer of the Triangle.

I still regret the time when the flats which now overlook the reserve, was approved after a Conservative Councillor in Ealing voted for the development.

Wildlife experts were against the building of those flats including David Bellamy.


A fun afternoon was had, despite the rain!

Councillor Andrew Steed and I with the two local mayors

Southfield Ward Forum update - including a sad Carlton Road day centre update

Despite the rain and the cold weather, it was a wonderful Southfield Ward Forum meeting in St Albans Church. Since the church was saved from being converted into a number of luxury flats we looked forward to using the venue for public meetings.

The meeting was kicked off by  Rev Mike Tufnell who updated residents of future events to be held in the large church. Although I am not religious, churches like St Albans are amazing places due to the arhitecture and the stained glass windows. The next Ward Panel meeting that will take place in the church we hope to be in the Summer.

St Albans Church before the meeting

There were a number of topics we discussed...

Closure of the Carlton Road Day Centre
I announced that in the Summer it is likely that the centre will close, although the exact timings is not known. This will be a sad end to a great service the Council runs very well. Despite a huge campaign last week the Labour run Ealing Council decided that they did not want to look at the alternatives which Liberal Democrat Councillors put forward.

These would have allowed the day centre to stay open. Labour Councillors who voted to close it should be ashamed of themselves. The users are the most vulnerable as they are severely physically disabled. When the day centre shuts the Council wishes to sell off the site probably to build expensive homes and not affordable units.

I pay tribute to the staff at the Day Centre who will shortly lose their jobs, and thank all those residents who tried in vain to stop Labour closing the day centre. Southfield Councillor Gary Busuttil has been active on this and so I give a special thanks to his hard work and dedication.

Thames Water Sewage problems continue
Don Tanswell, chair of the Southfield Park Triangle Residents' Association, updated the meeting about the ongoing issues due to the lack of effective emptying of the storage tanks near to Hatfield Road, when it rains.

It appears that lots of good evidence has been taken and Ealing Council might be in a position to take legal action to get Thames Water to either fix the issue or install roofs on the six tanks.

Ward Forum Budget
We agreed to...

• Plant 13 trees around the Beaconsfield Road area which will replace 13 that are to be felled due to problems they have caused residents in the area.
• Consider funding a couple of small arts events in Chiswick and Acton.
• Install an additional cycle rack near the 94 bus terminus.
• Improve the cycling facilities and improve Acton Green by installing a Brompton Cycle Hire unit near where the large bins near Turnham Green Station which had attracted lots of dumped waste. Also new cycle racks will be added near to the taxi rank and a section of the path will be converted into grass to improve the environment. Much of this work has come from the hard work by Councillor Andrew Steed.

The church's drum set!

Neighbourhood Watch
In Southfield we have 51 Neighbourhood Watch reps who help to reduce crime by informing their neighbours of crimes the police have informed them of. Some also check up on vulnerable residents in their area to see that they are fit and well. The reps do as much or as little as they can do - some take on ten houses and others a whole street. Some insurance companies offer discounts to home and contents insurance as a Neighbourhood Watch scheme often reduces crime!

The police want more people to help our and so please email me using gary.malcolm@ealing.gov.uk if you want to know more information or you want me to speak to the local police team so they can arrange for you to become a Neighbourhood Watch rep. At the meeting one person said she was interested!

Next Ward Forum meetings - put them in your diary!
The next four ward forums (venues to be confirmed) will start at 7.30 pm on these dates:

• Wed 10th June 2015
• Wed 9th September 2015
• Wed 9th December 2015
• Wed 9th March 2016

Liberal Democrats remain intact after tough local election campaign

It was certainly a tough local election campaign. So many leaflets delivered, so many people spoken to and so many roads walked on. And pairs of shoes (and legs) worn out!

Me with new Councillor Gary Busuttil and Andrew Steed

Thankfully the Southfield and Ealing Common ward Liberal Democrat Councillors retained their seats as the Tories were punished. The number of Conservative councillors was halved.

Gary Busuttil topped the poll in his first election in Southfield! Well done Gary as you have been a great local campaigner. So many people agreed with the campaign you led to stop the Council from closing day centres.

In Southfield ward three Liberal Democrat councillors were returned with an increased share of the vote compared to four years ago.

Further west in Ealing Common, Councillor Jon Ball was re-elected and there was nearly a second Liberal Democrat councillor elected, but Jenni Hollis missed out narrowly. They worked so hard and with all elections some great people miss out.

Ealing Council's CEO announcing the Southfield result

The only Lib Dem loss was in Elthorne where the energetic and hardworking Councillor, Nigel Bakhai, lost his seat to Labour as voters across Ealing turned their anger mainly on the Ealing Conservative party.

The Conservatives lost 12 councillors and their leader has since stepped down.

The Liberal Democrats locally have avoided what some said would be a wipe-out because we work locally and have policies that will help the residents of Ealing. Protecting vulnerable residents from the impact of any cuts is one of our top priorities, for instance protecting the vulnerable users of Carlton Road Day Centre.

The next four years will be interesting and difficult but the 69 Councillors who were elected (30 new ones) only a few days ago, need to get on and do the job to help their resdients.