Southfield has been greened but it can be even greener!

Over the past few years the local Southfield Councillors have had access to a small budget to spend on local schemes in Chiswick.

Liberal Democrats have always made efforts to not just support charitable organisations that provide help and advice for those with caring needs, but to also promote environmental projects to brighten up the area.

Photo credit: Jon Perry

Some of the projects included:

• Improvement of our three main parks which all now have Green Flag status!
• Wild meadow planted on Southfield Rec
• Over a hundred new street trees planted
• Nest boxes for swifts
• Plant beds on Southfield Rec and Acton Green
• Winning a Council recycling award after we promoted the benefits of recycling
• Greener lighting
• Successfully stopped the Conservative party from relocating the 94 bus terminus to Shepherds Bush meaning we would lose a vital bus service
• Many bus stops are now disability friendly
• Cycle training for children and adults
• Bike racks installed to help support our local shops
• Bike racks expanded opposite Turnham Green station
• Bike Hangers installed so that residents can store their cycles safely overnight at low cost
• Agreed to Car club bays to help give alternatives to those who want to give up their cars

Of course this is a good start but in seeking re-election Southfield’s three Liberal Democrat Councillors look to make more improvements to the area. Some of the key improvements we seek include:

• Much greater number of electric charging points
• Better recycling so it is free and better promoted
• Piccadilly Line tubes stopping at Turnham Green
• Better access for those with disabilities at our tube and rail stations

In the up-coming local elections which take place on 3rd May 2018 I look forward to how we can discuss more ideas from residents about how our area can be improved.

No one believes Council's figures on street cleanliness

One of the large volume of topics that residents raise with me, in my councillor’s post bag, is the large numbers of missed collections of kitchen waste.

In Southfield, residents saw, when the wheelie bins rolled in - like Daleks – dirty streets and a huge number of missed collections of their household waste. Since then kitchen waste has not been collected as often as it should be.

Sometimes the same person has missed their collection for many consecutive weeks. Other times whole streets are missed.

From a resident who comments recently the contractor said they did not collect the waste because the resident’s gate was closed (not locked, just closed!) Given the Council is allowing the contractor to get away with such a poor level of service a positive future is not likely.

Liberal Democrats believe that how clean our streets are and how the contractor is performing should be more transparent. The facts published by Ealing Council often are always a positive gloss on the reality of what is happening in our streets.

One weekend the Southfield Liberal Democrats found over 400 environmental faults and issues. At a similar time the Council said things were fine!

Given this I am challenging the Council’s portfolio holder, responsible for rubbish issues, to visit Southfield ward and see for himself. Cynically I expect him to prime the contractors first (so they can buck their ideas up in the short term) but let’s hope he and the contractors learn a few lessons about the need to keep our streets clean.

Liberal Democrats say that if the portfolio holder refuses an invitation for a visit, then nobody can really respect him. I say that he should clean all 100 or so streets in Southfield until residents are satisfied!