Southfield Park Triangle Residents' Association Summer Party

Each summer there is one afternoon I hope the weather stays sunny and somehow each year it tends to be pretty much perfect.

On Saturday 20th June, there was the Annual Summer Party, where some of the local residents meet and chat whilst enjoying barbecued food, Pimms, local baked cakes and the children can have their faces painted,

The event is organised by the wonderfully active Southfield Park Triangle Residents' Association who combine the raising of important local matters with the Council and local Councillors, as well as ensuring social events take place - helping local residents to have fun and to get to know each other.

Myself and Gary Busuttil concentrating!

I have been lucky to be one of the four responsible for the BBQ-ing. So many burgers and sausages were ate. People often coming back for me. When I was cooking, I was joined by fellow ward Councillor Gary Busuttil who before coming a Councillors worked professionally as a cook!

There was also a kiddies arts & crafts area whilst a magician entertained the parents.

I baked a fruity cake to add to the many cakes on the bake stall. From my tasting I think Chiswick should have a Bake-Off  itself! So many of the cakes looks, smelt and tasted wonderful.

Also present were the local police team who chatted to residents, giving a combination of crime prevention advice as well as listening to many residents who had lots of questions. We are lucky in Southfield that the local police team want to be present at lots of community meetings. I think it is one reason why the crime rate in the area is low as many residents have learnt tips on reducing crime.

The bake stall!

The credit for organising the event should be given to Suzanne Tanswell and the great team of over twenty volunteers who helped before the day or on the day itself.

Days like these show me why all areas should have active and social residents' associations.

It was great as well to speak to so many people who have so many diverse backgrounds and come from different parts of the world.

People make great events and yesterday there were so many hardworking, community minded people. It was a pleasure to have been asked to help and meet so many great people.

Lastly let me thank Suzanne Tanswell who (as well as organising lots of things) took some lovely photographs including the ones in this blogpost. The  Chiswick David Bailey!

An expanded Heathrow will mean an unacceptable level of noise and air pollution

When it was announced that the Davies Commission will report its findings after the recent General Election it sounded like an excuse to allow a new government to implement change without much legitimacy.

As it currently stands, of the main parties, only the Liberal Democrats are against expanding Heathrow. This is at a local, a regional and a national level.

We believe that an expanded Heathow would bring an unacceptable level of noise and air pollution to Ealing.

Myself seven years ago at Downing Street

The Liberal Democrats in government have been pioneers of investing in increasing more sustainable methods of travel like HS2 and Crossrail. We believe that Councils and the government should do more to encourage cycling.

The Davies Commission is about to make recommendations into expanding air capacity in London and a Conservative Government (or Labour if they had got in) will sadly be inclined to support this proposal.

I suspect that the Conservatives will press ahead with Heathrow expansion.

We hear constantly about triple glazing and quieter planes but we have seen more flights in total and more night flights. The cost of triple glazing millions of properties would not be feasible and the airlines will do anything to avoid this.

We need to think more about the health of our children. The schools I visited in Hounslow had children kept inside due to noise from the planes flying frequently overhead.

Air pollution does not have regard to borough boundaries and so Heathrow generated air pollution will harm us all in London.

That is why retaining Heathrow and not expanding it, is the only option for Ealing and West London.

We need to gather ourselves to stop the government from expanding Heathrow. The health of children in Ealing depends on it.