Tories had no respect for public
NO MATTER matter what my personal political beliefs are, I agree with Conservative Cllr Camilla Bath, who emphasises the importance of respect towards each other in politics, no matter what party they belong to.
I believe that it is through this respect for each other, politicians can represent and address the concerns of the people of Harrow together.
However, any respect I had for the Conservative leadership was shaken at a cabinet meeting on June 20, due to the constant barrage of heckling and abuse from the Conservative shadow cabinet towards public questioners and portfolio holders.
As a local young person, I could not believe that these were the politicians that wanted to have the privilege of working for us. Do they not even have enough respect to even listen to the administration or the public?
I often disagree with Conservative councillors, but I do not shout them down. The constant shouting and jokes thrown at the administration made it almost impossible for members of the public, such as myself, to hear what the main areas of contention are around issues such as the re-development of Whitchurch Playing Fields.
If we are to re-engage people, especially young people, then councillors need to have integrity, respect and tolerance. If, when young people come to meetings to ask questions, the main debate is drowned out by heckling and then they themselves are heckled, then how do the Conservatives expect a new generation of politicians, whether they be Tory, Labour or any party, to come forward?
No matter what the questioner’s political leanings or concerns are, they must and will be heard.
As for my vote that they want, I think I decided who I was not voting for when my question was greeted by the words ‘It’s pathetic!’ from the opposition benches.
MATTHEW LLOYD
via email
Jubilee was a wonderful event
I WOULD like to express my view that the recent Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations were the most wonderful event in history.
Going back in time, I asked my mum and aunts, who live in Kingsbury and were born in Kenya, about what happened in the past.
In 1952, they heard the news from school and relatives that Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were visiting Kenya on a royal tour. It was an exciting moment for them, as Kenya was a colony of Britain.
Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Phillip flew down to Nairobi from London on January 31, 1952. My mum and aunts had a glimpse of them as they drove by.
A few days later, the royal couple were invited to the Treetops resort by Eric Walker and his wife, Lady Bettie. They were driven to Sagana, where they had lunch, then on to Treetops.
Princess Elizabeth was so engrossed with the wildlife that she had her tea while filming the animals.
The news that her father, King George VI, had died in his sleep was received in Nairobi on February 6, 1952.
Treetops was difficult to reach, so they sent a reporter to convey the news. It was after lunch when the message was delivered.
The atmosphere had all changed in Kenya. Soon, the royal couple drove back to Nairobi and took a flight back to London that evening. Later Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
In 1955, Treetops was burned down to ashes by Mau Mau rebels. Fortunately, the guards managed to escape the attack, and a new Treetops was built in 1957.
Three decades later, I went to see Treetops several times while living in Nairobi and saw the site of the old Treetops.
Long live Queen Elizabeth II.
SUNDIP PATEL
Westfield Drive
Kenton
Blinkered views on free school site
IN RESPONSE to the letter Object to location of the free school, (Observer Letters, June 21) from councillors Susan Hall, Barry Macleod-Cullinane and Janet Mote, we would like to set the record straight.
Firstly, it is important to point out that council officers were and are authorised to act on the advice of this administration.
Following the government’s announcement last year that an application to open a free school in Harrow had been successful, the council has been working with the applicant, Avanti House Schools Trust, and the Department for Education to identify a suitable site.
That site has now been identified as the Teachers’ Centre. Councillors were kept fully informed and involved at every stage of this process.
In their letter to the Observer, the Conservative members take issue with the location of the school at the Teachers’ Centre. However, at a meeting of the Major Development Panel – of which both Cllr Macleod-Cullinane and Cllr Hall are both members – on December 1, 2011, a six form entry high school was proposed for the Teachers’ Centre. There was no indication at the meeting that the site was unsuitable.
We are aware that residents will have concerns about increased traffic, but we want to reassure them that these will be fully addressed by Avanti House Schools Trust. That is why the local ward councillors are holding their own consultation to ensure all residents get the chance to have their say.
This administration is proud to be working with the I-Foundation, which is running the Avanti House Schools Trust, and is proud to celebrate Harrow’s diversity and stand up for parental choice in the borough.
We would urge residents not to listen to the blinkered views of this group of Conservatives who are trying to score political capital out of the futures of our children. Instead, they should make up their own minds based on the facts.
CLLR KEITH FERRY,
Portfolio holder for planning and regeneration
CLLR THAYA IDAIKKADAR,
Deputy leader and portfolio holder for property and major contracts
CLLR BRIAN GATE
Portfolio holder for schools and colleges
Tory should say sorry to parents
I AM amazed at the comments of Councillor Susan Hall, leader of the opposition Conservative Group (Observer Letters, June 21).
In one breath she welcomes the government’s support for the second Hindu school in the entire country and than, in the very next breath, she implies ‘not in my back yard’!
Cllr Hall mentions unsavoury anti-social characters in the vicinity of the school.
Though she may not be implying that the yet-unopened school is in anyway responsible for this, by putting these words and sentences in the same vicinity as the information about the school, she is unnecessarily casting doubt on the character of the potential community of the future school.
Does Cllr Hall has any safer alternatives to house the students until Avanti House School is ready in 2013?
I feel Cllr Hall should apologise to the Indian community for her ill-disguised disapproval of their aspirations for a school for their children.
BHAGWAT SHAH
Oak Gardens
Harrow
Car clamping charge a rip-off
The term ‘rip off Britain’ comes to mind when I relate my experience.
Sadly, I have a very sick daughter in St Albans and she is likely to be there for some considerable time and I visit every day.
She is a smoker, so I found an electronic cigarette on the internet which eliminates the harmful affects of smoking and is allowed in Albany Lodge, where she is staying.
I drove to Stanmore Hill and found the Vaporstick office directly opposite the Abercorn pub/restaurant. There was absolutely nowhere to park, so I pulled into the car park of the Abercorn, which was empty, and rushed across the road and made my purchase.
On my return, I was dismayed to find my car had been clamped and there was the clamper from A1 Parking Solutions.
I explained I had been there just five minutes and why, which fell on deaf ears. He then demanded payment of £225.
The clamping warning signs are small and I certainly did not see them, especially as the rain at that time was so heavy.
Very upset, and already distressed about my daughter, I told him I did not have that amount of cash but offered my debit card. He said that his card machine was ‘broken’ and he had to have cash before he would remove the clamps.
I had to walk in the pouring rain, with no umbrella), down to the bottom of Stanmore Hill to the bank.
I quite see that it must be annoying for the restaurant to have non-customers parking. I could even understand having to pay, say £50 but £225 (£140 clamp release fee and £85 PCN fee) I feel is outrageous.
What harm was I doing in an empty car park? A1 Parking Solutions is probably always within the law but they certainly win my contempt.
I would like to warn others about this rip-off.
M WARD
Langholme,
Bushey Heath
We can do more with recycling
Thank you for your article on recycling (Observer, June 21).
Harrow Agenda 21 is doing all it can to promote recycling in Harrow. But there is more that we can achieve than removing our waste from landfill – what we should be aiming for is to use our waste as a resource, so that we can use recycled materials to replace materials that we would otherwise generate from new raw materials.
Most of our plastic waste includes four different plastics.
If we are to do anything useful with these, we need to separate them, and all we are doing with our waste is to separate the two bottle plastics, so we can do nothing useful with the others.
A year ago, I visited a prototype waste plant on Teeside which can separate the different plastics from each other.
We need a plant of this type in London, which would enable us to make more effective use of the plastic waste we so carefully recycle.
MICK OLIVER
Chair, Harrow Agenda 21
Northolt Road
South Harrow
A lesson for car driver litter bug
WHILE visiting Northwick Park Hospital, my friend and I were shocked to see the driver of a parked car throw a plastic bottle on to the pathway.
My friend picked up the bottle and approached the car, but the driver refused all our efforts to get our attention, or have eye contact.
So my friend threw the bottle into the open sun roof hatch, where it fell into the car and hit the driver on the shoulder. He still showed no reaction.
So if you read this driver, let it be a lesson not to be a litter lout.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.
Improvements – but not for books
AT THIS time, with six of the borough’s libraries closed and the number of books on show in those that remain having been greatly reduced in number, Brent Council issues the Libraries Arts and Heritage e-bulletin for June detailing all the wonderful improvements being made to libraries.
Some 1,700-words long, this is mainly about adding all sorts of facilities – except books.
I suppose that a Kindle is now considered to be the ‘in-thing’, rather than books. We have supplied each of our councillors with laptops. How long before we also buy them a Kindle apiece so they can be up-to-date?
CHRIS WILSON
via email
Centre’s charge to charity disappoints
ONCE a year, Shopmobility has a coin collection and applies to St George’s and St Ann’s shopping centres for permission for its collectors to be inside their premises.
We usually have leaflets and information all about use and free hire of mobility scooters on a small table. This year, we were refused permission to have our regular table at St Ann’s unless there was a payment, which we refused owing to limited funds.
I always volunteer on collection day and use my own scooter, as I have MS. To refuse us the use of our table was a great disappointment. Hopefully, we will have permission next year.
MRS M KENT
Roxborough Road
Harrow
Freedom Pass cost a rising concern
IN RESPONSE to the letter Freedom Pass for those getting a lift, the cost of the Freedom Pass contributed by the London boroughs’ council taxpayers is based on usage on buses, Tube, Overground, Docklands Ligh Railway trains and limited mainline train services.
I am concerned about the high cost in Brent – the second highest in 2010/11 amounting to £13,766,793 – and ever-mounting increases.
This follows the re-election of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who is making everyone eligible at 60 for the Freedom Pass from September 1, with vague information of fare increases over the next four years.
MR G DAY
Rugby Ave
Wembley
