Cllr Elliott Respond to Whitton.ning member concerns

Hi All

And thank you for the words of support but as has been said by others it is on actions that I must be judged. And on that basis if I could update you on a few of the points that have been made:

1/. Outer London Fund – while it is a huge disappointment that we lost the second round funding we did win a substantial amount in the first round which is greatly appreciated. We are currently looking at how we can supplement the hoped for funds with the monies set aside in the uplift funding. It is my hope that we can ensure plans for improved paving will be a big part of that as this was the main request in the bid. I have had good conversations with the Leader of the Council, Lord True, and the Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Virginia Morris, regarding the next steps and they have confirmed that the Council will look to see how we can ensure the uplift strategy continues.

2/. Uplift update – This morning I came out of a meeting with the Uplift team and while I wait on the updated programme of works I can confirm the lampposts have arrived and are due to be installed at the end of Jan (imminent) or early Feb. Unfortunately we are competing with Twickenham in terms of resourcing so it may be us or them that gets them in first. The shop frontages have been through planning and discussions with the WBA have been had to ensure the shops are happy with the designs. These should begin in Feb\March. Other non-visible elements of the campaign are in process including a marketing strategy being led by the town centre manager Bridget Clements and over Christmas we were lucky enough to have the Winter Emporium. I visited a couple of times and it was great to see the innovative use of the empty shop. I hope that we can replicate this again in the future although I would prefer to have occupied shops.

3/. Parking – following agreement with Traders a new parking regime will be instigated in the High Street offering two hour slots. This is to stop traders who park all day and take up customer car parking spaces and also commuters who park in the high street all day while they go off to work.

4/. Car Show Room – there is an application currently in with the Council for this building. Unfortunately it appears to be stuck in planning and I am attempting to see if we can clear the log jam – which is very frustrating.

5/. Lidl Windows - this is very frustrating on my part as i fought so hard to ensure that this site was opened. However, Lidl accepted a planning condition to replace like for like or refurbish the steel crittal windows that were part of the look and feel of the building. However, on upgrading the building the company ignored this condition and put in the pvc windows as you see now. The Council are upholding the condition and that is the hold up. Unfortunately we see this tactic time and again and while I agree that the windows at present do look much better the Council have a duty to ensure the company honours its obligations.

Whitton has suffered from a lack of enforcement on planning in the past which is why the high street has a complete mish mash of window designs that detracts from the architectural merit of the buildings. As more and more refurbs ignore planning conditions it sets a precedent on others to do the same leading to the situation today. It is a similar story with shop frontages and the reason why Whitton does not look like other areas such as Richmond which take pride in the way their town looks. We shouldn’t settle for any less in Whitton and while this is extremely unfortunate where companies agree to something they should honour it. Sadly this is a legal and planning matter.

I hope this provides an update for you all and please remember that I am available via my email gareth@whittonconservatives.co.uk (my council email has recently had a keypad code added which makes it difficult for me to view during the day). I am also to be found walking up and down the high street most days to and from work and during the weekends. Please do not hesitate to stop me as I am always happy to answer questions on the street.

Kindest Regards

Gareth

(Cllr Gareth Elliott)

Time to Street Party! Get Ready for the Queen's Jubilee

Diamond Jubilee street parties are being encouraged by Richmond Council, which is again covering the costs of all road closures in streets where residents would like to organise celebrations.

The Council met the official costs for street parties during the royal wedding celebrations last year, and will do the same when the Queen celebrates 60 years as monarch in June. The authority will pay for making signs to close roads and paying for formal adverts required to make drivers aware. Neighbours and residents groups will only have to find the cost of the party, like food and drink, themselves.

Lord True, Richmond Council’s Leader, said: “We saw a great outpouring of goodwill across our borough for Prince William’s wedding, and I would love to see the same at our monarch’s Diamond Jubilee. Last year we swept away pages of needless bureaucracy to reform the application process, to make it easy for neighbours who want to celebrate together. We will again do our bit for local people this year by covering the costs of closing roads, helping people mark this great national occasion together.

“Last April during the wedding many neighbours met each other for the first time, and it’s to be hoped those good memories will inspire residents to do the same this year. There were more parties in Richmond upon Thames than any other part of London last year. We set a precedent as being the most community-spirited borough, the jubilee is our chance to again show what a happy and neighbourly place this is.”

Advice from Richmond Council is to prepare well in advance, including talking to neighbours, and applying in good time to have roads closed. The Council will on Monday re-launch its street party information webpage, which includes a simple form giving the date and time of parties and details which roads would need to be shut.

The form also includes useful information on planning and preparing for a party. Visit www.richmond.gov.uk/street_parties for details. Last year, there were 85 street parties to mark the royal wedding in Richmond upon Thames.

As well as supporting street parties for the Diamond Jubilee, the largest section of Twickenham Riverside to date to be opened up to the public, will also be unveiled during the celebrations. The new Jubilee Gardens will include a town square, new garden and a tree feature marking the anniversary.

The Council will also be running an art exhibition charting the borough’s royal connections. The Council is looking for volunteers to help curate the show, and to contribute their own memories of royal events in the past.

Outer London Fund Round Two Disappointment - show must go on!

Whitton has missed out on funding in a second phase of grants to Greater London boroughs from Mayor Boris Johnson’s Outer London Fund.

The Council won £1.2 million in funding in the first round of grants last year, more than any other borough, after three submitted bids were approved. Thanks to the first round funding, the street scene in Twickenham, Whitton and Barnes is already being improved to create a better environment for local traders. However projects which the Council hoped would receive round two funding will be reviewed. The Council hopes central Government funding could be available, and the authority’s own money could also be used to fund some schemes.

Whitton ward coucillor Gareth Elliott said: "While the loss of round two funding is a set back we mustn't let it deviate us from our goal of reinvigorating Whitton. Already we have achieved so much and with the uplift strategy still in place i will ensure that we continue to build on the good work already achieved."

Lord True, Leader of Richmond Council, said: “We are naturally disappointed that we have not repeated our remarkable success in the first round. However, no doubt the GLA will have felt the need to balance contributions across London.

“Further contributions from the Mayor would have been a major fillip to our plans for improvement in the areas of the bids, but this is not the end of the story. The Council will be considering how to take the ideas forward along with others in our village plans programme. The emerging plans will need to take into account the implications of this announcement.

“We are still grateful for the contributions we received in the first round – and the benefits of the Mayor’s fund will be seen this year on the streets of the borough.”

What a PHAB Christmas Party – Cllr Elliott joins in the festivities

Last night I had the honour of being invited to the PHAB Christmas Party where I was able to share in the festivities and meet with some of the children and the volunteers who keep this wonderful charity going. In particular, I would like to mention Joyce Pearson and Paul Wenham, both long term Whitton supporters and tireless campaigners for good causes. Also special thanks must go to Pollly, who I had the privilege to present her with a Christmas present, and leads the Whitton PHAB group. And finally all the volunteers who give up their time to help out and on which charities such as this rely on.

Cllr Elliott said: "Promoting inclusion within the wider community is the mantra behind PHAB and at their Christmas party, which i was honoured to attend, I saw this in action. This is a fantastic group and I welcome all the children and volunteers a very Merry Christmas and I look forward to seeing them again in the New Year."

Phab’s aim is to promote and encourage people of all abilities to come together on equal terms, to achieve complete inclusion within the wider community. Activities include table tennis, Wii, arts and crafts, trips and pool.

The group meet on a Monday night, 7.00 to 9.00pm at Whitton Community Centre:

Whitton Community Centre
Percy Road
Twickenham
TW2 6JL

Phone: 020 8894 4452 or contact the Youth Leader, Polly: 07946319746

Whitton History – Ancient border Whitton brook stars in new book

As a keen historian I am always excited about the news that a new book is being released documenting Whitton’s rich and fascinating history. Ed Harris, our very own local historian, has written an enticing book detailing the ancient boundary of Whitton, Twickenham, St Margarets and Hounslow Borough and encourages us all to walk along the brook from the site of the Duke of Argyll’s former estate at Whitton Park to Moor Mead. A chance to relive our own local history since the time of the Domesday Book.

Ed said: He said: “I do what I can to uplift the profile of Whitton. There’s much to learn about the history of the area and Whitton Brook is a good example of this.”

The book can be purchased at the following shops: Twickenham Museum, Langton’s Bookshop in Twickenham, Regan’s Fish and Chip shop or Buck’s hairdressers.

Cllr Elliott stands up for Whitton parent's educational choice

Whitton Councillor Gareth Elliott meets with Whitton parents campaigning to have the freedom to send their children to a school of their choosing. As opposed to the Liberal Democrats who have made several attempts to scupper the addition of a Catholic school in the Borough I believe that where we supply catholic education at five primaries we should also, when the chance arises as it has done at the Clifden Road site, consider a new Catholic secondary. As someone who has been through Catholic education myself it saddens me that Richmond Borough does not cater for those children who attend our excellent Catholic primary schools. Rather than nurturing these Children within Richmond we push them away forcing them to build new friendships elsewhere and new links external to their homes. Fundamentally, however, where parents choose to send their children to a school they should also have the chance to continue that education onto secondary school.

Come and Join Whitton's Santa Bike Ride