I hope everyone is having a good summer break and enjoying the sunshine. Haven’t the mornings and evening suddenly got cold? I take my dog Lulu out just after 6am and need a fleece at that time of the morning. So, what’s been happening around us?
Afghanistan
It is such a sad situation and it’s all happening so fast in front of us. Did you know Afghanistan was once part of India? India’s partition history is as follows: Afghanistan separated from India in 1876, Nepal in 1904, Bhutan in 1906, Tibet in 1907, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1935, Myanmar (Burma) in 1937 and Pakistan in 1947.
As we all know in horrible detail, Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis. Millions of people are now displaced internally, and many others need to be evacuated from the country because of direct Taliban threats. Taliban has shown its contempt for foreign troops by insisting they leave by 31st August. There was no extension to the deadline.
Here in the London Borough of Hounslow, the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) is being contacted by Afghans in West London and across the UK seeking support in protecting their families in Afghanistan. ACAA is receiving hundreds of emails and calls every day, and many Afghans are dropping into the centre. It is extremely under-resourced and is currently seeking help from people with expertise in immigration law, political communications, PR and fundraising.
It also needs donations of clothes, toys and toiletries as listed below.
If you have donations but can't drop them off at the centre, please contact me as we are likely to be able to deliver them for you.
If you would like to assist in ensuring Afghans are not left behind and forgotten, both in the UK and in Afghanistan, and could spare a few hours, please go into the centre: Unit 9, Griffin Centre, Staines Road, Feltham, TW14 0HS. There is more information about this excellent charity here.
Unfortunately, our Labour led Council has not done enough and has been too slow in their response to the crisis. Councils across London and the United Kingdom have pledged their support to the national effort in a matter of days from when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. What is Hounslow Council doing to help? We are yet to see.
C9T consultation on impact on people with protected characteristics
You might have read news about this new consultation then again you might not. Hounslow council has not publicised it well – which doesn't surprise us and nor has it surprised others. "In the summer holidays and over a bank holiday weekend, that's what they always do" one resident said when told about it.
As for councillors, we asked for a briefing and for the consultation to be accompanied by easy to understand drawings (not the complex TfL construction drawings, that lack explanations, presented to the overview and scrutiny committee). Better drawings were requested by Labour councillor Tony Louki at that scrutiny meeting but the fact that he's a member of the ruling group made no difference. All we can offer you is the TfL drawings (see link below).
Our repeated requests for having different methods for responding to consultations seems to have hit home, though – there is a printable version of the survey though of course you need a computer, or to know someone with a computer, to print it (see the link below).
So, do you have protected characteristics, or do you know anyone who has? For the purposes of this consultation, the most relevant protected characteristics are age and disability; some might also consider pregnancy and maternity relevant.
Please respond by midnight on 3rd September.
C9T changes on TfL's complex drawings
For information, there are nine protected characteristics; it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.
Chiswick Area Forums are back!
After cancellations, moved dates, and uncertainties about the safety of meeting in public when virtual meetings were no longer possible, we now have dates for the rest of this year. We were offered two dates but this year's chairman, my fellow Turnham Green ward councillor Joanna Biddolph, has persuaded the council to agree to three meetings. We can't fit in four because of limitations imposed by campaigning rules in the run-up to local elections next May.
Jo has changed the format of these meetings, as an experiment, hoping to make them more appealing. There will be a Community Matters section for local voluntary organisations to outline their work so more people know about them; and a Chiswick Future section to discuss key policy issues of concern to us in Chiswick. The open forum section remains as before for you to raise questions on any subject. Do come along:
Tuesday, 14th September: 7pm at Chiswick Town Hall
Tuesday, 12th October: 7pm at Chiswick Town Hall
Tuesday, 18th January: 7pm at Chiswick Town Hall
Litter on Chiswick High Road and surroundings
A resident recently wrote to me stating Hounslow Highway went up and down the High Road with the sweeping machine, except there was next to nothing to clear. A waste of resources and diesel! The state of the main street pavements and side streets are a public disgrace. The road does not need sweeping – the pavements need a machine (as Richmond council uses) to vacuum up and clean the detritus laying all over.
You may have seen photos of last week’s flood on the High Road. From Waitrose to Sainsbury's the road was awash, and a tide mark of litter was left on the pavement when the water receded. Many drains are blocked.
Walking around the side roads off the High Road, through the Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate, and past parking laybys, the weeds and accumulated vegetation are overwhelming. One resident told me of a buddleia tree growing in a gutter.
We need the fundamental principle of 'getting the basics right' to ensure residents can live more comfortably in their neighbourhoods. Dirty streets, weeds galore, blocked drains ... the basics need sorting. The Council simply needs to do better. Of course, we need to take care of our streets by taking litter home or using litter bins, though we regularly receive complaints that the bins aren't emptied often enough.
If you walk down King Street in Hammersmith it's like being in a different world. Pavements like billiard tables, unlike the Rockies we have in Hounslow, are clean and organised. Why do they get it right, or for that matter Richmond too? Hounslow council needs to try harder and be more responsible to its ratepayers.
Chiswick Street Markets
We have three monthly street markets now in Chiswick.
1st Sunday: Chiswick Flower Market
2nd Sunday: Antiques Market
3rd Sunday: Cheese Market
These markets are doing well, and both the flower market and cheese market have applied to extend the trading space, a welcome sign that they attract many people from all over London. On 5th September the Flower market will celebrate its first year of success. I shall be there on marshal duty to celebrate the occasion and hope to see many familiar and new faces.
Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi
Raksha is safety and Bandhan is bond. Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi (the thread) is a religious Hindu festival dedicated to sisters and brothers. On this auspicious day, which was on Sunday 22 August, a sister ties a thread on her brother's wrist and prays for his long and prosperous life. In return, a brother gives a token of love (usually money) to his loving sister. Will you be judged by the value of your gift by fellow brothers? I thought I would share one of our many Indian festivals with you.
