Eric Leach's Ealing Covid-19 Latest Update
Ealing Council calculates its budget 'pressure' at £38.6 Million
Ealing Council Sizes Its Covid-19 2020/21 Budget ‘Pressure’ at £38.6 Million
However the total ’gross pressure’ for 2020/21 is £64 million. Each year all Councils have to prepare a balanced budget. At the 14 July 2020 Council Cabinet meeting, Covid-19 expenses were discussed along with budgeted income loss (Council Tax and Business Rates) and budget savings the Council was unable to achieve. In 2020/21 the Council is expecting to receive £84.695 million Covid-19 response funding from central Government.
Ealing Double-Decker Buses Can Now Carry 30 Passengers
This is up from a total of 20 passengers which was imposed on 29 May 2020. The vehicle carrying capacity of one of these double-deckers is 90 passengers.
Government Says Libraries Can Re-Open – But Ealing Council Says No
Ealing ‘s Public Libraries closed on 24 March 2020. The Government has announced that public libraries could re-open no earlier than 4 July 2020. So why are Ealing Public Libraries and the Ealing Community Managed Libraries all still closed?
Indoor Swimming Pools Will Soon Re-Open - But Ealing Council Says Gurnell Pool Will Never Re-Open
It’s true that a Planning Application exists which if approved would result in the existing 39 year old pool being demolished. Part of the application (201695FUL) is the building of a new swimming pool. 599 flats in seven tower blocks up to 17 storeys are also to be built on the site – no social housing, a 303 private sale flats and just 12 family sized units. All on Metropolitan Open Land.
In a bizarre twist to the story, on 15 July 2020 Ealing Council’s Planning Case Officer invited the 780+ objectors to attend one of two remote/virtual presentations on the proposals by the developer (EcoWorld). The Chief Planning Officer, when questioned about this, explained that this was because of the response to the Covid-19 crisis. He said that a Government emergency directive allowed them to create more awareness of the proposals in this way. Hands up those who think EcoWorld will give the pros and the cons of the plans. In yet another dysfunctional twist, the EcoWorld presentations will take place on 22 and 25 July 2020 – after the application consultation period has ended.
‘The Grosvenor’ Pub to Re-open at 5pm on Friday 17 July 2020
‘The Grosvenor’ is my local and as far as I know still part of Food & Fuel which is currently in Administration. Hanwell centre pubs which still look distinctly shut include ‘The Duke of York’ and ‘The Kings Arms’. ‘The Drayton Court’ in West Ealing re-opened on 15 July 2020. ‘The Forester’ in West Ealing with its large outdoor covered area seems to be recovering well.
Ealing Community and Voluntary Service (ECVS) Has Updated Its Very Useful Covid-19 Directory of Services
Ealing Council’s Covid-19 Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) Plans
LTNS are all about blocking vehicular exits and entrances to roads using bollards and planters. Apparently there are/were nine of these. However one of them ‘Bramley Road /Airedale Road’ has been abandoned (for now?) Reasons quoted include too many road works on the go in the area and the TfL grant is time limited. However there has been furious and concerted opposition from local residents. As for the other LTN ‘plans’, the ones I have seen are crude, poorly explained and it is by no means clear as to what impact they will have. They are also undated with no implementation dates. Detailed plans are apparently being drawn up.
Councillors have been quoted as saying that these LTNs will run for a trial period of six months. However this trial period will also be the public consultation period! A Council Officer recently made it clear that the Council expects only minor changes /refinements to the built LTN – so they will be permanent.
However, who in their right mind would run a traffic trial during a pandemic? Traffic flows during this initial Covid-19 spike are unrepresentative of ’normal’ conditions and the same could be said of a possible second spike later this year.
Funded Cycle Routes and LTNs are Cancelled in Ealing, Wandsworth, South Gloucester, Trafford, Westminster, Portsmouth and Surrey
On 16 July 2020 ‘The Guardian’ reported that following objections from residents and local politicians many Government funded segregated cycle routes and LTN initiatives have been scrapped or vandalised. Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton is quoted calling the Ealing LTNs ‘madcap schemes’ and wanting them cancelled. In Lewisham movable bollards - blocking vehicle exit and entry - were moved. In Croydon, planters doing the same job were removed.
In May 2020, the Transport Minister Grant Shapps MP invited Local Authorities to bid for some of the Government’s Covid-19 response £250 million Emergency Travel Fund. The justifications for the grants were developing cycling infrastructure and taking pressure off public transport. In April 2020 bike sales rose by 60%.
SEGRO Makes Two Warehouses on Acton Park Estate, Park Royal Available for Free Food Distribution
The charity City Harvest is using the warehouse space as part of its surplus food collection and delivery to 300 London groups. The groups provide 80,000 meals each week to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, family centres and domestic abuse refuges. More at cityharvest.org.uk.
Ealing Croquet Club Re-Opens
Located in Lammas Park, the club had been in Covid-19 lockdown for three months. For more details contact: secretary@ealingcroquet.org
Eric Leach
eric.alan.leach@gmail.com
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July 22, 2020