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Joys of traveling & using a Mobility scooter or Wheelchair.

I live in Ealing. I own a Wheelchair accessible vehicle. (WAV),  an Electric Mobility scooter which is road taxed & has a number plate, an Electric Wheelchair, and Manual wheelchair.Between these I try & get around.I use the Electric Mobility scooter with the manual wheelchair on the back for longer distances. Because it is Taxed & registered as a road vehicle. (Max 8 MPH) I cannot use Pavements, cycle or bus lanes.If I use say the Uxbridge road Hanwell to Ealing Broadway, I get Buses, manual & powered cycles. And some time mostly L plated scooters. passing on my left. Plus, Cars, lorries, and yes, I also get manual & powered cycles, & scooters. Overtaking me even if there is not enough room. Unlike a cycles other vehicles do not need to give me 2 Meter safe clearance. Very frightening at times.The Electric folding Wheelchair for shorter distances, (5 Mile there & back plus shopping when you get there).List of issues:Poor Quality of the Pavements.Width of Pavements in mostly local side roads.Tree foliage not being cut back a lower levels.House foliage blocking some or all the Pavement area.Personal working & blocking Pavements with no save way round them.Poor Quality of Drop Kerbs, or no Drop Kerbs.Blocking of Drop Kerbs by vehicles & hired cycles.Which means I must go out into the road. Most wheelchairs do not have lights.There are times when I just give up & go home.Wheelchair accessible vehicle. (WAV) (With Blue Badge)I use this to get closer to the shops, sometimes short distances, because of the above & so that my career can come with me to help me.But also, to get to Hospitals, & shops, where I may need to use a manual folding wheelchair. The manual wheelchair is smaller than the Electric Wheelchair.All Wheelchairs.Have a look round & see how many shops of all types plus cafes & restaurants where a wheelchair cannot access.Or if you are Lucky to find one. There is very little room inside so need to fold the wheelchair or to be told there is not enough room & not to come in.

Peter Jones ● 109d9 Comments ● 105d

Will LBE Labour now stop bleating "It's the Tory Cuts!", and stop spaffing our money?!

I doubt it, it's SO convenient to ALWAYS be someone else's fault, and not their own woke political posturing and Gross Incompetence..........."Hammersmith and Fulham Council has revealed it spent £0.3 million less in 2023/24 than expected despite challenges including inflation and uncertainty over Government funding."The West London council which managed to save more than it spent despite ‘challenges’The cabinet member for finance and reform said the council achieved the surplus at a time most local authorities are experiencing a ‘difficult’ timeHammersmith and Fulham Council has revealed it spent £0.3 million less in 2023/24 than expected despite challenges including inflation and uncertainty over Government funding. The local authority said the budget surplus has been achieved while simultaneously preserving front-line services and boosting investment in areas from fly tipping to temporary accommodation.The funds have been added to the council’s general balances. The surplus was revealed in the council’s Provisional Revenue Outturn Report 2023/24, presented to Cabinet last week, in which details were provided on both its General Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for the last year.Cllr Rowan Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform, said while councils across the country are experiencing a ‘difficult’ time, residents in Hammersmith and Fulham can be reassured the local authority is managing its finances in a ‘prudent and sensible way’.READ MORE: London council expects huge drop in money made from parking largely due to clean air schemesThe council had previously projected an overspend of £1.5m for the financial year for its General Fund, for which the £0.3m surplus was recorded. The position is still subject to audit, with council officers noting the review of the balance sheet ‘continues’.According to the report, the council, similar to many others, recorded higher than anticipated costs in areas including housing, providing specialist support and independent living, and the public realm. Increasing demand for temporary bed and breakfast accommodation in particular affected a departmental division labelled ‘housing solutions’, which reported an overspend of £2.3m.'Uncertainty around levels of government funding'Council officers wrote: “The strategic operating environment in 2023/24 was very challenging with demographic, legislative, macro-economic pressures not experienced for a long time. There continues to be cost pressures arising from increasing demand, rising inflation and acuity of need."These pressures have been experienced across statutory services in Adult Social Care, Housing Solutions (temporary accommodation) and Children’s Services. This has been worsened by the needs of an ageing population and the ongoing cost of living crisis. This is against a backdrop of uncertainty around levels of government funding and continuing annual grant settlements that restricts financial planning and resilience.”Positive variances were however recorded in a number of areas, with underspends noted for divisions such as children’s commissioning, and greater income than anticipated from planning and returns from cash balances, among other highlights.'We were able to do this while protecting frontline services'Commenting on the budget surplus at last week’s meeting, Cllr Ree told his fellow Cabinet members: “We were able to do all this whilst protecting frontline services, avoiding cuts to the services that residents rely on, as well as maintaining all of those things that make Hammersmith and Fulham such a unique borough to live in, things like free adult social care, things like free meals for school children, things like the law enforcement team and our comprehensive council tax support system.”In a council newsletter, Cllr Ree wrote the surplus was achieved against the backdrop of 14 years of Government austerity, ‘which saw our funding cut by 54 per cent in real terms’.“The budget surplus means that we are adding to our reserves, putting money aside for a rainy day, at a time when most councils are using theirs to balance the books,” he added.Get the biggest stories from around London straight to your inbox. Sign up to MyLondon's The 12 HERE for the 12 biggest stories each day.SOURCE:     https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/west-london-council-managed-save-29943257?ruid=658bb50f-471b-4eae-82c4-7055b920f5ae

Rosco White ● 133d0 Comments ● 133d

Volunteers needed for the Ealing Half Marathon Sunday 29th September 2024

Are you free to help out and volunteer at Ealing Half Marathon 2024?You don’t have to be a runner to enjoy Ealing’s biggest event of the year. Each year, hundreds of volunteers get involved and have a great time making Ealing’s Half Marathon such a wonderful success for the runners, spectators and the Borough of Ealing alike. This has resulted in the event winning the accolade of the Number One Best Half Marathon three years in a row at The Running Awards!!Reasons to volunteer:Not only is it a great community event to take part in, but each registered volunteer who completes their role gets a breakfast roll, drink AND a free race place* for the following years event so it’s a great incentive.It’s a win-win! Get a feel-good day of volunteering AND a free place at EHM25.This year we’ll be putting together a volunteer team of almost 600 people, looking after the race village in Walpole Park and out on the roads of Ealing guiding the runners and helping local residents. It’s a fun & rewarding experience for all and we’d love you to get involved. You will need to be able to give between 4 to 6 hours on the day depending on where you are volunteering. The required start time for most volunteer areas will be 9:30am on Saturday and 07:30am on Sunday to allow for all the logistics on both days.This years dates are:Ealing Mini Mile Saturday 28th September 2024Ealing Half Marathon Sunday 29th September 2024Don’t forget to put us in your diary now!Register your details on our website and we’ll be in contact soon: https://www.ealinghalfmarathon.com/volunteer/Thank you in advance for your support! Sandra Ealing Half Marathon

Ealing Half Marathon ● 165d0 Comments ● 165d

Dangerous Deidre dodges questions...

.... on all manner of local issues.One bing that after 2 months of works local residents around Lammas Park have still not received any kind of proper information about the works in the park.The councillor to refer to is according to LBE one Ms Costigan. The same one standing for election as an MP.Given there are no flood issues in the area and only a few properties with flooding issues beside Lammas park which has been ongoing since the 1970s and relates to shallow sewers it transpires that none of these residents have had any communication or surveys or contact from Thames Water, The environment agency or London Borough of Ealing.  None can give any explanation or produce any form of risk assessment data to those residences most likely to be affected - those around the park. There is no risk assessment for the works impact either.No assessment of the impact of stagnant water and polluted water from animal faces right next to a children's playground and a toddler centre. Nothing on the propagation of biting insects like Horseflies now increasingly common in the locality. or the risk of mosquito and malarial varieties which are more likely given climate change and found already in some wetlands further north than here.No risk assessment on the shifting of 1000s of tones of earth and the risk to subsidence and ground water displacement to properties ( which has already affected some on the north east side ). The loss of 90 to 110 year old mature tree varieties. The buck is being passed all round and most are ducking the issue.  Key to that is the one who believes she is a fit an proper candidate to represent residents interests in such matters.The fact there is a complete wall of silence and a major project has been rushed through with nothing other than a glossy PR notice with a 35 year future illustration and no actual specific data and fact is very alarming.The closest off record disclosure is the real reason is to allow larger high rise developments to be enables within a 1 mile radius of Lammas Park.So will LBE and Co. come clean and be more open?Will Ms.Costigan MP be representing those who suffer the fallout of the shortcomings?Will council officers in charge actually be named?Hightly unlikely.

Raymond Havelock ● 210d25 Comments ● 167d

Estate created by Ealing Builders in Banstead protected again

Perrys (Ealing) Limited who were based in Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 in the 1920s/30s created the well-ordered "Banstead Common Estate" includng plots in Burgh Wood, Hillside and Green Curve in Banstead, Surrey.Restrictive covenants were imposed on each sale by Perrys limiting density to one house per plot. Despite the passage of some 95 years, the estate is still very much intact.During the last 17 years residents have seen off 6 sets of developers in 4 roads on the estate and not a single backgarden development has been effected despite countless planning applications and appeals.In the latest very recent case, "Wilshaw & Another v Square Motion Limited" (Claim No.PT 2024 000269), the High Court of Justice has issued a Declaration that a restrictive covenant imposed by Perrys in 1933 is valid and enforceable against a would-be developer who has made 3 planning applications to date. This means that no extra house can be erected on the back garden of the original 30s plot. The developer has been ordered to pay over £28,000 legal costs to the main Objector who resides next door and who brought the court action.The December 2023 NPPF and London Plan definitions in their glossaries specifically EXCLUDE domestic gardens from a "Brownfield" classification and gardens are otherwise known as "Greenfield" land. The national re-classification originally took place on 9th June 2010.Amazingly, I hear that some planners are still telling residents that gardens are "Brownfield" land!Victor Mishiku  15/7/2024

Victor Mishiku ● 196d0 Comments ● 196d

Waitrose West Ealing

Waitrose want to demolish its supermarket. It's less than 20 years old. It replaced the original Waitrose store on the site which also lasted less then 20 years. The houses close by are over 100 years old. They may have been extended or re-purposed into two flats, but the investment in energy, bricks and mortar etc is still in place. We should not be allowing such environmental vandalism.Transport for London has announced that when developers build on top of a car park the site becomes car-free. So Waitrose will not be allowed to build a replacement car park.Residents in West Ealing and Hanwell have in the last year suffered power cuts. A electrical sub-station in the centre of West Ealing set on fire during one of these power cuts. The power companies namely SSEN and National Grid have an enormous task on their hands to replace old and tired sub-stations with new ones. Also power is not infinite. With over 1,000 new residents expected in the Waitrose, Manor Road, and Hastings Road developments over the next few years, will there be sustainable energy available for all of them? All new residents will be less then 5 minutes walk from West Ealing station.Finally we have the farce which is The Elizabeth Line. For many months now commuters have been unable to board the east bound trains in the morning rush hour at West Ealing station. They are so crammed with passengers, no-one else can board the train. If close access to the Elizabeth Line for commuting to central London/the City is the reason for buying/renting at Waitrose - potential occupies will quickly spot   this rail service failure and may be put off renting/buying.

Eric Alan Leach ● 228d22 Comments ● 210d

Lammas Park Archeological Dig/Rare Earth mineral deposits

Local flooding? Beaver reserve? Digger exibition? Football Training ground? War memorial? Heliport? Greyhound track? Olympic stadium and cycling facility? Borough composting facility? Election winner? More tower blocks? Jogger training? Food delivery moped training and medical facility? Borough Bomb Shelter..residents need not apply website down.(Min of defence best kept secret?)Councillor and officer jogging track? Space station? London Zoo Annex? Refugee Holding Centre (near Heathrow on way to Rwanda)? Park-Home park? BEAVER RESERVE is best bet 7-1 favourite.Why are there railings and diggers in Lammas park? Only silent councillors need reply. Vote for me to represent you but keep silent on this matter! Manifesto? What? Thames Customer Services? What? Anyone what ? Feels like dictatorship, communist block decision making."Ve vill has eet here Comrades!"The government is broke. The council is broke. Thames Water is broke.I burst into tears because I know who is paying for this and who will pay for this. Anyone know anyone of the 350 thousand households flooded in South Ealing last year? When will the docks be built at Acton Town and Boston Manor to ferry Tube passengers to Heathrow? Global warming?Lock me up I am going crazy. Sorry, " Again Ve vil do eet Comrades!", they have just closed the last two remaining psychiatric wards at Ealing Hospital. Is it just post-Covid Blues?Can anyone help? Private Eyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

Arthur Breens ● 258d13 Comments ● 212d