Forum Topic

Philip K Screener · 11/24/2012 2:28:00 PM

new.EalingToday.co.uk Communtity Forum Topic posting

Two MORE centres disabled to close while Ealing Council spends half a million on a vanity sign

I just didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read the stories in the Ealing. Gazette. Two more centres for the disabled (for those with learning difficulties) by Julian Bell our council leader (cry!) while half a million pounds has been spent on a new illuminated sign saying "Acton" hanging on a rail bridge over the road (cry!) that changes its colours once a week, or that someone had stolen the "A" from it (laungh) or that there was "fury" over this act (laugh). Who is furious? Not me. Time someone stood up to Bell and his second-rate crew who want to stamp out expression and comment by censoring the internet so that his voters cannot tell him what they think because he doesn't want to hear. That a Conservative councillor found a clever and legal way to have a snipe at him and his crew of incompetents through the Ealing Today Forum he has got endless time for (under the laws that let councils spy on many of us under the local authority surveillance powers). I can but wonder how many roads in Acton could have been resurfaced for half-a-million pounds? Instead we have a half-million-pound sign that welcomes you to a land of potholes. For that matter the fountain in Walpole Park could probably have been fixed for a hundredth of that cost. Perhaps Bell's time would be better spent looking at CCTV working out which of his council officers (salaried or elected) had not bothered to maintain or police the fountain pump in Walpole Park rather than "reviewing CCTV" footage to see who knicked the "A" from what has to be the ultimate vanity project in Ealing (after the Southall car park)!.

Philip K Screener ● 4878d12 Comments

Sorry Tony, wasn't meaning to offend you personally. Just pointing out that some of the wilder claims in posts don't stand up to a bit of basic fact-checking.

Paul Conlan ● 4876d

Re , as has been pointed out by other posters on this thread xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx sorry about the double posting but due to malfunction of the Forum site, playing up something wicked.

Tony Price ● 4876d

Re , as has been pointed out by other posters on this thread xxxxxxxxxxxxxx thanks Paul but maybe you hadn't realised I replied not having read any of the subsequent posts. Does happen quite often I am sure with most posters who do not read the whole thread before they respond to the one they have just read, which in any event may be the latest on the thread at the time?. But thanks again.

Tony Price ● 4876d

Well of course "the mind boggles that a sign that comprises only 5 letters can cost £500,000" because actually it didn't, as has been pointed out by other posters on this thread. You really shouldn't be so ready to believe some of the rubbish that is posted on this forum. And the money was provided from the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund. Despite being a Conservative he does not seem to share the Ealing Tories distaste for any investment in Acton.

Paul Conlan ● 4876d

Tony,if the Island Revenue overcharges you one year and then send you a letter saying "Sorry, we have overcharged you and a cheque is in the post with your refund" is that a 'bribe'? The £50 rebate was part of a much larger sum of money that the council had to set aside, and charge residents, in the event we were not successful in getting funding for a particolar project.If I remember correctly it was something to do with pay out Ealing's share to the Hayes by-pass construction.Funding was then approved and therefore part of that money was given back to the ratepayers. The rest went to boost the Adult services dept. budget as it faced unprecedented demand and to roads and pavements urgent repairs following the hard winters - two consecutive years of heavy smow had taken its toll on them. The rest to top up the council reserve account. Bear in mind that the decision was taken and recorded at a full Council meeting and all Labour members supported it. Only the Lib Dem objected - but then they willl object to anything!What is happening and has been happening is a completely different story: telling residents that the council needs to 'save' £85M (whilst they themselves have admitted that the real sum is £55M) and in order to do that cut important and vital services on top of charging more for the services it provides, whilst at the same time piling up £30M+ is, in my opinion, unjustifiable. If you think otherwise, we can always agree to disagree.

Rosa Popham ● 4878d

Re half a million pounds has been spent on a new illuminated sign saying "Acton" xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx the mind boggles that a sign that comprises only 5 letters can cost £500,000 and that a Council where cash is short, can spend that. Someone needs to be held to account as does the one who decided to place it in a position where it could be accessed by vandals. So now we have 4 letters which cost so far 1/2million plus the replacement of the 5th and presumably, the cost of relocating the whole blessed lot. Is someone in the Council under order of dismissal?

Tony Price ● 4878d

"In lean times we all have to make sacrifices, but to deceive the residents claiming that all the above is the fault of the coalition government whilst at the same time putting aside money to ‘bribe’ them as election time approaches is unjustifiable if not immoral." I agree with Rosa, it does seem immoral to ‘bribe’ the electorate just an election is due, I've seen it before somewhere---oh yes I remember, 'twas the Conservatives and their convenient £50 "rate rebate" debacle.

Tony Wood ● 4878d

The sign cost £35,000 according to the Gazette article headlined using the "fury" word - a favourite of the headline writers of the Daily Express and Daily Mail for articles that turn out to be non-stories based on non-events.No mention of half a million anywhere in the online version of the article. Not that £35k is much of a bargain, mind.Also, assuming you're using the Gazette as your primary source for this too, there's no evidence that I've seen that the discovery of the fact that a Conservative party councillor was behind the "clever and legal" (aka incompetent, deceptive, dishonest, cowardly) behaviour displayed and discussed elsewhere on this forum was made using powers held under RIPA.

Max Duley ● 4878d

Whatever the amount spent, it will be nothing compared to what, I believe, they have in store to spend - and that will be announced in next year’s budget (2013/14)- as they prepare to win the residents’ vote with a £30M plus bonanza. This money has been accumulated in the last two/three by deliberate budget under-spending since they came to power; increasing parking and residents’ permit charges; by the £40 ‘tax’ for the green/garden collection charges; increased motorists fines on short stretches of bus lanes; cuts in the number of park rangers and enviro-crime officers; reduction of libraries opening times, by closing down youth centre and those for disabled and disadvantaged people centres, and cutting down on road and pavements maintenance and repairs – just to mention a few. In lean times we all have to make sacrifices, but to deceive the residents claiming that all the above is the fault of the coalition government whilst at the same time putting aside money to ‘bribe’ them as election time approaches is unjustifiable if not immoral. This is especially so when it is at the expenses of the most vulnerable people in our society – the very same people that they claim they are there to ‘protect’. Perhaps this administration has forgotten that it has been elected to ‘serve’ the people and not the other way around.

Rosa Popham ● 4878d

I think the lettering on the bridge was actually £39 per letter so well short of the £1/2m you describe. The £1/2m is for the overall improvements to the urban realm in Acton although I agree it's questionable whether local residents have really seen anything like that return from the investment.

Tony Gould ● 4878d

What I meant to say was:I just didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read the stories in the Ealing Gazette. Two more centres for the disabled (for those with learning difficulties) are to be CLOSED by Julian Bell our council leader (cry!) while half a million pounds has been spent on a new illuminated sign saying "Acton" hanging on a rail bridge over the road (cry!) that changes its colours once a week, or that someone had stolen the "A" from it (laungh) or that there was "fury" over this act (laugh). Who is furious? Not me. Time someone stood up to Bell and his second-rate crew who want to stamp out expression and comment by censoring the internet so that his voters cannot tell him what they think because he doesn't want to hear. That a Conservative councillor found a clever and legal way to have a snipe at him and his crew of incompetents through the Ealing Today Forum he has got endless time for (under the laws that let councils spy on many of us under the local authority surveillance powers). I can but wonder how many roads in Acton could have been resurfaced for half-a-million pounds? Instead we have a half-million-pound sign that welcomes you to a land of potholes. For that matter the fountain in Walpole Park could probably have been fixed for a hundredth of that cost. Perhaps Bell's time would be better spent looking at CCTV working out which of his council officers (salaried or elected) had not bothered to maintain or police the fountain pump in Walpole Park rather than "reviewing CCTV" footage to see who knicked the "A" from what has to be the ultimate vanity project in Ealing (after the Southall car park)!.

Philip K Screener ● 4878d