Thank you for your prompt answer Councillor Taylor. There are many things that need to be clarified before local election fever grips us soon. Another question is about allotment provision: the cost of allotments doubled last year in Ealing making them among the most expensive in London, and by inference from that in the country, yet the quality of what we provide is near the bottom. There are perfectly good laws regarding how allotments should be run, yet the Labour administration has invented guideline of his own that neither follow statute nor the touchstome of the advice given by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). During the same time span hoses have been banned and many taps removed from Ealing's allotments. In many respects allotments have been priced out of a way for people, often retired and on benefits, to grow their own food and have instead become an abused facility for the people on absurdly high incomes to indulge the cultivation of (illegal on allotments) of lawns with cordless mowers not to mention the construction of ersatz summerhouses without planning permission!. Labour has chosen to allow the conversion or usable allotments into wildlife gardens and ponds (again not allowed) under allotment laws while claiming that there is a shortage of allotments even though large allotment sites such as that on Popes Lane have been allowed to fall into unusable disrepair.The deliberate Labour underpinning of a lack of central rent collection has left the system open to abuse and means that Ealing residents have to run the gauntlet in paying annual rents to the local allotment association worthies rather than paying a central invoice issue by the council as most normal councils in the UK do. What is more Ealing fails to implement a financial system where allotment holders can pay three months in advance only as per British law, rather than the now largely-unaffordable extortionate Ealing rents?I am sure that Ealing under the Conservatives could do much better here, what do you think?P.S. Under the last Conservative administration the four foot high fence at the north side of Ascot Allotments bordering on Bailies Walk was replaced with a fence some three feet taller to quite rightly make the allotments more secure. However, the planning permission, etc. needed for this came with the caveat that the wild growth on the allotment side of the fence (bushes, trees, brambles, etc.) was not allowed to grow taller than the original four feet to stop Baillies walk from being plunged into darkness. Unfortunately, labour has ignore this situation with the result that Bailllies Walk has become a narrow rat run for mopeds, drug dealers, etc., who can hide in the darkness created by the overgrown bushes. One might almost say that a great Conservative improvement (the fence) has been sabotaged by Labour incompetence (the bushes). Perhaps you could consult with the Conservatives resident Ascot Allotment plotholder, Council Sumner, to remedy this situation by having the bushes removed or reduced before the beginnindg of May. A small and simple action like this would show that the Ealing Conservatives have the safety of their residents in mind and will not bow to Labour laziness.
Peter Mcleod ● 4416d