Maintaining roads and pavements in Little Venice Ward
Your Little Venice Conservative Councillors have been working hard on your behalf to ensure that roads and pavements in the ward are kept up to the right standard. Little Venice Councillor Melvyn Caplan commented that ‘the general condition of roads and pavements in the ward is good, but this is only achieved by regular maintenance and repairs when they are needed.’
One recent project achieved by your councillors was pushing TfL to pay for the resurfacing of Warwick Avenue following damage caused by bus diversions there last year while Formosa Street was closed due to major Thames Water works. Combining council and TfL resources enabled the full section of Warwick Avenue, from Clifton Villas to Sutherland Avenue, to be resurfaced. The resultant road surface should last for many years.
Also repaired recently were several speed cushions and the surrounding road surface in Blomfield Road, from Maida Vale to Warwick Avenue. Works to the road surface of Randolph Mews are planned later in the year.
Meanwhile pavements are being replaced in sections along Formosa Street and Blomfield Road, and will also be replaced in Bristol Gardens, Clifton Villas and Paddington Green later this year.
Protecting Residents on Planning Matters
As we have previously reported, your Little Venice Conservative Councillors led a campaign to halt the ‘Paddington Pole.’ This proposed 72-storey tower would have dramatically overshadowed much of the ward. Your local councillors remain vigilant and continually work on behalf of residents to protect the privacy and views of individuals living in the area.
We also succeeded in getting the proposed tower at West End Green on Edgware Road reduced from 38 to 30 storeys. We welcome the long overdue redevelopment of this site that has been vacant for 30 years. We would have preferred the tower to be even lower, but without our intervention we would be faced with a much higher building on the site.
Little Venice Councillor Barbara Arzymanow commented that ‘the protection of the Little Venice environment and maintaining its historic character remain a key priority for us.’
Recycling given green light to continue
Residents in Little Venice ward who currently benefit from a second weekly collection of their recycling waste are to continue enjoying this service. The original second recycling collection was funded by your local Conservative councillors directly from their ward budget, and renewed annually. Now the council have agreed to pay for these additional collections from the main recycling budget. Commented Little Venice Councillor Ian Adams: ‘This decision means that the collections will continue from now on while freeing up our local ward budget to fund other schemes which will benefit residents in our ward.’
Meanwhile another investment from the ward budget, the provision of additional hanging baskets around the Little Venice area, will continue to be funded during this year.
If residents have suggestions for how your local councillors should invest their remaining 2016/17 ward budget, please contact the Little Venice hotline on 0207 289 9929 or email [email protected]
Westminster Makes History With ‘Outstanding’ Children’s Services
Conservative-run Westminster City Council has made history as the first authority in the country to receive an ‘outstanding’ rating from OFSTED for its Children’s Services.
OFSTED said that Westminster’s Children’s Services Department showed ‘exemplary application’ of the ‘focus on practice’ model and praised the Council for its leadership, innovation and expertise in this area.
Inspectors commented that some of the innovative work they saw at Westminster will be used as an exemplar for other authorities to drive up standards across the country.
Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, Councillor Danny Chalkley, said: ‘I am very proud that Westminster is leading the way on Children’s Services and I think that OFSTED’s rating is testament to the excellent team we have in place and the exceptional work that they do for our children and young people across the Borough’.
Deputy Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, Councillor Paul Church, said: ‘Westminster’s outstanding OFSTED for our Children’s Services shows that this Council doesn’t only make history, it makes futures, too, for all of the children and young people that we serve right across the Borough’.
