Ealing Liberal Democrats

Ealing LDs Homepage ->Answers to questions

Questions asked during the 2002 Election Campaign by the Ealing Gazette:

What can be done about reducing the number of abandoned vehicles in the borough and the amount of time it takes to remove them?
First, it's a question of priorities: Labour have not given high enough priority to the general appearance and cleanliness of our streets, including abandoned cars, right across the borough. Improving street cleanliness is one of our top three manifesto priorities for the Borough.

Secondly, every ward needs active hard-working councillors who look out for abandoned cars, report them and then follow up with the council - as already happens in Liberal Democrat held areas.

Finally there are opportunities to improve council practices to cut delay in removing the cars, for example by setting up an online link to the DVLA and the Police.

What attempts would be made to bring down the number of people waiting to have their housing benefit renewed and new claims processed?
Liberal Democrat councillors have been at forefront of pressing Labour councillors and Vertex to sort this out in the Council Scrutiny Committee. Whenever Vertex fails to pay housing benefit on time it causes real suffering for some of the most vulnerable residents in our community. Our manifesto commits us to improving the in-house management of the Vertex contract (http://www.ealinglibdems.org.uk). If we don't see dramatic improvement in the service within 6 months of election we will sack them. Lib Dems would also ensure that the Council never again enters in to outsourcing contracts without a clear and viable way out in the event the contractor fails to perform.
How can the time it takes for housing maintenance repairs be reduced and the quality of the housing stock improved?
We will set up a repairs hotline. If repairs are not completed within 6 weeks, then residents will have the right to get repairs done privately and send the council the bill.

We will introduce new mobile caretakers to work across all council accommodation.

We will initiate a detailed assessment of the needs of all council estates, to ensure that long-standing repairs are dealt with.

Ealing, West Ealing and Acton town centre plans: Will they ever see the light of day?
We do not support Labour's current proposals for Ealing Town Centre. We want to see Ealing developed, but the Council needs to go back to the drawing board with their current plans. Their proposals will generate too much traffic on local roads. They also do not give enough focus on arts and culture and risk giving us an 'identikit' high street without any distinctive character.

We strongly support the development of Acton and West Ealing, but again are extremely concerned that consultation will be inadequate. We do not want to see a repeat of the situation with the proposed Acton Town Hall scheme where there has been inadequate consultation with the users of the Priory Centre.

Currently the social services department is facing a £6 million deficit. What will be done about it?
The Social Services deficit has arisen partly because of increased demand for services but also because nationally Labour has failed to increase grants to Local Authorities in line with the additional demands placed on them. Locally there has also been poor management, for example: the fiasco on billing vulnerable residents for home care for which the Labour Chair of Social Services must take the blame.
Will the policy of supplying elderly people with frozen, ready-meals be continued with, despite its unpopularity?
We believe that pensioners should decide. Those people who want cooked meals should get them: those who prefer frozen likewise. Some people who receive cooked meals value the daily contact: it is outrageous to railroad people down the frozen route irrespective of their individual circumstances. Labour should listen for a change.
What is the future of nurseries in Ealing? Will they be closed as a way to reduce the social services deficit?
Liberal Democrats oppose any cut in the nursery budget and any closures or amalgamation of nursery schools and nursery centres.The Labour leader has put his reputation on the line in stating that there will be no closures, but we'll be watching closely to make sure he delivers. We also oppose Tory scaremongering on this issue. This has caused great distress to local parents. You shouldn't play politics with young children.
How can traffic flow be improved, traffic congestion reduced and parking improved?
We need to improve public transport so that more people choose to use it in preference to their private cars.

The first thing we need is a council that will stick up for Ealing residents in opposing Labour's plans to privatise the tube. The tube needs major improvement, but privatisation is not the way to do it.

We also need better enforcement of the transport rules that keep streets moving. This means more prosecution of people who block bus lanes. Vehicles parked and causing an obstruction should be removed, not clamped. In some areas we should restrict deliveries so that they do not happen during busy periods.

We also want to make it easier for people to use alternatives to the car. For example, we would like to see an extended network of cycle-paths and cycle-lanes and 'Safety Travel Plans' which increase the number of children who can cycle and walk to school.

Finally, we also shouldn't just think of road users but also of pedestrians. We urgently need to improve street lighting and the quality of the badly maintained pavements across the borough. We also want to see more home zones and 20mph speed limits in residential areas.

What efforts can be made to improve street cleaning around the borough?
Cleaning up Ealing by improving street cleaning and graffiti removal is one of our three top priorities for the whole borough (alongside improved lighting - and listening more to residents). We want people to feel pride in their environment right across Ealing.

A cleaner, better-lit, environment will also make people feel safer and reduce the fear of crime.

There are clear opportunities to improve the management of the cleaning service. Litter bins need to be emptied more often, especially at weekends. Bags of rubbish that have been collected by street cleaning gangs should be picked up more rapidly rather than left around for ages in piles blocking the pavements.

There should be better co-ordination of bin rotas with street cleaning rotas. At present, some streets have their bins emptied on Monday and the street swept on Friday, meaning rubbish spilled when collecting the bins is left in the streets for the best part of a week at best.

Finally, Lib Dem councillors are already making an important difference by keeping a close eye on their local area and chasing up to deal with street cleaning problems.

Will the support for the West London transit continue?
Unlike Labour (which supports the tram) we support the idea of the West London transit but prefer more versatile bendy-buses, with minimum pollution, and more dedicated roadspace. This approach can be done progressively, and in fact has already started with more bus lanes on the Uxbridge Road, marked clearways at bus stops and greater penalties for infringements. Trams are not good on existing roads - particularly at narrow parts of the route such as Acton High Street and Ealing Broadway.

Yet again, this is an area where consultation so far has been very feeble. Many people who were meant to receive consultation documents didn't get them.

How will street cleaning on Southall Broadway be improved?
The Council needs to increase the rate of inspection to ensure that Cardinal is fulfilling their contract - there are only a limited number of inspectors in the whole borough and so they don't inspect every street every week. The bins in the Broadway need to be fixed so that people don't tip these bins over and leave the rubbish on the streets. The council agreed an action plan with Cardinal in October 2001 which must be enforced including:
How will traffic congestion around the junctions of South Road and Beaconsfield Road. and South Road and The Broadway be improved?
We would propose new traffic routing in the area - and restrict parking near the junctions. This would involve limiting right turns and setting up alternative routes for cars that need to turn right following the example of similar traffic schemes in Acton High Street and Greenford.
Will residents see improvements to the green spaces in Southall, ie Southall Park and Spikesbridge Park?
Yes. We will actively seek to considerably improve the quality of major open spaces and the network of town and district parks, local leisure gardens, nature reserves and children's play spaces. In some cases this will mean limiting how frequently parks are available for hire and, where there have been problems, may mean refusal of future bookings or requiring cuts in the amount of publicity for the events in question.

We will support initiatives such as those in Southfield Park to use our green spaces to increase biodiversity and support natural flora and fauna.

The Council needs to get better at ensuring that our green spaces are cleared up after major events. The full cost of this should be included in the rental price to people who use the space - and strictly enforced.

Many people say they feel excluded from decision making in the partnerships, strategic partnerships, etc because they have lost faith in the consultations. How will this situation be improved?
Ealing Liberal Democrat Councillors have consistently fought for greater openness and improved consultation - and we will continue to do so after these elections.

We believe in open local decision-making and so we will strengthen the role of area committees, giving them a bigger budget and more say over their area.

We will ensure better and wider consultation - and we will listen to the results. We will stop the centralisation of services - and keep services broadly spread across the borough. We want a Council that genuinely listens to people right across the borough.

As part of our commitment to openness, we have published our manifesto online at http://www.ealinglibdems.org.uk so that people can check whether we are delivering our manifesto commitments.

When the new Havelock Hoad gurdwara opens what will be done to stop the surrounding road becoming completely congested?
Local bus services need to be revised to ensure that they properly reflect people's need to get to the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gudwara at appropriate times. In addition, when the Gudwara opens there should be consultation with local residents to find out whether parking restrictions should be introduced.
What will be done to reduce terrible traffic congestion through Greenford town centre, particularly on Greenford Road?
We need to discourage people from using Greenford as a through route - and set up traffic management schemes to encourage people off Ruislip Road onto the A40.

We also need to make it easier to get out of cars and onto public transport. There needs to be more promotion of the bus routes that are available. We would want the Greenford one-stop shop to also advice on bus routes.

Last year more than 2,000 traders and residents signed a petition calling for CCTV in Greenford Town Centre to deter muggers. Is there a plan to introduce CCTV, and if not, why not?
We support CCTV where local communities want it. This is the kind of issue that should be decided by strengthened local area committees, not blocked by the central Labour group.
What facilities are planned for older children and teenagers, to keep them occupied and out of trouble?
Liberal Democrats want to introduce new ways and means for younger people to develop their talents and abilities. In particular, we want to see the growth and development of youth clubs and more activities catering for young people in the area. There are currently only seven youth clubs recognised by the council in the whole borough.

Liberal Democrats want to see more clubs set up across the whole of the borough and these clubs to be open more frequently. We will also introduce new environmental groups and develop existing groups like the Wildlife Watch to give young people an active involvement in caring for the local environment.

Liberal Democrats will continue to promote and subsidise existing local children's events run by Ealing Borough Council. This includes the Greenford Children's Festival in the autumn half-term. However, we will go further and set up more events across the borough, particularly during the holiday periods. Through greater investment in local libraries, we will also develop existing children's library and arts events, and provide more access to computer facilities in local libraries to develop their IT skills.

Motorists queuing to get into Greenford Waste and Recycling Depot are making congestion in Greenford even worse on Sundays. What will be done about to reduce queues?
The basic problem is that there are not enough facilities for recyclable waste to be collected from the doorstep and that there are not enough recycling centres in the borough. In addition, there are some opportunities to redesign the Greenford site to increase the number of vehicles passing through.

Liberal Democrats want to see a dramatic improvement in Ealing's recycling levels. Currently only 11.0% of waste is recycled, compared to 23.5% in Liberal Democrat-run Sutton. An important improvement would be improved door-to-door collection of recyclable waste including plastic. In addition, we would like to see more regular collection of green garden waste for composting.

A positive by-product of these improved door-to-door recycling levels would be reduction in congestion for the people of Greenford.

How will high Street names be encouraged into Greenford town centre to fill empty shop units?
The council needs to be putting as much effort into redeveloping Greenford as it is into developing Ealing Broadway.

High Street names are also not necessarily the answer: we need also a mixture of specialist shops, cafés and leisure facilities which will attract people to the area.

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Published by Martin Tod on behalf of Ealing Liberal Democrats all at 23 Fairlawn Court, Acton Lane, London W4 5EE. Printed and hosted by freenetname, 113 - 123 Upper Richmond Road, London SW15 2TL