We hope you are keeping safe during this very challenging time.
We know many of you will have been impacted by this awful virus, and our thoughts go out to those who have.
Thank you for all you have been doing. Whether that is helping neighbours and community groups, or even just doing your best to follow Government guidelines to help slow the spread of Covid-19, it has been so valuable. Thank you.
Update from the Conservative Group on Richmond Council
We wanted to update you on some of the activities your Conservative councillors have been supporting during this period. There is too much to fit in one newsletter, so we’ve added some highlights and will provide more updates over the coming weeks. The council has been working extremely hard to support residents, communities and businesses, and as your Conservative councillors we have all been busy in our wards supporting residents during these challenging times.
The Government has already allocated £3.7bn to local authorities to support their own response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Richmond Council receiving £10.8m of additional support.
Cllr Brandreth has been part of a cross-party group allocating £100k of emergency grant funding to local organisations working directly to support their communities in the Covid-19 response.
In addition there has been significant financial support for local business which is being administered by local authorities including through additional business rates relief, grant support to some businesses with £37.5m worth of grants paid out to date in Richmond Borough and a further anticipated £2m for Richmond businesses which were not eligible for the Small Business or Retail grants of funding for business. The Government’s package of support has provided breathing space for many businesses, but those that don’t qualify for any of the grants are struggling and we are in touch with them about applying for a grant from the Government’s small business top-up scheme once we know the Council’s criteria for awarding the funding.
We know that these are challenging times for businesses, charities and our whole community, and we will continue to support the community fully, and to reach out to businesses and residents who are struggling.
Council committee meetings have been moving on-line. We’ve already taken part in planning, licencing and scrutiny committee virtual meetings, as well as the first full council meeting online! We are of course keen to get back to the council chamber as soon as it is safe to do so and we continue to work with officers to consider how future council meetings could work with a hybrid format.
Your Conservative Ward Councillors continue to support local residents with their concerns. We have been busier than ever responding to issues ranging from waste collection to concerns around safe social distancing.
Although crime generally has gone down since the lockdown began drug activity in Richmond has increased. Residents have reported a number of hotspots and Cllrs Buckwell and Fleming have been asking the Police and the Council’s Park Guard team to patrol in these areas, with successful outcomes seizing drugs and making several arrests.
We’ve also been volunteering in the community delivering meals to vulnerable residents, shopping for the elderly and those isolating, volunteering and supporting local charities where we can. Please get in touch with us any time if you need our support on local issues.
Local Issue Updates
Waste & Recycling – A New Contractor
Richmond Borough has moved to a new contractor for collecting our waste and recycling. The transition hasn’t been entirely smooth, and across our wards we’ve been responding to residents’ concerns about missed collections and increased rubbish debris on the streets following collections. In addition, Cllr Palmer has been dealing with a number of incidents of fly-tipping.
Cllr Flemming says “It’s unfortunate that the start of the new Waste & Recycling contract coincided with the beginning of lockdown and a 40% increase in the amount of waste created. The first couple of weeks saw many roads suffering missed or late collections. Eventually the Council brought in additional resources and generally collections have settled down, but we continue to deal with complaints about missed collections and debris left on streets after collections. What’s particularly frustrating for residents is when they report a missed collection and told it’ll be picked up in 2 days and nothing happens."
If you have concerns please do get in touch. Let us know if your collection is missed or if there are any unacceptable levels of rubbish strewn on the road.
Hammersmith Bridge
We understand that work has not stopped on the project to repair Hammersmith Bridge over this period although understandably working practices have been adjusted where necessary. A planning application is expected to be submitted early in June for a temporary pedestrian bridge linking Barnes and Hammersmith to facilitate the repairs to the main bridge.
Information from TFL regarding the pedestrian bridge shared at a webinar held in April suggested that the temporary bridge could start construction this summer with a proposed 6-7month construction time. The bridge would only be suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. Cllr Joyce continued to press for consideration of an option for a temporary bridge suitable for motor vehicles.
The webinar update said that works to repair the main bridge would be expected to take 2 years once the pedestrian bridge is constructed. There is anticipated that there will be restricted access to the Thames Path on the Richmond side of the river during the entirety of the works.
We expect further detail to be presented to the Transport Committee in June. Meanwhile your Conservative Councillors continue to press for action to repair the bridge, measures to ensure safety for pedestrians travelling across the bridge, and ensure as full access for local residents to safely and swiftly travel.
Mortlake Brewery
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called in the planning decision made by Richmond Council on Mortlake Brewery. In January, the planning committee voted in favour of the proposed housing plan and the new secondary school, though it refused the changes to Chalker's Corner. The Mayor has raised concerns about the number of affordable homes and the refusal of the proposed Chalker's Corner changes. He has indicated that he wants to find a way for the site to accommodate many more affordable units, possibly at the cost of less parking, and to revisit the decision on Chalker's Corner.
Cllr Paul Avon, Conservative Councillor in Mortlake and Barnes Common, said, "I feared this would happen. I am wholly opposed to moving Lower Mortlake Road closer to Chertsey Court, and I don't believe it is right to try to cram more housing onto the site just so the Mayor can try to improve his own housing targets.
My view has been consistent from the beginning, namely that the proposed density of the site should reflect its difficult location - one that it is bounded by the Thames, Chalker’s Corner and the level crossing at Mortlake. What is clear as well is that without profound changes to the transport and local infrastructure, the development as it stands will be disastrous for the area.
I sincerely hope the Mayor takes this opportunity to listen to residents’ concerns and take Chalker’s Corner off the agenda immediately. Once again, Chertsey Court residents face a period of uncertainty and distress as their future wellbeing is put at risk yet again.
We need more housing in London, and the brewery site needs developing but not at any cost. We need to build strong communities that people will value many years in the future.”
There are of course, lots more issues happening locally, please follow our social media posts for the latest updates.
www.facebook.com/rbconservatives
https://twitter.com/LBRuTTories
And please get in touch any time if we can help you with any local issues.
Please stay alert, and stay safe.
Your Richmond Conservative Councillors
