Democracy returns to Greenwich - One Night Only

Yes ladies and gentleman, tonight sees the return of the Full Council meeting and we shall be there to see the fun and games. There has not been a full Council meeting for almost four months because the leadership of the Council can't stand them but they are constitutional bound in the rotten borough of Greenwich to have one every now and again.

This usually results in the Opposition councillors submitting so many questions that the Council is swamped with actually having to do some sort of work. We expect lots of trite responses as a result and the Glorious Leader Chris Roberts will no doubt be in a mood because he's had to do a little bit more work than usual.

Rumour has it as well that at the last group meeting of the controlling party there were some "frank" discussions, so who knows what the New Year might bring?

Council fails to hold consultation?

If the Deputy leader Councillor Brooks had been earning his money and not missing the London City Airport Consultative Committee meetings, perhaps Thamesmead residents would have been invited for their opinions on the consultation for the airports expansion that closes in two days. After all, they live about 4000 feet from the end of the runway.


View Larger MapShamefully residents have no representation in Thamesmead anymore, and the murky world of the Thames Gateway doesn't look like it will get better any time soon.

Should any Thamesmead resident be reading this do leave a comment and let us know how you feel about the prospect of an extra 40,000 flights per year over your homes when the airport goes from 81,000 to 120,000. We cannot do anything about it, but at least we offer a place for you to tell the incompetent quasi-corrupt council what you think of them.

Council to sell car park and public toilets?

We've just spotted something in the Cabinet Committee papers that has made us ponder. It appears the Council is going to sell the car park at the Waterfront Leisure Centre to Berkley Homes. This was agreed in principle it seems in 2004 and now it's time to do the deed. What has sparked a little debate in our office is where the new car park will actually be. According to the Cabinet papers,

A sale of the Council's freehold of the car park site to Berkley homes unconditional upon a planning consent being granted but conditional upon the replacement of the public/Leisure Centre car park and a public convenience within any re-development scheme together with temporary parking facilities, with not less than 210 spaces, whilst development takes place.

So the current car park capacity is 210 spaces, Berkley Homes can buy it and don't need planning consent in advance, and if they re-develop the area they must provide temporary parking for the same number of cars as well as a public lavatory, and must include a car park for 210 spaces and a public lavatory in their re-development scheme. So our little debate is "where could another Lesiure Centre car park go"?


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They could of course develop on top and make it an underground car park, but then those spaces would have to be required for the people living above in any planning. We think the Council is either trying to con Berkley homes into buying land with impossible conditions set to raise funds in its ever dwindling budget; or Berkley Homes are diversifying into car park management.

That might mean an increase in parking charges to use the decaying leisure centre, but on the plus side if a private company is in charge of the toilets maybe it will stop them being Cottaging Central for Woolwich

What's that smell?

We've got a bee in our bonnet about Thamesmead these last few days and it isn't over yet. Anyone who lives in Thamesmead knows quite well that during the summer the sewage smell that floats across the area is grim. Well we bring you great new, that smell will not be there for much longer!

The Council have decided in their infinite wisdom that they're approaching Tilfen Land about the possibility of developing an anaerobic digestion site in Thamesmead. A whaty whaty? we hear you say. It's quite simple really. It's what they're planning for all that food and garden waste that you will start recycling in January.

The Council wants to build the facility so they can capture methane and produce energy. It's a very green tree-hugging initiative with one minor draw back. Like all the Council's recycling ambitions it hopes to handle not just our waste but other Boroughs too.

That means there will be, quite literally, tonnes of rotting food traveling into the Borough to the proposed centre and whilst it queues up to go in it will carry on rotting and pump lots of methane out in the locale of the riverside that decidedly winding development. No more raw sewage smell, it's going to l'eau de crap mixed with l'eau de dead food instead.

Council fails to attend meetings for over fours years

In the past we've mentioned the fact that the Thamesmead councillor, and Deputy Leader of the Council, Peter Brooks, is on something called the London City Airport Consultative Committee. This is a committee that ensures there is communication about City Airport and its plans with the local authorities it touches upon- in other words, Newham, Greenwich, Bexley etc.

We have just been looking through the minutes of their quarterly meetings and have learned that Peter Brooks has not attended any meetings in the last four years nor have apologies been sent. In fact, the last time anyone from Greenwich was even mentioned in the minutes was in October 2003 when Cllr Maureen O'Mara sent her apologies for not attending, since then they've not even bothered.

We're glad to see the Council takes representing the views of the Borough in relation to the local airport that would like to expand so seriously. Especially as the Councilor Brooks is paid very well to represent our views.

Understanding Thamesmead?

Click image for larger versionSources:
Bexley Times
Greenwich Council - Cllr Smith, Cllr Kotz
Greenwich Council Register of Members' Interests
GLA Register of Members' Interests

Rigging consultation?

Word reaches us that there was recently a "consultation" exercise in the borough about health and clinical services. It was attended 150 local invitees all giving their views.

How long did it take to sum up the views of this large group of people at the end? 25 minutes apparently. We think that's pretty impressive to have invited 150 people "randomly" that all seem to hold the same view.

What was the view? Well they supported the policies being proposed! You didn't think they would be against did you?

Labour councillor goes into the Tory Lions Den?

We've been very quiet of late, commitments elsewhere and general boredom with it all has led us to start wondering what the point is, but this morning we've received an email that we just couldn't resist posting about.

Our mystery correspondent tells us the picture to the right was taken at the Tory Conference in Blackpool last week and shows the former Head of Policy for the Labour Party, and currently Greenwich West councillor, Margaret Mythen at a closed door meeting behind political enemy lines.

The sender of the image also alleged scurrilous unsubstantiated gossip there is an internal power struggle going on against the current Council leader, Chris Roberts. We wonder how her colleagues will feel about her being in the Lions Den and fraternising with the enemy?