7/31/2019 News Bulletin from Greg Hands M.P. #339

1/1

Subject: NewsBulletinfromGregHandsM.P.#339

Date: Friday,22June201219:47:42UnitedKingdomTime

From: GregHandsM.P.

To: news@greghands.com

In this edition:

Greg Hands M.P.s DiaryWebsite of the Week:Earls Court Youth HostelHands: save CharingCross hospitalPhoto news:Earls Court Youth HostelTri-borough Councils oncourse to save 40 milliona yearPhoto news:H&F FoodbankAndrew Brown chosen asConservative candidate forTown Ward by-election on

12th JulyPhoto news:St Lukes ChelseaEnergy Saving scheme inK&C benefits 1,300Borough homes

Photo news:St Johns Walham GreenSummer FeteWealthy tenants in H&F toldto pay fair share of rentHands in the papers:Londoners DiaryHow to contactGreg Hands M.P.

Issue 339 Friday 22nd

June 2012

Since the last edition, Greg:

Reacted with dismay at NHS North West Londons proposal to

end Accident & Emergency services at Charing Cross

Hospital. For more, see below.

Visited the Affinity Sutton estate, Cale Street, Chelsea, to

discuss with management their proposals for wholesale

redevelopment of the estate. Greg is taking up a number of

issues raised by the Tenants & Residents Association about

the controversial scheme.

Joined volunteers from H&F Foodbank to seek food donations

in Waitrose, Fulham, for the foodbank. 170 kilos of food were

collected for needy families in the Borough. For more about the

foodbank, see www.hffb.org

Visited the St Thomas More R.C. Language College in

Cadogan Street, as guest of headmaster Dr Papworth. Greg

toured the school and answered questions from pupils.

Attended the summer fair ofSt Johns School, Fulham. See

photo below.

Attended and addressed the annual reception of the

Kensington & Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, at the

House of Commons. For more about the Chamber, see

www.kccc.co.uk.

Met representatives of TNT Post to learn more about

competition with the Royal Mail for deliveries in West London.

Attended and drew the raffle at the summer fair ofSt Lukes

Church, Sydney Street, Chelsea. For more, see photo below.

Had a full schedule of activity as a Government Whip in and

around the chamber of the House of Commons, including

ministerial meetings and organising votes and standing

committees.

Held a weekly surgery for Chelsea and Fulham residents at

Fulham Town Hall. Gregs surgeries are held generally every

Monday at Fulham Town Hall, the Fulham Methodist Church,

or at Peter Jones, Sloane Square. To ask for an appointment,

email mail@greghands.com or call 020 7219 5448.

Website of the Week:

www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-earls-court

The web page of the Earls Court youth hostel,which Greg visited this week. Why not get involvedwith YHAs Do it 4 Real summer camps, or holda community event at the youth hostel?

Hands: save Charing Cross hospitalGreg Hands M.P. is urging localresidents to join the fight to saveCharing Cross hospital on FulhamPalace Road. Under proposals

published yesterday, both the Accidentand Emergency department and othercritical services would be lost.NHS North West London proposes closing four of the nine A&Ecentres in the area and downgrading some hospitals, includingCharing Cross, from major centres with a wide range of clinicalspecialisms to local hospitals. The NHS preferred option could alsosee the loss of the hyper-acute stroke unit at Charing Cross.Hammersmith & Fulham Council has launched an online petitionwhich you can sign here.

Responding to the announcement, Fulham & Chelseas M.P., GregHands, said: I have been warning since 2005 that NHS bureaucratshave been downgrading services at the Charing Cross, and now theirrenewed proposal to end A&E services comes as a hammer blow toHammersmith & Fulham residents.This is also bad news for Kensington & Chelsea residents, as it is notclear that Chelsea & Westminster hospital will have the capacity totake up to an extra 100,000 A&E admissions each year.All together, this is a crazy proposal from a body of NHS bureaucrats

the North West London Strategic Health Authority that is about tobe abolished anyway. I will fight this very hard.

Cllr Marcus Ginn, Cabinet Member for Community Care at H&F, said:"This confirms our worst fears. We will be fighting tooth and nail tosave Charing Cross the public are not going to accept this planquietly, especially when the case for stripping all the major service outof such a well loved and respected centre of excellence is notsupported by evidence."Over many months of questioning on this, NHS bureaucrats havefailed to address concerns that this will leave thousands of residentsdangerously distant from emergency care or to show that lives will notbe put at risk by these closures."We think it is madness that they have not taken account of the factthat only Charing Cross has the space for expansion and the publictransport links that a major hospital requires."They have not taken account of the thousands on new homes beingbuilt in west London which will mean we need more local access tohospitals, not less."We have warned them not to go down this path. The public reactionis going to be immense."

Greg Hands M.P. also raised this issue in March,

which you can read here.

Photo news:

Earls Court Youth Hostel

Greg Hands M.P. at the Earl's Court Youth Hostel with local andnational managers of the Youth Hostelling Association.

Tri-borough Councils on course

to save 40 million a year

A progress report published today reveals that Hammersmith &Fulham, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea andWestminster City Council are on track to save 40million-a-year by2015/16 by combining services and management costs.This is helping to keep council tax bills in the three areas amongst thelowest in Britain, while protecting frontline services.

The Tri-borough councils are sharing 300million of services and, indoing so, cutting management costs in half with 175 senior postsgoing.

A One Year On progress report published today reveals how 62senior and middle management posts have already gone in the threeareas that have been initially combined: Childrens Services. AdultSocial and Libraries, equivalent to a 45% reduction in seniormanagement.Combined Environmental Services between the Royal Borough ofKensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F)has resulted in seven management posts being lost. The twoauthorities now share a chief executive.This financial year 7.7million of savings will be made across thethree authorities. The eventual 40million-a-year total savings sharedbetween the three authorities represents around 7.3% of H&Fs totalnet budget expenditure. If other councils across the UK saved half thatamount by sharing services with neighbours it would produce nationalsavings of 2billion.Later this month the Tri-borough councils will share their learning andexperiences with other local authorities a conference at KensingtonTown Hall.

Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, the Leader of the RBKC said: It is up to othercouncils to decide whether combining services makes sense. Manyhave already gone down this route. We stand ready to share ourlearning and experience to help others make ends meet."Cllr Nicholas Botterill, the new Leader of H&F Council, said: A yearago our plans were seen as radical, now they are seen ascommonsense. Sharing costs, overheads and expertise is not onlybringing down the cost of delivering services it is leading to better andmore effective services.Cllr Botterill pointed to the fact that library users can now borrowbooks in any of the three areas. The councils are also pioneering work

to support 1720 troubled families. With every 1 spent on troubledfamilies, 2.10 is saved for the taxpayer in avoided costs. Theprogramme is helping families to turn around their lives, helping themrepair complex family issues while also supporting them intoemployment, education or training.The One Year On report reveals how the plans are supporting thetransfer of power locally. Employee mutuals have been launched inareas around support for schools, youth services and ICT supportservices. People with longer-term care needs are being offeredpersonal budgets, ward budgets are being extended in two of theboroughs, while Westminster and H&F are piloting neighbourhoodbudgets in Queens Park (Westminster) and White City (H&F).

A sovereignty guarantee; signed by the three councils ensures localaccountability and decision making, with each individual councilresponsible for their own budgets, policies and service specification.Cllr Philippa Roe, Leader of Westminster City Council, said: Sharingservices is not just about reducing cost, important as that is in this ageof austerity, it is about improving lives and innovation.The first Tri-borough joint campaign, Summer in the City offeredsummer activities across the three authorities. The programme isbeing repeated this year and will be launched at a youth engagementevent taking place at Chelsea FC next Saturday (June 23rd) calledThe Big Shout.Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, EricPickles, said: "The success of the Tri-borough approach is testamentto the innovation and forward thinking of Westminster, Hammersmith& Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea."Its councillors and officers are my London 2012 heroes for makingsuch creative savings to protect frontline services, all while keepingcouncil tax bills down helping families and pensioners with their costof living."No council should even contemplate cutting services before theyhave considered following this example of how to join forces with

neighbours to share back office services, procure better, slash in-house management and cut overhead costs. Potentially 2billion oftaxpayers money could be saved if other councils were able to copysuch sensible savings across the country."The Tri-borough authorities formally agreed to share services throughCabinet decisions taken in June 2011.The reaction from local residents to shared services has beenoverwhelming positive with nearly three quarters (73%) supportingsome sharing of services while nearly four in five (79%) said theywere satisfied with the way their councils run things.

At the end of the month the three authorities will host a seminar forcouncil officers interested in learning how the Tri-borough project hasdelivered and how it can be replicated across local government.

Kensington Town Hall Friday 29th June 2012.

Photo news:

H&F Foodbank

Greg Hands M.P. with H&F Foodbank volunteers inWaitrose, North End Road, collecting food donations

for needy local people.

Andrew Brown chosen as

Conservative candidate for

Town Ward by-election on 12th July

Andrew Brown (pictured right), who haslived in Hammersmith & Fulham forover ten years, has been chosen as theConservative candidate in the Town

Ward by election on 12th July.

A by election has been called in TownWard following former H&F CouncilLeader Stephen Greenhalghsappointment as Deputy Mayor ofLondon for Policing.

Andrew lives with his wife, Kimberleyand baby daughter Annabelle. He alsoworks a stones throw from Town Wardin offices next to Putney Bridge tubestation, where he is a consultant in the healthcare industry.

A graduate of Imperial College, Andrews main interests arehealthcare, particularly maintaining all services at our local hospitals;and fighting crime, having been an active member of his localNeighbourhood Watch.You can contact Andrew by emailing town@hfconservatives.com orfollowing him on Twitter at @arbrown_town.

Photo news:

St Lukes Chelsea

Greg Hands M.P. drawing the St Luke's Church rafflein Chelsea last weekend!

Energy Saving scheme in K&C benefits

1,300 Borough homes

A scheme to reduce fuel bills for Kensington and Chelsea residentsand reduce the amount of CO2 produced by homes in the boroughhas proved to be a great success.More than 1,300 homes in Kensington and Chelsea have benefittedfrom the RE:NEW energy saving scheme.Over the past few months residents in the borough have been offeredfree home visits from energy assessors in a bid to lower their utilitybills and reduce carbon emissions. The RE:NEW initiative is a pan-London scheme funded by the GLA and run in collaboration with theRoyal Borough ofKensington and Chelsea.Tailored advice was given to residents on saving energy in theirhomes and energy saving measures were installed where appropriate.Residents were given 2,194 energy saving light bulbs, 755 standbyswitches, 769 energy display monitors and 815 water savingshowerheads. A range of other energy saving devices were fittedwhich will save up to 218,108 tonnes of CO2 production.Cllr Timothy Coleridge, the Royal Borough of Kensington and

Chelsea's Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "The RE:NEW schemehas proved to be a great success. The energy saving equipment givento residents, or installed in their homes, will help save them moneyand reduce the amount of CO2 produced in the borough."This current phase of the RE:NEW scheme has now come to an endbut advice and assistance are still available through the HealthyHomes scheme on 0808 202 6204.

Photo news:

St Johns Walham Green Summer Fete

Greg Hands M.P. at the St John's Walham Green School summerfete, with the school PTFA's appeal for playground renewal

works.

Wealthy tenants in H&F told to pay fair

share of rent

A council that is proposing to prohibit residents with an income ofmore than 40,200, from accessing the housing register is todaysupporting Government proposals to charge high earners who alreadylive in a council house a higher level of rent.Flagship local authority Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Councilbelieves that it is patently unfair that people taking home a salary ofmore than 60,000, are currently paying an average weekly socialrent in the borough of 98.97.

At the same time thousands of people on low incomes are languishingon the councils social housing waiting list and paying up to threetimes as much to rent in the private sector.Speaking at a Chartered Institute of Housing Conference inManchester, Grant Shapps MP will today say that tenants earningmore than 60,000 should receive less state subsidy and thereforepay a higher social rent than those on lower incomes.Cllr Andrew Johnson, Cabinet Member for Housing at Hammersmith &Fulham Council, said: Social housing is meant to be for those peoplewho are most in need of somewhere to live. Instead, we have asystem where millions of people on low incomes are forced into the

private rented sector while high-income tenants are occupying the

homes that were built for the most vulnerable.This borough has some of the highest private rents in the country andit is an absolute travesty that so many of our low income residentshave to pay astronomical weekly rents, while some people earning inexcess of 60,000 are getting away with a weekly rent of around100.Hammersmith & Fulham Council is currently consulting on radicallyoverhauling the way that is allocated social housing and grantstenancies.

As well as stopping people earning above 40,200 from accessing the

housing register, the council is also proposing to move away from thenotion that a council home is a home for life and instead introducefixed term tenancies of five years for new social housing lettings.The current systems means that someone who is allocated a socialhome when they are earning a low income will keep that home for life,even if they go on to earn a much a higher salary in the future. Oncethe tenant passes away, they home is passed onto the tenantschildren.Cllr Johnson added: It is abundantly clear to see that current systemis deeply flawed as it does not promote personal aspiration and

penalises the very people that social housing is supposed to cater for.

Social housing should be a springboard not a destination.The system also fails to take into account the fact that a householdsneed for social housing may be temporary. If we are serious abouttackling the countrys housing crisis, we need to be much smarterabout how we allocate our precious and limited housing stock.H&F currently has a housing waiting list of 10,300 and is alsoproposing to give a greater priority to those who are working, those intraining leading to employment and those making a significantcontribution to the community when allocating a social home.You can have your say on H&F Councils housing proposals byvisiting www.lbhf.gov.uk/housingstrategyconsultation.

Hands in the papers:

Londoners DiaryEvening Standard

Monday 18th June 2012Last night Greg Hands, Tory MP for Chelsea & Fulham, was watchingEuro 2012.

Im watching Denmark v Germany on the same Philips TV I watchedthe Denmark v Germany final in 1992, said Hands, whose wife Irinais half-German, so we can guess which side he was supporting.Would any MP like to outdo him for owning the oldest television set?Obviously many MPs have already disqualified themselves from thiscompetition, buying TVs paid for from the public purse as discoveredduring the expenses scandal.

5 ways to contact Greg Hands M.P.:

By Phone: 020 7219 5448By email: mail@greghands.com

By post: Greg Hands M.P.House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA

In person: Click here for details of howto book an appointment atGreg Hands M.P.s weeklysurgery

www.greghands.com

More news from Greg HandsM.P., coming soonPlease forward this email on to anyone you think may be interested. Ifyou have had this email forwarded to you and would like to be added

to the mailing list, please send an email to: news@greghands.comwith JOIN in the subject heading.To unsubscribe from this list, please return an e-mail tonews@greghands.com with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject heading.

Greg Hands M.P. a strong voice for Chelsea & Fulham

Published & Promoted by Jonathan Fraser-Howells on behalf of Greg HandsM.P.,both of 1a Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 5RP

mailto:news@greghands.comhttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://www.greghands.com/http://www.greghands.com/http://greghands.com/content/surgeries-0http://greghands.com/content/surgeries-0mailto:mail@greghands.comhttp://www.lbhf.gov.uk/housingstrategyconsultationmailto:www.twitter.com/@arbrown_townmailto:town@hfconservatives.comhttp://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-charing-cross.htmlmailto:news@greghands.commailto:news@greghands.comhttp://twitter.com/greghandshttp://www.greghands.com/http://greghands.com/content/surgeries-0mailto:mail@greghands.comhttp://www.lbhf.gov.uk/housingstrategyconsultationmailto:www.twitter.com/@arbrown_townmailto:town@hfconservatives.comhttp://greghands.com/news/mass-accident-and-emergency-closure-threat-across-west-londonhttp://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-charing-cross.htmlhttp://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-earls-courtmailto:mail@greghands.comhttp://www.kccc.co.uk/http://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#contacthttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#papershttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#papershttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#housinghttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#stjohnshttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#stjohnshttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#energyhttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#stlukeshttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#stlukeshttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#brownfortownhttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#foodbankhttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#foodbankhttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#trihttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#photohttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#photohttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#cxhttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#websitehttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#websitehttp://applewebdata//33BDEB37-FDA5-4D37-8E8E-302AEE2A3DD7#pastweek