Dumpers' Charter still in force!

The truth will out! The Liberal Democrat /Tory coalition running Brent Council have admitted that their introduction of a £25 charge for collecting bulky waste led to a fall in special collections. There was a decline in July 2007 (67% from June to July) and the Lead Member admitted this was down to the introduction of the charge for special collections. We see the result every day - on our streets!

Listening to traders

The Council has been consulting on improvements to the Library Centre junction. Changes to benefit pedestrians have been proposed, such as widening, repaving and "de-cluttering" footways and extending traffic islands. Also proposed are new loading bays for the shops. At last night's Willesden Partnership meeting, the proposals were discussed with traders who had concerns about the scheme. Flooding has been a real problem as local shops have been flooded. There was relief that the scheme would cure this problem permanently. It was really good to have shop keepers present to raise their concerns and to witness their concerns being listened to and their ideas being included in design changes. There was concern that work would start before the Christmas period. Am delighted to report start date is now deferred to early January so as not to interfere with the seasonal trading the shops were depending upon.