Inflation now 0.6% but below is Tower Hamlets proposed increases in fee's & charges from this April
Average percentage increases per directorate:
Children & Culture 2.2%
Governance 0.9%
Health, Adults & Community 7.2%
Place 11%
Resources 11.2%
See Pt6.3 democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/ieListDocument… 1/
Children & culture - examples - see 2nd last column
Holiday Child Care example Working parents in receipt of Universal Credit booking 8am to 6pm - up 5.6% from £18 to £19 democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/documents/s178… 2/
Like Newham a big increase in car related charges
Resident parking permit increasing by between 9.1% & 135%!
Exception is electric vehicles where decreasing by 9% but as so few on street electric vehicle chargers a bit pointless democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/documents/s178… 4/
Resources - examples - see 2nd last column
Photocopying Card - up 33% - £1.50 to £2
I am not sure people who use Idea Store to photocopy are wealthy given that many people use scanners & printers etc at home democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/documents/s178… 5/
Part of the problem is that fees are rounded up to the nearest 10p or to the pound (not rounded down if fairer)
For those in work average salaries up 2.7% in October but was -1.3% in June, may not reflect furlough, unemployed, self-employed experiences ons.gov.uk/employmentandl… 6/
Orchard Wharf planning application live
You can now object to or support this development, five buildings up to 30 storeys in height for 826 residential apartments development.towerhamlets.gov.uk/online-applica…
Site between Trinity Buoy Wharf, Good Luck Hope & East India Dock Basin in Blackwall 1/
The wharf would be safeguarded for future use, so in effect you have a box for future use, maybe as a logistics hub with barges bringing in goods with apartments above
Until 19th January online
I recommend you do this online as the system will then generate letters
More later 2/
PA/20/02488/A1 | Phased Hybrid Planning Application Part A - Full planning application for redevelopment of site following demolition of all existing buildings and enabling works to provide a mixed-use development consisting of the erection of five buildings between 15 and 30 3/
Every year the Conservative group of which I remain a member (as otherwise there would not be an opposition group in TH leaving Labour as the only political group)
provides an amendment to the Mayors budget, see democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/documents/s164…
I have to do another one by the 24th Feb 1/
when the Council will approve the Mayors budget
But the process is flawed (one reason why I am building my own budget model)
Council budget only looks at changes the Mayor wants to make + external changes
We never look at the organisation as a whole
We need to do a zero based 2/
or bottom up budget looking at everything with fresh eyes
Is Council structured correctly for 2021/22?
So even though the budget pack is 366 pages long it actually lacks detail
Why is inflation cost up 105% from 2019/20 to 2021/22?
I can guess & ask but not in report
I think 3/
A no deal exit is now inevitable it appears
Maybe mini-deals will be agreed to smooth things over?
Although not my choice I think trading with the EU on WTO terms is the logical outcome of Brexit
Will make clear whether the single market was a benefit or not to the UK economy 1/
I wonder what Margaret Thatcher would think about that, she & Arthur Cockfield did so much to establish the single market across the EU
It allowed us to focus on our strengths, services
And 60% of our economy is services, very odd how little that has been discussed versus fish
2/
I do not believe WTO trade will be a disaster but this is also a bad start to Brexit
COVID ⬆️ + 10 days left + Christmas holidays
I always thought Brexit could be a success but required leadership, competence, preparation & vision for future
Was missing in 2016 & still missing
3/
Construction hours update
Earlier this year the government allowed construction sites to work earlier and later than the normal hours to keep on schedule during COVID
A number of sites locally applied for this exemption, none of which closed during the first lockdown. 1/
But the government made an exception where the applications were in dense residential areas
But TH Council never mentions that exception and allowed every application even when local residents & I objected
So I wrote to Lord Greenhalgh, the Minister who announced the change
2/
asking him to remind the Council that exemptions were allowed, that the Council did not have to grant every application for extended hours
His response is below
It makes clear that where extending construction hours has a significant impact on health that these applications 3/
Tower Hamlets Council are proposing to change the name of Canary Wharf ward to Millwall ward
What do you think it should be called? see poll
I suggest Millwall & Canary Wharf as a compromise
Like Blackwall & Cubitt Town, Spitalfields & Banglatown etc talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/wardnames
1/
The ward covers this area including the Canary Wharf estate + Canary Wharf Jubilee, Elizabeth, DLR stns
Few assets in the ward called Millwall;
Millwall fire station, Millwall Dock Rd, St Lukes Millwall
Docks called Millwall on edges of ward
But does NOT include Millwall Park 2/
Millwall used to be the name used for a larger ward pre-2014 & historically as well
But for some people Millwall = Millwall Football Club which moved to s London some time ago
But when I write to government minister etc easier to say Canary Wharf
Our Ideas Store is called CW! 3/
These changes include some permanent road closures, some timed road closures controlled by cameras (you get a ticket if you drive into the area at certain times unless you have a resident permit), some one-way streets + some other changes on pavements etc
2/
Canary Wharf College Glenworth has now been added to the map (although I am not convinced to the design) but a local resident submitted some excellent comments as regards the roads outside CWC Glenworth
More comments here facebook.com/groups/1458438…
3/