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9 May, 9 tweets, 5 min read
Following the fire at NPW on Friday and the protest yesterday some thoughts about next steps
It is clear that there are a lot of lessons to learn from the fire, why did smoke spread so far, why did fire brigade struggle to access water supplies, waking watch etc etc?
1/
Barking & Dagenham Council commissioned a really good and useful report following the Samuel Garside House fire in 2019
lbbd.gov.uk/news/independe…
Tomorrow I will suggest to TH Council that they may wish to do something similar
To help collate all of the lessons
2/
I told the CEO of TH Council yesterday at the count how bad the fire had been
So while memories are fresh write down what happened on the day, what did not work, what did, what would you do differently next time. Save those pics and videos, and WhatsApp conversations
3/
The NPW residents committee is already doing that
& I will do the same
Cllr Ehtasham Haque & I also had a conversation yesterday at the protest about next steps as well
And I know residents have also spoken to Mayor John Biggs & other Cabinet members like Cllr Danny Hassell
4/
Here was Mayor John Biggs comments at the protest

5/
And Apsana Begum MP was also present at the protest and spoke to residents/press, here are her comments from earlier

6/
Some of this work was already underway but needs to accelerate now, @going4golds & I did a Council motion about fire safety last November with friendly amendments from @RabinaKhan
Item 8
democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk/ieListDocument…
7/
@SMcPartland MP came to visit the IoD last month to discuss fire safety with residents (he has done lots of work in this area and is not impressed by waking watch), we will ask him to come have a look when he can
Cllr Peter Golds & I will meet tomorrow to discuss next steps
8/
Pictures from this Daily Mail article
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9…
9/

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More from @Andrewwood17

Andrew Wood Profile picture
6 May
Polling stations now open
Polling stations are open now until 10pm (they are red dots in the map)
More information here
towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/council_a…
Take your own pen or pencil (but they will have spares)
Wear a mask unless exempt
You need to know your own name and address, you
1/
do not need a poll card if you lost it
Other than that same as a normal election except for changes in polling stations (Mellish moved to Arnhem Wharf, East India portacabin to the town hall), apparently, the NHS has taken all the spare portacabins!
Reminder 5 ballot papers;
2/
Mayor of London - 2 X first choice and 2nd choice
Local City & East Assembly Member - 1 X against a named person
London wide assembly member - 1X against a party list
Referendum - 1 X against Mayor or Leader
Referendum - Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Plan
3/
Read 4 tweets
Andrew Wood Profile picture
30 Apr
Good news or is it on NOX canisters?
At last TH Council has done something about the little silver canisters that litter our streets & are often linked to anti-social behaviour
But why did it take so long & why it may have little impact & why TH is so frustrating?
A new PSPO
1/
Public Space Protection Order was approved on Wednesday by the Mayor, it will ban the use of NOX nitrous oxide that people inhale via balloons from the canisters
It provides a short high so users have to keep inhaling more of them (& then for some reason do not pick them up)
2/
But NOX does have some negative health impacts
talktofrank.com/drug/nitrous-o…
& some of those who use NOX also cause anti-social behaviour, cause loud noise etc & a few have been violent when asked to keep the noise down
There is no need for it to be inhaled close to peoples homes
3/
Read 18 tweets
Andrew Wood Profile picture
27 Apr
Battle for Brick Lane
The planning policy argument against Truman Brewery decision 5pm today
I asked to speak tonight as well but I missed deadline by a few hours & 5 people already registered
But I would have said that planning is a balancing act based on planning policies
1/
But not how planning works in TH, planning department won’t present a balanced view of what their & GLA policies say but as they support this development they will only quote policies that support this application
Not those policies which do not support this application
2/
These tweets try & supply a balancing corrective by quoting from the TH Local Plan 2031
towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/planning_…
Most Cllrs voted to approve this Plan last January (I didn’t) so they should be familiar with them
Decision makers (Cllrs tonight) have to weigh all of the policies
3/
Read 12 tweets
Andrew Wood Profile picture
24 Apr
Scrutiny work programme
One of my jobs is to sit on TH Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee. I have suggested below what I think we need to look at over the next year as areas that need more work. What would you add/amend/change?
1. Newly built residential towers containing affordable housing – endemic problems over a range of issues, these are complex buildings and not clear that housing associations nor managing agents can manage effectively especially in early months after occupation.
2. Service charge billing generally and heating / hot water / electricity charging specifically – clear that housing associations not very good at the basics nor managing agents of billing or of explaining service charge cost drivers.
Read 9 tweets
Andrew Wood Profile picture
22 Apr
UK government announced a £43 million support package for people from Hong Kong moving to the UK
Isle of Dogs already has a large ethnic chinese community & is the place in the UK most like HK, Limehouse was the 1st home for British chinese community
1/
 scmp.com/news/hong-kong…
The government programme includes £ for 12 Welcome hubs plus £ for English classes & welcome packs
gov.uk/guidance/welco…
A number of new homes are being built locally by HK companies (FEC) or with HK investment (Millharbour)
So @going4golds & I will be asking how TH Council
2/
is preparing for new arrivals
As tweet below shows reason for leaving is not economic but political (HK if a country is much richer per person then the UK is)
We do not know size of migration from HK to UK yet and where will settle but it would be good to be prepared
But Tower
3/
Read 6 tweets
Andrew Wood Profile picture
21 Apr
Stephen McPartland MP came to visit the Isle of Dogs today & later talked to 3 residents affected by fire safety/cladding issues, he has done more work on cladding then almost any other MP despite only have 4 affected blocks in his constituency = TH has at least 282!
1/
Actually we (the Council) do not know how many blocks have fire safety issues according to a Q I asked last week
282 blocks in TH applied for extra £ from government (Council only confirm 51 with ACM) but this won’t include most housing association blocks, separate fund
2/
Stephen provided some good advice to the campaigners & asked for practical steps that he can push, for example how waking watch works or removing VAT on remediation costs
Clear that very few MPs really understand the issues given the complexity
I talked about some of other
3/
Read 6 tweets

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