8/3/2019 News Bulletin from Greg Hands M.P. #323

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Subject: NewsBulletinfromGregHandsM.P.#323

Date: Friday,13January201219:29:11UnitedKingdomTime

From: GregHandsM.P.

To: news@greghands.com

In this edition:

Greg Hands M.P.s DiaryWebsite of the Week:Give a CarChiswick M.P. organisesPublic Meeting onHammersmith FlyoverClosurePhoto News:

Gardening Leave charityHands: High Speed 2 greatnews for West LondonPhoto News:Giveacar charityHammersmith Flyoverreopens to light trafficFulham F.C. submitsplanning applicationLandmark deal createsEurope's largest free wifi

zone in K&CNew Primary freeschool proposed inHammersmithPutting patients beforepaperwork in Chelseaand FulhamHow to contactGreg Hands M.P.

Issue 323 Friday 13th January 2012

Since the last edition, Greg:

Met representatives ofHeathrow Airport operators BAA todiscuss a range of issues around the environmental impact ofthe airport. There will shortly be another consultation on thenight flights regime (Greg wants to see no flights at all beforeat least 6am), and on the current runway alternationexperiment.

Visited the Gardening Leave project in the grounds of theRoyal Hospital, Chelsea. See photo below. The project

provides gardening therapy for forces veterans sufferingmental health problems. It is looking for local volunteers tohelp a small team of dedicated staff. Please seewww.gardeningleave.org for more information.

Visited new Fulham property business Haus Propertieswww.hausproperties.co.uk on Wandsworth Bridge Road,SW6. The property agency has offices in Fulham andChiswick and pledges a new experience for local peopleselling, buying, letting or renting a home.

Visited Fulham based charity Giveacar, which generatesmoney for charity from discarded cars. See photo below and

website of the week.

Met representatives of the Challenge Network, a charitywhich helps to deliver the governments National CitizenService programme. The NCS programme brings together 16year olds from Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington&Chelsea in a 3 week course to prepare them to serve theircommunities. Greg is an enthusiastic supporter of NCS.

Had a full schedule of activity as a Government Whip in andaround the chamber of the House of Commons, includingministerial meetings and organising votes and standingcommittees.

Held a weekly surgery for Chelsea and Fulham residents atFulham Town Hall. Gregs surgeries are held generally everyMonday at either Fulham Town Hall or at Peter Jones, SloaneSquare. To ask for an appointment, emailmail@greghands.com or call 020 7219 5448.

Website of the Week:

www.giveacar.co.uk

The website of national charity Give a Car which is based outof a small office in Fulham. If you have an old car, why not give itto a charity of your choice through Give a Car, who arrangecollection and all necessary disposal documentation, and cangenerate more than 1,000 for a charity of your choice, includingmany local charities. Greg visited their offices this week.

Chiswick M.P. organises Public Meetingon Hammersmith Flyover ClosureMary Macleod, Conservative M.P. for Chiswick, has organised a

public meeting tomorrow, Saturday, January 14, at West London FreeSchool, in Cambridge Grove, Hammersmith, from 2pm till 3pm, todiscuss the closure of Hammersmith Flyover.Residents will have the chance to put questions to TfLs director ofpublic affairs and stakeholder engagement, David McNeill, about theroad. Cllr Nick Botterill, Deputy Leader of H&F Council, will also bethere.The meeting is open to all residents in the area, including Fulham andChelsea residents concerned with the closure. It has been organisedby Chiswick Conservative M.P. Mary Macleod, generating aremarkable complaint in the House of Commons from Hammersmiths

Labour M.P., who had failed to organise any meeting of his own. MaryMacleod said that her Labour neighbour was trying to threaten,intimidate and bully me simply for having organised a meeting towhich he and other local M.P.s were invited.The meeting comes as TfL partially reopens the bridge to light traffic,and says it continues to work around the clock to fully reopen thebridge to all traffic within the next four months.Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited the structure recently toinspect the ailing flyover, and Hammersmith & Fulham Council iscontinuing to call for the repair works to be completed as soon as issafely possible and for planning on a longer term replacement to theflyover to start immediately.Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening M.P., is meetingwith the council on Friday, January 13 to discuss the situation.Chelsea and Fulham M.P. Greg Hands said: It is good that thanks tothe Council, Boris and the Government working together, we areseeing some good progress on the Flyover re-opening. Meanwhile, Iam shocked, but not surprised that the Hammersmith M.P., instead ofworking with his neighbours for the common good, has threatened tosabotage the Chiswick M.P.s open meeting. I hope we can all worktogether on this.

Cllr Nick Botterill said: "Progress needs to be fast and the problemmust be solved as soon as possible.This closure has not only been terrible for H&F, but also for the wholeof London. This is one of the capital's busiest roads, with 90,000vehicles passing over it every day, and the closure is causing trafficchaos, far and wide.The repair works may not be a long-term solution to prolong the life ofthis 50-year-old structure and we need to plan in earnest for thefuture. Local people and H&F Council need to be at the heart of anyfuture plans for a replacement, being central to the decision making

process right from the start."We simply cannot leave such a vital part of our economy vulnerableagain and need a fool-proof scheme."

Photo News:

Gardening Leave charity

Greg Hands M.P. at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, with staffof the "Gardening Leave" charity, which provides rehabilitationthrough gardening for forces veterans suffering Post Traumatic

Stress Disorder. The charity is looking for local volunteers.If you enjoy gardening and want to help veterans, check out

www.gardeningleave.org and contact Greg.

Hands: High Speed 2 great newsfor West LondonGreg Hands M.P. has welcomed the Governments announcementthat HS2 will go ahead, with Old Oak in Hammersmith & Fulhamconfirmed as the key London interchange. The route will link Londonto the West Midlands and the north of England, adding up to 26,000more seats for rail passengers and slashing journey times by as muchas half.Old Oak Common will link to Crossrail for rapid access to keybusiness destinations in the West End, the City and Canary Wharf,

and to the Great Western Main Line, providing HS2 access topassengers from the Thames Valley, the South West and Wales. Itwill also enable passengers to interchange with Heathrow Expressservices to the airport.Hammersmith and Fulham Council have led the campaign for high-speed rail at Old Oak, which will transform a rundown area into amajor hub for business, with similar regeneration potential to CanaryWharf and the Docklands.Commenting, Greg Hands M.P. said: This is great news for WestLondon. This decision will produce 20,000 jobs around the site in thefirst phase alone, deal with growing congestion on our railways andtransform Old Oak. Opportunities and growth will be created exactlywhere they are needed most.I have argued the case for high speed rail for years. It is a trulyexciting prospect. The regeneration locally will be matched in ournorthern cities, providing a real boost to the whole country. We willhave a rail network worthy of the twenty-first century.Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, added: A newhigh speed rail network will provide Britain with the additional trainseats, connections and speed to stay ahead of the congestionchallenge and help create jobs, growth and prosperity for the entire

country.HS2 will link some of our greatest cities and high speed trains willconnect with our existing railway lines to provide seamless journeys todestinations far beyond it. This is a truly British network that will servefar more than the cities directly on the line.More than a century ago the Victorians built railways that continue toserve us to this day and just over 50 years ago the post-wargeneration chose to invest in motorways, bringing higher roadcapacity and faster journeys to millions. Both transformed theeconomic and social fabric of this country.

Photo News:

Giveacar charity

Greg Hands M.P. with Alex Harvey, the manager ofFulham-based charity "Giveacar" at their offices by Putney

Bridge. The charity converts unwanted cars into scrappage,generating a receipt for a charity of the owner's choice.

Check out www.giveacar.co.uk.

Hammersmith Flyover reopensto light trafficHammersmith Flyover has reopened but in a restricted capacity,with only one lane open in each direction to cars, vans and other lightvehicles.Traffic restrictions are being enforced by a 6ft 6in width restriction ateither end of the flyover to prevent large vehicles such as HGVs,lorries and coaches from crossing.The re-opening comes following confirmation from Transport forLondons (TfL) engineers and experts that the flyover is now safe totake light traffic, while work by TfL continues to strengthen keysections of the road.However, motorists are still being advised to stay away from the areaif possible and plan their routes carefully to avoid getting caught in

delays.TfL says that it expects to take around four months to completestrengthening work on six of the 16 spans the sections between twointermediate supports by installing new cables, and hopes to openthe flyover to all traffic before the Olympics in July. Once the gamesare over, TfL says its workers will return to the structure to strengthenthe remaining ten spans of the flyover and waterproof the road.TfL may also need to close the flyover overnight on some occasionsto carry out work safely but this will be kept to a minimum.While Hammersmith & Fulham Council (H&F Council) is welcoming

the partial opening, it continues to press transport chiefs to get theworks completed as quickly as possible, to avoid further disruption inthe borough.Deputy leader Cllr Nick Botterill said: Were pleased the flyover has

partially reopened as it is good news for the boroughs residents andbusinesses, as well as the 90,000 motorists who use it every day.However, the road is still partly closed and there will be continuingdelays so motorists should still try to avoid travelling via the flyover ifat all possible.We are continuing to push TfL to finish these repair works as quickly

as possible and reopen the road in full. Progress needs to be quickand we need to plan in earnest for the future months, and even yearsto come.Cllr Botterill has met transport minister Theresa Villiers M.P. at theflyover, so she could see for herself the corroded tensioning cablesthat support the structure. The damage has been caused by waterand salt leaking into the structure over the years.Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: I made it very clear theHammersmith Flyover should not be closed for one minute longerthan it has to be and this partial reopening will provide some relief forthe thousands of motorists and local people whose lives have been

disrupted.I can assure those people that I will ensure the team continues towork tirelessly in order to get this vital structure fully operational assoon as possible.Garrett Emmerson, chief operating officer for surface transport at T fLsaid Our engineers, contractors and suppliers have worked day andnight during the Christmas period and beyond to enable us to partiallyreopen the flyover as quickly as possible. This should significantlyreduce the traffic disruption many thousands of drivers have beenexperiencing since the flyover closed, and means that work to fullyreopen the flyover will be completed well before the London 2012Games.Greg Hands M.P. said: "I am please we are making progress on this.The closure has greatly inconvenienced many of my Fulhamresidents, as well as a lot of people throughout West London. Thanksto Boris, the Council and the Government, we are seeing some good

progress now."For further information, visit www.tfl.gov.uk.

Fulham F.C. submits planning applicationFulham Football Club has this week submitted a planning applicationto increase capacity at home ground, Craven Cottage, from 25,700 to30,000.The club wants to develop the Riverside Stand and otherimprovements to the ground, which has been the Barclays PremierLeague club's home since 1896. The application also outlines plans toopen up the Thames River path walk from Hammersmith to Putney.

Fulham F.C. will hold exhibitions on January 25th and 28th to

showcase the final design that has been submitted, but the club doesnot yet at this stage have more details about the exhibitions.There is no date yet for when it is due to come before the councilsplanning application committee and the documents are due to bepublished on the councils website www.lbhf.gov.uk/planning in thenext week, when the application is officially validated by the council.Residents will be able to view the plans online, at Fulham F.C.s ownexhibitions or by visiting Hammersmith Town Hall. A statutory publicconsultation will last for 21 working days and allow residents and localbusinesses to make their views known to the council.

H&F Council held a planning forum on December 7th, 2011 followed

by a design review panel on December 13th on the scheme.Greg Hands M.P. said: "I met the Club before Christmas to discussthese plans, and there are clearly some advantages for local residentsin the proposals, especially reconnecting the river walk. However, Ialso look forward to the Club consulting widely on the plans, and anyof my constituents with a view should contact the Council and me."

Landmark deal creates Europe's largestfree wifi zone in K&CVisitors to and residents in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea areto enjoy free wifi access on their mobile phones, laptops and tabletdevices, following a landmark deal between Westminster City Council,the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and network operator,O2. The deal will result in the largest free wireless hub in Europe,making free wifi available to millions of residents and visitors.The deal, which will run at no cost to the councils or the taxpayer, ispart of both councils' plans to ensure that the millions of visitors thatcome to the city have the best experience possible and can make themost of what London has to offer - particularly given the doublecelebrations of the Diamond Jubilee and 2012 Olympic Games takingplace this year - whilst delivering longer term benefits to businesses.Free wifi access will be available throughout Westminster andKensington & Chelsea once the Metro wireless network is installed onthe street furniture. It will initially be rolled out in a limited number ofareas and then throughout the boroughs over the longer term. O2 willbegin installing the network in January 2012. O2 Wifi launched inJanuary 2011 with the ambition to rollout free, fast and open wifi, viastrategic partnerships, across the UK.

Cllr Philippa Roe, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance atWestminster City Council said: "This is a landmark achievement forWestminster; Westminster welcomes over a million tourists a day, ishome to 250,000 residents, employs over half a million people andsees 4,000 business starts-ups each year. Next summer's OlympicGames mean that London will be putting on the biggest show on earthand as Westminster has a starring role, visitors to London will easilybe able to share their pictures and updates of the Olympic eventsacross social networking sites."Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown, Deputy Leader and CabinetMember for Environment at the Royal Borough of Kensington andChelsea, said: "I am very pleased that we have been able to come to

this agreement and we look forward to working with O2. Residentsand visitors having free access to the latest mobile technology willhelp us to continue to offer value for money for residents."Derek McManus, Chief Operating Officer for O2 said, "This ground-breaking deal - the first of its kind in the UK - will see us deliver highquality connectivity across London in time for London 2012. Ourlonger-term aim is to expand our footprint of O2 Wifi, which is open toeveryone, and also intelligently enhance our services at street level,where people need the network the most."Our 500m annual network investment programme is focussed on

integrating new layers of technology into the existing network toenable a seamless and sustained customer experience. We aredriven entirely by our customers' needs and believe that servicesshould be delivered in the best possible way, across multiple networksand supported by different technologies."

New Primary free school proposed inHammersmithHammersmith & Fulham Council has endorsed a bid for a new

primary free school in the borough.The West London Free School is proposing to expand, setting up aprimary school in Hammersmith and Fulham to help meet the rapidlyrising demand for primary places in the borough.The school will be submitting an application to the Government nextmonth to open primary places in 2013.The plan is to locate the primary school on the Cambridge Grove sitewhere the secondary school is currently based, providing aninnovative all-through school for children aged three to 19.The secondary schools long term home will be Palingswick House,Hammersmith from September 2013, pending refurbishment."Our primary school would offer the same classical liberal educationas the secondary school with a core of academically rigoroussubjects, complemented by plenty of music, art, drama and sport,"says school governor and founding sponsor Toby Young."As part of our application, it's not sufficient to demonstrate basicneed, of which there's little doubt," adds Toby Young. "In addition, wehave to provide "evidence of demand" so, if you're the parent or carerof a child who will be applying for a primary school place in either

2013 or 2014 we would like to hear from you."The school has an expression of interest form online.H&F Council is one of the country's leading supporters of extendingparental choice through free schools, with three free schools alreadyup and running in the borough.The council's children's services cabinet member, Cllr Helen Binmore,says "The West London Free School has proved hugely popular with

parents and is a wonderful addition to the range of schools on offer tolocal parents. Demand for places outstrips supply in our borough andwe will continue to ensure a first-rate education for all local children."

According to current projections, 1,643 children of primary school agewill be applying for reception places in 2013.There are currently 1,508 places available, with additional permanentand temporary 'bulge' places planned in a number of schools wheredemand is greatest. Current data indicates that over the next fewyears a further three additional forms of entry will be required in thenorth and two additional forms of entry will be required in the centre ofthe borough.The councils strategy of Schools of Choice placed parental

preference as a key priority when considering expansion ordevelopment of school provision. In West London Free Schoolssecond year it received 1,074 applications for 120 places, of which254 were first preferences.If the bid is successful, it is expected that the capital funding would beprovided in addition to any funds currently allocated to the counciland, as such, would have no financial detriment to other schools.

Putting patients before paperwork in

Chelsea and FulhamGreg Hands M.P. has welcomed plans announced by the PrimeMinister to put patients before paperwork.The new drive will make a huge difference, allowing patients from tolead hospital inspections and freeing nurses from bureaucracy. Thechanges include:

Getting rid of bureaucracy that stops nurses from doingwhat they do best.

Introducing regular nursing rounds to systematically androutinely check that patients are comfortable, are properly fedand hydrated, and are treated with dignity and respect. TheRoyal College of Nurses (RCN) will assist withimplementation.

Improving leadership on the wards: people want to see afigure of authority on the ward. To help do so, a NursingQuality Forum of front line nurses and nursing leaders will beset up, charged with taking a national leadership role inpromoting excellent care and ensuring good practice isadopted across the NHS.

Introducing new patient-led inspections of hospitalwards: local people will go in as part of teams assessing

cleanliness, dignity and nutrition and their findings will bepublished.

Introducing a new friends and family test to check thatpatients, carers and staff would recommend their hospital totheir families and friends in their hour of need. We will publishthe results and hospital leaders who fail this test will be heldto account.

Commenting, Greg Hands M.P. said: For years, Labour loadedbureaucracy on the NHS, making it harder and harder for doctors andnurses to get on with their jobs and treat their patients. The PrimeMinisters announcement will finally change this, introducing patient-

led hospital inspections and freeing up nurses from paperwork so theycan make hourly ward rounds.We have many important hospitals in the local area, includingCharing Cross, Chelsea and Westminster, Royal Marsden and theRoyal Brompton. I am delighted that they will benefit.

5 ways to contact Greg Hands M.P.:

By Phone: 020 7219 5448

By 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

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