This, regular readers will recall, is the plan to demolish the West Ken estate that has had the majority of residents up in arms for years, leading to protests inside Parliament and Mayor Johnson recently being confronted by the demand for a vote at a Council/Chronicle public relations event. Our Council Leader actually wrote a heartfelt personal plea to the relevant Minister pleading that he "really needed [his] help on this one". He certainly did - the residents were on the verge of using new Big Society legislation to evict the Council as a "rogue landlord".
Underlining just why this week's decision to impose a "need to know" rule on all future property speculator led planning applications is so serious for Hammersmith & Fulham, we now see that this administration is prepared to chuck tens of thousands of pounds at a group which toes the Council line. Nuff said.
Stephen Greenhalgh, Leader of Hammersmith Council, finds it difficult to accept that people may legitimately disagree with his plans. His instinct is to suppress dissent or pay for opinions which conform with his own. For example when Thames Water proposed to build the much needed "Super sewer" starting from Carnwath Road he commissioned an "independant" review which, surprise, surprise, said that the proposed scheme should be radically altered, avoiding the site which he had earmarked for another "riverside" redevelopment.
ReplyDeleteHe is an autocrat and bullies all his councillors into submission.