H&F wins "Rotten Borough" Private Eye Award!

As services for children are axed our Council is paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to a civil servant who was judged to have retired on thr grounds of being too ill to work by his last employer - another Council. Unsurprisingly this hasn't gone unnoticed by the folk at Private Eye who felt that this brass necked approach to the public purse was worth a brass award.

Step forward H&F Chief Executive Nick Johnson, controversially returning from retirement within days of being signed off, just in time to pick up a whopping new six figure salary. Unsurprisingly Labour locally are jumping all over this and with some justification.

Especially when to maximise the amount of our money he receives Mr Johnson has decided to set up his own company to receive it, which exempts him from some deductions. Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal the company has received £700,000 from H&F Homes since Mr Johnson took up his position in February 2008.

In the last financial year alone, Davies Johnson Ltd was paid £260,980 in ‘consultancy charges’. The year before, it banked £269,405.

Here's Private Eye's award citation to Mr Johnson:

RETIREE OF THE YEAR

Nick Johnson, who retired as chief exec of the London borough of Bexley on grounds of ill health in 2007, aged 54, comforted by a £50,000 pension – to which he was entitled immediately on the understanding that he was too sick to work in local government again. In June 2010 he admitted he had been working full time for Hammersmith & Fulham council and its housing management provider, H&F Homes. He was paid £528,000 from these sources between 2008 and 2010.

I have to say this really undermines the very positive moves this Council has made recently to publish their spending so that it can be subject to public scrutiny. H&F has rightly won plaudits for being one of the first in the UK to do that which can't be anything other than a good thing - and it's worth pointing out that the move isn't without political risk, so it takes guts.

But why, then, completely lose the credit for that by employing a Chief Exec in what seem to be very shady circumstances?

King Soloman's: vintage Shepherd's Bush, first class cuisine

Amazing food, unfailing hospitality and a passion for quality are the three ways in which I would sum up my visit to King Soloman's Lebanese eatery on the Uxbridge Road on Saturday. Owner Mohammed Hamid, originally from Egypt but a Shepherd's Bush resident since the mid 1970s, is himself a chef and clearly has a forensic eye for detail. Which is kind of tough on the chefs he now employs. The dish I was served, pictured above, tasted as good as it looks and Mr Hamid was careful to point out the origin of every ingredient.

On offer are a wide range of Lebanese dishes, including fresh falafel and even some special dishes which can be prepared on demand. These include Kosharey, which is a vegetarian dish from Syria, for example.

He has been here in W12 since 1975, (the year before I was born!) so you would expect him to have seen changes in the area since then, but he talks animatedly about the sweeping changes to the Bush since King Soloman's itself openned in 1997. Since then the population has gone from being dominated by Irish and West Indian folk, to taking on a more Arabic nuance, the Islamic influence bolstered recently by the influx of people from Somalia. The restaurant itself is next to a mosque and they are frequently his customers, but then so are QPR fans and people from across the community.

As we were talking numerous people, from all backgrounds, kept popping their heads in just to say hello and swap the time of day. Mr Hamid knows most by name, and all by their eating tastes. Which brings me to this joint's main selling point: quality.

The point about King Soloman's is that they refuse to buy frozen produce, which is lesser quality. All the meat used is fresh, as are the vegetables despite the fact that their prices are continually higher. He points out that many of his customers would spot the use of second rate ingredients instantly, and soon cease to be his customers. He calls them "professional eaters" and says they keep him on his toes.

I asked about the boom in eating choices up and down the Uxbridge Road and elsewhere in the Bush, and he was quick to pay tribute to the other high quality restaurants around. In fact he said one of the more positive things to have changed since the 70s is that you no longer have to go into the centre of town to find cuisine from all over the world; it's all right here on our doorstep. But he also spoke about the growth in cheap fried chicken shops which seem now to dominate much of our area, and others that sell pizzas for 99p. Not only are those ingredients the opposite of healthy, he points out that they are continually trying to undercut quality outlets like his own with ridiculous cut-throat prices. He simply asked me to reflect on the possible origins of a 99p pizza's ingredients. Eek.

As a family run business, and one with such local pedigree, his customer base seems to stretch from QPR supporters on their way to and from Loftus Road through to the mosque faithful and those coming out of the bars and clubs in the early hours (his doors stay open till 2am on thursdays, fridays and saturdays).

Mr Hamid has obviously been here for a long time, and his customers would want to see that continue. But as he has continued to serve up what I can testify to be truly first class food, the Bush has changed around him. And there is no guarantee that he'll be here in the future unless more people know about what's on offer.

One of the biggest changes in Shepherd's Bush since this restaurant has been here has been the increase in people just living in the area for one or two years and then moving on - with little or no time to find the best eateries around. So the purpose of this review is to add King Soloman's to that list, for however long you're going to be here.

So there are lots of reasons to visit - starting with the food, and also the fact that you'll be partaking in a piece of vintage Shepherd's Bush history. But just looking at that dish above - you've got to think it's more than worth a try...and if you're lucky enough to meet Mr Hamid when you do - say hi from me.

Look out for more in a series of local reviews I'll be writing on local businesses in the Bush throughout 2011 - and if you have any suggestions get in touch at shepherdsbushblog@yahoo.co.uk or by Twitter @chris_underwood

Toby Young dismisses Free School critics

West London Free School leader Toby Young has dismissed critics of his soon to be unveiled establishment as fringe hard lefties. Referring to them on Twitter he called them "SWP dominated Unions" - SWP being the acronym for the Socialist Workers Party, who are the folk you see shouting a lot about capitalism and handing out copies of the Morning Star every now and again.

I'm not sure the staff in the Askham Family Centre, who provide services to the most sensitive family situations you can imagine, would naturally fall into that category as they make calls about keeping kids in care or returning them to their parents. Late last year this blog revealed that they are to make way for Toby's new school, before it is moved to it's permanent home in Palingswick House, Hammersmith, displacing a further 20 + voluntary sector organisations providing services to vulnerable people. The school has already recruited a Headteacher.

I'm also not sure that given the outcry this has already provoked locally young Toby is making the Council's PR strategy a whole lot easier for them either!

Demonstration outside Hammersmith Town Hall over Sure Start

National media, demonstrators and politicians will gather outside Hammersmith Town Hall on monday evening as MP Andy Slaughter seeks to maximise the local opposition to cuts being planned for Sure Start services, revealed by the Mirror newspaper a week or so ago.

Initially the Council dismissed the reports as "predictably dishonest", referring to the Mirror's generally Labour supporting stance, but since then the BBC among others have also reported the story leading to a quote from the Local Government Association Chairwoman which appears to concede that these cuts to early years support services in our borough are very much on.

The Council meet on Monday evening to vote on these cuts but as I said here, as something of a veteran of these meetings now, it's a foregone conclusion. There is likely to be plenty of ire and fire from angry councillors in the chamber but the vote will go the Council's way and the services will start to be withdrawn.

Whether the noisy demonstrations outside limit the cuts in any way is unlikely, but it's the first of what promises to be a series of feisty political encounters in Shepherd's Bush,  Hammersmith and the surrounding areas over just how far the cuts to our local services are likely to go. More to follow next week - watch this space.

Lethal injections sold from Acton

Round the back of Shepherd's Bush, on the way to Asda and the route of the 260 and 266 buses, is a non descript road called Horn Lane in Acton. It's pretty dull and the only connection most of us have with it is that it is the home of the learner driving agency called "El Gone" who'se cars I see in W12 all the time taking advantage of the quiet side roads to perform reverse parking excercises.

But from that same building, according to an investigation by the BBC, is a back street pharmacy that sells the chemicals which America uses to kill people. An extraordinary export from a very ordinary local street.

And one that makes me feel very uneasy indeed.

QPR morons trash British Queen pub

A fan told of being "punched in the face" and being left "dazed" with "blurred vision" after being attacked in the street in Shepherd's Bush by a moron who claimed to be a supporter of QPR on this forum, one in a long line to report the trouble that occurred on Monday around the QPR Bristol City game.

I walked past the pub yesterday and it is currently being repaired after a group, presumably including some of the same idiots I was kettled with courtesy of the Metropolitan Police in September, decided to attack a group of Bristol City fans who were by all accounts quietly minding their own business.

A minibus and other vehicles were also attacked as fans left the stadium across W12 and it seems the Police had a hard time trying to ensure the safety of everyone because the trouble wasn't just confined to the pub.

A pretty humiliating day for the club and it's genuine supporters, on behalf of whom I know I can say sorry to those Bristol fans, including those who had brought children, who had what must have been a horrendous day in Shepherd's Bush.

Sponsor me! Running for Jack Tizard School, Shepherd's Bush

Next to QPR is a school for disabled children, from 2-19, with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties. They're called Jack Tizard School and I'm going to run the Watford Half Marathon in exactly one month to try to raise some money for them.

They quietly do amazing things without causing much fuss, and the recent publicity they generated by the opening of their new hydrotherapy pool by Prime Minister David Cameron, whose son Ivan attended the school, was probably the first time many of us had ever heard of them.

They've been a part of Shepherd's Bush for years but rely on support from people like you to keep going. Having run to raise funds for Cancer Research last year, following the death of my cousin from breast cancer - and for which many of you kindly sponsored me- I've chosen to run for Jack Tizard this year, given the very special way in which they change childrens worlds here in Shepherd's Bush.

If you would like to support me, you can donate to the Big Splash Trust, who look after the School's donations.


Ways to donate

The easisest way is to donate with debit or credit card using Paypal here. I'm not using JustGiving this year because I found out they take 5% from each donation, which I thought was a bit much. But the school has agreed to keep a tally of donations and I'll feedback on how things are going. If you could let me know either by commenting below or emailing me on shepherdsbushblog@yahoo.co.uk that would be great. In fact it would be amazing. And in return I can promise photographic evidence of my sweaty training runs and ultimate triumph. That's the theory, anyway. Thank-you.

Or you can send a cheque payable to:

The Big Splash Trust
c/o Jack Tizard School
South Africa Rd
London W12 7PA

or BACS to:
Account name: The Big Splash Trust
Account number: 22001675
Sort code: 40-03-21
HSBC King Street Hammersmith

Central Line meltdown

You paid yer £106 you got yer slap in the face. The central line this morning is in complete meltdown due, allegedly, to a fire alert in Holborn. I say allegedly because I heard a completely different excuse being given over the tannoys and Tube staff are not renowned for telling the truth at the best of times - ever wondered why the minutes seem to last longer than 60 seconds on the 'next train' signs? It's so they don't have to pay compensation under the Customer Charter which entitles you to a refund if the train is more than 15 minutes delayed.

Speaking of which, if you were caught up in today's chaos you can claim a refund by clicking here. You might then recover some of that extra cash that Boris has just pinched from your pocket with his fare hike.

BBC report Sure Start Centres to be cut in H&F

The BBC is reporting the story that broke in the Mirror a few days ago, that our Council is set to close most of the Sure Start Centres which support new parents of new children. David Cameron claimed that the service was safe with the Tories but our radical Council is set apparently to go further than even he envisaged with their cuts and close some of them down.

It's important here to seperate fact from political claim and counter claim. As far as I can make out the middle ground is that yes, some of them are going to be closed by our Council. The Council claim that they might survive but that's not really good enough if you're the parents potentially left high and dry - not to mention the infant who now won't get the support with literacy and other early years support that has been proven to make a radical difference in children's educational outcomes. I used to work with deaf children, for whom it is even more important to make early interventions, for example.

The Council rebutted the story when it first came out in the Mirror, calling the newspaper "predictably dishonest". I'm not sure you can really say that about the BBC and the piece ends with a less than reassuring quote from the Chair of the Local Government Association Baroness Margaret Eaton, who says this:

"Councils now face incredibly tough choices about the services they continue to provide and those they will have to cut."

So as I said before - not a happy new year in H&F if you're a happy new parent.