Cowan: We'll be out for Boris

Labour will be out campaigning for Boris in Hammersmith & Fulham according to ... well ... nobody actually. An embarassing slip of the tongue from Labour Opposition Leader Stephen Cowan has surfaced from the full council meeting which took place on January 25th this year.

Local Tories have jumped on the opportunity to poke fun and have released the recording which you can listen to above. What is more amusing than anything is that Mr Cowan really bellows the word out before he can stop himself, it is quite funny..

What it also raises for me, though, is two things - one just an observation and another a more interesting question. First listen to the huffing, guffawing and table thumping Mr Cowan gets from the delighted Tories, it sounds like a football crowd that are, er, fully refreshed. Such is the culture of local politics.

Secondly, I suspect that a local Conservative recorded the footage which you can now hear. Which is interesting - because every time I have been to a Council meeting for this blog the meeting has started with dire warnings from the Mayor about how if anybody is caught recording anything they will be slung out by the beefy security men that stand by the doors.

No recording allowed. No sound. No video. NOTHING. Understood?

But now it seems the Council has decided to put all recordings on their website. Which is convenient.

POSTCRIPT - In fact, I've just been told proudly by a local Conservative that the Council places sound recordings of these meetings on their website which you can listen to here. It's a committment to transparency apparently. All good stuff - but as you'll notice from this screengrab from the Council's website the recording of the 25th January 2012 in which Mr Cowan made his gaffe is not yet on the Council's website - but it is being used by local Conservatives on YouTube for party political advantage. So that's how it works. They will of course thank me for bringing that fact to your attention - all in the name of transparency.

I wonder whether the Council's website will now be speedily updated.

1315 UPDATE - The local Councillor who has been pushing CowanGate on YouTube, Peter Graham, has been in touch to point out that actually the recording is on the Council's website - if you know where to look. It's not with the rest in the main section but squirelled away as a link on the agenda of the meeting. You can see it here.I think my point still stands!

Knifeman robs woman in pub

Dawes Road W6 is a bit out of the Bush but this robbery was so horrible I thought I'd cover it since the police have put out an appeal with a photo of the alleged attacker. Please take a close look and see if you recognise him.

Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses following a robbery that occurred inside a pub on Dawes Road at approximately 15.30hrs on Monday 16 January.



A woman was sat at a table inside the premises when she was approached by the suspect who put his arm around her shoulder and threatened her with a small knife before demanding her watch, she gave it to him and he left the scene. The property stolen was a Michael Kors watch with a bronze and diamante face and bronze strap.

The victim, 37, was taken to hospital for treatment to a minor cut to her arm and later discharged.

The suspect is described as a black man with shiny skin, aged late teens to mid 20's and approximately 5ft 8in tall with a slim build. He had afro hair, a clean shaven face and was wearing a bright electric-blue puffer jacket with a red item underneath.

Police have released the above image of a male they would like to speak to in connection with this enquiry, and need your assistance in identifying him.

Detective Constable Wesley Hawkins of Hammersmith and Fulham Robbery Squad said:

"I am keen to speak to anyone who was in Dawes Road at the time and may have seen someone fitting the description of the suspect in the area or leaving the scene following the robbery."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Robbery Squad on 020 8246 2385 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Please do.

Boris comes to Hammersmith

People's Question Time will be coming to Hammersmith Town Hall on 7th March and it may well be worth grabbing yerselves a ticket which you can do here. I've been to two other events like this, which are in theory about the Mayor of London getting to answer questions directly from Londoners in a apiece of direct democracy. Doors open at 6pm.

Boris sometimes is a bit too honest at these events, such as his answer to my question to him at the event in Greenford when I asked him why no disabled facilities had been included in the new Shepherd's Bush tube station design. Adjustments for disabled people were far too expensive, he said. Oh.

This Question Time will of course be taking place only a matter of less than 8 weeks before election day - and will therefore be very well attended by press and the Mayor is likely to want to make a splash somehow. And surely this can't have had anything to do with the Mayor's decision to kaybosh the Hammersmith King Street luxury flats development can it? You may wish to have some questions to Boris about the Shepherd's Bush Market luxury flats development or any other local issues you would wish to flag up to the great man for a pre-election comment on.

I'll be there - hope to see some of you too.

Mod Bush: Fight to save Cooke's Pie & Mash

The Mods come to Goldhawk Rd - the Bush isn't defeated

The 1960s returned to W12 this Saturday afternoon as dozens of scooters stood gleaming in the winter sun outside a Bush icon - Cooke's Pie & Mash at the Market. Just a day after the Standard ran a piece on the essential place this corner of West London holds in modern British culture, legions of two wheeled warriors roared down the Goldhawk Road to let our Council know that the fight is very much not over.

H&F Council, fresh from ignoring residents once again at the infamous planning committee, have been pushing press releases out alongside property developers Orion declaring that it's all systems go for the demolishing of these much loved buildings lining the Goldhawk, some of whom have been in the same family since before 1900.

Historic Bush buildings - and their Mod defenders

This ignores the inconvenient fact that a court hearing in mid may plus the small matter of a possible change of Mayor would put the kaybosh on this scheme, aimed at making millions for property developers, just as surely as the Council's last attempt to ignore local people over King Street, Hammersmith.

In fact let's compare our Council's response to any kind of local residents campaign in, say, Fulham in the South of our Borough - to anywhere north of Hammersmith.

Down in Fulham they don't particularly want the disruption and building works that will accompany the Thames Water Super Sewer - and our Council lines up behind them enthusiastically. Nor are there any property development planning schemes in Fulham being pursued where there is large scale opposition.

Just look at how Council Leader Stephen Greenhalgh (pictured below) thunders from the pulpit about how residents MUST be listened to before a planning decision that will blight the area is made. So he can do it - but only in Fulham it seems.

Greenhalgh puts Residents First - if they live in Fulham

In the North of the Borough, by contrast, we have numerous schemes which completely ignore residents wishes - Bush Market, West Ken, King Street and Ashcurch Grove to name but a few. Could this be at all connected with the fact that the ruling councillors who run H&F all live in Fulham and not in the north of the Borough?

Surely not.

TUESDAY UPDATE - Well, as the local debate seems to be getting fired up in the comments to this article a petition has been launched by the owners of Cooke's Pie & Mash which you can view and sign here. Meanwhile, the local press have still yet to report anything on either the Mod invasion of Saturday or the subsequent debate.

Evening Standard on Shepherd's Bush Market

As our Council's PR machine is in full throttle at the moment on the Market I thought I'd flag up an interesting article from last night's Evening Standard which highlights the realities rather than the spin. It underlines both the history and the character of the Pie & Mash shop, along with others, which is what makes them such an important part of the Bush.

Interestingly Richard Olsen of Orion, the property developers, is quoted in the piece as saying that they decided against doing up the old buildings on the basis that they were too decrepit. This is not the version he gave at this public meeting - I remember him clearly stating that the real reason was because they wanted to make way for a third entrance to the new Market and that not to do so would make the venture "non viable" because it wouldnt net them enough profit. At this point Council Leader Stephen Greenhalgh insisted that he would not permit the buildings to be knocked down if the owners didn't want them to be - a clear public promise - which has now been broken.

I assume Mr Olsen changed his story after some helpful advice from our Council's press office, who have been working alongside Orion for rather a long time now - certainly well before the "consultation" had ended.

H&Fs Most Wanted - one down, six to go

Lucy D'Orsi & Greg Smith 

Remember H&F's "Most Wanted"? We're one down and six to go with one of the alleged ne'erdowells having handed themselves in on Wednesday to Hammersmith Police Station, perhaps as a result of having their mug paraded through the streets.


Sean Patterson who, along with Darrell Richmond, had been charged with a £2,000 jewellery theft in W12 and had failed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on the 3rd November 2011. He has now been remanded in custody awaiting his trial for burglary later in the month.

The Wanted Offenders Campaign is part of a joint initiative between The Metropolitan Police and Hammersmith and Fulham Council which was launched on the 26th of January in Lyric Square. An initial seven wanted offenders had their 3 feet high images mounted on a van which then toured the Borough. This is part of a wider initiative to be used on the Borough to target outstanding offenders.

Enquiries are still on going regarding the other six suspects.

• Darrell Richmond both failed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court last November after being charged with a £2,000 jewellery robbery in Shepherd's Bush.
• Amy Libren is charged with causing actual bodily harm to her partner and possessing crystal meth, cocaine and mephedrone.
• Phillip Brown admitted supplying crack cocaine and heroin but has been on the run after failing to turn up at Kingston Crown Court for sentencing.
• Paul Dunkley admitted burglary of a Shepherd’s Bush jewellers but also failed to appear.
• Maria Calvi is charged with burgling staff areas of pubs in Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith but failed to appear in court.
• Adam Gryzec was released from prison last November after serving a year-long sentence for burglary, but broke his parole conditions.

I am, as you'll have noticed, not slow to crticise this Council when they get things wrong and in the past I've described them as a tank, rolling over the heads of local people. But they also act like a tank when it comes to crims and they deserve every bit of praise for it. Our Chief Tanker is of course Cabinet member for Law n Ordah Greg Smith, who has this to say: 

“One down, six to go. Criminals can run, but they cannot hide and in Hammersmith & Fulham we believe in a zero-tolerance crime-fighting approach. Patterson will now spend some time behind bars for the crimes he committed and we now need Londoners to have a look at the remaining six suspects so we can weed them out too.”

Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Lucy D’Orsi said: 

"I am pleased that this campaign has had an initial positive result and that the first of these offenders has handed himself in to the police. I would urge the others to do the same as my officers will continue with their enquiries aimed at bringing them to justice. Hammersmith and Fulham Police are committed to utilising new technology to fight crime, target offenders and engage with the local community."

Seriously well done to them both  - this is exactly the sort of thing H&F can claim to be doing right and setting an example that other Councils would do well to follow. Top marks. 

H&F Council & tax avoidance: Private Eye

An appearance in "Rotten Boroughs" is not something any local authority particularly wants, but it appears our Council has earned another of its regular outings due to the apparently murky financial arrangements surrounding its very highly paid "consultant" Nick Johnson, who is leading our Council's property development scheme over at West Ken, in opposition to the majority of residents who live there.

This follows my story of January 30th which revealed that Mr Johnson, who had been retired early from Bexley Council with a £300,000 payout on the grounds he was 'permanently unfit' to work. He was hired months later by H&F for £950 per day. 

This prompted Teresa Pearce MP, whose constituency includes Bexley and who was formerly a senior tax investigator at PricewaterhouseCoopers, to say to the Independent on Sunday that, while the arrangement was legal, "it's not within the spirit of the law, definitely not". She added: "Within a year of him being judged to be in permanently ill health he was pictured in a hard hat, with a spade, digging, in a brochure for H&F Homes – this is just so barefaced that it's insulting. Whatever he is paid for holding that office should go through the payroll and it doesn't. HMRC should investigate this."

The story has now also been followed up by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism but not, as yet, by the local press. 

Shepherd's Bush Market: Council PR machine revs

The Council, as predicted, has not been slow to laud last night's decision of the infamous planning committee to overrule the traders and shop-owners of Shepherd's Bush Market and the Goldhawk Road and give the go-ahead for Orion to build seven floors of luxury flats on top of it.

Here's a couple of quotes from Pravda:

H&F Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, said:  

“There is very little doubt that Shepherds Bush Market needs significant improvement if it is to survive. People have been telling the council for many years that it needs to be protected and enhanced and these plans will ensure that it will flourish, with more people visiting and market traders enjoying a more secure and prosperous future. We fully recognise the market’s rich heritage and character and this scheme will build upon its diversity to reaffirm the market as one of London’s leading tourist destinations.

“Shepherds Bush really is on the up as a place to live, work and visit. The town was recently named as one of London’s most desirable places to live and that is partly due to the market regeneration and the Shepherds Bush Green revamp that is due to start imminently.”

Richard Olsen of Orion Shepherds Bush Limited said:  

“We’re very pleased with the outcome; it’s good news for the market and the area. The proposals will see the market regenerated and enhanced by introducing much needed investment and positioning it at the heart of a new high-quality mixed-use scheme. Our proposals seek to build upon its historic legacy, maintaining the diversity but at the same time implementing essential improvements to ensure the market becomes a destination in its own right.”

All of this ignores not only local people but the simple fact that an election on May 1st stands to stop this in its tracks, just as surely as our Council's attempt to railroad the King Street development was. It also ignores that a Court hearing scheduled for 15-16 May, even if Boris wins, also has the power to stop the redevelopment in its current shape.

So I leave you with a comment from the owners of Cooke's Pie & Mash shop on Goldhawk Road which is now scheduled to be demolished along with the rest of the 19 century row of shops in that part of the Bush:

"More lies told by the council working hand in hand with the developers. We will keep fighting".

And so they will.

Ken & Brian on Police, Tories on, er, something else

Timing is everything in politics. And on the day that Labour and LibDems have just launched two videos on policing, some Conservatives have released one attacking what they feel are benefits scroungers who they accuse of spending their benefits on drugs. The folks at Boris HQ will be tairing their blonde manes out.

The Livingstone and Paddick operations, Labour and LibDem, have both stepped up their attacks on the cut in Police numbers that Boris admits has taken place under his Mayoralty, with each campaign releasing videos that you can watch above and below. Ken's is a bit OTT but the point is about people having their voice heard while Paddick's is more a chatty interview type piece.

Neither candidate particularly likes the other but it's quite clear the person they really want to unseat is Boris and I would expect them to co-operate at some point in the campaign with the polls still indicating that Boris could lose. So expect policing to be a major issue between now and May - and if you want a taste of what local policing looks like in Shepherd's Bush you could read about one Saturday night policing the Bush or one extraordinary raid with the police I took part in here.

Here's Paddick:

Meanwhile Tory supporters have released their own video, also today, depicting unemployed people as "lazy" including a woman who calls herself a "lazy cow" and is on drugs including "heroin and crack". It's been tweeted by Toby Young, H&F's favourite Free Schooler:



1205 UPDATE: Andy Slaughter had the first question at today's Prime Minister's Questions where he raised the issue of police cuts with David Cameron. Rather excruciatingly for Mr Slaughter given yesterday's events the Prime Minister had started the session by paying tribute to the Queen, which Mr Slaughter then had to echo. His claim was that Boris had cut numbers - the PM pointed out that crime was down. And that there were dangers of careless Tweeting...