Disabled parking bays available at last

On Tuesday 1 May contractors employed by Transport for London started issuing parking fines for vehicles parked in the disabled bays at Hayes & Harlington Station. That may not sound like very dramatic news but it comes after a six year campaign by Councillor Janet Gardner and myself and it feels like something worth celebrating.

Prior to the construction of the new station building there were two parking bays for people with disabilities at the far end of Station Approach. The were suddenly taken away when hoardings were put up for the demolition of the old station. That was in 2019. Since then we have sent numerous emails and organised various site meetings with people from Network Rail, TfL and Hillingdon Council in an attempt to get one of these bodies to accept that they had a responsibility to make provision for those with disabilities and also for other rail passengers to be dropped off or picked up. Eventually it was agreed that a total of four spaces would be provided at the entrance to the road. The work was carried out in December 2022 and since then we have been trying to get Network Rail or TfL to take enforcement action against the selfish drivers who park in the two disabled spaces.

In August 2024 we found a helpful person in Network Rail who put us in touch with the right official at TfL who told us that the station would be included in the enforcement contract they were planning for a number of different locations. It has taken until now for that to come into operation,

As well as introducing enforcement procedures there are more prominent notices as shown in the picture. Parking tickets have already been issued to a number of offenders. The frequency of visits by the contractors is not known but TfL have undertaken to give particular attention to Hayes & Harlington in the next few weeks. I know that I can rely on Hayes Town News readers to let me know if there are drivers who continue to misuse the reserved spaces.

Canal campaigners pass through

Last week's edition reported that canal boats were expected to come through the Town Centre on their way to a protest outside Parliament by the "Fund Britain's Waterways Campaign". Some of the boats had left Doncaster several weeks before and the picture shows one of them on Tuesday 29 April as it passes the Hayes Village development on the site of the former Nestles factory. Other boaters moored for the night opposite High Point Village and one posted a message on Facebook thanking us for placing a "Fund Britain's Waterways" banner on the railings facing the canal.

On Wednesday 7 May a total of 26 narrow boats experienced the excitement (fear) from cruising on the tidal section of the River Thames in order to parade in front of the Houses of Parliament. It was a great sight and the intrepid boaters made their presence known by the loud sounding of their boat horns. You can see a video of some of the boats here.

What does VE Day mean to you?

Thursday 8 May will be the 80th anniversary of VE Day. There have already been a number of celebrations in London and other parts of the country and at noon there will be a two minutes silence to remember those who died.

For readers not familiar with the name the initials stand for Victory in Europe and 8 May 1945 was the day of the formal surrender of Germany following the suicide of their leader Adolph Hitler on 30 April. The victory of the Allies was celebrated throughout the western world and it is estimated that around 1 million took part in the UK.

Contrary to what I heard a newsreader say on a BBC news bulletin yesterday evening, it was not the end of the Second World War. That did not come until the surrender of Japan on 2 September - VJ Day.

It is reckoned that between 70 and 80 million people died. 50 to 56 million were killed as a direct result of the war itself and others died because of disease and famine. Besides Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States it is important to remember that many who fought on our behalf were from the British Empire - Australia, Canada, India and other countries in Africa, Asia and the West Indies.

The Mayor of Hillingdon. Councillor Colleen Sullivan will be marking the occasion on what will be her last day in office by leading a flag-raising ceremony on the forecourt of the Civic Centre.

Vote of confidence in local Police

The Mayor's Office for Policing & Crime organise regular independent surveys of public attitudes to the Police and for the most recent quarter Hillingdon was one of only two London Boroughs out of 32 which were consistently in the top four for levels of trust and confidence. Questions asked included "Treat everyone fairly?", "Relied on to be there?", "Understand the issues?", "Listen to concerns?" and "Do a good job locally?" Congratulations are due to Hillingdon officers and their senior managers.

The Hayes Town Ward Safer Neighbourhood Panel heard this good news at its meeting on Wednesday 30 April together with a report on all of the incredible work done by the local Safer Neighbourhood Team over the last three months. To see the report click on this link.

The two areas where all London Boroughs had low scores in the survey were about keeping people informed and knowing how to contact Ward officers. At the conclusion of the Panel meeting Mr A S Puar, Chairman of the Hayes Town Business Forum, offered to fund the production of an annual newsletter for the Team to tell local residents and businesses about their successes. This will now be drafted and Hayes Town News will keep you informed.

CCTV understaffing challenged

Hayes Town Ward Councillor Peter Curling gave the Safer Neighbourhood Panel some worrying information uncovered by Councillor Janet Gardner about the poor staffing levels in the CCTV Control Room at the Civic Centre. It turns out that there is only one person on duty for each shift during the day to monitor more than 3000 cameras across the Borough's 42 square miles. It is slightly better for night duty but there is no cover at all for sickness absence or annual leave. Safer Neighbourhood Team officers confirmed that the lack of staff in the Control Room is having an adverse effect on their ability to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.

Councillor Curling told the meeting that he has raised the issue with the relevant Council Cabinet member and is calling for staffing levels to be raised as a matter of urgency. His action received the full backing of the Panel.

Re-cladding begins at last

The long-awaited re-cladding of the residential blocks at High Point Village in Station Road has finally begun as shown by the picture. The Grenfell Tower fire in west London happened as long ago as 2017 when 72 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were injured. A Government inquiry confirmed that the fire had spread so dramatically because of flammable materials used in the cladding and it recommended its replacement..

Like many tens of thousands of residents of high rise buildings up and down the country the people living in High Point Village have spent years worrying about what might happen to them while also being unable to sell their flats. The contractors' compound for the works could be in place for up to two years and will have an impact on the Hayes Canal Festival but it is good to see that something is now under way at last.

Cancer awareness for community groups

On Tuesday 13 May the Council's Public Health Team and H4ALL will be hosting a Cancer Awareness Workshop for the voluntary and faith sectors. They would like to welcome anyone with an interest in cancer to come along and find out more about how you can support raising community awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and the importance of cancer screening. It will be free to attend.and will cover:

• Cancer data in Hillingdon
• Workshop on bowel cancer screening
• Workshop on breast cancer screening
• Group discussion: your views in the community

The venue is the training room at the Battle of Britain Bunker in Yew Tree Road Uxbridge UB10 0RN and the event will run from 10am to 2pm. To secure a place please send an email.

London's Councils plead for more money

London Boroughs are grappling with enormous financial pressures. With the government preparing its upcoming spending review, London Councils, the body that represents the 32 London Boroughs, is making the case for restoring stability to town hall finances. They say that this would put boroughs in a much stronger position to deliver services and drive economic growth across the capital.

As part of their campaign for greater funding they have prepared a short video which describes the perfect storm facing borough finances – including more than a decade of structural underfunding, rising demand for services, and new responsibilities placed on councils by central government. They also spell out what should be done to improve the situation. You can see it by using this link.

New order for antisocial behaviour

With effect from Thursday 1 May there is a new Public Spaces Protection Order in place to deal with antisocial behaviour in Hillingdon. It contains identical provisions to the previous order but with new powers to deal with nuisances caused by taxi drivers who wait in roads around Heathrow Airport. To see the details of the order and how to report problems please click on this link.

Act now to secure your postal vote

There are no elections in Hillingdon planned for this year but there will be in 2026 when all Council seats are up for grabs and people with a postal vote need to know that they must now renew it every three years. If you applied for a postal vote before 30 January 2024, you must apply again by 31 January 2026 to remain a postal voter. The Council is notifying everybody who is affected by this change in procedures but there may be people you know who might need help The quickest and easiest way to renew is to use the following link.