Fraternal greetings?

This was the sight that greeted us as we arrived for the Council meeting tonight. The Local trade unions have joined forces to picket the Town Hall over pay reforms for Greenwich employees. I and my colleagues had to force our way through the baying mob to get in, being booed as we did so. Looks like Labour isn't working.

From the TARDIS to the Town Hall

Council meeting tonight, and I am making a real sacrifice to be there. I was invited by the BBC to attend a reception and preview screening of the new Doctor Who series, which begins on BBC1 on Saturday. As I'm rather a fan, it's a hard invite to turn down - but democracy comes first, and there are some quite important items on the agenda, including our motion on the appalling state of Education in the Borough. I'll try and write an update later tonight.

Crossrail comes to Woolwich

An announcement from the Department for Transport has just confirmed the campaign for a Crossrail station at Woolwich has succeeded, and that it can be added at no extra cost to the scheme. So, good news for the local economy- now we just need to hope the overall project finally goes ahead.

Burger off!

This is the notification of the MacDonalds application, which I have only just received, despite its date of last Wednesday. They want to open until 5am at weekends- absurd.

24-hour junk

My ward colleagues in Eltham North and I have just been alerted to proposals for the McDonalds in Eltham High Street to extend its opening hours until the early hours of the morning. I'm all for flexible and convenient opening hours, but this is going much too far.

Eltham is not the West End of London, or a busy late-night town centre. It is a heavily residential area, and there is no need for us to have virtually all-night opening hours. The only result of a proposal like this will be to provide more of an incentive for young people intent on making a nuisance of themselves to hang around the streets at night getting into trouble.

We often hear it said that we need more places for young people to go locally, and more things for them to do. Fast food at 5am is definately not what we mean. More on this as we get it.