Changes planned for Firepower museum

It wouldn't be a Christmas break without an unexpected interruption, and this year I've been lured away from the leftover party snacks and TV specials by a last-minute item being added to the agenda of the Council's Cabinet Committee tomorrow.

The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich ("Firepower") has faced significant funding difficulties for several years, and its operating deficit has been covered with support from the Royal Artillery Regiment and by Greenwich Council.

We have supported these extra cash injections, believing that the museum is an important asset to the Borough, and one which should be preserved (I raised the issue at full Council a couple of months ago when leaked papers suggested funding might be withheld). But we have been clear that the museum needs to widen its appeal and work more closely with the neighbouring Heritage Centre to develop a high-profile "heritage quarter" for the Arsenal site. My personal view is that the maritime history of Woolwich should be a key part of this, particularly with the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Dockyard coming up in 2012.

The papers for tomorrow's meeting include conditions attached to the proposed grant which would require a signifiant shake-up in the way the museum operates, including a change to the "Firepower" branding, a widening of what is on offer and closer working with the heritage centre. So along the right lines, but we need to study the details, and are more than a bit annoyed it has been rushed onto the agenda at such short notice.

Slip-ups in the snow

Well, I certainly wasn't alone in my rant last night. The papers this morning all had a similar theme:

Much as I feel uncomfortable joining the grumpy "all-gone-to-hell-in-a-handcart" tone of the Daily Mail, their headline is apt: Why can't we cope? I didn't rush to blame Greenwich Council last night for my having to walk the last part of my journey, as clearly the problem is far from confined to our locality, and my whingeing was mostly directed at Transport for London and the train companies. But the roads and pavements in Eltham this morning were just as icy (I slipped and fell on the way to the station), and there surely could have been more done overnight to get ready for the morning.

As regards yesterday's action by Greenwich Council, the following is the bulletin issued to councillors by the relevant officers last night:

Today [Monday], gritting crews were immediately put on stand-by to be loaded and ready at 4pm following the receipt of a weather update at 13.45 "Rain and sleet pushing north this afternoon, turning to snow for a time between 1600 and 1900hrs."

Gritting could not commence prior to snowfall as the wet conditions meant that the grit would be washed away by the rain.

The gritting fleet left as instructed at 4pm to grit Priority 1 roads and immediately met gridlock traffic conditions as large numbers of motorists decided to leave early when they saw the snow falling The Borough Commander was contacted to provide police assistance to get the gritters moving through traffic.

Prior to today, gritting operations were carried out continuously throughout Thursday evening and night until Friday morning, covering Priority 1 and 2 roads. Gritting continued throughout the weekend.

In terms of pavements, on Friday and over the weekend, we prioritised areas with very high footfall (such as town centres, shopping areas, and bus stops) as well as residential roads in hilly areas (Priority 1 and 2 pavements). Today we have re-gritted many of these areas and are moving on to other pavement areas.

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I have a lot of sympathy with them for how difficult an operation it is, but clearly more needs to be done. Every local authority will have questions to answer, and in Greenwich we'll be asking our share of them.

Snow way back

Excuse the rant, but really - why oh why oh why does the transport system in this country seize up at the first suggestion of cold weather? It's not as though coldness is a rarity in the UK, and yet every time the temperature plummets the railways and roads collapse.

On Friday it took me five hours to get from London to Portsmouth - I left on the 6.02pm from Victoria , which was then cancelled mid-journey as the whole Southern Trains network collapsed around me. I had to double back to Gatwick to wait for another service, which then terminated early at Havant, after a mildly alarming interlude when the guard kept announcing he didn't actually know where it was going - Portsmouth, Bognor, both or neither. A forty minute wait on a freezing platform for another train rounded off the epic experience. All accompanied by grave announcements about the 'extreme weather conditions'.

Returning to London yesterday was a similarly fun-filled expedition, with all the direct services cancelled, meaning I had to go via East Sussex, changing at Barnham (lovely quaint tea shop on the platform, by the way) and arriving several hours late for a friend's birthday.

Tonight gave me my hat-trick: An uneventful tube journey from Westminister to London Bridge, at which point the 'adverse weather conditions' again led to transport meltdown. Platforms and concourse were rammed with people, whilst the word "delayed" spread down the destination boards like a stock market crash. With no trains leaving we were shouted at to leave and the station was closed, at which point I retreated to a coffee shop for an hour. I then finally managed to get a train to Woolwich Arsenal, where General Gordon Square was crowded with frosted people waiting for buses which were failing to arrive through gridlocked traffic.

I took refuge in the Town Hall (thankfully open), and passed a bit of time doing some work in the Conservative Group room. The traffic was still barely moving an hour later, as I joined a group of council staff and Cllr. Don Austen on the steps outside, surveying the chaos (the Mayor was also stranded inside, and I suggested the conditions were apt for a local coup if we were so minded). It was soon clear nothing was going anywhere in a hurry, so with a parting shot of "If I'm not back by the New Year, call a by-election", I set off to walk through the frozen wastes to Eltham.

The pavements were horrendously slippery and I struggled to stay upright, so I can well understand how there are so many injuries in weather like this. The whole way home - Academy Road to the Shooters Hill junction, then Well Hall Road and Westmount Road, I saw just one bus, and it was out of service. I got home in one piece, but certainly didn't envy those trying to drive.

My question is WHY?! I've been to Norway, where heavy snow is not exactly unknown, and the trains keep running, and the cars keep moving. How is it that our pavements and roads turn into ice rinks, and our railways seize up? It happens every time it snows, and yet we seem unable to learn from other countries and work out where we're going wrong.

There. Rant over. Sorry.

Snowy Westminster

Well, last week's snow didn't make it to SW1, but now it's coming down fast and settling. This is the view from my office window, looking towards Westminster Abbey. Not promising for getting to a friend's party in Forest Hill tonight!

Labour says no to scrutiny by the Opposition

Wednesday's Council meeting included a motion tabled by my colleagues seeking a fairer political balance in the way Chairs of Scrutiny Panels are allocated. At present all the Chairmen of these panels, which are intended to scrutinise the executive, are held by Labour councillors. We have long felt that it would be appropriate if at least some of them were held by Opposition councillors.

I made a short speech on the subject (not short enough for some, I'm sure, as I was keeping them from mince pies in the Mayor's parlour afterwards), setting out the case for involving the opposition parties more fully in scrutiny. Many other Boroughs give the chairmanship of key scrutiny committees to the Opposition, although as the Great Leader Cllr Roberts pointed out, many Conservative Boroughs also keep these jobs for their own side.

Regardless of what others do, it should be good practice to share these positions out. They are not partisan roles, and some Labour Councillors do a good job in holding their own party to account. But as my colleague Cllr. Drury said, the problem with "critical friends" is that they may be friends, but neglect to be critical.

Eltham Wonderland!

Eltham looks very pretty this morning- shame I had to go to work and couldn't spend longer taking photos. Here are a few from my walk to the station anyway.

Greenwich Park: A fair debate

There has been renewed focus on the use of Greenwich Park for the 2012 Olympics' equestrian events, now that the planning application has been submitted to the Council. As I am not a member of the planning committee, I am free (unlike those who are) to give my view publicly.

Firstly, I think we should recognise and give credit to LOCOG for the efforts they have taken to engage with local people on the issue. They have produced regular updates, organised meetings for local people, and recently set up shop in Greenwich town centre to display their plans. Now the application is in, they have put the papers on their website, along with extensive explanatory material.

Greenwich Conservatives have wholeheartedly supported having the Games in Greenwich, and we believe being an Olympic Borough in 2012 offers many unique opportunities in terms of local jobs, tourism and a range of other benefits. We also support the principle of using the Park for these events, which will provide a magnificent setting and project the stunning beauty of the park to a worldwide audience. But our support is not a blank cheque.

Local people understandably have concerns about such a massive event taking place here, and the possible disruption that it will cause. And all those - myself included- who love the Park want to ensure it is not damaged and is accesible for as long as possible. As an opposition, we have insisted that the Council takes proper note of those concerns, and does not simply dismiss them. I know my colleague Cllr. Geoff Brighty in particular has been very active in meeting and representing residents, and both he and I have raised their concerns with LOCOG and with the Council on a number of occasions. I also wrote to Mayor Boris Johnson earlier this year to seek his commitment to protecting the Park, which he gave.

The strong local feeling was clearly the reason the plans were substantially altered to reduce the need for lengthy closures, to move the cross-country part of the course away from the flower garden, and so on. These were very positive improvements which we welcomed, but they are not the end of the story.

Now the period of formal consultation is open, I will be seeking detailed views from local people on the plans, and am willing to present those views to the committee myself if needed. I hope very much that the public debate, including in the media, will be conducted sensibly, and with honesty. I have been rather concerned by some of inaccurate information that has been repeated in the media and by some campaigners against the use of the Park, and this serves no-one's interests. Let's have a debate, but a fair one.

UPDATE: (Weds, 13.16) The battle on the issue over at greenwich.co.uk has become rather personal. As I put it on Twitter, calm down dears!

Labour's election budget

So now we know what Labour's masterplan for winning the next election is - a shameless return to the class war, soaking the rich and helping the poor. Right?

Well, that's what they wanted us to think. The clumsy (and probably ineffective) raid on banker's bonuses, combined with the uprating of pensions and er, cutting bingo tax, were supposed to be what caught the media and public's attention this morning. Sadly for Labour, we're not completely stupid, so this morning's headlines actually looked more like this:

The papers were able to see immediately what everyone else will now realise: Not only have Labour failed to get a grip on the nation's finances and are continuing to rack up our crippling debt, but they are now targetting ordinary people on modest and low incomes to pay for this recklessness. The rise in National Insurance hits all workers earning over £20,000 - not exactly rich fat cats. It is that -more than the other dodgy tricks (like uprating benefits for an election year only, before cutting them back) - which will anger people most.

All credit to the Conservatives' campaign team for getting this poster out so quickly last night, which sums it up perfectly:

Backdrop to the Pre-Budget Report

Whatever rabbits Alistair Darling attempts to conjure up this afternoon, CCHQ's stunt last night reminds us all of the reality of the situtation the country finds itself in.

Changing Trains

A very timely poster campaign has made an appearance recently. Tonight I saw the above message 'It's Time for change' on several billboards on Woolwich Arsenal station. Not an early attack by the Conservatives, but an advert from Southern rail about their new timetable. Let's hope the message gets through to local voters, anyway. It's certainly amusing to think Labour councillors will have to see it on their way to the Town Hall.

UPDATE: Oops - It's SouthEastern Rail, not Southern, and the poster is plastered all over their website (see below)!