Paul Johnston

"QUESTION FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

1. BUS STOP RELOCATION - THORNHILL ROAD

A number of residents were in attendance with questions about the relocation of a

bus stop in Thornhill Road. The Chair advised that the placement of bus stops was

decided by London Buses and Transport for London. Earlier in the year, in

response to requests from Transport for London, the Neighbourhood Committee

had agreed to minor highway changes to enable the repositioning of the bus stop.

The Chair advised that there was a need for the Council to be better at informing

people that Transport for London had responsibility for these matters and this would

need to be looked at in terms of policy.

Residents closest to the proposed relocation site suggested that the bus stop could

be placed further from the junction, which they believed would be more in line with

Transport for London's own guidelines. Members of the Committee were in

agreement that the original decision to relocate the bus stop from its existing

position was the correct one, however if there was an unexplored option Transport

for London should be made aware of it. Councillor Paul Johnston agreed to arrange

a meeting with the residents involved and the Neighbourhood Traffic Engineer on

site to investigate whether there was an unexplored option.

The residents closest to the original location of the bus stop thanked the Councillors

for the decision to relocate the stop from an unsuitable location which had caused parking problems."

We had a very positive response from London Buses, Sadly we have had no response at all from Kingston's officers or the Neighbourhood Co-Chairs to match the attitude of London Buses.

We have written again today and hope to report progress soon.

........that it was announced at a meeting of the Alpha Road Residents' Association last week that boarded up windows on the estate are to be replaced with glass.

No great shakes, you might think, except that we have been trying to get similar windows in School Lane replaced for the last two years and have been told there isn't money to do it. The Lib Dem councillor (elected last May, only Lib Dem gain in Kingston - VERY marginal) who give out this info was apparently very embarrassed at having blurted it out. 'I wasn't supposed to have said that was I?' was a fairly accurate quote. Why ever not, pray, if it's all open and above board and all estates are to be treated alike?

Which might lead a person of a suspicious cast of mind to speculate on whether it was a pure coincidence that the Neighbourhood Committee was not given any breakdown of how it was proposed to allocate the sums on repairs and maintenance for next year in the Report to the Neighbourhood Committee on Housing the day after the residents' meeting.

Spooky?............Perish the thought!

The Lib Dems launched their policy statement for the coming quadrennium.

They were told in no uncertain terms that the four year forward they presented to the neighbourhood committee was "bland" by Cllr Kilby. It had all the hallmarks of a document cobbled togather by officers and was platitudinous in the extreme. We were assured that the document was the combined output of all the Lib Dem councillors. Given its nature perhaps that isn't so incredible after all.

It included the usual stuff about listening to the people more, so I asked if this meant they would no longer be ignoring petitions signed by 300 residents as in the case of the Ewell Road bus lanes.

Cllr Liz Shard voted with Conservatives to oppose a traffic scheme to ban a right turn into Beaufort Road from Surbiton Hill Road. The Conservative Councillors on the committee also managed to postpone the implementation of a scheme to move bus stops closer to Surbiton Station, pending the outcome of a safety audit. Officers and some Lib Dems wanted to carry out the scheme first then have a safety audit later. Once again we were told that we had to go for it now because there was funding from TfL which HAD to be spent before the end of March, or it would turn back into a Pumpkin. This formula has worked umpteen times in the past but this time elected members were more robust than usual. 

  Last Sunday was Remembrance Sunday. Janet, Nick and I all attended the very well attended Service at Surbiton War Memorial this morning. We fad a very good day for it (it wasn't raining and the sun shone!) and Ewell Road was thronged with people.

Janet is pictured alongside one of the plaques commemorating the Surbiton fallen in World War 2. She campaigned vigorously to have them erected and succeeded over half a century after the end of the War itself.

It seems that the bus stop in Thornhill Road outside no. 155 is about to be moved at last to a location by the corner of Thornhill and Douglas Roads. Apparently EDF have been instructed to lay on the electricity supply to the new site.

We ward councillors have been campaigning to have the exact site of the stop moved about 5 metres along the road so that the bus stops opposite the garden wall of 180 Douglas Road and not opposite the house wall. The plan from TfL would have buses stopping and starting 4 times an hour less than 2 metres from the sofa in the lounge of no. 180 Douglas Road - hardly fair on the inhabitants!

LATEST RECEIVED FROM TfL 18.20 ON 10/11/06

'Owing to the decision by the Neighbourhood Co-Chairs to refuse the extension of the bus cage to allow the stop and shelter to be moved a few meters to along side the garden wall of No.180 Douglas Rd away from the side of the house which London buses is happy to do, London Buses will at this time be installing the stop in the agreed location but I have put a hold on the shelter installation'

I am amazed, especially given the stated position of one of them in July, which was entirely in favour of the 'garden wall' position. Both Co-Chairs are Liberal Democrats and neither of them represents Surbiton Hill ward.

Invited to Tolworth Girls School today with Dennis Doe, Sue Baker and Tricia Bamford for Citizenship discussions with girls from years 8, 10 and VIth Form (which group included 2 young men.)

The questioning by the younger girls seemed much more lively and uninhibited than that of the older ones. There is obviously some darned good work going on there. I'd always thought that TGS was a school that was serious about educational achievement and this impression was much strengthened by the conversations with pupils this morning.

The whole thing made me feel nostalgic about my own teaching days, especially as one of the teachers I met had been taught by me at London Oratory.

The Scrutiny Panel met on Tuesday and spent 3 hours of its 5 hour meeting scrutinising the proposed trial in Berrylands (see 'Scrutiny tomorrow' and 'Chip 'N Bin - Tories intervene' below).

It emerged that the scheme had been in the planning stage since June and yet the Executive member says she knew nothing about it until 6th September. Conveniently this was the day after the Scrutiny Panel on the 5th. She continued to defend, with more doggedness than conviction, her contention that the trial had, even so, been discussed and approved on 5th September. None of us who was there can remember this.

Whatever - It is incredible that communication is so parlous between the Executive Member and her officers that they would not at least brief her on it at all stages of its development.

The Panel decided to refer the trial scheme to the next available meeting of the full Council, where all the elected members will be able to have their say.