Burst water main in Upper Wickham Lane

I have just had an email on my way in to work to say that a burst water main in Upper Wickham Lane, near the junction, with Lovell Avenue has disrupted water supplies in DA16, DA7 and SE2 post code areas.

Thames Water are on site dealing with the issue.

If you have any concerns about vulnerable family members or neighbours, please contact Bexley Council on 020 8303 7777.

Problems with bin collections this week

Statement issued by the Council today.

Missed refuse collections (Green bin)

Crews will be working hard to collect these as quickly as possible, it may be a day or two late. Please continue to present your waste on your property boundary from 06:45, we will collect this as soon as we can.

Compost collections (Brown Bin)

All collections for compost have been suspended Monday 21st to Thursday 24th December and will not be collected until your revised collection day next week.

Recycling Collections (boxes)

Any other recyclables not collected on your usual collection day will not be collected until your revised collection day next week. We will endeavour to collect everything we can, however, this is difficult given the condition of the pathways and highways.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. Please be assured everything is being done to ensure that we collect all refuse prior to Christmas.

Refuse and recycling collections over Christmas and New Year

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Boris freezes GLA precept for second year running

article by London Mayor Boris Johnson, posted on Conservatives.com

Last week we heard the final death knell of New Labour. According to Gordon Brown, anyone earning over £20,000 is a fat cat. It was the most aggressive raid on the middle classes since the ’70s and comprehensive proof of the failure of his government.

George Osborne was right to highlight a new and incontestable golden rule – you can’t trust Labour with your money.

But you can trust Conservatives. We put value for money at the heart of everything we do. That’s why I want to tell you about my budget, which I put out to consultation last week.

For the second year running – and I’ve only been in 19 months – I am freezing what City Hall takes from council tax payers. Over the eight years as Mayor, Ken Livingstone increased his take of council tax by 153 per cent. I promised to stop these steep rises and have delivered.

Londoners are reaping the dividend they deserve after electing a Conservative as Mayor.

But it’s not just been about easing the burden for people hard up during a recession but also providing more with less.

My predecessor presided over a shocking decline in rape crisis centres in the capital and I’ve allocated money for a fourfold expansion. We will be announcing where they will be soon in the New Year.

Cycling in 2010 will see a revolution – 6,000 hire bikes in central London, with the first 30 minutes free. I am probably the world’s slowest cyclist and if I can cross central London in that time, anyone can. You’ll also see a safety blitz and the first cycling superhighways.

We will continue to make the investment needed to modernise our transport infrastructure. I know some of them have been delayed because of the moronic PPP contracts forced upon London by Gordon Brown but they will hugely increase capacity and reliability of the Tubes.

If you go online you’ll find out more about housing, the environment, skills, childcare – the list goes – all to make London the best big city in the world.

That is Conservatives in action.

I don’t fear the views of the public. I’d love to hear them. Tell me if you would like a hike in council tax. I’d be surprised but I’d definitely listen.

I think we all know that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling don’t want to hear your views. They’ve been avoiding them for years.

St Michael’s in the snow

Stevens Park & the Community Centre this morning.

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Christmas Fayre

Matthew Scott, Ray Sams and Caroline Newton attended the Christmas Fayre at Neighbourhood Matters in Hadlow Road on Saturday 5 December.

Organised to raise funds for the various clubs held at the shop, Matthew, Ray and Caroline took part in the tombola and raffle, before joining local resident Tim Thompson for a sing-a-long.

Caroline and Ray are pictured with residents and Tim Thompson.

Your new Conservative Action Team

St Michael’s ward Conservatives are pleased to announce that Welling resident Caroline Newton will be joining the Action Team for the forthcoming council elections. She will be working with Councillors Joseph Pollard and Ray Sams to campaign on the issues affecting you locally.

This follows the decision by Councillor Matthew Scott to stand down this May after four years. Matthew said “It has been an honour to represent the residents of St Michael’s ward on Bexley Council, and I am grateful for all the support that local people have given me. Caroline will be a tremendous asset to the ward, and I know she will work hard to represent St Michael’s if elected”.

Caroline said “I am delighted to be part of the St Michael’s team and to be standing next May as one of your Conservative candidates. Brought up in the area, having attended Hillsgrove Primary School, I care about the needs of local residents and look forward to carrying on the good work with Joe and Ray.”

Caroline still lives in Welling and is heaving involved in Scouting locally. Provision for our young people, environment and value for money services for local residents are three areas Caroline wishes to see to continue improving with a Conservative Bexley Council.

Pictured: Ray Sams, Joe Pollard, David Evennett MP and Caroline Newton (front)

Dispersal Zone Introduced

A new ‘Dispersal Zone’ will be introduced in Welling from 00.01am on 23 October 2009 and will remain in force for six months.

The zone covers the Ridley Road area (map available by following this link) and is being established to tackle bouts of anti-social behaviour, where large numbers of young people are coming into the area to cause trouble, which is seriously affecting the lives of people in the local community.

A Dispersal Order gives police powers to disperse groups of people, to require people to leave the area, and to take home under 16s who are found in the zone between 9pm and 6am.

The police will rigorously enforce the zone and failure to obey the direction of a constable or a PCSO can lead to imprisonment or a fine.

The police are particularly interested in hearing the views of young people who live in the area, and who would be keen to join the Neighbourhood Panel that sets its policing priorities.

For more information about Dispersal Orders contact Neighbourhood Services on 08003 895013. The same number can be used to report licensed premises that are selling to underage children, or to report anti-social behaviour.

Relocation of Welling Post Office

The London Borough of Bexley recently pulled out all the stops to help the Post Office in Welling relocate to the Nags Head car park

The Post Office had been temporarily operating from the car park at the rear of Morrison’s, which is currently being renovated. They originally intended to move it from Morrison’s car park straight into new premises in the High Street.

Earlier in the year it became apparent to the Post Office that the new premises would not be ready in time to allow Morrison’s to complete the planned programme of works in their car park. So the Post Office asked the Council for help and suggested the possibility of using the Nags Head Lane car park on a short term basis.

Helping small businesses

A new £307,500 loan and grant fund to support businesses in the London Borough of Bexley was launched last week (23 July), providing an additional source of finance to the Borough’s small business community, during one of the deepest recessions in decades.

The Bexley Enterprise Fund, is a partnership between the Council, GLE (Greater London Enterprise) Group and the Thames Innovation Centre (TIC), and consists of a £250,000 loan fund and a £57,500 grant fund.

The fund is being created from £120,000 of regeneration funding secured by the Council plus an investment of £187,500 by the GLE-managed London Business Loan Fund.

Find out more here.