Making Deputation to Cabinet on Wednesday 21th March 2018

By Nigel Rumble elected representative of the Chalcots Estate, Co-opted Member of Burnham TRA, Vice Chair of Belsize Police SNT.

I propose to read this deputation at Cabinet. I will have read same deputation at Housing Scrutiny on Monday 19th March 2018 and any relevant considerations will have already been discussed. This serves to illuminate issues and concerns to whole cabinet prior to the decision to proceed on Replacement Window budget proposals.

This Deputation however to Cabinet is a catch-all to allow the debate which can bring in other representatives of the Chalcots Estate especially to present opinions on matter.

Watch the recording of me delivering the first part of the deputation together with other representatives of the Chalcots HERE

Chalcots Estate New Windows Replacement

The main principles of engagement for the Chalcots Estate New Windows Replacement programme costed at £30m and with 40 years warranty, which is £10m more than original windows installed less than 10 years ago.

This project was presented as an imperative and therefore, not a consultative project on matter of Health and Safety.

The first meeting TRAs were informed of the solution to a problem not seen as a prior vital problem, hence complete surprise as the only viable solution which was to replace all windows of all five tower blocks making up the Chalcots estate. Repair would cost a massive £29m but would only provide a 1/4 of the maintenance and warranty periods and therefore very poor value compared to a new build replacement.

However, residents were not happy at this approach appearing as a fait accompli with no elements of consultations nor were they happy with highly restricted window openings of 10 cm open and 20 cm purge. Especially as they were opening from top inwards.

OPENING TYPE

Residents seek to request more alternatives to be brought to the consultation process. This requires more time than the 21 days on the current table. 

METHODOLOGY 

e.g.. Reducing 7 Day per flat for the windows replacement to something more reasonable and manageable for residents already suffering from high levels of anxiety after the prior 6 week evacuations and continuous works since returning from the evacuations. People are tired, stressed, and shell shocked with core drilling into concrete structure occurring daily and at times constantly during mast climber works.

The method being told is unacceptable as it requires removal of all windows with a security screen being bolted on the inside of home windows with on average up to 7 windows. It must be noted that all private and personal affects belonging to residents must be safely huddled in middle of each room meaning that life would not be normal or stress free for those 7 Days.

Those with Children, the elderly and sick requiring home rest would not be able to cope, without intervention help such as a planned decant, which again is not on the table.

TIME 

More time for consultation of options. Residents ask for adequate and effective consultation and the 21 days on the table for window types whilst planning permission is already well advanced does not inspire confidence. 

It was suggested at the works meeting by TRA reps that more time be given and that this project defer going to Cabinet until after May elections (Purdah). This would remove the political dimension of the works and most importantly allow more time to enhance plans prior to a June submission to the new Cabinet, which would for accountability and continuity would be preferable. It would give a much longer period for residents to reflect on any and all proposals that may be produced. This would also allow the newly elected ward councillors of Belsize Park to be fully engaged with the project at commencement proper.

RESPECT 

Be Treated Right First Time. Being treated with dignity. This is a big one. All residents simply wish to be treated right. Just as Camden Has the mantra Right First Time. I wish to see the introduction of Be Treated Right. 

This ranges from having made an appointment and taken time of work to attend a required works appointment the contractor fails to turn up or arrives late as happens here currently only too frequently. Being communicated in a professional and polite manner. Which again does not occur in a proper manner. Meeting all agreed expectations. Making sure that expectations are set correctly at start of intrusive works. Being given plenty of notice for making any required further relocations of furniture and personal affects. 

It is vital for this aspect of Be Treated Right First Time way of working that it happens both ways for this to be a success.

Watch the recording of me delivering the first part of the deputation together with other representatives of the Chalcots HERE

Author: Nigel Rumble

15th March 2018

Election Day 22nd May 2014 and Thornton's Budgens re-launch

Relaunch of Thorntons Budgens

Belsize 

A big thank you to Andrew Thornton for inviting me to the store relaunch event which I was pleased to step out of my busy election schedule to become the first Independent Councillor in Belsize today.

I wish Andrew together with his iconic Budgens store continued success.

My community achievements here in Belsize since 2006

I am very proud to have been quietly serving you here in Belsize as your Prospective councillor and candidate since 2006, yes thats an amazing 12 years! I can hardly believe it myself.

As a Belsize resident I become actively involved in my local landlord meetings. I attended my first meeting back in 2006 where I was horrified at how the council and contractors actually allowed a virtual fight to take place amongst the residents to lose valuable consultation rights!

I quickly changed all that as I was within months elected the leaseholder representative for the Chalcots estate. A position that I still hold today 12 years later as a co-opted member of Burnham TRA as position that I have help for 8 years. Since the problems of the evacuations. I was voted in by more than 55 residents in the largest vote that a block has ever had. Such is the strength of support for me and my colleagues.

Together with my other representatives we have saved countless shoddy unsafe GAS pipe installations and expensive GAS meters installations that would have cost everyone £700 each. I got that cost waved. I also obtained more value from the developers for each resident that has been greatly appreciated by all and I still receive thanks from people who remember my input which took months of free volunteer time.

I was elected by Camden councillors in 2010 to be a co-opted member of the Camden Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee and re-elected in 2011 again where I specialised in leaseholder matters on the special Leaseholder Scrutiny panel. Again all volunteer positions. I was also School Governor from 2009 to 2013 at the Outstanding rated Primrose Hill School, where I become elected to be on the recruitment panel to select a new head when the situation arose. A task that I was very honoured to do which again I gave up all my free time to discharge my duties.

Yes I take civic duty very seriously, what I say I will do I do and more. I have a track record since 2006 of doing precisely this. Some weeks I have clocked up around 20 hours of voluntary time to our community. It amazes me that in the party political machine some candidates can sweep to election as a local councillor without either living in the ward nor actually doing anything apart from canvassing and simply being with the right party at the right time! Very often it is the true warriors who give the most who simply do not get elected. This is unfortunate and with this in mind I believe that standing as an Independent allows more scope to be equally accessible to all residents without party associations standing in the way.

I have been asked by many of you if I am or was already a councillor well it seems like it to me and I am sure that if you elect me tomorrow to be the first INDEPENDENT councillor here in Belsize it will feel more of a natural development from the positions I currently hold to be an actually elected councillor.

I am sure that together with the other two councillors that you elect that we will form a very effective team. Having me as an Independent will provide a useful balance and check on any party politics that councillors from the political groups will face due to their requirements to often toe the party lines and support their National party policies, which as the Mayor Boris Johnson has demonstrated is not always in the best interest of either Camden and especially Belsize with closure to the Hampstead Police Station, the Belsize Fire Station, loss of 4 community police from a team of 6 and worst of all that remaining small team of 2 being co-joined with Haverstock Hill where they often spend a lot of their time due to policing needs there. Which leaves Belsize more exposed to becoming a future trouble spot if not carefully patrolled as before by the local police with local knowledge.

One thing is clear that I have really enjoyed meeting as many of you as was humanly possible these past six weeks. I have covered virtually the whole of Belsize, walked thousands of steps and walked hundreds of collective miles, completely warn out a new pair of trainers and was invited into many of your homes for a rest and a cup of tea more than at any other time that I have stood as a candidate.

So a special thank you to all that offered such warm hospitality and support. Win or lose I will remember that support for a very long time. Actually it is not just about wining because finding making associations, friends and discovering new thoughts and ideas is just as vital.

I am planning to do a another new film production probably a documentary on the Chalcots here in Belsize later in the year so I expect that I will being seeing many of you whilst out filming.

"Doppeldecker" im Belsize! postscript for 2018

Image copyright (c) with http://www.londonbasement.co.uk

"Double Decker" down is the new trendy word in Belsize, Frognal and Fitzjohns and Hampstead wards. Dubbed the "what do you do with a spare few million earning next to no interest in banks", answer build a double decker basement excavation (BE) under your property.

Gym, sauna, spare offices, swimming pool and cinema to name just a few uses.

So thats the sales pitch tag-line! Now the environmental impact reality of such schemes here in the Belsize area.

Since campaigning Belsize from 2009 through to the present time I have observed the growing trend for increasingly more ambitious basement excavation projects in Belsize. We have reached the stage with the advancing technologies from companies like for example the London Basement Company, one of the leading specialist firms doing state-of the-art designs.

However, this is where the romance of the concept can and does literally tear apart local community creating feelings of complete "utter" despair amongst Belsize resident home owners.

Four weeks ago I spoke with most of the affected residents in the Lawn Road area over two current BE projects and now with a third one pending opposite the recently saved Belsize Library and in front of the Children's Park, where my daughter used to play often. The mood on the ground is one of gritting determination by a consortium of residents coming together to take on the council planning department over its seemingly reekless decisions to approve it would appear nearly all BE proposals regardless of community consultations.

Back in 2014 whilst campaigning after attending and speaking at the excellent Belsize Residents Association (BRA) Hustings for candidates there in the BRA areas, including Belsize. This was a very hot topic again with seemingly precious little currently that existing councillors are able to do.

I disagree that this is a lost cause. I know that it seems difficult to take-on the developers directly once the council planning permission are given. But I have been doing some research on this matter over the years and believe that some legal remits may exist to bring about Action with a capital "A" result. 

I have found three more pending BE project applications yesterday afternoon just by canvassing three streets. The anger is raw and comes out loud and clear from affected property owners. Within there own situation they have at a stroke been placed in a pending virtual HS2 doom and gloom prospect next to their homes.

They spoke to me at length about the immediate worries of years of BE works which may use the new Doppeldecker construction. which goes deeper, takes a lot longer  and has more potential for neighbouring foundation instability issues, which in may manifest years after original build.

I have written to Camden council planning officers on this very subject and although I am unable for legal reasons to state either the properties or officers in question, I am able to outline a generic analysis of my findings thus far.

Planning permission is the start of the process but on approval this is only the basis on which to pursue any knock-on problems of the development proccess. Most people that I have spoken with have cited many examples of environmental problems. 

Noise, Dust, Pollution, Health and Safety on site, refuge such as concrete sludge spill-off causing blocked drains to name just a few notable examples.

These are the build problems, which depending on complexity may extend several years.

Then there are the recorded instances, especially in Hampstead area of soil drainage and water table modifiers caused by very deep concrete structures causing basement neighbouring water ingress and destabilistaion to local properties. Many of these worst affects can be prevented by excellent design practices from the very best practitioners in the industry. But sadly this is probably the exception rather than the rule.

What I propose is simple clear and straightforward. As your elected councillor I would advocate for changes to initial planning permission process that would build in more rigorous local community consultation which allows community to give legally frame worked challenges and increase scope window to allow these challenges to take place.

In the words of a property owner I had a very long talk with yesterday. The planning permission consultation appears to disregard the feelings of the local community and once the permission is granted (which it now appears always is) there is precious little that can be done apart from enduring for years the related blight or packing up home and move to the countryside.

I think you will all join in with me and agree that we would like to keep our Belsize friends and neighbours actually here in Belsize!

Please show your support for my pragmatic approach to these problems by helping me become the first elected Independent councillor where I will then have the mandate to advocate on your behalf.

What Belsize needs is a tough minded independent and not pithy moderated civil servant approach as appears to generally be the norm due to need to toe-party political lines of most party elected councillors.

Postscript in 2018 Nothing has changed but with the increasing wishes of landowners wanting to expand their properties downwards multiple floors this trend is a curse for most residents.

No Vote means you will not be told of HS2 plans in Belsize

No VOTE No SAY!

I am shocked and appalled to have canvassed many local Belsize residents, especially if they are not on the voting register, simply appear to have been ignored by Camden and all the political parties in relation to HS2 consultation.  To further evidence my concerns I have only on Tuesday 16th May discovered that the recently announced HS2 Belsize Workshop with Camden Officers of 19th May 2pm to 8pm at Swiss Cottage Library was actually as reported to me by a Camden officer at the request of a Belsize councillor which smacks of political opportunism just 2 days before the local elections and only three days to the deadline for petition submission on the 23rd May. 

What is so scary that many of our local residents still do not know of the highly disruptive tunnelling and air ventilator shaft plans that will unless the HS2 route changes will go ahead through Belsize in 2019 with massive “utility” preparation works from 2016 – 2018 in Fellows Road, Eton Avenue and other surrounding streets, it is not yet known the full extent of the collateral disruption to our iconic leafy area. I call this the community party political disconnect. No Vote No Consult. How often have local politicians seen every day asking at the doors to find out if the electorate lives at an address, when told they don't have voting rights for what ever reason, the politician hastily makes a retreat. Is this a "true" sign of democracy. NO. When I have canvassed a non voter, I still capture their local concerns and inform, especially on matters such as HS2, which most certainly effects them on Eton Avenue. This is the BIG advantage of being Independent.

The disruptions to Eton Avenue will adversely affect the local school run to the large number of private schools there. Also Fellows Road together with parts of Adelaide Road will see the bulk of the disruptive preparation GAS and water mains replacement works ahead of the tunnelling operations currently scheduled to start anytime around 2019. The disruption to Belsize could last a decade,

Those that have been notified by local political party communications have been told that HS1-HS2 Link through Camden (Camden Town) has been cancelled, which it has, But many have been therefore by use of clever wording been falsely given wrong impression that Belsize HS2 route has been changed or cancelled, which it has not.

I am also surprised by the large number of people asking me about the phoney Tory referendum and the official HS2 petition. It is clear to many that the former is nothing more than a shrewd ruse to gather email, phone number, voter intentions intel-op, as for the later which is being promoted by Camden council is a “real” petition direct to Government Select committee, which must be delivered to Portcullis House together with a payment of £20. Many of the economically challenged families most likely to be hit along the council estates route from Euston all the way past Kilburn simply do not have spare money or access to legal advice on making the highly legalised worded formatted petitions. This is a very divisive and undemocratic process.

Groundhog Day Talks on HS2 revisited!

Copyright of (c) 2012 Ham & High, Cartoonist Ken Pyne

This cartoon about the stupidity of so-called HS2 Consultation was created by cartoonist Ken Pyne of Ham & High back in 2012 to accompany a letter that of mine that the paper had published about the craziness of HS2 and the "Deja Vu" effect that I later coined the phrase "Groundhog Day Talks"

This is the letter I wrote back in 2012 at yet again another HS2 Community forum. Not much progress has been made from 2010 to 2012 and little if any progress has been made to the present Day with now the consultation over and "only" the petition which is a very specific legal instrument that must be formatted and written in a very precise way, delivered to Portcullis House, House of Parliament by 23rd May 2014 and a submission fee of £20 to boot!

Just in case you are wondering "Deep Piles" is a technical expression and not actually a medical condition from sitting in so many consultation meetings, but one could easily think both was true!

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As I reported several weeks ago after attending a HS2 Primrose Hill to Kilburn route consultation HS2 Community Forum on 28th March 2012 at Swiss Cottage Library. I made several points.

Which the HS2 meeting chair / facilitator agreed with me;

1. Consultation is not making progress and learning in what has previously been gained from previous consultations.

2. The route has endless "wriggle room" possibilities with no real drive to create an effective and minimal impacting route.

3. Engineering uncertainties skewing route on risks based on "Deep Piles" and "Boggy Pockets" along the route, creating much uncertainty for the residents Gloucester Avenue and King Henrys Road, Primrose Hill.

A few days ago circulated to all meeting participants, I received a draft "Primrose Hill to Kilburn Notes" by email.

Where I was compelled to make this reply:

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"Dear HS2 Community Forum Chair HS2 Ltd.

If this is an example of a quality document (I am taking draft edition into consideration when I say this) capturing the views and opinions expressed at this highly activated and mobilised meeting then I am now compelled to revisit all my copious notes from the said meeting.

What has been attempted here is a distillation of thoughts and real concerns into a bubble diagram of key tag words.

'Boggy Pockets', 'Deep Piles' and numerous other concerns are there but statements from representatives on the almost unanimous consensual view that no one felt that this consultation process came anywhere close to being a meaningful actual consultation process is notable by its exclusion.

Please also note you have me listed as representing a Co-Op Housing Association at Camden Council!

I am a co-opted member of Camden Council Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.

Clearly, it appears that there is a cohesive luck of focus with attention to details on all HS2 Limited consultation processes this far. Which let me remind is essential to the of 'Duty of Care' and Due Diligence of HS2 consultation as stipulated in legal framework of consultative law.

Regards

Nigel Rumble
Co-Opted member of
Camden Council Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee."
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I received this statement from the HS2 Community Forum secretariat by email.

"I have amended the notes to cover members’ scepticism around the overall forums process."

So I have achieved a victory of sorts as I have managed to get recorded that there was members scepticism at the HS2 consultation meeting!

I will not pass judgement here of the response but just go back to my opening line "Groundhog Day Talks" you may have seen the movie, imagine every day starting again over and over. That's HS2 Consultation.

I was going to use the Möbius Loop as another metaphor, but settled on "Groundhog Day" due to its more closely fitting the point I was articulating.
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Pithy nature of political truths a retrospective of 2010-14 promises!

Cartoon (c) of http://www.mikhaela.net

It has become a sad reality to us all that politicians whether at national or local level uses a form of English language which at best can be described as "Pithy". It has become very apparent to me reading all the manifestos of the political parties from there barrage of leaflets through our letterboxes here in Belsize Park, that this is happening.

They use words like manifesto, pledge, even daring to utter the word "promise" at out door steps!

What does it all mean, surely we all happy in Belsize "right" well apparently not, they promised us a new pedestrian crossings on a Eton Avenue and Winchester Road in 2010, was it built after the Conservatives were elected, no, they promised us a new community garden at Blashford near the Adelaide Medical Centre was it built well no.

They told us that they will keep council tax down and keep our essential services intact. What did the Conservatives do to Belsize. Close the Hampstead Police Station, not even bothering to secure the property from squatters moving in! They closed "our" beloved Belsize Fire Station, which in the words of Camden Fire Commander places Belsize at the epicenter of highest respinse times in Camden.

All Belsize councillors have written to and sent emails to the 8,500+ voters to explain that Camden is "now" safe from the HS1-HS2 Camden Link. which is true of itself. But for the vast majority of voters that I have spoken to at the door steps there is the mistaken belief that was taken to mean that HS2 would no longer affect Belsize! It will starting 2019.

Naturally, they were very shocked to learn that would sadly not be the case. It must be said that Camden council together with its councillors have been asking residents to sign a petition which must be delivered in person to Portcullis House together with a £20 payment, which I think was an outrage in itself, but in the words of government that is to prevent vexatious claims !

Pithy Politics - The Conservatives and Liberal Democrates back in 2009 through to election 2010 were campaigning "against" HS2. Most of us remember the clear statements back then of that intent that become acceptance !

The party whips have been very busy of late in keeping the party discipline on those key mutated pledges!

Author Nigel Rumble 2014