Welfare reform

Angie has written her latest article for the Ealing Gazette on the welfare reforms currently making their way through Parliament. You can read her article by clicking here.

Campaigning in Feltham and Heston

Angie paid a couple of visits to Feltham and Heston with other Ealing and Acton volunteers (pictured left with Matthew Salter). They were swiftly put to work delivering leaflets and pledge letters, and they managed to miss all the horrible weather!

Angie said "It's always good to get out and about and Mark Bowen has been a great candidate. It's unfortunate we didn't get over the line, but this was always going to be a difficult seat for us to win and we fought a good campaign."

Opening a new Vetinary Surgery

Angie was delighted to be invited to open the larger and refurbished Vetinary Surgery at Bedford Corner (pictured with lead vet Catherine Williams and owner, Cllr Anthony Young). As the proud owner of two dogs, Poppy and Phoebe, she knows well the importance of having a good vet round the corner.

Angie chairs debate on Academies and Free Schools – force for good or not?

Angie was invited to chair a major seminar on the impact of Free Schools and Academies on state education across the country. Amongst those taking part on the panel was Thomas Packer, Headmaster of the West London Free School. The contributions from the panellists and from the floor varied in their opinions, but were lively and well argued. The Westminster Education Forum is a long established organisation, and Angie has subsequently been invited to become a patron.

After the event, Angie said "It was a fascinating morning discussing hugely important issues for this country. I remain an enthusiastic supporter of the changes the Education Secretary Michael Gove is making, and the choices he is opening up for parents and their children by offering a wider range of schools. However, it is always good to hear alternative views, particularly when they come from such distinguished people with great experience."

Diwali

Angie organised a reception in the House of Commons for members of Ealing's Hindu community to celebrate Diwali.A large crowd joined her and representatives from the National Council of Hindu Temples UK for speeches and a discussion on the importance of marking the occasion.

Riot follow up - meeting the Association of British Insurers

As the inquest into last summer's riots continues, Angie has been taking up the problems faced by a number of local Ealing residents and businesses with their insurance companies. Swift promises were made to help get the local residents and businesses caught up and affected by the violence back on their feet again, but one of the big complaints to emerge is that some insurers have been slow in paying out on claims, causing all manner of problems for the small local businesses in particular need of our support.

Angie raised this issue at a recent meeting in the House of Commons with Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance at the Association of British Insurers. He conceded that some factors have complicated the processing of claims from the riots, but did say that overall the industry has responded quickly and effectively to help customers.

Afterwards, Angie said "It was a productive meeting and I'm encouraged that Mr Starling has agreed to look into the specific cases I raised with him. It's not right that innocent members of the public and our upstanding local business-people who unfortunately got caught up in all this should still be suffering – least of all that they are unable to access the compensation they are entitled to."

Ealing Cinema

Last week brought the fantastic news that work is set to start on the new cinema we've been promised in Ealing. After lots of hard work and a few false dawns, work will finally get underway at the site at the turn of the year.

On hearing the news, Angie said "This is great to hear and is very welcome news. As I've said time and again, Ealing really is a bit lost without its cinema. The team from Empire have exciting plans to make the new cinema one of the very best around, and it will deliver a much-needed boost to our town centre – I'm looking forward to seeing the progress early next year."

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home - Staffies Campaign

Angie is lending her support to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home's campaign to tackle public misconceptions surrounding Staffordshire Bull Terriers. The leading animal charity took in 2,470 stray and unwanted Staffies last year, and like rescue organisations and local authorities across the UK it is struggling to deal with the sheer number of Staffies needing its help.

Staffies have become stigmatised by a minority of irresponsible owners who have used the dog as a status symbol or a weapon. However Battersea is keen to prove that in the right hands, they are loyal and loving pets.

Angie said, "It's awful that Staffies have been branded with such a bad reputation through no fault of their own. Irresponsible breeders have given this breed a bad name and now local authorities and charities like Battersea are struggling to deal with the consequences. I hope that I can help people in my constituency to see that Staffies are softer than they may think."

Remembrance Sunday

Angie joined councillors and dignatories at the traditional Remembrance Sunday service outside Pitzhanger Manor on Ealing Green.

She was joined by Dr Charles Tannock MEP in laying a wreath in memory of the fallen.

Let's keep recycling free and weekly

From April 2012, Ealing's Labour Council intends to charge residents £40 a year to have our garden waste collected. The frequency of this collection will also be reduced to fortnightly.

In addition to these changes, the white sacks currently used for plastic recycling, will also be withdrawn and plastic will be collected in green boxes with a "hair net" cover.

Also written into the new contract is the option to reduce collection of both waste and recycling to fortnightly.

Angie is supporting her local Ealing Conservative colleagues, who do not believe that these changes will benefit residents and will lead to increased fly tipping and our recycling rates going down, thereby increasing landfill.

Under the previous Conservative Council, when the decision was taken to stop charging to recycle garden waste, our recycling rate more than doubled, thereby confirming that most people will recycle, providing it is free and convenient to do so.

As you can see from the picture, Angie has been talking to staff at her local recycling centre about the petition which has been organised and is to be presented to Full Council, asking for our waste and recycling service to remain free and weekly. You can sign the petition by clicking here.

Compensation for riot victims

Angie took to the floor of the House of Commons to raise the issue of compensation for victims of the Ealing riot. After that dreadful night in August, swift promises were made to help get the local residents and businesses that were caught up and affected by the violence back on their feet again. But, one of the big issues that came out of the recent public scrutiny meeting held at Ealing Town Hall is that some insurance companies have been slow in responding to claims made by riot victims, leaving local businesses in a particularly difficult situation.

Addressing the Leader of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon Sir George Young MP, Angie said:

Ealing recently held its first public scrutiny meeting on the aftermath of the riots. One of the main concerns was the slowness with which insurance companies have been responding to claims from riot victims. If that is the case, it is totally unacceptable. Will my right hon. Friend raise the matter with the Business Secretary and perhaps ask for a statement to be made to the House?

In response, Sir George said:

It would be quite wrong of insurance companies to penalise the victims of the riots by withholding the compensation to which they are entitled. I say in passing that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has extended the period during which businesses can claim for compensation. I will certainly raise the matter with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who may want to raise it with the Association of British Insurers. I am sure that individual Members of Parliament will take up any case where an injustice has been done to their constituents, and pursue it directly and vigorously with the insurance company concerned.

After Business Questions Angie said, "I'm pleased that the Leader of the House recognises what a serious issue this is, and encouraged that the Business Secretary will be looking into this. It's not right that innocent members of the public and our upstanding local business-people who unfortunately got caught up in all this should still be suffering – least of all that they are unable to access the compensation they are entitled to. In the meantime, I would encourage anyone with a particular case of an injustice to let me know about it so I can raise it on their behalf."

A new school in Ealing

Angie was one of the first to welcome Education Secretary Michael Gove's announcement that Ealing is to get a new Free School. It is to be set up and run by Twyford School in Acton, which itself has just become a new Academy School. Angie has long campaigned for new school places in Ealing because of the growing population, and she took Michael Gove to Twyford in order to persuade him that this is a school capable of spreading top-class education in the Borough.

Angie said, "It's great that Ealing is embracing these exciting school reforms. We need more school places, but we also need to give our children new challenges through the new kind of schools that are being set up. Academies free up good headteachers to take their schools to new levels. Free Schools mean greater diversity in what's on offer. Ealing will really benefit."

Acton Swimming Baths

Regular users of Acton Swimming Baths asked Angie to intervene with the Council over the early closure of Acton Swimming Baths as work begins on refurbishment of Acton Town Hall, including the Baths. Angie wrote to the Council to ask why they were starting work before a planning application to carry out the refurbishment work had even been submitted, let alone approved.On this Angie says, "It really does bring the whole planning procedure into disrepute when councils appear to put themselves above the law that applies to the rest of us. While we have to wait for permission before starting work, it seems the Council can just get started with preparatory work regardless. At the very least, in order to allow swimmers use of the Baths for as long as possible before work has to start (assuming the Council awards itself permission), why can't the Council delay closure until the application is submitted? That would be a reasonable compromise."

National Citizen Service graduation

Some 200 of the first tranche of West London sixteen year-old graduates from the piloted National Citizen Service scheme gathered at Twickenham Stadium to collect their certificates, and Angie was there to address the meeting and congratulate them on their success. In her speech she told them that they should be very proud of themselves for their achievements, which not only include testing themselves with mountain climbing and canoeing, but also developing social action plans to help their communities. She also said she hoped they would feel that the three weeks they spent out of their summer holidays were worthwhile, and that they would continue with their volunteering in the community.

After the speeches, everyone was invited to a "volunteering fair" where a variety of charities pitched for support from the graduates.

Angie said afterwards, "I was really impressed with the dedication that they all brought to the task. The fact that they were all signing themselves up for further voluntary work after the ceremony shows that they now have real enthusiasm for volunteering. I was also genuinely moved when some of the graduates spoke during the event about what new confidence the three weeks had given them in themselves. This is a great programme for young people and I look forward to the Government extending it to many more sixteen year-olds next year."

Gunnersbury Park

Local MPs Angie Bray and Mary Macleod met with James Wisdom, Chairman of Friends of Gunnersbury Park, and Marie Rabouhans from West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society Management Committee, to discuss continuing attempts to raise the money needed to restore Gunnersbury Park and the two mansions along with their outbuildings. Both Angie and Mary are really keen to support the campaign. The park is jointly owned by the boroughs of both Hounslow and Ealing, although day to day management is the responsibility of Hounslow. It actually sits within the constituency of Brentford and Isleworth, Mary's seat, but Angie is concerned because many residents from her constituency of Ealing Central and Acton are regular users of the park and indeed a number of schools visit the museum there.

Chairman James Wisdom briefed them on the campaign to persuade the Heritage Lottery Fund to resource the refurbishment programme, and he is hopeful that they will be successful, although they won't know until next summer.

After the meeting, Mary and Angie said they were right behind the Friends of Gunnersbury Park, "We totally support their campaign to win funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This approach is far preferable to getting in developers to build on some of the park, and we will do everything we can to help them."

Back to school

Angie spent an interesting morning at Berrymede Junior learning about the ancient Abacus method of counting, combined with a modern technique using fingers and thumbs to aid speedy mental arithmetic solutions. Headmistress Lubna Khan invited Nadeem Kayani and Zeeshan Nadin to spend some time at Berrymede teaching the children this method and says that she has already seen an impressive take-up in the classroom. She told Angie she believes this could revolutionise the way Maths is taught to young children, and hopes to be able to introduce other headteachers to the possibilities.

Angie, who is no great mathematician herself, was quick to try it out, and found that she too benefited, and she found it surprisingly easy to pick up, "I never thought I would be so speedy in getting answers to a mental arithmetic test. I can see this could be really exciting, and I wish Lubna the very best in her quest to advance this simple method of doing maths."

Conservative Party Conference

As well as attending speeches in the main conference hall, Angie was busy speaking at fringe meetings and visiting interesting exhibition stands. She was the guest speaker at the StartHere charity reception and brought her Ministerial boss, the Rt Hon Francis Maude, to meet the StartHere team. StartHere is a local charity developing an easily accessible public information digital service for those who don't have access to a computer, or don't know how to use one to get access.The next evening Angie chaired a discussion on how to get economic growth back with participators, the Rt Hon Oliver Letwin, Rt Hon Danny Alexander, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, and Social Market Foundation Director Ian Mulheirn, who hosted the event. Outside in the exhibition hall, Angie went round the stands, and was very taken with the Intelligent Energy zero emission ENV hydrogen fuel cell motorcycle!

National Citizens Service

In stark contrast to the youths running amok in our towns and cities, including our own town centre in Ealing, Angie spent a very inspiring morning just down the road from the trouble with sixty or so sixteen year olds who have been participating in the National Citizens Service pilot scheme through the summer.

You can see the article she wrote for the Blue Blog on the National Citizens Service by clicking here.

House of Commons Tours

Community champion Guru Singh and the four other winners of the Pride in Our People awards, organised by Ealing Gazette, visited Angie at the House of Commons to have a tour of Parliament and then to take tea.

Angie was delighted to welcome (from left) Mary Williams, Carl Benjamin, Jake Anderson, Mr Singh and Ashok Vala, and said, "It was the perfect opportunity for me to pay my respects to these remarkable people, who give so much to our local community. They are an example to us all. I hope they enjoyed the visit, I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to chat with them and find out more about the amazing work they do."

The Priory Centre

Angie continues to support the campaign by community groups currently housed in the Priory Centre, in Acton, for proper accommodation when they have to leave the premises so that a new school can be built there. While everyone understands the need for more primary school places in Acton, the community groups also provide important services for local residents.

Angie says, "It is essential that they get a new home, big enough to accommodate them all, either in the regenerated Acton Town Hall, or elsewhere in Acton. And they need it as soon as they are moved, or else we may lose some of them."

Angie was briefed on the Council's plans for Acton Town Hall by Council Officer Shehzad Ahmed (pictured with Angie) at their stall in Acton Market.

Ealing Studios

Angie went to Ealing Studios to meet staff and talk about all the work that is being produced there. Head of Ealing Studios Barnaby Thompson told Angie about the huge investment that has been made there in the last ten years, and they are developing a thriving creative hub based around the studios. While she was there Angie urged Mr Thompson to throw the weight of Ealing Studios behind the campaign to get back a cinema in Ealing.

EATAG

Angie's transport group met last week for the second of its twice-yearly sittings. The Ealing Acton Transport Action Group (EATAG) meets to discuss local transport issues and gives local transport groups the opportunity to discuss them with all the key transport agencies.

On the agenda this time: Crossrail, Ealing Broadway Station, High Speed Rail, and the planned changes to roads during the 2012 London Olympics. Ealing Council's transport spokesman told the meeting that they are working out plans with TfL and Network Rail to reconfigure the forecourt area outside Ealing Broadway station to meet extra demand when Crossrail arrives. The Crossrail team confirmed everything is going ahead as planned, and that more detailed plans will arrive with the Council ahead of their expected launch in November. Finally, there was some good news for passengers at Ealing Broadway: TfL and First Group are working on a new Electronic Service Update board which will provide much easier, more accessible information for passengers, and, Ealing Council is negotiating with Network Rail for one of the Crossrail lifts to be put into the station ahead of the station upgrade to facilitate easy access to the platforms.

Peggy turns 100!

Angie was delighted to welcome Peggy Aslett and her family to celebrate Peggy's 100th birthday in style on the House of Commons terrace.They were joined by Angie's neighbouring MP, Andrew Slaughter, who also used to be Peggy's MP.

Afterwards Angie said, "It was great to meet such an inspirational lady, who while advanced in years is certainly young at heart. She's seen and done so many interesting things, and I could have listened to her for hours!"

Acton Carnival

Angie went along to Acton Park for the Acton Carnival and had a great time meeting locals, seeing all the stalls, and listening to music.

She met John Durston (pictured left) of WAPPY (Writing, Acting and Publishing Project for Youngsters) who talked her through all their good work and the summer workshops they are putting on for local youngsters.

Ealing Beer Festival

After a busy Friday out and about in Ealing and Acton, Angie popped along to the Ealing Beer Festival in Walpole Park to join hundreds of others in enjoying the spectacular range of ales and ciders on offer.

As you can see from the photo, Angie and her caseworker Nick made sure that they were at the front of the queue to sample one of the ales!

Questions in Parliament

Angie had another opportunity to put a question to the Prime Minister after he made a statement to the House on Afghanistan. After hearing the Prime Minister report back on his trip, and outline the Government's approach to the mission in Afghanistan, she pressed him for an assurance that British taxpayers' money is being spent wisely by President Karzai's Government:

Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton, Conservative)

I welcome today's statement, and in particular the Prime Minister's reminder to President Karzai that his Government must be responsible for ensuring that British taxpayers' money is spent wisely and well. Can the Prime Minister reassure British taxpayers that measures are in place to ensure that that happens?

The Prime Minister responded, saying:

I can give that assurance, but clearly not everything has been satisfactory up to now. The situation with the Kabul bank has been appalling, but we now have it moving towards a solution, because there will be a forensic audit and recapitalisation of the bank. However, we need to put in place procedures within the Afghan Government so that there is not the level of corruption and wasted money that there has been.

Dangerous Dogs

Following on from Angie's campaign on dangerous dogs, she spoke again recently in a Parliamentary debate. Angie first raised the issue in the House of Commons a year ago, and since then has been urging ministers to act.In her speech Angie said, "The issue of dangerous dogs cuts across several Government departments and we need a coordinated approach in order to find a solution. This needs to happen as soon as possible before we are faced with yet another terrible tragedy."

Angie is campaigning to see new measures introduced that will tackle irresponsible owners and thugs who ruin local open spaces and public parks. She also wants the police empowered to intervene on private property where dogs attack postal and other workers accessing property, or indeed anyone else who crosses private land.

After the debate Angie said, "This is an important issue for Ealing and Acton as there have been serious dog attacks in our local parks recently. We need a common approach to this problem and I am working hard to see that this is delivered."

Celebrating John Passmore Edwards

Angie (pictured left with author Dean Evans) attended an event at the House of Commons to celebrate the life of the great British philanthropist John Passmore Edwards, who amongst other things, left money to build Acton Cottage Hospital and Acton Library.Angie said after the event, "It was great to come along and celebrate the fantastic achievements of Passmore Edwards. He did so much good work and the local community in Acton is still benefitting from his generosity to this day."

Heroes Return 2

Angie is lending her support to a Big Lottery Fund campaign encouraging World War II "active service" veterans, resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, to commemorate the end of the war. Heroes Return 2 has been organised to fund war veterans, widows and widowers of veterans, and carers and spouses to travel to places where they saw active service in the war. Applications for funding will be accepted up until 31 January 2012, and can be made via the Big Lottery Fund website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/heroesreturn. The grants available range from £150-£5,500, depending on the number of people taking part and the destination.

Angie said, "I am delighted to support this initiative. It is absolutely right to ensure that our heroes from the Second World War and their families are able to commemorate their brave deeds where they took place on behalf of our country. They should be very proud of their memories and we should be very proud of their courage."

Conservative Friends of Poland Summer Reception

Angie was a guest speaker at the Conservative Friends of Poland (CFOP) Summer reception.

Other guest speakers (pictured left with Angie and CFOP's founding Chairman Teresa Potocka), were the Polish Ambassador, Her Excellency, Ms Barbara Tuge-Erecińska, and Greg Hands MP, PPS to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In her speech Angie touched upon how proud Ealing is to have such a large, longstanding Polish community, the great strides Poland has made as a nation since it emerged from the shackles of communism, and wished Poland luck in its upcoming EU presidency.

Prime Minister's Questions

Angie has spoken on a number of occasions in the House of Commons Chamber since coming back from Parliament's Whitsun Recess. Last week she asked one of the opening questions during Prime Minister's Questions. She asked the Prime Minister to confirm that the only money we will be contributing to the Greek bailout will be through the IMF:

Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton) (Con): "Can the Prime Minister confirm that this country will not contribute a penny towards the Greek bail-out, other than what we contribute to the International Monetary Fund?"

The Prime Minister responded:

The Prime Minister: "My hon. Friend is right. We are senior members of the IMF. We sit on the IMF board. We obviously have responsibilities as members of the IMF, but what I am clear about is that we were not involved in the first Greek bail-out; we are not members of the eurozone; and we are not going to become members of the eurozone as long as I am standing here. I do not believe that the European financial mechanism should be used for Greece. We have made it very clear within Europe that we do not think that that is appropriate, and I do not think that that should happen."

An announcement then followed, last Friday 24th June, by EU leaders, confirming this position, and stating that the UK would not be directly contributing to the second Greek rescue package.

Ealing Cinema

Angie met with Justin Ribbons, CEO of Empire Cinemas, to ask him why it is taking so long to get our cinema back in the centre of Ealing. For some time now Ealing has been without a cinema, and residents have had to travel away from Ealing, so famous for its film heritage, to watch the latest films. A local campaign group, 'Save our Cinema', has sprung up, as residents demand to know what progress has been made towards building the new cinema that Ealing deserves.

Angie agrees that Ealing needs its cinema, and that the current situation cannot go on. During her meeting with Justin Ribbons, she asked why the old site had been allowed to languish for so long (see pictured, left) and just when Empire plan on building the new cinema they have promised. Mr Ribbons was very positive about the future for the cinema, and said that Empire is committed to delivering one of the best cinemas in the country in Ealing. He said that, if all goes to plan, building work could begin before the end of the year. But, he also said that it is essential that the Council sign off on minor changes to the plans before work can start.

After the meeting Angie said, "The simple message that I hope I got across was that it is ridiculous, as well as unacceptable, that Ealing, of all places, with its history of film, should still be without a cinema. It seems we may have to do a bit of banging of heads together – Empire and the Council – but if that's what it takes, then so be it. I have another meeting with Empire in September to chart progress, and I have made it as clear as I can that I really do expect there to have been some progress."

Redevelopment of The Oaks Shopping Centre

Angie attended a public exhibition to see for herself what is planned for the redevelopment of the Oaks Shopping Centre in Acton.

After she had been taken through the plans by architect Alastair Macleod (pictured left), Angie said, "I wanted to come down to see for myself the plans for this exciting redevelopment, which should bring real benefits to Acton. While a new supermarket, better parking, and new, high quality homes is all good news, I have stressed how important it is that the redevelopment takes into account the shortage of school places in Ealing and Acton. It is equally important that it fits in with the character of Acton's town centre and the area around it. I have made my views clear using the comments forms provided, and will continue to raise these issues whenever I can."

Anne's Store

Angie joined Anne Mills, her family, and local friends and customers for the official opening of 'Anne's Store' on St Mary's Road.

Afterwards she said, "I was delighted to be invited by Anne to be part of the official launch of her new shop. Clearly, she already enjoys a formidable reputation - judging by the number of people who turned out to wish her well. I am absolutely certain that she will provide a brilliant service for the local community – including delivering newspapers. I suspect she will also provide a listening ear, as well as good advice to all those who stop by to share their thoughts with her."

Save Ealing's Centre meet Minister, Greg Clark

Angie organised a meeting for representatives of Save Ealing's Centre (SEC) to meet with the Minister for Decentralisation, Greg Clark MP, to discuss how they can build on the Localism Bill to allow local residents to have more control over development in Ealing town centre.

Everyone agreed that the meeting had been extremely useful, and afterwards Angie said, "I was delighted to be able to introduce SEC to the Minister, and think he gave them some really good advice that they can use going forward."

Bedford Park Festival

Angie joined hundreds of others in enjoying the sunshine on Acton Green for the saturday part of the Bedford Park Festival's Green Days.

After browsing the stalls and even taking a ride on the dodgems, she took the opportunity to catch up with Peter Eversden, Chairman of the Bedford Park Society (pictured left), to talk about a number of local issues, and also Mr Lad (pictured right), who had returned as a special guest to help open the festival.

West London Mental Health Trust

Angie visited the West London Mental Health Trust, based at the same site as Ealing Hospital, to lend her support to their Open Minds campaign, and to find out about all the work they are doing there.

After signing up as a member of the Trust herself, she had a meeting with the Trust's new Medical Director, Dr Nick Broughton (pictured right), and was very impressed to hear that they are well on the way to achieving their target of 6,000 members.

Royal Wedding Street Party

Angie joined local residents to celebrate the Royal Wedding in style in Haven Lane.

Pictured here with organisers Frank, Gillian and Roger, Angie had a great time and said afterwards, "It was a terrific party with everyone out in the street enjoying themselves in the sunshine. It was also really well organised with lots of street stalls and even the local fire brigade there with a fire engine to give the children a ride inside."

Expansion of St Gregory's School

Angie organised a meeting for herself and Councillors David Millican and Benjamin Dennehy to meet with the Headteacher at St Gregory's School, Terry Cooper, the Chair of the school's Governors, Council Officers and the developers in charge of building the school's extension, to discuss the school's expansion plans. She wanted the meeting in order to discuss the concerns of local residents about the impact of this on the immediate area around the School.

At the meeting, two key issues were raised. The first was around the catchment area for the school and residents' concerns that it would be looking to attract pupils from a wide area, beyond Ealing. The school gave assurances that pupils from Ealing would always be given priority, and that although Faith Schools do not have the same catchment areas as Local Authority Schools, they anticipate accepting no more than a handful of pupils from further afield – including siblings of pupils already there.

The other main issue was traffic problems for residents in the local area. On this, the Headteacher gave his assurances that the school was working hard with the Local Authority to address this problem, which he agreed was a longstanding one.

What the meeting agreed was that Council measures to prevent cars from stopping to drop off and pick up children outside the school could make a significant difference, and Councillors Millican and Dennehy said they would push for much firmer enforcement.

After the meeting Angie said, "It was a good meeting, and although we need to see that residents' concerns are met, I have encouraged the school to set up regular meetings with its neighbours so that these issues can be discussed more openly. These are always going to be problems for local residents because of the sheer number of schools in the immediate area, but I hope the Council will take firm enforcement measures to control the school run outside the gates of St Gregory's and that this can help to alleviate the residents' very understandable concerns."

West Ealing Arts, OPEN Ealing Arts Project

Angie (pictured with local artist, Jack Jones) attended the opening of the West Ealing Arts, OPEN Ealing Arts Project and was shown round by two of the organisers.

Angie said afterwards, "This is a great opportunity for Ealing to get stuck into all kinds of artistic activities. There are a variety of workshops offering ideas and support. I really hope it generates lots of enthusiasm to make it not just a project, but an established venue. A2 Dominion are also to be congratulated on having the vision to make the space available."

A40 Olympic route

Angie visited an exhibition of TfL's plans for an 'Olympic route' along the A40 during next summer's Games, to see for herself what is planned.

TfL have been consulting local residents about their plans for a special Olympic route into and through London for athletes, Olympic officials, and the media. The A40 is due to have one lane restricted for the full four weeks of the Games, between the hours of 7am and 11pm. The plans, exhibited at the Ramada London Encore Hotel, also show proposals for other changes to local roads in attempt to control rat-running. Angie submitted her own concerns about the proposal. She pointed out that, apart from concern about major traffic jams, she also feels that the hours in which the restriction would be imposed are far too long.

Angie then took the opportunity to raise the issue with TfL Commissioner, Peter Hendy. He indicated that it might make sense to limit the hours of restriction to those occasions when Wembley is in use during the Olympics, when access around west London needs to be made as easy as possible for those directly involved in the Games.

He has, as a consequence of Angie taking this up with him, agreed to find out whether or not it is possible to loosen the restrictions when Wembley is not in use. Angie said afterwards, "I am delighted that Peter Hendy understood our concerns, and I am grateful that he has promised me he will check this out on behalf of my constituents."

Visiting St Vincent's School

The headteacher and chairman of governors at St Vincent's School invited Angie on a tour of the school and afterwards a discussion on some of the issues that they are dealing with. These include their concern that some of the new houses planned for the garden of Trevenna Cottage, which overlooks their playground, are not properly safeguarded in terms of protecting the children. They are also facing a charge of £5,000 Section 106 money from the Council in return for being allowed to extend the school premises. On both these issues Angie has written to Cllr Patricia Walker, Cabinet member for Education in Ealing, and to the Director of Education.

After the meeting Angie said, "I was delighted to have the opportunity not only to see around the school, which I enjoyed very much, but also to sit down to discuss some of the problems facing the school. I hope we will be able to find a way forward that will help the school."

Tudor Court

Angie attended a meeting with Tudor Court residents at the Town Hall to discuss a long-running battle with Barclays Bank about unfinished repairs to the building and the flats within it. Barclays became responsible after the developer, to which they had loaned money to develop Tudor Court, went into receivership. Angie wrote to the Chief Executive at Barclays Bank to ask him why Barclays continue to drag their feet. She has now received a response suggesting a meeting with the residents to thrash things out.

StartHere

Angie hosted a reception at the House of Commons for a local charity called StartHere (to see a video from the event click here). StartHere provides easily accessible information on every kind of public service available via a simple, computerised information stand. The charity hopes to be self sufficient, once it has finally put together all the information and systems to update it, but they need some support to get them there. Angie has been lobbying government departments for help, and with some success, but she has been encouraging them to look for private sector support as well.At the reception Angie said, "These information stands could be sited in so many useful public places like town halls, hospitals, police stations, job centres, and the list goes on. It would be a tragedy if such a brilliant idea fell just before the final hurdle and I am delighted I have been able to help. The reception went very well and the room was full to bursting, which has to be a good sign!"

Acton Town Hall

Angie visited the Priory Centre in Acton to view the one day exhibition of Council plans for the refurbishment of Acton Town Hall. In particular, she was interested to see plans for accommodating all the community groups currently housed in the Priory Centre, who will be moved across to the Town Hall. She met with Julie Saunders, Director of Theatre Studio West, who contacted her about her concerns that the new development will short-change the groups that have been based at the Priory Centre until now.She pointed out to Angie that the space allocated for community services in the newly refurbished Town Hall in no way matches what they enjoy at the moment, and will likely prove unworkable. She also pointed out that it can only be reached by stairs, making it difficult for many people to access. But their biggest worry at the moment is that plans for the Priory Centre, which include building a new primary school there, may mean that the groups are pushed out of the Priory Centre before their new home in the Town Hall is actually ready.

Angie said, "It would be unacceptable to break a promise made to the groups in the Priory Centre that they will not be required to move until their new home is ready – a promise is a promise and should be respected. Looking at the plans, I do think that Julie has a point about the amount of space being made available. It does not look sufficient to me, compared with what they enjoy at the moment. Asking them to box and cox with other organisations in the Town Hall is going to make life very complicated. These groups offer a wide variety of support services and are much valued. Even though they have to be moved, it should be ensured that they can continue to serve the community as they always have done."

Trevenna Cottage

Local residents in the Creswick Road area of Acton invited Angie to a meeting to discuss Ealing Council's decision to allow developers to build substantial houses over a much-loved garden attached to 'Trevenna Cottage'.Angie told them that this decision runs counter to new guidelines introduced by the Coalition Government, designed to give councils protection against development plans for gardens. She wrote to the Minister for Decentralisation and Planning Policy, Greg Clark MP, to ask him for his view on the fact that Ealing has decided to ignore these guidelines. She stressed the implications for future development plans that may be given the go ahead on numerous other gardens attached to houses for sale. The Minister responded saying, "I completely understand your disappointment that Ealing Borough Council has decided not to use the new powers I introduced...and have decided to continue to approve garden-grabbing developments."

Angie said she is heartened by his support and his encouragement to "do everything you can to campaign for the Council to take a different view." Angie has sent on the letter to the campaign group and looks forward to meeting them again to plan the way forward.

Free Tibet campaign

Angie with Free Tibet campaigners Paul van Schalkwyk and Hara Charalabopovlou in Portcullis House

Angie met local 'Free Tibet' campaigners Paul van Schalkwyk and Hara Charalabopovlou to discuss the Dalai Lama's announcement that he will be stepping down from his role as the political leader of the Tibetan exile government.

The Dalai Lama will be devolving his powers so that the Tibetan Prime Minister has greater political authority as the region continues to press for autonomy from China - Tibetans will go to the polls to vote for a new prime minister later this month. The Free Tibet campaigners briefed Angie on the continuing arrests and disappearences of Tibetans as China attempts to silence them from speaking out about Chinese Government policies in Tibet.

Angie has agreed to table questions to the Foreign Office asking about these continuing arrests.

Sports Day at Ellen Wilkinson School

Angie along with Laura Turner and Headteacher at Ellen Wilkinson, Chris Sydenham

Angie was invited to the Ellen Wilkinson School to attend one of the West London Academy School Sports Days for young primary school children from a number of schools across the Borough. She was impressed by the competitive spirit as well as the athleticism of some of the young pupils taking part. She also met Laura Turner, one of the UK's Gold medallists at the Commonwealth Games in Dehli, and one of Ealing's brightest stars who was also there talent spotting!

Angie was briefed on the concerns about the future of sport in schools and she reiterated how important sport is as part of the school curriculum.

Save Ealing Centre meeting

Angie along with Save Ealing Centre's Eric Leach and Will French

Save Ealing Centre leaders Will French, Eric Leach and Patrick Chapman met with Angie to discuss the implications of the Localism Bill, which is currently going through the House of Commons. They are keen to see if there may be opportunities in the proposals for Save Ealing Centre to form a defined neighbourhood in which they could have more influence over planning, developments and heritage issues.

Angie was able to brief them on the current status of the Bill and its passage through Parliament and has undertaken to organise a meeting with ministers at an appropriate moment if this were to be useful to them.

National Apprenticeship Week

Angie discussing training opportunities with staff from the College

As part of National Apprenticeship Week Angie visited the Acton campus of the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, where she spent a morning with staff and students looking at the various training opportunites provided at the College. She spent time looking at a number of different skills including carpentry, plumbing, electrics and plastering. She was also asked to present awards to two young students who are learning about event management and had successfully laid on a full day of interviews for the College.

The one message that Angie came away with is that the College is in need of more companies to provide them with onsite training opportunities for the students, and she has undertaken to see if she can help on this. Afterwards she said, "I was very impressed with all the busy activity going on when I visited. What really struck me was the enthusiasm of the students and their confidence that their skills will provide them with good job opportunities. There is no doubt that the College provides some excellent training and what we need to do now is find more companies who can offer more chances for training on site."

Ealing and Acton voluntary groups

One of the concerns across the charitable and voluntary sector is that they may lose a number of work projects as local authorities prune some of their spending on organisations outside the Town Hall. Following on from a meeting Angie organised with Cabinet Office Minister, Nick Hurd, late last year, she has had a number of meetings with Ealing and Acton groups to discuss their best way forward. Most recently, she arranged a meeting for them with Ealing Borough Chief Executive, Martin Smith, at which they were able to discuss how they can continue to bid to run a number of local projects.

Angie said afterwards, "This was a really important meeting and in my view it went really well. Martin Smith has suggested that they all consider what kinds of service they can provide locally that also fit in with Council plans and they were all pleased and reassured that he has promised the door remains open to them."

Health Minister comes to Acton

Angie along with Health Minister, Anne Milton MP

As the Health and Social Care reforms are going through the House of Commons, a number of local GPs in Acton asked Angie if she could bring one of the health ministers to meet them to discuss the impact these reforms will have on them and their patients. Doctor Akbar Khan, from the Horn Lane Surgery, and his neighbour Ritesh Desai, who runs the Horn Lane pharmacy, kindly provided a venue for a meeting with Health Minister Anne Milton, Angie Bray and over thirty GPs.

It provided a good opportunity for a proper exchange of views and information and Angie said, "I was so pleased I was able to invite Anne Milton to join us. She was very impressed with the turnout of doctors and pharmacists, and she felt she was able to take back to her Department some excellent feedback on the reforms."

Angie welcomes new website informing residents of crime on their corner

Angie has welcomed the Government's world leading website www.police.uk which provides data maps that show crime and anti-social behaviour at a street by street level. This means, from today, everyone can see exactly what crime is happening and where - right down to the level of their street corner. If anyone has concerns about the crime they see or how issues are dealt with, they can raise them with the police.

Angie said, "I am really pleased that the Government has demonstrated they are serious about cutting the levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in our communities. By providing crime data in an open format that anyone can access, even from their mobile phone, we can all hold our local police force to account. We can ensure they deal with the issues that actually matter to us locally not those decided by a Whitehall bureaucrat. I think this new initiative to give us all access to local crime stats, right up to our doorstep, is a great step forward in helping us understand the local crime picture and in making sure that our local police are focusing their resources on keeping the streets of Ealing and Acton safe".

Education Secretary visits Acton schools

Photo caption: Angie along with Education Secretary, Michael Gove, and Headteacher of Berrymede Junior School, Lubna Khan.

Education Secretary Michael Gove visited two Acton schools, Berrymede Junior School and Twyford Church of England High School. He declared himself "bowled over" by the standards at the schools, and seems enthusiastic about Twyford's proposal to partner a new school in the north of the borough. So impressed has he been, that he returned to Twyford for a second time in the space of a week to announce a major review of the National Curriculum.

After the visits Angie said, "I was very keen to get the Education Secretary here to Acton to see some of the excellent education in our local schools. I had already taken him to Berrymede once before, but this was his first opportunity to visit Twyford. As he himself admitted, I never stop reminding him that Ealing has one of the fastest growing populations in the country and we must be a top priority for investment in more school places. I hope that he will now see that there is considerable enthusiasm for delivering the best possible education in Ealing and Acton and any new schools here can only benefit from that."

The Localism Bill

Photo caption: Angie discussing the Localism Bill in the House of Commons Chamber

Angie took part in a debate in the House of Commons on the Localism Bill. She welcomed some of the proposals, especially those which hand back the right to local ward councillors to take part in local planning and licence application decsions, which had been denied to them if they had ever expressed a view on the matters in question in advance. But she also asked for more information on how proposals to empower local residents' groups to take part in local housing strategies will work in London, where the Mayor is required by law to provide a London-wide housing strategy.

EATAG! The Ealing Acton Transport Action Group

Angie held the first Ealing Acton Transport Action Group meeting of the year at the House of Commons to update everyone on the latest developments. The Crossrail team gave a presentation on early station designs for Acton Mainline, Ealing Broadway and West Ealing Stations. Nick O'Donnell from the Transport Department at Ealing Council also gave his response to these plans, which he said were encouraging, although there is still much more detail to be provided. Other issues raised were interim improvements at Ealing Broadway Station, including better access to the platforms, secure cycle parking, and better provision of timetabling information in the ticket hall. The High Speed 2 route was also raised, and provisional public consultation dates were made available, which are: 1 April, somewhere in the Old Oak Common area, and 7 April at the Greenford Assembly Rooms. Angie also shared her thoughts on rezoning the land around Acton Mainline Station after the arrival of Crossrail, and Mr O'Donnell confirmed that this had been raised as an issue between Council Officers, Network Rail and Crossrail.

Angie said afterwards, "These meetings are a useful vehicle for putting local transport groups in touch with the key transport agencies. It is an opportunity to raise local concerns and to receive information back which we can pass on to the community."

Angie takes charity and community groups to meet the minister

Photo caption: Angie along with the Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, and John Blackmore from Action Acton

In order to ensure that Ealing and Acton's community and charitable organisations have their chance to tell the Government about their important work in the community, and about their concerns over funding cuts by the local council, Angie arranged for a group of key spokesmen to meet Nick Hurd MP, the Minister for Civil Society, at his department. They included representatives from Acton Community Forum, Action Acton, The Tallo Centre, and The Ealing Community and Voluntary Service.

John Blackmore, from Action Acton, also brought with him their recently received Social Enterprise Mark award certificate to demonstrate some of the important work Action Acton are involved in. Angie thanked Mr Hurd for his time and said, "It is vital that even while the local council has to consider savings to its budget it does not lose sight of the significant role these organisations play in community life – often providing better value for money in the work they do than council programmes themselves."

Tackling Horn Lane pollution

Photo caption: Angie along with local activist Vlod Barchuk at the Horn Lane industrial site

Angie recently secured a Westminster Hall debate on the topic of Pollution in Horn Lane, Acton. This gave her the opportunity to raise directly with Government Minister, Richard Benyon MP, an issue that she knows residents in Acton are very concerned about and which has led to the formation of SHLAP (Stop Horn Lane Pollution!): the unacceptable pollution levels emanating from the Horn Lane industrial site.

In her speech, Angie praised the efforts of local action group SHLAP and called for tougher enforcement of pollution levels at the site. She received a positive response from the Minister who agreed that improvements need to be made with regard to enforcement, and that operators on the site must take suitable measures to better improve air quality and monitor levels of pollution.

Farewell to Mr Lad

Photo caption: Angie with Mr and Mrs Lad having tea in the Pugin Room

Angie asked Mr and Mrs Lad for a special tea at the House of Commons after hearing that they were closing their newsagency at Bedford Corner in Southfield having served the community for almost thirty years.

After tea Angie said, "Mr Lad has played a very important role in my life since we moved into South Parade. He has not only kicked off my day(s) with a usually cheerful word but he is also a pretty useful weather forecaster and that has proved handy on more than one occasion! Also nobody knows better than Mr Lad about what is going on locally. As well as selling me my newspapers, stamps, envelopes, milk, biscuits, bread and all sorts, he and Mrs. Lad have always been kind enough to take in parcels for me when I couldn't wait in at home for them. They play a major role in our local community and they are going to leave a huge hole now they have left us."

Dangerous Dogs

Photo caption: Angie in Walpole after the attack

Angie hosted a reception at the House of Commons to highlight the continuing problem of dangerous dogs and their irresponsible owners. Key speakers included, representatives from the RSPCA, the Communication Workers Union, and a mother whose child was the victim of a vicious attack. The event was also addressed by Deputy Mayor for London Kit Malthouse, who is responsible for policing matters. He has put generous resources into a new status dogs unit which provides backup to local police when dealing with dangerous dog problems in their patch.

Angie, who opened the meeting, said, "This problem continues to blight communities, especially in urban areas. The reason for holding this meeting here is to ensure that MPs get the message that we need to persuade the Government to get some movement on this issue. Ealing has had a number of incidents recently, in particular in Walpole Park, where a puppy was killed - in front of its owner and her young son - by two dogs who were out of control. I am determined that we will find the right measures to curb this menace."

The Piccadilly Line at Turnham Green Station

Photo caption: Angie along with Mary Macleod, MP for Brentford and Isleworth, and Kulveer Ranger, Transport Advisor to the Mayor of London.

Angie joined fellow MP Mary Macleod at a meeting with Boris Johnson's Transport Advisor, Kulveer Ranger, to discuss the continuing demand from local residents in Chiswick, Southfield Ward, for more Piccadilly Line trains to stop at Turnham Green. Transport for London (TfL) have always said that this cannot be done due to the need for trains to run as quickly as possible between Heathrow and Central London - at the moment trains only stop late at night and early in the morning. Mr Ranger said that, as things are, it remains the case that TfL cannot see any way of stopping more trains at Turnham Green during the day, although he did say that when the tube upgrades come in - which will include resignalling work - there might be some way of looking at the issue again.

Angie suggested, as a compromise, that it might be of some small benefit to residents if TfL considered stopping Piccadilly Line trains at Turnham Green at weekends on top of the trains that stop there under the current arrangements. Mr Ranger agreed to look into her proposal and to report back.

After the meeting Angie said, "I will continue to make the case for more Piccadilly Line trains stopping at Turnham Green and am disappointed that we don't seem to be able to make any progress. However, if TfL were to say yes to weekends, that would at least be some improvement for local residents who want to access Central London at weekends."

The Kids' Cookery School

Photo caption: Angie with the founder and Chief Executive of the Kids' Cookery School, Fiona Hamilton-Fairley

Angie was delighted to accept an invitation to see the Kids' Cookery School in action. Based just by Acton Town station, the school offers cookery classes to children of all ages and abilities. Fiona Hamilton-Fairley and her team work with schools across London to keep alive traditional cookery techniques and educate children on the importance of eating heathily. Although they operate out of their Acton building, the team also travel right across London with a mobile kitchen to offer classes.

Angie attended a lesson with students from local school Acton High and was very impressed with their skills. After the visit she said, "I think that Fiona and all the team here at the Kids' Cookery School are doing a fantastic job. It was great to visit and to see firsthand how much the children enjoy the classes. There is a real need to encourage our young people to live and eat heathily and they are certainly doing that here."

Dangerous Dogs Information Day, Walpole Park

Photo caption: Angie with local police, park rangers, Ealing's Dog Warden, local dog trainer, Kim Stocklasa, and Walpole Park users at an informal information day on dangerous dogs held in Walpole Park

As part of her efforts to raise the profile of the Dangerous/Status Dogs issue Angie has been attending a number of related events. She will be chairing a parliamentary event organised by Deputy Mayor of London for Policing, Kit Malthouse, next month and, most recently, she went along to a Dangerous Dogs information day organised by the police in Walpole Park in response to a spate of attacks there. After joining them on their stall for the morning Angie said, "It is great to see all the key agencies meeting with local residents to talk through this growing problem. The more we can all work together, the more likely it is that we will be able to tackle irresponsible owners and the menace of those who use their dogs as weapons."

Ealing Community and Voluntary Services' Awards

Photo caption: Angie along with members of the Impact Theatre Company at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Ealing.

Angie attended Ealing Community and Voluntary Services' Awards Ceremony on Friday 29th October to mark Community Service Volunteering's 'Make a Difference Day'. Certificates were presented to scores of volunteers to recognise and thank them for the important work they do in the local community. After addressing the volunteers and seeing a fantastic performance from the Impact Theatre Group, Angie said, "I was delighted to be able to attend the awards ceremony today. It really is important to recognise the impact that those receiving certificates have on the daily lives of so many different people. As I have just said to all the volunteers, they are all proof that the 'Big Society' is clearly alive and well in Ealing!"

Angie visits St Gregory's

On a recent visit to St Gregory's School Angie discussed the issue of the school's expansion with its Headmaster, Terry Cooper. After leading a tour of the school Mr Cooper outlined plans to upgrade its existing facilities and to expand the size of the school, using currently unused land on the site.

After her visit Angie said, "I was delighted to be able to visit St Gregory's and to see how well everyone is doing there. The issue of expansion at St Gregory's has become an increasingly important issue and I have received a lot of correspondence from local residents who are concerned about the potential impact that it would have on the area around the school, particularly with the added traffic pressure. Mr Cooper has assured me that the school and its board of governors are well aware of these concerns. Obviously, key to solving the problems is finding appropriate traffic calming measures that can ease the pressures of the school run. I have raised this issue with Council leader Julian Bell and Head of the Council Transport Department Nick O'Donnell. The other important initiative is to get more pupils walking to school, especially as so many live well within reasonable walking distance. The school tells me that they award badges to those pupils who walk to school at least one day a week, but that they can't be sure how many of them have walked all the way from home. My suggestion is to introduce pedometers, which would encourage the children to compete on the number of steps taken, and maybe there could be a prize for the pupil who steps out most over a week!"

Tackling Horn Lane pollution!

Angie has been working closely with local residents on their campaign, SHLAP (Stop Horn Lane Pollution) to put a stop to the high-levels of pollution on Horn Lane. She used her regular column on the Ealing Gazette website to outline their progress:

"In recent weeks local residents have stepped up their campaign to tackle pollution issues around Horn Lane.

Ably led by former Acton Central Councillor Vlod Barchuk, SHLAP (Stop Horn Lane Pollution), have been active in bringing to public attention a problem that has blighted the lives of Horn Lane residents for far too long.

Last month I organised a meeting at the House of Commons for a SHLAP delegation to meet with the senior Environment Agency officers for London, and in particular the West London area. At the meeting the delegation pressed the Environment Agency on its ability to police the pollution problem.

They expressed concern that some of the companies using the industrial site there may have been allowed to get away with activity that has pushed pollution beyond legal limits.

The Environment Agency agreed with SHLAP that although the monitoring records show up these occasions, this can often be a month or so after the problem occurred. The added complication is that responsibility for the various companies on the site and their activities is shared between the Environment Agency and the local council – we all agreed at the meeting that this can lead to confusion.

What is needed - and what the Environment Agency have now agreed to - is correlation of the pollution readings which they monitor from all the companies active on the site, so as to get a clearer record of the situation. They will now be making more frequent visits to the site to check that the companies have all properly installed their monitoring equipment.

I have now written to the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to ask for guidance on enforcement measures and how they can be used to ensure that pollution levels are kept within acceptable, legal limits. I have also brought up the issue with the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young – who used to live on Horn Lane when he was the MP for Ealing, Acton! – and I will now be putting in for a debate on the subject.

Addressing this problem is important. It continues to menace not only the quality of life, but also the health of Horn Lane residents and those living immediately around the area. I hope that we can find measures to tackle the frequent occasions in which pollution levels are going, literally, sky-high.

But the real, long-term answer must be to shift this small industrial remnant, which now sits uncomfortably in what is a residential area, altogether. The arrival of Crossrail at Acton Mainline Station will provide the perfect opportunity for a complete rezoning of the area.

There will be a great demand for offices and residential units, and these would surely be a much more suitable way to use what could become a very appealing location. In the meantime, SHLAP deserves huge congratulations for taking on this important issue."

Green corridor update

Angie has been working with Acton Alliance Chairman, William Davidson and Goldsmith Residents' Association Chairman John Chapple, to arrange meetings between Acton residents and Transport for London (TfL) to discuss the ongoing issue of the ‘Green Corridor' which local residents want to see installed along the A40 on land owned by TfL.
She has long supported their campaign for a green barrier to protect those living there from noise and traffic pollution. Having met TfL's Anthony Bickmore on a number of occasions while she served on the London Assembly, Angie asked him to come to Acton to meet residents who are angry at the way TfL has dragged its feet on this issue.
Angie says, "I am pleased that we were able to arrange the first meeting earlier in the summer and now have a follow up this Autumn. TfL is not always the easiest organisation to deal with, but I am keen that local Acton residents and their Councillors at least have the chance to speak directly to Mr Bickmore and his friends."

Acton Community Forum projects

Angie was invited by Acton Community Forum to meet Jackie Riggon who runs a playscheme for local children in their holidays in East Acton. Jackie has single-handedly decided to take responsibility for keeping the children properly organised, entertained and safe as they play in the areas that have been designated near where they live. Angie heard that not only are the children encouraged to look after each other, but also that Jackie keeps an eye on their performance at school by ensuring that they are getting good reports from their teachers!

Some of the youngsters in the scheme go on to train for qualifications that enable them to take responsibility for groups of children. Jackie also told Angie that anyone who wants to come and join the playscheme must first of all renounce any gang membership, and they are encouraged to burn their bandanas on the doorstep of the playscheme hut.

Angie said afterwards, "Jackie is an absolute star - her level of commitment to these children is wonderful and they absolutely love being around her. This is exactly what David Cameron means when he talks about the Big Society. It is about individuals stepping up to the plate to help their communities. Jackie is exactly the role model that we need."

New challenges

Angie returned from the summer recess to hear that she had been promoted to the role of Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS). She will be PPS to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Paymaster General The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP. Her immediate task will be to assist the Cabinet Office team with a number of Bills as they look to secure their passage through Parliament. Upon hearing of her promotion Angie said, "I'm thrilled to have been given this exciting opportunity so early on in my career as a Member of Parliament. This new position is a great honour and will give me the chance to play a role in helping the Coalition Government to get vital legislation through Parliament and to ensure that MPs are able to put their views to the Minister when they need to. I shall of course also continue to make sure that I keep the interests of my constituents at the forefront of my work in Parliament, although I shall be sorry to step down from the Transport Select Committee."

Chiswick Book Festival

The second Chiswick Book Festival welcomed Angie as a guest speaker at a discussion of crime and the future of the prison system. She joined local QC Dexter Dias and career-criminal turned writer Noel 'Razor' Smith in front of a packed Tabard Theatre to discuss a wide-range of issues as the Coalition Government considers its prison policy.

The discussion focused on Noel's life of crime, his experiences of Britain's prisons, and how he managed to rehabilitate himself. Amongst subjects discussed were: why people turn to crime; the value of prison; the need for education in our prisons; drugs and prison; and how we can successfully rehabilitate more of Britain's prisoners.

After the event Angie said "I was delighted to be able to take part in such an interesting discussion and to meet Noel. He is a shining example of how even the most violent of recidivists can be successfully rehabilitated. It was particularly valuable for me to hear first hand what he had to say about the state of our prisons and what he thinks should be done with future prison policy. I will be passing on his thoughts to my colleagues as it is people like Noel that we should be listening to."

Better access to Ealing Broadway station

Angie joined local campaigners at a demonstration organised by Ealing Cycle Campaign to demand improved platform access at Ealing Broadway station, not only for cyclists, but also for those with pushchairs and heavy luggage. Afterwards she said, "I have been campaigning with members of Ealing Cycling Campaign for some years now to get some improvements to the station in the interim period before Crossrail arrives. We are continuing to push hard, and with the support of the Council we are hopeful that we will get some progress."

Visiting Goldsmith allotments

For some time allotment keepers at the allotments on Bromyard Avenue have been living in fear that potential redevelopment around the site might put their patches under threat. Michael Wale asked Angie along for a visit so that she could see the allotments for herself again and so that he could explain their predicament to her in person.

After visiting most of the allotments and coming away laden with bags full of fresh fruit and veg Angie promised to look into the situation for Michael and has subsequently been in touch with the Council planning department.

Ealing Hospital's Open Day

Angie was delighted to launch the first Open Day at Ealing Hospital as the guest speaker. She spoke to a number of exhibitors at their stalls where she learnt about a variety of important health issues that are being dealt with at the hospital. In her speech Angie said "I learnt a huge amount from my visit today, especially about the preventative work that is so important to stop illnesses before they develop. I was hugely impressed by the dedication and commitment of so many of the staff that I have met."

Maximising London's transport potential

Angie has been looking at environmentally friendly ways of maximising London's potential as an international transport hub now that the third runway is no longer going ahead. West London based company Interlinking Transport Solutions approached Angie with their plan to build a privately funded elevated light railway, LARTs (London Airports Rapid Transit System) alongside the M23 and the M25 that would link Heathrow and Gatwick airports, thereby adding to their capacity. She chaired an event where the light railway plan was launched, and various stakeholders including airlines, BAA, TfL and Ealing Conservative Councillor Ian Potts were able to put questions to the LARTs team. Angie opened the meeting by saying,

"While my constituents in Ealing and Acton were delighted when the third runway was cancelled, we are all aware that we must ensure that London's status as a premier city is maintained and obviously we need to maximise what we already have at Heathrow and Gatwick, albeit without extra runways, or indeed, a change of use at Heathrow to mixed mode. That is why this project is an interesting one. It could provide a fast and efficient service taking 36 minutes from any of the Heathrow terminals to Gatwick, with up to sixty trains running an hour. This is also a green option because it could reduce congestion on the busy M23 and M25 motorways."

Transport Select Committee

Angie was delighted to be elected to the Transport Select Committee. The Committee examines the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies. Angie will now be in a prime position to work to ensure that both Ealing and Acton get the transport improvements that are so badly needed.

Foremost amongst these will be ensuring that Crossrail arrives on time and that Ealing Broadway finally gets a new station that can deal with the amount of people that pass through it every day. Angie has also joined the All Party Parliamentary Group on Crossrail and was elected as Treasurer. She says,

"I am thrilled that I have been given the opportunity to study transport issues in depth, especially Crossrail. I know how important transport matters are for residents in Ealing and Acton and I now have the chance to have a real input into transport policy."

Save Ealing Centre

Save Ealing Centre (SEC) invited Angie to a meeting with their main committee members to discuss the way forward for regenerating Ealing town centre. In particular, the meeting focused on the future of the Glenkerrin Arcadia site and the Crossrail updgraded Ealing Broadway station alongside it. A number of concerns were expressed, particularly concerning insensitive developers. Also raised was the worry that insufficient planning is made to upgrade local infrastructure to support the needs of an expanding community.

Bedford Park Festival

Once again the Bedford Park Festival took place in blazing sunshine on Acton Green. Angie says, "I am constantly surprised that they are so good at ensuring there is good weather at what is an important annual community event." This year the Green Days were officially opened by Radio Two presenter Jeremy Vine and the green was very quickly filled with hundreds of local residents and visitors from further afield.

Angie made a beeline for the honey stall, where she bought another jar of local "Ealing Honey" for her mother, who says it has a particularly good flavour.

Angie also caught up with Bedford Park Society Chairman Peter Eversden to discuss a variety of local matters and she congratulated him on another successful year.

Keeping you posted

Angie has written to Consumer Focus (of which Postwatch is now a part), as well as the Post Office, to ask questions about the proposed move of the main Ealing Post Office branch to the nearby WHSmith. She received numerous letters and emails from local residents concerned about the implications of this change. Angie says, "Clearly this issue is of great importance to constituents who are concerned about the long-term future of this key post office location. There is an ongoing consultation, but we need to be certain that this is a genuine attempt to gauge public opinion and not a box ticking exercise. I will endeavour to keep everyone updated on this issue as soon as I can."

Angie meets Superintendent Ian Jenkins

Angie met with Superintendent Ian Jenkins to discuss a number of policing matters that have been raised with her. In particular, she was keen to impress on him the growing number of local residents who have expressed deep concern about the number of menacing dogs seen in many of Ealing and Acton's open spaces. Having raised this matter in Parliament, Angie told him of her plans to push for this issue to be treated with greater urgency. She also discussed other matters including concerns about changing some Safer Neighbourhood Police team shift patterns. She said afterwards "I very much welcome these opportunities to discuss all these important matters properly and I am grateful to Ian Jenkins that he is generous with his time because I know how busy he is. I hope we will be able to have regular and frequent meetings from now on as I know how important policing issues are to the local community and they need to be raised as often as possible."

Save our A&Es

Angie was invited to a briefing meeting with Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and she took the opportunity to raise the concerns over the future of the A&E departments at both Ealing and Central Middlesex hospitals. She was pleased to hear from him that he will be reviewing the entire NHS London budget forecasts for the next few years and that he intends to allow decisions to be made on clinical needs rather than bureaucratic timetables. He agreed with Angie that the huge demand for the A&E services at Ealing Hospital make a very clear case for keeping the department there.

After the meeting Angie said, "I was delighted to get the chance to speak directly to the Health Secretary about these local concerns and was very pleased that the importance of keeping these A&E departments is well understood. However, I will not let up my campaign until their future is fully ensured."

Great news on Heathrow and Crossrail!

After campaigning vigorously to ensure that Crossrail comes to Ealing and Acton, and also to oppose any further expansion of Heathrow, Angie has welcomed two important announcements by the new Coalition Government that will impact directly on Ealing and Acton residents.

Despite fears during the election campaign, the new Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, has confirmed that Crossrail funding is safe. This means that Crossrail, a vital component in regenerating both Ealing and Acton town centres, will go ahead bringing enormous benefits with it. Angie will continue her campaign to ensure that the new Crossrail stations will provide residents with all that they need, and that work starts on time.

A further announcement from Mr Hammond has also been widely welcomed across the whole of west London, which is that there will be no third runway at Heathrow. This removes the threat that has blighted the lives of so many west Londoners, including Ealing and Acton residents, for far too long, and the British Airports Authority now appears to recognise that there will be no third runway at Heathrow.

Angie makes her maiden speech!

Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton) (Con): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to address the House for the first time and to take part in what is turning out to be a fascinating debate with some excellent contributions. I congratulate the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex) on an excellent and heartfelt maiden speech.

I start by paying tribute to some of my predecessors. Ealing Central and Acton is a new seat and for the past five years it has been well represented by the now hon. Member for Hammersmith (Mr Slaughter), who drew on many years of local government experience and his legal background to offer wise advice and counsel. We locked horns on occasions, but on at least two, we were on the same side. The first was to oppose the attempt to impose the infamous west London tram and the second, more recently, was the opposition to any further expansion of Heathrow airport. I respect the fact that the hon. Gentleman put his principles before his career when he stood down from his Government position to pursue that campaign. I hope that he is as pleased as I am with the new coalition Government's early announcement that there will be no third runway at Heathrow. It also seems that the British Airports Authority has finally got the message.

I would also like to mention the hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound), whom I have got to know rather well in the past year or so. His boundaries were changed alongside mine and, as he put it to me rather graphically, "You got your best bits from me and I got my best bits from you." So I say to him, thank you for that. I do not need to tell the House what a larger-than-life character he is. He is much loved for his work in the House and his commitment to his constituents. I hope that, in years to come, I can go about my job with the same good humour with which he goes about his.

However, the person I see as my closest predecessor is, of course, my right hon. Friend the Member for North West Hampshire (Sir George Young). He represented the old Ealing, Acton seat for 23 years and, regardless of people's political allegiance, he is remembered with warmth and affection throughout the constituency. He was the first famous bicycling politician-the bicycling baronet. In Ealing, we still have many photographs of him with his bicycle-and his bicycle clips. He deservedly has a towering reputation in Ealing and Acton. He is always welcome there and I am very aware that I have large shoes to fill-literally, as well as metaphorically.

27 May 2010 : Column 361

Ealing Central and Acton is one of the most diverse constituencies one can imagine. The boundary changes have deepened that diversity-the constituency is truly a rich tapestry. We have a long-standing Polish community, an Asian community, an Arab community, a Japanese community and an African community, including a growing Somali community. I want to mention the brilliant work of the Tallo centre in south Acton, which operates on little funding and eases the path of Somalis who come to this country and into our community. When I called there recently during the election campaign, I found two of the staff embarking on their new campaign against female circumcision in the Somali community. That is perhaps a useful reminder to us all that not everyone who comes here to live a better life can leave all their torment behind them. As the local MP, I look forward with all my heart to supporting the work of organisations such as the Tallo centre.

Both Ealing and Acton have long histories. Acton was originally a Saxon village and the name comes from the word meaning "oak tree." It was transformed by the industrial revolution and quickly developed a great reputation for its washing and laundry industry. Indeed, some of the names in Acton still reflect that history-for example, Bollo lane.

Of course, Ealing, too, has an illustrious history. Its icon is an oak tree, which links it neatly with Acton, but I suspect it also represents the famous oak trees on Ealing common and so many of our other wonderful green spaces, of which we are truly very proud. Ealing has for long years been known as "The Queen of the Suburbs", and if any hon. Members would like to take a stroll with me through some of the streets, they will see exactly why it still is.

The earliest surviving census in this country comes from Ealing-from 1599-and John Quincy Adams chose Ealing as his place of residence in 1815 when he came to this country to serve as the American Minister. In 1901, Ealing adopted a coat of arms and a motto-"Respice Prospice"-which means, "Look backwards, look forwards." The good voters of Ealing and Acton may have taken that rather literally when, as it transpired on election night, they voted for me as the MP but also for a Labour council. I will leave others to decide which is which.

There can be no discussion of Ealing without mention of the famous film studios, which are the longest continuously working film studios in the world. They bring great lustre to the borough and have played a significant role in putting the UK at the heart of the international film industry. Who can possibly not have heard of such titles as "The Lavender Hill Mob", "Passport to Pimlico" and "Hue and Cry"? The studios are also just about to do a remake of their "Doctor at Large" series.

On a more serious note, it will be imperative to keep all that history in mind when considering plans to regenerate Ealing and Acton town centres, for regenerated I believe they must be if they are to stride confidently through the 21st century. Crossrail will help. There must be development, but it must be done sensitively in order not to trample on the history and character of the
27 May 2010 : Column 362
place. I hope to work closely with the local council and other agencies to ensure that we get things as right as we possibly can.

I look forward to continuing some of the campaigns that I started as a candidate. I have a local transport committee, which meets regularly to discuss Ealing Broadway and Acton main line stations, and I shall continue to campaign-for as long as it takes-to ensure that we keep our A and E departments at both Central Middlesex and Ealing hospitals.

There is much in what we are discussing this afternoon for me to recommend to my constituents. Protecting the environment for future generations and finding ways to make our economy more environmentally sustainable are things that I know the people of Ealing and Acton care passionately about, and that I can support. I should like to put on record at this stage that I am proud of the Conservative record on environmental matters. After all, it was a Conservative Government who introduced the Clean Air Act 1956, which did so much to get rid of the smog in London, and another Conservative Government who introduced tax incentives to ensure that people switched to lead-free petrol. A Conservative council-Westminster city council-pioneered the low emission zone, and a Conservative Prime Minister, Lady Thatcher, was probably the first Prime Minister to choose to make a major speech on the environment, as she did in the late 1980s. In that speech, she reminded us that we are not freeholders on this planet, but leaseholders, and that our duty is to ensure, like all good leaseholders, that we pass on this planet to future generations in the same if not better order than that in which we found it.

However, one issue that I wanted to touch on-it comes within the DEFRA remit-is dangerous dogs, which have become an increasing problem in Ealing and Acton. I was delighted to see that the coalition agreement goes into some detail about tackling that. I am a little disappointed that it is not an immediate priority-I hope it will be, and I am sure it needs to be. We have problems in the parks throughout Ealing and Acton, and I think it is unacceptable that in this day and age, people cannot enjoy their wonderful green spaces because of the blight of such dangerous dogs.

We need to look again at what we do to protect people while supporting the vast majority of responsible dog owners. Principally, this is an issue of enforcement. I am not sure that yet another form of licensing will make any difference, because after all, as we all know, the good guys buy their licences and the bad people do not bother. It is an issue of enforcement. I hope that the Government will look at that, introduce measures, and see how we can toughen penalties and crack down on people who consistently flout the law.

I fully support the measures set out by the Government to increase energy efficiency. In particular, the green deal will make a big contribution to reducing carbon emissions across the UK, but it will also bring direct benefits to householders. People have often raised with me on the doorstep their worries about fuel bills, and these proposals will pay for themselves through savings on energy bills in the future, so it really will provide a double bonus.

I am proud to stand here representing Ealing Central and Acton and I look forward to speaking out on behalf of my constituents whenever the occasion arises.

Angie Bray elected as a new MP for Ealing Central and Acton

After having a few days to reflect on the events of last Thursday, it is clear that we have just experienced an election that has the potential to change the political landscape in this country. Yet as talks progress between the different parties over how the country is to be run, every MP knows that there is work to be done as they represent their constituents in Parliament. Angie is delighted to have been chosen by the voters of Ealing and Acton to represent them. It was a long, but ultimately rewarding campaign in what was one of the tightest three-way marginal seats in the country, as can be seen from the results listed below.

* Change is based on notional constituency assuming boundary changes applied in 2005

Conservatives support Crossrail

Angie hit back at another round of Labour smears, this time about the future of Crossrail in Ealing and Acton. Conservative volunteers fanned out across stations in the constituency to reassure the Conservative Party manifesto commitment to Crossrail. They handed out thousands of leaflets which quoted support for Crossrail from London Mayor Boris Johnson and Shadow Transport spokeswoman Theresa Villiers. Angie said, "Let me be clear, Conservatives are committed to Crossrail. Have labour got nothing positive to say to voters about why they should vote in another term of government? First they tried to frighten the elderly. Now it's the turn of commuters, who's next on their list?

More Grotspots!

Angie and her team of supporters donned their gardening gloves to spend a morning cleaning up rubbish around Ealing Common as part of her Grotspot programme. This was the first time they had turned their attention to the Common. Previous Grotspot targets have included messy corners in Walpole and Ealing Broadway, and overgrown alleyways. After collecting eight bags worth of rubbish Angie said, "good environmentalism begins at home. Getting people involved in keeping their neighbourhoods tidy is something which David Cameron highlighted in the launch of his ‘Big Society' agenda. It can make such a difference when everyone is prepared to lend a hand and do their bit for their local community."

Street stall - NO to Heathrow Expansion

Conservative volunteers from Ealing Central & Acton joined forces with others from across the boundary in Brentford and Isleworth at Turnham Green Station and Acton Green to voice their opposition to the third runway at Heathrow airport. They also had a petition with them and gathered hundreds of signatures. Angie took the opportunity to remind passers by that only a Conservative government will guarantee an end to further expansion of the airport. As she said, "the Liberal Democrats, supporting another term of Labour government in a coalition would be propping up a party who has pledged to give a green light to the third runway. Conservatives believe that Heathrow should be better, not bigger, and will stop any expansion plans from takeoff."

NHS Action Day Saturday 10 April

Angie joined local Conservative supporters at a street stall in Ealing Broadway to campaign against the threatened closure of the A&E departments at both Ealing and Central Middlesex hospitals. She launched a petition in protest and said afterwards "I was staggered by the number of people who rushed to sign the petition and express their concern about the closure plans. The NHS is a fantastic institution and the positive response we've received shows how important the services offered by these departments are to local people."

Sir George Young returns to Ealing

Angie welcomed Sir George Young, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, back to Ealing last Friday afternoon. They were joined by Conservative Council Candidates and spent a successful hour canvassing houses around Haven Green. Afterwards Angie said, "It was great to welcome Sir George back again. He has a lot of friends here and had some good advice for me as the Candidate. It was great that he took time out of his busy schedule to come and help with my campaign here."

Sedra Nursing Home visit

Angie was given the opportunity to discuss matters of concern with the residents of the Sedra Nursing Home. Angie commented afterwards, "I found this meeting extremely useful and learnt a lot about the issues that are important to the elderly. What struck me most were the financial concerns of many. I was happy to reassure them that a Conservative Government would raise basic state pensions and restore the link to earnings while also ending the scandal of elderly people having to sell their home to pay for residential care. I offered a guarantee to residents that a Conservative Government would not abolish the Winter Fuel Allowance, cut free TV Licences, bus passes or pension credits."

Angie visits a local Mosque

Angie was delighted to meet the Muslim community and its leaders at the Acton Mosque. She was accompanied by Deputy Mayor and local London Assembly member Richard Barnes, and the Chairman of the Wycombe Islamic Mission, Zafar Iqbal. Angie was invited to address the congregation and responded to a number of questions and concerns. She said afterwards, "I very much enjoyed the visit and valued the opportunity to discuss many issues of importance. I was shocked to hear of the recent arson attack at the Mosque and I'm glad to be able to offer my help. I have taken this up with the local Council to ask for extra security measures to be put in place.'"

House meeting on Wesley Estate

Angie joined a group of residents on the Wesley Estate for tea with their two local Conservative Councillors, Councillor John Ross and Councillor Jim Randall. A number of concerns were raised and residents told her that their most pressing need was for a Community Centre to provide a focal point for the neighbourhood.
Angie said afterwards, "I do understand why the Wesley Estate would benefit from a Community Centre. Councillors John Ross, Jim Randall and I assured the gathering that this idea has our full support."

Michael Flanders Centre

Angie spent a morning at the Michael Flanders Centre meeting staff and a number of those attending for the day, including those from Age Concern. She was given a thorough tour of the facilities and took the opportunity to learn more about the important work they do. She said afterwards, "The Michael Flanders Day Care Centre is an invaluable local facility. I was greatly impressed with the high standards of care and range of activities available there."

Watch out for the latest charity scam!

Angie has been approached by a number of residents who are concerned that yet again a commercial company posing as a charity is asking people to leave out clothes, textiles and even donations. They are dropping leaflets through letterboxes which have been designed to look almost identical to The British Heart Foundation's material. Angie has now reported this to the police, to the local Trading Standards and The British Heart Foundation itself.

It would appear that the company officially ceased trading in March 2009, which would make the literature, which includes in tiny writing their commercial registration details at the bottom of the leaflet, illegal. Angie said, "The message from all those I have reported this to is very simple: Read the details carefully before leaving out anything that might go to the wrong people. We want charities to benefit from people's kindness, not be threatened by bogus operators, who are just trying to make money. "

Photo caption: The leaflet in question

Angie visits Remploy in Acton

Angie was delighted to be contacted by one of Acton's local employers and invited to come and visit their factory in North Acton. Remploy specialises in providing employment for people with disabilities. Their Acton factory, with a staff of 41, produces a variety of products, many of which require the workers to have complex and intricate skills. What impressed Angie most was that a large percentage of the staff have worked there for many years, indicating that it is a well-run work place with a happy staff. After the visit Angie said, "I really enjoyed my visit to Remploy in Acton. What they are doing is really impressive and they are making a real contribution with the successful business they run there. They took a bit of a hit during the recession, but they are working hard to get back on track with plenty of ideas for new business to chase. Their management is clearly very innovative and I am confident they can continue to grow. What would really help them is picking up more contacts from local businesses and I will do everything I can to help to promote them. "

Photo caption: Angie with Remploy employee, Adrian Smith

Scaremongering is no way to conduct a General Election

A local resident, made anxious about the future of cancer care by an email from the local Labour Parliamentary candidate, shared with Angie the contents for comment. She was outraged to read that Councillor Bassam Mahfouz has been scaremongering by accusing the Conservative Party of planning to scrap the target of a time limit of two weeks between cancer diagnosis and an appointment with a specialist. This serious misrepresentation needs to be nipped in the bud.

A Conservative Government will NOT stop cancer patients from seeing a specialist within two weeks. It is essential that cancer patients are seen quickly - and they will be under Conservative NHS reforms. But speed isn't all that matters. They also need top-quality treatments. For example, under Labour, many new drugs, which are widely available in other European countries, aren't available here. That's why the Conservatives said they would measure their performance on improving cancer survival rates rather than just looking at waiting times.

Angie said, "It is really depressing that, before the election campaign proper even starts, my Labour opponent is already using scare tactics to frighten voters rather than discussing the real issues.

"If anyone else gets one of these misleading emails from the Labour Party, please forward them to help@angiebray.org.uk and I will be happy to deal with them personally.

And for the record, in case the next email from Cllr Mahfouz attempts to frighten voters further by accusing Conservatives of planning to end free bus passes, the Winter Fuel Allowance and free TV Licences for the elderly, let me again state categorically that all of them are fully supported by the Conservative Party."

Photo caption: Angie with a local GP, Wafik Moustafa and Andrew Lansley MP, Shadow Health Minister

A cleaner future for Horn Lane

Angie stood shoulder to shoulder with local Acton residents and local Councillors in a demonstration outside Gowing & Pursey. She is supporting their campaign to reduce the pollution that blights the area around Horn Lane largely from the remaining industrial sites and the heavy goods vehicles accessing them. The residents believe it is time to rezone the area making it primarily a neighbourhood for offices and housing, rather than for industrial use as it is now.
Angie and local Councillors John Ross and Jim Randall and Council Candidate Tom Sweetman have already taken their case to the Leader of the Council's office to urge a rethink on the current status of the site.
Angie said, "The arrival of Crossrail at Acton Mainline station provides the perfect opportunity to make an important change to this area. These industrial sites are really a relic from Acton's past. Crossrail will bring huge extra demand for homes and offices with easy access to transport links in and out of central London. I'm sure the Council will want to consider this."

Photo caption: Angie along with local Acton residents and your local Councillors Jim Randall and John Ross

Angie enters the debate over the future of Ealing Hospital's A&E

Angie spent a very informative morning at Ealing Hospital, being briefed by senior staff about the hospital and its future. In an in-depth briefing, Angie was told about the plans the hospital has for expanding the maternity services and their concerns about the rumours that the Accident & Emergency department may close due to the funding crisis in London.

Afterwards she said "It was important that I went to the hospital to meet the staff and hear first hand what is happening. Having learnt that the A&E department is dealing with up to 100,000 patients a year, I cannot see how it can be remotely possible to close the facility. Where on earth are these patients suppose to go? Obviously in time new patterns of patient care may be developed. But it would be extraordinary to close the A&E department before new services have been able to develop and time has been allowed for patients to get used to new ways of accessing healthcare.

The Conservative Party rejects the putative budget deficit that NHS London appears to be bandying around as a justification for six A&Es to be closed across North West London, including Ealing Hospital. Reports suggest that NHS London could be facing up to £5 billion* deficit but the Conservative Health Team does not accept this sum or how the figures stack up to reach it. A Conservative Government will carry out a review of NHS London and all the services it provides, but any decisions will be made on clinical needs rather than driven by bureaucrats."

Photo caption: Angie talking to an Ealing Hospital visitor

Save Ealing Centre public meeting

Angie was invited to speak at a crowded meeting at the Town Hall organised by Save Ealing Centre (SEC) to discuss the future of Ealing Town Centre. She was part of a panel of Parliamentary Candidates and Councillors from the three main parties. The evening was chaired by BBC Correspondent, Stephen Sackur, who is also an Ealing resident.

She opened by telling the gathering that while she believes Ealing faces a major challenge, it also has huge opportunities. To Angie, the prospect of Crossrail, along with a new station at Ealing Broadway and the planned development of the adjacent Arcadia site - which is also awaiting new development plans - are opportunities that could bring enormous benefits to the centre of Ealing. She spoke about the working group that she has set up to provide a forum for local transport groups and SEC to discuss Ealing's needs with Network Rail, First Great Western and Transport for London who will share responsibility for the new Crossrail station. She was, though, surprised to hear Bassam Mafhouz suggest the imposition of a local Congestion Charge to pay for Ealing Broadway Station when 70% of Londoners had already voted against the western extension of the London Congestion Charge! She outlined her view that this would not help revive the centre of Ealing.

Angie agreed that better retail would be a key component in attracting more people to spend their money in Ealing. But, she also called for a better coordinated Arts programme that built upon the two week summer programme in Walpole Park and offered a winter programme that made use of the Town Hall's facilities and kept the Town Centre alive during the darker month of February.

She ended by talking about housing in Ealing. She said that she didn't accept the high housing figure for the borough in the London Plan and urged the Council to negotiate a more realistic number. But, she did suggest that Ealing will need to see some expansion, both because of Crossrail and because many local families want family members to stay in the area when they leave home. She said that blocks of single bedroom flats wouldn't be right for Ealing and that what was needed was family housing to help maintain a balanced community. She finished by saying that Ealing's green spaces must be protected and that, above all, local services must be expanded to meet the additional demand.

Afterwards Angie said "It was an excellent evening, well organised and briskly chaired by Stephen Sackur. I was delighted to be invited to take part and felt that the event provided a useful opportunity for Ealing residents to put forward their often very trenchant views on the future of the Town Centre which will affect us all."

"Let's talk about Transport"

Angie has been overwhelmed by the massive response to her transport survey that was sent last October to 30,000 homes across Ealing and Acton. She asked detailed questions about local public transport, preferred modes of transport, safety on public transport, local road management and the plans for further expansion at Heathrow airport.

Two issues stand out clearly: 51% of those who responded support the Conservative pledge to scrap the Heathrow expansion, while 22% oppose it. On Crossrail, 69% agree with Angie's statement that it is vital for the future of Ealing, while only 7% disagree. Commenting on the scale of the responses Angie says, "I am really excited by the huge response to this survey. It just proves how important the issue of transport is locally and the information I have got back will really help to direct my transport campaigns."

Photo caption: Angie with volunteer, Hugo Sutherland, working on some of the transport survey responses

Cuts to the Overground train services in Acton

Angie was one of a large gathering in the room above the Rocket pub in Churchfield Road to discuss cuts in the Overland train service between Richmond and Stratford while the line is upgraded. This will affect the service which covers both Acton Central and South Acton stations. The plan is for no trains at all to run on Sundays on this part of the Northern Line. TFL and Network Rail representatives explained that the upgrade will improve the service eventually: there will be four-carriage trains running four times an hour, a more reliable service with improved stations. But passengers will have to live with restrictions on the line in the meantime. Those with travel cards and Oyster cards will get refunds for using alternative routes to their destinations, including the cost of going through Zone One. Some bus routes will also get refunded. Angie pointed out at the meeting that so far the only bus routes on which a refund has been arranged are the 228 and 220 buses running through Shepherds Bush, which is not much use for Acton residents. She has suggested they review this and consider extending the refund to the 266 bus route which runs through Acton towards Willesden Junction. TFL has promised to consider this.

Photo caption: Angie getting some feedback from Acton Central Station users

Angie goes to see Twyford High School production of 'Oliver!'

Angie enjoyed a night out taking in "Oliver!" the musical at Twyford High School and was bowled over by the talent on display there. The school ran the show for four nights and each one was a sell-out. On the night she was there, Benjamin Schumm played Oliver, Melanie Philips was Nancy, Jamie Naylor a very scarey Bill Sykes and Adam Rust almost stole the show as Fagin. Angie said afterwards, "The whole cast was brilliant, as was the orchestra. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. 'Oliver!' is one of my favourite musicals and I was incredibly impressed by the quality of the production. I am already hoping I get invited to the next one!"

Angie pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust

On 27th January Angie joined Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Barbara Yerolemou, Leader of Ealing Council, Councillor Jason Stacey and other local Councillors at a tree planting ceremony outside Ealing Town Hall to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. On the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Councillor Stacey spoke to those gathered and called the new tree a symbol of renewal. Recalling the terrible murder of millions of innocent Jews, he outlined the importance of learning from history and invited everyone to take their turn in helping to plant the tree.

Afterwards Angie commented, "I was so pleased I was there to pay my respects to those who lost their lives and also to the survivors, who still bear the scars of those appalling events."

Photo caption: Ealing Mayor, Councillor Barbara Yerolemou, planting the tree outside Perceval House

Photo courtesy of Ealing Gazette

Acton residents press for "Green Corridor" on A40

Angie joined East Acton Conservative Councillors, John Ross and Jim Randall and Conservative Council Candidate for East Acton, Kieran Mullan, on a demonstration organised by Acton residents on the A40. They were launching a petition and protesting against the continuing block on developing a "Green Corridor" between residential housing and the busy Western Avenue.

Some years back Transport for London (TfL) compulsorily purchased housing on the road in order to knock it down to allow the road to be widened. The project was then cancelled but TfL still hopes to sell the land onto developers. Residents, however, believe the space should turn into a mini green belt, a "Green Corridor", to help reduce the noise and pollution generated by A40 traffic. Angie said, "This has been dragging on for some time and I think it is unforgivable of TfL to deny local residents the opportunity to get some relief from the A40 traffic pollution. As I understand it, Ealing Council want to help but cannot do so while TfL continues to hold on the land in question. I hope that this campaign will eventually be taken to City Hall where it will be possible to alert the Mayor, Boris Johnson, to the problems being caused by TfL of which he is Chairman."

Photo caption: Angie with East Acton Councillors, Jim Randall and John Ross, Council Candidate Kieran Mullan and East Acton resident

Twyford Abbey redevelopment

There are new proposals to develop the Twyford Abbey site in West Twyford. Angie went along to the one-day exhibition to discuss them with the architect, Nigel Butcher. She said afterwards that they are interesting plans with the potential to save the crumbling Twyford Abbey building.

However, as ever with these developments, her concerns lie chiefly around the issues of over-stretching of local public services

"West Twyford residents lost their nearby GP surgery when it was closed at the Central Middlesex Hospital back in 2007 and there is still no replacement. The new development would bring in more residents who would also need a local GP as well as school places for their children and other services. The Council, as well as other local service providers, will need to consider this carefully when the application is put before them."

Photo caption: Angie with Nigel Butcher, the architect for the development

Rejection of Arcadia redevelopment plans

Commenting on the news that Glenkerrin has failed to get the go-ahead for its plans in central Ealing, Angie said, "Now that the Glenkerrin proposals for the Arcadia site have been turned down, it gives us all more time to consider what would benefit us most in that location. It is very clear that Ealing town centre is in much need of regeneration if it is to continue as a viable and attractive place for both shoppers and visitors alike.

What we now need are plans to give us that boost, but in a way that works with the character of Ealing. We must hope that we don't have to wait too long though as the last thing we need is for the site to be neglected, as that could leave a mess in the middle of the town centre."

Photo caption: Angie discussing the Arcadia development with an Ealing resident

Remembrance Sunday Service in Ealing

Angie and her partner Nigel attended the annual Remembrance Sunday service outside Pitzhanger Manor.

Angie commented, "I was delighted to attend the service, especially as I recently had the opportunity to meet the Royal British Legion at the Conservative Conference in Manchester. I was then presented with a copy of the Legion's manifesto for the next General Election. I think it is very important for the next Government to heed the calls made in the Royal British Legion's manifesto, especially with regard to tackling poverty among veterans and widows and providing far better NHS support to those injured while on service. Whilst we are struggling to get through a recession, we must never forget the sacrifice made by our soldiers and treat them with the respect they deserve. "

Photo caption: Angie with Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Barbara Yerolemou and Dr Charles Tannock MEP at the Sunday Remembrance Service

Our young volunteers

Ealing & Acton Conservatives are delighted to have two young volunteers, Sanjiv Walia and Hugo Sutherland, who are giving up their time to come and help in our busy constituency office. Here is what they say:

Hugo says, "Volunteering in the Ealing and Acton office has been a great experience. It has certainly opened my eyes to the realities of political campaigning and shown me just how hard everyone has to continue to work to ensure that the Party gains this important new seat. As a local resident myself I'm delighted to be helping a Candidate who really understands the people of our constituency and who has taken such a proactive and positive approach to addressing our problems. Having witnessed first-hand her energy in promoting practical solutions to our key issues of transport, crime and the regeneration of our dated town centres, I'm convinced that Angie is by far the best person to be representing us in Westminster."

Sanjiv says, "I'm proud to be part of the Ealing Conservative campaign. I'm giving up my time to help make this campaign successful because I believe Angie Bray can make this constituency a beautiful place to live in"

Photo caption: Sanjiv and Hugo on their way to the Post Office

The Lido Junction - a pedestrians' nightmare

Anyone who has attempted to cross the street at the Lido / Uxbridge Road junction will know how difficult it is to get across. With no provision in place to stop the flow of traffic for pedestrians it is extremely dangerous, especially for the elderly or those crossing with young children. This is such a big issue for the Lido Junction Project Group (a body formed from the Five Roads Forum, the Kingsdowne Residents Association and West Ealing Neighbours) that they approached Angie with a view to briefing her on their ideas for improving pedestrian safety at this dangerous junction.
David Highton, Erich Leach (West Ealing Neighbours), Arthur Breens (Kingsdowne RA) and Lisa Hall (Five Roads Forum) took Angie to The Lido to demonstrate how the lack of traffic lights for pedestrians causes a problem for people crossing Drayton Green Road or Northfields Avenue.
The group also highlighted the heavy congestion on Drayton Green Road. Angie agreed with the points made and briefed TfL, who are responsible for the traffic lights at the junction.

She said, "We are organising a follow up meeting with Richard Barnes AM, GLA member for Ealing & Hillingdon and Councillor David Millican, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport. We will then discuss in more detail what can be done to improve the safety of pedestrians crossing at this junction without affecting the flow of traffic on the Uxbridge Road. By then we should also have some more information on the TfL funding for the South - North ‘Corridor', which includes Northfields Avenue, Drayton Green Road and Argyle Road. At the moment this junction is an accident waiting to happen and something must be done to prevent that!"

Photo caption: Angie with Eric Leach, David Highton and Arthur Breens discussing the Lido Junction safety issues

Dr Liam Fox MP visits Ealing

Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr. Liam Fox, joined Angie and members from Ealing and Acton Conservative Association at a reception in Ealing. During the evening he spoke of the difficulties faced by our troops in Afghanistan and underlined the importance of the dangerous work they are doing there. 

He encouraged us to remember that it is crucial we achieve our key aim there: to stabilise the country and to ensure that it can no longer act as a  base for terrorist training camps. He also warned that a further danger if we pulled our troops out too early would be that a Taliban- controlled Afghanistan would be able to destabilise Pakistan, whose own  nuclear arsenal could endanger us all if it fell into the wrong hands.

Photo caption: Angie with Dr Liam Fox MP and Association Chairman, Mrs Norma Haythorn

Tackling 'grot spots' continues

Angie and her Social Action Team have been out to tackle another grot spot. This time they joined Walpole residents to clean up an alleyway just off Adelaide Road in West Ealing. The team got their hands dirty cutting back brambles, weeds and undergrowth.

Angie said afterwards, "We were alerted to the grot spot by a local resident whose garden backs onto this alleyway. She organised a few neighbours to give us a hand and once we got together it took us no time to clear it! I was really pleased that we got to work with the local residents, which gave me an opportunity to meet them and have a chat.".

If you are aware of any area that could benefit from a clear up, please contact the Grot Spot Team on 020 8810 0579.

Photo caption: Angie with Conservative Future Team and Walpole residents, Barbara, Madine and Peter

Reporting back from Conference - great news about Heathrow

Whilst the Conservative Party Conference was a slightly sombre occasion, the messages were honest and realistic. The best news for residents in Ealing and Acton must be that as result of a pledge to make Conservative opposition to further Heathrow expansion a manifesto commitment, BAA have now announced they will not seek planning permission for a third runway until after the General Election. This means a Conservative win at the election spells an end to this blight hanging over West London.

George Osborne's speech described some of the tough measures required to get Britain back on track, none of which would have been necessary but for the gross mishandling of the economy under Gordon Brown's administration, but it was not all doom and gloom as he announced:

* The link will be restored between state pensions and earnings
* A payment of £8,000 at the age of 65 will pay for residential care for the elderly, without forcing them to sell off all their assets as part of a means test to pay for it
* The occupational allowance for our service men and women will be doubled
* There will be many more further education and apprenticeship training places for young people
* Parents and teachers will be given the powers and the means to set up new smaller schools to set new standards for children and young people in education
* New tax measures to help support married couples and their families

David Cameron talked about how we will win through in the end and make Britain a great country again. A country where communities have taken back control, where families can watch their children grow and prosper in safety and with good opportunities ahead of them, and a country where we can start living more fulfilled lives by taking back the responsibility from the state.

I came away from the Conference in a determined mood, determined to continue going round meeting as many Ealing and Acton residents as possible, listening to ideas and helping to sort problems. I know the message is a difficult one but I believe that most people prefer to be treated as grown-ups, ready to understand what has to be done to get us out of the mess we are in. And I believe that there is a better future for us if we work towards it - and hopefully, a future without the extra noise and pollution from an expanded Heathrow."

Boris meets Ealing Police and inspects Ealing Broadway station

Angie, along with Council Leader Jason Stacey, invited Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to visit Ealing. They were keen to introduce him to some of Ealing's Safer Neighbourhood Team officers and PCSOs. Boris was also introduced to Polish police officers who are spending 3 months secondment in the borough to help work amongst the Polish community. Angie and Jason raised the important issue of insufficient number of police officers in the borough. They reminded Boris that Ealing suffers a shortage of funding for police officers in relation to the size of its population. The Mayor said that the whole situation is currently being reviewed.

Boris, Angie and transport issues

Angie and Jason also wanted to show the Mayor around Ealing Broadway station in order to impress on him the vital importance of ensuring that Ealing Broadway station is a top priority for upgrade when the Crossrail project starts. Boris was introduced by Angie to members of the Ealing Cycling Campaign, who have asked for his support in improving cycle parking facilities. He also agreed, after being shown the cramped ticket hall, to review TfL's refusal to reopen the old District Line entrance to the station, which would alleviate overcrowding and provide extra access points.

Both Angie and Jason were pleased that they had the opportunity to raise some important issues during a busy morning as they showed the Mayor around Ealing.

Photo caption: Boris with Angie and Ealing Cycling Campaign representative, Peter Mynors, discuss some of the issues faced by cyclists

Angie at the Local Development Framework meeting in Acton

Angie attended the first consultation meeting, held in St. Mary's Church, to discuss the Local Development Framework plan for Acton. It was a lively gathering and Angie took part in one of the (round table) groups to talk through the right vision for the future planning of the area. The group touched on a number of key issues, including the importance of having a sustainable infrastructure to support new housing developments and also maintaining the character of the area. Everyone at the meeting agreed it was vital to preserve a proper sense of community.

The gathering also pointed out the need for having better north - south transport links to try and take some of the pressure off the Uxbridge Road and the A40, which carry the burden of development plans. Angie said afterwards "This was a really useful, as well as enjoyable, evening."

Photo: Angie with Council Candidate for East Acton, Kieran Mullan

An end to noisy tannoy announcements?

If you live near an overground tube station, you will probably agree that the tannoy announcements can sometimes be rather disruptive. That is why Angie started a London wide campaign against intrusive tannoy noise from London Underground stations situated above ground. She produced a report for the London Assembly Environment Committee that made a series of recommendations to help TfL and local residents come to an agreement about acceptable noise levels.

After receiving a complaint from a resident who had been seriously disturbed by loud tannoy announcements at North Acton tube station, Angie raised the issue with Ealing Council Officers and TfL. At a recent meeting with TfL representatives, a Council Officer and the resident, she was told that the volume of live and pre-recorded announcements has now been limited. The reduced sound pressure levels should now prevent any future noise disturbance. Angie was also promised that TfL will look into the noise problem caused by the overnight engineering works. She commented, "I was appalled that TfL had been ignoring this issue for so long, but we have finally managed to get all the right people to focus on the problem together and the residents are now enjoying a quieter life which, we hope, will last. I will also continue the pressure on TfL to tackle the noisy maintenance works that take place through the night."

Photo caption: Angie at North Acton station with Cyril Pennington(Ealing Council Officer), Kevin Cronin (North Acton resident) and two TfL representatives, Marian Kelly (Environmental Manager)  and Naran Gorasia (Assistant Communications Manager)

A new school for Jordon

Angie and Karim Sacoor, Council Candidate for Ealing Common, joined Kevin and Karen Bithell with their son Jordon to celebrate their son's first day at his new school. Angie and Karim had helped Kevin and Karen to get Jordon into their choice of school which specializes in children with special needs. Angie was delighted to meet Jordon and his parents and to learn that he is already making good progress at school, making good friends and enjoying his time there.

Photo caption: Kevin Bithell, Karim Sacoor, Angie, Jordon and Karen Bithell

An update on transport news for Ealing & Acton

Angie's local transport group gathered for one of their regular meetings, organised in partnership with Network Rail, to discuss the latest news on transport issues concerning Ealing Broadway and Acton Mainline stations. They were presented with the latest plans from the Crossrail team, which seem to confirm that work will start at Ealing Broadway station in early 2013. Proposals for the station include much-needed escalators and lifts to and from the platforms.
First Great Western (FGW) also confirmed they have maintained their reliability percentages and remain hopeful that when the Department for Transport provide extra train carriages, they will be able to increase the train services at Acton Mainline station from two per hour to four.

There was one disappointment though. The installation of a cycle ramp on the staircases to the platforms at Ealing Broadway station has been ruled out by a Health and Safety report. However, FGW have agreed to consider the possibility of providing a system whereby passengers with heavy objects can summon assistance from staff to get up and down the stairs. They have also promised to look again at identifying space for extra cycle parking at Ealing Broadway station.

After the meeting Angie said "I do recognise that progress on many issues remains frustratingly slow. These meetings though provide local stakeholders with an opportunity to swap information and ideas with our transport providers in a very focused forum. We will continue to work with the Crossrail team to ensure that Ealing gets the best possible facilities from the station upgrades. We will also maintain pressure to get the small but important improvements like better cycle parking provision."

Photo caption: Angie talking to a resident about her views on Ealing Broadway station improvements