Priory Rd/Abbey Rd Gas streetworks mess

Roger and I have been at work on this since Friday 22nd, and have got senior Camden officers to make strong representations to National Grid Gas and its contractors Skanska, who have performed pretty abysmally here. One issue is the fact that National Grid Gas only sought bay suspensions for one day. If we expect residents to apply for the correct number of days, then a major utility should be able to get it right as well. We now are of course getting them to pay for the suspension days they need and hopefully there is a fine element in this as well.

The second and bigger issue is why these residents bays are suspended for days when there is so little evidence of National Grid Gas and Skanska actually doing much. Camden officers are pursuing this point now with them. They say they need access to all these bays, but we need to know why it's taking much longer than planned and what is being done to expedite it now.

This mess follows on from poor behaviour by National Grid Gas/Skanska in Elsworthy Road, so we are asking senior council officers to demand some improvement and broader explanation.

The statutory utilities like gas have quite broad rights to dig up roads for fairly obvious reasons. In the past there has been no incentive on them to minimise roadworks and to co-ordinate roadworks. The new London roadworks charging scheme, which is just coming into force and which was Boris Johnson's initiative, should hopefully improve things somewhat. Utilities will in the near future have to pay Camden and other boroughs for road lanes which are dug up, by the day. Depending on how they improve their efficiency, this could result in around £250,000 of revenue to Camden which can be used for residents' benefit.

We do know a few residents have been taking matters into their own hands in relation to these apparently unneeded suspensions. As always, if tickets have been issued incorrectly and residents are not satisfied with the process, please contact us and we will take the case up with senior parking officers.

More using Camden's libraries after opening hours extended in Jan 2009

New, extended opening hours in Camden's libraries in 2009 resulted in a 6 per cent increase in the number of visitors.

Between January and December 2009 visitor numbers to Camden’s 15 library facilities totalled 2,235,037, with Swiss Cottage being the most popular with 512,735 visitors through the doors in just twelve months.

The number of items borrowed from libraries over the same period increased in line with visitor numbers, and 1,043,853 items were loaned to customers.

As the popularity of libraries and the services on offer continues to grow, over the next six months all libraries across Camden are set to undergo refurbishments and development as part of the £1.5m ‘Growing Your Library’ programme.

The next six months will see refurbishment in all our libraries as part of the programme to improve libraries that meet the needs of our residents, providing better, more efficient and sustainable services new equipment will be installed to allow access to other Council services and the ability to checkout items electronically.

In addition:

* The top three libraries in terms of visitor numbers were:

Swiss Cottage – 512,735
Kilburn – 236,950
Kentish Town – 233,494

* Between January – December 2009 there were 445,633 computer sessions within Camden libraries.

* Computers were in use within the libraries for 309,691 hours during the period, an equivalent to 35.3 years.

* £1.5m is being invested by the Council to refurbish and install RFID (self-service) equipment in all libraries and works will commence on a rolling basis from February 2010.

* Staff will still be on hand in libraries to assist residents.

Primrose Hill primary school agrees to take an extra class of children

Very good news and part of the Council's overall efforts to tackle the primary places issue in Belsize and the North-West of the borough generally:

The governing body of Primrose Hill primary school last night agreed to take an additional class of Year 1 children in September 2010. This arrangement will provide permanent school places for all the children currently at Courthope Education Centre plus 3 others who have temporary school places at Emmanuel.

The children at Courthope are those who were without the offer of a reception class place on 9 July 2009. At that time there were 64 children with no school place after every available place in a Camden primary school had been taken into account.

The Courthope centre was set up to enable Camden to meet its statutory obligation towards these children. The families involved live mostly in wards in the NW of the borough. There are currently 25 children at the centre who are due to move into Year 1 this September.

Primrose Hill primary school will receive funds to improve the school buildings, create an additional classroom within the existing buildings, and fund the teaching posts for the new class for the next 6 years. Part of the proposal is to bring the old school keeper’s house back into use as a resource for parents, which should bring a benefit to the whole school community.

Hampstead Town Pavement Clutter Action

Cllr Kirsty Roberts and Cllr Chris Knight accompanied by council candidate Stephen Stark were out this weekend meeting Hampstead residents to discuss in particular the roads in which they live. One resident complained to Chris about council workmen who had left unnecessary barriers on the pavement. Cllr Knight immediately telephoned the relevant council department and within one hour the barriers were removed.

Another resident complained to Kirsty and Stephen that two bicycles that had been chained to a lamppost for some considerable time, assumed dumped. Kirsty will now be making contact with the relevant department to have this investigated and if the owners cannot be traced then the bikes will be removed.

If you know of any incident contact any member of Hampstead Town Conservative team - Cllr Kirsty Roberts Kirsty.Roberts@camden.gov.uk or Cllr Chris Knight Chris.Knight@camden.gov.uk or Stephen Stark stephen4hampstead@virgin.net

Car bursts into flames in Heath St

Saturday 23 January 2010 at 7.15pm
My colleague Stephen Stark reports on this incident this evening:

A car burst into flames outside Sweaty Betty sports shop on Heath Street, Hampstead setting fire to its shop front and affecting businesses close including Bacchus restaurant. The police, fire service and ambulance were quickly on the scene to deal with the incident and put out the fire. Heath Street and High Street at the junction with Hampstead Tube Station had to be closed off and buses including 10 double decker rail replacement buses backed up down High Street. Police quickly redirected traffic as best they could.

Stephen Stark, conservative councillor candidate for Hampstead Town Ward was also at the scene as he is a local resident of Hampstead Village. Stephen telephoned Cllr Chris Knight to advise him of the situation and Chris spoke to the police officer at the scene to offer the help of Camden Council as required.

Stephen is a local resident living and working in Hampstead Village and able to act quickly to serve its interests. Stephen hopes to become your councilor and join the conservative team in Hampstead.

Update from Stephen Stark 9.00pm:

Roads in the vicinity of the incident are clear and traffic moving freely. Burnt out car waiting to be picked up. Burnt out shop front to Sweaty Betty and Bacchus restaurant cordoned off with police in attendance

Network Rail outrage on Alexandra Road

Cllr Chris Philp and I this morning visited the site on Alexandra Road that Network Rail has taken control of. Later I met with one of the concerned residents.

Frankly I now think Network Rail has been allowed to get away with far too much here, and I'm going to get council officers looking more closely at this and how we can retrieve things as far as possible.

Network Rail says it needed access to this plot of land to work on a retaining railway wall that is weak. As a result it knocked down a wall and wiped out the communal garden of Moore Court. It gave no notice to residents.

But looking at the rather complex criss-crossing railway tracks from within Moore Court, it is very unclear why Network Rail needed this land - it isn't close to the affected wall, and Network Rail already has plenty of space on the Haines site which is much closer to the problem. There is no evidence on the Moore Court garden site of any access onto the railway, which as the reason Network Rail gave Camden officers. It seems they have just grabbed as much space as possible near the problem to give themselves maximum working room, at the expense of residents! There is plenty of space as far as I could see on the Haines site. The photo above shows the garden that has been destroyed and the different railway lines.

On the garden site there is now a cabin in which construction staff are sleeping - and urinating outside.

Moore Court residents pay service charge for this garden to be maintained by Notting Hill HA, yet Camden Council says it is the head leaseholder but is legally obliged to hand it over to Network Rail when they need it.

I am going to contact senior Camden officers now and try and get some clarity on these questions:
- who actually owns the garden plot and with what conditions?
- can we now enforce better working practices by Network Rail on the site, including the behaviour of its staff and contractors
- can we get proper reassurances from Network Rail on timescale and proper restitution as a garden?
- can we get an explanation from Network Rail as to why their consultation was so poor in this case?

We all realise that sometimes railway work is essential, but I think we need to consider whether in local areas with a big railway footprint we don't need a better local forum which really forces better local engagement from Network Rail.

School places roadshow for parents in North-West of Camden

Latest figures show Camden young people's exam results for GCSEs and A Levels continue to improve (GCSE results the best ever). But of course the school places picture in the north-west of Camden remains complex. So my colleague Cllr Andrew Mennear, the councillor in charge of schools, has instigated a roadshow in local libraries in late Jan/beginning of February to brief parents on primary and secondary places. Full details below:


The future will soon look brighter for parents in Kilburn, West Hampstead and the North-West of Camden. A road show at local libraries will provide information about the developments that will make finding a school place a good deal easier.

The shortage of state school places at both primary and secondary has hit parents in Kilburn and NW Camden particularly hard.

Last year over 100 children locally found themselves without the offer of a primary school place. When it comes to secondary schools, the local choice is Hampstead School which is popular but over-subscribed.

However, this is set to change. The University College London Academy has been given the go ahead to be built at Swiss Cottage as part of Camden’s ‘Building Schools for the Future’ (BSF) programme. The first intake is planned for September 2011.

Hampstead School is set to receive almost £25 million in improvements and additional facilities.

Local parents have been working with Camden to provide additional primary school places in the NW of the borough. This resulted in an extra £1million being awarded to create more primary school places and a site for a new primary school in the NW is being investigated.

Councillor Andrew Mennear, Executive Member for Schools, Camden Council, said: “We understand how important an issue school places is and have been working hard with many of our parents to find the best solution. This event will give everyone the chance to find out more about both our short and long term plans for education in Camden and I would encourage parents to come along and talk to our team.”

If you would like to find out more about school choices for your child and future changes to Camden’s schools, drop in to the road show and speak to the BSF team:

Weds 27 January 2.30pm – 6pm West Hampstead library
Thurs 28 January 7pm – 9pm Kilburn library
Tues 2 February 2.30pm – 6pm Swiss Cottage library

You can also contact Louise Trewavas in the Building Schools for the Future team on 020 7974 5770 for more information

Elsworthy Road gas roadworks scandal

Don Williams (left) and I have been following up with council managers on the appalling disruption to residents in Elsworthy Road and neighbouring roads caused by the massively extensive gas roadworks which have been progressing at a snail's pace since the first week of December. Many people have been unable to use their driveways for long periods and on street parking has been much reduced.

Utilities have a statutory right to dig up the streets, Camden has very limited control over that. But it's completely unacceptable for this level of disruption to be foisted on people by very slow work. Fair enough, snow has been a factor, but there were three weeks onsite before the snow with progress being very patchy. We've asked council officers to use what influence they can with National Grid (of which gas distribution in London is now part). Consultation has been extremely limited - as ward councillors we do get told by Thames Water where they are about to do work on drains modernisation, but we and we believe most residents heard nothing from National Grid.

As it happen, the Conservative group on Camden is proposing a motion at the full council tomorrow night welcoming the new roadworks permit scheme, which is being introduced across London which would effectively charge utilities for roadworks, thus incentivising them to work more efficiently and plan better with other utilities. This is starting within the next month, but not soon enough for this situation sadly.

We'll keep people posted on progress on this.

Swiss Cottage councillor advice surgeries

A reminder that we hold advice surgeries for our constituents on the 1st Monday of each month 7-8pm at the Crossfield Centre, Fairhazel Gardens, and on the 3rd Saturday from 10-12pm at the Swiss Cottage Community Centre. While of course many residents contact us by email and phone (and letter!), advice surgeries are still a vital part of what we do.

Next surgery tomorrow morning, Saturday 16th January at 10pm with Cllr Andrew Marshall

Snow update Wednesday 13th January 1800

There has been heavy snow in the north and central parts of the borough today. As much as 7-12 centimetres has fallen in some localised areas of Hampstead, Highgate and West Hampstead.

Temperatures in the south of the borough will remain above freezing tonight but in the north they will fall to -2 centigrade.

The forecast is for the possibility of heavy rain or sleet from 6pm to 5am mainly in the north of the borough – Hampstead, Highgate and West Hampstead.

Rain or sleet falling on frozen pavements and roads means these surfaces will continue to be hazardous for drivers and pedestrians.

Maintenance crews will work from 6am to 10pm today clearing pavements and gritting priority roads.

Roads

In line with government instructions to conserve grit we have continued to grit priority roads mainly but have also gritted some side roads in parts of the borough in north and central areas.

All main routes remain open and buses are running.

Many side roads have not been gritted, and will not be gritted. Snow falling on frozen surfaces has been compacted by cars. Sub zero temperatures tonight will continue to make these roads hazardous.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Heath Street NW3 is still closed because of a burst water main which is causing transport problems in that area.

Pavements

Maintenance teams have continued to break up ice off and sweep snow off main pavements today and have managed to spread grit in some priority areas only. This work will continue tomorrow from 6am.

Pavements will remain hazardous for pedestrians all the time the severe weather continues.

Grit bins

The salt in these bins is available for use by residents and businesses on Camden’s streets. However, salt stocks are being managed nationally and the advice is this must be restricted to use on the main road network only. We will therefore not be able to replenish stocks for some time. Residents should use whatever salt is left in the bins sensibly and try to conserve it.

Refuse and recycling

The heavier than expected snow will mean refuse and recycling services will now be severely disrupted this week. We will make sure that every home gets at least one collection this week and will work over the weekend to catch up, weather permitting.

Regis Road recycling centre is expected to open as normal tomorrow.

Parks

All parks are expected to open as normal tomorrow.

Cantelowes and Talacre pitches are still out of action due to snow and ice.

Ponds are starting to thaw which means they are more dangerous than before. We have safety signs in place and staff are warning residents to keep off them.

Parking

Today we enforced all main roads, including vehicle removals and CCTV enforcement. We enforced all side roads south of Parkway / Camden Road and have exercised discretion on side roads in the north where parking lines and signs have been obscured by the snow.

We expect this enforcement policy to continue tomorrow but will make an assessment at 8am and update the web site.
Schools

We will update the web site with information about school closures as soon as we receive it. Parents should contact their school direct for the most up to date information.

Housing

Our caretakers and Veolia staff are working together to ensure that ice and snow are cleared from walkways and footpaths on housing estates.

Because supplies of grit are running low, we are prioritising the gritting of the most important walkways. Walkways serving sheltered housing blocks are our top priority.

If you have any queries regarding snow clearance or gritting on your estate, please contact your local housing office which are currently open and working normal hours

Snow update Wednesday Jan 13th 1000

Update from Camden Council - everything looking white this morning...:

The snow last night and today was heavier and more widespread than predicted last night, with 2-3 centimetres falling in the central part of the borough and 5-8 centimetres falling in the north.

The forecast today until 6pm is likely outbreaks of snow, moderate at times, gradually easing from the south west.


Maintenance crews will work from 6am to 10pm today clearing pavements and gritting priority roads.

Roads

In line with government instructions to conserve grit we will continue to grit priority roads only. Gritters were out last night and will continue gritting roads today. All main routes remain open and buses are running.

Snow falling on frozen surfaces may cause icy stretches. Many side roads have not been gritted, and will not be gritted, so remain hazardous.

Heath Street NW3 is still closed because of a burst water main but we expect this to open up later today. This is causing transport problems in that area.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Pavements

Maintenance teams will continue to break up ice off and sweep snow off main pavements today but will not be spreading grit. This work will continue today.

Snow falling on frozen surfaces may cause icy stretches so pavements will remain hazardous for pedestrians all the time the severe weather continues.

Grit bins

The salt in these bins is available for use by residents and businesses on Camden’s streets. However, salt stocks are being managed nationally and the advice is this must be restricted to use on the main road network only. We will therefore not be able to replenish stocks for some time. Residents should use whatever salt is left in the bins sensibly and try to conserve it.

Refuse and recycling

The heavier than expected snow will mean refuse and recycling services will continue to be disrupted.

Regis Road recycling centre is open as normal.

Parks

All parks are open today as normal.

Cantelowes and Talacre pitches are still out of action due to snow and ice.

Ponds are starting to thaw which means they are more dangerous than before. We have safety signs in place and staff are warning residents to keep off them.

Parking

We will enforce all main roads in the borough today, including vehicle removals and CCTV enforcement.

We will enforce all side roads south of Parkway / Camden Road as normal.

We will exercise discretion on side roads north of Parkway / Camden Road and will not enforce where parking lines and signs have been obscured by the snow.

Schools

We will update the web site with information about school closures as soon as we receive it. Parents should contact their school direct for the most up to date information.

Transport

Council transport services will run as normal.


Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.

Snow update Tuesday 12th Jan 1830

Latest Camden Council update, good to hear we have cleared 40-50 roads from ice today.

The weather forecast is for a possibility of up to 5 centimetres of snow tonight and into tomorrow. This is predicted to fall mainly in higher areas so may affect the north of the borough. South of the borough may experience lighter scatterings of snow.

Temperatures could get below freezing, again mainly in the north of the borough.

Maintenance crews will work from 6am to 10pm clearing pavements and gritting priority roads.

Roads

Today we have managed to grit some side roads and estimate that we have been able to free up ice from about 40-50 roads in the Hampstead, West Hampstead and Gospel Oak.

However, many side roads in the north of the borough still have not been gritted over the past few days so remain hazardous.

In line with government instructions to conserve grit we will continue to grit priority roads only. All of which remain open with buses running.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Pavements

Maintenance teams continued to break up ice off main pavements today and have managed to spread some grit in priority areas too. Clearing pavements has become easier as ice as started to thaw. This work will continue from 6am tomorrow.

Pavements will remain hazardous for pedestrians all the time the severe weather continues.

Grit bins

The salt in these bins is available for use by residents and businesses on Camden’s streets. However, salt stocks are being managed nationally and the advice is this must be restricted to use on the main road network only. We will therefore not be able to replenish stocks for some time. Residents should use whatever salt is left in the bins sensibly and try to conserve it.

Refuse and recycling

The refuse and recycling service has returned to normal in the south of the borough. Central borough areas remain slightly disrupted but the north remains severely disrupted, and will continue to all the time the bad weather persists.

There is still a backlog of collections but now our vehicles and staff can move around more easily we are expecting that collection cycles will get back to normal in the south of the borough from Thursday, as long as there is no more snow.

Regis Road recycling centre is expected to be open tomorrow as normal.

Parks

All parks are expected to open as normal tomorrow.

Ponds are starting to thaw which means they are more dangerous than before. We have safety signs in place and staff are warning residents to keep off them.

Parking

We are expecting to enforce all roads in the borough as normal tomorrow, including vehicle removals and CCTV enforcement.

Guest blog: Jonny Bucknell on an alternative approach to gritting

A thoughtful viewpoint on gritting policy from local Belsize activist Jonny Bucknell, who as a councillor was well known for going out with council refuse trucks or housing repair staff to see things at first hand. Some interesting ideas to add to the debate!

Jonny writes:

Given that grit is in short supply, could I suggest a change in policy.

The forecast is for snow early on Wednesday morning with -1 degrees rising to zero. It is constantly changing and it would be a brave person who would predict whether this will be lead to several inches settling, or turn to slush.

Over the years I have seen the gritters in action many times only for it all to be washed away when the weather was not as severe as predicted. When the snow does start to stick everyone is caught out.

The main roads are invariably kept clear by the traffic and, instead of concentrating on priority roads; we should direct our efforts to the hills.

Many of the side roads are used as rat runs. When these become impassable the main roads gridlock.

We should also only grit as necessary. This would involve having a number of gritters driving around inspecting the roads but only gritting if the snow started to build up. At a guess, I would suggest that you should not grit unless an inch of snow has settled.

The problem occurs when the snow storm comes in the middle of the evening rush hour as happened a few years ago. As soon as the hills around Hampstead and Highgate become slippery, traffic diverts to Finchley Rd which gridlocks and the whole area comes to a standstill.

The solution to an evening snow storm is to have a number of gritters at the bottom of the hills so that they don’t have to drive through the traffic to get there. The most obvious place is Morrisons Car park. I believe that Morrisons do some contract parking and might even be accommodating to letting the gritters stand there free of charge when on standby. The drivers could reach them from Chalk Farm station so they would not be stuck in any gridlock.

You also need a rapid reaction team since some roads are worse than others. Some roads need repeated gritting.

During the last freeze I called Camden to ask if Primrose Hill Rd could be gritted. My request was slowly noted by two different officers and the gritter never arrived. In frustration I grabbed a bucket, scooped some grit from a bin and gritted the icy patch myself.

Whenever local authorities set up a special gritting number it invariably overloads. One option might be to have an officer in radio control to the gritters in the Camden switchboard room. When a request for gritting comes in it is written on a whiteboard that all the operators can see. This is ticked off when allocated to a gritter. The operators can see how the requests are stacking up and make an approximation as to how long it will take the gritter to get there. They can also see if it a second person making a request for the same road.

I had a hunt around the internet and there are various firms supplying gritting trailers that can be attached to a vehicle and run from the ‘power take off point’. It might be worth investing in some of these. Some of our highways contractors have large 32 tonne trucks that might be capable of towing a gritting trailer. The grab loader can extend beyond the tailgate of the vehicle it might make a gritting machine with more than twice the capacity of the average gritter at a fraction on the price.

Pavements have been a big issue. From what I can see the roadsweepers have simply shovelled the grit onto the pavements. This is rather time consuming. There are a number of smaller gritting machines on the market the simplest of which is like a garden grass seed spreader. You fill the trough with grit and push it along the road.

We have a number of scarabs in the borough and these might be able to tow pavement gritters.

Most people expect a short period of chaos on the roads with an overnight snowfall. What they want to see if a rapid reaction force of gritters in action as soon as the snow starts to settle.

Snow update Monday 11th Jan 1800

Latest update from Camden Council:

The weather forecast for tonight is no snow but there may be some sleet and rain which will die down. Temperatures are predicted to fall as low as – 3 centigrade which will freeze and make wet pavements and side roads icy.



The Met Office is forecasting more snow for Tuesday night into Wednesday but this is a ‘conditional’ warning and we are waiting for this to be confirmed.



Maintenance crews will work from 6am to 10pm across the weekend clearing pavements and gritting priority roads.



Roads

In line with government instructions to conserve grit we will continue to grit priority roads only. Gritters will be out from midnight tonight gritting these roads, all of which remain open with buses running.


Many side roads have not been gritted over the past few days, and will not be gritted, so remain hazardous.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

A burst water main is reported in Heath Street, NW3 leading to the road being partly closed off and buses diverted.

Pavements

Maintenance teams continued to break up ice off main pavements today but will not be spreading grit. This has become a little easier as ice as started to thaw. This work will continue from 6am tomorrow.

Pavements will remain hazardous for pedestrians all the time the severe weather continues.

Grit bins

The salt in these bins is available for use by residents and businesses on Camden’s streets. However, salt stocks are being managed nationally and the advice is this must be restricted to use on the main road network only. We will therefore not be able to replenish stocks for some time. Residents should use whatever salt is left in the bins sensibly and try to conserve it.

Refuse and recycling

The refuse and recycling service will remain disrupted all the time this spell of bad weather persists. We will make sure that most homes get at least one collection this week and will work hard to catch up, weather permitting.


Regis Road recycling centre is expected to be open tomorrow as normal.

Parks

All parks are expected to open as normal tomorrow but there may be delay in getting some gates open if locks freeze tonight.

The sports pitch at Camden Town is out of action due to snow and ice. The building including the changing rooms are also now out of action due to a burst pipe affecting both the heating and power. The repairs will be done tomorrow afternoon.

Cantelowes and Talacre pitches are still out of action due to snow and ice - although it seems that a slow thaw has now started.


Ponds are starting to thaw which means they are more dangerous than before. We have safety signs in place and staff are warning residents to keep off them.


Parking

We are expecting to enforce all roads in the borough as normal tomorrow, including vehicle removals and CCTV enforcement.


Where some roads in the north of the borough have parking lines obscured we will take this into account.

We will assess the situation again at 8am and update the web site.

Transport

Council transport services will run as normal.

Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.

Snow update Sunday 10th Jan 1900

Latest update from Camden:

The weather forecast for tonight is some snow flurries, sleet and rain mainly in the north of the borough. Temperatures have risen to +4 centigrade and the weather is expected to be milder over the next two days. More severe weather is predicted on Wednesday and Thursday.

Maintenance crews will continue working from 6am to 10pm clearing pavements and gritting priority roads.

Roads

In line with new government instructions to conserve grit we will continue to grit priority roads only. All of these roads remain open and buses are running.

Many side roads have not been gritted over the past few days, and will not be gritted, so remain hazardous. However, some of the ice on the minor roads is starting to thaw.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Pavements

Ice on many of our pavements is also starting to thaw so maintenance teams have been able to break up increasingly more. We will continue with this work from 6am tomorrow and spread grit in high footfall areas, but have to be mindful of national guidance to conserve it for priority roads.

Pavements will remain hazardous for pedestrians all the time the severe weather continues.

Refuse and recycling

Although the refuse and recycling service will remain disrupted all the time bad weather persists, we are expecting a much better service to return tomorrow as roads start to thaw. Teams will be prioritising homes that were not collected last week.

Regis Road recycling centre is expected to open as normal.

Parks

All parks are expected to open as normal tomorrow.

Parking

We are expecting parking to follow the same policy tomorrow as for the last few days.

Enforcing all roads south of Parkway/Camden Road including vehicle removals.

Enforcing the main roads north of Parkway/Camden Road including vehicle removals.

CCTV enforcement is as per normal.

However, if side roads start to clear sufficiently in the north of the borough we will consider enforcing in these roads. We will assess the situation first thing tomorrow and update our web site so please check this for the latest information.

Schools

We will put up a list of school closures on the web site tomorrow morning as soon as we are advised. Parents should contact their child’s school for the most up to date information.

Transport

Council transport services are expected to run as normal tomorrow.

Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.


As the weather is stabilising over the next few days we will provide a daily update in the late afternoon. If the weather turns more severe we will increase these updates as necessary.

Please continue to check our web site for further service information throughout the day.

Camden snow/ice update Sunday 10th Jan 2010

Latest update from Camden on snow/ice position:

There was no snow in the borough last night.

The weather forecast for today is no snow in the south of the borough but there could be snow flurries in the north of the borough, particularly on the high ground areas of Hampstead, West Hampstead and Highgate.

Temperatures will remain very cold.

Maintenance crews will work from 6am to 10pm across the weekend clearing pavements and gritting priority roads.

Roads

In line with new government instructions to conserve grit we will continue to grit priority roads only. All of these roads remain open and buses are running.

Many side roads have not been gritted over the past few days, and will not be gritted, so remain hazardous.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Pavements

Maintenance teams will continue to break up ice off main pavements today. We will try to spread grit in high footfall areas but have to be mindful of national guidance to conserve it for priority roads.

Pavements will remain hazardous for pedestrians all the time the severe weather continues.

Self help

We have found that the grit left in bins has been used up very quickly and our assessment on the ground is that any grit we have should be used by the council to grit high priority pavements. Some grit bins have disappeared. We will therefore limit topping up grit bins all the time there is a national shortage.

The best way for residents and businesses to help is to physically clear the area outside their homes or shops using a shovel. Sweeping snow off pavements could increase the hazard if there is compacted ice underneath. Putting down domestic salt will only have a limited effect.

Refuse and recycling

The refuse and recycling service will remain disrupted all the time this spell of bad weather persists. Most homes got at least one collection last week and will work over this weekend to catch up, weather permitting.

Regis Road recycling centre will be open over the weekend as normal.

Parks

All parks will open as normal over the weekend.

As the overnight temperature was slightly warmer the locks on the park gates were not frozen today.

Residents have been playing on frozen water, particularly in Whitestone Pond, Waterlow Park and on Hampstead Heath. There are warnings of thin ice in the area and our staff have also told residents of the danger but cannot be there all the time. Information about the danger of going onto frozen ice has been on the web site this week and we have also tried to get messages out through the broadcast media over the weekend.

Parking

We are enforcing all roads south of Parkway/Camden Road including vehicle removals.

We are only enforcing the main roads north of Parkway/Camden Road including vehicle removals.

CCTV enforcement is as per normal.

Schools

Maintenance teams will grit pavements around approaches to schools where we know there have been problems, particularly in hilly areas.

We will put up a list of school closures on the web site tomorrow morning as soon as we are advised. Parents should contact their child’s school for the most up to date information.

Transport

Council transport services will run as normal over the weekend.

Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.

Boris in West Hampstead yesterday

Great turnout of people to talk to Boris Johnson in West Hampstead yesterday along with Cllr Chris Philp and our local candidates for West Hampstead and Fortune Green. In our walk up West End Lane we discussed a number of local issues, including gritting of course and Tescos lorries. More detail on our sister blog West End Courier here:

http://westendcourier.blogspot.com/2010/01/boris-coffee-house-speech-in-west.html

Construction apprentices in Camden at work on ice clearing

An excellent new initiative to increase ice-clearing manpower, see Council release below:

Community spirit was the order of the day in Camden, as building contractors and apprentices from the King’s Cross Training Centre took up shovels to help clear snow and ice from side roads and pavements.

As prolonged Arctic conditions continue, staff from Apollo and Lakehouse, Camden Council’s decent homes contractors, and those on training courses at the King’s Cross Training Centre gave up their time to clear areas near sheltered housing accommodation, the Royal Free Hospital and Hampstead town hall.

Since the start of the icy conditions in December, the Council has had more than two hundred staff working around the clock to grit the priority road network and keep public transport moving.

As the London-wide grit shortage begins to affect local authorities, the decision to suspend the gritting of pavements and focus on keeping priority roads open has lead to pavements becoming potentially hazardous.

Over 140 grit bins are located around the borough and are refilled as and when supplies allow. The Council is encouraging residents and businesses to use grit from these bins where available to grit pavements outside their homes and shops.

The Council does not accept responsibility for accidents or incidents involving grit spread by residents and due to the amount of snow and ice the Council will not be able to check areas that have been gritted by residents have been gritted correctly.

Councillor Chris Knight, Executive Member for environment, Camden Council said:

“We are facing a prolonged and severe cold weather front not seen for over a generation and it is warming to see people chipping in to lend a hand in times of need.

“The sustained and tireless efforts of our gritting teams have been successful in keeping main routes open and public transport running across the borough.

“The general London-wide shortage of grit means that we do not have the resources to treat every side road and pavement. We are encouraging residents and businesses where there are grit supplies and it is safe to do so, to lay grit outside their homes and shops.”

Patrick Moorhouse, an apprentice from the King’s Cross Training Centre said:

“I don’t mind going out and helping to clear the snow and ice from pavements.”

“Some of the older people we’ve met today are fragile and can’t clear their own paths so it’s nice to be able to provide them with some practical help during the bad weather.”

The Council’s full statement on encouraging residents and businesses to clear snow and ice is below:

"We are facing a prolonged and severe cold weather front.

“While the Council is doing everything it can to keep main roads and pavements safe and clear we can’t grit every where all the time.

“We have around 140 grit bins across the borough that are topped up as and when supplies allow. We would encourage residents and businesses to use the grit from these bins to grit pavements and side roads outside their homes or shops to make them safer to use. You may find it useful to talk to your neighbours or other local businesses and do it as part of a team effort. Please use only the grit supplied by the council as other materials may not be suitable and could cause accidents."

"See our web site for your nearest grit bin:

http://maps.camden.gov.uk/Nearest/Nearest.aspx?find=Grit%20Bin.

“Please be careful and sensible when spreading grit on pavements and side roads. Grit must be spread evenly and correctly as incorrect use could result in accidents. The council does not accept responsibility for accidents or incidents involving grit spread by residents.

“Due to the amount of snow and ice the council will not be able to check areas that have been gritted by residents have been gritted correctly. You should only do it if you are in good health and make sure you wear suitable clothing and footwear. Do not lift heavy amounts, exert yourself or stay out in the cold too long.

“You can remove fallen obstacles from pavements and road and put them somewhere safe. Please report these to our cleansing team who will remove them.”

Since the start of the current weather conditions in December 2009 the Council has spread over one thousand tonnes of grit salt.

Since 17 December 2009, gritting crews have worked around the clock and have treated priority roads across the borough on every day bar one.

A map showing the priority roads gritted by the Council can be viewed by visiting:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camdencouncil/4248765090/

Updates on any disruption to services, road closures and gritting can be found at:

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/community-and-living/news/2009/december/heavy-snow-forecast---weather-warning.en

Snow update Friday 8th January 0900

Latest update from Camden Council:


The latest weather forecast for today shows snow flurries of up to 3cm are possible in London but mainly across the east and southeast of the capital. Winds will remain north to northeasterly.

Roads

Gritting of priority roads continued last night and has started this morning. All main priority routes remain open and buses are running.

We have enough grit to last today and tonight covering our main priority roads. We are expecting further deliveries of grit today.

Many side roads are covered in sheet ice and remain hazardous.

York Way and Arkwright Road NW3 are closed because of continued water leaks and Chetwynd Road NW5 is closed because of an abandoned British Gas van.


The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Pavements

Maintenance teams will continue to break up ice off main pavements but no grit will be spread today to conserve supplies. Pavements remain hazardous for pedestrians.

Pavements next to main routes will get some of the gritting overflow.

Refuse and recycling

The refuse and recycling service will remain disrupted all the time this spell of bad weather persists. We will make sure that every home gets at least one collection this week and will work over this weekend to catch up, weather permitting.

Regis Road recycling centre is expected to open this morning.

Parks

All parks are open today.

Parking

We will enforce main roads only north of the Euston Road and all roads South of Euston Road. CCTV enforcement and removals will continue across the whole borough.



Transport

Transport services will not be running today and all affected clients have been contacted.



Schools

A list of schools closed will be posted on our website as we receive this information.



Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.



A number of Decent Homes sites have been closed for health and safety reasons, although work is continuing where possible; albeit on a reduced scale.



We are keeping residents informed of any site closures and are working closely with tenants over improvements currently in progress.


If you need any further information please contact Steve Parsons on 020 7974 1174.

Staff

A news item was sent to staff today saying it will be business as usual tomorrow and they are expected to travel to work as long as it is safe to do so. A message has also being left on the staff information line. If there is disruption to the transport system many staff will be able to work from home.

Snow update Thursday 7th January 1800

Latest update from Camden Council; it remains a challenging situation but a lot of effort is continuing to go in to do the very best job possible:

The weather conditions remain severe and prolonged.

Temperatures tonight will be between -2 and -5 centigrade. Snow is predicted to fall to the east and south of the capital so not expected in the borough. However, snow is expected to fall tomorrow in Camden.

Roads

Gritting of priority roads has continued throughout the day and will continue into the evening. The main priority routes remain open.

We have enough grit to last tonight and tomorrow covering our main priority roads. We are expecting further deliveries of grit tomorrow.

The gritting and maintenance of Red Routes and their adjoining pavements – Finchley Road, Camden Road and Euston Road – is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Pavements

Maintenance teams have tried to break up ice off main pavements but no grit has been spread today. Pavements remain hazardous for pedestrians.

Pavements next to main routes will get some of the gritting overflow but no other pavements in the borough will be gritted.

Refuse and recycling

Some refuse has been collected today but there will be severe disruption to refuse and recycling services this week. We will make sure that every home gets at least one collection this week and will work over this weekend to catch up, weather permitting. The kerbside dry and organics recycling collections abandoned their rounds and the green waste collection crew finished early due to icy conditions.

Regis Road recycling centre was opened later this morning.

Parks

Most parks opened today but we did have some problems with four – as reported – where locks were frozen. This problem was sorted out by mid morning. We have put in place measures aimed at stopping locks freezing so expect all parks to open first thing as normal but we will confirm this in the morning.

Parking

Today we enforced all main roads north of the Euston Road and carried out removals on main roads. We enforced on all roads south of Euston Road. Tomorrow we intend to run the same policy but will review the situation depending on tomorrow’s weather conditions.

Transport

Transport services will not be running tomorrow. All affected clients have been contacted.

Schools

We will advise which schools are closed tomorrow.

Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.

A number of Decent Homes sites have been closed for health and safety reasons, although work is continuing where possible; albeit on a reduced scale.

We are keeping residents informed of any site closures and are working closely with tenants over improvements currently in progress.


If you need any further information please contact Steve Parsons on 020 7974 1174.

Staff

A news item was sent to staff today saying it will be business as usual tomorrow and they are expected to travel to work as long as it is safe to do so. A message has also being left on the staff information line. If there is disruption to the transport system many staff will be able to work from home.

We will place up to date information about how services are affected on our web site so please check this regularly

Snow update Wednesday 6th Jan 1930

Latest update from the Council:

We are expecting sub zero temperatures across the borough throughout this evening and into tomorrow morning. Outbreaks of snow are forecast until 7pm and they will become light and patchy, dying out by midnight. There is a possibility of 1-3 cms of snow. Later in the evening it will be dry and clear so ice is expected where roads are wet and snow has compacted.

Roads

Over 200 tonnes of grit has been spread across Camden roads and pavements in the last 24 hours. Low grit levels are now a London-wide issue. We are working with other London authorities and expect new supplies to be delivered tomorrow. While we clearly need to conserve grit, we expect to have enough to maintain priority routes tonight. Maintenance teams will start gritting after the rush hour at 7pm and continue into the late evening. Depending on the weather they will then resume at 4am.

We will be issuing messages on our website for residents to take care when using the roads and pavements and to only make car journeys that are absolutely necessary to allow our gritters to lay further grit on priority routes.

Pavements

Most street cleansing has been suspended today, as it will be tomorrow, to allow crews to work solely on physically clearing snow from high priority pavements such as town centres, hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, schools and tube stations. The teams will carry on doing this until 10pm tonight and start again at 6am tomorrow. As snow continues to fall and becomes iced up pavements will remain hazardous.

Pavements next to main routes will get some of the gritting overflow but no other pavements in the borough will be gritted.

Gritting of roads and pavements has been carried out in line with our winter maintenance plan.

Refuse and recycling

There will be severe disruption to refuse and recycling services this week. We will make sure that every home gets at least one collection this week and will work over this weekend to catch up, weather permitting. We have had to close the Regis Road recycling centre today because it was too dangerous for the public and it is likely to remain closed tomorrow.

Parks

All parks have been opened today and will also be open tomorrow. Paths in parks have not been gritted so could be hazardous.

Parking

Today we enforced all main roads in the borough both by CCTV and on street but did not enforce side roads or carry out removals. We will make a final decision on parking tomorrow morning but it is likely we will enforce all main roads and probably all roads south of Euston Road.

Schools

We have provided advice to schools about opening during the bad weather. We have been told that South Camden, Maria Fidelis, St Dominics, New End, Chalcott and Gospel Oak schools will be closed tomorrow. Rosary School is partially opening but the nursery is closed. We will update the web site tomorrow with the most up to date information on schools.

Housing

We are prioritising gritting on walkways on estates to ensure supplies last for as long as possible.

Staff

A news item was sent to staff today saying it will be business as usual and that they are expected to travel to work as long as it is safe to do so. A message is also being left on the staff information line. If there is disruption to the transport system many staff will be able to work from home.


We will place up to date information about how services are affected on our web site so please check this regularly.

Camden snow update 1730 Tuesday 5th Jan

Latest info just issued to councillors and going up on www.camden.gov.uk

The Met Office is currently forecasting 2-5 cms of snow to fall across the borough from 9pm tonight, continuing into the early hours and throughout Wednesday.

Maintenance crews will start pre-gritting priority main roads and bus routes from 7pm this evening, after the rush hour. Pavements in high footfall areas such as town centres, hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, schools and tube stations will be gritted from 5pm this evening. All this is in line with our winter maintenance plan.

Further bad weather is predicted to last throughout the week and we have 200 staff on standby to enable us to respond with every resource at our disposal to minimise disruption.

We currently have 300 tonnes of grit salt at our Camley Street site and expect a delivery of a further 200 tonnes shortly.

We will be issuing messages on our website for residents to take care when using the roads and pavements and to only make car journeys that are absolutely necessary to allow our gritters to lay further grit on priority routes.

Parking enforcement is taking place as normal across the borough but this situation will be reviewed regularly. If the situation warrants the suspension of parking enforcement we will update you and our website as soon as we can.

Four schools across the borough, Eleanor Palmer, Jack Taylor, Carlton and Cobden were closed today due to heating problems but these have now been resolved. Should the adverse weather conditions lead to school closures tomorrow updates will be posted on our website.

Adult social care managers have implemented plans to ensure home care and other services for vulnerable people continue if there is disruption.

Our priority for housing estates is to grit pathways and walkways as most roads in estates are not priority routes. All requests for gritting pathways and walkways in estates should be made to district housing offices.

We will place up to date information about how services are affected on our web site so please check this regularly.

A news item was sent to staff today saying it will be business as usual and that they are expected to travel to work as long as it is safe to do so. A message is also being left on the staff information line. If there is disruption to the transport system many staff will be able to work from home.

Camden snow update Jan 4th 2100

Latest position from the Council below. The continuing bad weather means that key council staff have in some cases put in very long hours over the last two weeks, and I am very conscious that they want to do the very best job with all our resources to minimise the impact of snow and ice. Here's the update:

The current Met Office forecast is for it to remain dry tonight with a 60% chance of heavy snow at around 11am tomorrow morning.

Maintenance crews are out tonight pre-gritting main roads, bus routes and other high priority areas, as per our winter plan. We will not grit main pavements tonight but will review the situation at 3am and 7am and ensure we grit them ahead of tomorrow if necessary. We will focus on priority pavements in town centres, main roads, and high footfall areas such as outside hospitals, libraries, tube stations and doctors’ surgeries etc.

Further bad weather is forecast this week and we will continue to respond with every resource at our disposal to minimise disruption.

Regular updates on www.camden.gov.uk of course.

Camden Conservatives New Year Message: Working for a council tax freeze in Camden until 2013

Camden’s Conservative councillors have today called for a further two year freeze in council tax until 2013, following from the freeze this year the Conservative group has already secured.

Conservative Shadow Chief Treasury Secretary Philip Hammond recently reconfirmed, in a meeting with Cllr Andrew Marshall and other London council leaders, that in the first two years of a Conservative government, any council that keeps its underlying council tax increase to 2.5% or less will get extra funding to bring its council tax rise down to zero - thus incentivising councils to find more efficient ways of doing things.

This is too good an offer not to take up, so Camden Conservatives believe the Council should work to deliver a two year council tax freeze from 2011-13, following the freeze in the coming year (2010-11) we have successfully pushed for. We’ll be analysing how to make this happen as we prepare our manifesto, given that Council tax bears down particularly harshly on many elderly people and those working on modest incomes.

While there is at present a significant budget gap of £59m forecast for the next three years, this is based on assumptions which can shift, and we have seen how the council has closed budget gaps of £20m in a year in the past. We do not underestimate the challenge, but we believe over three years the Council has the capacity in its senior management team to make these savings while prioritising front line services.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Andrew Marshall said: “This will require significant savings - doing many things differently and more cheaply. This will include more outsourcing and shared services with nearby councils – Camden should do what it is good at, but shouldn’t do everything itself. We’ll learn from what Conservative councils such as Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham are doing well, while always remembering we need the right local solutions for Camden. Above all, we simply don’t believe in the current climate it will be acceptable to close this budget gap through above-inflation council tax increases.

“We believe that with a Conservative Council in place, a council tax freeze to 2013 would be compatible with progress on our core priorities: creating more secondary and primary school places; renewed urgency in tackling anti-social behaviour and local crime; protecting the local environment; sensible sustainability measures; and ensuring good universal services such as libraries, sports facilities, rubbish collection and highways. We’re also determined to change the culture of our council housing management, devolving more powers to residents and leaseholders to run their estates.

“This last year, despite the inevitable compromises of a partnership administration, we have shown the effective influence we can bring – we successfully persuaded our partners to back our proposals to freeze council tax for this year, and we have made considerable progress towards a new primary school in the north-west of the borough.

“We are certainly entering a long period of tight public finances, locally and nationally, but Conservative councils in London have shown that it is possible to combine high quality services for residents with low council tax. It’s widely accepted that Conservatives are best able to improve value for money in public services when money is limited – we’re confident that this message will resonate with local voters as we put the case for a Conservative Camden Council this spring.”

Camden snow update Jan 2nd

5cm of snow fell again last night, mainly in the north of the borough. Here's an update from Camden streets officers:

Crews were out at 3am and 5.30am spreading about 55 tonnes of grit mainly to pavements north of Haverstock hill - West Hampstead, Hampstead and Highgate. All pavements and roads remain safe and passable. Staff will be out until 9pm tonight continuing to grit pavements in these areas.

More snow has been forecast for tonight [0-5cms]. We are constantly checking the weather forecasts and crews and lorries are on standby to respond to any snow that falls. We will grit one hour before any snow is forecast and concentrate on the priority areas set out in our winter maintenance plan.

We have put out an additional 20 grit bins in West Hampstead, Hampstead, Highgate, Kentish Town and Camden Town which will allow teams to quickly grit pavements following any snow and ice. We are also looking to put out a further 20 bins in strategic places in early January.

200 Veolia staff have been on call throughout the Christmas period and they have responded magnificently, making sure all pavements and roads are safe for residents.