A couple of months ago, I was requested by a couple to make enquiries about the markings on the junction of Staines Road/Harlington Road West/Faggs Road.
I received the following pictures from TfL yesterday:
The only bit outstanding are the two arrows next to the box junction that indicate where drivers turning right from Staines Road to Faggs Road or Harlington Road West need to be. I have written to TfL about this.
A few residents have contacted me about the above building in Harlington Road West. Some of the few are impacted by the decision referred to here and others have contacted me in response to that article. Here is a list of questions I asked a couple of weeks ago and the answers received last week:
“1. The driver for this change?
In 2009 a decision was made to pool the funding of a range of services provided by the local voluntary sector to form a universal health and wellbeing tender providing preventative services across the borough. This decision, agreed by the Executive, was to ensure that funding was more targeted, strategic and linked to current policy direction.
Since the decision to withdraw funding from a range of providers, including for Feltham Lodge, Age Concern (Hounslow) absorbed Age Concern (Feltham) to form Age UK (Hounslow).
2. How many, and generally what type, users will be impacted?
The original EIA in 2009 and an updated dated EIA in January 2012 recognised that the service provided by Age UK at Feltham Lodge was in effect providing the equivalent of statutory provision and preventing residents requiring higher levels of support. It was recognised that formal care (re)assessments would be necessary for all existing service users prior to the closure of the service.
There are currently approximately 90 residents receiving services. They attend on average 2 days per week. Individual reviews will need to ascertain both whether clients meets FACS eligibility and also assessed for their level of financial contribution to their personal budget.
All clients currently attending Feltham Lodge Day Centre will be reviewed by care management prior to any change. There are approximately 90 residents receiving services. They attend on average 2 days per week. Individual reviews will need to ascertain both whether clients meets FACS eligibility and also assessed for their level of financial contribution to their personal budget.
Residents attending Feltham Lodge who do not meets FACS eligibility for adult social care will be signposted and supported to access other support including those provided by Age UK through the health and wellbeing tender.
3. What consultation took place with users in advance of the decision?
The decision to pool existing grant funded services to provide funding for universal health and wellbeing preventative services followed a wide ranging consultation exercise on the future direction of older people’s services as well as other preventative services in the borough provided by the voluntary sector.
Public consultation, as well as with the local voluntary and community sector, took place prior to the decision being made. Feedback from consultation was used to inform, both the original EIA (2009) and the revised version in January 2012.
4. What are the timescales for assisting and assessing those impacted by the change?
Officers have been in discussion with Age UK Hounslow regarding the future arrangements for funding Feltham Lodge Day Centre. While a decision has been made to remove the specific block funding from the service, officers have been clear that this does not constitute a decision by the Council to close the service. Instead, the Council has suggested moving to a dispersed model of funding based on personal budgets. This arrangement will take time to consolidate and could present financial risk to the organisation if there is no guarantee of income. So discussions are taking place with Age UK to mitigate against financial risk during the transition period.
Before Age UK are prepared to fully commit to this new model of working a number of issues need to be worked out. Including, level of individual budgets, numbers who meet FACS eligibility, pricing/charging model, and any guarantees of income (at least in the short-term).
Current arrangements at Feltham Lodge clearly need to continue in the short-term whilst a longer-term solution is worked out. It is therefore intended to:
· continue to fund Age UK to provide a day service at Feltham Lodge until at least 31st December 2012, allowing time for the Council and Age UK to work together to effectively develop a dispersed model of funding based on personal budgets.
· complete all care assessments and reviews in this timeframe.
· explore further a new model of working based on charging through personal budgets or for self-funders, which is line with council and national policy.
· provide some guarantee of minimum contract value for Age UK for a set period of time e.g. 6 or 12 months, to allow them to embed the new model while minimising organisational financial risk.
· consider transferring services provided by Age UK at Feltham Lodge to Sandbanks, which is a more appropriate venue and ensures maximum use of this excellent new facility.
5. Does the Council have a view on how viable the remaining services at this building are?
While the building may be used to house activities under the health and wellbeing tender it is not best place to host day centre services for those with greater needs. Therefore, the Council is discussing with Age UK (and other voluntary sector providers) opportunities to deliver activities/services at Sandbanks.
6. I would like to know who owns the Building and what would be done with it if closure goes ahead?
Feltham Lodge is owned by the Council and leased to Age UK (Hounslow) at a low rent on a 20 year lease commencing 1 April 1990 – 31 March 2010. This lease was subject to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and therefore considered protected. This means the tenants are now “holding over” – sometimes known as a continuation tenancy.
Should Age UK surrender the lease the future of the site would be for member decision.”
Please do get in touch if you, or anyone you know, is impacted by the decision and needs my assistance.
Yesterday was certainly the most busy day of the campaign thus far for me:
Picked up the following on a brief walk to meet someone earlier:
1) Graffiti outside 16 Harlington Road East
2) Very offensive graffiti on disused notice board against wall opposite number 9 Becketts Close
No picture included because of the nature of the graffiti
3) Graffiti near 36 Harlington Road West
4) Cabinet that needs to be secured – opposite 20 Harlington Road West
Will report later this morning.
I wrote the following to the relevant department at the Council this morning:
“1. I am receiving a number of complaints about work not taking place for a majority of the day e.g. workers gone by 4pm. If true, this gives a terrible impression when the works are meant to be emergency. I would like a briefing on what hours are being worked and why they cannot be longer in these circumstances?
2. I received a call this morning stating that all of the lights were red and this was causing chaos. The person who called me had already contacted the police. I also reported this on ext 2222 at around 08:12am this morning. Please let me know what happened to that call and how quick the problem was resolved. I would also like to know what caused it?”
I received the following prompt response this morning:
“We have had the following update from TFL in response to other complaints this week, which addresses some of your concerns, although not all.
I take your points below regarding the difficulty of putting diversions in place. I can report that having had RTS ‘tweak’ some of the phase durations on site today traffic along Harlington road is flowing significantly better than it was yesterday. A London buses representative was on site monitoring the flow this morning and afternoon and reported that the wait duration during peak time was down to 18 minutes from 45 which, although still very long, is a huge improvement.
We have now excavated around the leak entirely and temporarily stopped it. The details for the special kit to be made have been passed to the company who are manufacturing the repair kit tomorrow and I have booked them for Thursday morning for its installation. The kit utilises a fluid substance that requires 5-6 hours to solidify and this time must elapse before the hole is back filled. I have agreed with our reinstaters that they will be on site at 4pm on Thursday to back fill the hole and we intend to tarmac it on Thursday night. This would enable site to be cleared early on Friday morning.
Until the repair kit is fitted there is no work that we can do on site. I appreciate that a vacant site is frustrating for members of the public but due to other ongoing work load I will not be able to maintain a site presence tomorrow. A team will inspect the site, excavation and trench support at the start and end of their shift tomorrow as part of our normal procedures.”
This afternoon, I received the following:
“I understand you have received the information update from National Grid on Wednesday which explains why the operatives are not on site at all times. They are waiting for the specialist repair kit to be made. It is frustrating for the general public that they are experiencing huge delays and unfortunate that they are seeing the site is unmanned, in some circumstances the Utility has no option but to leave the site unmanned. It may have been useful for National Grid to display a courtesy board to explain exactly what is happening. I have responded to the complaints received this week to explain the circumstances and the majority of people who complained were happy with the information given but stated they did not see a courtesy board although the area inspector has been to site on a daily basis and confirms there are courtesy boards on display.
Regarding the temporary lights failure this morning – The contractor notified the company – Road Traffic Solutions – as soon as they were aware of the failure. There was a fault on the temporary lights; apparently the lights will default to red until fixed and they were fixed at 10.55am.
National Grid is in contact with the area inspector and will inform him of any change to the proposed completion on 21.10.2011.”
When I complete, I will request that the Council, TfL & the National Grid determine some Learning Points for similiar situations in the future.
I have just received the following:
“we have been notified of a gas escape in the south-western arm of Hounslow Road at the junction with Harlington Road East/West – please see e-mail below. To undertake the necessary excavations and repairs, it is necessary to close off a section of the south-western carriageway of Hounslow Road immediately south-west of the junction. Four way temporary traffic lights will be introduced at the junction so that each arm of the junction will have its own traffic signal phase to facilitate one-way shuttle working past the closed section of road. The works could not be delayed until the half-term holiday and will inevitably cause serious delays at this busy junction.
The works are currently scheduled to take five days but I will advise you of any change to this programme that may arise as the works proceed.”
I will suggest that this be posted on the Council’s website.
A friend and local resident made me aware of more dumping at the side of 102 Harlington Road West. Here is what I just saw:
I also took at the alley behind the shops (starts from Lansbury Avenue):
Will report the above tomorrow morning.
Looking much better at the side of 116 Lansbury Avenue (rear of Harlington Road West):
But looking very untidy at the side of 102 Harlington Road West:
Will report the latter case and see what can be done.
I received the following yesterday:
“Please be advised that National Grid will be carrying out works to repair a gas leak at the above junction this weekend. We understand the leak has been on National Grid’s log for a while and repairs need to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
Due to location of the works it will be necessary to deploy four way temporary traffic signals at the junction. All approaches to the junction will be narrowed down to single lanes. Works start on Saturday morning at 8am and it is anticipated the works will be finished and temporary signals removed by 6pm on Sunday evening at the latest.”
We have started delivering the latest leaflet in Feltham North. Picked up two things yesterday:
Refuse problem rear of Harlington Road West Parade
Yesterday morning, I took a look at the bins behind the shops. I noticed that they were full and at the same time a gentleman tried to put two bags out at the side of 119 Harlington Road West (in Rosslyn Avenue). I politely challenged him and he squeezed the two bags in the bin.
Here is what I saw in the morning:
And here is what I saw yesterday evening:
I have already made an enquiry with the relevant team to ask why these bins were so full on a Tuesday?
Dumped Garden Waste outside 7 Rosslyn Avenue
Someone not very considerate:
Will report this shortly.
Picked up the following:
1) Highways
Outside 81 Shakespeare Avenue:
Some carriageway defects on the carriageway between 1 Letchworth Avenue and the junction with Bedfont Lane. Examples:
Outside 1 Clymping Dene:
Outside 12 Harlington Road East:
The footway dips at the side of 150 Field Road:
2) Graffiti
Outside 68 Burns Avenue:
Near 211 Staines Road, Feltham:
Bridge over Longford River by Burns Avenue and Ruskin Avenue:
3) Hounslow Homes matters
The grass near 1-4 Tennyson Close needs cutting:
I have been told that 8 Shakespeare Avenue is empty and there are items in the garden:
4) Feltham Arena
A constituent informed me that there had been a fire in the area and that the fire brigade had to break through barrier. Whilst I have reported this to the correct people, I took a look and the barriers appeared reasonably secure:
5) Items or rubbish on footway
It was Sunday evening so may have been cleared but I noticed:
On Tennyson Close (outside 1 Shakespeare Avenue):
Opposite 105 Shaftesbury Avenue:
Opposite 1 Mill Way:
6) Fallen sign
On Harlington Road West (side of 27 Hounslow Road):
Will report later this morning.
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