Harrow Council Suck!

I have been happily settled in my new home when a final demand for a piddling amount of council tax comes through. No such bill arrived earlier on. They have the cheek to threaten to take me to court and charge over £100 for the costs involved!  

What a relief I am not longer paying money and living in the worst borough in the country for rip off council charges, for very little done.

The reason for no more postings at present

I have moved out of Pinner, so no more postings, however we do have friends and family in that area so some posts may yet materialise.

Thank you for visiting this blog and reading it.

On leaving Pinner I have to say that Harrow council have left things in a bad mess. They never seem to clear up properly and leave trees that have fallen down for ages.  The council tax is higher than in Hillingdon, and you get less. The refuse collection is superb, I cannot fault it.  The birds mess that is never cleared up and the bridge near Pinner Station is a disgrace.

I part with yet another picture. Look after Pinner for me!

A moth is our back garden in Pinner - during the Summer

Bits and Pieces

Some interesting Picture of Pinner - displayed from a book in the Undertakers by Love Lane a while back. I remember Pinner as featured in the first photo.  My brother did a Saturday job in Budgens when he was still at school.

The undertakers in Love Lane have brightened up the pavement with this floral display

Inside Cafe Amici in Bridge Street, a great place for a quality snack meal, and coffee - their frapucchino is delicious.  This is actually a picture taken in it's time as Fratelli's.  Things have greatly improved, as has prices since it changed its name again.  A really friendly atmosphere, give Harris and Hoole the cold shoulder!

A lovely autumnal shot of a tree taken in a footpath leading from Ashridge Gardens.  Ashridge Gardens has a very tatty road and pavements - shame on TFL or the council - stop patching up and renew the road and pavements please.

Pantomime Evening

Yesterday evening I popped out at 7.30pm to get some bits from Sainsbury, also to get some chips on the way home.

I had forgotten that it was the evening of the Pinner Pantomime shopping experience.

The High Street was crowded, there was a roundabout and food stalls there. The morris dancers gathered a superb crowd, but blocked the way to supermarket.  Gibbs Gillespie and Andrew Pearce were heaving under the weight of non house buyers jostling for free wine, etc.

Earlier in the day I took this picture of the window display in the Cancer Research Shop in Bridge Street.

I have just learnt that the Cancer Research Shop exhibit was not judged by the Pinner Pantomime Judges, It seems that charity shops have to stump up £60 entrance and then if they are not around when the judge arrives do not get included in the competition.  There are meanies in the Pinner Pantomime organisers!

Thankfully it was a dry evening, and it finished with a grand firework display.  I tried to get some pictures of it, but by the time I got batteries for my main camera, it had finished.

Film crew in Pinner today - Stephen Hawking Film in progress!

We were walking towards Pinner Memorial Park today when we noticed the height restriction barrier had been lifted.  To our surprise we saw a film crew set up in the car park, but no evidence of any filming going on. Still not sure if it was for a film or television programme.

Found out today the 10th that they were indeed making a film, scheduled for release in 2015, about the life of Stephen Hawking and his wife.  IMDB site has scant details 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1

Here are pictures taken in the car park

We later discovered that the tv or film crew were filming in Pinner Parish Church at the top of the High Street.

I did not get an opportunity to speak to the crew when taking the pictures. It appeared that they were shooting inside and the lighting was there to simulate sunlight.  We could hear a choir singing inside.

Here are pictures of the action (non action!) at the church today

Spitting feathers under the bridge near Pinner Station

I have noticed for some time that the council have neglected cleaning up the railings and pavement under the bridge by Pinner Station. This is on both sides.  The dried up droppings and feathers on the pavement and railings are a terrible eyesore, and health risk.

Has the council been negligent or is it Transport for London that need to make sure Pigeons cannot roost under the bridge?

Overall feral pigeons, not wood pigeons, need to be eradicated from buildings in Bridge Street and bridges over Chapel Lane, and the bridge near the station.

Clear this mess up, it is being trodden into trains and peoples homes................... we are at risk, and we do not deserve such messy streets!

 It is even on the railings - total and utter negligence by Harrow Council and or/TFL

Are we over the "Hill" and going to get a more efficient council and cleaner Pinner and roads fixed now?

In the Harrow Observer it is reported that Susan Hall of the Conservatives has taken over the lead in Harrow Council.  How extremely un-professional both Labour and Conservative allowing political wars to take over the council.

Let's hope that Susan Hall gets the birds mess under our bridges cleaned up, and roads like Ashridge Gardens resurfaced. That road has a concrete surface which is cracking up - it looks a real mess!

Also let's hope she sorts out the extremely silly Public Realm Department who merely use the internet reporting forms to pass information on the "their back office".

The Harrow Observer article from their site:

Political coup sees Tories take the reins of Harrow Council

Sep 16 2013 By John Shammas

A CONSERVATIVE-orchestrated political coup has given Harrow Council its first female leader - Councillor Susan Hall.

The Labour and Tory groups combined to vote out leader Councillor Thaya Idaikkadar, and with him his minority Independent Labour administration, at tonight's extraordinary full council meeting at which the two rivals similarly joined forces to suspend several key constitutional powers such as the Mayor of Harrow's ability to adjourn the meeting.

Ms Hall then won the subsequent new vote to take the reigns of power against Labour group leader Councillor David Perry by 31 votes to 24, with five abstentions.  

She told the Observer afterwards: "First female leader of the council? I'm absolutely delighted.

"There's gaps in the budget we'll be looking at. The residents are complaining that the roads are filthy and the parks unkempt.  

"The reality is I want the Conservative vision: a cleaner, safer and fairer Harrow."  

Ms Hall will announce her new cabinet and deputy council leader tomorrow but told the meeting she would honour the arrangement of having opposition non-voting members of the cabinet to stimulate debate and "keep portfolio holders on their toes".  

She and deputy group leader Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane were the two non-voting members on Mr Idaikkadar's cabinet committee of six, and used their position to regularly query and question the minority administration's executive decisions.  

"It's not going to be so funny when we're on the other side," she said after her victory.  

The people of Harrow voted Labour into power in the 2010 local elections with 34 councillors to the Conservatives' 27 before this May incumbent council leader Mr Idaikkadar led a splinter Independent Labour breakaway group who ruled as a minority.  

The electorate now, following tonight's unprecedented mid-term shake-up, have a Tory-run council although both the Conservatives and Labour have 25 members each, with eight for Independent Labour, three Independents, one Liberal Democrat and one UK Independence Party member.

Labour activist Uma Kumran, of Pinner, took to Twitter in wake of the decision and said: "Tories didn't win 2010 election in Harrow. Tonight they're in power in Harrow. #NoMandate."  

Chief reporter Ian Proctor filmed key portions of the meeting, and will be uploaded throughout the day along with all the latest reaction including the announcement of a new Conservative cabinet.