Pubs can serve customers indoors again (Photo: Pixabay) Councillors in north-west London have urged everyone to remain vigilant in the face of the Covid-19 virus following the further relaxing of restrictions. From today (Monday, May 17), groups of six are able to meet inside and indoor hospitality, leisure and cultural venues can reopen. People can hug each other once more and the travel ban from the UK has been lifted, with people able to visit ‘green list’ international destinations relatively freely. However, Cllr Muhammed Butt (Lab, Tokyngton), leader of Brent Council, reminded people the coronavirus pandemic “is not yet truly over” and steps should be taken to minimise the spread of the virus.
Cllr Keith Ferry has called for councils to be given more powers by central government (Photo: Pixabay/Newsquest) A senior Harrow councillor has called on the Government to give local authorities more powers to tackle employment issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Analysis by the Labour branch of the Local Government Association showed almost 30,000 people in Harrow are currently either claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or have been furloughed. Cllr Keith Ferry, deputy leader of Harrow Council, argues councils are in the strongest position to support localised recovery as they are closer to their communities than government ministers. “We can all see that the next few months are hugely uncertain – we have no idea how and when many jobs will come back,” said Cllr Ferry.
Petitioners criticised road closures implemented by Harrow Council and their councillors response (Photo: Newsquest/Pexels) Harrow Council defended the work of three ward councillors after an online petition called for a vote of no confidence in their performance. The petition, which has more than 500 signatories, criticised Headstone South councillors Simon Brown, Pamela Fitzpatrick and Sasi Suresh, suggesting they have “fallen short” in their duties as elected representatives. It stemmed from the fallout surrounding contentious road closures Headstone South to form low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs). Petitioners argued the councillors had failed to put forward the views of those living in the area following significant criticism of the LTN programme.
Site visits will be held online for the forseeable future (Photo: Newsquest/Pixabay/Google Maps) Site visits as part of planning applications will be held virtually during the national lockdown, Harrow Council confirmed. The change came as Conservative councillors on the planning committee called for a deferral of an application at Canons Park Station car park last night (Wednesday, January 20), which had already been deferred once to allow for a site visit. Conservatives argued major applications such as this should be subject to full, physical visits to gauge a complete view of the situation, least not when one has been promised.
A CGI of the proposed development in Canons Park (Photo: TfL) Plans for almost 120 new homes on a Tube station car park that “united the community in opposition” have been refused consent by Harrow Council. Its planning committee denied permission for 118 flats in Canons Park Station car park, noting concerns around the scale and design of the development and the impact on the surrounding area. Transport for London (TfL), in partnership with housing association Catalyst, had argued the provision of new homes, all of which were deemed affordable, would benefit the borough. However, thousands of residents criticised the loss of parking as part of the scheme, the seven-storey height of the three proposed buildings, and how it would affect the views of the Grade II listed 18th century landscape as seen from Canons Park.