Hammersmith and Fulham (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Hammersmith and Fulham council promises to address crime, safety, and deterioration issues on a ‘neglected’ road, aiming to improve resident quality of life.
Stephen Cowan, the leader of the Hammersmith and Fulham Council, pledged a “full and clear response” to the homeowners’ enterprises regarding Shepherd’s Bush’s Uxbridge Road. He added that a certain council member will be in charge of organizing the road’s enhancement, and that further information will be handed to the locals in a letter that will be transferred out soon.
He stated that” we hope we can continue working with (residents) in good faith” to give advancements to the area during the Full Council meeting on Wednesday night, October 22.
Following demands in a petition, the state of Uxbridge Road which begins in Shepherd’s Bush and extends west from Hammersmith and Fulham has become a top political priority in recent months.
The petition, entitled ‘Fix Uxbridge Road, No More Neglect, No More Crime’, was published in April and urged the council to take more action cleaning up part of the highway in Shepherd’s Bush.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the road alongside concerned residents in May. Nigel Singh, one of those in attendance, described the area as “fantastic”, but added:
“This is a bigger issue that we need tackling so that we can live in a decent, peaceful area and feel safe. We don’t feel safe in this area now. It’s gone downhill over the years, and it’s been neglected by the council.”
Locals” demand radical visual advancements, enforcement, availability, and safety,” according to Noor, who started the solicitation and lives hard.
Although he acknowledged that there are legal restrictions on what the local government can do and how soon, Cllr. Cowan pledged to collaborate with the community to improve Uxbridge Road.
At Wednesday night’s Full Council, local resident Victoria Eccles said that since the petition was presented to Cabinet there had been “very little engagement”.
“The petition group has had no further contact from the Cabinet since the meeting on September 15, when commitments were made to work together, despite emails having been sent,”
she said.
“How and when does the council intend to work with petitioners on an overall plan, who will lead this and how will we be kept informed of progress?”
He stated that after the meeting, a thorough analysis of all of Noor’s arguments was conducted, namely to ascertain the viability of the legal authority she asserted the council possessed to clean up the road.
Cllr Cowan said that since the Cabinet meeting,
“we’ve also looked at all the different issues that were raised,”
adding:
“Some of those were already in play, so parts of Uxbridge Road will be raised, parts of it we’re looking to see if we can extend it.”
However, he noted that some of the projects would cost up to £30 million, which is a difficult amount to come up with.
Regarding the next steps, Cllr. Cowan stated that a draft letter addressing the issues brought up during Cabinet has been prepared and would be distributed to people. After that, he said, the council would keep working with the locals to figure out what can be done.
Cllr Cowan, however, added:
“There has been hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into Uxbridge Road in the last 10 years. Hundreds of millions of pounds. You might say ‘where did we get that money from’, because we’re a cash-strapped austerity council. We put some money into Bush Theatre, into public realm improvements, into crime fighting measures, Law Enforcement Teams, gangs units etc. But our job is also to win private sector investment.”
Ms Eccles thanked the Leader for his response before asking when residents can expect to receive the letter. Cllr Cowan confirmed he hopes to get it to them “at least by the start of next week”.
“If you can bear with me I can promise you we’re on it,” he said.
What specific improvements will be included in the response?
Specific advancements included in the response to enterprises about Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush are anticipated to cover multiple aspects of the road terrain and safety.
Enhanced cleaning and conservation to address waste, graffiti, and derelict parcels. More lighting and road cabinetwork advancements to increase safety and comfort for climbers. Upgrades to pavements and crossings to ameliorate availability and mobility, especially for impaired and senior residents.
Investment in crime reduction through increased CCTV content, including AI- enabled facial recognition technology for better real- time policing. Improved business operation and enforcement to reduce traffic and dangerous driving actions.