Working for You

Actions Speak Louder than Words – Since the last election we have worked as a team to support the Ward and the wider City.  Our Case Work, helping to resolve problems for Ward residents and businesses is important and on-going. In addition, we play leading, active and constructive roles on the Corporation’s many committees and sub-committees. By engaging positively with other elected members, officers and outside organisations we have helped deliver numerous changes to policies and operations for the benefit of our residents and businesses.

OUR CASE WORK

Some of the accomplishments achieved through the unique personal contributions of members of the team which illustrate the scope of our work are:

The Ward Environment:

  • Pressed City Police leaders to establish a permanent cycle team to deal with street crime, including mobile phone snatching and cycling offences (red light jumping and riding on pavements). Although small – the new team has been very effective in issuing fixed penalty notices and warnings to cyclists who offend and also to arrest and deter mobile phone snatchers.
  • Participated in traffic census operations at Ludgate Circus and Blackfriars station to help ensure that these locations are priority areas for police cycle team operations. 
  • Ensured that the ward was the first part of the City where multi-vendor shared 5G infrastructure was successfully implemented.
  • Persuaded the Corporation to significantly increase the City’s street cleaning budget as the amount of rubbish on the City streets increased after visitor numbers increased after the pandemic.
  • Persuaded TfL to fund a pedestrian crossing at Puddle Dock, enabling step free access to the riverside walkway from Queen Victoria Street.
  • Assisted residents and local businesses to get problems with incorrectly erected scaffolding resolved.
  • Arranged for relocation of Corporation salt bunkers immediately next to the College of Arms which were being used by youths to gain access to the rear College yard to engage in Anti Social Behaviour at night.
  • Ensured that confusing signage to St Bride’s Church was improved.

Small Business (SME) Support:

  • Successfully helped a small retailer on Knightrider Court whose windows were repeatedly vandalized. With our help the retailer gained planning permission for external shutters (contrary to normal planning policy). Following their installation the business has been able to trade successfully.
  • Led the development and launch of the City’s first ever SME strategy to help SMEs access finance, data, space, expertise and networks in the City.
  • Ensured that disruption to the Harrow pub on Whitefriars Street from the Salisbury Court demolition and construction is minimised to enable the pub to remain viable and continue to trade despite the extensive building work currently underway at Salisbury Square. 

Fleet Street Rejuvenation:

  • Following our successful campaign to get the Tipperary pub on Fleet St listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) we engaged with Dominus the new owners to get the pub opened quickly – the pub has been trading successfully since reopening. It is now temporarily closed while 65 Fleet Street is being redeveloped and during this time the pub will be significantly improved and will reopen at the same time as the main building.
  • Wrote to the owners of Rymans on Fleet Street following reports of the impending closure of the branch, encouraging them to stay because of the positive business changes underway in the area; The owners responded to say that the outlet would remain open.
  • Made representations against a Planning application for an Adult Gaming Centre in Fleet Street. This will come to a Planning Committee meeting in late spring with an officer recommendation for refusal. 


Licensing:

  • Successfully engaged with the owners of New Street Square to withdraw a potentially disruptive licensing application.
  • Made representations to both the Licensing and Planning Applications for 165 Fleet Street (Tokyo Hit) and succeeded in ensuring that closing hours were brought back to 23:00 to protect the amenity of residents in Bolt Court and other residential blocks
  • Made successful representations for a license for a premises in St Bride Street (SiSi) to curtail trading hours to protect amenity of residents in Sovereign House.
  • Detected serious procedural problems causing unacceptable delays with the public notification of new licensing applications and ensured that the problems were swiftly resolved as soon as we were aware.

Building/Planning:

  • Engaged with City officers and members of related committees to ensure generous terms were agreed with the developer to safeguard the future of Shoe Lane Library while Hill House is being redeveloped.
  • Engaged with Erith before demolition of 120 Fleet Street commenced, ensuring that measures were in place to minimise noise and avoid damage to dwellings in Sovereign House.
  • Successfully worked with City Highways officers to modify a traffic management plan in order to maintain adequate access from and to Fleet Street for the Whitefriars area during the development of Salisbury Square (Economic Court and new City Police HQ).
  • Helped a residential block gain permission from the Corporation of London (who is the superior landlord of their building) to install electric car chargers in their basement car park.

Other:

  • Made a submission to support Dr Johnson’s successful application for a National Lottery grant.
  • Successfully lobbied our local MP to help unblock an urgent Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) application for a resident.
  • We have dealt promptly with your emails, published our regular newsletters and held constituent surgeries (physical and on-line), as well as meeting with constituents in person.