Today

8 December/January April/May 2011 2015/16 Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today www.KCWToday.co.uk 020 7738 2348
December/January 2015/16
Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today
9
News
News
online: www.KCWToday.co.uk
Photograph © Fergus Coltsmann
#GrantsNotDebt
demonstration
By Fergus Coltsmann
Gentlemen,
Stop Your
Engines!
By Max Feldman
Photograph © Rod McClancy
Protests and demonstrations are
a big part of Westminster life.
They were particularly notable
in November this year, with NCAFC
demonstration, the Million Mask march
on Bonfire night, multiple Stop the War
demos regarding Syria, and even Junior
Doctors all taking place in the space
of a month. KCW Today attended the
#GrantsNotDebt Demo.
On the 4th of November, the
National Campaign Against Fees and
Cuts (NCAFC), a mainly student
organisation with eponymous goals,
held a demonstration in London
against the Government’s plans to scrap
maintenance grants and replace them
with loans. NCAFC argues the plans
will block off access to higher education
for the poorest, with students from more
disadvantaged backgrounds graduating
with the highest debts.
The march was largely peaceful, until
a small part of the crowd, dressed in
black bloc (all black clothing covering
the face, often boiler suits and balaclavas
which can easily be discarded once the
Catching
a break
My initial attempt at skiing was back
when I was 16 and, as such, knew
everything there was to know about the
world. At the time I was operating with
the kind of hubris that tends to end up
with military commanders deciding that
a winter invasion of Russia should be a
doddle. So, when faced by a double black
diamond run on my third day on the
slopes I decided that there could be no
possible way I wouldn’t be able to handle
it. Applauding my own daring I went
haring down the run (which had a nice
non-threatening name like Widowmaker
if I recall correctly). Predictably I was
soon laid up in hospital with a broken
ankle with plenty of time to reflect that
perhaps my knowledge of the world was
not quite what I had estimated it to be.
A great deal of pain and an even greater
amount of hopping later, and I decided
that my first time skiing would also be
my last.
However after being nagged by
my kids for a skiing holiday seemingly
non-stop for the last three years, even
the prospect of another broken ankle
seems a worthwhile sacrifice for a few
minutes of blessed silence. Unfortunately
several decades of sedentary living and
martinis have left me unlikely to fit into
the ski-gear I owned when I was 16 and
police decide to crack down) attempted
to force their way into the Department
for Business, Innovation, and Skills.
Eggs, paint, and at least one lit flare
were thrown at police officers and they
responded by attempting to kettle the
crowd, who quickly broke out and
splintered. Multiple groups of a hundred
or so ran and continued marching
around Victoria, often with minimal to
no police escort.
The Met denied that any
containment took place, and that only
one direction of travel was blocked off,
but one officer on the ground told a
Guardian journalist, which this reporter
overheard, “I don't think it's going
anywhere for a while” when the corral
was first attempted.
NCAFC’s post event statement
claimed over 10,000 people attended.
The Met put the number at 1000, and
the BBC at between 3-4000. NCAFC
also commented on the trouble:
“The march was met with some of
the most heavy handed policing we have
seen in years. Once protesters reached
the Department for Business… riot
police violently stormed the crowd.
The police forced a large section of the
protest into a kettle, resulting in panic
and confusion… We condemn this
unnecessary and aggressive response…
NCAFC has always advocated nonviolent
direct action”.
The sentiment on the ground
was that ‘heavy-handed policing’ had
provoked the crowd. A sabbatical union
officer from a London uni, who was at
the demo, claimed that no violence had
taken place on the part of the protestors.
When challenged that a lit flare was
thrown at an officer, she responded “I
wouldn’t say a flare is violent”, though
she distanced herself from the earlier
claim.
so I set out on the prowl to get myself customizations that ended up leaving
kitted out with new ski-gear to fend off the boots fitting better than any of my
exposure, indecent or otherwise! I ended regular shoes! Whilst toying with the
up at Altimus: a combination footwear, idea of whether strolling around High
clothing and specialist foot care store, on Street Kensington in ski-boots would
our very own High Street Kensington. be socially acceptable, I watched the
They informed me that there should be Altimus artisans sculpt my chosen boots
a lot more to choosing
your ski equipment than
whether it has flames
up the side (which was
my central concern at
age 16). The handson
staff offered me
a free biomechanical
assessment to help
find the ideal pair of
ski boots for me and,
despite having little idea
of what ‘biomechanical’
meant (but being quite
conversant on the
meaning of ‘free’). Soon
the sales assistant had
decided to ‘blow the
boots’, creating a 3D
model of my foot which
they could compare
to the chosen boots
to help find the ideal
pair. On seeing the
slightly unusual arch
of my feet, they went
on to work out what 138 High Street Kensington,
alterations could be
made to the basic boot
London W8 7RL
model with inserts and Tel: 020 7937 7177
Residents of Knightsbridge’s suffering
at the hands of noisy supercars racing
through the area can finally fight
back with boy racers found guilty of
disturbing the peace being liable for fines
of up to £1000 thanks to a new order.
RBKC council introduced the Public
Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) after
a successful consultation in the summer.
Motorists are now prohibited from
revving their engine, rapidly accelerating,
racing, performing stunts, sounding
horns or causing obstruction and are
also banned from leaving the engine of a
stationary car running.
"I am sure local residents will
welcome the introduction of the PSPO”
Cllr Tim Ahern, cabinet member for
Environment claimed "We know they
have suffered for some time with people
racing around the streets, accelerating
and breaking and congregating on
certain streets to show off their cars.
with a verve that you’d expect to see in an
artist’s workshop rather than a local shoe
shop! As I left the store I was surprised
to find my new purchases had left me
eagerly anticipating my second attempt
at ruling the slopes, I might be sticking
to the green runs this time though!
BRING ADVERT
IN AND GET £40
OFF ANY SKI
PURCHASE
Dragons over Chelsea. An alien has settled on the front of the Chelsea Arts Club, courtesy of artist Tony Common.
It is to announce the theme of the Chelsea Arts Club New Year’s Eve Ball “The Great Ball of China”.
Not the New
Scotland Yard
By Fergus Coltsmann
The new Scotland Yard, soon
to be home of the Met as they
move out of New Scotland
Yard, has been ‘topped out’. The new
Scotland Yard, not New Scotland Yard,
is adjacent to the original Scotland
Yard. New Scotland Yard, that is the old
New Scotland Yard but not the original
Scotland Yard, will be known as 10
Broadway. The new Scotland Yard was
previously the Curtis Green building.
The ‘topping out’ ceremony, where
the final beam is placed at the top of
the building, was conducted by the
Commissioner of the Metropolitan
police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and
the Deputy Mayor for Policing and
Crime Stephen Greenhalgh. The Curtis
Green building is located on the Victoria
Embankment and was already owned
by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and
Crime.
The move is a part of the Mayor’s
attempts to “put bobbies before
buildings”, as moving the headquarters
saves an estimated £6 million in running
costs per year. The Met bought the
freehold for New Scotland Yard in
2008 for £123.5 million, and sold it
last December for £370 million to the
Abu Dhabi Financial Group, who plan
on knocking down the building and
constructing luxury flats.
Of the topping out ceremony,
Commissioner Sir Bernard said:
"Selling 10 Broadway and moving our
headquarters to Curtis Green is allowing
us to reinvest in our remaining estate and
in the technology we need to support
our officers as they fight crime and
support victims. It is only with this kind
of intelligent investment that we will be
able to do more with less. The MPS is
focused on providing a more modern,
efficient, secure and cost-effective estate,
ensuring we remain at the forefront of
21st century policing and getting more
officers out on the streets, cutting crime,
cutting costs and providing total care for
Londoners."
Artistic campaign
to tackle a sticky
situation
By Jade Parker
Chewing gum that has been discarded
on the streets of Kensington and
Chelsea is being transformed into mini
works of art, in a campaign to highlight
how many people do not dispose of it
properly.
Ben Wilson AKA the Chewing Gum
Man is known for turning unsightly
gobs of chewing gum into pieces of art
throughout London. His paintings of
chewing gum can take anywhere from
3 hours to a few days to complete, and
his work has made him somewhat of a
mini celebrity in South Korea following
a television appearance there.
In a launch campaign, Ben Wilson
joined forces with recycling companies
Gumdrop and Suez to highlight just
how much chewing gum is disposed
of incorrectly and encourage people to
recycle their sticky treat. David Palmer-
Jones, Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ
Recycling and Recovery UK said: “This
campaign to encourage behavioural
change will help to ensure that discarded
gum doesn't simply stick to the streets
of London but instead becomes a useful
resource and can be used to make new
products.”
A piece of chewing gum can cost
as little as 3p. However just one piece
costs £1.50 to clean up, money which
the council argues could be redirected
towards front-line services.
RBKC Councillor Timothy Ahern
told KCW Today: “Very few people would
dispute the fact that spitting chewing
gum onto the streets is a disgusting habit.
It’s a nuisance for people, who have
to watch where they walk and it looks
unsightly. Not only that, it is expensive
and time consuming for councils to clean
up. Hopefully this campaign will free the
sole and make people think twice about
dropping their chewing gum on our
streets.”
Anyone caught dropping litter or
chewing gum in the Royal Borough
currently risks paying an eighty pound
fine. Cllr Ahern told KCW Today that he
wants chewing gum companies to also
pay up: “We would like manufacturers to
pay a tax on the sale of each gum packet
which would be passed to the Council to
pay for gum removal.”
The campaign which started in late
October will run until early May 2016,
focusing its attention on area hotspots
within the borough where chewing gum
is particularly rife.
Boris reveals new
transport fare
prices
By Jade Parker
The Mayor of London has announced
that there will be real term fare freezes
and that children’s free travel will be
extended to include National Rail
services, in the latest report on public
transport fares for 2016.
Although fares will rise by one
percent in accordance with inflation
rates, the Mayor has assured Londoners
that all single bus fares will remain at
£1.50 and that only two tube fares will
rise in price; the fares which will be
increased will include a 10p increase to
two tube fares and a 20p rise on an allzone
travelcard.
The Mayor’s plans also include the
extension of free travel for children less
than 11 years of age, so it now includes
National Rail services within London.
Other plans include the re-zoning of
several East London stations, including
Stratford, to be changed from zone 3
stations to zone 2/3. The Mayor’s office
says this will help fit in with the ‘shifting
economic map’ which has seen increased
business in East London following the
construction of the Olympic Stadium
and Westfield shopping centre.
The Mayor of London, Boris
Johnson, said: “I’m delighted that we’re
able to yet again freeze overall fares
in real terms for our passengers. It’s
the third year in a row that we’ve been
able to offer this great deal, allowing us
to keep the cost of travel down while
continuing our vital programme to
modernise the network.”
“Hundreds of thousands of families
will also benefit now that we’ve struck
a deal to extend free travel for under
11s across all rail services in London.
By securing this deal on National Rail
services, we are taking away the fares
confusion for so many and opening up
wider travel in the capital for families to
enjoy.”
The updated fare prices, which are
expected to bring in £43 million for
Transport for London, will take effect
from the 2nd of January.