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From: Josh
Date: 2/15/03
Time: 5:21:31 PM
Remote Name: 195.7.225.247
Interestingly, councillors won't get the chance to vote on this as I understand it. Only one man makes the decision, and that is the Cabinet member responsible, Cllr Mike Heywood. His decision can be "called in" by a scrutiny committee, and this is what was done in the case of the Hayes one. Four councillors on the scrutiny committee have to ask for it to be called in, and in Hayes, this is what happened. There was a swift and impressive response from local councillors once the campaign started on HayesMiddlesex.com I was then invited to attend the scrutiny meeting and give a presentation against CPZs, which I did, and Cllr Heywood, who is a thoroughly decent man, attended to listen. Worryingly, the man who's responsible for the CPZs in Harrow, and Hammersmith and Fulham, also attended to advise on "CPZ standards". He was FRIGHTENING. Bear in mind that thanks to him, residents in Ham & Ful are allowed only 2 permits, the first costs £80 and the second costs £400. I immediately wrote to Mike Heywood asking whether this man was advising Hillingdon, and he gave me an assurance that he wasn't and wouldn't be. I am stunned that your ward councillors are failing so lamentably to fight this one on your behalf, when the wishes of the great mass of people in their ward are so patently obvious. It's a tricky one this, because they may not deserve your vote next time round, but what if you don't wish to vote for any of the other parties (especially given that anti-car vendettas are positively encouraged in large sections of those two parties.) I think you would be looking at trying to find people willing to stand as independents next time round. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, and that the threat alone will jolt your elected representatives out of their bizarre indifference to the tyranny hanging over you. I'm told one of them has said that as a councillor he's not allowed to take sides. I've never heard such rubbish in my life. Don't accept it.