February 2009 Archives

A record number of youngsters flocked to polling stations this year, wanting to ensure their favourite candidate was elected to the UK Youth Parliament.

More than 7,000 young people voted at more than 20 polling stations across Harrow in the week leading up to the announcement - almost 2,000 more than in last year's election.

Harrow's two places in the UK Youth Parliament were won by Aakash Bharania, and Rhiya Pau, both 15, while Amar Chandarana and Mahek Metha claimed deputy spots.

The budding Gordon Browns and Boris Johnsons, who had all been nominated for the posts by their peers, were given the results at the Civic Centre last week and will now join members drawn from all over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) was set up nine years ago as a way to improve youth participation in decision-making.

Harrow had previously been allowed just one elected Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) on the UKYP and one deputy, but has been asked to elect two of each for the past two years.

Budding young artists have the chance to make their own zodiac birth plaques.

The Arty Pants! sessions for children between the ages of four and 11 years old will take place at Harrow Museum and Heritage Centre, in Pinner View, from 3.45pm today (Thursday).

The drop-in sessions take place every Thursday and cost £2.50.

For more information call 020 8861 2626.

Police have launched a campaign to bring driving offences to a halt by showing felons the consequences of their crimes.

Officers at Harrow on the Hill Safer Neighbourhood Team brought out crushed remnants of impounded cars on Tuesday, to show drivers that crime does not pay.

As part of Operation Reclaim more than 80 cars were pulled over in four hours, of which four were seized and one arrest made for drink-driving.

Cars were seized because the owners had no proof of insurance, but Sergeant Edward Baildon said this kind of crime often revealed more serious activity.

He said: "We started running this operation in the lead up to Christmas, and we have seen that often drivers who are found with no insurance or driving license are responsible for other crimes such as burglary.

"Showing them the result of such crimes with the crushed vehicles just helps to hit home the seriousness of driving offences."

Mr Baildon said drivers of the impounded cars will now have 15 days to give proof of insurance, or their vehicles face being crushed.

Cars above a certain valuation may escape the crusher by being auctioned, while others will be compressed into a cube and recycled.

Fairtrade Fortnight is being celebrated at Harrow Baptist Church with coffee mornings next week.

Passers-by can pop in for a hot drink and a chat at the place of worship in College Road, Harrow, between 10am and 12noon on Tuesday, February 24, and Thursday, February 26.
There will also be a tradecraft stall set up in the lobby.

The national Fairtrade Fortnight aims to promote ethically-sourced goods such as drinks, chocolate and fruit.

Former Harrow mayor Graham Hines has died at home at the age of 80 after suffering several months of illness.

Mr Hines spent 24 years as a Conservative councillor and was deputy mayor in 1974/75, becoming mayor the following year, and chaired the education and highways committees.

Present Mayor of Harrow, Councillor John Nickolay, said: "I knew Graham Hines for more than 50 years.

"He was responsible for recruiting me into politics, after knocking on my parents' door, and he was a great example to follow.

"Graham was particularly interested in education and highways and, of course, served with distinction as mayor. He was an inspiring figure and we will miss him greatly."

Mr Hines was living in Hereford, Herefordshire, at the time of his death and is survived by his sister, wife, two married sons and five grandchildren.

The funeral is being held on Tuesday, February 24 at 2pm at Much Birch Church, in Much Birch, Hertfordshire.

Donations, in lieu of floral tributes, can be made to Marie Curie Cancer Care, and sent to the undertakers Bayley Brothers Hereford Ltd, 1719 Cotterell Street, Hereford HR4 OHH.

Harrow had just one tenth of its annual winter supply of gritting salt left at the weekend before a much-needed delivery turned up on Tuesday.

The authority was down to 180 tonnes at its depot at Forward Drive, Wealdstone, including 35 tonnes given to it by Transport for London, until the first part of a 500-tonne order arrived two days ago from Cleveland in north-east England.

Contractor EnterpriseMouchel had used 20 tonnes per day, 10 in the morning and 10 in the evening, during the worst of the ice and snow a fortnight ago.

Speaking on Tuesday, the council's highways manager John Greenfield said: "Our stocks were crucially low this morning, but luckily the London Local Authority Control Centre (LLACC) has been working to ensure boroughs don't actually run out during this national salt shortage.

"Thanks to LLACC's work, Transport for London has helped us out by allocating 35 tonnes to us from their very own stockpile."

Traffic and noise are expected to increase as track renewal works take place on the Metropolitan Line which will be partially suspended over the weekend of March 7/8.

Metronet Rail, which is owned by Transport for London, is renewing tracks around Harrow on the Hill station.

There will be no Met Line service from Wembley Park to Rayners Lane, Rickmansworth and Watford in both directions for the whole weekend.

Work begins at 9pm on March but stations will only close after the last train that night and will re-open for the first train on Monday morning.

Travel queries on 020 7222 1234 or visit

The possibility of introducing residents-only parking to Harrow on the Hill will be investigated following a petition from frustrated locals.

Thirty-three signatories called on Harrow Council to investigate creating a controlled parking zone (CPZ) because they "are having increasing difficulty in parking near our homes and we believe commuters - both daily and longer term - are parking on these roads which causes the problem".

Ward councillor Eileen Kinnear (Conservative) presented the petition to the authority's traffic and road safety advisory panel last November.

The panel met on Wednesday and decided to approve undertaking some initial research about whether a CPZ would work and where it would be, given the historical opposition to such measures.

Past attempts at tackling parking congestion by removing on-street bays from the area's narrow streets were resisted by residents on the Hill.

The possibility of introducing residents-only parking to Harrow on the Hill will be investigated following a petition from frustrated locals.

Thirty-three signatories called on Harrow Council to investigate creating a controlled parking zone (CPZ) because they "are having increasing difficulty in parking near our homes and we believe commuters - both daily and longer term - are parking on these roads which causes the problem".

Ward councillor Eileen Kinnear (Conservative) presented the petition to the authority's traffic and road safety advisory panel last November.

The panel met on Wednesday and decided to approve undertaking some initial research about whether a CPZ would work and where it would be, given the historical opposition to such measures.

Past attempts at tackling parking congestion by removing on-street bays from the area's narrow streets were resisted by residents on the Hill.

Two hotel chains are interested in opening branches in Harrow with the London Olympics just three years away.

Budget accommodation chain Travelodge is investigating opportunities, as is Hampton by Hilton, an American economy venture by the luxury worldwide brand that is coming to the UK.

The borough currently boasts approximately 900 rooms, including those at the University of Westminster campus, but Harrow Council wants to see this number rise by at least 10 per cent by 2012.

A spokesman for Travelodge said: "We strongly believe there isn't enough hotel capacity in London boroughs.

"Outer London is woefully under-supplied.

"It's fair to say we have identified a number of sites in Harrow that we are currently looking at developing.

"We'd consider an interest in taking over a going concern and we'd also look at new build. For Harrow, the hotel will be between 50 and 120 rooms, I would assume, since that's the size we go for."

A spokeswoman for Hampton by Hilton said: "There are sites across the UK that we are interested in and I can confirm Harrow is one of them.

"Hampton by Hilton hotels tend to be new-build. However, if there were opportunities to convert that's no less a possibility."

Incidentally, Harrow Council is still to decide whether to approve plans to convert an empty Scanmoor House in Northolt Road, South Harrow, into a 40-room hotel.

The council's tourism strategy aims to bring in a raft of measures to increase spending by overseas visitors by 20 per cent to £96million and the total spend for all types of visitors by 10 per cent.