December 2008 Archives

Bob Mizon , the co-ordinator for the Campaign for Dark Skies, will be giving a talk on light pollution. The event, hosted by the West of London Astronomical Society, will take place at 8pm on January 12 2009 at St John's Ambulance Hall, off Pinner Road, North Harrow.
For more information visit www.wolas.org.uk

A man who died after a blaze at sheltered accommodation for the elderly has been named as Brian Leavens.
The 70-year-old was rescued by fire fighters from Gillian House, in Elms Road, Harrow Weald, on December 13.
He was taken to Northwick Park Hospital, in Watford Road, where he later died.
An inquest has been opened into Mr Leavens death after the fire at the flats, which are owned by Harrow Churches Housing Association.

Three men attacked a man as he walked to his car on Elms Road, Harrow, yesterday (December 21).
The 45-year-old was punched in the head after the men asked him for the time.
The crooks stole a mobile phone from the man before running into Twickenham Gardens and into Lorraine Park.

Thieves broke into a home and stole a laptop, mobile phone and cash worth £870 while the owner slept.
The 51-year-old man was woken by a breeze from an open back door at his house in Ruskin Gardens, Harrow, on Saturday (December 20).
He discovered clothes thrown around the house and his wallet had been taken from his pocket.

A white van was stolen after a driver left the engine running to pop into his house in Lockett Road, Harrow on Saturday (December 20) between 7.05am and 7.10am.
When the owner returned the VW van had gone, it was found later in Dalton Road, with the keys missing.

Reducing the opening hours at the borough's libraries to save cash is just one belt-tightening move planned by Harrow Council in its first credit crunch-hit budget.

The Conservative administration is proposing to trim expenditure to the tune of £4.8 milion across all departments, its draft spending plans for 2009/10 show.

Savings of £1.25m are expected through an increase in parking camera fines, while shortening library opening hours will cut costs by £102,000 and a 'review' of the highways department is anticipated to shave £133,000 off expenditure.

More than half a million pounds of foreseen savings is attributed to unspecified projects identified by Capita, the private company contracted several years ago to help cut costs.
Elsewhere, the council wants to get rid of a £200,000 from a sum set aside to employ external barristers, as well as sparing £203,000 by merging its the early years and community services functions.

What Harrow Council will be spending taxpayer money on, however, includes the provision of social care - to the tune of £670,000 - and just shy of £250,000 for extended schools, whereby pre- and post-school activities are provided to the local community.

The Tory-controlled authority has pencilled in forking out £267,000 towards the construction and running costs of three Neighbourhood Resource Centres, which will host day centres for residents with learning disabilities.

Providing waste collection and recycling services will be an anticipated £800,000, less a rebate of £139,000 for the high rate of composting the borough achieves. Two hundred thousand pounds will be invested into road maintenance.

A policy of setting aside £1m per year to build up a £5m reserve was revised so annual deposits will be just £500,000.

Harrow Council's proposed total revenue budget for April 2009 to March 2010 is £168.6m. Its capital budget is anticipated to be £56m, of which the authority has to find £32m (entirely by borrowing) and the remaining coming from external funding, primarily the Transport for London and the Department for Children's, Schools and Families.

An electric fan caught fire at a home in Parkthorne Close, North Harrow at 3.10am on Wednesday (December 17). The extractor fan, used to dispel odours from bathrooms and kitchens, short circuited and started the blaze.
Two fire engines went to the house and twelve fire fighters tackled the flames in the building, which was damaged by smoke.

A man drove off in a woman's car after snatching the keys from her hand.

The white male, aged about 20, struck in Woodpecker Close, Harrow, at 8.30pm on Wednesday.

As well as her blue Astra the 43-year-old victim lost her handbag and a small amount of cash.

A housing association that links single people with private landlords is supplying 40 shoeboxes filled with gifts to vulnerable clients in Harrow and four other boroughs.

Linda Lancaster, from Amersham-based Paradigm Housing, said the donations would help its customers who were struggling this Christmas.

Harrow's Interfaith Council has led a multi-faith prayer vigil for the victims in Mumbai at Harrow Civic Centre.

A two-minute silence was held in the main council chamber as representatives of nine different religions gathered to pay their respects to those killed by terrorist attacks in India. At least 170 people were killed after terrorists attacked the Taj Mahal and Oberoi-Trident hotels in Mumbai and other locations last month.

Mary Hale, chairman of the Harrow Interfaith Council, who chaired the vigil said: "The fact that the nine faiths are able to work together is a visible sign of the good relationships of the faiths in Harrow".

The mayor's chaplain, Rev Tony Rablen, delivered the opening prayer.

Those offering faith prayers at the event were: Martha Besser (Bahai); Rev David Tuck (Christian); Bharat Maharaj (Hindu); Dr Vinod Kapashi (Jain); Arik Yacobi (Jewish); Imam Mohammed Akram (Muslim); Paramjit Singh-Kohli (Sikh); Phiroza Gan (Zoroastrian) and Mary Hale (Buddhist).

More than 80 people attended the event, including the mayor and mayoress Councillors John and Joyce Nickolay, local faith leaders, community group representatives and a cross-party group of councillors of whom Councillors Anjana Patel, Paul Scott, Navin Shah and Bill Stephenson made speeches.