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Hello everyone,

As you can imagine, the launch of the Heathrow expansion consultation has taken up a lot of my time in the past fortnight since the public consultation was launched.  Even so, its not the only thing I’ve been working on, so read on for my Heathrow update, and also a more general update locally.

Heathrow Update
I met with Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick on Thursday morning to discuss the public consultation.  Even now he and his officials seem to be in denial that the consultation documentation put out is not totally biased, having been largely developed by, and written with BAA, Heathrow’s operator.  When I challenged them over why they have dismissed their own report’s findings (the ANASE report) into how aircraft noise annoys people, they really didn’t have anything of substance to say whatsoever.  It is deeply concerning that these same people will be taking decisions we’ll have to live with locally for years to come.  They don’t seem to care what impact expanding Heathrow will have on our community.  Even so, I’ve invited Mr Fitzpatrick to our public meeting on 17^th January and hear what our community thinks of the government’s proposals.  However, if Ministers like Jim Fitzpatrick and his boss Ruth Kelly won’t come to listen to the public, then it makes it all the more important that we respond to their consultation.  With the help of many other residents I am also letting local residents know about the consultation – if you are one of the couple of hundred helping out with the delivery – thank you, and if you'd like to help, do get in touch with me.  Don’t waste the opportunity to have your say in this consultation – for the sake of our local quality of life for years to come, please do take the time to respond.

Postal Services
Lots of residents have continued to contact me saying that services are not back to normal.  I went back to the Royal Mail management and they’ve now admitted that our local service has been unacceptably poor.  They have apologised unreservedly and confirmed that our local sorting office was so full that post could not even be delivered to it at one point.  I think that things are getting back to normal with my own post and also based on the reduction of emails from other residents complaining to me, but if you feel yours is still bad, then let me know on greeningj@parliament.uk.  Thank you to everyone who already contacted me – without your information it would have been much more difficult to get Royal Mail to accept there was a problem locally and then deal with it.

Roehampton Regeneration
In the past fortnight I’ve been to a local residents’ AGM in Roehampton and also the Roehampton Partnership meeting.  The local post office in Danebury Avenue has finally got a cashpoint machine that residents can use.  It’s something that has taken 2 years to get done.  Along with the local post office manager, I’ve written and met with Post Office management to encourage them to put in a cashpoint machine so that there are free cashpoint facilities for residents on the Alton estate.  I never thought it would take that long but we got there in the end and that’s what counts.

If you need my help as MP do get in touch my emailing me on greeningj@parliament.uk, calling 0208 944 0378 to come to one of my weekly MP surgeries, or writing to me at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.  I’ll do my best to help you.

Best Wishes,

Justine

December 7, 2007