• May 2010 Election %s: C 34.9; LD 50.1; L 10.1; G 0; I 4.9. LD hold. PLEASE scroll down the page for details of Jonathan Cardy, Malcolm Eady and Jerry Elloy

• [From Comments Spring 2010]: EXPANSION of primary schools in North-West Teddington is well under way as part of the Council's plans to tackle the baby boom. A new planning application for St Mary's and St Peter's School is out for public consultation while the governors of the two Stanley schools are considering the feasibility study for a combined school on their site. The modified St Mary's & St Peter's plans, which would enable the school to move to 3-form entry from 2, have evolved through discussions with local residents and Sport England. The playing field area has been increased significantly and the multi-use games area has been moved further away from the boundary fence so that it minimises disturbance to nearby properties.

The Stanley Schools proposals are to close the infant school and convert the junior school to a primary school. There will be a new classroom block, remodeling of the current junior school buildings and the demolition of most of the infant school block and provision of a unit for children with Autistic Spectrum Conditions. Also on the site will be a new Children's centre and increased provision for nursery aged children. These plans are part of a borough wide capital investment programme for our schools. Locally, the programme also includes the £37m rebuilding of Teddington (secondary) School, which is due to open in September and the £161⁄2m rebuilding and refurbishment programme for Hampton Community College, which is due to be completed in 2013.

• RESIDENTS have raised concerns about the level of development on the Shacklegate Lane and Railway Road garage sites. In response, your local councillors ensured that the sites were not overdeveloped, just 10 house on the two sites, that 21 parking spaces were provided, over half for local residents, and that problems with overlooking were addressed. We have also contacted St Mary's College to discuss concerns about the pressure it puts on parking locally. We have been assured that any increase in students would likely to be limited to 200, and they will probably be off-site. We have also successfully pressured for yellow lines to be painted at a number of road junctions to improve road safety in the area. A developer is about to submit plans for the business site at the junction of Somerset and Elmtree Roads. We are keen to talk to local residents to ensure any redevelopment is appropriate for the area."

• HAMPTON HILL LIBRARY, which has just moved to attractive new premises in the High Street, has extended its opening hours . The library, which moved from the old Windmill Road site at the end of January will now open at 9.30 am five days a week and will be open for an additional half day on a Thursday. Hours have also been extended at Hampton Library, enabling it to open on Mondays between 10 am and 6 pm. "The Lib Dem team worked hard to get a new a library and this a great new facility. We have already seen a big boost in visitor numbers; we had 150 new members join in the first week" said Cllr Cardy.

• THE proposal by the Royal Parks to charge for car parking in Bushy Park has met strong local opposition from your Lib Dem Council and others including the Friends of Bushy Park. "The proposal is not appropriate in a Park surrounded by residential roads that have unrestricted parking. We are concerned about the possible knock-on effect on the borders of Bushy Park, for example in Laurel and Blandford Roads," said Cllr Malcom Eady, who attended the recent rally against the charges with Vince Cable MP.

• BUS Pressure Pays Off: Pressure from local councillors has led to more buses on the 281 route which runs down Stanley Road, but Transport for London still maintains it is providing an adequate 681 service between Hounslow and Teddington School. However they have said they will monitor the situation.

• HAMPTON Road Crossing Success: Help is at hand for pedestrians who need to cross the busy Hampton Road. Work on installing a light-controlled crossing near the junction with Blandford Road is due to begin in March. "There has been a need for a crossing for a long time given the volume and speed of traffic on Hampton Road. With the new NPL building main entrance now off Hampton Road, that need has only increased." said Councillor Jerry Elloy.

• COMMUNITY toilet scheme: One of the popular initiatives started by the Liberal Democrats on Richmond Council has been the Community Toilet Scheme. 90 toilets in pubs, cafés, and offices around the borough are now open to the public. The Council pays the venue £600 a year to allow unrestricted access to the toilets. This is very much cheaper, and offers many more toilets, than the traditional public toilets, which are very expensive to maintain. Just look for the Community Toilet sign outside.

• 33 places in the HAMPTONS and TEDDINGTON have joined the scheme: Adelaide; Bell Hill Wharf; Bell Inn; Bloated Mallard; Blubeckers; Caffe Mimmo; Cardinal Wolsey; Carlisle Park Bowl Pavilion; Coffee Mill; Greenwood Centre; Hampton Hill Library; Hampton Open Air Pool; Jolly Coopers; King's Field Pavilion; King's Head; L'Amandine; Lion; Nearest Cafe; Old Goat; Railway Hotel; Railway Bell; RedLion; Scarpetta; Swan Hampton Wick; Teddington Arms; Teddington Cemetery; Teddington Library; Teddington Pool and Fitness Centre; Tide End Cottage; White Hart Hotel; White House Community Centre; Wimpy; and the Windmill [Hampton Hill].

• The Borough's 90 Community Toilets

• From Comments Winter 2009: TEDDINGTON Hospital: The Primary Care Trust which runs Teddington Memorial Hospital has decided to introduce charges for its car park. Following this decision, the Council agreed to run this car park. The same payment methods will therefore apply here as in Council car parks including free parking for blue badge holders, and the option to pay either by mobile or with cash. It will be for the hospital to decide what scheme they implement to give parking permits to visitors and staff. There has been concern that a few people have been using the hospital as a convenient place to park for Teddington town centre.

• CONSULTATION shows strong support for academies: An independent consultation on the future of Hampton Community College has shown encouraging support for the Council's proposal to turn it into an Academy. In answer to the question:- 75% were broadly supportive Cllr Eady, the Cabinet member for Children's Services said "I'm very pleased that we have had such a strong support for the proposals. There is similar deep- seated support from the staff, governors and parents, so I am confident that the school has a strong mandate for change, and a very exciting future. If the proposals are agreed by the Council and the government, then the new school will open in September next year and we will then have access to about £16m for new and refurbished buildings."

• HAMPTON Hill retailers plan to appoint a part time Town Centre Manager to make a more vibrant shopping area in the town with the help of funds from the Council. The Council has given the Hampton Hill Traders' Association £5,000 towards the project from its Town Centres Opportunities Fund. A similar sum will come from the Association's own money-raising efforts. The new Town Centre Manager will coordinate a range of initiatives to improve the area, to the benefit of traders and shoppers alike.

• WARD Name Remains Unchanged: The Council has settled for the status quo after a consultation on whether the ward name should be changed to "Hampton Hill and North Teddington" from "Fulwell and Hampton Hill". The change had been suggested by some residents and by the Teddington Society following recent legislation allowing ward names to be changed. A small majority of the few people who responded to the consultation favoured keeping the existing name, and your ward councillors voted in line with this.

• DOUBLE Yellow Lines: New double yellow lines have been painted at the junction of Church Road and Shacklegate Lane and on Elmtree Road to improve visibility for parents taking their children to school. Double yellows will soon appear on parts of Somerset, Gloucester and Edward Roads near junctions, together with Allbrook Close.

• HAMPTON Hill's new library will have extra facilities and as many books for adults and more books for young people. The new facility in the High Street will be a modern purpose-designed building, enabling access improvements to be made including public toilets and baby changing facilities. "The new library looks set to be a big asset on the High Street." said Cllr Cardy.

• TEDDINGTON Theatre- Good News: Your local councillors have helped Teddington Theatre Club, which runs the marvellous little theatre in Hampton Hill High Street, to reach an agreement with the council which should help it to reach a wider audience. A change in the ground lease means it will no longer be necessary to become a club member to see plays and other shows at the theatre.

• THE Upper Lodge Water Gardens in Bushy Park opened to the public on 2nd October, later than originally anticipated, and should prove a great attraction for local people. The delay in opening was to allow time for a reasonable grass sward to get established following the hot weather in June.

From Comments Summer 2009: • HAMPTON Hill library is on the move. It is scheduled to transfer to one of the units being built on the old Texaco filling station sight in the High Street this autumn from its present Windmill Road site. This will bring the library into the centre of the community and as Councillor Jonathan Cardy says: "Hopefully the move will help boost High Street trade by attracting more people to the High Street." Councillor Cardy added the existing library building is protected as a "Building of Townscape merit".

• ALPHA Road's lovely little park has at last got its children's playground! The park was originally given to the Council as part of a deal to redevelop property in the area, and the intention was always to put in a playground, but the developers never met their obligations. Now, thanks to the persistence of Councillors Jerry Elloy and Malcolm Eady, the Council has installed the equipment, and the playground was officially opened on April 1. "I had to take my kids to the playgrounds at Church Road or the Swimming Pool at Teddington, and a visit to the big playground in Bushy Park was an event," said Jerry Elloy. "I'm glad that parents and kids are better catered for now."

• PEDESTRIAN Crossing for Hampton Road: Good news for Hampton Road residents and the NPL! After years of pressure on the Council from Cllrs Jerry Elloy and Malcolm Eady we can report that a pedestrian crossing on the Hampton Road between Teddington and Hampton Hill is in prospect. It forms part of the programme of works for 2009/10. In addition, money has been set aside to study the workings of the traffic lights at the cross roads at Hampton Hill High Street/Hampton Road/Park Road, to see if improvements can be made.

• CAR clubs have arrived in the borough! You may have noticed the new Car Club bay in Oxford Road. Car clubs are a convenient form of local car hire which can be booked by the hour. Your Council is providing spaces to set up Car Clubs across the borough. The aim of the scheme is to encourage residents to use cars only when they need them. This is potentially a huge benefit: it will relieve parking pressure in the borough, while saving money for members of car clubs. It is estimated that each car club car replaces 6 privately owned ones, and for families who only use a car or a second car occasionally it can be a much cheaper option.

• DOUBLE yellow lines will soon appear at the junctions of Somerset Road and Stanley Road, of Gloucester Road, Stanley Road and Albrook Close, and of Edwards Road, Albert Road and Park Road, all dangerous turnings on to main roads. The council is responding to requests from residents to make getting into and out of residential side roads easier. Cllr. Jerry Elloy says "We try not to take up too much parking space with these double yellows, but safety must come first, and the Highway Code requires you to park well away from corners anyway. Please let us know if you feel a street corner near where you live may be dangerous.

• DO we live in Teddington? Since the name of the ward was changed in 2002, we have received comments that it does not accurately describe the area covered by the ward. Recent changes in legislation have made it easier to change ward names, and at the last Area Consultation Meeting the majority of those present requested councillors to canvass opinion on whether to change the name from Fulwell and Hampton Hill to Hampton Hill and NW Teddington. We have agreed to initiate an official consultation.

• BARBARA Alexander, who served Hampton Hill for 12 years as a Liberal Democrat councillor, died at the end of April after a long illness. Barbara, who stepped down from the Council in 2002, will be remembered by many in our community as a hard working local councillor, who made a genuine contribution to the area. She was deputy leader of her local party and served on the education and social services committees.

• The Council had turned down a planning application to add another floor to Park Gate Court, the flats above the former Texaco filling station on Hampton Hill High Street. Your local Councillors along with local residents, the Friends of Bushy Park and the Royal Parks all objected, with concerns ranging from the views from the Park and from Hampton Hill.

• As part of your Council's work to improve local transport it is supporting the plan for the 33 Bus to go to a 24 hour service in early 2010 giving residents in the Stanley road area an all night service to and from London via Hammersmith.

• [From COMMENTS Winter 2008-9]: IMPROVING our Schools: Improving the borough's secondary schools was a key election pledge for the local Liberal Democrats when they were elected to run the Town Hall. We are delivering on this pledge! In 2007, the Council gave an extra million pounds in school funding to drive up exam results, and the summer of 2008 saw the best ever results! Teddington had a record year (79% achieving 5 A* to C grades) and HCC showed a significant improvement. The rebuild of Teddington school is now underway. Local Lib Dems on the Council helped secure funding for the rebuild after funding from the Government proved totally inadequate. Last year the council stepped in with £12m to ensure that the project could continue. The construction of this building will transform the learning environment for pupils for generations. The Academy project at HCC with the top Swedish education sponsor was delayed due to ministerial changes, but we are expecting "sign off" of the first stage very soon. Once this has happened we will start the full consultation process. The consultation with parents last summer showed strong support for the project. Cllr Malcolm Eady said, "We promised at the last election to improve secondary education in the borough. Progress has been made. Last year 91% of the Ofsted reports on our schools were either outstanding or good, compared to 60% nationally. We will continue to press for further improvements, especially at secondary level."

• TACKLING the School Spaces Shortage: The Council is investing heavily in expanding primary schools across the borough to cope with a baby boom. More babies are being born locally than ever before! St Mary's & St Peter's school is to be expanded to take 30 extra pupils a year. This follows the recent expansion of Collis School. As part of this process the Governors of the two Stanley schools have also been asked to consider an amalgamation and an expansion to four-form entry. This would mean extensive modernisation of the buildings. The governors have agreed to a feasibility study. Cllr Malcolm Eady, Cabinet member for Education said: "we are working very closely with the schools and Governors to deal with the problem, but as usual Government funding has been totally inadequate." The Council have put together a package of £33 million to fund expansion at five schools across the borough. Although, we will probably need in due course at least two more schools to agree to a permanent expansion. "We are determined to ensure that every child will continue to have a place at one of our excellent local schools," said Cllr Malcolm Eady

• PLAYGROUNDS looking up!: Things are looking up for the ward's play- grounds. After a local consultation the way is now clear for the installation of playground equipment in the Alpha Road Park. Work should begin in the spring. Meanwhile an overhaul of the Holly Road Recreation ground is imminent. In addi- tion to resurfacing work, a new path will be laid, the equipment refurbished and painted, new benches and trees will be provided, and new notice boards erected.

• VICTORY in Ticket Office Campaign: Good news for commuters! Following a campaign by MP Vince Cable, South West trains have been told by the government that they will not be able to drastically cut opening offices open at Strawberry Hill & Hampton stations.

• THE Norman Jackson Centre: Hampton Hill Junior School has come up with a particularly fitting way to commemorate Hampton Hill's only VC, Nor- man Jackson VC. The school has adopted Jonathan Cardy's suggestion to name its community facility, the former caretaker's house, the Norman Jackson VC Centre, celebrating his links with the school, which his children attended.

• ST CLARE'S Sainsbury's Pharmacy Expansion Rejected : A planning Inspector has finally put an end to Sainsbury's plans to open a pharmacy. The original application was rejected by the Council, but Sainsbury's appealed. A strong case, marshalled by the Hampton Hill Traders Association, the Council and local councillors saw off the supermarket giant. There were concerns that it endanger local high street pharmacies, and the vitality of the high street.

• HAMPTON Hill Library Update: A revised planning application for the Texaco garage site is being considered, and if successful, construction on a new library will start very soon.