Forest Gate North – Rachel Tripp's councillor blog

Ellie writes…

The best bit about being a Councillor is working with inspiring, proactive residents making a difference in our community. And we aren’t short of them in Forest Gate. It is always a pleasure to be able to support the residents who organise the fabulous Forest Gate Festival (is this its 11th or 12th year?). And again this year the sun shone on a packed Osborne Road. Highlights for me included the tea dance, the veggie noodles and Seyi losing at Connect Four (see pic)!

Another passionate group of residents are those setting up the Forest Gate Community Garden. Seyi and I popped along to their steering group meeting last week to discuss where they have got too and next steps. I don’t understand nearly enough about gardening to follow most of the conversation but I do understand that a five year lease has now been granted by the Council and I am looking forward to the site visit next week. In the meantime keep an eye out on the corner of Sebert and Woodgrange Rd outside CoffeE7 next Monday, July 7th – lots of fun to be had (*spoiler alert*)!

Finally, I had the pleasure of chairing an incredibly powerful event which the Forest Gate Women’s Institute held with the Council’s Domestic Violence team. The focus of the meeting was on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) prevention. FGM has been in the news a lot recently and the Council now funds a One Stop Shop and 24-hour phone line to ensure no one has to suffer in silence. This single point of contact means a range of services are working together to provide joined-up, practical support for those experiencing domestic violence, including FGM. The phone line, run by staff and amazing volunteers, can be reached on 0845 451 2547. You can hear one of our amazing caseworkers speaking on the radio this week here (from 01:43:00).

Over 50 members of the WI, local residents, teachers, health workers, and community workers made actions plans about what they were going to do at work and in the community to promote the service and tackle the problem.

Much more needs to be done to understand the extent of the issue, the causes and the solutions but this is a great start to begin to tackle this inhumane practice and it was great to see the WI leading on this locally.

Rachel writes…

When we were out doorknocking in preparation for the election, one of the things that consistently came up on the doorstep was parking. Particularly on Sebert Road, residents told us they were unhappy that they couldn’t park near their houses.

Generally, I am sorry to say that I learnt quite early on to start conversations about parking by saying, with a smile, “The thing about parking is that no one is happy. People who live in a place where parking is restricted aren’t happy. People who live in a place where it’s not restricted aren’t happy. No one is happy.” Whilst this sounds a bit pessimistic and defestist, I find this tends to break the ice, we both have a short dark laugh about how difficult parking is, and we can then explore the specific issue they are raising properly.

Now, the Council is consulting on creating a new Resident Parking Zone (RPZ)  in Forest Gate North. The proposed area includes Sebert Road, Barwick Road and Horace Road, the early (Western-most) part of Capel Road.

An RPZ means restricting parking during certain hours to those who live there. If there is a problem in a road where people who do not live there are parking there, an RPZ can be a good solution. You have probably noticed that parking is often restricted near train stations, for example, to try to prevent people from parking up for the day, then hopping on the train for their commute. If you live within a RPZ you can apply for a resident’s permit, which you display in your car. People who visit you and want to park in the zone will need to display visitors’ permits, which you can obtain and give to them. People who do not live on your road cannot park there, which should make it easier for residents to park.

Whilst this all may sound positive, RPZs can be controversial and difficult to get right. Whilst the first permit is free, there are charges for subsequent permits, which means an RPZ may be a less attractive option if your household has more than one car. You may find it inconvenient to give visitors permits, or some people object entirely to having to display a permit to park outside their home. Another important factor is the ‘knock-on’ effect that an RPZ has on neighbouring roads. Sometimes parking problems are simply transferred from one road to the next, which then requests its own RPZ and in turn moves the problem on to the next road. There is no easy answer to this.

Consultation packs went out to all those who live in the area over the weekend, and have already caused some discussion (if you haven’t received one, please email forestgaterpz@newham.gov.uk with your name and address to ask for one). I knew this was going to be an early baptism of fire into Council business when I had two separate people collar me to ask me about it on the school run on Monday!

The most important thing to bear in mind is that this is a genuine consultation. The Council has no particular position on RPZs: they are created where enough residents want them, and not created where there isn’t the desire for them. So if you have strong feelings about the proposal, either way, this is your chance to respond and have your views heard.

The corollary to this is that at the end, whatever is decided, there are strong opinions on each side, so not everyone will be happy. But this is your chance to have your say. Do chat to me, or to Ellie or Seyi if you see us. But please also make sure you respond to the consultation and say what you want to happen.

I am sure there will be more to say, and further blog posts on this!

For now, good night.