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• 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.

• [From Comments Summer 2008] MILLIONS Of ££s pour into HCC and Whitton Schools: Hampton Community College is one of three schools that has been earmarked for academy status, as the Lib Dem led Council continues its drive to raise standards. The academy plan could see significant improvements in standards and a multi million pound investment in new buildings for HCC, Whitton and East Sheen schools. The preferred sponsor for the Whitton and HCC schools is Kunskapsskolan, the largest independent provider of schools in Sweden. Sweden has some of the best secondary education in Europe, and the council is bringing that expertise to Richmond. The schools will remain English, but use the most modern personalised learning techniques. The local authority intends to act as a co-sponsor.

Their potential arrival in the borough has been welcomed by local MP Vince Cable, and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Nationally, the Conservatives have also heavily praised the Swedish model of education "This is good news for local parents. The academy programme will see millions of pounds made available for school refurbishment. Most importantly, local children could get the opportunity to benefit from an organisation who have a track record of delivering first rate education," said Vince Cable MP. Cllr Malcom Eady added "The two schools, local parents, and nearby primary schools have been asked to comment on the" vision" documents for the two academies. In the autumn, if the council gives the go- ahead, and government approval is obtained, a full community consultation process begins.

• CONCERNS over Cuts in Station Manpower Local Councillors and MP Vincent Cable have expressed outrage at South West trains' proposal to cut 58 posts from their station manpower including cuts at Fulwell station. The proposal would see customer windows in Fulwell close on Monday to Fridays at 10 am and all day at the weekends. Vince Cable has written to SW Trains' Chief Executive to register local residents' concerns. "If SW train's Chief Executive thinks that automated vending are working well then he should spend more time at our stations when there are often long queues. This is a major reduction in service which rail users will not be able to understand when rail fares are rising faster than inflation The rail company does not make life easy for people who need to get tickets and information about their journey" said Vince.

• SUCCESS! After years of pressing, your councillors Jerry Elloy and Malcolm Eady have secured Council funding for a playground in Alpha park. Funds have been earmarked for the 2009/10 budget year. The next step is to design the scheme and consult with local residents, so that work can begin as soon as the funds are available. A playground was always supposed to be part of the Alpha Road Park, when the Council took it over, as part of a deal to allow the development of adjacent flats. However, the developers were unable to meet their obligations, and funding has now been se- cured from the council. There is a real need for a kids playground as the nearest one in the Teddington part of the ward is on Church Road.

• STANLEY Road residents and traders were rightly appalled at stories in the local press that a bus lane was scheduled for Stanley Road. "It is not true!", says Councillor Jerry Elloy, who took up the matter with the Council. "A request for funding a review of the 281 bus route between Twickenham and Teddington was made. Any recommendations coming out of the review will need widespread consultation before anything is done. Stanley Road is simply not appropriate for a bus Lane and your councillors have already registered their objections."

• RECYCLING Rates Top 40%: The Council are now looking at ways to simplify the system in an effort to drive the recycling figure over the 50% mark. When the Lib Dems took control of Richmond Council they promised to put the environment at the heart of decision making. The Council has won national praise for its green schemes. Actions speaks louder than words!

• COMMUTERS from Fulwell station will be only too aware of the terrible state of the access from Wellington Road, through Wellington Gardens. This is because the access is private and in the ownership of those who live in Wellington Gardens. Councillor Jonathan Cardy has been pressing the Council to see if it can help, and the Council is now trying to identify funding to improve the access.

• TWO meetings were held at Stanley Junior School, by Paragon Housing to consult residents on their plans to convert the garage sites into affordable houses. Cllrs Cardy and Elloy attended the meetings, and as as a result, amendments have been made to the designs of the buildings by the architects, and other comments are under consideration by the Housing Association.

• HAMPTON Hill will soon have a new library! In September the Cabinet of the council will be asked to approve the plan to relocate the library into the new buildings which are being built on the old petrol station site. "We will now have a modern library in a convenient lo- cation." Cllr Eady

Malcolm John Eady Liberal Democrat 2015 Elected

Jonathan Martin Cardy Liberal Democrat 1998 Elected

Jeremy Andrew Wharton Elloy Liberal Democrat 1972 Elected

Sallie Jane Colak-Antic The Conservative Party Candidate 1072

Gloria Mariam Cadet The Conservative Party Candidate 1032

Jonathan Henry Amberton Hollis The Conservative Party Candidate 985

Monica Jayne Saunders Green Party 458

Leonard James Griffiths The Labour Party Candidate 222