Heena Modi

This message has been written by Debbie Alway - the Chair of the Leaseholder Support Group

If you would like to be kept informed, or if you have any suggestions or would like to participate in the activities of the Leaseholder Support Group, please send a blank email to harrow_lsg@yahoo.co.uk so that we can add your email address to our mailing list.

The more people that become involved with the Group, the greater  ‘voice’ the Group will have, and the better it will be able to protect  all of the Leaseholders’ interests.

We can work together to tackle issues such as: -

• your estate in general
• service charges
• the standard of services that are provided

In our Waste Group committee meetings we’ve been talking about these thick rubber bands that have been turning up all over the place!

It may sound little but when you live in a fairly clean area, seeing these rubber bands all over the place is unsightly! Then of course, you have the issue of injustice. Individuals can be fined for dropping litter but a giant like Royal Mail can let their staff continue to do it and get away with it? Also, who will clear them up?

Well….there seems to be a lot of people who are unhappy with it because the Keep Britain Tidy campaign got loads of bands sent in to them! Over 1000 bands were sent to them in one week!

So I’ve written to Keep Britain Tidy and Royal Mail.

Mick Oliver who is the Chair of the Waste Group has written to Royal Mail after I copied him in to my communication with them. Here’s what he wrote: -

Dear Kirsty,

Heena Modi and I share an interest in wishing for Harrow to be free of red rubber band litter, and she has copied me in on her emails to you.

Over the last week I have gathered 60g (2oz) of red rubber band litter at the junction of Alton Ave., Stanmore with The Highway. Alton Ave. is a small suburban cul de sac - I picked up my sample in 2 pickings. In no way can these have been dropped accidentally - they have obviously been discarded deliberately.

I have been in separate contact with Royal Mail in the past and was disappointed at the outcome, which led me to publicise my contacts in Harrow Agenda 21 “In Contact” - this article is given below. We are also supporting Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign - can I refer you to www.keepbritaintidy.org/News/Default.aspx?newsID=309 ?

Regards

Mick Oliver

Chair, HA21 Waste & Recycling Group

Royal Mail rubber band litter

In less responsible times a cross-country run could take the form of a paper-chase, when a leader scattered paper as he ran, and everyone else followed his trail. These days have gone – almost! Now you can follow your postman by following the trail of red rubber bands he scatters.

The Waste and Recycling group find this objectionable for the following reasons:

We are aware of the Waste hierarchy Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and fully support it. This is a hierarchy, in order of merit. All products have to be manufactured, which uses both energy and the raw materials the product is made from. By reusing items we avoid using energy and raw materials – sustainability, for our benefit and future generations.

It is litter, which is already a big enough problem.

Fast food litter is a larger problem, but fast food litter is left by the fast food companies’ customers – rubber band litter is left by Royal Mail’s employees as they carry out their normal duties, a situation Royal Mail have a chance of controlling.

Litter is an offence, and single items of litter like cigarette ends, Wotsits and pastry from a sausage roll have resulted in prosecutions, with fines between £50 and £80 – Royal Mail are not considering this possibility.

You can often find as many as 10 rubber bands discarded in the same place (where the postman parks his car?). Single rubber bands could be dropped by accident – 10 in one place can only be discarded deliberately.

Harrow’s practice with autumn leaf fall is to compost it – this becomes more difficult if it is contaminated.

We have been in correspondence with Royal Mail. Royal Mail are an organisation with green credentials – their Christmas mailing to all their customers had 4 separate statements on green issues, and they have a Director responsible for Sustainability. We were disappointed with their replies, which did not address the fundamental issue on sustainability, and which we found unconvincing for the following reasons. They:

• promised that they would alert their local delivery office, to minimise the bands they dropped in the Chair’s street (fool the agitator and keep him quiet, never mind the wider issue of nationwide waste and litter)
• stated that the bands were made from natural rubber (using a buzz word that they hoped we would welcome, hence would keep us quiet. Whether rubber bands are made from natural or synthetic rubber, they are compounded with many other materials – rubber items are pretty artificial, whichever rubber is used.)
• stated that the bands are biodegradable (using another buzz word in the hope that this would satisfy us. Rubber items in the air and sunlight could deteriorate by embrittling and losing their elasticity – they will remain around as litter, and this photochemical action can hardly be described as “biodegradable”. We are surrounded by long-lasting rubber items such as tyres and erasers – surely Royal Mail are aware of these and that their claim is fatuous?)

Our correspondence with Royal Mail is now closed, but we thought it would interest readers of “In Contact”.

Check out these photos of rubber bands all over just one road in Harrow.

Any thoughts anyone?

I’ve been talking to a few people, just chatting, as you do! The thing is when they express how they feel at home and work, I seem to be hearing a lot of the same stuff. It can’t be the weather coz the weather’s lovely! Can it be the economy?

Generally, I’m hearing that people don’t feel consulted or they feel consulted but it’s a tokenistic gesture as it means nothing in the long run. If you’re feeling like this, is it time to re-evaluate and make changes to improve this area of your life?

Here’s something that a close friend wrote: -

Tired of feeling unsure about how to be

Tired of feeling like I have no control/input in decision making

Tired of feeling like when I’m involved in decision making it means nothing

Tired of feeling like only what you want/feel matters

Tired!

I got an email from my friend Chirag recently. He was really impressed that he could get a Jain meal on the flight. Check out the discussion that was sparked from this info: -

Hi all,

I’m travelling on Air New Zealand soon and took the opportunity to look at their meal options:

I spotted VJML – Jain Vegetarian Meal. Nice to see airlines catering for us!

VJML

Vegetarian Jain

Vegetarian foods prepared Indian style according to Jain customs

Please advise your contacts that they now have the option of ordering Jain food on planes – they should ask their carrier the next time they fly.

Regards,

Chirag.

Harshad replied to the forwarded email with a surprising response: -

Dear Heena,

Jain Meals have been offered by many international airlines over many years.  The IATA code for Jain Meal used to be JNML.

For reasons not known, many airlines withdrew this service and the JNML code was removed.

Many airlines, including BA, Thai, Mauritius, Quantas, ANZ, etc., have or are in the process of reintroducing Jain Meal on their flights.

Jains who are observers should enquire and book a JAIN meal.

Let us strive to put JAINISM on the world map in a stronger colour!

Mansukh then replied: -

Dear Heena,

I am delighted that even Airlines are taking on board and complying with the Jain dietary needs on long haul flights that cross the International Date Line. Despite the fact that we are but a tiny minority on the world stage our needs are recognised and catered for. In the midst of all around bad news this is something that is positive and helpful to us all.

Uncs.

Have you found out anything about meal provision on flights?

The Cabinet? What’s that I hear some of you ask. Click here to find out who is in the Harrow Council’s Cabinet. For further information about them click here.    

So Harrow Council has a Cabinet. They lobby MP’s for us, consult residents about changes, meet the public to discuss how they can support us with the council and so on. 

On June 10th there was a Q and A time with the Cabinet. We could submit questions in advance or raise them during the event. I’ve not been to anything like this before, nor did I know that these events occur every four months. I’ll definitely be at the next one! It was really good! :) 

Here are some questions and answers that I made notes about.

Q. Why has there been an increase in council tax? 

A. Although Harrow has pockets of deprivation, it is considered to be an affluent borough. Thus the government gives fewer grants and the sum of money given is not the same as that given to other boroughs. Harrow makes up for this shortfall through council taxes. 

Also because the government perceives Harrow to be an affluent borough; 30p in every £1 gained from rents is used to support other councils nationally. This scheme is led and carried out by the government.  

Q. Why are we seeing an increase in council taxes without an improvement in service provision?

A. Reviews and CPA assessments show that Harrow has improved. Harrow is classed as the 6th best borough in London. However, as with anything, you recall from experience and that defines and can blinker one’s view. The leader explained that perception is lagging behind the existing changes. Hopefully, residents will begin to ’see’ the improvement soon.

Q. How do you expect perception to change when at grass root level, residents experience things like their valuables being removed from a padlocked shed that they use because the council authorised it? This very specific example refers to cases where residents have called the council asking about their right to a shed. Some lease/tenancy agreements state that the resident should have a shed. The sheds are not numbers and the council have no log showing which sheds are in use or who uses them. Thus some members of staff have advised residents to claim a shed, remove the padlock and the items in the shed and put their own lock on the door. 

A. This is not condoned by the council. The councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane was made aware of this a week or so ago. He has asked Paul Najsarek to respond to him about this.

Q. What are we doing to improve Harrow Weald for young people?  

A. To name a few things a media centre with a link to community radio will be opened in the Wealdstone Centre very soon. Additionally, the Healthy Living Cafe in Wealdstone is not economically viable as it does not generate in income. However, it is important and necessary. The council has been subsidising it to prevent it’s closure. 

Q. Is it true that if 1 road in a consultation area has controlled parking, then all the roads will end up with it? 

A. No. Susan Hall explained that consultation documents are really important and it is the way for the Cabinet to know what residents want. However, very few people respond to them. If it is appropriate ot have controlled parking in one street but it would not be suitable for the whole area; the scheme will not be extended. 

Q. What is Harrow doing about residents who are parking in front of their house if there’s no crossover/dropped curb?

A. Many people have begun to drive over the curb to park on their front garden. The council will request that the residents apply for a crossover. If they do not, bollards will be erected to prevent them parking there. 

Q. Is this not costly? 

A. Yes but it is cheaper than repairing the pavements due to damage caused by people driving over them. It is also a means to protect the public from injuring themselves as they walk on this unsettled paving. 

Q. What are we doing to see more greenery in Harrow? 

A. The council are happy to plant flowers around Harrow. The costly part in terms of finances stems from flowering them. The environmental cost of having a vehicle drive around Harrow to water the plants needs to be avoided too. This can be done if we adopt a bed. Harrow will plant the flowers but they need us to water them. Please contact Susan Hall if you’re interested. 

Q. Why has there been an increase in rent?

A.  Rent was increased by 6% BUT due to falling inflation, it was deemed too high. Councils requested the government to review their decision about rents but they took too long. The government capped the percentage increase at 3% AFTER most councils had sent their bills out. Thus the increase in rent will not be as high but councils are now paying for rebilling and so on. These costs will need to be recovered somewhere. 

The next Q and A session will be on November 5th 2009. Venue to be confirmed.

My contract was coming to an end so I thought I’d explore the idea of leaving 3 but only if I could get a better deal. Why? I had 1100 mins mix and match with 3 for less that £25 a month but I needed a new phone as I’d dropped mine too often for it to function for much longer. Also the tariff didn’t suit my usage so it would have been better for me to change it. 

So I rang some network providers and Carphone Warehouse too. I didn’t bother with Orange because the reception for Orange is naff in Pinner! 

So I went for an O2 contract BUT then realised that although I was due for an upgrade that was ONLY within 3 because I still had some months left on my existing contract. I haven’t gone for an upgrade offer in a while so I didn’t know that some companies now allow you to upgrade 3 months before your contract ends! 

So anyway, I didn’t need to panic because I had a 14 days ‘grace’ period to change my mind and return the phone without incurring any costs. I hadn’t opened the box let alone anything else so there shoud not be a problem. 

I called Carphone who told me to contact 02 and let them know that Carphone had received the phone and terminated the contract. A member of staff at 02 confirmed that the contract was terminated within the grace period so there would be no charge. However, there was a direct debit attached to the account. I thought this was strange because I had not given any account details to 02 or Carphone! When I asked 02 about it I realised that Carphone had used OLD account details that they had for a previous TalkTalk account which has since been closed! Would the Direct Debit have bounced if I’d kept the phone? 

I was now really near the end of the contract so I called Carphone again, wanting to go for the same deal. I spoke to Mr. Moore. who convinced me that the cashback offer was not as good as the free laptop offer. With this phone, I could get a free mini or ‘normal’ sized laptop and if it was too heavy for me to carry around I could ‘play with it’, see how it goes and send it back within 14 days. 

I spoke with his colleague within one day of placing the order because I couldn’t get hold of Mr. Moore. I asked him if I could change the laptop to the mini one or if he could send both, I could see how they are and send one back. The reason this is so important is, to put it very simply, I have a whiplash injury and cannot lift heavy things. There’s more to it than that but that’s enough info for this post. 

So I got it on Friday, turned it on, restarted it, walked around with it a little and turn it off. It was too heavy. I went away for the weekend and then called Carphone to ask if I could return it to them. The member of staff told me to return it to my local store as that would be easier. When I returned the phone that I ordered ‘too early’ I went to a local store and was told that I had to send it back via a special envelope that the sales department would send me OR via a courier which they would arrange. They handled the return reluctantly when I told them that the sales department told me that I could return it in store. 

When I called to arrange returning the laptop I told him about this problem with returning items to stores and he said that they say no because they’re not getting any commission. If this branch did the same thing he advised me to tell them ‘we’ said they have to return it and if they really give me any trouble, I should call them from the store and they will sort them out. So I went to my local store on Monday and guess what they said? They can’t take returns as I’ve ordered it on the phone.

Does a memo need to be sent to all stores telling them they HAVE to process returns regardless of whether the item was purchased in store, on line or on the phone?  

Anyway getting back to this return, they also said I’d broken the seal of the laptop therefore it would not be returned. I was horrified! To be stuck with a laptop that was too heavy for me to use! How pointless!

If you recall, Mr. Moore had told me to open it, play with and decide whether I wanted it or not. Do you think meant for me to keep it in the box? In order to check if that the weight was OK I’d need to unpack it, remove manuals etc and THEN see if it was too heavy for me. Right?

NO! The man in the store said that even if they could take returns from orders purchased on the line or on the phone, he could not return the laptop because I’d opened the box and broken the seal! He called the sales team and explained the problem. The call was escalated to a manager and I was told that I’d be called back in 48 hours. I asked them to keep the items in store and give me a receipt for it. They obliged. 

They explained that they can trace any calls to or from the sales department as long as they have the number that the call was made from or to. Thus they will trace the calls made to or from me and find out what Mr. Moore said. If the recordings verify what I said they would accept the return. 

I then got told I’d be called in 72 hours.

I called many times I finally got through to someone who told me his name was Glen. He was very supportive. He said ‘I know what ‘we say on the phone and we all say that customers have 14 days grace period with laptops‘. He said he’d arrange for the return straight away and he did! He called the store, it was collected, the return was confirmed and I was back to square one i.e. needing a phone. 

I was so happy! I thought that the mistake was on the part of Mr. Moore. Glen helped me, he knows about all what happened and he’s promised to help me get an upgrade once the return is processed, so let me stick with him and get the deal I need.  

I ordered a phone through him WITHOUT any laptop. I collected it in store and I met the same man who would not process the return for the laptop. He told me that the person who sold the laptop to me in the first place without explaining that I couldn’t take it out of the box was the same person who processed this new order! His name was on the receipt and the notes on my account! So Glen was actually Mr. Moore!

So he lied to me about his name but he did fix the mess with the laptop which was caused by him anyway. When I was placing the order he said he’d just read a memo that said the offer had changed from £150 to £200 cashback, which you get within 60 days without doing anything. He said he’d cut and paste the notes in this sale so that I’d get £200 instead of the £150.

I have since spoken to Darren, Gareth, someone else, Kit and others. They have all escalated the complaint! What complaint? It was never £200. There’s no such memo!

They advised a call back within 24 hours, then 48 hours and then 72.

I was told that they would listen to the calls and if they found a recording proving that he said I could get £200 cashback, they would honour it.

Although the laptop was returned, I’ve still not had a call from anyone to tell me what happened, why it happened and that it wont happen again because they’ll put x, y and z in place!

I am really disappointed with Carphone and the sales tactics used by their employees! 

Amanda, Kelly and Tony were later involved re escalating the complaint but I’ve heard nothing. 

I have received the extra £50 of cashback that was promised by Mr. Moore AKA Glen and am now waiting for the emailing £150. 

So is it worth it? 

Was this just my bad luck or this typical of Carphone Warehouse? 

Let me know what experiences you’ve had with Carphone….

It’s a funny thing isn’t it! Pronunciation of your name can mean the difference between whether you listen or not. Whether you know you are being spoken to or not. Mispronunciation can cause offence. Mispronunciation can be welcomed if you want to be accepted by a particular group, for example! Your name could be too traditional and you may feel singled out. It may be from a different culture and you may wonder why you don’t have a name like the rest of your siblings, cousins etc. All this and this is only the tip of the iceburg.

However, it’s your name right? Just say, you’ve grown up with your name. You may have 2, 3 or even more names in your full name.

When you get married should this change?

It depends on the reason right?

So why is there an expectation that women should change their surname when they get married?

I did a bit of research and according to one website it all came about to ensure the protection of family and wealth, to express the designation of a new life direction & acknowledge God’s presence in and endorsement of the marriage.

Someone said asked me “why not change your name?” When I explained some alternate views he said I was attached to my name and that wasn’t good. Is he not attached to the idea that women should change their name. What if the man had to change their name? Would they agree? Would their only argument be “but the woman should do this, not the man!”

Someone else told me that it was done to show who owns the woman. Her father owned her before marriage but he has now ‘given’ her away to her husband. Thus she should change her name to reflect her new owner. 

Here are 2 people’s views about the tradition of the woman changing her name after marriage.

This website lists the various options re name changes after marriage. It’s interesting! Have a look

My views: -

I’m got married a few months ago and I kept my name. Why? Well…in my mind, I’ve had my name all my life and I can’t see a good enough reason to change it. Why do I need to change my identity?

I’d also like to keep my name because my dad passed away a few years ago and I am his only child so it’s sentimental. 

I am however, happy to change my title to Mrs. Also; it doesn’t have to be a big thing! If someone sends us an invitation and they write to Mr. and Mrs. Shah, I won’t have a problem with it. If we get received at a hotel and I get called Mrs. Shah I don’t and won’t feel the need to correct them. It’s more for me!

What do you think? If you’re not married and you are a lady do you think you will change your surname? If you are a gent, will you want your wife to change accept your surname?

The following information has been provided by Dave McKeon from Harrow Council

Compost is easy to make and provides one of the best quality soil conditioners that you can put on your garden and it’s free! It’s a great way to make use of your garden and kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings. 

What to compost

• Shredded paper and torn card

• Rabbit/guinea pig bedding

• Dead cut flowers

• Soft hedge clippings

• Fallen leaves

• Grass cuttings

• Weeds (avoid persistent weeds and weeds in seed)

• Old plants

• Fruit and Vegetable Waste

Japanese knotweed must not be composted - please contact the council for advice.

 

Brown Bins in School 

Items that can be placed in the brown bin for composting are:-

• Fruit waste 

• Vegetable waste

• Tea bags

Definitely no cooked food, meat and bones

For more Information take a look at The London Borough of Harrow Website

This is something I’d thought about before but I’ve heard other views recently which have made me think further. I’ve always wanted to give a charity that won’t blow the money on red tape as this wont benefit the people who need it.

I understand the idea of helping the people who are in need ’save face’, take responsibility, be independent, self sufficient and so on even though they are going through hardships.  

Some people feel that this can be done by selling things to them, rather than, giving items away. However, I’m not sure that I agree with that! When a natural disaster strikes do you agree with charities send clothes that we have donated on the basis that those in need buy them?

My friend, Sagar sent an email to the Jain Vegans group asking how he could choose a charity whose work did not result in or create harm to animals. Here’s what he wrote: - 

Although I do give money to charity regularly, it’s so hard to tell how effectively charities use their money.

A great new charity (New Philanthropy Capital) has been started to assess how well charities achieve their objectives (i.e. how many lives you will save with £1)…. Spending £1 there may be the best place to ensure that other people get the most of their donations… 

Peter replied with: - 

Hi

I believe that if you donate money to OXFAM you can specify where is should go, i.e. not to a ’send a cow to Africa scheme’ RSPCA and PETA have been criticised for basically approving of ‘better’ conditions for what is still animal exploitation.

Vegfam is run by vegans and only works to give aid for non animal projects and certainly does much good work.

There is no doubt that ‘happy meats’ are muddying the water regarding true compassion.

I have to give a plug of course for Vegan - Organic Network, the only charity that exists to promote vegan-organic growing worldwide. Vegan organics is the means by which food can be grown without farm animal exploitation - an absolute necessity for many reasons. 

If you give to charitable causes, what are the values that they need to fit it with? Do you have a view on this?

Here’s  chance to find out what you need to know!  

Question time event - 

The council’s next Question Time event will be held on June 10th at Nower Hill High School in Pinner at 7pm.

This is an important opportunity for residents to question the Cabinet on its policies and plans. 

Residents are able to come along and ask any question on the night, but it would also be helpful if they sent them in advance so that a full reply can be prepared.  

Questions should be emailed to: questiontime@harrow.gov.uk or posted to Harrow Question Time, PO Box 2, Civic Centre, Harrow HA1 2UH.