Penguin68

noise on a very busy road that is already full of fumes and noise... But rather less so in the late evenings, I would guess, when the generator was reported as still running.

I wonder what the rental terms are for these charging points - fixed price or a %age of revenue? If the latter the council has no interest in pegging charges. Rather the reverse. Indeed, who is selling the power to the provider? Is it an energy co or are they buying it via the council? For the council, whatever the payment structure, they are turning parking spaces (which we used to, and still do, pay for through the Council Tax) into revenue generators. As they do for CPZs. This is all about uncapped revenue generation. In this case with, I'm guessing, no hypothecation.

With the availability of camera drones it is now possible to inspect your own roof (or get someone qualified to operate a drone to do it for you) - and ideally quality roofers should be able to show you what your problem is - if you can access a drone it is worthwhile examining the 'valleys' between roof elements (often in lead) where you may get problems (other than the obvious moved or cracked tiles).

1. Not throwing away fresh produce at the end of the day is probably a good thing 2. It is not clear to me whether the 'understocking' is a function of poor ordering from the store, or poor/ rationed supply from central warehouses. If the latter the local manager will not be to blame.

Apologies for the source https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7744581/New-breed-thieves-steal-catalytic-converters-car-minutes.html

I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the tree street traders have to buy a licence to trade; I assume that those around the north end of LL (i.e. near Goose Green) did so unaware that a very large and new competitor was being let in to the area - on a prime site - and although I am sure that these are paying a higher price, I wonder whether our traditional traders still see their licences as such value for money. Caveat emptor, of course, but I see local supply of trees as being of local benefit, and clearly competitive. But sometimes a large competitor can distort the market.

Update on Honor Oak Park Road. The section of works by Devonshire Road now seem complete (was last night at 11.00). The lights and road blockage are still in, but I reckon they could be removed. The section outside Cabrini is now half open (one lane of traffic) but at 11.00 there were no lights to filter traffic driving each way at all (there had been at 5 that evening). So stil a nightmare, but no longer an impassible one. But this does not seem to be well managed. And it wouldn't be my chosen rush hour route if I could avoid it!

It is Forest Hill Road (actually Honor Oak Park Road up to Honor Oak Station - there is a road block (total) at the junction with Honor Oak Road (at Francis Cabrini School), down which all traffic is diverted (at least, it was there last night). Apparently for 12 weeks. There is a further imposed one way system just at the Devonshire Road junction - also technically blocked off though I barged my way through, which seems unrelated - probably water works. Effectively Brockley is no longer directly accessible from ED - you have to access via the South Circular/ Stanstead Road at the B128 junction, so far as I can see. Or possibly some sort of loop through via Brenchley Gardens. Yesterday at least it was a nightmare. I cannot imagine worse or less joined-up planning. The scheduled works shouldn't have started until the emergency works had been cleared, I'd have thought. Then at least you could divert found via Devonshire road, currently blocked.

To add insult to injury - the route out to Brockley via Honor Oak Park is now entirely blocked off, apparently for 12 weeks - ED is slowly being cut-off from the rest of the world. Does anyone in any council actually care at all how we are being treated? (The Honor Oak Park situation is at Lewisham's, not Southwark's door, of course, but we couldn't expect adjacent councils to ever discuss what's happening on their boundaries, could we?)

Remember there are regular shops (i.e. florists) who are with us 52 weeks a year and who stock trees - the guy in the Parade opposite (sort of) the old Harvester (next to the former Barcelona) is a great florist and sources good trees. And wreaths and other Christmas greenery. Edited to add:- ...and of course our local garden centres, again serving us 52 weeks a year.

So I'll scan some onions and pack some avocados in my opaque brown paper bag. (And there's some evidence this is already happening.)

Im flabbergasted that whilst children's mental health services are already overstretched that the government chooses to cut essential services like these. Is there any evidence that this service was ever funded by, or its funding then cut, by 'the government'? The government, via the NHS, funds IAPT (Improved Access to Psychological Therapies) [Google IAPT Southwark to see local offer]. Counsellors are also often provided by e.g. Universities and Colleges, trained both in Psychological skills and others. The offer, via IAPT, can be very different in different regions/ authorities, based on their (not the government's) allocation of funds and setting of priorities. I am not saying that this isn't a very worthy cause, where there is no other funding available - I am challenging the assumption that this is a result of 'government' action.

What I don?t understand is why plain paper bags for fruit and veg like we had until the 1970s (?) can?t be reintroduced. These can be easily recycled or am I missing something? Brown paper bags have the problem of opacity - what's in them and what's been scanned as in them may not align. And check-out people don't want to have to open up each bag to check either. Brown paper bags were what sellers (and some still do) put items in, they know what they are.

I think Sainsbury's are (1) reducing stocking levels and (2) ordering less fresh produce so that it's mainly all sold. So going to the store late/ after work means that fresh items (and others) are often not in stock. This is clearly economically sensible, if annoying, to late shoppers. Reducing waste of fresh produce is probably a good thing. Turning inventory over quickly (so less on shelves/ in stock rooms at then end of the trading day) makes good economic sense. They clearly haven't yet got the balance right. I haven't found the check-out etc. staff quite so glum as others, but obviously their numbers are falling as Sainsbury's tries to get us to do their jobs, unpaid.

There is a real risk of contamination if you reuse them. They can easily be turned inside out, shaken and rinsed through to remove any dirt etc.

It's clearly true that transporting children by coach rather than by multiple private car journeys is a positive move - the problem is not with the children being moved in the coaches, but by the coaches blocking streets and polluting (through running their engines whilst stationary) when the children aren't in them! Maye someone needs to contact TfL with this specific issue (management of coaches when they are not doing their job, but are waiting to do it) so they can reconsider their award scheme. And if I was a current Alleyn's parent I wouldn't be happy that my children are being asked to breath in diesel fumes being pumped out round their school. They may as well be on a main road as a leafy suburban street.

Does that mean that part of the NHS is already effectively privatised? Primary Care - (GPs) - have always been private contractors working into the NHS - they were never directly employed in the NHS - which is why partners can and do own practices. There are some (very few) GP practices I think which are NHS run (not sure of that) but the vast majority were, and are, private health concerns on contract to, but not directly employed by, the NHS. Half the NHS was never nationalised! And hence is still private.

They don't want fumes and congestion inside the gates, effecting all the fee payers. The gates are also part of their (necessary) internal security - opening them up (which they could do) would require them to invest in more security to compensate for that. They also would find parents using the access - which they don't want. Too much bother for them. It would be interesting to see what would happen if private vehicles took up all the parking spaces used by the coaches one afternoon - wonder how fast Alleyn's would call in the authorities to have these 'illegally' parked vehicles moved? And it would certainly p*ss off the coach drivers - so not all bad at all.

Crimes against individuals (non targeted) - probably random, more likely around shops/ bars etc. (where there are more people). Domestic abuse, gang attacks etc. are normally related to the person being attacked. Crimes against property - these are often clustered in time (burglars or car thieves target an area, having invested time in checking it out) and not infrequently burglars will return in a couple of months once electronics etc. are re-bought with insurance. Longer streets will have more crime - as there are more locations to burgle or cars to steal. Vandalism etc. Probably random - may be drink-fueled so possibly on routes back from pubs etc. I wouldn't have thought any of these roads was peculiarly more crime-prone than others - despite the Glengarry Road reference - (but happy - probably the wrong word - to stand corrected).

I like Penguin's post,with the usual attention to detail ,from 2 years ago . Kind of you to remember. And to comment as that. Alleyn's can't simply duck away from this. Unlike the cars of e.g. parents they have a clear responsibility for these coach firms and their coaches which offer them a service. These act as the paid agents of the school in transporting pupils, even when the payments are made direct to the coach companies. Without Alleyn's fiat and agreement these companies would not be offering transport services to parents. And, frankly, for an educational establishment to be turning a blind eye to clear breaches of transport etc. regulation is hardly an appropriate lesson for their pupils.

These guys have been coming to ED for a number of years now, 10 or 20 I'd guess. I think they're perfectly legitimate (though maybe, if there is any 'scam' their fish comes from New Billingsgate rather than directly from Tyneside). You'd have a lot more than just a stomach ache if the fish was off (and you can anyway smell that). Their 'scam' is that they sell in high weights, from a limited range - so you probably buy more than you need. I always use Soper's in Nunhead if I want a good selection of wet fish (Moxon's is also good, in terms of quality, but I think a more limited range and higher prices). Soper's will also prepare as you want it, and in front of you (as does Moxon's), and you can see immediately the quantity you're getting so you buy the right amount. They also have peripherals (sea vegetables, herbs) and good smoked and prepared fish (spiced fresh anchovy fillets). But I don't think you've been either scammed or poisoned.

As a thought, but if you have room in your street to have a choice of parking place, two cars parked closely together and back to back (leaving room in front of each to un-park) would make such thefts far more difficult - and might cause thieves to move on to easier targets. It might have the additional effect of encouraging neighbourly behaviour. As I said, just a thought.

Your consumer rights are unchanged as regarding the receipt medium. You have absolute rights of refund in specific circumstances (the item being damaged, not fit for purpose etc.). In other circumstances there may option only for an exchange - but not if you have made refund a condition of sale (i.e if you say that you need to check the item's colour for match against something else, and will make the purchase only on the condition that you can get a refund if the colour doesn't match). If that is accepted by the sales assistant (who isn't obliged to accept it) it forms part of the sales contract, although proving and enforcing it (without e.g. a witness to the transaction) may prove more difficult. Basically, the assistant was talking rubbish - save where a digital receipt would give a refund under any circumstances, rather than just those outlined in law. But that was not made clear to you.

I would defiantly vote for you That would be defiantly ignoring the electoral pact with the Greens, would it?