Last Day To Visit London 2012 “Shop”

Tomorrow is the last chance for local residents to visit the London 2012 exhibition in College Approach.

The temporary pop-up shop has a model of how Greenwich Park might look with the temporary stadium erected, and has staff on hand to answer questions. You can also give your feedback by completing a written form in there.

The spurt of consultation activity – there’s also a dedicated website and earlier this week, London 2012 equestrian chief, Tim Hadaway, penned an article for Greenwich.co.uk – comes as LOCOG prepare to put forward a formal planning application to Greenwich Council.

Have you already been to the London 2012 shop? Do you think it has been a worthwhile exercise? Should it have been there for longer and were the staff able to answer your questions? Post your comments below.

Daily Photo 30/10/09: Pumpkins

The Greenwich.co.uk Daily Photo returns from today! Here’s a photo of the lovely looking Pumpkins outside The Creaky Shed on Royal Hill.

Your contributions for the Daily Photo section would be gratefully received – just email rob@greenwich.co.uk

Greenwich.co.uk Guide To… Local Ghosts

Time is central to Greenwich’s modern identity yet things weren’t always so fixed around the meridian. The earliest settlers of the area ran on another calendar and their New Year (Samhain) fell on the 31st of October. They had different beliefs and relationships to the dead and there are traces of pagan worship and even witchcraft all over Greenwich. The park with its Observatory should stand as a monument to science (the first astronomer John Flamsteed wrote a horoscope for the Observatory because he despised astrologers) but is actually laden with old lore, and of course the Bronze Age Tumuli later used as a Saxon burial ground.

HV Morton -writing in the mid twentieth century- reported Japanese folk worshiping the cedar trees whilst some claim the Roman ruins are a temple to the goddess of the hunt, Diana. This ties in rather nicely with the notion that there is a sacred well to Anglo Saxon goddess Holda. Better known as the Snow Well all that remains of this is an indentation. Holda was goddess of many things from spinning to reproduction and women standing in the depression of the well have reported “strange but not unpleasant sensations”. Local folklorist Jack Gale links the well, via King William Walk, to the site where the May poles once stood, pagan relics that lasted well into the Christian era.

Even today one of the most iconic (albeit temporarily covered) landmarks, the Cutty Sark, has a witch (Nannie) clutching a horse’s tail for a figurehead and spectral man has been spotted keeping watch from the crows nest. Also the whole of the World Heritage Centre area owes its existence to an accusation of witchcraft. Before the current buildings were built there was that favourite Tudor residence the Palace of Placenta which was once known as Bella Court and belonged to Duke Humphrey of Gloucester. It was a very lovely spot. So lovely that Margeurite of Anjou, the rather pushy wife of Henry VI, fancied it for her own. To this end she accused Humphrey’s wife of dabbling in the dark arts, specifically attacking a likeness of the king with pins. During the resultant arrests Humphrey died in custody whilst helping the archbishops with their enquiries and the property passed to Henry (and his wife).

St Alfege Church – built on the site where St Alfege was beaten to death with animal bones.

Then again the archbishops could just have thought they were getting revenge on the pagan murderers of their predecessor St Alfege, beaten to death with animal bones by Danes on the site where his church now stands. In fact if violent death and revenge hauntings are truly the reason most spectres are with us then Greenwich should be awash with bitter and vengeful spirits.

As it is there are plenty of phantoms, just not of the wrathful kind. Instead many of them are slightly sad, and easily got rid of if the one that formerly haunted 16 St. Alfege Passage is anything to go by. This phantom (of a young Edwardian chap with long hair) manifested in traditional ways such as moving objects, walking the stairs late and leaving certain visitors with a choking sensation. These sensations were strongest near a beam and the former vicar of St. Alfege (brandishing bells, salt, water and incense) who laid the spirit suggested that it might have been the trapped soul of a suicide who had hung himself.

Another sad tale occurs up on Croom’s Hill at St Mary’s Lodge when one day Tom Potter come knocking. He was looking for his mother who once worked as a maid there. The replacement parlour cleaning executive expressed no knowledge of Tom’s mother but the lady of the house, who overheard the exchange, remembered her former servant and sent word to her new address that her son was looking for her. She received the rather shocking reply that Tom was unlikely to have been knocking on doors in Greenwich on that particular date as that was when he had died many miles away in Jamaica. Tom’s funeral obviously never occurred in Greenwich but, as if to make up, elsewhere on Crooms Hill, near the gate, has been seen a group of red haired women carrying a coffin towards the park. If this isn’t disturbing enough their legs ended at the kneecaps.

This reporting of legs disappearing into the ground is a staple of ghost lore and is usually explained as the ghosts walking on the street or floor level that existed when they were alive. As London has risen street on street century on century burying people, buildings and much else so today’s “floor” may be several feet higher than when the spirits of the departed walked once when alive. In death it would appear that they are trapped on their own level. Sadly no such restrictions apply to the other being spotted near the gate, a repulsive, dwarf like figure that just loiters about.

It’s possible that he lives underground in one the numerous tunnels that supposedly catacomb Greenwich. Some of these, the old Blackheath Caverns, former chalk mines under Point Hill for example, are well documented whilst others belong to an era of highwaymen, smugglers and rebellion. Given the associations of nearby Shooters Hill with highwaymen one might have expected their ghosts on the hill and not a murdered blonde from the 1830s on the hill or at Veremont House a wicked lady with striking dark eyes and hair who, spurned in love, murdered her second cousin. There is however the chilling sight of Lord John Angerstein’s coach on the Vanbrugh Hill being pulled by four headless horses along the Trafalgar Road.

The Trafalgar pub is supposedly visited by a Victorian gentleman who likes to stroll the higher floors mostly but is not above sifting things from the cellar. However it is time to bury the tale (or should that be tail?) of the black dog of the Spanish Galleon. The story that the pub is haunted by Shuk the hell hound of folklore (or grim to Harry Potter fans) arises from the night when things got out of hand at the South East London Folklore Society who formerly met there. The speaker and others decided to see whether is was possible to conjure up Shuk but no dog actually appeared.

Some spirits seem only too keen to pop up though and the two most reported apparitions of Greenwich are the phantom of the Tulip Staircase in the Queen’s House and the shade of Admiral Byng (who was executed for treason) wandering the Queen Anne Court, and elsewhere. The Court, was where he was fixed to wall prior to his execution, yet despite this treatment he is by all accounts a cheery and helpful spirit and also one that, according to the earliest reports shortly after his death, favoured the famous with his attentions. A lesser spotted spectre haunts the site of a more modern attraction (the Millennium Dome) which is home to the shade of Sir George Livesey who (as former chairman of gas works which stood on the Peninsular) popped up to view the new building.

It is perhaps fitting that as time moves forward and the clock trips towards All Souls Eve that we should remember these previous residents of the village by the green who have apparently never gone away. Some of these stories are classics, like the ghostly hitchhiker at the Greenwich end of the Blackwell Tunnel, but it is worth asking if there is nothing to the tales why do people keep telling them?

Chris Roberts is editor of the 21st century penny dreadful One Eye Grey which features modern stories based on traditional London folklore and tales of the uncanny, paranormal and supernatural.

Sources for the article include local folklorists Jack Gale and Jacqueline Woodward-Smith as well as the South East London Folklore Society reference library, the Greenwich Phantom and the ever reliable paranormal database (www.paranormaldatabase.com).

PS Those interested in a cinematic horror tour of the area should go to Greenwich Council film location site where amongst the films are The mummy returns, 28 days later, 28 weeks later and Beyond the rave. Nearby Deptford was used in Quatermass and the pit and more amusingly mocked up as New Orleans for Interview with a vampire.

Got any experiences of ghosts in Greenwich? Add your comments below…

Greenwich Council Meeting 28/10/09: Almshouses, Elected Mayors & Bulky Rubbish

Residents in historic almshouses in west Greenwich have been left in “despair, shock and sadness” by news of their possible closure, councillors heard last night.

Tenants in Queen Elizabeth College, Greenwich High Road, have been told they may have to leave under plans by its owner, The Drapers’ Company, to redevelop it.

Local councillor Maureen O’Mara presented a petition, signed by 140 people, to Greenwich Council at a meeting on Wednesday night.

Some 70 residents live in the almshouses, which opened in 1818 to house the “poor elderly people” of Greenwich. More recently, it has been open to residents from both Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs.

Tenants were under threat of being moved to “destinations unknown” by the livery company, Cllr O’Mara (Labour, Greenwich West) said.

“They are in a state of despair, shock and sadness,” she added. “The decision was made with no reference to either the local MP or local councillors.

“We know the council has no influence over the decision, but we hope the oxygen of publicity will make The Drapers’ Company think again.”

The Drapers Company told greenwich.co.uk that it was in regular contact with councillors and Greenwich & Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford.

No firm decision had been taken to close Queen Elizabeth’s College, clerk Alistair Ross said, but the City livery company hoped to eventually build new almshouses elsewhere to replace the Greenwich site and its other homes in Southwark and Tottenham.

Redeveloping the current site was “unlikely but had not been ruled out”.

“As soon as a decision is made and plans formulated the residents and borough officials will be informed and consulted, however, it is likely that the whole process will take a considerable time,” Mr Ross added.

NOGOE Petition

A 13,000-strong petition against Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich Park gathered by campaigning group NOGOE was also presented to the council, this time by Blackheath Westcombe Conservative councillor Geoff Brighty.

Organising body LOCOG is due to submit the planning application for a temporary stadium and other measures next month. Cllr Paul Webbewood (Lib Dem, Middle Park & Sutcliffe) attacked coverage of the 2012 Games in council newspaper Greenwich Time, saying an issue earlier this month had “made the council look disreputable”.

But council leader Chris Roberts (Labour, Peninsula), dismissed the criticism. “I hope there will be a full and frank discussion on what LOCOG actually submit, and not on what people think they are submitting,” Cllr Roberts said.

Elected Mayors

Councillors from all three parties threw out the possibility of Greenwich switching to a system of having an elected mayor like neighbouring Lewisham.

All London boroughs were required by the government to hold a consultation on the issue, but only 20 residents replied to Greenwich’s call for responses, with 14 of those backing the current system where the council is led by a leader and cabinet.

Cllr Roberts said that despite the low number of responses, “we are some way off the worst – one council only had one response”.

Westminster politicians should leave local councils to to decide how to run themselves, he continued, adding that the tradition of having a ceremonial, non-partisan mayor representing the council would be lost under the different system.

“Having a civic mayor is like parliament saying, ‘let’s have a president and abolish the monarchy,’” he said.

Conservative leader Cllr Spencer Drury (Eltham North) said sticking with the current system was “the least bad” option.

Lewisham has had an elected mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, taking most of its key decisions since 2002.

Bulky Rubbish Collection

Greenwich Council’s £12 charge for collecting bulky household rubbish was a “very good deal”, insisted neighbourhood services cabinet member Maureen O’Mara.

The fee was introduced for non-council tenants two years ago, and Liberal Democrat Cllr Paul Webbewood said he thought it was leading to a rise in fly-tipping.

Last month, Labour councillor Janet Gillman told a residents’ group in Charlton that she would be pressing for a review of the policy.

But Cllr O’Mara defended the system, adding that residents could get rid of up to three items for their money.

“Bexley Council charges £25 for the same service,” she added.

London 2012 Is Listening

November 2009 has, for a long time, been a date etched in my mind as this is the month the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games makes its planning application submission. So it’s a good moment to reflect on the enormous amount of detailed work that’s been done on the use of the Park as a venue for Olympic Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon and the Paralympic Dressage competitions in 2012.

For more than a year now we’ve talked to local residents and consulted with Greenwich Council, The Royal Parks, English Heritage, Natural England and other key organisations. We’ve listened to the many things residents have said and points raised and, where possible, adapted our plans accordingly.

We know, for example, many residents expressed their concern about how The Flower Garden and The Children’s Playground would be affected by events in 2012 and about Park closures.
Having considered these issues we’ve altered the Cross Country course so it now only runs through the northern part of The Flower Garden avoiding any flower beds and the pond. The remainder of The Flower Garden will remain open to the public except for the day of the Cross Country competition which is, provisionally, 31 July 2012.

Similarly, following feedback from residents, The Children’s Playground will now be placed outside the secure perimeter of the Games which means it too will remain open apart from the day of the Cross Country event. We’re also in discussions about upgrading the Playground after the Games.
On the issue of Park closure we’ve reduced this to around four weeks. We cannot give absolute guarantees at this stage because of security assessments and other considerations, but this is our aim.

We’ve also heard the concerns raised over traffic congestion and the question of resident and business access. As a result plans for the Olympic Route Network (ORN) have been adapted to minimise the impact. Even if a road is ‘designated’ as part of the ORN it does not mean it will automatically be closed. Residents and business owners will have access to their homes and properties and there are no planned residential road closures.

In addition we have moved the venue entrance to the National Maritime Museum side of Romney Road instead of the Old Royal Naval College so ensuring Romney Road is no longer within the venue perimeter. This means the Old Royal Naval College will remain accessible to the public during the Games. Circus Field in Blackheath will be used as an operational compound to avoid the need for large vehicle access to the Park. This will cause less disruption and impact to the Park itself.

We know Greenwich Park is a site of unique historical, environmental and archaeological significance and important to local residents and users. And we are committed to ensuring the Park is returned in the condition we receive it. We will not be cutting down any trees in the Park. There may be some minor pruning but this will be carried out in full consultation with The Royal Parks.

We are also working on our legacy plans with the British Equestrian Federation and Greenwich Council which includes the development of an equestrian centre in the Borough.

We hope the changes we have made so far show how important residents’ views are to us and how we will continue to listen. On our dedicated website, www.london2012.com/greenwichparkconsultation we’ve answered some key questions and cleared up some of the misinformation around the proposed use of the Park. There’s also an opportunity for you to tell us what you think through our online ‘Feedback’ forms. Please do fill this form in because your views are important to us.

Or you could come and visit us at 8 College Approach from Wednesday 28th October until Saturday 31st October 2009 where you can see our plans in detail and give us feedback in person.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Tim Hadaway is the London 2012 Organising Committee’s Sport Competition Manager for equestrian events at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Andrew Gilligan: Locog Goes Back on its Promise

LONDON 2012 has backed away from a pledge it made only last month over the total closure of Greenwich Park for the controversial Olympic equestrian events.

In a press release on 28 September, Locog announced without qualification that the period of complete closure would be cut to “four weeks, from 6 July to 3 August 2012.”

The announcement was presented as a “key concession” and hailed by the Greenwich Society as a “clear commitment as to the length of Park closure.”

However, material produced for this week’s public consultation in Greenwich shows that this “clear commitment” has already been abandoned.

In its consultation brochure Locog no longer promises to reopen the majority of the park, or any of it, on 3 August. Instead it says it will “seek” to reopen “some areas” of the park “potentially as soon as 3 August.”

Further material published on Locog’s website says explicitly: “We are unable to make guarantees about Park closures.”

As well as the total closure in summer 2012, large parts of the Park will be closed for most of the rest of the year to allow a 23,000-seat showjumping arena, ancillary buildings and stabling for 200 horses to be erected and dismantled.

It had been believed that these closures, beginning in April 2012, would be lifted in October. However, a presentation published on the Locog site shows that closures are now expected to continue until at least November.

The same presentation also shows that the Park’s closure in 2011 for the pre-Olympic test event will be far greater than previously expected.

The closure will seal off almost half the park for three weeks in June and July 2011. Almost everything which lies east of the road running through the park – except the children’s playground, the flower garden and a small area around the Observatory – will be closed.

Locog’s press release also said that “there are no planned residential road closures.” However, the presentation shows that three residential roads, Park Vista, Maze Hill and Shooters Hill Road, are designated as “core Olympic Route Network” roads, which will carry the vast majority of traffic to the Park. It seems unlikely that these will not be closed.

The presentation also makes clear that there will be a coach park in the Park for vehicles bringing competitors, staff and the “Olympic family.”

The presentation says spectators for the arena will enter the Park through the grounds of the Royal Naval College and pass through security on the front lawn of the National Maritime Museum. This means that 23,000 people will have to cross, or queue up on, Romney Road – thus almost certainly requiring its closure, too, during the Games.

Charlton Way, the main road immediately to the south of the Park, will also be closed and a “vehicle screening point” will be set up at the junction with Maze Hill.

The material also includes the first plan for the cross-country course which has not been labelled “indicative.” This shows that the course will cross directly through an avenue of the Park’s most precious trees, sweet chestnuts planted in the reign of Charles II, which are among the oldest living things in London.

One further piece of news: last week’s Mercury quotes a statement by Tim Hadaway, the equestrian competition manager, that the Olympics will “bring activity around the clock.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to it more than ever!

New Greenwich Community Radio Station Debated

A public consultation meeting was held at Woolwich Public Hall on Saturday to discuss the possible creation of a new radio station based in Greenwich.

It is proposed that Greenwich Kasapah (meaning good or decent talk in a Ghanaian language) Community Radio will be based in central Greenwich and broadcast a mix of 50% English language and 50% other community language content. The possible new station also has plans to reach out into the community by targetting older people, those with disabilities, and young people to train them and let them create programming for the station.

The station, proposed in response to a call by Ofcom for new community radio license applications in the Greater London area, would serve Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark and surrounding areas.

Ofcom is set to make a decision by Spring 2010.

Does the new station sound like a good idea to you? Post your comments and thoughts below…

What’s On This Week: 26th October – 1st November 2009

This week being both half term and Halloween, choosing a theme for my ‘what’s on’ column pretty is much a done deal: a collection of good, clean, occasionally spooky and fun events for Greenwich’s younger folk (and young at heart).

The National Maritime Museum & Planetarium are truly leading the way with scores of dedicated family activities throughout the week.  From making your own instruments for Space Music to dressing up as a ghost on the Haunted House Family Fun Day, there’s plenty to keep the little ones and their parents entertained.  On the more educational side there are also plenty of story-telling sessions, such as the Inuit Stories in the North-West Passage exhibition, and a Halloween Skies planetarium show.

For older kids with a strong disposition, the story telling takes a much darker turn at the Fan Museum with Candlelit Tales for Halloween on Thursday evening. Drama, prose and verse combine in this spooky celebration of all things ghoulish and wicked. Guaranteed to get you into the Halloween spirit and, if you’re easily scared like me, have you jumping out of your seat.

Teenagers who may have outgrown ghost stories but still harbour thespian tendencies might be interested in Greenwich Theatre’s Make Your Own Musical project.  Young people aged 14-18 will be turning their hands to writing, directing, stage design and acting in this 3 day ‘from scratch’ project, which culminates in a Friday night showcase of their efforts.

Along similarly tuneful lines, Blackheath Halls are teaming up with The Conservatoire for this week’s Blackheath Youth Orchestra project from Tuesday-Thursday.  Any 11-18 year old who can play an instrument to grade 3 standard is welcome without an audition and the end results will be on display at a concert in Blackheath Halls on Thursday evening.

Finally, if you really want to tire your kids out, there’s a Boys vs Girls Judo Competition at St Barnabus Church Hall, Eltham, every evening from 6pm this week until Thursday.  The event is run by the Subarashi Judo Club, who are beginner-friendly and also welcome disabled people to the training sessions. I’m exhausted just thinking about it!

Jonathan Edwards meets John Roan pupils and talks to Greenwich.co.uk

Triple jump world record holder Jonathan Edwards was in Greenwich today to meet pupils at John Roan School. Edwards, who is a member of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), was accompanied by Tim Hadaway, who is is responsible for the 2012 equestrian events.

Jonathan met with pupils including the school’s sports ambassadors to talk about 2012 and his own athletics career. Answering questions from the students, he explained how he became an athlete, and urged them not to sell themselves short and not to be afraid to fail.

Asked by one student about his nerves for big events, he mentioned how he had used his former Christian faith to take the pressure off himself, but suggested this could also be achieved through other support networks. Such was his success that at one point his own son told him he wanted to be Jonathan Edwards when he grew up.

Before meeting the pupils, I sat down with Jonathan Edwards and Tim Hadaway to discuss the London 2012 Olympics. I started by asking what the purpose of the visit was today.

Jonathan: It’s just to raise the profile of the consultation that’s going on for the equestrian events in Greenwich Park, and to come and speak to young people about my career as an athlete, so it has a bit of a double focus. There’s lot of excitement, but also concern about what’s going to happen in Greenwich Park for 2012.

Greenwich.co.uk: What would you say to people who are concerned about the closure of Greenwich Park for a month in 2012?

Jonathan: The first thing to say is that there’s been a lot of consultation already and a number of changes have been made to the plans so initially we were looking at six to eight weeks closure and now it’s down to a four weeks. The route of the Cross Country has been changed and some road closures are not happening, so there’s been changes made to make it better for local residents. We wouldn’t want to host the games there if we thought there would be any long term damage to Greenwich Park – it’s one of the iconic features of London.

A lot of the people I’ve spoken to are very excited about the fact you’ve got biggest sporting event in the world coming to Greenwich and I think Greenwich Park will provide an incredible backdrop. The equestrian events are every dramatic and for the first time you’ve got those events right on the doorstep of the Olympics village.

Greenwich.co.uk: Would you encourage people in Greenwich to get tickets because I don’t know that there’s any kind of priority ticketing for local people?

We’re looking at our ticketing policy. Clearly we will take into consideration local residents being able to see events on their doorstep, I don’t think there’s any question about that – balancing that with it being games for the whole of the UK. But looking at Cross Country for example, there’s 75,000 [tickets] across the whole course so there’s a massive opportunity, and in the arena where there will be dressage and show jumping there’s 23,000 so there’s a lot of tickets and a lot of availability.

Greenwich.co.uk: What about a physical legacy for Greenwich?

Jonathan: The first thing is that Greenwich Council is being given £17.5million as part of its legacy fund which if Greenwich wasn’t a host borough, wouldn’t be there.

Tim Hadaway: Greenwich Council are looking at a site down at Shooters Hill next to a farm you can visit, and they are looking at building a permanent equestrian centre there which would give children of the borough, and adults, the chance to get involved in the sport. There’s also a plan which is quite a fun idea, that incorporates the cross country course into a new children’s play area and an element of it will be designed so that the horses can actually jump over it and it will stay there, so you can imagine the kids climbing through or sliding off what has actually been one of the jumps.

Greenwich.co.uk: Would you consider equestrianism to be a world sport in the same way that athletics is?

Tim: We’ll have about around the 45 mark in terms of countries that will eventually qualify, but they would have come from qualifying groups around the world. Just like the World Cup there is qualifying but the qualifying works on a world zone basis so there’s a lot of countries that do compete.

Greenwich.co.uk: Do you think equestrianism has a long term future as an Olympic sport?

Tim: Yeah, absolutely, very much so. Unlike all the other Olympic sports which are about two-legged athletes, in this sport you have a four legged athlete as well and it’s all about how the two work in partnership with each other. A lot of the people competing will have developed the horse they are sitting on over a number of years.

Greenwich.co.uk: What about the barrier to entry – who actually owns the horses?

Tim: That’s a good question. It’s gone down the route of being owned by either private individuals or often consortiums of people, a bit like racing, where you have groups of people who come together and enjoy the sport. Most of the horses that top riders ride are actually owned by other people. Sometimes riding has this perception of being expensive and inaccessible, but actually a lot of the top riders have come from a background where they haven’t got a lot of private support or a lot of money themselves. Just like any other sport, they’ve grafted away and taken advantage of little opportunities that come their way and they’ve got to the level where they’ve been spotted perhaps and someone’s given them one of their top horses (to ride).

Greenwich.co.uk: Turning to Athletics, Jonathan – we got 4 athletics medals at Beijing. Are we expecting more for 2012?

Jonathan: We did amazingly well in Berlin [World Championships in Athletics]. Beijing was slightly disappointing. We’ve got a new head coach, Charles van Commenee,  who took Denise Lewis to gold in Sydney and also worked with me towards the latter end of my career, and I think he’s made a big difference. Berlin was highly encouraging and our best performance in a World Championship since 1993. I think it’s given everyone a lot of optimism for 2012 and host nations always do well. At Beijing we came 4th in the medals table, but can we match up to that? All the indications are that we will, and we’ll do better.

No Letter From Legg For Nick Raynsford

As has been widely publicised, many MPs have received letters in the last week requesting the repayment of wrongly claimed expenses following a review by Sir Thomas Legg. The review has asked for thousands of pounds in expenses to be paid back to the public purse, including a request for £12,000 to be repaid by the Prime Minister.

Greenwich and Woolwich MP, Nick Raynsford, has confirmed that he received no such letter and has not been asked to repay any expenses.

Nick Raynsford said today:

“I know that the issue of MPs’ expenses is one that remains high in many people’s minds when they think about politics and I wanted to take the opportunity, in light of the Legg review, to make sure that residents in Greenwich and Woolwich are fully aware of my position.

“I have never claimed for a second home, nor for any furniture or fittings. My expense claim is the 37th lowest out of 646 MPs and the vast majority of my expense claim is spent on employing members of staff who assist me in taking up constituents’ cases whenever they come to me with a problem.

“The process of going through other MPs’ expenses will take time and will continue to generate negative comments about politics and about Members of Parliament. I hope that by making my position as clear as possible, local residents will be reassured about my position. If any residents have any queries about any elements of my claims for expenses, which were all published earlier this year, then they are welcome to write to my office to seek further clarification or to visit my website at www.nickraynsford.org.uk”

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