COUNCILLOR John Fahy has been given Cabinet responsibility for health and older people in a minor cabinet reshuffle.

The post takes on added significance next year when responsibility for public health is transferred from Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to local authorities.

Cllr Fahy told this website, “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to be involved in this important challenge. The needs of adults and older people remain a key priority in the light of changes proposed by Government in terms of needs and services.”

In a straight job swap, Cllr Peter Kotz is taking over the renamed Cultural and Creative Industries position.

The reshuffle was executed by council leader, Chris Roberts, weeks after he was re-elected by his colleagues as leader of the Labour group.

Greenwich.co.uk understands that an email was sent on behalf of council chief executive Mary Ney to councillors this week confirming the change.

As a result of the ruling group’s recent internal elections, Councillor Rajwant Sidhu will be leaving the Cabinet at the next council AGM and and Councillor Harry Singh will be joining it.

Although the council has issued no announcements confirming the reshuffle, the change was published on the council’s website and reported first by 853.

THE NEW lifts in Greenwich Foot Tunnel have experienced a difficult second week with service outages reported and a pane of glass shattered.

The much-delayed reopening of the lifts finally took place last Monday, but just over a week later later people took to Twitter to complain that the lifts were out of action.

A spokesperson for Greenwich Council confirmed that the lifts were out of order for “a short time” on Tuesday.

Unconfirmed reports of further problems surfaced on Wednesday, and by Wednesday evening it emerged that a pane of glass on the lift enclosure at the northern side had been shattered.

The council revealed in February that it has replaced the main contractor on the refurbishment project, for which it received a grant of £11.6 million, because of the “severe delays to the programme.”

Update: Reports on Twitter that the south-side lift was also at around 6.10pm.

FIGURES disclosed by Transport for London show that a vehicle breakdown in the Blackwall Tunnel is likely everyday during the London 2012 Olympics.

There were 96 breakdowns in the tunnels between July and September 2010, averaging over one breakdown per day, according to data released to this website following a Freedom of Information request to TFL.

67 vehicles broke down in the tunnel during the same period in 2011 – averaging over 0.7 breakdowns per day.

The Olympic Route Network, designed to ensure that athletes and VIPs can get to venues, leads up to the tunnel, which carries around 50,000 vehicles a day in both directions, but not through it and the council is worried about the impact a breakdown would have during Games Time.

Speaking before the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee last month, Council Chief Executive Mary Ney said:

“We’ve got outstanding issues with TFL around… the whole issue of the Blackwall tunnel and contingency planning. We feel it needs to be particularly robust about how they will operate when inevitably something breaks down, and what extra plans they have put in place to deal with that so they remove that blockage before it backs up across the area.”

TFL didn’t provide Greenwich.co.uk with details of any special contingency plans for London 2012 but say the MPS Safer Transport Command Roads Policing Unit, which is funded by TFL and has been permanently based at the tunnel since September 2011, has reduced tunnel closure time by 32 percent.

The policing unit aims to stop “potentially sub-standard” vehicles entering the tunnel, and a new overheight vehicle detection lane went live in November 2011.

LOCOG’s transport plans for London 2012 still need council sign off as a condition of the original planning application, but question marks over bus routes and parking arrangements in Greenwich, in addition to the Blackwall Tunnel, prevented it coming before the Planning Board in March.

A Royal Borough of Greenwich spokesperson said:

“The Royal Borough of Greenwich is still in discussion with LOCOG about our objections as part of an ongoing constructive dialogue. We hope to be able to resolve our concerns constructively.”

WITH 115 days to go until the opening ceremony, London 2012 preparation work is now under way in Greenwich Park which will see the Queen’s Field closed until November.

The flat area in the park, south of Queen’s House, is where London 2012 organisers will build the temporary arena for the staging of equestrian events at this summer’s London 2012 Olympics.

Two pathways running between The Avenue and the Queen’s Field were also due to be closed today.

The area between Queen’s Field and The Avenue will close from May onwards as work begins on building areas for broadcasters and athletes.

Small sections of the park will be closed throughout June as temporary structures are put in place and then the park will be closed to the public from 7th July until 4th August – apart from the Flower Garden and children’s playground. The park will only be closed in its entirety on cross country day, 30th July.

Royal Museums Greenwich

The National Maritime Museum will remain open all summer, but the Queen’s House will close in late June and not reopen until mid September. The Royal Observatory will be open as normal until mid July and then reopen early in August.

Seb Coe: “I hope you feel it is worth it”

In an open letter to residents, Locog chair Seb Coe says:

“I know there will be some disruption to Greenwich Park, the town centre and possibly your street over the next few months, and that for many of you this will have a personal impact.

But I hope you feel it is worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We have worked extremely hard to minimise the impact the Games will have, and we have listened to residents’ concerns throughout.”

Reinstatement

Reinstatement is due to get started on 29th August and sections will start to reopen. The Queen’s Field will be handed back to Royal Parks in November and some sections will need to be re-turfed. Grass areas that need reseeding will not get this until March 2013.