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.

A howling spelling mistake on the borough’s Royal Charter has only just been spotted – and it has big consequences for Greenwich.

Due to an error in the production of the document, the new name for the borough was actually declared as “Royal Greeenwich” – with three Es.

The glaring error somehow went unnoticed while the borough celebrated its royal honour in February of this year and Her Majesty’s royal seal makes the change permanent and binding.

This website understands a crisis meeting was called after the blunder was first noticed by an 8 year old child who spotted it whilst admiring the document in its glass case at Woolwich Town Hall.

Because of the Queen’s heavy schedule in her jubilee year, there is no chance of asking for her consent to change the name again before 2013, meaning the borough will have to see out the rest of the year at least under the name Royal Greeenwich.

With no choice but to accept the accidental name in the short term, the council is in the unenviable position of having to order new street signs and staff uniforms, again, bearing the name Royal Greeenwich. If the name can’t be changed, the cost to businesses could run into the millions of pounds.

A constitutional expert told this website that the incident was “deeply embarrassing” for the Palace and the council but “we are where we are, and it would be seen as hugely disrespectful to Her Majesty to ask for a change of name back to Greenwich.”

He added, “Spelling mistakes in digital documents are commonly known as ‘typos’. This faux pas in the charter is one of the most embarrasing examples of a quillo that anyone can remember.”

In recognition of the name, this website is today changing its name to Greeenwich.co.uk.

Update April 1st midday –

Yes, don’t worry, Royal Greenwich is still Royal Greenwich with two Es. We did catch a couple of you out but as many in the comments noted – but were held in a moderation queue until now – this was a little bit of April Fools’ fun. Here’s the real Royal Charter below with not a single extra E in sight.

TOP CHEFS Richard Corrigan and Ron Blaauw impressed local students today with a demonstration of their world famous skills.

The duo were signed up by Sail Royal Greenwich to design the menus for the spectacular corporate hospitality event which will take place this summer on board 16 tall ships.

Young chefs studying for their NVQs in Hospitality at Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus, Woolwich, have been selected to help deliver the catering for the event and this morning’s masterclass gave them the opportunity to meet the men behind the menus and ask questions about how to forge a successful career in catering and hospitality.

Richard Corrigan is responsible for Corrigan’s Mayfair and Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill. Ron Blaauw’s restaurant in Amsterdam, named after himself, gained its second Michelin star last year. Both men offered students, who are being paid for their involvement, the chance to gain more experience in their restaurants’ kitchens.

Mark Vincent, Head teacher at Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus, said: “Thanks to Sail Greenwich, we are now able to offer our students not only the highest level of work experience, which will be brilliant for their CVs, but also the potential to make vital employer links leading to work opportunities in a difficult job market.”

See more photographs from the masterclass

A PUBLIC health campaign by NHS Greenwich has seen an increase in the number of people taking the winter flu jab.

Figures just published for winter 2011/12 show vaccinations were up for all the “at risk” groups across the borough, with the number of pregnant women having the jab up by 9% on the previous year.

Dr Nike Arowobusoye, public health consultant at NHS Greenwich, who oversaw the co-ordination of the campaign, said:

“For most of us, flu is a highly contagious infection that makes us feel very unwell. But for some groups, such as older people, pregnant women and people who already have an underlying health condition, the flu can cause serious illness and even hospitalisation.

“That’s why it’s very encouraging to see that more people at risk from flu had the vaccination this year, especially as it was a relatively mild winter.”

NHS Greenwich’s ‘flu safe’ campaign saw posters and leaflets placed in GP Surgeries, pharmacies and supermarkets.

The number of over-65s having the jab was over 75 per cent, reaching the target set by the Chief Medical Officer.