London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Encyclopedia
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough
in West London
, and forms part of Inner London
. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road
and the A40 Westway
, many international corporations have offices in the borough.
The borough was formed in 1965 by merging the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith
and the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
. It was known as the 'London Borough of Hammersmith' until its name was changed on 1 January 1979 by the borough council. The two had been joined together previously as the Fulham District
from 1855 to 1886.
In 1908, the Franco-British Exhibition
and Olympic Games were hosted in the borough, at White City
, but the site then took many decades to be redeveloped. In 1960, the BBC
opened the BBC Television Centre
, and in 2008, Westfield London
, a large development with new transport links and a shopping centre, finally completed the redevelopment after one hundred years.
Hammersmith and Fulham has a population of 165,242. 60% of the borough's population is White British
, 20% white non-British (among which are large Polish
and Irish
communities), 5% black Caribbean
, 5% black African with various other ethnicities (including India
n, Pakistan
i, Bangladeshi
and Chinese
) making up the remaining 11 percent.
The borough has the second-highest proportion of single adults of any borough in England and Wales
(55%), and a higher than average for the London area of young adults aged 20–29 (24%).
Around 50% of households are owner–occupiers, and 22% of households were listed as "other" - that is, not single persons living alone or families. These are generally two or more unrelated adults living together, such as students or cohabiting
couples.
The borough comprises a patchwork of extremely affluent as well as some less affluent neighbourhoods; The areas of Fulham, Parsons Green, Brackenbury Village, Brook Green, and the Riverside compose of highly expensive Victorian and Edwardian houses, contrasting to the areas of White City and Shepherds Bush, which, though also containing gentrified areas, have a more diverse and edgy backdrop. The unemployment rate is well below average at under 5%, although of these, 29% were listed as long-term unemployed. The borough also has the 4th highest house prices in the country.
See external links below for more census information from the borough.
operates its headquarters at The School House, 50 Brook Green. Sony Ericsson
has its headquarters in the borough.
Iberia operates the Iberia House in the borough. All Nippon Airways
operates the London Office on the fourth floor of Hythe House. South African Airways
has its United Kingdom office in the South African Airways House. CE Europe, a subsidiary of Capcom
, has its head office in the George House in Hammersmith in the borough. As of May 2011 it will be relocating to the Metro Building in Hammersmith. Coca Cola, Disney and L'Oreal
also all have headquarters in Hammersmith, as well as a number of other major businesses.
For a 15-year period Air France
had its UK and Ireland office in Hammersmith. In 2006 the UK and Ireland office was moved to Hatton Cross, London Borough of Hounslow
.
Hammersmith & Fulham is administered by 46 councillors. At the 2010 council elections
held on 6 May, the Conservative Party
lost 2 seats but won a majority by taking a total of 31 seats. The present administration was first elected at the 2006 council election
. The Council leader is Cllr. Stephen Greenhalgh (Con). The Labour Party
forms the opposition on the Council, with 15 seats, led by Cllr. Stephen Cowan.
The borough is divided into 16 electoral wards, all bar two electing three councillors apiece. These are:
The Conservative administration introduced a number of changes to the running of the council following their election in 2006, including a 3% per year cut in Council Tax in each year between 2007/8 and 2010/1. This worked out at am average reduction of £26.30 per year for that period. The Conservative administration privitised many front line services including refuse collection and parks maintenance. It provided funding for a 24 hour police team in Shepherds Bush Green ward. The Council received the Local Government Chronicle award for "Council of the Year" in 2010. The authority has repeatedly been described as a "flagship" Conservative borough and a favourite of Tory Prime Minister David Cameron. Between 2005 and 2008, the Audit Commission found that services improved from an overall rating of three stars and "improving well" to four stars and "improving strongly". According to the government 2009 Place Survey, the Council was rated as the sixth most popular major authority in the country.
On 21 January 2010 the Borough was found guilty of maladministration
by the Local Government Ombudsman
. The Ombudsman concluded that a woman was due compensation after Hammersmith and Fulham had refused to provide accommodation for her despite being pregnant and seeking escape from domestic violence. The woman who was later discovered seeking shelter in a local park. Prior to this incident the Council had sold off twelve homeless hostels, tightened homeless acceptance criteria and banned the BBC
and Crisis from running a Christmas homeless shelter. In June 2010 the Borough removed all funding from Threshold Housing Advice who are the homeless charity that reported the council to the Local Government Ombudsman and brought about the Maladministration ruling. This forced Threshold Housing Advice to close down in November 2010.
The opposition Labour Party and media critics, such as Johann Hari in the Independent 5 May 2010, have criticised the Council for cuts to front line services and the introduction of new or increased stealth taxes. These include the new £12.40 per hour home care charge for the elderly, sick and disabled, a nearly £600 increase (over the four-year period) in fees for meals on wheels; a 50% increase in parking fines and 55% increase in parking tickets. The Conservative Administration are also criticized for initially cutting police numbers in 3 of the 16 wards; renting out parks for exclusive private events and selling off the borough's buildings such as librarys, schools, council homes, community centres, Sure Start centres, early learning centres and youth clubs.
During the 2010 general and local elections the Conservative administration was accused by Labour opponents, the media and residents of intending to demolish 3,300 Council homes leaving many people with no option but to move out of the borough - an allegation described by the Prime Minister as "appalling Labour lies" in the Daily Telegraph, 22 May 2010. Stephen Cowan (Lab), the Council’s Leader of the Opposition strongly disputed this allegation and wrote to the Prime Minister challenging his comments and detailing why he was wrong to make them.
Hammersmith and Fulham’s alleged housing plans have been covered by the UK media notably in this video made by the Guardian Newspaper, 9 October 2009. Housing issues in Hammersmith and Fulham gained greater publicity after Cllr Greenhalgh co-authored the Localism policy paper Principles of Social Housing Reform in 2009 which called for a move to “near market rents” and an end to life long secure tenancies for council housing tenants. The Coalition Government has now begun to consult on these policies and has released Local Decisions: A Fairer Future for Social Housing for consultation and following this they will most likely soon be presented to Parliament
in a housing bill
.
Former councillors for Hammersmith and Fulham who are current Members of Parliament include Dominic Grieve MP (Con), Aidan Burley MP (Con), Greg Hands MP (Con), Lisa Nandy MP (Lab), Andrew Robotham MP (Con) and Andrew Slaughter MP (Lab).
Football
Fulham Football Club
, Chelsea Football Club
and Queens Park Rangers
are all based in the borough and play Premier League football. The borough can therefore claim to be home to three of the top twenty teams in English football.
Footballers:
Rugby
Hammersmith & Fulham RFC have been playing in the borough at Hurlingham Park for over 30 years. They boast four senior men’s sides and one Ladies XV. The men’s 1st XV currently compete in London's NE2 League with the remainder of the sides participating in the Middlesex Merit Tables.
Boxing
Rowing
Lower Mall was home to a large number of rowing clubs at the end of the 19th Century, of which there are now only a few survivors. The headquarters of the national governing body, the Amateur Rowing Association, is also on Lower Mall, in a building, The Priory, which used to be occupied by rowing clubs.
The first half of the Boat Race course is along Hammersmith and Fulham's southern border, on the River Thames
.
"Culture"
Studio 106 Art Gallery holds regular exhibitions and workshops.
Public libraries in the borough include Askew Road Library, Barons Court Library, Fulham Library, Hammersmith Library, Sands End Library, and Shepherds Bush Library.
The borough is also home to two prestigious independent girls' schools - St Paul's Girls' School
in Brook Green
(often ranked in first place in the country in league tables, with nearly 50% of each year group gaining entry to Oxbridge), and the Godolphin and Latymer School
, situated a few minutes' walk from Hammersmith Broadway
.
Latymer Upper School
, an independent co-educational school, is also in the borough, on King Street in Hammersmith
.
The exclusive independent girls' preparatory school Bute House is also in Brook Green
.
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
in West London
West (London sub region)
The West is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The sub region was established in 2004 and was adjusted in 2008 to include Kensington and Chelsea. The west has a population of 1.6 million and...
, and forms part of Inner London
Inner London
Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road
Great West Road
The Great West Road may refer to:*A4 road from London to Bath and Bristol, England*The Golden Mile in West London, part of the above*Great West Road, Zambia...
and the A40 Westway
Westway (London)
The Westway is a long elevated dual carriageway section of the A40 route in west London running from Paddington to North Kensington. The road was constructed between 1964 and 1970 to relieve congestion at Shepherd's Bush caused by traffic from Western Avenue struggling to enter central London on...
, many international corporations have offices in the borough.
History
Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith
The Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith was, between 1900 and 1965, a Metropolitan borough of the County of London. It included Hammersmith, Wormwood Scrubs, Old Oak Common and Shepherd's Bush....
and the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
The Metropolitan Borough of Fulham was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it was merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith to form the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was a riverside borough, and included the areas of Fulham, West...
. It was known as the 'London Borough of Hammersmith' until its name was changed on 1 January 1979 by the borough council. The two had been joined together previously as the Fulham District
Fulham District (Metropolis)
Fulham was a local government district within the metropolitan area of London, England from 1855 to 1886. It was formed by the Metropolis Management Act 1855 and was governed by the Fulham District Board of Works, which consisted of elected vestrymen. It was in the part of the county of Middlesex...
from 1855 to 1886.
In 1908, the Franco-British Exhibition
Franco-British Exhibition (1908)
The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public fair held in London in the early years of the 20th Century. The exhibition attracted 8 million visitors and celebrated the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 by the United Kingdom and France....
and Olympic Games were hosted in the borough, at White City
White City, London
White City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....
, but the site then took many decades to be redeveloped. In 1960, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
opened the BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
, and in 2008, Westfield London
Westfield London
Westfield London is a shopping centre in White City in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The centre was developed by the Westfield Group at a cost of £1.6bn,...
, a large development with new transport links and a shopping centre, finally completed the redevelopment after one hundred years.
Districts
The borough includes the areas:- Brook GreenBrook GreenBrook Green is an affluent London neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located approx west of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Kensington, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, Holland Park and Brackenbury Village....
- College ParkCollege Park, LondonCollege Park is a small area located in the north of the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, near Kensal Green station. It borders the boroughs of Brent and Westminster.It is part of College Park & Old Oak ward.- External links :*...
- East ActonEast ActonEast Acton is a place in west London, England. It is partly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and partly in the London Borough of Ealing...
- FulhamFulhamFulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
- HammersmithHammersmithHammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
- Hurlingham
- Old Oak CommonOld Oak CommonOld Oak Common is an area of London between Harlesden and Acton known for its railway depots, particularly Old Oak Common TMD. Further south lies an open area, Wormwood Scrubs Park, and Wormwood Scrubs prison...
- Parsons GreenParsons GreenParsons Green is an area in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.The mainly residential area is named after the village green now called Parsons Green Park where the vicar of Fulham used to live...
- Sands EndSands EndSands End is in the southernmost part of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Sands End was a close knit working class community but has in recent years become gentrified with flats on the market for more than £2.4 million....
- Shepherd's BushShepherd's Bush-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
- Walham GreenWalham GreenWalham Green is an area located on the border of Fulham and Chelsea , south-west London, United Kingdom. To the south is Parsons Green, south-west Fulham, north West Kensington, north-east West Brompton, east Chelsea and south-east is Sands End....
- West KensingtonWest Kensington, London- Commercial/education :Local business consists of small shops, offices and restaurants, with the Olympia Exhibition Centre nearby. Indeed, it is the mix of local shops that give the area its character....
- White CityWhite City, LondonWhite City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....
- see also parks and open spaces in Hammersmith and FulhamHammersmith and Fulham parks and open spacesThe London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, an Inner London borough, has a total of 231 hectares of parks and open spaces that are accessible to the general public. 159 hectares of this is within parks and 52.5 hectares are within cemeteries and churchyards...
Demographics
According to the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
Hammersmith and Fulham has a population of 165,242. 60% of the borough's population is White British
White British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
, 20% white non-British (among which are large Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
communities), 5% black Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, 5% black African with various other ethnicities (including India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i, Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshi
A British Bangladeshi is a person of Bangladeshi origin who resides in the United Kingdom having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis...
and Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
) making up the remaining 11 percent.
The borough has the second-highest proportion of single adults of any borough in England and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(55%), and a higher than average for the London area of young adults aged 20–29 (24%).
Around 50% of households are owner–occupiers, and 22% of households were listed as "other" - that is, not single persons living alone or families. These are generally two or more unrelated adults living together, such as students or cohabiting
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
couples.
The borough comprises a patchwork of extremely affluent as well as some less affluent neighbourhoods; The areas of Fulham, Parsons Green, Brackenbury Village, Brook Green, and the Riverside compose of highly expensive Victorian and Edwardian houses, contrasting to the areas of White City and Shepherds Bush, which, though also containing gentrified areas, have a more diverse and edgy backdrop. The unemployment rate is well below average at under 5%, although of these, 29% were listed as long-term unemployed. The borough also has the 4th highest house prices in the country.
See external links below for more census information from the borough.
Economy
Virgin GroupVirgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
operates its headquarters at The School House, 50 Brook Green. Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
has its headquarters in the borough.
Iberia operates the Iberia House in the borough. All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways
, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
operates the London Office on the fourth floor of Hythe House. South African Airways
South African Airways
South African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...
has its United Kingdom office in the South African Airways House. CE Europe, a subsidiary of Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, has its head office in the George House in Hammersmith in the borough. As of May 2011 it will be relocating to the Metro Building in Hammersmith. Coca Cola, Disney and L'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
also all have headquarters in Hammersmith, as well as a number of other major businesses.
For a 15-year period Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
had its UK and Ireland office in Hammersmith. In 2006 the UK and Ireland office was moved to Hatton Cross, London Borough of Hounslow
London Borough of Hounslow
-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
.
Politics
Hammersmith and Fulham Council election, 2010
Elections for Hammersmith and Fulham Council were held on the 6 May 2010. The 2010 General Election and other local elections took place on the same day....
held on 6 May, the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
lost 2 seats but won a majority by taking a total of 31 seats. The present administration was first elected at the 2006 council election
Hammersmith and Fulham council election, 2006
Elections to Hammersmith and Fulham Council were held on 4th May, 2006. The whole council was up for election for the first time since the 2002 election.Hammersmith and Fulham local elections are held every four years, with the next due in 2010....
. The Council leader is Cllr. Stephen Greenhalgh (Con). The Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
forms the opposition on the Council, with 15 seats, led by Cllr. Stephen Cowan.
The borough is divided into 16 electoral wards, all bar two electing three councillors apiece. These are:
- Addison
- Askew
- Avonmore & Brook Green
- College Park & Old Oak
- Fulham Broadway
- Fulham Reach
- Hammersmith Broadway
- Munster
- North End
- Palace Riverside
- Parson's Green & Walham
- Ravenscourt Park
- Sands End
- Shepherd's BushShepherd's Bush-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
Green - Town
- Wormholt & White City :
The Conservative administration introduced a number of changes to the running of the council following their election in 2006, including a 3% per year cut in Council Tax in each year between 2007/8 and 2010/1. This worked out at am average reduction of £26.30 per year for that period. The Conservative administration privitised many front line services including refuse collection and parks maintenance. It provided funding for a 24 hour police team in Shepherds Bush Green ward. The Council received the Local Government Chronicle award for "Council of the Year" in 2010. The authority has repeatedly been described as a "flagship" Conservative borough and a favourite of Tory Prime Minister David Cameron. Between 2005 and 2008, the Audit Commission found that services improved from an overall rating of three stars and "improving well" to four stars and "improving strongly". According to the government 2009 Place Survey, the Council was rated as the sixth most popular major authority in the country.
On 21 January 2010 the Borough was found guilty of maladministration
Maladministration
Maladministration is a political term which describes the actions of a government body which can be seen as causing an injustice.The law in the United Kingdom says Ombudsman must investigate ‘maladministration’...
by the Local Government Ombudsman
Local Government Ombudsman
A Local Government Ombudsman is an official employed by the Commission for Local Administration in England , a body of commissioners established under the Local Government Act 1974 to investigate complaints about councils and certain other bodies in England. Each of three Local Government Ombudsmen...
. The Ombudsman concluded that a woman was due compensation after Hammersmith and Fulham had refused to provide accommodation for her despite being pregnant and seeking escape from domestic violence. The woman who was later discovered seeking shelter in a local park. Prior to this incident the Council had sold off twelve homeless hostels, tightened homeless acceptance criteria and banned the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Crisis from running a Christmas homeless shelter. In June 2010 the Borough removed all funding from Threshold Housing Advice who are the homeless charity that reported the council to the Local Government Ombudsman and brought about the Maladministration ruling. This forced Threshold Housing Advice to close down in November 2010.
The opposition Labour Party and media critics, such as Johann Hari in the Independent 5 May 2010, have criticised the Council for cuts to front line services and the introduction of new or increased stealth taxes. These include the new £12.40 per hour home care charge for the elderly, sick and disabled, a nearly £600 increase (over the four-year period) in fees for meals on wheels; a 50% increase in parking fines and 55% increase in parking tickets. The Conservative Administration are also criticized for initially cutting police numbers in 3 of the 16 wards; renting out parks for exclusive private events and selling off the borough's buildings such as librarys, schools, council homes, community centres, Sure Start centres, early learning centres and youth clubs.
During the 2010 general and local elections the Conservative administration was accused by Labour opponents, the media and residents of intending to demolish 3,300 Council homes leaving many people with no option but to move out of the borough - an allegation described by the Prime Minister as "appalling Labour lies" in the Daily Telegraph, 22 May 2010. Stephen Cowan (Lab), the Council’s Leader of the Opposition strongly disputed this allegation and wrote to the Prime Minister challenging his comments and detailing why he was wrong to make them.
Hammersmith and Fulham’s alleged housing plans have been covered by the UK media notably in this video made by the Guardian Newspaper, 9 October 2009. Housing issues in Hammersmith and Fulham gained greater publicity after Cllr Greenhalgh co-authored the Localism policy paper Principles of Social Housing Reform in 2009 which called for a move to “near market rents” and an end to life long secure tenancies for council housing tenants. The Coalition Government has now begun to consult on these policies and has released Local Decisions: A Fairer Future for Social Housing for consultation and following this they will most likely soon be presented to Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
in a housing bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
.
Former councillors for Hammersmith and Fulham who are current Members of Parliament include Dominic Grieve MP (Con), Aidan Burley MP (Con), Greg Hands MP (Con), Lisa Nandy MP (Lab), Andrew Robotham MP (Con) and Andrew Slaughter MP (Lab).
Sport
There are a number of sporting teams and players based in the borough. They include:Football
Fulham Football Club
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
are all based in the borough and play Premier League football. The borough can therefore claim to be home to three of the top twenty teams in English football.
Footballers:
- Ex-Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, Manchester CityManchester City F.C.Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international defender Stuart PearceStuart PearceStuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
was born in Shepherd's BushShepherd's Bush-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
. - Much-travelled former Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
striker Marcus BentMarcus BentMarcus Nathan Bent is an English football striker who plays for Indonesian club Mitra Kukar. A former England under-21 international, the journeyman striker has played for fourteen different clubs, playing over 570 games and scoring 110 goals in the process.A England under-21 international, he...
was born in Hammersmith. - Sean Davis plays currently for Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
and was capped for England under-21sEngland national under-21 football teamEngland's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
, he is one of the few players in history to play for the same club in all 4 divisions of the English football league whilst at Fulham. - Tony Bedeau of Torquay UnitedTorquay United F.C.Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
and WalsallWalsall F.C.Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
was born in Hammersmith in 1979. - Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
midfielder Lee CookLee CookLee Cook is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Hammersmith, London, Cook began his career at Southampton. non-League Aylesbury United where he made 19 appearances, scoring twice, having progressed from the club's youth team. In 1999, after...
was born in Hammersmith in 1982.
Rugby
Hammersmith & Fulham RFC have been playing in the borough at Hurlingham Park for over 30 years. They boast four senior men’s sides and one Ladies XV. The men’s 1st XV currently compete in London's NE2 League with the remainder of the sides participating in the Middlesex Merit Tables.
Boxing
- Joe CalzagheJoe CalzagheJoseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
was born in Hammersmith in 1972. - Frank BrunoFrank BrunoFranklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
was born in Hammersmith in 1961.
Rowing
Lower Mall was home to a large number of rowing clubs at the end of the 19th Century, of which there are now only a few survivors. The headquarters of the national governing body, the Amateur Rowing Association, is also on Lower Mall, in a building, The Priory, which used to be occupied by rowing clubs.
The first half of the Boat Race course is along Hammersmith and Fulham's southern border, on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
.
"Culture"
Studio 106 Art Gallery holds regular exhibitions and workshops.
Education
The borough is also home to two prestigious independent girls' schools - St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School is a senior independent school, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England.-History:In 1904 a new day school for girls was established by the trustees of the Dean Colet Foundation , which had run St Paul's School for boys since the sixteenth century...
in Brook Green
Brook Green
Brook Green is an affluent London neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located approx west of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Kensington, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, Holland Park and Brackenbury Village....
(often ranked in first place in the country in league tables, with nearly 50% of each year group gaining entry to Oxbridge), and the Godolphin and Latymer School
Godolphin and Latymer School
The Godolphin and Latymer School is an independent school for 700 girls aged eleven to eighteen in London. Ms Margaret Rudland was the head mistress of the school for over 20 years before being succeeded by Ms Ruth Mercer.-History:...
, situated a few minutes' walk from Hammersmith Broadway
Hammersmith Broadway
Hammersmith Broadway is a street which serves as a major transport node and shopping centre located in west London. It is home to the Piccadilly and District lines' Hammersmith station, as well as Hammersmith bus station. It is located on Hammersmith Road, in the London Borough of Hammersmith &...
.
Latymer Upper School
Latymer Upper School
Latymer Upper School, founded by Edward Latymer in 1624, is a selective independent school in Hammersmith, West London, England, lying between King Street and the Thames. It is a day school for 1,130 pupils – boys and girls aged 11–18; there is also the Latymer Preparatory School for boys and girls...
, an independent co-educational school, is also in the borough, on King Street in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
.
The exclusive independent girls' preparatory school Bute House is also in Brook Green
Brook Green
Brook Green is an affluent London neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located approx west of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Kensington, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, Holland Park and Brackenbury Village....
.
See also
- Hammersmith and Fulham parks and open spacesHammersmith and Fulham parks and open spacesThe London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, an Inner London borough, has a total of 231 hectares of parks and open spaces that are accessible to the general public. 159 hectares of this is within parks and 52.5 hectares are within cemeteries and churchyards...
- The "Hammersmith ApolloHammersmith ApolloHammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
" - Hammersmith and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)Hammersmith and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)Hammersmith and Fulham was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
- History of Shepherd's BushHistory of Shepherd's BushShepherd's Bush is a neighbourhood in West London which was largely developed for residential use in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries...
External links
- London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham official website
- Cllr. Stephen Cowan (Lab) - Leader of the Opposition
- Local Conservative Party
- Local Labour Party
- Greg Hands MP (Con) - for Chelsea and Fulham
- Andy Slaughter MP (Lab) for Hammersmith
- The Bush Theatre
- Riverside Studios
- The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
- Local Listings Magazine
- Open data about Hammersmith & Fulham from OpenlyLocal
- W14london - online community site for W14 & SW6