Tiffin Club 2011

"Memories of India" has won a place in the Regional Final after I selected the restaurant to represent Brentford and Isleworth in the prestigious Lyca Tiffin Cup 2011 competition.
The national competition is held each year to find the best South Asian restaurant in the country.
This year 60 restaurants were nominated. "Memories of India," having won a place in the regional final, will battle with other restaurants from the same region to become one of the national finalists in the Lyca Tiffin Cub 2011 Grand Final.
Within the next few weeks, a mystery diner will visit the restaurant and judge whether it deserves to represent the region.
I am delighted that my nomination for "Memories of India" has been accepted. I hope that "Memories of India" will be chosen to represent our region in the Grand Final of such a prestigious award. I am sure everyone in Brentford and Isleworth will be supporting our restaurant.
Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Tiffin Club, tells me he is delighted with the nomination of "Memories of India" - it will really put Brentford and Isleworth on the culinary map.

Labour cuts back on right to buy

With housing such a high profile issue locally, courtesy of a group of squatters, I thought it was worth highlighting what a Conservative government plans for social housing.

The goal is to extend the opportunity for social tenants across England, by:

• - Rewards for good behaviour: Offering tenants with a record of five years’ good tenant behaviour a 10% equity share in their social rented property, which can be cashed in when they want to move up the housing ladder.
• - A ‘Right to Move’: Introducing a comprehensive national mobility scheme for good tenants who wish to move to other social sector properties.
• - Supporting low-cost housing sector: Strengthening shared ownership schemes which allow those on intermediate incomes to part-own their home.
• - Cutting waiting lists: Relaxing the rules that prevent thousands of habitable empty properties being used to house those on local authority waiting lists.

Labour has cut back on council tenants' ‘right to buy’, making it increasingly hard for people on lower incomes to own their own homes. We want to find ways to help tenants get into the property ladder.

An independent report commissioned by the Government has highlighted the benefits of the Right to Buy in promoting home ownership, giving people a stake in the state of their neighbourhood and creating mixed communities:

“The Right to Buy was one of the most successful housing policies… because the policy enabled many households to become owner-occupiers who would not otherwise been able to do so… It has been a positive influence in maintaining mixed communities in spatial terms. It has also provided a cheaper access point into owner-occupation for lower income employed households helping to sustain mixed communities are these properties are transferred into the market.’

(ODPM, Lessons from the past, challenges for the future for housing policy)
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/evaluationenglish

I’d be interested in your views on this, of course.

And if you’d like to know more about Conservative policy in this area check this out:http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2009/02/Our_plan_to_tackle_Britains_social_housing_crisis.aspx

Skyride for Cyclists - a great day!

Even although I was feeling under the weather with a cold and cough, I managed to get out this weekend to participate in the Hounslow Skyride. There was an excellent atmosphere around Syon Park and Osterley Park where individuals, friends and families were all participating in a day of cycling around the Borough.

This was a great initiative from Boris Johnson and one that hopefully will encourage many people to cycle more. Great for health and great for the environment!