The following article, written by Westminster City Council Leader Rachael Robathan, originally published by themj.co.uk

Up and down the town centres of the country, we felt the tectonic plates move on Saturday as, after four months of being cooped up, people finally got to go out.

Your Little Venice councillors are delighted that a new pedestrian refuge has been installed at the junction of Randolph Avenue and Randolph Crescent. This is a major junction with significant pedestrian footfall.

Fly tipping and waste being inconsiderately dumped is something that we all feel strongly about. Fly tipping at a private car park at the junction of Randolph Avenue and Clifton Road has been a persistent problem.

We work very closely with our local Little Venice neighbourhood police team and we were pleased that last week, an unauthorised shisha café operating out of the back of a restaurant on Edgware Road was visited and the operation closed.

It is unfortunate but inevitable that malevolent actors find new opportunities in Covid-19, to scam vulnerable people who may be thrown off-guard by these exceptional circumstances. Please be aware that it is now even more important than ever to watch out for the techniques used by scammers.

The Mental Health Foundation is hosting Mental Health Week, on the theme of Kindness.

Two new bike hangars have been installed in Little Venice ward. There is now bicycle storage on the Warwick Avenue central island and a second bike hangar has been installed on Sutherland Avenue. Each cycle hangar provides protected parking for six bikes.

Little Venice ward councillors Melvyn Caplan and Matthew Green were joined by the Leader of Westminster Council, Cllr Rachael Robathan, for the topping out ceremony of Parsons North on Edgware Road. The new building is now at its full height!

We are all aware of the continuing difficult period that is being experienced by everyone across Westminster. I want to assure you that your local councillors will continue to provide whatever support or advice is needed in the coming weeks.

As we have already reported, your local councillors have been working with the Paddington Waterways and Maida Vale Society and the Council’s Westminster Connects service to provide meals donated by Clifton Road businesses Raoul’s and Cook Maida Vale to our hardworking NHS staff at St.