From: Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance
Sent: 13 May 2009 12:33
To: Chalkley, Danny (Cllr); Oliver Finegold, Media Relations Manager
Communications Department, Westminster City Council
Cc: Heart of London business alliance
Subject: FW: Westminster Council Motor Bike demo

Hi again, update from Against motorcycle parking and my response to him - he wanted me to comment personally on Heart of London business alliance behalf and I felt it was prudent to wait for Heart of London business alliance return considering the repercussions the response may cause.

I shall ensure we copy you in on SP's response when she returns from hols.

Thanks.

Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance

From: Against motorcycle parking]
Sent: 13 May 2009 12:14
To: Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance

Subject: Re: Westminster Council Motor Bike demo

Hello Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance

,

Many thanks; I do appreciate your help and guidance.

Kind regards,
Against motorcycle parking

Hi Against motorcycle parking

Thank you for your email. 

Heart of London business alliance is away on holiday until 20^th May and I don't feel that I can make a comment on Heart of London business alliance behalf. 

As soon as they return from leave I will ensure that they get in touch with you in response to your email.

Kind regards,

 Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance

From: Against motorcycle parking

Sent: 13 May 2009 11:14
To: Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance
Subject: Re: Westminster Council Motor Bike demo

Hi Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance,

Thanks for your email; I appreciate your information and help. However, I have read Heart of London business alliance statement in the press and while I do appreciate their political stance, I don't think the statement answers my questions, I'll condense them here again and I wonder if you could ask Heart of London business alliance or the Communications team to answer them.

1) Westminster has taken over £3 million pounds from local pockets, to date, since last August. Is that not detrimental to Westminster retailers in these difficult economic times?

2) Your organizations first line in its declaration of purpose is: "To remain advocates for everyone who invests, works or visits the area" - Are not two wheeled commuters (with £3 million less to spend) included in that statement?

3) Can I ask if Councilor Danny Chalkley (or any other Westminster Councilor) spoke on your behalf against any of the other demonstrations that take place that effect Westminster, such as G20, the Tamil protest or the many student union demonstrations that occur? If he didn't, did you release a press statement about those events too?

Thanks again for your help, I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,
Against motorcycle parking

2009/5/13 Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance

Dear Mr Against motorcycle parking,

Thank you for your email regarding the motorcycle demonstration in the West End on Monday 11th May Heart of London business alliance is away on annual leave at the moment but before they left they prepared a statement relating to this demonstration, so I thought it would be helpful to provide this information.

Communications Manager Heart of London business alliance on behalf of Heart of London business alliance

Statement from Heart of London business alliance regarding the motorbike demonstration 11 May 2009

 “We recognise the right to peaceful protest but our Alliance represents many businesses in the heart of London who work hard to make the environment welcoming to our many visitors. Disruption impacts on trade, so we are naturally concerned of any implication this may have on businesses in these current difficult economic times.”

From: Against motorcycle parking
Sent: 10 May 2009 20:19
To: Heart of London business alliance
Subject: Westminster Council

Hello Heart of London business alliance,

I apologize for the email directly to you but I felt that I needed to understand the context between you and Councilor Danny Chalkley, who seems to be communicating on behalf of your organisation.

The copy of the email from Danny Chalkley is entered at the end of this email for your information. In it Mr. Chalkley is calling for www.notobikeparkingfees.com to stop a legal demonstration against his parking charges using your organization and saying it will cause lost trade and revenue.

There's a couple of issues you may or may not be aware of, one is that this stealth tax of Westminster has taken over £3 million pounds from local pockets since last August. This is money taken from those who live, work and visit Westminster, people I hope your organization would tend to support? This is money that could have gone into helical economy, certainly for the small retailer, which is now not being spent.

In fact from your own web pages your first purpose is: "To remain advocates for everyone who invests, works or visits the area", I don't see how you can do that and yet seek to suppress legal, peaceful and organized demonstration. The people paying this awful additional charge are exactly the people your organization is supposed to advocate for, is it not?

Can I ask if Councilor Danny Chalkley (or any other Westminster Councilor) spoke on your behalf against any of the other demonstrations that take place that effect Westminster, such as G20 or the many student union demonstrations that occur?

I could go on about the million reasons why West Minster's tax is unfair, illegal and unworkable but I'm trying to keep the issues discussed close to what I think your organizations concerns are.

Thanks you for your time, I look forward to your prompt reply.



"From   Chalky (Cllr)
to   Chairman of notoparking.com
date   Fri, May 8, 2009 at 4:12 PM
subject   Planned motorcycle demonstration in the West End on Mon 11th May
mailing list chairman.notobikeparkingfees.com Filter messages from this mailing list
 
hide details May 8 (2 days ago)
 
 
Reply
 
 Follow up message

Dear Mr. Chairman of notoparking.com

Planned motorcycle demonstration in the West End on Monday 11th May

We are writing to express our disappointment that your planned demonstration on Monday 11th May is still, at this stage, going ahead.

Alongside Westminster City Council, a number of major businesses and organizations in Westminster including Covent Garden London, Heart of London Business Alliance, New West End Company, the Regent Street Association and Shaftsbury PLC all have an interest in working together to maintain and develop a strong business environment and residential community in the West End.

As such, we are of the view that it is entirely inappropriate to cause "mayhem" in the West End and "lay siege to London", especially at a time of global recession.

Indeed, your demonstration on Monday and the inevitable disruption it will cause will have a serious impact on West End businesses in terms of lost revenue and trade.

It will also clearly impact on the hundreds of thousands of commuters, tourists, and residents in the West End, the vast majority of whom will not welcome your protest and have no wish to have their daily lives disrupted by your actions.

In the light of these concerns we hope that you will urgently reconsider your plans for Monday and call off this demonstration.

Yours sincerely,

Heart of London Business Alliance
London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
New West End Company
Regent Street Association
Shaftsbury PLC
Society of London Theatres
Westminster City Council "

--
Best wishes,
Against motorcycle parking