Last week’s local council elections in our borough in London kicked the Labour Party out of power and brought in the Conservatives. It was quite a shock to me as Hammersmith & Fulham has been fairly solidly Labour for years. Looking at the election map of H&F shows that the Tories gained ground near the border with posher Kensington & Chelsea. I suspect that one big reason was transport.

The proposed extension of the Congestion Charge zone right into Kensington & Chelsea has provoked lots of reaction on our side of the fence (actually it’s provoked lots of bumper stickers, but I reckon people with bumper stickers are more likely to vote). Also, the proposed tram down Uxbridge Road seems to have quite a few people frothing.

I don’t get it - the Congestion Charge is at worst a minor inconvenience (if you can afford to keep a car in London, the odd 8 quid a day isn’t going to break the bank) and the tram will completely change Shepherds Bush Green for the better and make getting down Uxbridge Road a lot quicker for the average resident. I think it just bothers people that it’s getting harder to get out of H&F without having to interact with the locality. I think lots of people who live here rather wouldn’t, and any reminder that they do - ie, having to walk or take public transport round here - is an affront.

So why don’t they just take the plunge and escape to the country?