LBC radio web site: Tower Hamlets Tops UK For Rat, Mice & Cockroaches

Retrieved from the LBC London radio web site at appx,  1215 GMT Friday 18 May 2012:

Tower Hamlets Tops UK For Rat, Mice & Cockroaches

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Friday 18th May 2012

Tower Hamlets has come top of a table of a national survey of places infested with rats, mice, cockroaches, bed bugs and other pests.

The borough came top of requests for pest control help, with 82 residents in every 1,000 requesting assistance, more than anywhere else in the UK.

Hackney and Southwark also feature in the top ten areas.

Simon Forrester, chief executive of the BPCA, said: "This is the most comprehensive study of the demand placed on local authorities for pest control ever carried out and it covers a period when the austerity measures were starting to bite.

"The BPCA is concerned that, on a national scale, pest control budgets are being hit.

"That makes it much harder for councils to respond as effectively as they would like, which could have implications for both quality of life and public health.

"Authorities are reducing manpower and looking at new ways of dealing with pests. We would urge councils thinking of outsourcing services to use BPCA members - potential public health problems need to be dealt with by professionals, and failing to tackle an infestation properly leads to additional expense and resident dissatisfaction."

Boroughs With Most Requests For Pest ControlLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets
Newport City Council
Richmondshire District Council
London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Southwark
Birmingham City Council
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, City of
South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council
North Lanarkshire Council

The BPCA orignally named Wandsworth as the worst borough for pests, but had got their decimal point in the wrong place, claiming 86 complaints per thousand, but the actual figure is 8.6. 

Johnson [Alan] too has a stupid "sense" of timing. [1]

Retrieved at 0742 GMT Friday 18 May 2012  from www.bbc.co.uk:

Alan Johnson: 'I considered running for London mayor'

Alan Johnson said he would not rule out standing in 2016

Continue reading the main story

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Alan Johnson has said he considered running for London mayor and has hinted that he could seek the job in 2016.

The former home secretary was widely touted as Labour's candidate two years ago, before Ken Livingstone was selected.

He admitted he had doubted the wisdom of Mr Livingstone trying for a third term and "thought about" standing himself.

Ken Livingstone has said he will not stand for London mayor again.

'Age no problem'

In Parliament's weekly magazine, The House, he said: "In the end, my decision was a commitment to Hull, where I've had 15 really good years and a city which I love, rather than the city I was born in.

"There were lots of colleagues who quite liked the idea of Johnson versus Johnson.

"I left the question open at the time.

"I don't think Boris was sitting there petrified at the idea of Alan Johnson, but there were a lot of people thinking it shouldn't be a re-run of the last one."

Boris Johnson won a second term as London mayor, beating Labour rival Ken Livingstone by 3%.

Mr Johnson added: "I'm a great admirer of Ken and probably the Boris factor would have done for anyone.

"But it's very rare that you just re-run the same challenge in any sphere, that you just run the same candidate who lost some years before.

"So maybe we do need a bit of fresh blood next time that's for sure.

"I would not rule it out (for 2016)."

Mr Johnson dismissed the idea that he would be too old to make a mayoral bid in four years' time, when he will be 66.

"I don't think (the problem) was age with Ken," he said.

"If you look at some of the great mayors around the world, look at