In September the wife of a man with terminal cancer who was given a parking ticket as she helped him into a shop said she was ‘disgusted’ by her treatment.

Beryl Cursons, 74, of North Harrow received the ticket while dropping off her husband Peter, who has bone cancer and a shattered spine, at an opticians in Harrow town centre.

Despite a recommendation from the traffic appeals service for Harrow Borough Council to cancel the fine, the authority refused to waive the ticket, but decided to withdrawn the fine after the Harrow Times got in contact.

September was also the month the Conservative group took control of the council at an extraordinary meeting.

Councillors voted for Cllr Susan Hall to become the leader of the council following the removal of Cllr Thaya Idaikkadar.

In the leadership vote, Cllr Idaikkadar’s own Independent Labour group voted for Cllr Hall, giving her 31 votes to Labour leader David Perry’s 24.

Labour and Conservatives said the meeting was necessary and was for the best of the borough.

Members of staff at a the Royal Mail sorting office went on strike in a row over working conditions at the Parr Road depot, off Honeypot Lane.

Up to 50 members of the Communications Workers’ Union took action amid accusations of unfair workloads and bullying and harassment from senior managers.

Royal Mail said they were disappointed at the strike and brought in cover staff to deliverer as many special delivery and tracked items.