Peckham Rye Labour

(Click on the picture above to listen to the Southwark Lib Dem speech on free healthy school meals for primary school children.) Last week Southwark Liberal Democrats got more than a little unwanted attention. They appeared on national TV a number of times and in pretty much every national newspaper because of their hypocrisy over Free Healthy School Meals. Labour introduced free healthy school meals for all Primary School children in Southwark when we were elected in 2010, one of a tiny number of local authorities to do so. It has proved to be an incredibly successful policy, ensuring that every child is getting a healthy, hot meal inside them, boosting educational attainment, removing stigma and tackling childhood obesity. Surprising then that Southwark Lib Dems have opposed it vehemently for the past three and a half years. Then, just before their national conference a few weeks ago they came up against a problem: Their national party was about to back the policy! T...

It was great to speak to so many parents at St Francesca Cabrini Primary School today.  We were letting people know about Southwark Labour's hugely successful Free, Healthy School Meals policy .  Since investing in this policy after we took control of the council in 2010, more and more evidence is showing that it is helping kids to concentrate at school and tackle obesity.  Most importantly, it ensures that every primary child at school in Southwark is getting a good quality, cooked meal in the middle of the school day. This is a great policy which Victoria, Renata and I are very proud our Party has introduced (in the teeth of some vicious and misleading opposition from local Liberal Democrats). You may also be interested in some national coverage on Southwark's school meals policy in the past week

On Saturday morning I went along to the first meeting of the Peckham Rye Responsible Dog Owners Association (PRRDOA).  This is a group set up by local dog owners who were concerned that their voice  was not being heard loud and clear.  Local residents Dave Hardy and Nick Simpson in particular have been leading the way in getting this group organised.   In truth, the catalyst for this group hasn’t been a wholly positive issue.  The council recently launched a survey across the borough to collect residents views about dog related issues in parks and green spaces.  I think everyone now accepts that the wording of some of the questions could have been better.  As a result, dog owners in Peckham Rye clearly felt that there was a need to get their views across to the council via a new group. But positive things often come out of these situations.  There were at least 50 dog owners in the Clock House Pub – an excellent turnout for a Saturday ...