Peckham Rye Labour

Leaseholder charging in Southwark - draft report published

2012-01-27T11:52:00.000Z

Some months ago I posted on the leaseholder charging scrutiny which would be carried out by the Housing Scrutiny Committee. Since then lots of hard work has gone into unpicking all of the issues surrounding leaseholder charges and we've just published the draft report. You can see it here.

The report will be discussed by the sub-committee at next Monday's meeting and so there will be changes and additions following that discussion. However, the central arguments and recommendations of the report are in place and will be of interest to leaseholders in Southwark who want to see a Labour council responding to their concerns.

Our aim from the outset has been make recommendations which would improve the process of leaseholder charging for the benefit of all residents of the borough. We've had excellent co-operation and engagement from council officers, the cabinet member and leaseholder representatives.

There are a number of recommendations, below are just some which are worth noting:

1. The council should offer leaseholders the option of a fixed service charge which incorporates both the annual services charge and major works service charges.

2. Full details of how the actual service charge is calculated should be provided on-line, rather than waiting for individual requests for this information.

3. Steps should be taken to make available on-line details of major works and annual service charges relating to individual leaseholders. Leaseholders would then be able to see an ongoing calculation of the charges being levied and to hold the council and its contractors to account for works which are being charged for. Leaseholders should be issued with details of an individual account to which they can log-on and see details of the annual and major works service charge calculations to which they are subject.

4. Improvements need to be made in cross-departmental working. Works needs to continue to be done in getting officers in the wider Housing Department to work more closely with officers in HO &TMI, and vice versa.

5. Given the consensus that there is a clear lack of appreciation of leaseholder issues by housing management staff. The sub-committee wishes to suggest two possible options which could be considered as ways of rectifying this problem.

a) Expand the remit and function of Home Ownership Division to take on a more general housing management role and activities to cover these issues; OR

b) Have a dedicated leaseholder officer based in each of the other housing management services who may or may not come under the Home Ownership Division but will have to liaise and report to it.

As I say, we're still only at the draft stage, so I'd be very interested to hear from leaseholders or anyone else if they have comments on the draft.

Democracy in Southwark: If you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk

2012-01-21T13:26:00.001Z

Turning up to meetings is just one part of a councillor’s job, but it’s an important part. Scrutiny, Community Council and other meetings are a crucial opportunity to stand up for residents’ interests and hold the council to account. It’s something that you know will take up lots of your time, but you’re fully aware of that before you make the decision to stand for election. This, this and this show just a few examples of times when Vikki, Renata and I have been able to secure improvements for the Peckham Rye area by going along to these meetings. I’m not saying they’re always riveting, but I am saying it’s important to turn up as often as possible.

Since the last election residents of Southwark have been able to monitor the attendance of their councillors via the Southwark Council website. Now, I wouldn’t have mentioned this if Southwark’s Lib Dem Councillors hadn’t been going around in recent months, telling anyone that would listen, just how concerned they were about democratic accountability at Southwark Council. For example, Anood Al-Samerai, the current leader of Southwark Lib Dems, has been crying crocodile tears over the proposed merger of some community council areas (prompted by cuts made by her own government). Councillor Michael Bukola said at a recent council meeting that he was deeply worried about oversight of Housing policy in the borough (even though he's missed the last two Housing Scrutiny meetings and didn't bother to send a sub). I think if you’re going to make such a great play of this issue, then it would be fair to expect Southwark Lib Dem Councillors to have a good attendance record. But as a group they don’t. In fact some of them are very far from having a good attendance record indeed.

For example Liberal Democrat Councillor for Rotherhithe, Columba Blango, has only attended 53% of his meetings since the last election. (Southwark News reported on this today, see above) In 2011 Cllr Blango’s attendance has been even lower, 44%. He has attended just 8 of the 20 community council meetings since the 2010 election and just 2 of the last 10 in 2011. Former Southwark Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Stanton has only attended 68% since the election (the third worst on the council). All these figures are correct up to 10th Jan 2012 – the last date they were updated on the council website

But perhaps the most shocking statistic of all is that all 8 of the bottom 8 Southwark councillors in terms of their % attendance at meetings have one thing in common: they are all Liberal Democrats.

On average Labour Councillors have attended 87% of the meetings they were expected to go along to, whilst Lib Dems have attended just 81%. This is even more surprising when you consider that all Cabinet members are Labour Councillors. Cabinet members have far more meeting clashes that other councillors because of their portfolio responsibilities. Even with 9 Cabinet members in our Group Southwark Labour Councillors attend significantly more of their meetings.

Everyone acknowledges that there will be legitimate circumstances, such as illness, maternity leave or family reasons which mean Councillors can’t make it to meetings, somtimes even over a long period. I’ve got no problem with that and neither have residents of the borough. But the statistics don’t lie – Southwark Lib Dems clearly have a problem in their group with turning up to these important meetings. Some of them seem to have decided that they don’t have to bother.

So next time you hear one of our yellow friends bemoaning their lack of opportunity to hold the council to account, ask them if they turned up to their last community council meeting.

Cheltenham and Ivydale Road Road works - What is going on?

2012-01-20T10:50:00.000Z

Local residents will know that resurfacing and reconstruction works have been going on over a number of week on a section of Ivydale Road (west of Merttins Road) and Cheltenham Road. The works will improve residential roads which have become very bumpy, largely as a result of 343 and 484 buses travelling on these roads. This has become a particular problem in recent years because the combination of heavy buses and deteriorating roads has lead to serious shaking of people homes.

Through a combination of Councillors' and local residents' campaigning in 2011 we were able to secure the funding for the works. Prior to works starting there was a joint meeting between local residents, councillors and council officers out on the street. At that meeting we were told by officers that the works would include full-depth reconstruction of the entire length of Cheltenham Road and the relevant section of Ivydale Road.

Since works have begun it's become clear that full-depth reconstruction of the all of the roads was not in fact happening. The worst affected sections (such as around the old ramps) were getting full depth reconstruction, but other sections were not. As you would expect, this has caused a great deal of consternation locally. Why would people be told that all of the road needed and would get this full depth work and then something less was being delivered? It would be fair to say that the uncertainty was not helped by the fact that we were not getting prompt answers to the various queries we were raising.

Well, to bring you up to date, over the last week we have finally starter to get some answers. On Wednesday evening councillors received an email which suggested that, because of limitations on the budget, only those parts of the roads which required full-depth reconstruction would be getting this work. The other parts of the road would be resurfaced, but not to a full-depth. We immediately responded to say this was not acceptable to re-iterated that we had clearly been lead to believe that full-depth reconstruction would take place for the whole road. This morning (Friday) Peckham Rye Councillors met with officers, including the senior manager with responsibility for the project, to put our case. There was, to put it euphemistically, a full and frank exchange of views.

Officers working on the roads have now told us that in their view, the plan for the roads was to only undertake full-depth reconstruction where is was needed. In their view, not all parts of the roads need this level of work and the money available for the project is not enough to cover full depth reconstruction throughout.We have made clear that not only was this not our understanding, but that we feel that councillors and residents have been misled over the scope of the works at several meetings that were held.

As councillors we feel that we have no choice but to pursue the issue of the misleading information being given through official channels. We made it clear that we would do this at our meeting this morning.

Unfortunately, it is clear that this process will not change the perimeters of the project for Ivydale and Cheltenham. Parts of the carriageway that clearly need full depth reconstruction on initial inspection are already being subject to this – the two pinch points on Ivydale and the area immediately around them are examples of this. Other sections of the road, where the condition looks better, will be subject to a survey once the top layer of surface has been removed. Where this reveals the substructure is failing, reconstruction will be done, where the substructure is good, it will not be. In better news, officers do not consider the works on Cheltenham Road complete.

They are also unhappy with several patches and parts of the work. The road will be inspected and further works will be done. Usually ‘snagging’ inspections lead to only small improvements been made but officers agree that on parts of Cheltenham, including the stretch that has not received any work, more substantial works will be needed.

On the speed table at the junction with Ivydale and Merttins, this will have test holes dug and will be subject to full depth reconstruction if needed – this is an improvement on the previous position of the council only resurfacing it. The raised table will remain to enforce the 20mph speed limit but the cambers will be as gentle as possible whilst ensuring the table remains an effective traffic calming feature.

Nunhead and Peckham Rye Councillors get into the groove

2012-01-13T22:12:00.001Z

At last night's Community Council meeting Nunhead and Peckham Rye Councillors got into a dancing mood with a little bit of help from Peckham's Recycled Teenagers. Who says council meetings are boring!

(Permission to film was sought from and granted by the Chair!)

Know Your Ryes!

2012-01-07T17:10:00.001Z

A few weeks ago I was in a meeting with some local residents and council officers. During the meeting one person started referring to Rye Lane, when in fact they meant Peckham Rye East. Later on another started talking about Peckham Rye Common and it took us a little while to work out that they really meant Peckham Rye Park.

You can't really blame people for getting a little confused. There are so many references to "Rye" in our little bit of South London that even the locals can get mixed up. So I thought I'd have a go at writing a little glossary of all the Ryes hereabout. Clearly I'm making a rod for my own back here, so please point out any errors I've made in the comments box below.

Anyway, here are my definitions of the ubiquitous Ryes. Some serious, some not so serious, and in no particular order:

Peckham Rye Ward - The council ward area. Peckham Rye Ward was created out of Rye Ward, Waverley Ward and Bellenden Ward following the Local Authority Boundary Review. See the old and new maps here. A detailed map of the ward boundaries is here.

Peckham Rye Common - The common land area to the north of Peckham Rye Park and not 'enclosed' by fencing.

Peckham Rye Park - The Park area to the south of Peckham Rye Common. For a history of how the Park came into being see here on the FOPRP website. The great majority of the Park is enclosed by fencing.

Rye Hill Park Estate - The council owned estate to the East of Peckham Rye Park, set back from Peckham Rye (East) Road. The Tenants and Residents Association website is here.

Rye Lane - The lane made up mainly of shops to the North of Peckham Rye Common, ending at Peckham High Street.

Rye Road - A short, and very quiet residential Road in Nunhead.

Ryedale - A residential road in East Dulwich.

Peckham Rye Labour - Us! The collective term for Peckham Rye Labour Party members and the three Labour councillors representing people living in Peckham Rye Ward.

Peckham Rye Liberal Democrats - The collective term for three people who turn up in Peckham Rye Ward a few months before a local election and pretend to be "Local Community Campaigners" (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Peckham Rye Conservatives - See Peckham Rye Liberal Democrats.

Cafe on the Rye - Top notch cafe on Peckham Rye Common, near Strakers Road

Peckham Rye (West) - The road that runs along the west of Peckham Rye Common and Park. It becomes Forest Hill Road at the junction with Colyton Road. Homes on this side have even numbers.

Peckham Rye (East) - The road that runs along the east of Peckham Rye Common and Park. It becomes Cheltenham Road at the junction with Homestall Road. Homes on this side have odd numbers.

Peckham Rye Station - The overland train station which can be accessed from Rye Lane (and isn't in Peckham Rye 'ward' as we often have to point out!).

The Ballad of Peckham Rye - Novel by Muriel Spark set in and around the Peckham area.

Friends of Peckham Rye Park - Local residents and Park users action group formed in 1995. Their website is here. They also organise the brilliant Peckham Rye Fete each year.

Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council - Community Councils are devolved committees of Southwark Council. Local Councillors and residents hold meetings to discuss and make decisions that affect the wards included in the area. Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council currently covers Peckham Rye Ward, Nunhead Ward and Lane Ward.

The Rye - Pub and (good) food next to Peckham Rye Common and Scylla Road. Used to be called the Rye Hotel. Currently closed for refurbishment.

Peckham Rye (Slang) - Cockney rhyming slang for a tie.

Rye Oak School - Primary School on Whorlton Road.

Catcher in the Rye - Novel about a kid who has a breakdown. Nothing to do with Peckham Rye!

Rye - A grass grown as a grain and forage crop. This is getting ridiculous...

I give up... But have I missed any?

Homestall Road Sports Ground

2012-01-01T20:49:00.000Z

Residents of Homestall, Mundania and Colyton Road will be aware that there are some proposals to develop parts of the Homestall Road Sports Ground. The sports ground is the home of teams representing Athenlay Football Club.

Some residents are delighted that sports facilities are going to be improved for local young people, but for some this is tempered by an understandable concern that development will lead to over-intensive use of the site which will cause disturbance to their home life.

The problems which Southwark Council has been seeking to solve, in partnership with the club and local people, are:

- The general poor condition of the sports ground
- In particular the poor drainage and quality of the pitches
- The lack of decent changing provision on site.

I think it would be fair to say that early on in this project, the council’s communications with local residents were not good. A proposal (now abandoned) was developed with the local Harris Academy. These proposals were not informed by the views of local residents. Thankfully, this proposal is something of a red-herring, as it is not now being pursued.

At the end of October the project was awarded funding from Sports England’s Protecting Playing Field Fund, and Southwark Council Olympic Capital Legacy fund. This funding will be used solely to address the quality issues of the grass pitches, with works including improvement to the drainage and quality of the pitches. The work will not begin prior to May/June 2012. We have visited the site with council officers and it was made clear at that meeting that all that was going ahead were improvements to the existing grass pitches. Consequently, for residents the changes would result in little more than the pitches looking greener and healthier in the future.

As your local councillors we have secured assurances from council officers that any further stages in the project will be based on full, open and substantive consultation with local residents. Future developments which are being considered include a mini Astro pitch and the changing rooms being rebuilt. Certainly the latter, if built on the existing changing room ‘footprint’ would be a welcome improvement on the current very poor facilities that the teams currently have to use. Council officers (as well as ourselves) are aware of local concerns and are committed to improving the facilities. Nobody wants to see the ‘over-development’ of a site in a residential area. We will make sure we keep you up to date as the plans and consultation develop.

Following an initial meeting and correspondence with several concerned residents a larger meeting about these changes is currently being arranged which anyone can attend. Council officers and local councillors will be there. As soon as I have a date for this meeting I will let you know.

PS: Happy New Year to everyone in the Peckham Rye area!

Labour delivers a London Living Wage for Southwark

2011-12-19T11:23:00.001Z

Great news for anyone interested in the campaign to end poverty wages in London. Southwark's Labour run council has given a cast iron, fully funded commitment to pay all staff providing services on behalf of Southwark Council a London Living Wage. The pledge came in recently published Southwark Cabinet documents which can be found here (page 24).

The London Living Wage (LLW) was introduced in 2005 by Mayor Ken Livingstone to provide a voluntary marker, above the National Minimum Wage, to stop working Londoners from falling into poverty. The level is set each year by the Mayor's Living Wage Unit. The introduction of LLW followed a very long and determined campaign by numerous organisations, most notably London Citizens.

In November 2008 Southwark's Council Assembly passed a motion (with cross party support) to pay all staff the London Living Wage including, crucially, all contracted out staff. A higher proportion of directly employed local authority staff in London are paid at or above LLW, not least because so many of the lowest paid jobs have been outsourced to private contractors. However, despite confirming their intention to implement the plan, Southwark's previous Lib Dem lead administration did not put forward any detailed plans to actually deliver the LLW. I don't think it would be unfair to say that they liked the idea of paying a LLW but, as on so many other issues, didn't have the political will to see it through.

Following the election of a Labour Council in May 2010 Southwark became one of a minority of councils in London to pay all its permanent employees at or above the £8.30 level of the London Living Wage. But this was clearly not enough. Labour Councillors felt strongly that no member of staff delivering services to people in our borough deserved to be paid poverty wages. That meant fulfilling the pledge to deliver on a Living Wage for contracted out staff.

The recently published papers state "Cabinet members have now asked that officers plan to bring all contracted staff up to this level over the next three years. Future new contract procurements will
contain the requirement for contractors to pay employees the LLW." It goes on:

"Additional resources to support low paid staff arising from commitment made by council assembly in setting three year budget in February 2011 (£375k),a new commitment to support agency worker directive requiring parity pay rates with Council staff and the requirement for external contractors to pay London living wage in contracts to be let or re-let by the council in the future (£1m). The commitment to london living wage in contracts will require annual increases in budget provision over the period to 2015/16"

There are other councils in London paying LLW on their contracts (Islington and Lewisham) but Southwark is the first to have plans ensure everyone providing services gets paid at this minimum level. Apart from the obvious moral case for paying people a wage which keeps them above the poverty line, there is also a strong argument that paying these wages will boost service quality, particularly in areas such as care for the elderly and vulnerable. I strongly believe Southwark Council taxpayers will get better value for money as a result of this decision.

A huge amount of credit should go to Southwark's Labour Cabinet members for seeing through this commitment. In particular, Cabinet Member for Finance Richard Livingstone and the Leader of the Council Peter John have ensured this important issue was given sufficient priority. This is a significant step forward for the campaign against in-work poverty and I hope it will act as a spur to other London Council's to do the same thing.

Report from One O'Clock Club Meeting

2011-12-11T20:57:00.003Z

Below is the update from Renata on the One O'Clock Club Meeting posted by Renata on the East Dulwich Forum:

"Thank you to the parents who attended this morning's meeting at the One O clock Club.

To those of you unable to attend, local Councillors, myself (Peckham Rye) and Nick Dolezal (Lane) attended. Cabinet members Cllrs Catherine McDonald and Veronica Ward came and Catherine opened the meeting, talking about the severity of cuts to Southwark's budget from central goverment both to our core grant and to Child specific service funding. Council Officer Mike Smith explained where we currently are in terms of the club's future.

Southwark Children's Services will continue to operate the Club on its current stay and play basis until the current building is replaced. The One O Clock club uses a former POW hut, which is not fit for purpose and Capital has been allocated to build a new, for purpose facility for children's activities. Discussions are currently underway with Ivydale Children's Centre re the responsibility of managing the building. This has not yet been finalised, but if it is run by the Children's Centre, a much wider range of child-centred activities will be encouraged so that the new building is better utilised than the present one. Stay and play activities (ie One O Clock Club) would form part of the package. The council are also interested to hear from alternative providers such as community groups. One person has approached me and I forwarded their expression of interest in the Club."

Reminder - One O'Clock Club Meeting tomorrow

2011-12-07T21:13:00.003Z

There is a meeting at 9.30am at the One O'clock club tomorrow morning (Thursday 8th December) at 9.3Oam to discuss the future of the Club. Council Officers will be attending. This meeting follows on from the informal meeting which Renata held at the One O'Clock Club a couple of weeks ago.

Victoria, Renata and I have been working with council officers and Southwark Labour Cabinet members over the last year to find long-term funding for the Club. This meeting will, among other things, provide an update on that work. Funding for One O'Clock Clubs was cut following the Coalition Government's decision to cut Southwark council's funding by a third over four years.

Victoria on Nunhead Radio Show

2011-11-29T00:08:00.003Z

Victoria was a guest on the radio show of Nunhead resident Lewis Schaffer tonight. The show, was broadcast at 10.30pm on Monday night on Resonance FM. It covered such varied topics as a new name for south Nunhead, World War II, Margaret Thatcher's legacy, Athenlay FC and Bredinghurst School.

You can listen to the show here.

Gentle Warning: Lewis is a straight-talking comedian, the show is broadcast at 10.30pm. The humour and language is not for kids or the very easily offended.

Cheltenham and Ivydale Road Resurfacing

2011-11-12T22:10:00.001Z

Below is the text of a letter from the council that residents of Cheltenham and Ivydale Roads should have received today. Victoria, Renata and I are still working with officers to sort out the issues with the junction with Merttins Road - a more gentle profile on the raised junction to reduce vibration may be an option

"Dear Sir / Madam

Re: Advance notification of essential highway maintenance work
Ivydale Road / Cheltenham Road – carriageway resurfacing

As you may already be aware sections of Ivydale Road and Cheltenham Road carriageway are failing. The Council intends to carry out a full reconstruction of these stretches of carriageway. As part of these works the road cushions and raised humps within the pinch point will be removed.

The works are programmed to commence on Monday, 15 November 2011 and will be completed January 2012 subject to good weather and unforeseen events. The road works will be carried out between 08:00 hours and 15:30 hours Monday to Friday and on Saturdays if necessary.

We shall endeavour to keep any inconvenience to a minimum and would like to assure you of our best attention at all times. Your co-operation with regard to parking your vehicle elsewhere during the course of the work would be greatly appreciated. This will enable the work to progress as quickly as possible with minimum disruption to you and all concerned. The ‘No Waiting’ cones and signs will indicate the extent of parking restrictions. As the highway authority we may exercise our powers to relocate obstructing vehicles at the owners risk and cost.

Note: for the Duration of phase 1works (Cheltenham Road) London buses will be on diversion via Stuart Road, Borland Road and the diversion ends at Merttins Road.

F M Conway, our partnering contractor, will undertake the works. Should you have any queries regarding the execution of the works, please do not hesitate to contact Paul Padfield at their Head Office on telephone number 020 8636 8822.

One O'Clock Club Meeting

2011-11-11T22:39:00.003Z

There will be a meeting to discuss the future of the Peckham Rye One O'Clock Club on Wednesday 16th November at 2.15pm. The venue will be the One O'Clock Club itself.

Councillor Renata Hamvas will be representing Peckham Rye's Labour Councillors and the Cabinet member for Children's Services, Cllr Catherine McDonald will also be attending.

Victoria, Renata and I are focusing our efforts on making sure the One O'Clock club can stay open as a valued service for local parents. For a bit more background on the issues prompting the meeting, see this recent post.

Friern Road and Peckham Rye Junction - Experimental Road Closure

2011-10-30T17:43:00.004Z

The Council is intending to carry out a trial closure of Friern Road at the junction with Peckham Rye.

The trial is planned to last up to 12 months and comes as a result of concerns about excessive traffic on the north eastern section of Friern Road. These concerns have grown for a number of local resident following the opening of the Harris Boys Academy on Peckham Rye.

Traffic surveys undertaken on Friern Road, near the junction with Peckham Rye have shown a significant increase in traffic volume during peak periods. There is also concern about the higher than expected number of large vehicles using the route, including some articulated vehicles that are likely to have difficulty negotiating these roads. The closure will not include cycles and emergency vehicles and access to the road will be maintained via Barry Road.

There is currently a consultation being carried out on the experimental closure. The consultation form has been posted through the doors of homes on a number of surrounding roads. You can also download the form here. The consultation closes on the 18th November.

One O’Clock Club Update

2011-10-24T21:34:00.002+01:00

As some readers will know, there is a great deal of community interest in the future of Peckham Rye One O’Clock Club, partly as a result of the budget cuts which have hit Southwark Council and also as a result of rumours that the club was soon to close.

We’re not sure where the rumours have come from and we remain committed to keeping the club open. We’re now at the stage where we want to set up a community ‘steering group’ for the club to make sure that happens.

The cuts mean that the staffing budget for One O’Clock Clubs across the borough will be cut from next April – the budget to cover maintenance and running costs (heating, lighting etc.) remains. Two One O’Clock Clubs are pretty certain to be run by local children’s centres – i.e. they will take on the club and run the club without charging the council as they will benefit from the use of buildings at other times. We had hoped that this might be a possibility for Peckham Rye and negotiations continue with Rye Oak. However, at the moment there is no certainty that this will happen.

We have therefore been investigating exactly what responsibility the community would take on if a group of people came forward to run the club. On the face of it, it might be quite a big ask as parents would need to organise the club being open, cleaning it up at the end of the day and possibly managing bookings for other users. However, it looks like there would be no cost to community group and no charging for people who use the club. The council will offer some help in getting things set up and also investigate whether the council’s parks team whether they might be able to help out with a few things.

As there is money to rebuild the club, it’s also possible that the rebuild could be timed for April which would allow the community a little more time to get organised before it opened with a new club.

Lots of questions remain and we are a little frustrated that we still have some unanswered questions after having waited so long. However, we’re hoping we’ll have more answers very soon and would also like to hear what interest there is from the local community to help run the club. So we’re suggesting a meeting sometime in the week beginning 7 or 14 Nov. We need to check availability of a few council officers but it would be good to hear any thoughts about what time during the day or evening would be best for people to meet. We’ll then post a finalised date here asap.

Lib Dems and the truth - a marriage of convenience?

2011-10-13T20:49:00.010+01:00

Leave aside for a moment the betrayals, lies and right wing politics of the coalition. If you really want to know what Lib Dems are like, just take a very close look at the way they behave in your borough, Southwark. Sometimes I am left breathless at their behaviour. They will do and say simply anything if they think they can get a vote out of it.

Let me give you a recent example. In the neighbouring ward to our own is a Lib Dem Councillor, James Barber. He has recently written a blog post about what he calls Southwark Labour's "Wedding rip-off".

He is scathing in his criticism of the council for putting up wedding and civil parntership fees by 27%. He goes on: "Labour Southwark are penalising people for falling in love. Rather than saying 'I do' couples will be saying 'I’m sorry but I can’t afford it.' It is a heartless move from a mean spirited Labour Council ..."

First things first. It's clear to anyone who's been awake for the last 18 months, that the council is being forced to make savings it would never otherwise have made simply because of the precipitous, growth sapping cuts of a Lib Dem-Tory coalition Government. They, for example chose to cut funding far more harshly for boroughs like Southwark than for leafy Tory areas like Richmond.

But what is even more incredible about Cllr Barber's position is that the Liberal Democrats (who controlled Southwark Council up until May 2010) had an IDENTICAL policy when they were in power. Let me prove it to you.

Here is the Labour report and decision on Marriage Fees and Charges which Barber is referring to. As you will see Paragraph 6 of the report agrees to increase Fees and Charges for marriages and civil partnerships in line with the Medium Term Resource Strategy for 2010/11 -12/13. It states: "The (MTRS) 2010/11 – 2012/13 has been referenced as part of this review. In particular the report acknowledges that Fees and Charges should be set at a level, at a minimum, that is equal to the most appropriate London average except where this conflicts with council policy, would lead to adverse revenue implications or would impact adversely on vulnerable clients."

So far, so good. But now take a look at Southwark Lib Dems own Medium Term Resources Strategy 2009/10 to 2011/12 “Shaping Southwark Together”. This agrees: "To generally increase discretionary fees and charges by 2% above the current rate of inflation for the type of service being provided with the objective of ensuring Southwark’s fees and charges are at a minimum at least equal to most appropriate London average (e.g. inner London, family, groupings etc)..."

So, even without £34m of cuts the Lib Dems intended to increase marriage fees in line with other inner london boroughs which is precisely what Labour is having to do. I could give you many, many other examples of this kind of behaviour. It's the kind of dirty politics which drags everyone down with it.

Val's 2011 report

2011-10-05T00:24:00.003+01:00

You can see the 2011 annual report from your Labour GLA Member Val Shawcross here:

http://www.valshawcross.com/fileadmin/files-shawcross/VS_Annual_Report_2011_1.pdf

Chart Breakthrough!

2011-10-01T13:49:00.002+01:00

Exciting news for Peckham Rye Labour. This blog has has broken through into the national charts (err..sort of)

The Peckham Rye Labour Blog made it to the heady heights of number 28 in the top 35 Councillor Blogs in the country according to the Total Politics Website: http://www.totalpolitics.com/blog/258497/top-35-councillor-blogs-2011.thtml

Despite the superstardom that will inevitably follow, we promise not to let it go to our heads!

Peckham and Nunhead Area Action Plan Meeting

2011-09-22T21:46:00.006+01:00

Just a quick report from our very successful Community Council meeting on Monday 19 September. Over 90 people attended to have their say on the Peckham and Nunhead Area Action Plan (PNAAP) which the Council has been consulting on over the summer.

The plan will provide a planning framework that will help bring long lasting improvements to Peckham and Nunhead over the next 15 years. It will change the planning policies for Peckham and Nunhead to make sure that we get the right development needed to support a healthy, safe and prosperous community.

There are a number of stages in preparing the area action plan. The meeting on Monday was to help to Council develop some 'preferred options'. These will then come back to the community, possibly in early 2012.

The current consultation period will end on Friday 30 September 2011. So if you didn't attend on Monday and would still like to have your say and find out a bit more about what's going on, you can do so by clicking here.

Peckham Rye Fete

2011-09-02T23:13:00.004+01:00

Just in case anyone needed reminding: Tomorrow (Saturday) is the Peckham Rye Fete organised by the Friends of Peckham Rye. This is always a fantastic event with lots to see and do for all ages.

More details can be found here: http://www.foprp.org.uk/#/news/4543697140

A huge amount of work goes into organising this event from lots of local people.

Earlier this year, your three Labour Councillors for Peckham Rye allocated funding assistance to the 2011 Fete. Just thought I'd mention that. Subtle like!

Southwark Labour - working hard for young people

2011-08-20T15:31:00.009+01:00

There has understandably been lots of concern in recent weeks about the levels of help and support for young people in Southwark. I thought I’d post some information about what the Labour Council is doing in this area.

First things first, Southwark’s Labour Council believes in investing in our young people. That's why, despite receiving the worst government budget cuts in London, we are:

- keeping all our Children's Centres open and funded at last year's levels

- bringing in universal Free Healthy School Meals for our primary school pupils

- helping tackle child obesity and putting money in parents' pockets just when they need it most

- creating a new Youth Fund - investing £3m in helping young people stay on in education and get a foot on the jobs ladder.

There are three strands to the youth fund: support for further education, support for tuition fees for higher education and employment opportunities. The higher education tuition fees strand was launched this week. The other strands will launch in the next few weeks and months. You can find out a bit more about the youth fund in this Guardian article. Southwark Labour’s work for young people is led by Catherine McDonald.

The council is seeking to counteract the Lib Dem-Tory government’s policies which are moving in the opposite direction. In my view they have done more to close off opportunities to young people from deprived areas than any government in living memory. They have:

- scrapped the Education Maintenance Allowance (and replaced it with a scheme worth a third of the value and that only guarantees funding to 12,000 pupils across the country)

- hiked tuition fees to an average £8161

- allowed youth unemployment reach record highs.

Southwark Labour will keep young people at the top of the council's agenda so that they can make the most of their talents and fulfil their ambitions – it’s good for them and it’s good for our future economy.

I would encourage any interested residents to apply for the Youth Fund by clicking here.

Riots

2011-08-09T18:58:00.003+01:00

Victoria, Renata and I would just like to add our voice to the many others calling for calm after the recent outbreaks of rioting and criminal behaviour. We welcome the decision to put more police on our streets, as reassuring local residents and shop owners at this time has to be everyone's top priority.

The police have asked that people stay home tonight and encourage their children stay home as any disturbances will be easier to police as there will be less by-standers. If you encounter any disturbances yourself they have asked that these are reported to them by phoning 101. Obviously, if you consider the matter to be an emergency, dial 999.

We're very proud that the council street cleaners, accompanied by local volunteers, made sure that our street were cleaned first thing this morning. We hope to see our community come together in the same way over the coming days and weeks, and not spoiled my a minority intent on violence and destruction.

Leaseholder charging review

2011-08-01T23:17:00.005+01:00

Below is a news release from Southwark Labour which gives some details of a forthcoming review of leaseholder charging in the borough. My involvement comes from chairing the Council's Housing Scrutiny Committee. Leaseholders living in Peckham Rye may want to keep an eye on this. I'll post further updates as the review progresses.

The original release is here (with a pic of me looking even more grumpy than usual!)
_________________

Leaseholder charging review announced

The Labour Chair of Southwark’s Housing Scrutiny Committee has announced a review of leaseholder charging in the borough. The review will look into all aspects of leaseholder service charges - including customer service to leaseholders and the accuracy of billing arrangements – as well as charges for communal repairs and major works.

The review will also look at the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the Grant Thornton audit of leaseholder service charges that was published in September 2009.

Southwark Council has responsibility for over 12,000 leasehold properties, 3,200 freehold properties and 40,000 tenants. Average leaseholder service charges in Southwark are: £1,130. Labour Councillors believe that efficiently administered leaseholder charges will benefit tenants and leaseholders alike – ensuring that money is not wasted on tribunal and court disputes.

Councillor Gavin Edwards, Chair of Southwark's Housing Scrutiny Committee said:

"We want to take a close look at leaseholder charging to see if improvements can be made. It’s in everybody’s interests for Southwark to have an accurate, fair and transparent system of charging leaseholders for the services they receive.

"Last year we showed what progress could be made when scrutiny and the cabinet work together to improve the repairs service. This year I hope we can do the same with leaseholder charging.”

The review comes at a key time for leaseholders – as Southwark’s Labour Cabinet announced last month its huge 5 year housing investment programme, leaseholders will be eager to know that any charges they incur through improvements to estates are clearly explained and accurate first-time.

Councillor Ian Wingfield, Southwark Labour’s Cabinet Member for Housing said:

“I welcome this review whole-heartedly. We have a responsibility to get these charges right and any recommendations which help us to improve our leaseholder operations must be seen as a good thing.”

“We will not be defensive. Unlike the last Lib Dem administration we will work with scrutiny to make sure that Housing Services in Southwark work for residents, not against them.”

Peckham Rye Playground Opens

2011-07-30T17:24:00.005+01:00

Gavin and I were delighted to open the new playground on Peckham Rye this morning - and to test out the equipment! The opening marked a long year of campaigning to get the playground built after many years of delay.

As locals and regular visitors to the Rye may know, the new playground has been in the pipeline for some time. To make matters worse, back in August 2010, the Tory-Lib Dem Government ‘clawed back’ most of the funding for the project, leaving its future in doubt. Following a lot of hard work we are really pleased that in the end we secured the funding and that the work has been completed - just in time for the school holidays.

During the election last year we made a firm promise that we would get the playground sorted-out. Today has been brilliant because, despite Government cuts we have kept our promise and local children have another great area for play.

Cemetery Space in Southwark - Let the council hear your view

2011-07-23T21:17:00.004+01:00

Just a quick post to encourage as many interested people as possible to contribute to the current consultation on the future of Southwark Cemeteries. We know that there has been concern locally about the future of Honor Oak Recreation Ground, and so it is important that as many people as possible make their voices heard.

On 19th April this year Southwark's Labour Cabinet responded to local concern and stated that using part of Honor Oak Recreation Ground for cemetery space is the least favoured option. You can let the council hear your views directly by clicking on the link below. The consultation goes on until the end of September.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200308/current/2231/the_future_of_southwarks_cemeteries

Nunhead Cemetery Film on 9th September

2011-07-15T17:17:00.003+01:00

A date for the diaries of any film buffs in Peckham Rye is Friday 9th September. This is the date of the this year's Nunhead Cemetery Free Film. Last year, Victoria, Renata and I went to see "A Matter of Life And Death" there, and it was FANTASTIC! Great atmosphere and a great film.

Details of the 9th September event can be found here. If you are coming along, I recommend you arrive early because there were some very long queues last year.

More details of other events included in the Nunhead Free Film Festival can be found here.

Playground campaign success!

2011-06-29T22:11:00.003+01:00

After a long campaign to build a new playground on Peckham Rye, we are delighted that the new playground is about to open.

As regular visitors to the Rye will know, the new playground has been in the pipeline for some time. However, back in August 2010, the Tory-Lib Dem Government ‘clawed back’ most of the funding for the project, leaving its future in doubt.

Following a lot of campaigning, it's great news that the funding needed to allow the new playground to go ahead has been secured.

The new playground will be more 'natural' than the old playground and it will be similar to the new Goose Green playground. It will also feature ‘water play’.
Your Councillors will be opening the playground in July – just in time for the school holidays.

During the election last year we made a promise to local residents that we would get the delayed playground sorted-out. We are delighted that despite Government cuts we have kept our promise.

We are also pleased that the bid for better changing rooms for local football teams has passed the first stage of the ‘Olympic Legacy Fund’ bidding process. We hope that there will be more investment on the Rye soon.

Athenlay FC prize-giving

2011-06-26T22:35:00.005+01:00

From Renata:

Yesterday morning, even though a strong wind was blowing, many young players, families, and the Sunderland FC player, Anton Ferdinand turned out at Athenlay Road Football ground for their annual prize-giving and fun day.

The best footballers and those who had worked the hardest from each age group/team were presented with a trophy by the Deputy Mayor and Nunhead Councillor, Cllr Althea Smith. This was followed by a BBQ, beat the goalie and other games. The sun came out and I had the chance to talk to local residents and young footballers including new recruit Eseosa, aged 5.

A map of our first year's work

2011-06-25T21:04:00.005+01:00

We've not long passed the one year mark as Councillors for Peckham Rye Ward. It's been a challenging and enjoyable first year for Victoria, Renata and I. To give local residents a better idea of the kind of issues we've been working on, we've produced a map showing some of the places and people we've been helping. Click on the image above to see the full map.

Exhibition at Peckham Rye Station

2011-06-05T17:39:00.007+01:00

On Tuesday 7th June there will be an exhibition in ticket hall of Peckham Rye Station on improvements on improvements to the station. The exhibition is from 4.30pm - 6.30pm. It will include information on:

* Improvements to platform facilities - displays and reports on planned works, & discussion with Southern Rail project managers, see details below.

* Restoration of the Old Waiting Room & other historic parts of the station - latest news from Peckham Vision and the Peckham Society.

* Rail services to central London - latest news from SRUG on the ending of the South London Line, arrival of the East London Line, and the campaign to improve links into central London

For anyone that is interested in this it is a great chance find out more and give your views. With thanks to Peckham Residents Network for the information.

Peckham Rye campaigning session this Saturday

2011-05-31T23:49:00.004+01:00

A message for Peckham Rye Labour Members and supporters:

Next Saturday we'll be out campaigning on the Nunhead side of Peckham Rye Ward. It would be really great if you could come along and help.

We'll be meeting at the corner of Waveney Avenue and Peckham Rye (click for map) at 11am on Saturday morning and then going on to knock on doors in that area. If you're running late, just give me a call on 07866022825 to find out where we are.

Have your say - Met Police's 'Public Access Review'

2011-05-15T20:16:00.006+01:00

I wanted to highlight with residents the chance to have your say on the Met Police's 'Public Access Review'.

Firstly, if you are wondering what 'Public Access Review' means, this is essentially a review into the way you can contact the police and access police services. This could mean on the telephone, going to a police station, meeting your safer neighbourhood team (SNT) or fixing an appointment.

The focus of the review is non-emergency access - in an emergency you should just ring 999 and you should still expect the police to come to you. There are no proposals to change this.

The review has come about because of pressure on police budgets but also because the police think that a more personal service is possible and would be better for many people. The latter is probably true. At Community Council last week it was clear that very few people know about how they could fix appointments to meet with their local SNTs and many felt if they could this it would be better than queuing at a police station.

Part of the review involved a discussion with Supertintendent Cheryl Burden who attended Community Council last week to hear views. She is attending many community groups and meetings in the coming month so if you are involved in a local group that would like to speak to her please do contact me and I can put you in touch.

Another part of the review is an anonymous online survey. You can complete the survey here. The deadline is 27 May 2011.

No decisions or proposals about changing our current services have been made yet - at the moment this is really 'pre-consultation, consultation'. The results of the surveys and the meetings will feed into any proposals. We will then have the chance to be consulted on these.

As background information, we have six police station service desks in Southwark - Peckham, Walworth and Borough are all 24 hour stations, East Dulwich is open 6.00am - 10.00pm every day, Camberwell is open 1.00pm - 5.00pm on Wednesdays and Fridays and Rotherhithe is open 7.00am - 9.30pm every day. There are also 22 SNTs, each one consisting of a Sergeant and two PCs who are dedicated to their local area. They are not an emergency response team but they are committed to responding to calls or emails within 24 hours.

Lane Ward By-Election Result

2011-05-06T08:40:00.003+01:00

Some Peckham Rye residents will be aware that there was a by-election yesterday in one of our neighbouring wards. The results were as follows:

Alex Berhanu, Liberal Democrat 471
Rowenna Davis, Labour Party, 2,670
Simon Fox, Tory, 423
Brian Kelly, TUSC, 107
Anna Plodowski, Green, 472

Many congratulations to Rowenna who will be a fantastic councillor for the Lane.

Rye Hill Park Party

2011-04-29T16:58:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post to say well done to everyone involved in organising today's Royal Wedding Party at the Tenant's Hall at the Rye Hill Park Estate.

Victoria and I popped down and it was clear people were having a fantastic time - particularly the kids. There was a bouncy castle, face-painting and a barbecue to keep everyone amused.

The committee members at Rye Hill Park TRA have been doing some fantastic work over the last year to boost the community atmosphere on the estate. They have put on a number of other events in addition to today's party. Today I spoke with the TRA secretary, Angela, who told me that the "Pull the Other One" comedy nights have now moved permanently to the Rye Hill Park Tenant's Hall. This is great news for the TRA because it will raise funds that can then be re-invested in developing other activities.

Local Community Council meeting, 11th May 2011

2011-04-24T10:56:00.003+01:00

Just a quick note to say that the next Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council meeting will now take place on 11th May (instead of 27th April). The meeting has been moved because there is currently a by-election taking place in Lane Ward and election rules mean that the meeting needed to be shifted. The meeting will take place at John Donne Primary School, Woods Road, London SE15 2SW and you can see further details here.

The agenda is packed and it promises to be a very interesting meeting. On the agenda is:

- Cllr Barrie Hargrove, Southwark Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport to answer questions on Environmental issues.

- An update from the Council's Environment Enforcement Team on issues such as waste collection and keeping streets clean.

- Superintendent Cheryl Burden is going to be taking the community safety slot (rather than the usual updates from our local police teams)

- More information about community council fund.

- A presentation on the application to turn the centre of Peckham into a conservation area

Peckham Rye - new playground UPDATE

2011-04-15T09:31:00.003+01:00

Back in February I posted an update on the long-awaited new playground on Peckham Rye next to the cafe and One O'Clock Club.

I had hoped that work was about to start and that the new playground would be ready by the end of March. However, as regular visitors to the Rye will know, the new playground has not yet materialised. The planning application was a little delayed and there have been problems trying to get a contractor on site. I have been promised that work has now started and that the playground will completed over the next six weeks.

The delay is frustrating and the timing of the works during the school holidays isn't ideal but I am pleased that we should soon have the new playground that we promised residents during the elections last year. It's also great that we managed to secure the last bit of Southwark Council's 'playbuilder' funding, much of which has been clawed-back by the Government.

As the picture above isn't very big you can download the full details (better quality/includes pictures of various bits of play equipment) by clicking here. The idea is that the playground is more 'natural' than the current one - a bit like the new Goose Green playground.

Friends of Peckham Rye Park AGM

2011-04-13T23:04:00.013+01:00

Victoria and I went to tonight's Friends of Peckham Rye Park AGM, so I thought I'd give a quick report on the meeting.

The Chair gave a report setting out the various achievements of FOPRP over the last year, including another very successful fete and securing funding (through the council and the Lottery) for the Wildlife Garden. The treasurer's report re-iterated the success of the fete and set out FOPR financial position.

Following the election of officers, Southwark's Parks and Open Spaces Manager gave a full and frank presentation on the re-structuring in her Department. The general approach is to ensure the availability of Park's staff at busy periods (particularly on the weekend) and make sure that there was enough back-office support to ensure the smooth running of the Park. Despite overall budget cuts to the department (Southwark has been hit hard by the coalition's cuts), it is expected that there will be no overall cut in resources dedicated to Peckham Rye. As local councillors, we think this is good news for our ward, given the great importance of the Park and Common to so many people in Peckham Rye.

The Friends of Peckham Rye Park do a huge amount of work which helps to make Peckham Rye such a beautiful and important amenity for local people. If you're interested in supporting FOPRP you can find out about joining at their newly revamped website here.

You can join by clicking on the link in the bottom left hand corner.

Funding for community events

2011-04-10T22:43:00.004+01:00

The 2011-12 'community council fund' is now open. If you are involved in a community group and wish to bid for money to help you put on an event or events then apply now.

The Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council has £15,000 to support activities run by local groups for local people. You can apply for funding to hold events such as fun days, festivals, outings or a series of activities to bring local people together. If you have a good idea but are not part of a 'formal' group you may still be able to apply, so please do get in touch (details below) to discuss this.

You can apply for £100 up to £1,000 by downloading and filling in this form by Monday 16 May. You'll need to give details of your plans and the event must be held by 31 March 2012. There are also other criteria you must meet - check out the full details here.

Last year we funded 26 different groups/events in our area including the Friends of Peckham Rye Park Fete, lots of singing from the Nunhead Choir, the open air film in Nunhead Cemetery and the Rye Oak summer play scheme to name just a few.

If you have any questions get in touch with your councillors or contact:
Nadine James
T: 020 7525 5503
nadine.james@southwark.gov.uk

Vikki at last year's Mundania Road Street Party - funded through the Community Council Fund

Simon Hughes urged to support secure tenancies for Southwark Council tenants

2011-04-07T22:57:00.008+01:00

Tenants living on the Rye Hill Park Estate, Brookestone Court, Priory Court and other social housing in Peckham Rye Ward may want to know that Southwark Labour is piling the pressure on Southwark MP Simon Hughes to vote against a Government proposal to end secure tenancies for council and housing association tenants.

Ian Wingfield, Southwark Labour's Cabinet Member for Housing, has written to Simon Hughes MP urging him vote the right way. This week Labour Councillors voted for a motion condemning Conservative/ Liberal Democrat Government’s Localism Bill that will allow Local Authorities to introduce “fixed-term tenancies” for new council tenants.

Proposals in the Localism Bill will allow local authorities and housing associations to offer fixed tenancies for a minimum of 2 years, rather than secure lifetime tenancies, which are the norm at the moment. The proposals could mean tenants in Southwark have to go through an assessment of their income and family circumstances after just eighteen months in their home. There are real concerns that these changes would act as a disincentive to tenants to get a better job or force couples to leave their family home once their children move out.

The Government had previously said that the plans will not affect existing tenants. However speaking in a debate on 8th March during the committee stage of the Localism Bill, Liberal Democrat Local Government Minister Andrew Stunell admitted “discretion [on whether or not to maintain security of tenure for existing tenants when they move home] should be available to the landlord”.

Ian Wingfield has issued a statement saying: "Southwark is the largest local authority social landlord in London with 45,000 tenants and homeowners in the borough and so it is really important that our elected representatives push for greater clarity from the Government regarding the rights of existing social tenants.”

“David Cameron first floated this idea last August. At the time Simon Hughes was very clear that he was against it. However we have seen with the vote on tuition fees and the Educational Maintenance Allowance that Simon Hughes is quite happy to say one thing and do another.”

“He cannot duck the issue this time – when this comes to a vote in parliament he has to vote against.”

Unlike on tuition fees, will he do the right thing?

A council meeting that you'll want to go to..?

2011-04-01T12:50:00.010+01:00

Changes to the way local council meetings are conducted are coming to Southwark. For too long Southwark Council Assembly meetings have lacked the kind of spark that would engage local people in the important decisions which are made at these meetings. It's hoped that some changes to the way they are run will get people more interested and provide an opportunity for a more direct say in what is discussed.

So from now on, Peckham Rye residents are able to have a more direct say in the agenda of these meetings which. The deadline for submitting questions to the 6th April council meeting has passed (I know, I should have posted this earlier) but there will be plenty of opportunities to submit questions to council meetings in the future.

We'll also be having "themed" meetings to try and get under the skin of some important local issues. Keep an eye on the council's democracy pages here for news on future meetings meeting and/or email democracy@southwark.gov.uk to find out more. There's also more news on this issue here.

The 6th April meeting starts at 7pm in Southwark Town Hall . The first theme is "the future for Southwark - rising to the community challenge." Anyone is welcome to come to the Town Hall from 6pm to see the meeting.

Marching for an alternative and decision time for Southwark Lib Dems

2011-03-25T21:39:00.007Z

Tomorrow tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people will be marching in central London to show their opposition to the Tory-Lib Dem government's ideological attack on public services. I'm proud to be joining them, along with hundreds of colleagues from Southwark Labour Party and, I'm sure, thousands of residents from our local area.

The havoc caused by the depth and speed of the cuts is already having a direct impact on the quality of life of many people living in Peckham Rye. Victoria, Renata and I are receiving lots of casework from people who are losing out on services, support and help because the cuts have been so deep, and so disproportionately targeted on inner city areas such as Southwark.

So Southwark Labour's position on the cuts is clear, but the same can't be said of the Lib Dems.

Of course, not all Liberal Democrats in the UK are in favour of the cuts. At least some have signed a public letter to voice their opposition to the Government's approach. Others have even marched with Labour Councillors through their own city centres. But it is very noticeable that Lib Dems in Peckham Rye and Southwark have failed to join them. If they were really interested in standing up for our area, surely they'd be joining us in supporting the march tomorrow.

So it's decision time for Lib Dems in Southwark. When it comes to the crunch, who do they really represent? Is it their own sectional interests in Westminster, or are they prepared to join the march for an alternative? Will they back a different approach to deficit reduction which prioritises jobs, growth and social justice and which is backed by the vast majority of people in this ward and this borough? Or will they do what Nick Clegg wants them to do? We shall wait and see.

Community Speed Watch: Ivydale, Cheltenham and Merttins Roads

2011-03-17T15:05:00.005Z

Do you live on Ivydale Road, Cheltenham Road or Merttins Road? Are you concerned about the speed of traffic (and in particular buses) on our residential roads? Then you now have the chance to get directly involved in sorting out the problem.

Back in February a number of residents of these roads came along to a local traffic sub group to voice their concern about the speed of buses travelling along their roads. (For the record, Victoria and I live on Ivydale Road too). The speed of the buses is a contributory factor in causing vibration to the homes of people living in this area. To be fair, the route the buses take, the quality of the road surfaces and traffic calming measures are also major concerns. But for now, let's stick with the speed of the buses...

One local campaigner suggested that we start a "Community Speed Watch" scheme to encourage drivers to stay within the speed limit. A scheme like this, I learned, involves the police lending residents speed monitoring equipment and local volunteers using the equipment. This information is then passed back to the police.

Since that meeting Renata and I have been in touch with the local police team, who have been very helpful. They've said they're prepared to lend us the equipment and take the time to train volunteers on how to use it.

The training would take place on a Saturday morning at a Police station in Southwark starting at 10am and lasting about two hours. The earliest the training could take place would be late April.

So, I'll finally get to the point: Can you help?

If live on these roads, and you're prepared to be one of the Community Speed Watch volunteers, let me know and I'll let you know what happens next. You can email me at gavin.edwards@southwark.gov.uk

PS: If you live in another part of Peckham Rye Ward and the speed of traffic is also a concern, get in touch. We may be able to help you get your own scheme going.

TfL claim 63 extension would cost extra £525k per year

2011-03-13T17:30:00.008Z

The letter above is the response to Val Shawcross (our Greater London Authority Representative) following questions that she had submitted regarding, among other things, the extension of the 63 Bus Route to Honor Oak Park.

As you will see, TfL are now saying that the extension of the bus route would cost £640,000 a year and would only generate 640 new journeys per day. These extra trips, Tfl say, would only generate £95,000 a year, meaning the extra money needed for an extension would be £525,000. Importantly they claim that this includes the impact of the opening of the East London Line at Honor Oak Park Station.

I am sure I am not the only person who believes that these figures look a bit odd. We are currently in the process of trying to find out exactly how that have been calculated. Our campaign to get this common sense extension needs to get under the skin of these figures before we can make any progress. Check back for updates on this soon.

We need to apply as much pressure as possible on TfL and Boris Johnson. He, particular needs to start showing some genuine commitment to a joined up and improved transport system in our area.

'Pull the other one' comedy at Rye Hill TRA

2011-03-06T19:29:00.003Z

As locals will know, 'Pull the other one' has been a long-standing monthly Nunhead comedy event at the Ivyhouse on Stuart Road. Last month (25 Feb) it shifted to the Rye Hill TRA and will be taking place there again on 25 March.

I was at Rye Hill for surgery on Friday and heard that the event had been a huge success in it's new venue and that residents were looking forward to the next one - which I think will feature some Edinburgh Fringe acts 'trying-out' new material.

If you fancy a local night out then maybe see you on 25 March, doors 7.00pm, show at 9.00pm. Tickets are £10 available from Roy Brooks and online www.kabodler.com/k/pulltheotherone

Ivydale, Cheltenham and Merttins Road meeting report

2011-02-28T23:11:00.002Z

Tonight we hosted a meeting of concerned local residents living on Ivydale, Cheltenham and Merttins Roads. Residents are very concerned about the shuddering caused to their homes by the 343 buses which drive (often too fast) down these residential roads. There are also major problems with the road surface and the quality of the traffic calming measures.

Below is a list of actions agreed at the meeting.

_____________________________

1. Setting up a community speed watch scheme to report speeding buses
Gavin has been in touch with the local police team to request Community Speed Watch Equipment. Currently awaiting a response from the police team Sergeant. A number of people at the meeting expressed their willingness to volunteer to help with the scheme when it is set up. Action: Gavin to update residents regarding to response to request. Action: Vikki to request from TfL/Abeillo information on what evidence is required in order for action to be taken against speeding bus drivers.

2. Letter to the Mayor, Boris Johnson, regarding buses concerns raised at the meeting. A draft of the letter was distributed. Various comments and suggested changes were made. This included additional community suggestions about changes to the bus services. Action: Gavin to make changes suggested and send letter to Boris Johnson.

3. Letter to the Southwark Council Cabinet Members for Transport and Environment, and Finance about the capital funding needed to improve roads. Vikki has already written to the two cabinet members making the case for funding the work. Action: Individual residents may also want to write individually to the Cabinet Members to make the case for re-surfacing. Contact details can be found here: http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=149

4. Councillors to contact the Police Safer Neighbourhood Team about making reduction of speed on Ivydale, Cheltenham and Merttins Roads a priority. Renata gave an update from the last ward panel meeting. Police Officers had given a number of reasons why it was difficult for them to deal with this issue. Action: As many Ivydale, Merttins and Cheltenham Road residents as possible to attend the next ward Panel meeting on 19th May at 7.00pm at Rye Hill Park TRA.

5. London Assembly Member, Val Shawcross will circulate details of a forthcoming meeting on the 343 bus. Action: Gavin to chase

Other actions agreed:

- Gavin to ask Val Shawcross to request the information on the number of accidents/incidents caused by 343 buses on this stretch of the route.

- Gavin to ask 5 residents who gave their email addresses at last meeting if it’s OK to share them with others on the campaign

- Cllrs to look into existing 106 money that might exist following developments in the Ivydale area and also at how 106 money might be designated from forthcoming developments.

- Kirk circulated a draft survey (the aim of which is help get an agreed position on traffic calming and buses.) Various changes were suggested. Kirk to circulate the survey so that a final version can be agreed

- Dates and times for delivering surveys/knocking on doors to be suggested and agreed – probably best via the email group.

- David Wilson volunteered to be the link person for Cheltenham Road which will have a slightly different version of the survey.

- Following the meeting, Vikki spoke to former cllr Mick Barnard about some of the references to him made at the meeting. He confirmed that there had been plans to reroute the P12 down Kelvington and Ivydale Road but that the focus had been more the potential loss of any bus service to Brenchley Gardens Estate residents. As a result cllrs will use additional services for Brenchley Gardens as a ‘postive’ outcome when asking Boris/Tfl to investigate alternative options on bus services on Ivydale Road. Mick Barnard also confirmed that there had been, in his view, relatively firm commitments that Cheltenham Road would get resurfaced around 2002-2003. Vikki will chase details of this with officers and endeavour to find out why this promise wasn’t delievered on.

Honor Oak Rec: The latest

2011-02-25T22:58:00.004Z

There's been lots in the local media recently about the campaign to prevent Honor Oak Recreation Ground from being used as burial ground. As the local ward councillors we wanted to make it clear that we want the area to remain as recreation ground.

I think it's important to clarify two main issues:

- No decision has been made about using the Rec for burial space

- That a full and proper public consultation will take place before any decisions are made – and we will do all we can to make sure that local people's views are heard.

Southwark’s burial space is now very limited and a decision will need to be made in the next few months about the future of burial space provided by the council. Council officers have been asked to investigate the various options open to Southwark, these will be discussed by the Council Cabinet and then the public will be asked what they think and what their preferences might be.

As we feel very strongly about the Rec, and as it’s clear that many in the local community do too, we have met with the Cabinet Member to make clear the strength of feeling on this issue. It was a really encouraging meeting. We have received assurances that the council will properly investigate ALL possible options for the future of burial provision. This will mean consideration of a wide-range of options. Among them are: a full audit of the remaining unused burial space in our cemeteries, the council looking at other sites it could use or acquire for burial and the council investigating alternative burial methods that would use less space/be more sustainable.

The use of all or part of Honor Oak Rec is very likely to be one of the options the council will investigate as this land was acquired by the council for burial. We fully accept the argument that this was in 1901, that times change and that the Rec has become a valuable community asset. However, it would be dishonest to say the Rec will not be considered. Nevertheless, we are keen to stress that this is just one option. It’s simply not true, as some internet posts etc suggest, that Southwark ‘wants’ to turn the Rec into burial space.

Once all options have been investigated the public will be asked for their views. We have been given an assurance from the Cabinet Member that the decision will be led by residents – if it’s clear that the vast majority are against the use of Honor Oak Rec then the council will listen to that.

Fly-tipping on Peckham Rye Common

2011-02-10T14:41:00.003Z

A very quick post. Many of you will have seen the building debris that was fly-tipped outside the toilet block on Peckham Rye Common (facing Nunhead Lane). I'd reported it to officers when I saw it from the bus on Monday morning. I've just had an email from them telling me that it has been cleared away (though I've not been down that way yet today). Obviously this is an issue we'll need to keep a close eye on.

Peckham Rye Playground - work about to start

2011-02-04T22:22:00.006Z

We're delighted that work on the children's playground by the One O'Clock Club on Peckham Rye is about to start. Delivering this was one of our election pledges so it's great it should be all complete by 31 March, 11 months after becoming councillors.

This was a project that the Lib Dems and Tories failed to deliver whilst they were running the council and which was then at risk as the new Coalition Government clawed back some of the 'playbuilder' money (a Labour Government initiative) secured to deliver the scheme.

It's a bit difficult to provide a picture of the full plans but here goes -
And you can download the full details (better quality/includes pictures of various bits of play equipment) by clicking on the picture or here.
The idea is that the playground is more 'natural' than the current one - a bit like the new Goose Green playground.

Hopefully this is just the start of various improvements planned for Peckham Rye Common and Park.

Harris Girls' new wing opening

2011-01-19T21:11:00.002Z

The report below is from Renata:

I've just been to Harris Girl's Academy ED for the opening of their new wing by Lord Adonis. Lord Harris, Harriet Harman MP and Cllrs Peter John, Catherine McDonald and Althea Smith also attended. This school has fantastic facilities and under the Head Jane Fletcher is going from strength to strength. We heard that the school is performing above the national average at GCSE and it has a thriving mixed sixth form, with 50% of pupils joining from other schools. We listened the school choir sing and were dazzled by an array of outfits produced by year 7 to 13 students in their textiles classes. The latter included winning designs in a competition where pupils redesigned the school uniform. Well done Harris Girls!

A report about housing repairs statistics - less boring than it sounds

2011-01-15T00:09:00.011Z

I've mentioned my role as Chair of Southwark's Housing Scrutiny committee a couple of times on this blog. Since taking this on in May last year our biggest piece of work has been an investigation into the statistics used to measure performance in Southwark's housing repairs service. Sounds technical, remote and boring doesn't it? I will do my best to convince you otherwise.

Back in July 2010, the committee had to decide which housing issues we wanted to look into. Councillors on the committee (from all parties) had just been through an election campaign in which we'd knocked on lots and lots of doors. Among Southwark's tenants, by far the biggest concern was the quality of the contracted-out repairs service.

But there was a problem. All of the statistics used to measure the quality of the service showed not just good, but brilliant levels of performance. 99.9% of appointments made by contractors were kept. Satisfaction levels hovered around the 94% mark. 90%+ of repairs were completed on time. Even more striking was the fact that, based on these stats, Southwark had won a national award for its repairs service from Inside Housing magazine, describing Southwark's repairs service as "the best in London".

Faced with these contradictory messages, we decided to try and do something different. Instead of doing a general scrutiny of the repairs service, we chose to investigate how the stats were gathered and calculated. Even the most cynical of the committee members could not have imagined what we would find. The stats were not just flawed, but rotten to the core. Just a few of the things we discovered were:

- most of the stats come from the contractor operatives themselves via mobile PDA devices. This means they completely control the information for each job they had been asked to do.

- concrete evidence of mis-reporting of the completion of work and attendance at appointments by contractors, found during a "case-tracking" process.

- satisfaction levels are measured with a survey which excludes anyone who has an ongoing problem with a repair.

- Satisfaction is measured with a five number rating system which is rarely explained to tenants doing a phone survey, and which is weighted in favour of higher levels of satisfaction.

- the results from a new (and reliably conducted) survey which show dramatically lower levels of satisfaction (69% compared to 88.4%), appointments kept (78.9% compared to 99.9%) than are shown in the official stats.

- contractors themselves admit their performance doesn't live up to anything like levels shown in the stats. One representative said: “I don’t recognise the performance of my operatives in these statistics.”

The report, which is still in draft form, concludes: “Southwark’s housing repairs Key Performance Indicators currently provide little or no insight into the actual quality of service being provided by SBS and Morrisons” It goes on to make constructive proposals for the creation of a system that can be relied upon, including:-

- A new texting system that will enable customers to verify if a call is complete via their mobile phone

- A satisfaction survey which accurately measures real levels of satisfaction with the repairs service

- a recommendation that the council makes sure it is no longer paying multiple times for single repairs. This will save the council money.

Through this scrutiny we found that the stats which have so often been wheeled out to prove how good Southwark’s repairs service is, are inaccurate and unreliable. For tenants this has meant unattended appointments and incomplete repairs going unnoticed. I hope this draft report will serve as a catalyst for improving the repairs service which too often lets down tenants in Southwark.

The draft version of the report can be found here from page 7 onwards: http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/mgConvert2Pdf.aspx?ID=4339&T=9

This will now be subject to some minor changes following last Tueday's meeting and will then go before the full Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The sub-committee is optimistic that the report will eventually go before Southwark Cabinet and the recommendations will be implemented.

You're recycling more!

2011-01-12T21:57:00.007Z

Peckham Rye Residents will recall that during the 2010 election campaign the issue of recycling rates was a huge issue. People we spoke to on the doorstep simply could not believe that the Liberal Democrats who had run the council for 8 years had left Southwark as the 6th worst recycling authority in the country. In November 2009, official league tables showed that in Lib Dem Southwark less than 21% of household waste was recycled. In that year, the recycling rate had risen less than 1%.

Southwark Labour candidates made a pledge during that election campaign to double our borough's recycling rate. In order to meet that pledge Labour needed to prepare the ground for some big changes. The new Cabinet Member with responsibility for recycling, Barrie Hargrove, immediately took steps to introduce a pilot scheme in six wards, including Peckham Rye. In October the pilot started, introducing a weekly food and garden waste collections and supplying people with compostable bags to enable the recycling of food waste.

Well, the interim results of the recycling pilot are now in and it has boosted recycling rates to . . . wait for it . . . 50%. This is absolutely fantastic news!

When it started, instead of getting behind the pilot, Lib Dem Councillors carped from the sidelines and tried to play up concerns about the changes. They penned some rather intemperate letters to the press and posts on their blogs listing a variety of reasons why we should all be desperately concerned and worried that somebody was at last doing something about boosting recycling rates. My personal favourite was when one Lib Dem bemoaned that the pilot had "... lots of potential to go wrong." Well, so does stepping out of the door in morning. I hope they'll now join us in supporting this new approach.

When we were knocking on doors recently, I was struck by how many people said they liked the new system, and felt that it made it easier for them to recycle. Of course, with any change of this sort there will always be teething problems. That is why Southwark Council is now carrying out a consultation on how the pilot has gone from your point of view. To contribute your views to the consultation click here: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/foodwaste

Ivydale/Cheltenham Road surface and bus issues - meeting on the 10th February

2011-01-08T17:58:00.006Z

As mentioned in the post below, finding a solution to the issues the road surface and speed of buses on Cheltenham and Ivydale Roads is a top priority for people in that area. Numerous people have contacted us about this issue.

As you will see from posts here, here and here – this has been a long running issue.

This is now on the agenda for the Nunhead and Peckham Rye Traffic and Transport Sub-Committee meeting taking place at 6.30pm on the 10th February at Southwark Town Hall, 35 Peckham Road SE5 8UB, Room B.

If you're concerned about this issue, do come along to discuss it and help us to agree a way to resolve these issues.

In the interests of openness and clarity, I should declare a personal interest in this issue: I am a resident of Ivydale Road myself. As Chair of the Committee it may be that I will need to "stand down" for this item. I'll be consulting with council officers to clarify if I need to do this.

Bus and road surface issues on Cheltenham and Ivydale Road

2011-01-08T17:45:00.004Z

Below is an anonymised version of an email from Victoria (one of my fellow Ward Councillors) to a resident of our ward who contacted us about their concerns regarding the road surface and speed of buses on Ivydale Road. This is also an ongoing issue for a number of people on Cheltenham Road too. The email gives a full and detailed account of this issue and sets out a way forward. Clearly it is now important that we move this issue on by putting together a firm set of actions at the forthcoming Nunhead and Peckham Rye Traffic and Transport sub-committee meeting on the 10th February. More details on this to follow.

Read on to find out more:

________________________________________________

Dear ------

I understand that you have also contacted my fellow councillors about this matter - I am cc'ing them in so that they are aware of the latest progress on this issue which I have been dealing with.

I live at 340 Ivydale so am very aware of the problematic road surface and also the impact the buses have.

I guess there are really three different issues with the road but all connected - the road surface, the traffic calming measures and the impact of the buses.

I'm not sure how long you have lived on Ivydale but it's probably two years ago now when residents were surveyed about changing the previous traffic calming measures to the current ones. About 70% voted in favour of change and as a result the old bumps were taken out and the pinch points were put in. The whole process was very delayed and communications with residents were consistently poor. I was torn about the new scheme but the old scheme didn't stop traffic driving over 20mph so on balance I thought we had to try something new. Work on the scheme suddenly ended in early April last year without works being completed. One key part of the scheme that wasn't delivered was the resurfacing of the road. From the letters I received from the council (last one dated March 2010) there was no indication (in fact every indication) that the work would be completed. After being elected in May I have chased to get these works done but there has not been any money remaining to finish the scheme or even resurface the road. The budget for the next financial year will be set in February so I'm now trying to push as hard as possible to get some money for Ivydale. I'm hoping that I will get some feedback next week.

In the meantime, we managed to get some temporary repairs to the speed ramps done a few days before Christmas and the ramps will need a more permanant fix to stop them subsiding/disintegrating. Test holes should be dug very soon so the council can work out how best to repair them. This week I have also reported the new pot hole [on this part of Ivydale Road] and also the holes on the raised ramp with Merttins Road.

Just to quickly say that we managed to secure funding for Cheltenham Road to be resurfaced in October and this work should happen in February or March.

It's clear that many residents are not supportive of the measures that have been put in place and this will be the case even if the pinch points are made 'good' in the coming weeks. I've asked officers to attend a community council meeting in February which I hope that residents will also attend. Once this is finalised I will let you know and would encourage you to attend. With three quarters of the council's highway spend dependent on the central government grant to Southwark (and you'll probably be aware that we received one of the worst financial settlements before Christmas) I think we need to be realistic about removong traffic calming measures that were installed less than a year ago on this wishes of the majority of residents. That's not to say residents who are unhappy won't be listened to but we may have to be realistic about what is possible. Your suggestion about 'redesigning' is probably something worth raising at the February meeting.

On the buses, we are in regular touch with the local Assembly Member Val Shawcross about the speed at which the drivers drive and about the frequency of the service. The 343 has huge capacity issues from Rye Lane onwards, through the Aylesbury etc. which is why the buses are double deckers and why there are so many. The solution might be cutting the route at Rye Lane/Nigel Road with only some double deckers coming this far and having additional single deckers - I don't know but I hope that Val will be at the February meeting to see what can be done. I know she met residents about the 343 service just yesterday evening but she came across very divergent views - people in Peckham and the Aylesbury desperate for more buses, people round here with concerns for the impact on the roads and the noise.

Hope that this is a good update for now - I'll be in touch again shortly and please visit www.peckhamryelabour.blogspot.com for more updates.

Vikki.

Councillor's report - January 2011

2011-01-07T16:21:00.006Z

Each month Victoria, Renata and I produce a written branch report for our local ward Labour Party. At last night's meeting we circulated a report which included an update on a number of local ward issues and news on campaigning. Councillors producing a written report like this for the branch is a long established convention, but for some reason we've never made it publicly available before. Well, we thought it was time to change that and to put the full report up on the blog on a regular basis. So, here is the January Councillors' report to our local branch. Get in touch if you have any views or comments on the issues raised:

Branch report

Forest Hill Road/Colyton Road Traffic Lights
Although the traffic lights here were put in on a ‘temporary’ basis we supported them remaining in place longer in the hope that the Council secured funding for improvement works along the length of Forest Hill Road. Approx. £560k has now been secured from TfL for improvements to FHR and some of the money will be brought forward and spent early to look at what the best options are for this junction and that any changes fit the plan for FHR as a ‘whole’.

Honor Oak Recreation Ground
Following substantial levels of theft and vandalism to Camberwell New Cemetery and Honor Oak Crematorium officers and police recommended that the pedestrian access to Honor Oak Rec be locked from approx. dust until dawn. We have been supportive of this idea as the levels of damage were so costly to the council and because the police believed this to be the best option. However, a number of local residents, particularly early morning dog walkers, have raised concerns about this and Vikki met with them and walked round the rec area prior to Christmas. We are now trying to see if a compromise can be found so that legitimate users of the rec are not inconvenienced.

Friern Road traffic problems
There have been problems with increased levels of traffic on the lower part of Friern Road as a result of the opening of the Harris Boys Academy. Gavin arranged a joint meeting between officers, representatives of the school and local residents to help sort out these problems. Various measures are being looked at and there will another update meeting in February.

Housing Repairs KPI Scrutiny
As Chair of Southwark’s Housing Scrutiny Committee Gavin has been leading an investigation into the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the repairs service. The KPIs show outstanding performance whilst anecdotal evidence suggests the service is poor.

Through the scrutiny process carried out over the last few months we have found:-

- The interim results from a newly commissioned repairs survey show dramatically different levels of satisfaction, appointments kept, etc, than are shown in the KPIs

- A high proportion of missed appointments were found during a listening in exercise on in-bound calls to the repairs hotline

- We also discovered during the the listening-in exercise that a significant proportion of repairs are being left incomplete, but reported by the contractors as complete.

- A significant proportion of respondents to the satisfaction survey (which is used to measure satisfaction with repairs) stated that their repair was not complete, even though the survey is supposed to only include those who have recently had a repair completed.

- Evidence of mis-reporting of the completion of work and attendance at appointments by contract operatives was found during a case-tracking process.

- The fact that officers have already made changes to two of the KPIs (overall satisfaction rating and appointments made and kept) pre-empting this report.

- Contractors themselves have admitted that their performance does not live up to the KPIs.

The draft report, which also makes reccomendations on how to improve the KPIs, will be discussed at next week’s scrutiny meeting. There may be a number of additions/changes to the report following that meeting. It will then go to Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and then, hopefully, before Southwark’s Cabinet.

Borough Wide Campaigning this weekend
We need as many local members as possible to come along to the borough wide campaigning weekend this Saturday and Sunday. If you can make it, come along at 11am or 2pm if you'd like to ensure you go out in a larger group. The place to come to is 340 Ivydale Road, Nunhead, SE15 3DG. Do give me a call or email if you need more information on 07866022825 or gavinhome@hotmail.com

Southwark Labour comes to Peckham Rye - 8th and 9th Jan

2011-01-01T14:32:00.002Z

A quick advert for Southwark Labour's campaigning weekend in our ward on the Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th January. Labour Councillors and members from across the borough will be coming to Peckham Rye to talk to local people about the issues that concern them.

Lots of people in our ward are concerned about the impact on local services coming from the coalition's draconian cuts - so it's really important that people know that there is a progressive alternative to the Lib Dem Tory approach. Talking to people face to face is best way of finding out what they're thinking and informing keeping them up to date about Southwark Labour's work in running the council. If you're one of the many new Labour Party members in Peckham Rye or just interested in getting involved in your local party, come along and join us. You don't need to be experienced in knocking on doors and talking to people. There will always be people on hand to help out, and nobody is left on their own.

If you're interested, we'll be going out between 11am and 5pm on both days. Arrive at 11am or 2pm if you'd like to ensure you go out in a larger group. The place to come to is 340 Ivydale Road, Nunhead, SE15 3DG. Do give me a call or email if you need more information on 07866022825 or gavinhome@hotmail.com.

Ivydale Road cats say Meowy Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-23T23:32:00.014Z

It's been a very hectic first year for the Peckham Rye Labour and the blog is going from strength to strength. There's been lots of news about our area from your local councillors, but we have to admit that over the last 12 months we have not been the star attraction. Oh no.

Unsurprisingly, in a sea of council and election related updates, one of the most popular posts on this blog over the last 12 months had very little to do with local government. Top of the pops was when the Ivydale cats - Noel and Liam - wished everyone a happy new year.

So, we'll try the trick once again. A big merry Christmas from Victoria, Renata and I, but more importantly, Happy New Year from Noel (right) and Liam (left). They will do weddings, bar mitzvahs and any other social gatherings for three cans of Sheba and pinch of cat nip!

Well done to Bredinghurst School!

2010-12-19T19:50:00.002Z

Congratulations to all the staff and students at Bredinghurst School on Stuart Road, Nunhead on their Ofsted Report. They are a "rapidly improving school".

I'm a governor at Bredinghurst which is a special community school for boys aged 11-16. All the students have a statement of special educational needs for social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The vast majority also have further special educational needs and/or disabilities including dyslexia, attention deficit disorders, autistic spectrum disorders and a variety of medical issues. This means that the school can be a challenging place. We welcomed a new Headteacher in July and if that wasn't change enough, the school is about to be rebuilt under Building School for the Future.

You can read the full report here but here's a bit of an idea of how well the school did:

"This is a satisfactory and rapidly improving school. It has undergone several significant changes in recent years including changes in headship, senior leadership, staffing and organisation. Recently appointed leaders are providing new drive and direction and the school is well placed to become even more stable and effective. Progress has improved over recent years because, despite some continuing inconsistencies, teaching and the curriculum are increasingly appropriate for all students. Nearly all of the students speak positively about the school and really appreciate the high levels of support they are given. One said, 'The school is there for me, there are so many teachers to care for us,' and a parent said, 'It is a happy school. A caring school with kind teachers.'

...Improvement since the last inspection is good. The track record of recent developments has been particularly strong. Nearly all the staff are supportive and insightful partnerships are contributing to accurate self-evaluation and clear direction for the future. These good features mean that the school's capacity for sustained improvement is also good."

What do your Peckham Rye Councillors do? 2

2010-12-12T19:51:00.005Z

A while ago I posted a short case study giving an example of the kind of work we do in Peckham Rye as your local councillors. Well, I thought it was time for another example...

Residents from the lower part of Friern Road recently approached me about consistent traffic and parking problems outside their homes, partly as a result of the opening of the Harris Boys Academy nearby. Among other things they were finding parking spaces outside their homes were being taken up and that some pupils crossing Friern Road were not seeing cars turning right from Peckham Rye, raising the possibility of an accident. They were also worried about the general level of traffic on their road.

Since hearing of their concerns I set up a joint meeting between the relevant traffic and parking officers from the council, representatives from the school and the Friern Road residents themselves. Last Thursday night we held the meeting at the school and started to get to the bottom of some of these problems.

Officers are now going to do another traffic count on the road to gather evidence of the problems with "rat-running" on Friern Road. A survey done back in May showed there was higher than usual levels of traffic, even before the school opened. They are also going to look at introducing a weight restriction on the road.

One measure that Friern Road residents have suggested is introducing a physical barrier to traffic entering and exiting Friern Road from Peckham Rye. Officers have said that before considering this they will need to look closely at the results of the new traffic survey and modelling on the potential impact of introducing the barrier. However, they are not ruling it out. Officers from Parking also gave a commitment to step up enforcement action in the area.

Also attending the meeting was the Police Liasion Officer for both Harris Boys and Girls school who was very helpful in explaining the various issues which arise at school opening and closing times.

We agreed to meet again in January/early February to get an update on the actions taken and the result of the survey. These problems are by no means solved, but I think we are starting to make some progress. Obviously this is a very small example of helping people in Peckham Rye but, to the people living on lower Friern Road, these are important issues which need to get sorted out.

Simon Hughes tuition fees update

2010-12-08T23:05:00.003Z

Simon Hughes has just appeared on Newsnight to say that he is now undecided on whether he will abstain or vote against the government's tuition fees policy.

Abstaining on a policy which will do so much to prevent young people from less privileged backgrounds from attending university is clearly not enough. Hughes has always presented himself as a progressive politician: now he needs to live up to that image.

Anyone tempted by Nick Clegg's rhetoric about how "progressive" this policy is should consider these facts and figures from universities Think Tank million+

"...The Coalition has set out a very narrow vision of 'social mobility'. Social mobility through higher education is about enabling students from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter higher socio-economic occupations and improve their earnings compared with their backgrounds, whichever university they study at. The real risk from the current proposals is that they will damage participation by students who are more debt and risk averse. They are also likely to risk the participation of older students, many of whom are from widening participation backgrounds and who progress to university in their twenties and thirties rather than straight from school.

A recent Ipsos MORI survey of 11-16 year olds found that the prospect of increases in tuition fees had significant deterrent effect on participation. One in six (17%) said they were unlikely to go to university if tuition fees increased to £5,000 and almost half (46%) if fees increased to £10,000 a year. Students with less family and financial support are more debt and risk averse and the survey found that fee increases had a greater deterrent effect amongst 11-16 year old from more disadvantaged backgrounds"

If you want to urge Simon Hughes to vote against tomorrow, write to him now by clicking here .

Do the right thing Simon, vote against this regressive, unjust policy.

_________________________

Update: As I'm sure most people already know, Simon Hughes abstained on this vote, letting down countless young people in his own constituency and across the country. It puts this video from the Lib Dem You Tube Channel in perspective...

Southwark's Labour MPs urge Hughes to do the right thing

2010-12-07T21:08:00.005Z

An issue that I know will be of concern to many young people living in Peckham Rye, and their parents, will be the forthcoming vote on the Coalition plans to triple tuition fees for university students. Southwark's Labour MPs, Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell, have written to Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes to insist that he keeps to the pledge he made before the election that he would not vote to raise fees. The text of the letter is below.

________________________________________

7th December 2010

Dear Simon,

One of the most important changes over the last 10 years is the big increase in the number of young people from Southwark going to university. University used to be just for people from better off families. But that was changed by the last government. Nearly three times as many Southwark young people now go on to university compared to 1997 - and that means opportunities for people from Southwark that they never had before.

When you asked for the votes of people in Southwark to get elected as an MP earlier this year, your Lib Dem manifesto not only promised to vote against any fee increase, you promised to scrap tuition fees altogether. You said “We will scrap unfair university tuition fees”. Now the government you are supporting, as part of the coalition, is planning to increase tuition fees. The increase in tuition fees cannot go through if Lib Dem MPs vote against it. You are deputy leader of your party. All the Lib Dem MPs signed the pledge to vote against tuition fees. As someone who signed the pledge and as someone with a leading role in your party, we are calling on you to vote against and keep your promise to the people of Southwark.

Tessa and I will be voting against it. You must keep your promises and vote with us to protect the future of young people in Southwark. This is not just the vitally important matter of the opportunities of young people in Southwark, it is also a question of trust in politics. People need to be able to trust their MPs but no-one will ever be able to trust your promises again if you break it on tuition fees.

Best wishes

Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP

Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP

Southwark Council submission on 343 buses

2010-12-04T19:44:00.009Z

Click on the letter below to see the letter which Southwark council has submitted to Transport for London (TfL) regarding, among other things, the 343 bus route. Some readers will recall our submission to the consultation on changes to the bus route. Whilst welcoming the increase in frequency of the buses we wanted the council to make it clear to TfL that 343 buses need to slow down when they go through residential areas.

The letter above is from the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, Barrie Hargrove to Gary Murphy at the Consultation and Engagement Centre at Transport for London. Councillor Hargrove concludes his letter by writing: "I would be grateful for
an assurance that the timetable acknowledges this and that there is no imperative for drivers to exceed this speed in order to maintain timetabled headways."

I've asked Cllr Hargrove to keep me updated on whether or not he gets the assurance he asks for. We hope that the message will start to get through to TfL that there is problem with speeding 343 buses and it needs to get sorted out.

'Peckham's Future' - Meetings on Sat 27 Nov & Tues 30 Nov

2010-11-26T22:12:00.004Z

Despite the tough economic outlook Southwark is facing, the Council and local Councillors remain committed to bringing regeneration to Peckham - a key Labour promise made during the local elections earlier this year.

The next stage of our planning is beginning and in preparation for a 'formal' consultation in February there are two meetings in the next few days to allow residents the chance to give some early feedback.

The first is taking place TOMORROW, Saturday 27 November, 12.30pm to 3.30pm, at the Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane.

The second will also be at the Bussey Building on Tuesday 30 November 2010, 6.00pm to 9.00pm.

There will be displays and information on the emerging 'preferred options' for the Peckham and Nunhead area action plan. Come along and have your say on how we can ensure the future commercial success of Peckham town centre, restore our historic buildings and even how we might redesign the street scene.

Aylesbury Estate Shock

2010-11-22T20:11:00.003Z

We don't often stray far beyond our Ward boundaries on the Peckham Rye Labour Blog, but today we've had some shocking news about the regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate (east of Walworth Road, and north of Burgess Park) which I thought might interest our readers, wherever in Southwark you live.

For more than a decade, the powers that be at Southwark Council (of all political persuasions) have been seeking funding from government to regenerate this huge estate populated by 7,500 people. Tony Blair famously made his first speech as Prime Minister on the Estate. Everyone would admit that there have been far too many broken promises and false dawns for the people living on the Aylesbury.

In 2005, work finally began on "phase 1a" of a project that, it was hoped, would lead to the demolition and replacement of the poorly designed 1960's blocks. The Aylesbury regeneration is a huge and complex programme which relies on a number of different funding streams to push it forward. A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was set to deliver 360 homes and then provide the catalyst for a further 583 homes to be built. Eventually the entire programme would have delivered 4,200 homes.

Today, the £180m PFI funding promised for the Aylesbury has been withdrawn by the government. (In total the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has withdrawn £1.9bn of funding across 13 planned Private Finance Initiative housing projects).

Cllr Fiona Colley, Southwark's Cabinet Member for Regeneration today wrote to all Southwark Councillors setting out her, and Southwark Labour's determination to overcome this blow. She wrote:

"Despite this setback, we have to press ahead with our regeneration plans on behalf of residents, who will always be our main priority. We are seeking to arrange urgent meetings with the government and swiftly following up the HCA’s [Homes and Communities Agency's] offer to consider future options. Aside from this, we will continue to explore every option available to us and will in no way be defeated by this decision. We do not yet know what the overall impact of this decision will mean but Southwark Council is experienced in seeing large-scale regeneration projects come to fruition and we remain committed to Aylesbury’s successful regeneration."

Do you have what it takes to be a Southwark Foster Carer?

2010-11-18T22:02:00.002Z

One of my roles as a councillor is to sit on the Council's Fostering Panel which reviews our borough's foster carers. I find this an immensely rewarding role.

In Southwark we have up to 350 children placed with Southwark foster carers at any one time and the borough is always on the look out for those who might be interested in becoming carers. We need foster carers for both long and short term fostering and respite fostering. We are looking for people from all backgrounds so that we are able to place as many children as possible with families who live in and near to the borough.

The council considers every inquiry from a potential fosterer important so if you think you might have the skills to foster them you should seriously consider it. You can read more about how to become a foster carer here and answers to a whole host of questions you might have here.

Community Council - Wednesday 8 December

2010-11-18T21:53:00.002Z

Just a quick post to get 8 December in your diaries as the next Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council meeting. This is your chance to meet local councillors and quiz them on any local issues you might have. There will also be updates from members of the council cabinet and our Police safer neighbourhood team.

The meeting starts at 7.00pm although if you come at 6.30pm you can speak to the Community Wardens beforehand. The December meeting is at Rye Oak Primary, use the Old James Street entrance just off Nunhead Lane.

Crime and Community Safety in Peckham Rye

2010-11-16T00:10:00.007Z

I'm grateful to a local resident I spoke to at a recent community council meeting for pointing me in the direction of these figures from the Metropolitan Police Website. It gives a very useful comparison of crime figures in Peckham Rye Ward with the rest of Southwark and the rest of London.

A very quick analysis shows that we are, on the whole, a pretty low crime area. I'm certain that part of the reason for this is our excellent local police team. Many local people are very concerned that cuts to public spending will include cutting Peckham Rye Safer Neighbourhood Team, along with their crime prevention work. This is certainly an issue for us to keep a very close eye on.

If you'd like to know more about community safety in Peckham Rye, a good place to start is the Ward Panel meeting. The next one will be held at 7pm on 25th November at Harris Girls Academy.

Another Bog Standard Update

2010-11-14T12:16:00.005Z

Many local residents may well be wondering what is happening with the previously proposed development of the toilet block near the junction of Peckham Rye and East Dulwich Road. Before Renata, Victoria and I were even elected as councillors, this had become quite a lively issue. I recently asked officers at the council what is going on, because nothing appeared to be happening with the block.

Well, since the last update, this is what has happened:

1. The last proposed tenant - a not-for-profit gallery offering outreach programmes to local schools and groups - dropped out of the process without having made the required planning application.

2. The property is now under offer to a new proposed tenant. They run a children's nursery and wish to expand.

3. They have already made a planning application for a change of use.

4. We are currently waiting for a formal decision from development control so that the lease can proceed.

I'll update again here as soon as I have further news.

Speaking to local residents most people have told us that they support the building having a community use, being used by a local group or it being returned to use as a toilet - as long as it doesn't encroach on the green space around it.

Ryedale and Cheltenham Road - smoother surfaces are on the way

2010-11-11T16:27:00.005Z

At Monday night's Community Council meeting Coucillors had the opportunity to vote on how to allocate a pot of money for road resurfacing improvements in our area.

Residents of Cheltenham Road and Ryedale in Peckham Rye Ward will be pleased to hear that their roads were among the three we agreed to resurface. These two roads were highlighted in the condition survey as being in very poor condition. In particular, residents of Cheltenham Road have suffered more than most because of buses travelling too fast down their street, causing vibration in their homes. We hope that the resurfacing will go some way to addressing this problem. We also managed to secure money to replace some of lamps on St Aiden’s Road which are in poor condition.

Watch this space for more information on when that work will be carried out.

PS. If you're interested in attending the next Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council meeting, it will take place on Wednesday 8th December at 7.00 pm. Further details on the agenda and location will appear here shortly.

South London Press Story on 63 Campaign

2010-11-05T22:47:00.002Z

Just a quick note to point you in the direction of this Friday's edition of the South London Press. The SLP have reported on the growing popularity of the campaign to extend the 63 Bus Route to Honor Oak Park and on our recent joint letter to Boris Johnson.

You'll need to buy a copy to see the story straightaway as parts of the online edition of the SLP are restricted to subscribers. We're on page 24. Thanks to Val Shawcross (our London Assembly Member) for her continued support for the campaign and her quote in the story.

One particularly interesting section of the story is the quote given by TfL regarding the extension. It was more encouraging than the wording of a previous letter which had claimed that the extension would not be financially viable, speaking of "keeping services under review." Light at the end of the tunnel perhaps?

Welcome for more 343s - but they must slow down

2010-10-31T11:41:00.008Z

A consultation is currently underway on proposed changes to the 343 bus route (see the letters above). For residents of the Nunhead part of Peckham Rye the good news is that the frequency of buses may be increased. However, local residents are constantly telling us that they are concerned about the speed at which many 343 buses travel through residential parts of its route. I've pasted my response to the consultation below, welcoming the increase in frequency, but asking TfL to take decisive action to deal with this issue.

_____________________________

Dear Sir/Madam

What follows is my personal response to the consultation to the proposals for the 343bus route. I'm not sure if I need to "declare an interest" regarding consultations of this nature, but in the interests of clarity and openness I should say that I live at 340 Ivydale Road, which is serviced by the 343 bus.

I'd like to give my qualified support for the proposal to increase the the frequency of the service on weekdays between 7am and 7pm to one every 6 mins. The 343 bus is very well used by residents of our ward and the increase in frequency will relieve overcrowding, particularly during the busy morning and after-work periods.

The qualification that I would like to add relates to the speed at which buses travel, particularly through the largely residential part of the route taking in Cheltenham Road, Ivydale Road and Mertins Road. Many residents that I and my ward colleagues have spoken to on this part of the route have voiced their concern about the noise and vibration caused in their homes by buses travelling at excessive speeds. This area is part of a controlled 20 MPH zone. When these double decker buses pass over speed humps and potholes at high speeds they can cause houses in the area to shake. When buses slow down to the speed limit, the level of vibration is perfectly acceptable.

I understand that the issue of vibrations from the buses is not entirely related to their speed. There are ongoing issues with road resurfacing which are still to be resolved, but which are not directly related to this consultation.

Some residents are also concerned about road safety, particularly for children, because of the speed that some 343 bus drivers drive through this residential area. At times I have been shocked at the speed that some bus drivers travel, far in excess of the 20mph speed limit. I have even been told of bus drivers "chasing" one another whilst driving buses. Obviously, this increases the chances of an accident.

If the issue of 343 buses speeding remains untackled, an increase in their frequency might increase these problems. Consequently, I would support the proposal but would ask that TfL (and their contract holders) take decisive action to ensure that bus drivers drive within the speed limit.

Best Wishes,

Gavin Edwards

Joint Letter to Boris on the 63 extension

2010-10-28T17:42:00.006+01:00

Prior to the local elections in May, one of the promises we made to residents of Peckham Rye was that we, if elected as your local councillors, would campaign hard to extend the 63 bus route to Honor Oak Park Station. We said we would get Southwark council to put its weight behind the campaign and seek to force TfL to look again at this issue. The extension would link up local bus users with the East London Line which now travels from Honor Oak Park. It is small change that would make a big difference.

Since the election we have pushed the issue forward in a number of ways. At the last Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council Traffic and Transport Sub Group (or NPRCCTTSG as it is catchily and affectionately known by all!) we decided to ask our local Assembly Member, our local Member of Parliament and the Leader of Southwark Council to write to Boris Johnson about extending the 63.

Specifically we wanted them to write to him to demand that TfL look again at the financial assumptions on which they are basing their refusal to extend the route. Their current position is that the extension would not pay for itself because not enough extra people would use the service to get to Honor Oak. We think this assumption is based on pre-East London Line passenger numbers.

I am very pleased to say that your representatives, Val Shawcross, Harriet Harman and Peter John have all agreed to sign the joint letter, the text of which is below. We'll let you know as soon as they get a reply...

_________________________________

Dear Boris,

We’re writing to ask for your assistance in improving transport links in our part of London. For many months now residents in the East Dulwich, Forest Hill and Honor Oak parts of Southwark have been contacting their local representatives to find out if the 63 Bus route could be extended by just a few stops to Honor Oak Park Train Station.

As you know, Honor Oak Park Station is now serviced by the East London Line. As a result, many local residents wish to travel to the station via the 63 bus and continue their journey by train. The route currently finishes quite close to the station, but not quite within a reasonable walking distance, particularly as the route is over a steep hill.

As you will see from the attached letters, correspondence between Southwark Council and TfL has so far proved fruitless. TfL is claiming that it would not be financially viable to extend the route because the additional costs would not be covered by additional bus use. We believe that TfL’s position is based on an analysis of demand prior to the opening of the East London Line.

We would be grateful if you could ask TfL to look again at this issue and analyse demand for this extension in the light of the opening of the East London Line. We feel confident that, if this analysis is done, the financial case for extending the 63 Bus route will become irrefutable.

Local people are extremely eager for this extension to be put in place without reducing the regularity of the existing service. We hope you will look into this issue and we look forward to your response.

Yours Sincerely,

Harriet Harman MP (Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham)
Val Shawcross AM (London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark)
Cllr Peter John (Leader of Southwark Council)

One O'Clock Club: The official position

2010-10-23T20:42:00.014+01:00

For any readers wanting to know EXACTLY what the situation is with the new One'Clock Club, changing rooms and pitches on Peckham Rye Common, the following may be of interest.

I submitted a question to the relevant Cabinet Member for last Wednesday's Council Assembly meeting. The response can be found here in the official council papers, but I've also pasted it below:-

"QUESTION TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CULTURE, LEISURE & SPORT AND THE OLYMPICS FROM COUNCILLOR GAVIN EDWARDS
What progress has been made on delivering Southwark Labour's manifesto commitment to turn the plans for a new One O'Clock Club and changing rooms and pitches for local sports teams into reality?

RESPONSE
A development plan for Peckham Rye was completed earlier this year defining sporting facilities and the future development of the cafe area of Peckham Rye Common. This plan has support from the community. The total estimated cost to realise this plan for the Homestall Road Sports Facilities and the Park Central Area Development Plan is £2.1m.

This is broken down into the following:

Homestall Road Sports Facilities and works to park pitches £1,100,000
New one o’clock club buildings £500,000
Replacing the temporary changing rooms with a permanent
facility on the maintenance area £100,000
New play area including water play £100,000
Landscaping and relocating car park to Peckham Rye Common £300,000
Total £2,100,000

To date £209,000 has been secured from the cleaner greener safer capital programme. The council has also sought a further £300,000 from Sure Start and £100,000 from the play builder programme. However since the election of the coalition government the Sure Start programme has been cancelled and play builder has been suspended and is unlikely to be available.

Over the last few months officers have been negotiating with the Harris Boys Academy which is willing to invest £400,000 to improve drainage and refurbish the grasses pitches in exchange for exclusive use of the Homestall Road site at specific times.

A meeting is being held on 20 October to confirm details. This funding would also be able the council to apply for Football Association (FA) funding in the region of £250,000.

Possible funding for this project is therefore as follows;
Homestall Road Sports Facilities
Harris Boys Academy contribution £400,000
FA contribution £250,000
Peckham Rye Park and Common
Current CGS funding £209,000
Total identified funding £959,000

If FA funding and Harris Academy funding is granted, the project is still left with a shortfall of £1,141,000 to complete the entire project. Officers have submitted a bid for a further capital funding for this amount and this will be considered by the cabinet in November as part of the wider council capital programme."

So, decisions are due to be made in November and we will continue to keep a very close eye on this issue.

Recycling pilot in Peckham Rye

2010-10-16T13:42:00.004+01:00

Here's me with my newly arrived kitchen caddy for food waste. If you are taking part in the new food waste recycling pilot you can order a caddy by emailing environment@southwark.gov.uk

So far I'm finding the scheme pretty easy to negociate. Separating food is easy enough, everything else that can be recycled goes in the blue box and we're actually left with very little in our rubbish bin - in fact I think the current bag has lasted 11 days!

There is lots more information about the scheme here and the letters and leaflets we have received have been really helpful. The leaflet has a handy timetable of collection dates on the back of it. If you've lost your's then you can look up your collection dates here.

I've been contacted by a few people asking whether or not they are in the pilot. I'm always happy to check but the collection date search also tells you whether you are included or not. Just to be clear, although many properties in Peckham Rye ward are in the pilot, it's not everyone.

"Your Councillor" leaflet on its way to your door

2010-10-09T10:03:00.005+01:00

In an effort to keep local people up to date with ouir work and council related issues in Peckham Rye, we've produced the first of what we hope will be a fairly regular "Your Councillor" leaflet. A copy will be delivered to every door in Peckham Rye over the next week or so. You can also see the first edition here by clicking on the images below.

Ed's no mug

2010-09-30T21:17:00.011+01:00

We don't ordinarily give much coverage to national politics on the Peckham Rye Labour Blog. Parochial to the last, you'll find more on this website about the Clock House pub than the House of Commons. That said, we thought we'd make an exception following the election of Ed Miliband as the new Leader of the Labour Party.

It's been a difficult time for supporters of the Labour Party watching a supposedly left-of-centre Liberal Democrat Party form a Coalition with the Tories, providing cover for cuts which are clearly too early and too deep for our recovering economy. In very testing circumstances our local MP Harriet Harman has done a fantastic job as the Acting Leader of the Labour Party, holding the Government to account every step of the way. Nevertheless, the people we've been talking to on the doorstep have been very curious to know who would be the new Leader of the Labour Party.

Victoria, Renata and I are delighted that Ed Miliband is now in the hot-seat. Rightly or wrongly some people judge a political party based on their view of its leader. We can do our best locally to show what the Labour Party is all about, but that task is made much easier when a permanent leader is in place, arguing for Labour values day in and day out in the national media and in Parliament.

There was one part of Ed Miliband's Party Conference speech which struck a chord with me and the issues that we are facing in Peckham Rye. He said:

"But what we should not do as a country is make a bad situation worse by embarking on deficit reduction at a pace and in a way that endangers our recovery. The starting point for a responsible plan is to halve the deficit over four years, but growth is our priority and we must remain vigilant against a downturn.

You see, it's obvious really, when you cancel thousands of new school buildings at a stroke, it isn't just bad for our kids, it's bad for construction companies at a time when their order books are empty. It's not responsible, it's irresponsible.

And nor should we reduce the deficit without learning the basic lessons of fairness. We must protect those on middle and low incomes. They did nothing to cause the crisis but are suffering the consequences"

The savagery and the timing of the cuts which the Lib Dems and Tories are imposing on local councils will inevitably damage services and regeneration projects in our area. Southwark's Labour run council is totally committed to protecting the most vulnerable from the severity of these cuts, but there will inevitably be difficulties ahead. It helps then to have a Labour Leader elected who is willing and capable of making the case for sane deficit reduction. We can only hope that the message will get through to the Lib Dems.

Perhaps some of Southwark's Lib Dem Councillors could have a word with local MP Simon Hughes (in his own words, a "rock solid" supporter of the coalition) and suggest that he might want to rethink the depth, pace and timing of these ideological cuts. Former Lib Dem supporters across the country now know that there is a credible and progressive alternative to the Coalition in Ed Miliband's Labour Party. Our local party has seen a dramatic rise in the number of members since the election. If you believe in a building a fairer society both locally and nationally, think about joining up.

Extending the 63 - Next step is to gather the evidence that an extension is needed

2010-09-23T23:35:00.003+01:00

I thought I’d give a slightly overdue update on how things went at the last Traffic and Travel Community Council 'Sub Group' when we discussed how to take forward the campaign to extend the 63 bus.

I gave a bit of the background and informed the sub-committee that TFL are claiming that extending the route would cost £470,000. Val Shawcross, our London Assembly Member was attending the meeting to give us her view on what the next steps in the campaign should be.

Val explained that the contract for the route was renewed a year ago and contracts get re-let every 5 yrs. Transport for London can tweak a bus route mid-contract but it needs demonstration of a clear demand. Considering the current climate, the picture is not optimistic, however if there is a case it needs to made and be persistent.

One suggestion is that since all the passenger number studies are pre-east London extension, post-East London line data might demonstrate a need so the council might ask for more data regarding the East Line effect.

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, the Southwark Council Cabinet member with responsibility for Transport, said that the Labour administration would be happy to support the campaign even if it’s for the long haul. He also said that the council would also help with getting the necessary surveys done.

Residents attending the meeting also suggested the possibility of running the bus for a few weeks as a trial run with Val Shawcross explaining that they can do that sometimes and sometimes councils and/or developers can subsidise trial runs, so this may be an option we could look at.

Residents were also concerned that a new school with 950 kids was opening soon and the 63 was the only bus for it. The school will be at full capacity by 2014, the time when the next contract is due.

All in all it was an extremely constructive discussion. We concluded by agreeing that I would, as a next step, speak to all of the local Members of Parliament to see if they would be able to sign a joint letter asking TfL to look again at extending the route. I also agreed to look into what additional survey work could be done to support the case for the extension following the opening of the East London Line and the Harris Boys Academy. I’ll report back soon on how I get on.

Mundania Road Street Party

2010-09-18T21:34:00.014+01:00

Victoria, Renata and I today attended the Mundania Road Street Party. This was a fantastic event entirely organised by people living on Mundania Road. Thankfully the summer held out for another day to allow people to enjoy themselves. There were bookstalls, face-painting, football and lots of cake for people to enjoy.

Some of the funding for the event came from the Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Fund, which is allocated by local councillors. I think this kind of event is a superb way of building community spirit. Though there are many great things about living in London, life in a big city can all too easily isolate people from their neighbours. But today on Mundania Road the atmosphere was more like a village fete than a street in a city 7.5 million people.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the event.

How Labour is making a difference in Southwark

2010-09-14T18:41:00.010+01:00

I've said before on this blog that the nuts and bolts of local authority politics can squeeze the enthusiasm out of even the most hardened campaigners. But it is crucially important that all those leaflets, all the time talking to you on your doorstep, and all those votes actually achieves something for the people of this borough. It's been just over four months since the people of Southwark voted for a change in who runs their council. So, has it made any difference?

Southwark Labour was elected on a manifesto of creating a fairer, more equal borough and giving people a council that provided good quality services. Whilst doing this Southwark Labour is also having to contend with 25% + cuts to our budget made by the Coalition Government.

Given this context, I've listed below Labour's top 10 achievements in Southwark since 6th May. Labour has:

1. Entered a Regeneration Agreement for the £1.5 billion redevelopment of the Elephant and Castle - a deal which includes a minimum guarantee of 25% of affordable housing - following eight years of Lib Dem dither and delay;

2. Taken steps to pilot (in November) our pledge to provide every primary school pupil with a free healthy school meal;

3. Published Fire Risk Assessments for all council blocks in the borough following the tragic Lakanal fire in July 2009, in order to provide reassurance to worried residents;

4. Cut councillors allowances in order to save over £70,000 for use on front-line services;

5. Agreed a set of principles which will guide our budget-making decisions and ensure that we deliver on our manifesto commitments, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the Government's cuts. This includes given residents and backbench councillors more say over how decisions will be made.

6. Established a Democracy Commission to produce a report on how we make our council meetings and procedures more open and accessible;

7. Introduced tough new measures to limit the amount the Council spends on external consultants;

8. Commenced work on plans to regenerate Camberwell, Nunhead and Peckham – areas ignored for the past eight years;

9. Taken steps to prevent any development on vital green spaces in the borough at Nursery Row and Brayard’s Green in Nunhead;

10. Agreed to pilot food waste recycling across the borough – five years ahead of the Lib Dem’s timetabled introduction.

None of these achievements would have occurred if thousands of people in Southwark hadn't chosen to vote Labour on 6th May. It's become fashionable to say that politics doesn't make a difference. The list above shows that, even in these early days, Labour in Southwark has been able to make some really worthwhile changes.

There is another important difference which a Labour administration has brought to Southwark which isn't as easy to spot over a short period but which, in the long-term, is going to be incredibly important. Southwark now has a group of Cabinet members and councillors in control who aren't afraid to take responsibility for their actions and to make difficult (sometimes very difficult) decisions. As a new councillor it's been striking to see the Liberal Democrat Opposition consistently duck out of taking a firm position on a whole range of issues. It is partly this approach which lead to so many important decisions being kicked into the bureaucratic long grass during their eight years of running the council. So, of course, there are differences of policy and values in how Labour runs the council, but perhaps just as importantly, there is a difference in competence.

Boosting Recycling in Southwark

2010-09-09T15:17:00.005+01:00

In October 2010 your newly elected Labour Administration in Southwark will start to deliver on our manifesto commitment to expand the variety of materials that can be recycled in order to boost the recycling rate in the borough. One of the major failings of the Lib Dem-Tory Administration which we have replaced was their refusal to prioritise recycling - leave Southwark with the 6th worst recycling rate in the country. Labour is determined to change this.

In October, parts of six wards, including Peckham Rye, will take part in a six month pilot. The most significant change will be the introduction of weekly food and garden waste collections. As part of the pilot you will be supplied with compostable bags which will allow you to collect all food waste. Food waste can then be put into your brown garden waste bin. The council will then collect your food and garden waste each week. If you don’t have a brown bin, the council will supply you with one, in a size suitable for the space available.

The council will continue to collect blue box recycling on a weekly basis, but you won't need to separate the items. To help you to recycle more you can also order an extra blue box.

This new system will enable residents of Peckham Rye to recycle more than two thirds of waste, all of which will be removed on a weekly basis. The remaining, currently non-recyclable waste, will be picked up once every other week. Full details of the scheme are contained in a letter sent to all those residents who will be part of the pilot - I got mine this week!

Obviously this is just a pilot scheme at this stage but it is hoped that, based on the results, it will form the basis of a scheme that will be rolled out across the whole borough in the future. I think we will find that some things work well but equally I know it will be a challenge for all residents to recycle two thirds of their waste. However, I think the pilot is a good way to test what's possible.

If you'd like to know more about the pilot, take a look at this webpage.

Update from Community Safety Ward Panel meeting

2010-09-04T16:05:00.004+01:00

A local resident recently posted on our "Peckham Rye News" Facebook Page asking for an update from the latest Community Safety ward panel meeting. I thought our blog readers might also like to see the response, so I've copied and pasted it below:

"The local police team gave an update on their work. They have been particularly focusing on the crime and anti-social behaviour being committed by a small number of individuals in the Peckham Rye area. Their work on this over the summer seems to have been very succesful.

There was also some discussion on the issue of dangerous dogs. The police explained that they will act whenever they have reports of people failing to control their dogs or of dogs posing a danger to the public.

There have been a small number of burglaries in the area over the last month or so, and the police gave their view that these were opportunistic. They emphasised the importance of locking doors and windows to avoid this kind of break in. On the whole though, they said crime and anti-social behaviour in Peckham Rye is generally low. Finally, there was some discussion of the threat to having a local police team at all.

Due to Government cuts there is a possibility that their area may be extended, which means that they will be less able to do the kind of preventative work that has been so successful in Peckham Rye. I should stress there are no firm plans to make changes yet. I have offered the assistance of all the Peckham Rye Councillors if we need to run a campaign to protect our local police team."

PS: The Peckham Rye News Facebook Group is a quick and easy way of getting in touch with us. Join up here if you're interested.

Friends of Peckham Rye Summer Fete

2010-08-29T21:06:00.003+01:00

This year's Friends of Peckham Rye Summer Fete will take place on Saturday 4th September. This is a superb event which includes lots of fun activities and stalls. It starts at 12 noon and goes on until 5pm.

The FOPR are currently asking for help with serveral parts of the event:

- They are looking for book donations for the book stall. Please call 0208 299 2680 if you've got some books spare.

- If you can donate a plant or seedlings to the plant stall please call 07968 416108

- If you're a talented baker and can donate a cake for the Tea Tent please ring 07704463614

If you would like to help out on the day, please call 0208 299 2680.

What do your local councillors do? A case study from Brenchley Gardens

2010-08-24T22:49:00.007+01:00

Brenchley Gardens estate is in the southern part of Peckham Rye Ward, opposite Camberwell New Cemetery. By common consent it is a pleasant and quiet place to live with a strong sense of community. People living in Brenchley Gardens are a mixture of tenants, leaseholders and freeholders.

Following our election in May, members of the tenant management organisation (TMO) approached us to ask for our help with some problems they were having with various charges, repairs and a dispute with the council over the ownership status of a fence on the estate. The problem seemed to be that communication had broken down between the TMO and officers at the council over these issues. Both sides had taken up entrenched positions and meaningful discussion seemed to have completely stopped.

As local councillors we were able to talk to both officers and the TMO in a constructive way to see if there was a way we could resolve these issues. After much persuading and several meetings we were able to get everyone round the same table last night. I'm really pleased to say that the TMO and the officers were able to agree a way forward on all the outstanding issues. The TMO didn't get its way on all the issues it was concerned about, but the members present were able to get an honest, face to face explanation and no longer felt their views were being ignored or dismissed. The officers for their part agreed to take action on many of the concerns residents had been raising.

When council officers had left one of the board members of the TMO said something to me which I think summed the whole thing up. He said, "What pleases me is that, at last, someone was prepared to come and speak to us like we're human beings."

Transport meeting papers now available online

2010-08-20T10:59:00.002+01:00

Quick update on the local transport meeting taking place on Thursday 2nd September. The papers for the meeting are now available here. Worth taking a look for anyone interested in local transport issues.

Councillor Fiona Colley says, "We won't forget about SE15."

2010-08-17T22:50:00.003+01:00

The following news item has just appeared on the Southwark Council website:

"The council can confirm that consultation on the Peckham and Nunhead Area Action Plan is to begin in January and planning applications have been submitted for refurbishment in Nunhead this week.

Over the past weeks, the headlines have been all about Elephant and Castle as the deal with Lend Lease was finally signed, paving the way to the £1.5 billion regeneration of the area.

But if residents live further south in the borough, they may be asking when it's their turn? Peckham and Nunhead are known for their vibrant streets with independent shops and places to go for great food and leisure activities, as well as being a hub for the arts.

Today, the council can confirm that in a matter of months, the focus will be on Peckham and Nunhead to enhance what residents already love about them. As a planning application went in this week for new shop frontages on Gibbon road, it won't be long before the rest of Nunhead and Peckham gets its turn for something new. Already, huge improvements to the street layout have been completed to make improved access and cycle routes. Plans to ask residents about the wider area are just around the corner.

Councillor Fiona Colley, cabinet member for regeneration said, "I know and love this area, and know that both Peckham and Nunhead have their own charm which I'm keen to enhance. Regeneration goes far further than just buildings. It's about local people, the independent shops and businesses that they love and the atmosphere of these places - that's what's important. The area action plan is all about asking Peckham and Nunhead people what they want to see change - and what they want to preserve and restore for future generations."

Local transport meeting - including campaign to extend the 63 bus route

2010-08-15T23:21:00.006+01:00

One of the additional roles that I've taken on in recent months is to be Chair of the local community council group on traffic and transport. This is an open, local forum for anyone living in the Nunhead and Peckham Rye area to contribute to debate over local transport policy.

At our first meeting following the election I've sought to focus the work of this committee on the priorities that so many local people spoke to their candidates and councillors about during the campaign. So at the next meeting we will be following up on a number of issues raised at previous meetings, but also looking at how we can take the campaign for the extension of the 63 bus route to Honor Oak Park Station forward. Southwark Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Recycling, Cllr Barrie Hargrove will be attending to discuss this issue.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 2nd September 2010 at 6.30 pm in Room D of Southwark Town Hall, 35 Peckham Road SE5 8UB. Other items on the agenda for discussion are:

- Improvements to Rye Lane (including enforcement measures on issues such as shopkeepers putting produce and waste on pavements, car parking and deliveries during rush hours).

- Update on the traffic scheme being put in place to deal with the opening of the Harris Boys Academy.

- Update on the Peckham Rye South Scheme.

If you're interested in these, or any other local transport issues, come along and you will have the chance to discuss them with local councillors and council officers dealing with these issues.

Details of events in August and September funded through the Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council Fund

2010-08-09T15:23:00.007+01:00

Below is a table showing a list of events that will be taking place in the Nunhead and Peckham Rye area thanks to funding from the community fund. If you're interested in any of the event and you want further details, please e-mail the contact addresses given in the table.

If you're having trouble reading the table, click on it to make it bigger.

New Peckham Rye Councillors Poster

2010-07-30T17:59:00.004+01:00

This new poster showing our contact and ward surgery details will be put up in locations across the ward. Apologies in advance for any children who are frightened by the slightly odd facial expressions in our photos!

Labour keeps free swimming over summer holidays despite Tory-Lib cuts

2010-07-26T22:08:00.005+01:00

Great news that children will still be able to swim for free in Southwark despite Government cuts. In even better news this will be at no extra cost to the council and council tax payers after the new Labour administration managed to get Fusion (our local leisure provider) to cover the costs.

Southwark Council introduced free swimming in April 2009 with funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Since its introduction there have been 2000 free visits each month at our local pools. Sadly, it looked like this would all come to an end when this funding was one of the things cut in June by the new Tory-Lib Dem Government.

The timing could hardly have been worse with school holiday just about to start. So it's a real testiment to the lobbying of the new Labour Council that we managed to secure this agreement with Fusion.

From September the council will introduce a 60p swims for under-16s and over-60s. It's disappointing that this isn't quite the same cheap day out families and older residents but hopefully still affordable for many.

What your Peckham Rye Councillors are up to...

2010-07-17T20:47:00.003+01:00

I thought it was about time for a general update on our activities as ward councillors for Peckham Rye. Having been a councillor for more than two months I think we can say that Victoria, Renata and I are starting to get our feet firmly under the table. From my point of view, the work seems to break down into three distinct areas.

1. Casework – These are individual issues which residents living in our ward approach us about because they need some help. Casework can be picked up at our regular surgeries, via e-mail, telephone calls and even just passing people in the street. It is can be particularly rewarding to be able to help people in this way because it’s clear when you’ve got a result. Examples of casework we’ve dealt with so far include: complaints about the housing repairs service, problems with the collection of recycling and a noise nuisance issue in the Nunhead part of our ward. Casework can often put us at odds with the council bureaucracy (which can sometimes also be the source of the problem). As a result we’ve had to learn very quickly what questions to ask and which council officers are likely to assist us promptly.

2. Longer term campaigns – The three of us have set ourselves certain priorities among the bigger issues affecting Peckham Rye Ward. These are things like the extension of the 63 bus route, the delivery of the new One O’clock Club on Peckham Rye and “Decent Homes” improvements for certain poorly served estates. This work involves a great deal of lobbying and negotiating, not just with council officers but also with councillors who are in Southwark’s Cabinet. On all of these issues we feel we are making progress, but we know we need to keep up working on all fronts.

3. Council meetings and internal council work - This involves preparation for and attendance at the various committees that we serve on at the council. In my case, I am on the Standards Committee, Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council, Overview and Scrutiny and Chairing the Council’s Sub-Committee on Housing and Community Safety. I enjoy parts of all of these commitments but currently I think my role on Scrutiny is the most interesting. The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee is able to investigate whatever aspects of the council’s housing operations we see fit. We recently took the decision to investigate performance management of the housing repairs service. I’m sure to some people this sounds like a very dry topic but it has turned out to be fascinating. At the heart of the matter is a large gap between how satisfied council officers say people are with the service (around 90% are said to be happy with it) and a huge amount of anecdotal evidence from coucillors casework which says that the service is in a very poor state. What we’ve decided to do is find out if the council is measuring its performance in this area accurately and comprehensively. Eventually after a number of meetings and a lot of investigation we hope to be able to make recommendations for action which will give a more accurate picture of the service, helping managers see where the weaknesses are. On the one-hand this sounds a very technocratic , but on the other , getting to the bottom of this issue could help improve a service which is used on a daily basis by thousands of Southwark residents.

So in very general terms that’s what I (and we) are up to at the moment. If you’ve got any issues or problems that you think we should be picking up on – contact us and let us know.

Peckham Rye Park Community Wildlife Garden

2010-07-07T21:35:00.008+01:00

I was delighted to be shown round what will be the community wildlife garden in Peckham Rye Park today. This is a project that has been driven forward by the Friends of Peckham Rye Park. Not far from the park toilets is a fenced off area that I confess I had never noticed before today. Behind the gates is a substantial area that, once transformed, will include a pond, some beehives, a summer and winter garden and a pergola. It's marked on the plan below:

Despite the Friends of Peckham Rye Park successfully bidding for several pots of money, only work on the pathway in the garden is complete. Sadly, this project was let down by the previous Lib Dem-Tory administration which failed to make as much progress as it might have done. The Friends are now determined to have one final push to get the wildlife garden completed in time for their September 2011 fete.

As well as committing some of their own funds to the project, they are also bidding for National Lottery funding. As a result of today's meeting I'm delighted that Gavin, Renata and I will be doing all that we can to support this bid.

Community Council report back

2010-06-29T18:29:00.005+01:00

Last monday Victoria, Renata and I attended our first Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council meeting since becoming councillors. We want this blog to be a source of local news and views, not just for people who can come along these kinds of meetings, but also for those who can't. In that spirit, this post is a summary of the decisions and issues which were discussed at the meeting

Victoria was chairing the meeting for the first time and with a packed agenda she had her work cut out. After the introductions and other formalities we moved onto the community safety update from our local police team. The police informed us that in recent weeks they had been concentrating their efforts a small number of individuals in the Peckham Rye/Nunhead area who were responsible for a significant proportion of local crime and anti-social behaviour. There were then several questions from the floor about other community safety concerns.

The next item on the agenda was "Introduction to Community Councils". There were many new faces at the meeting and so it was good to hear from the Southwark Neighbourhood Co-ordinator for Nunhead and Peckham Rye who explained the remit and purpose of commuity council meetings. Community Council meetings are a forum for consulting local people and provide an opportunity for residents to influence how council services are delivered. They are also the body which allow your local councillors to allocate pots of money for local projects (more of that later).

Next, everyone at the meeting broke up into ward groups and we discussed the kind of practices that make community council work well and those that don't. In my group, People liked the opportunity to discuss controversial issues and the chance to hold council officers (and councillors) to account for the decisions they make. The things people were less keen on were that sometimes meetings seemed too formal and council officers sometimes failed to provide information promised at previous meetings. These were just a few of the numerous suggestions that were made.

All of the ward groups reported back to the Community Council as a whole and the suggestions made will now be used to improve the conduct of future meetings.

Next came the Community Council Fund allocations. Before announcing which projects would recieve money from the Community Council Fund there was a presentation from the Friends of Peckham Rye Park to explain how they had spent a previous allocation of money on helping to organise the increasingly popular Peckham Rye Fete. the full list of projects funded by this round of allocations will soon be available on the Southwark Council website via the minutes. They should be available here soon.

The remainder of the meeting included a presentation on the various technicalities of recycling in Southwark (something that the Labour Administration is determined to to take a close look at in order to boost recycling), an update on Peckham Space and questions from the floor. All in all it was a very succesful meeting and we look forward to getting more done for the Nunhead and Peckham Rye area at the Community Council over the coming months and years.

Community Council this Monday

2010-06-19T19:02:00.003+01:00

Just a reminder about the Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council meeting taking place this Monday at 7.00pm at St Mary Magdalene Primary School, 48 Brayard's Road, London, SE15 3RA.

To see the meeting agenda click here.

Among a number of other important issues being discussed at the meeting is the latest round of allocations from the Community Council Fund . To see the list of applications for funding for local projects click here. The Community Council Fund is a pot of money which local people and projects can apply for revenue funding for events, festivals, community days, sports days and the like.

Peckham Rye Common Development - Important update

2010-06-09T22:38:00.010+01:00

Victoria met with officers from Southwark Council's Park's Team last Friday to talk about the children's facilities planned for Peckham Rye Common. Readers may be aware that the council has £100,000 to spend on a new natural water play area next to the One O'clock Club. Parks officers are already consulting local children about what they want, with a view to start constructing the new play area in the early autumn of this year.

The One O'clock Club on Peckham Rye Common is also due to be rebuilt. The previous Labour Councillors for Peckham Rye had, through the community council and over a number of years, allocated £200,000 of "cleaner, greener safer" money towards the rebuild. Sadly, this is well short of the £400,000-£500,000 that is really needed to deliver an adequate, new One O'clock club. The previous Lib Dem-Tory council had failed to allocate any further funding and there was a real risk that this project would continue to be delayed.

However, a bidding process is currently underway which may deliver the necessary further funding. A bid has been submitted to a larger Sure Start budget which had already been allocated to Southwark Council by central government. In the next few weeks we'll be doing all we can to ensure this bid is succesful. If it is, and if the proposals get through the appropriate planning processes, the new build could start in March 2011. If not, we'll keep fighting until we deliver on our promise to get this long overdue development built.

Watch this space for further updates.

World Cup Football and Shakespeare at the Cafe on the Rye

2010-06-06T18:08:00.005+01:00

Football fans can watch all the England games plus the quarter finals, semis and final at the Cafe on Peckham Rye. There will be a 7ft screen, beer and burgers. Sounds good!

Luckily there isn't a game on Sunday 4 July when the Festival Players Theatre Company will be doing an outdoor performing of The Tempest at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £12.50 / £9.00 concessions and you can purchase tickets at the cafe or by ringing 02086939431. The cafe will be barbequing burgers and will be open for drinks. You'll need to bring along something to sit on.

A day in the life of a Peckham Rye councillor...

2010-06-02T20:30:00.005+01:00

As a new councillor I'm just about starting to get into a routine of council work and meetings and my ongoing life working at South Bank university and as a Peckham Rye resident.

I've just got back from a Community Council planning meeting and similar meeting seem to take place about once a week - sometimes it will be council assembly other times a scrutiny committee (I'm on Health and Social Care) or tomorrow morning I've got a meeting with officers to agree the agenda for the Community Council meeting taking place on 21 June.

There is also a whole host of training sessions for new councillors to attend from planning to IT to a chance to meet the Corporate Management Team (all these have been done in the last few days).

I've also submitted a whole host of queries to officers in the last week on primary school places, Ivydale traffic calming, a variety of planning and licensing applications and I'm finally getting to grips with who I should contact about what.

I'm also delighted that we will get a briefing from officers on the Peckham Rye Park and Common development in the next week.

Finally we are making plans for 'mobile' surgeries in Peckham Rye ward (more on this to follow...) but in the mean time you can pop along to the Rye Hill Park Tenants' Hall this Friday from 6.30pm until 7.30pm to speak to your councillors about any concerns or problems you have.

Sign up for the "Peckham Rye News" Facebook Group

2010-05-31T14:09:00.004+01:00

We've set up a new Facebook Group which will make it easier for people living in Peckham Rye to find out about local news and keep tabs on their councillors.

You can join the group here by just clicking on "join group" at the top of the page.

Among other things, joining the group will allow you to find out the latest on the campaigns to:
- Extend the 63 bus to Honor Oak Park Station
- Deliver new facilities on Peckham Rye Park and Common
- Sorting out primary school place allocations in our area

Joining the group will also make it easier for you to let us know your views on local issues and to join in dicussions with other residents of Peckham Rye. Join now to make sure you're kept up to date with everything Peckham Rye.

Community Council has a new Chair (and they live local!)

2010-05-28T21:49:00.002+01:00

Your community council is a gathering of local people and councillors which takes place every six weeks somewhere in the area. Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council can refer issues to the council's cabinet and can allocate money from several pots of money to local projects. It is also a useful way of holding council officers to account on vrious issues including planning, licensing and regeneration.

Each year the Southwark council assembly elects the chairs of each of the community councils. And this year, I'm pleased to announce, one of your Peckham Rye Labour Councillors, Victoria, is taking the hot-seat. The chair has a crucial role to play in ensuring that local people are able to say what changes they want to see in this area and turning that into a plan which can be delivered. To make the community council more than a talking shop, a strong chair needs to ensure officers and cabinet members listen to what the commuity in Nunhead and Peckham Rye is saying. Last year Lane Ward councillor Mark Glover made a great job of being chair, and now it's Victoria's turn.

If you can make it, do come along to the next community council meeting on Monday 21st June at 7pm. The venue will be announced shortly.

Our local police team...

2010-05-21T21:55:00.004+01:00

Last night I went along to our local safer neighbourhood panel meeting. These meetings are held so that people living in Peckham Rye can get a chance to speak to our local police team, and provide them with feedback on issues relating to crime and anti-social behaviour. I was extremely impressed with the detailed knowledge that the local police team has built up from patrolling Peckham Rye on a daily basis. On issues as varied as burglary, anti-social behaviour on buses and dangerous dogs the police team were able to give us a detailed picture of the issues in Peckham Rye and how they have been dealing with them.

One issue which I had been asked to bring up at the meeting by several residents was that of dangerous dogs. On the doorstep during the election campaign it became clear that a number of parents with young children were concerned about the aggressive behaviour of dogs which were not on leads around the Park and Common. The local police team have already been taking action to deal with this issue which has lead to two people receiving convictions and having their dogs confiscated.

The advice that the police asked me to pass on was that in order to take action on this issue, the first thing they need is specific information. If you experience an incident in which you feel that a dog is not being kept under control and has the potential to endanger the public, make sure you keep a desciption of the dog and the owner, and the nature of the dog’s behaviour. The police were very clear that people simply walking their dog without a lead is not (and shouldn’t be) an offence. It is information about the aggressive behaviour of a dog and its potential to injure people which will help them to take action. The dog does not have to actually hurt someone before they can intervene, but they do need to know if it has been exhibiting behaviour that leads them to believe that it may be a danger to people. If you want to get in touch with them, take a look at the link above.

Of course, it goes without saying that if you should actually see an offence taking place your first action should be to dial 999. It's also important to say that although there obviously are some incidents with dogs with have caused concern, the vast majority of dog owners in Peckham Rye are behaving in a responsible way. It's the irresponsible few which the local police need information on.

Victoria, Renata and I are looking forward to working closely with the local police team, supporting their work where we can and providing feedback to them from local residents that we speak to.

Council Assembly tomorrow - Labour formally take charge in Southwark

2010-05-18T21:52:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow evening is Southwark Council Assembly AGM and will see Labour formally take control of the council. I'm proud that after 8 years of the failed Lib Dem and Tory rule the results of the 6 May elections saw residents decisively put Labour in charge.

The meeting will see Labour's leader Cllr Peter John appointed as Southwark council leader and the AGM will also appoint the new 'Cabinet'. Labour has opted to rename the 'council executive' to make it clear this is the political group running the council rather than a group of bureaucrats. I think this is a good move.

The meeting will go on the agree Southwark's new Mayor, establish scrutiny committees and also establish Community Councils. I'm delighted that Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council will continue to be made up of nine Labour councillors but even more delighted that with a Labour council we will get the input and attention needed from the leadership of the council. This is going to be a real opportunity to drive change in our area.

Members of the public are very welcome to attend Council Assembly - simply arrive at Peckham Town Hall by 7.00pm. As many residents will know, the Lib Dems and Tories reduced the number of Council Assembly meetings and also ended the tradition of members of the public being able to bring deputations to meetings. They were determined to keep politicians locked away in the Town Hall and ensure that the public had a limited say in things. I do hope that Labour can begin to reverse this and boost transparency and public engagement in Southwark.

Week one as Peckham Rye Councillors

2010-05-14T23:48:00.012+01:00

Councillor allowances to be cut

Our first week as councillors has been a mix of developing some of the right links with inside the council bureaucracy and getting to grips with various issues that people need our help with.

On Monday we attended the AGM of Southwark Labour Group where we elected several of the positions within the Group (including the Leader and Deputy Leader) and made some important early decisions to show how this administration is going to differ to the last. Labour councillors delivered on our first manifesto pledge by agreeing a 10% cut in the Special Responsibility Allowances for councillors. Victoria, Renata and I are all proud that we are taking a lead on this issue.

On Tuesday we went into the council offices on Tooley Street to officially sign up as councillors and get our e-mail and contact details sorted out.

Casework is now coming in thick and fast. All three of us are having to learn quickly who to contact and how to get the best results for residents. Luckily we have the assistance of one or two more experienced Labour councillors to help out when we need some advice. We've also been signing up to the various training sessions that all new councillors need to go on: Southwark IT systems, safeguarding, casework management etc etc.

But as we said time and again during the campaign, we're determined not be couped up in the Town Hall as councillors. As often as possible we want to be out talking to people living in our area and finding out how we can improve things. Tomorrow we're going to Nunhead Cemetery open day (on the boundary of our ward). Nunhead Cemetery is an fascinating place, and we want to show our support for the work of the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery.

One O'clock Club update

2010-05-13T22:41:00.003+01:00

Council officers involved in the applications for funding to deliver the new One O'Clock club on Peckham Rye have sent round an e-mail to people who've signed up to their mailing list. The email says that officers have just heard that the application for further funding has been given first round approval.

The second and final funding meeting is due to take place at the end of May. Apparently there have been a high number of applications for this funding and so officers are unsure of how successful the application will be.

This is a small step in the right direction. We now wait with bated breath for the outcome of the application...