Peckham Rye Labour

I've blogged before about the work I do as Chair of one of Southwark's Scrutiny Sub-Committees.  In the past we've produced recommend-ations for changes relating to housing repairs, leaseholder charging and the large scale security works on the Four Squares Estate.  Local government scrutiny is not, I admit, a process which prompts great excitement in most people, but I think my committee has done a solid job of focussing in on people's concerns and finding real solutions.  This has been helped by the fact that Southwark's Labour Cabinet has been prepared to engage with the scrutiny process and actually implement new policies where we could show that they were needed. We've recently completed another report on the important issue of domestic violence and abuse.  This is a difficult issue to investigate, not least because the often hidden nature of this crime.  However, the sub-committee has now produced a report which we hope will improve how the council r...

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow (Saturday 1st September) it's time once again for the brilliant Peckham Rye Fête. More details are here . The fête is organised by volunteers from the Friends of Peckham Rye Park and is always a roaring success.  Come along and enjoy the wide variety of fun stalls and activities on offer.

One of the key commitments we gave before the May 2010 election was that Labour would cut waste at Southwark Council. Between 2002 and 2010, under the Liberal Democrats, the council had very weak political leadership which lead to large amounts of wasteful spending on things like consultants and high senior officer pay. Since Labour councillors have taken control there has been a new culture introduced at the council which prioritises front-line services and cuts wasteful spending. The report card below gives a summary of the reduction in waste that we have achieved so far...and we are determined to maintain these high standards.

Times are tough at the moment and lots of people are feeling the pinch. With this in mind, Labour Councillors in Southwark are focusing on making changes which will help people out. To give just two examples, we've introduced free, healthy school meals in all primary schools and just announced plans to build 1000 new homes to help deal with the desperate shortage of housing in the borough. We've managed to do this whilst the government is cutting 1/3 of of the funding your council gets from the government (whilst wealthier council's like Richmond have been protected ). Importantly, Labour has also prioritised keeping Council Tax down . We know that when people are struggling, the last thing they need is a hike in their council tax. But for some unknown reason, during these tough times, local Liberal Democrat councillors have decided to prioritise introducing more council meetings, paid for by an increase in Council Tax. They are campaigning for new Parish Counc...

There was a really constructive meeting tonight regarding works to improve facilities on Homestall Road Sports Field  (where kids teams for Athenlay FC play).  There were 60-70 people present to hear the lead council officer on the project give a presentation on what is planned.  The first stage involves the relaying of the grass pitches to improve them and important drainage works. Future works could include the creation of a flood-lit astro-turf pitch and changing rooms for the teams. Thus far only the first stage has been fully funded and will definitely go ahead.  This is the result of the Labour Council's decision to support youth sport in the borough via the Olympic Legacy Fund .  Future works will depend on successful grant funding bids. Volunteers who run Athenlay FC do a huge amount of work to run a club which provides lots of local kids the opportunity to get involved in healthy sporting activity.  The development of the pitches and chang...

Southwark’s Labour-run Council has agreed to adopt all the proposals of an independent Housing Scrutiny Committee report into leaseholder charging. Among the key recommendations are to provide leaseholders with an individual online account so that they know exactly how much money they will have to spend at the end of the year.    They also include a new two-tier system of charges to cater for requests to make minor changes to properties; at present leaseholders are charged a flat rate of £203 simply for enquiring about making a change to their property. The Cabinet action plan agrees to allow leaseholders to know who signed off works which leaseholders are expected to pay for, increasing transparency and accountability.   The Council has also agreed to investigate offering leaseholders the option of a fixed service charge which incorporates both the annual services charge and major works service charges. This will help leaseholders plan for the future and ...