tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282059402024-03-07T21:33:01.746+00:00Peter John Labour Councillor for South CamberwellElected as a Labour Councillor for South Camberwell in 2002, I have been the Leader of Southwark Council since May 2010.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-62512817375627505972014-05-25T12:51:00.000+01:002014-05-25T12:51:26.464+01:00Local Election Results 2014Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone in South Camberwell who voted Labour last Thursday. It has been a massive privilege to represent this part of Southwark for the past 12 years - and I look forward to continuing my work over the next 4 years with Cllr Sarah King and Cllr Chris Gonde. We plan to continue our mobile surgery programme - visiting every home in the ward every year to find out what issues or problems you have and will be starting that in July. But you can always contact us by phone or email at any time.<br />
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These elections were a stunning victory for Labour in Southwark - we now have 48 councillors, an increase of 15 from before the election. The Lib Dems in Southwark now have just 13 councillors (down 12) and the Conservatives 2 (down 1). You have to go back to 1982 to find a better result.<br />
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Whilst our main gains were made in Bermondsey & Old Southwark, where we gained 10 of our seats, we also re-took the seat here in South Camberwell, and gained councillors in East Dulwich, Village and College wards. <br />
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There are a few lessons that I draw from these results. Clearly Labour had a good night in London, but that was also said in 2010 when we were the beneficiaries of an increased turn-out. So there were some national factors at work, but I think voters also know that they can now trust Labour to provide well-run competent local government.<br />
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In Southwark voters rejected some pretty negative and hostile campaigns against us as a Labour council. I think such negative campaigns say more about those who run them than anything else. Over the past 4 years I cannot think of any issue or decision which we have taken which has been welcomed or supported by Southwark Lib Dems! It can't be the case that everything we have done has been wrong - so perhaps it's time for them to re-think their current strategy because it has been a massive failure. <br />
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But I also think that the result has been an endorsement of what we have done in the past 4 years and also of our manifesto for the next 4 years. As a council we are leading the way in our commitment to council housing - with our pledge to build 11,000 new council homes; in public health - where we have committed to making swimming and gym use free for all our residents in our leisure centres - following our introduction of Free Healthy School Meals; and in affordable childcare where we are determined to find a solution which works for parents right across the borough from all backgrounds. And we will make Southwark the safest part of London for cyclists.<br />
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One of the main issues of contention over the past 4 years and in these elections has been our approach to major regeneration projects. Some are now beginning to campaign against the Aylesbury regeneration - which I find utterly bizarre. That is a scheme which has overwhelming support from local residents and where they will have the option to move into a brand new home in the area. The support for Labour in Faraday ward must surely give those who seek to oppose this regeneration some pause for thought. There must come a time when you respect the views of the voters expressed at the ballot box?<br />
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And at the Elephant & Castle Labour made significant gains from those closest to the regeneration there. Again the overwhelming majority of residents want to see continued progress at this part of Zone 1 London. In the next year we will see a new leisure centre opened and residents moving into newly completed homes on the Heygate site. And over the next 4 years we will see significant progress with the shopping centre and a new civic centre being delivered at Walworth Town Hall and Newington library.<br />
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We have been given a huge majority and mandate, but I know that with this comes huge responsibility. We have earned the voters trust and support over the past 4 years - and we will never take that for granted. Whatever your background we want you to achieve your full potential in Southwark, and make it an even better place for you to live, study, work and play. <br />
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This really is the best borough in London. <br />
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<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-49769713530497478332014-02-27T11:41:00.000+00:002014-02-27T11:41:08.219+00:00Council Tax Frozen for a 4th YearAt last night's Council Assembly meeting Southwark's Labour councillors voted to freeze council tax for a 4th year in a row - meaning that the average council tax payer is now £400 better off than they would have been if we had imposed inflation-only increases over the same period.<br />
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We have frozen council tax in spite of facing some of the toughest cuts from central government of any local authority - more than £79 million has been taken away from us. To put that into context - that is more than we raise in a year from all of the Council Tax collected in Southwark. <br />
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And even though these times are tough financially we have delivered on the promises we made to the residents of Southwark in 2010 - to provide Free Healthy School Meals to every primary school child; to double recycling to 40%; to halve the cost of meals on wheels and to make every council home warm, dry and safe by 2016.<br />
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I think we have and continue to demonstrate that Southwark Labour is genuinely on the side of our residents - delivering a fairer future for all.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-18471526202034730122014-02-19T15:36:00.002+00:002014-02-19T15:36:42.281+00:00Warm, Dry & Safe Works - Dylways and BlanchedownIt was good to see more progress with our Warm, Dry and Safe programme in South Camberwell at the weekend.<br />
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Scaffolding is now on many of the houses in Dylways - as preparatory work takes place to improve roofing and windows there; and there was more scaffolding on some of the blocks and houses on Blanchedown.<br />
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This £326 million programme of investment is due for completion by 2016 - meaning that all of Southwark's council properties will meet a minimum standard of decency by that time. Then I hope it will be on to the kitchens and bathrooms in all of our tenanted homes.<br />
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Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-41143672647493336052014-02-19T14:57:00.000+00:002014-02-19T14:57:34.964+00:00Leaseholder Issues on Oglander and Bellenden RoadsDuring our mobile surgery last weekend on Oglander, Bellenden, Muschamp and Marsden Roads we picked up a number of cases from council leaseholders who were baffled by some of the service charges they have been asked to pay. For instance, the owners of a ground floor flat on Oglander Road were being asked to pay for "Estate Lighting" and "Estate Electrical Repairs" in their latest service charge bills - despite the fact that they live in a house which has 2 flats with no obvious lighting or repairs issues in the past year.<br />
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Another leaseholder was frustrated at the difficulty involved in establishing that they were getting genuine value for money when repairs and safety checks were being undertaken on common parts of her home.<br />
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Some of the apparent anomalies in leaseholder service charge bills are due to the specific natures of the leases which the original owners entered into when they first exercised their Right to Buy; taking on the liability for the proportion of communal repairs of blocks and estates some distance from their own homes. These can only be remedied by unravelling all of the many and varied leases which Southwark has with its' 16,000 leaseholders - but it is now probably a task which it is worth undertaking so that these anomalies are removed.<br />
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But we also need to think about how leaseholders are represented within the council - and ensuring that they genuinely have a champion who will look after their interests against what can sometimes seem like the "council machine". We are looking at how an effectively independent leaseholder management company might do this in future.<br />
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Let me know your thoughts, and also if you have any leaseholder queries you would like to raise.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-1217303053118345432014-01-29T15:45:00.001+00:002014-01-29T15:45:45.402+00:00Cabinet Meeting - 28th JanuaryYesterday Southwark's Cabinet met with a packed agenda and took really important decisions on council tax, council rents, the future of the Aylesbury Estate, the delivery of our 11,000 new council homes and planning guidance for Blackfriars Road.<br />
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On council tax residents will benefit from another year of freeze - we will have frozen council tax for all 4 years of our Labour administration. This is good news for residents at a time when virtually every other bill keeps going up.<br />
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On council house rents we rejected a recommendation that we should increase them by 5.4% and limited any increase to consumer price inflation - or 2.7% only. Again helping some of the most vulnerable in our borough and keeping the average council rent for a 2 bed property below £100 per week.<br />
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We accepted a report on how we might deliver our commitment to build 11,000 new council homes over the next 30 years and tasked officers to work up even more detailed plans. It is worth repeating that our commitment to build 11,000 new homes is more than any other council has committed to - but it is a commitment which we know with confidence we can deliver. As the government continues to encourage Right to Buy, removing housing from our stock for rent, we are building more genuinely affordable housing for those people on low incomes who need to be able to live and work in central London.<br />
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After 16 years of promises and false dawns, we were able to announce that our partners in delivering the regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate will be Notting Hill Housing Trust. Over the course of the next 15 - 20 years NHHT will work with Barratts to build 3500 new homes for Southwark and London, 50% of which will be new genuinely affordable homes. Just 3 years ago the government withdrew PFI funding from the regeneration of the Aylesbury which left us without a business plan or any prospect of delivering what residents had been promised. To have progressed matters so far and so fast is testament to the commitment of residents, officers and politicians involved with the project. Great news for Southwark!<br />
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And we agreed new planning guidance for the Blackfriars Road. This was not supported by residents who attended the meeting and addressed us, but I hope that they will understand that we are only trying to bring some order to a potentially complex set of planning applications and building projects on sites along and adjacent to Blackfriars Road. Our recent experience with the Mayor of London's decision to call-in and grant permission to a scheme at 399 Rotherhithe New Road is a clear indicator that we as a council and a borough cannot just sit back and hope that the world will go away if we pretend it isn't there. There is a great deal of interest in Blackfriars Road - and it has the potential to be an amazingly exciting boulevard for Southwark and its' residents. With new proposals from TfL to make the road safe for all road users and 19 projects in or having been granted planning permission, it was important that we tried to coordinate the appearance of the road. The new guidance does just that. Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-29198566457515101662014-01-29T15:30:00.003+00:002014-01-29T15:30:30.590+00:00Ruskin Park House & East Dulwich EstateThis past weekend Veronica and I spent time with colleagues Sarah King and Chris Gonde visiting Ruskin Park House and the East Dulwich Estate.<br />
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At RPH residents seemed incredibly content. A new heating system is due to be installed which has the overwhelming support of the residents there. It is an extremely well-run and managed block, and some of the historic issues over major works and heating from a few years ago now seem like a distant memory.<br />
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On East Dulwich Estate residents were pleased to see us and discuss continued progress being made. Two elements of the estate's regeneration remain outstanding - the refurbishment of Badminton House into much needed renewed council homes and the environmental works right across the estate. But both are due to get underway in the next few months. The estate's regeneration has been a long time happening, and hopefully these final works will really mark the start of a new era in its role at the heart of South Camberwell.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-80101452752281545262014-01-16T13:44:00.000+00:002014-01-16T13:44:32.290+00:00A New Kitchen and Bathroom for Every TenantThis week Southwark Labour announced one of its key pledges for the local elections - to ensure that every council tenant has a good quality kitchen and bathroom as part of the second phase of our Warm, Dry & Safe programme.<br />
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The Warm, Dry & Safe programme is a £326 million project investing in getting the basics right in all of our council properties and is due to complete in 2016. Many residents have already benefitted from having new windows, doors, roofs and electrics fitted. <br />
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But any good landlord needs to continue investing in their property to ensure that their tenants have the best quality homes possible. That is why we have pledged to start rolling out the kitchen and bathroom programme from 2016 onwards. It is good news for all of our 39,000 tenants. <br />
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We will work up details for the project if we are re-elected in May, but given our record of delivering on promises we make no one should be in any doubt that this is a serious pledge which we will keep!<br />
Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-1105233592951881802014-01-13T15:26:00.000+00:002014-01-13T15:26:46.838+00:00Southwark Fire StationA second post in one day! But unfortunately dealing with the closure of Southwark Fire Station on Southwark Bridge Road last Thursday. This closure was part of the programme of 10 fire stations in Central London closed by Mayor Boris Johnson announced at the end of 2012. <br />
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As a council we opposed the closure and joined other central London authorities in bringing a judicial review to challenge the decision, which seemed to have been made in the face of worsening fire statistics for our borough. We found out just before Christmas that the challenge had been unsuccessful so the closures went ahead. After serving the community for 136 years the last fire engine left Southwark Fire Station just after 9.30am last Thursday. I was among the crowd which had gathered to thank all of those who had served at the station and to say goodbye to this piece of our history.<br />
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The last engine has been moved to Twickenham.<br />
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Given the increased density of building and population across Southwark it still seems madness that the Mayor has decided to close fire stations at this time. I just hope that it is not a decision which anyone has cause to regret.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-20728799588277765802014-01-13T15:16:00.000+00:002014-01-13T15:16:05.337+00:002014 - A New Year!Someone sent me a message on Twitter a couple of weeks ago pointing out that I had not updated my blog for months. So here is an update on a few issues, with a commitment to try and keep my blog a little more up-to-date.<br />
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<u>Labour's Team for South Camberwell 2014</u><br />
I am delighted to be standing again on May 22nd as a Labour candidate for South Camberwell. I have been a councillor in the area since 2002 and it would be a great privilege to be given the opportunity to serve this part of Southwark for another 4 years.<br />
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My colleague in South Camberwell since 2002 has been Veronica Ward. Veronica is not seeking re-election this year. She has been an amazing ward councillor and I know so many people have been helped by her over the past 12 years. But I have two great new candidate colleagues in Sarah King and Chris Gonde. They have both been getting to know the area better over the past few months and I know that they will be great champions for South Camberwell when they are elected.<br />
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This year's local elections in London are on the same day as the elections to the European Parliament - May 22nd.<br />
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<u>Cycling in Southwark</u><br />
Before Christmas I wrote to Mayor Boris Johnson asking him to hold a summit of London Council Leaders with himself and colleagues in the GLA to explore ways to make cycling safer for all in our capital. Last Autumn I proposed that there should be a rush-hour ban on HGVs entering central London - a "Cycle Safe Hour". This still needs to be explored urgently and I hope that any summit will consider this option.<br />
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However, following the tragic death on Albany Road of Richard Muzira it became clearer that cyclists need to be and to feel safe at all hours of the day and night. So I will be pressing for there to be a comprehensive route of cycleways right across Southwark and London - providing cyclists with effectively dedicated routes which will minimise any interaction with motorised traffic.<br />
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<u>Dog Kennel Hill School & a new Primary School for the area</u><br />
On 21st November I went to the opening of the new nursery classrooms at Dog Kennel Hill School. The classrooms are a great new modern facility for the school - which already provides an excellent education to children from across South Camberwell. DKH is also looking after increased pupil numbers due to the pressure which we have across Southwark and London for additional school places. It is no surprise that so many of our outstanding primary schools are the first choice for so many parents and children.<br />
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In order to cope with the particular pressures in our area I have been working with Dulwich Hamlet School on their plans to open a new primary free school on the site of the former Bellenden School, at the junction of Bellenden Road and Maxted Road. Dulwich Hamlet is an outstanding school and under the leadership of Sonia Case is doing a wonderful job for residents in Dulwich. So I am confident that bringing that blend of outstanding leadership and achievement onto the Bellenden site from 2015 will be great news for local parents and children. I hope that the Department for Education gets behind this proposal, and doesn't try to take the site for any alternative proposal. <br />
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But this Dulwich Hamlet proposal is a model which needs to be replicated further across Southwark - taking an existing good or outstanding school and supporting them to take their education to new locations where there is a shortage of places. I think that there is also a role for the independent sector in the borough to demonstrate that they are putting something back into the community by becoming free school sponsors.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-69408824022720117412013-03-18T12:39:00.000+00:002013-03-18T12:39:05.622+00:00South Camberwell UpdateIt's a while since I have posted - so I thought that I would write and update on a few issues of importance for South Camberwell.<br />
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<u>Bakerloo Line Extension</u><br />
The petition which I launched a few weeks ago now has over 2100 signatures - showing that there is real support for the Bakerloo line to be extended to Camberwell and Peckham.<br />
But last week I made a real breakthrough by getting the support of Boris Johnson for the extension. After laying out the case for him and asking for his support he said "Deal". The next day he gave a speech stating his commitment to the Bakerloo extension through Southwark, Lewisham and on into Bromley.<br />
If this major piece of infrastructure work is to happen we will have to have the support of the Mayor, TfL and the government. But without the Mayor's support this is an idea which will simply not happen.<br />
So if you haven't signed the petition yet, please do so at bit.ly/WqLZaa - and help to make this 100 year old ambition to bring the tube to Camberwell a reality.<br />
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<u>Rubbish at Denmark Hill Station</u><br />
As I walked along Champion Park on Saturday I was struck at the amount of rubbish beyond the railings on Network Rail land. Cups, cans and crisp packets littered the area. I have been in touch with Network Rail today and hope to get the area cleaned up - it really needs urgent attention.<br />
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<u>Foxes</u><br />
The RSPCA have written to me urging me to ignore the Mayor of London's calls for action on foxes. They write that at least 70% of the fox population would have to be killed each year in order to have an impact on numbers in London - and that experience shows that where such a cull has been attempted the area which rids itself of foxes is soon the new home for different foxes.<br />
I will meet with the RSPCA to explore what else can be done, as I know that this is a real issue of concern for many residents in South Camberwell.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-28714953576291252032013-01-17T14:50:00.000+00:002013-01-17T14:50:09.987+00:00Elephant Progress - Heygate Masterplan ApprovedAn historic and positive step was taken on Tuesday night when Southwark's Planning Committee approved the Masterplan for the regeneration of the Heygate - the sprawling estate at the heart of the Elephant & Castle which is central to the regeneration of the area. The estate has been virtually empty for the last two years and has become a symbol of the failure of the regeneration to make any progress over that time.<br />
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The regeneration of the Elephant was conceived as an idea 15 years ago. It has been slow progress getting to this point, but it now looks as if the regeneration will become a reality over the next decade and a half. We still await the proposals for the regeneration of the shopping centre, but with a new leisure centre already under construction; the southern roundabout having undergone a major revamp; and significant progress with TfL towards delivering an improved northern roundabout and access via escalator to the Northern Line, there is real momentum to the project.<br />
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Tuesday's meeting was not without objection or controversy. With any scheme which brings 2500 new homes; 1250 long-term jobs, a new park and public realm improvements, it is unlikely that everyone will be on the same page at the same time. And many of the objectors rightly wanted to challenge the council and the developers to ensure that the best deal was being delivered for Southwark.<br />
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Two of the most controversial elements of the masterplan application concerned the level of affordable housing being delivered and the amount of car parking on site. I have previously blogged about the affordable housing at the Heygate, but it is crucial to note that the landscape for the delivery of affordable housing changed radically in May 2010 when the Coalition cut grant subsidy for social housing by £6 billion. This meant that for every unit of social housing on the Heygate site approximately £120,000 of grant subsidy was lost. The target for delivering 35% affordable housing on-site became impossible from that time. There are moments throughout the 15 year history of this project when 35% or more affordable housing could have been delivered - but those moments and those opportunities were not seized by the then Administration.<br />
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But the masterplan approved on Tuesday will still deliver 25% affordable housing - much more than the viability tests undertaken by Lend Lease demonstrated; more than the District Valuer thought could be delivered; and much more than is being delivered on similar schemes across London. Remember that the Government's Growth and Infrastructure Bill gives developers the option to negotiate the level of affordable housing which they deliver down to zero on stalled schemes. So 25% affordable housing on the Heygate scheme in the current climate is a fair result. Would I like to see more? Yes. Can more be achieved within the short-term? No. <br />
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So I think it's right to place progress on the regeneration of the Elephant as a priority and support a scheme which delivers the majority of elements which I and the community want to see. I simply don't believe that waiting for something better to turn up is a proper way of managing a major project like the Elephant regeneration or responsible government. I'll leave it to others to argue that inaction is better.<br />
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I respect the views of those who have opposed the regeneration of the Elephant. I think they're wrong to continue their opposition, but that doesn't mean that they haven't had a major impact on the scheme which was approved on Tuesday. They have.<br />
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The decision on Tuesday to support the regeneration of the Elephant is good news. As I've already said - it means 2500 new homes; 5000 jobs created during the construction phase and 1250 in the longer term; a new civic presence in the heart of the scheme; the largest new park in Zone 1 for 70 years; major transport improvements for the Elephant and a host of new opportunities.<br />
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It's been a long time coming, but the Elephant is entering a new phase in its' exciting history.<br />
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<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-8283245202249901812013-01-14T12:28:00.001+00:002013-01-14T12:28:18.619+00:00Emergency Services in SouthwarkSouthwark's emergency services face an unprecedented attack. With the closure of three Police Stations, one Fire Station, and the partial closure of another, the presence of the emergency services in our borough will be hugely scaled back.<br />
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Last week I chaired a meeting at City Hall with Stephen Greenhalgh, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne - who is in charge of territorial policing in London. The meeting exposed real concerns from the public and local representatives about the loss of the three police stations at East Dulwich, Rotherhithe and Camberwell, and equal concerns about the impact which budget savings will have on Safer Neighbourhood Teams across the borough. At the meeting we were told that Peckham Police Station would remain as the only 24 hour station in the borough, although this was subsequently corrected to Walworth. <br />
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I challenged Boris Johnson in a letter dated the 11th of October 2012 to keep his pledge about the future of police stations in Southwark and in his response to me on the 13th of December 2012 he reiterated his "clear commitment that no police front counter will close unless and equivalent or better facility for public access has been identified".<br />
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As a council we are working with the Met and MOPAC to find those "equivalent or better" facilities, but we have not been told what if any budget the police have for these new front counters. At a time when all of our budgets are being slashed the council cannot just hand over premises or parts of premises to the police without any payment.<br />
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There seemed little if any clarity from the police about the structure of Safer Neighbourhood Teams going forward. And although the much vaunted restructure will apparently bring 1200 new front line police officers into the city's policing, only 2 of those seem to be heading to Southwark.<br />
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At the same time the Fire Brigade have announced the closure of Southwark Fire Station and the loss of a fire engine from Peckham. On the day when the Lakanal fire inquest has begun at Lambeth Town Hall it seems remarkable that the fire service are contemplating removing any fire engines from Peckham. Surely it would be better to wait for the outcome of the inquest before making any decision about how Peckham will be covered by the fire service in future?<br />
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And with The Shard and the London Bridge area bringing new buildings, new attention - and to some extent new risk - to Southwark it seems remarkable that the fire service would choose to close the fire station which is closest to this part of Central London. Apart from some general justification about ensuring that every part of London is within 6 minutes of a fire station I have yet to hear any specific justification for why Central London is losing so much support.<br />
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These are truly worrying times for our emergency services and for Southwark.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-35472897662958161102013-01-14T12:09:00.001+00:002013-01-14T12:09:23.496+00:00Albrighton All Go!The Albrighton Community Centre in South Camberwell is a brilliant example of how a well-managed and new community resource can really make a difference. When I first became a councillor in 2002 the Centre was closed and unused. It was in need of repairs and neither the council nor the community were taking the lead in sorting things out.<br />
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But in the past decade under the leadership of Steve Hedger and some truly committed residents the centre has been transformed into the hub of life in South Camberwell. From toddlers to older people, the Centre now has activities for everyone. It hosted last year's Southwark Tenants Conference, and is booked up every day of the week. This Christmas saw the first older people's Christmas lunch run at the Centre - hailed as a great success. And the innovative book stall in reception helps raise funds for the Centre's ongoing work.<br />
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The number and level of activities might not have been possible without the new Centre building, which was delivered as part of the regeneration of the estate. It has really made a difference. <br />
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So a massive "congratulations" to everyone who has and continues to make the Albrighton Centre an example of what a real community centre should be.<br />
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<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-9970100007320813012012-10-15T15:58:00.001+01:002012-10-15T16:04:52.014+01:00Councillor Helen MorrisseyMy friend and colleague, Cllr Helen Morrissey, one of the councillors for East Walworth ward since May 2010, died on Friday night after battling cancer over the past year.<br />
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Helen had been Chief Whip of the Labour Group since May 2011 and was the first woman to hold that post for at least 20 years. She brought great humour and firmness to the role - she loved being involved in the politics and machinery of the council's decision-making process.<br />
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Helen stood unsuccessfully for election to the council in 2006 in East Dulwich ward. She was disappointed not to have been elected in her home ward at that time, but threw herself with even greater commitment into the campaign in East Walworth in 2010 with her colleagues Martin Seaton and Darren Merrill. The look of joy on her face when she won her seat was only surpassed by the absolute pride she felt in being a Southwark councillor. She really believed in the importance and value of local government, and particularly in what Labour is delivering in Southwark.<br />
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Helen had suffered with an arthritic condition for many years, which sometimes meant that she was slower getting around. But she always used this to her advantage - relishing the fact that some people underestimated her political acumen. She was also a great cat lover - having given a home to many cats during her life. <br />
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She was a very funny person and could dissect a person or an argument with a real but warm wit. Helen was liked and respected by people right across the political spectrum. If she gave you her word it would always be kept.<br />
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Helen was absolutely committed to equalities and argued strongly for the rights of all those who were from a minority group or suffered with a disability.<br />
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She will be greatly missed by me and all of her colleagues in Southwark Labour.<br />
<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-68351948538771971702012-10-14T10:43:00.001+01:002012-10-14T10:43:10.143+01:00Social Housing at Elephant & CastleThe master plan for the regeneration of the Heygate Estate site at Elephant and Castle has now been submitted by our development partners and will be decided by the Planning Committee in December. The application includes a commitment to provide at least 25% affordable housing across the site - made up of 50% social rented housing and 50% shared ownership.<br />
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The commitment to 25% affordable housing reflects the agreement which we reached with Lend Lease in July 2010 after we had won the local elections that year. Until that point the agreement between the council and Lend Lease included no minimum guarantee of affordable housing, it having been decided by the previous Lib Dem administration that this would be dealt with through the usual planning process. Since July 2010 we have been criticised heavily by the Lib Dems in Southwark for getting the 25% guarantee and foregoing some previoulsy guaranteed payments from Lend Lease in return.<br />
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Southwark Council planning policy still requires 35% affordable housing to be delivered in large housing developments; but several factors have affected the ability of developers right across London and the UK to deliver this sort of level of affordable housing in projects. Those factors include the economic slump since 2008 and the decision by the Tory/LibDem government to slash support for social home building. Until May 2010 every social housing unit built attracted government support of around £120,000; that figure has now been reduced to just £25,000. Both of these factors have impacted on the economic viability of major house-building projects. As we have seen from recent government announcements, they are now proposing that developers can go back to local authorities to reduce the requirement for social housing in certain projects to zero.<br />
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Looking around London we can see the same impact. At Battersea Power Station Wandsworth Council has agreed to just 15% of affordable housing in a major regeneration scheme; in Tower Hamlets the Council has agreed to 18% affordable housing at Wood Wharf; and at Earls Court Kensington and Chelsea have agreed to no affordable housing in the second phase of a major regeneration scheme. All these councils want to see regeneration happen in their boroughs, but have been forced to accept hugely reduced levels of affordable housing after developers and their own planners have calculated the amount of affordable housing which is actually viable in those schemes.<br />
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All planning applications undergo an independently verified viability test which determines the level of affordable housing which can be delivered on a scheme. In Southwark that test has been carried out in respect of the Heygate site and demonstrates that the amount of affordable housing which can be delivered is in the region of just 7% to 8%. This is the amount of affordable housing which would have been delivered through the usual planning process - the approach which the Lib Dems were taking when they were in power and which they still urge us to take! This means the difference between approximately 620 affordable homes which will be delivered under the 25% guarantee which Southwark Labour negotiated in July 2010 and less than 250 through the Lib Dem approach.<br />
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What is more we have also negotiated relatively low rent rates for the new social housing which will be delivered. The Coalition - supported by local Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes - introduced "affordable rents" in 2010 - which for many are anything but affordable - but which enable housing associations and other social landlords to charge up to 80% of local market rent rates for social housing which they let. Many housing associations have adopted this level of rent and on average most have set their new rent levels at between 65% and 75% of market rates. In comparison the rent for a council home equates to approximately 35% of market rates.<br />
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At the Heygate site we have negotiated that rents for 1 and 2 bed homes will be no more than 50% of market rates and for homes of 3 bedrooms or more the rent will effectively be the same as council rent rates. This means that there will be a genuinely mixed income community living in the new homes that will be built at the Heygate site.<br />
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I hope that the economic climate will improve to such an extent that later detailed planning applications for the Heygate site will mean that more than 25% affordable housing can be delivered. But it is clear that there is a long way to go to lift the scheme above that point given that we have a starting point of only 8% on planning viability tests. <br />
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And it is also clear that simply standing on the sidelines demanding 35% or more affordable housing is utterly unrealistic. The only reason we are going to achieve 25% affordable housing at this time is because Lend Lease have a cast iron contractual obligation - negotiated by us in July 2010 - to deliver that much. <br />
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So this is no "sell out" by the Council for the regeneration of the Elephant. This is not the Council being weak in the face of a large developer. It clearly shows that the Council under this Labour administration has been strong and it has been right. I am genuinely appalled when I imagine what situation we might be facing if the Lib Dems had remained in power in 2010 - or if they were in charge now. We would either have a tiny level of affordable housing at the Elephant & Castle or we would once again be mired in the dither and delay which was the hallmark of their entire approach to large regeneration schemes - unwilling or unable to make a decision.<br />
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Southwark's Labour administration is determined to deliver on the regeneration of the Elephant & Castle; to deliver on a scheme which has been discussed since 1998 and which the people of Walworth deserve to achieve the renewal of their area.<br />
<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-2380360003265706072012-08-28T18:56:00.001+01:002012-08-28T18:56:23.492+01:00Olympic Victory Parade - Why isn't it coming South?Team GB will celebrate its' success at the Olympics and Paralympics with a parade through the streets of London on September 10th. It should be a magnificent occasion, and give many Londoners an opportunity to congratulate the stars of London 2012.<br />
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When I first heard about the Olympic Parade on the 8th of August I asked the Mayor of London and others to ensure that the route reflected the wonderful legacy of the games by bringing it south of the river. The traditional route for parades of all kinds seems to be to and from Westminster and the City of London. That's great, and reflects the history of our city.<br />
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But if London 2012 has demonstrated anything it is that London has changed and is changing. The regeneration of East London will be one of the lasting impacts of these Olympics and Paralympics - a whole new and exciting part of our capital city is emerging. And some of the most iconic images of this Summer have come from the south of the river, where another new part of London is being delivered.<br />
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From Tower Bridge and Potters Fields - the only Olympic and Paralympic Live Site - to City Hall, the Shard, The Globe, Tate Modern and the London Eye - we now look south of the river for some of the most iconic sites and sights of modern London. Even cab drivers no longer see anything south of the Thames as a "no go" area!<br />
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So the Olympic Victory Parade should have celebrated the new London as much as the historic parts of our great city. An imaginative route could have passed over either Tower Bridge or London Bridge and crossed back over Southwark, Blackfriars or Waterloo bridges to bring the celebration to <u>all </u>Londoners and underline that these Olympics and Paralympics are about that new regenerated London which was the essence of the successful bid in Singapore in 2005.<br />
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I am disappointed that the Mayor of London has not shown imagination and leadership on this issue. It would have been a wonderful and fitting opportunity for our Olympic heroes to be honoured by Londoners on both banks of the Thames.<br />
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It's not too late for the "powers that be" to change the route. They should do so and demonstrate that they are in-touch with modern London.<br />
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But whether the route is changed or not, September 10th will be an amazing celebration of the dedication and achievement of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes. South London will salute them - even if we've got to cross the river to do so!Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-87930012412140694192012-08-20T18:05:00.004+01:002012-08-20T18:08:36.803+01:00Policy Exchange on Council HousingThe right-wing think tank, Policy Exchange, has published a report today entitled "Ending Expensive Social Tenancies". It is an unfortunate title for a paper which raises some interesting questions which we have to grapple with in Southwark.<br />
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Firstly, the blanket policy proposed by the paper of selling-off all council properties above a certain value is flawed and would undoubtedly lead to the removal of genuinely affordable social housing from certain areas.<br />
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But the concept of making sure that your assets are used well to ensure that you are tackling the serious problem of a shortage of affordable council housing is worthy of consideration. It is one of the motivations which lies behind our proposal of accepting "in lieu" payments from developers rather than requiring them to deliver on-site "affordable housing" where that "affordable housing" is anything but. On one site in the north of Southwark a person would have had to be earning in the region of £80,000 to be able to afford the payments on the affordable housing which would have been delivered under the scheme. We think it is better to take a payment from that developer - equivalent to over £100,000 per habitable room that they <u>should</u> have delivered - so that we can build genuinely affordable council housing with rents closer to £100 per week.<br />
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The fund of £100 million that this will generate will deliver 1000 new council homes in Southwark - more than have been built in all of London in the last 10 years.<br />
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We have also been criticised for selling council properties where the cost of refurbishing that property for future tenants is uneconomic. This probably comes closest to the Policy Exchange proposal, but is very different from it and is really no more than a pragmatic way of partly funding our Warm, Dry and Sage 'decent homes' programme. We are committed to investing £326 million in our council housing between now and 2016 - the largest programme of any social housing landlord in the country. But we cannot pay for that just by hoping that it will be paid for! So where the proper opportunity arises we have agreed to sell some more expensive council properties in order to partly fund those works.<br />
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Housing stock should not be static or preserved in aspic for eternity; it needs to be dynamic and responsive to the needs of the changing community it serves. Over 40% of all new housing built in Southwark in the past 2 years has been affordable housing. This reflects the growing demand we face in the borough - with 20,000 people waiting for a council home - but also underlines our commitment to ensuring that we have genuinely mixed communities across Southwark. <br />
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This is where the Policy Exchange approach goes horribly wrong. You do not need to choose between purely private or purely social housing in an area - you can have both. But you have to be imaginative and properly use your resources. We might not have affordable housing within certain premium developments in the north of the borough, but we will have new genuinely affordable council housing just a short distance away. <br />
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For 8 years when they ran Southwark Council Simon Hughes and his local Lib Dem councillors fretted and moaned about council housing in Southwark. They had no idea how they were going to fund 'decent homes' works; they had no timetable for doing those works; and delivered no new council housing for Southwark. I am proud that Labour in Southwark has a fully funded and timetabled programme to bring all our council housing up to an acceptable standard by 2016; I am proud that we are thinking about the long-term with our Housing Commission which is looking at how we retain and maintain our council housing for the next 25 years after 2016, and I am proud of our commitment to build 1000 new council homes.<br />
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Being in government, whether local or national, is about taking decisions, showing leadership and solving problems. It is too easy to sit on the sidelines like Simon Hughes and pretend that you are in opposition when you are in government; pretend you are providing leadership when you are providing none; and criticise those who provide the leadership and take the decisions which you are incapable of providing and taking. <br />
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Southwark is an exciting and optimistic borough; where our housing problems provide as many opportunities as challenges. Whilst Policy Exchange's solution isn't right for Southwark, it places the focus back on the future of council housing and building new homes for people who need them at rents they can afford. The debate it has provoked is needed now more than ever.<br />
<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-14676867453868203982012-08-13T15:23:00.000+01:002012-08-13T15:23:55.700+01:00Southwark's Olympic LegacyWhen Labour won the local elections in May 2010 we were determined that Southwark should have an enduring Olympic legacy after the 2012 games. The previous Lib Dem / Tory administration had taken an approach of grudging indifference to the Olympics, and seemed to be of the opinion that the games would be an expensive regeneration exercise for East London which had nothing to do with Southwark. They even asked questions in Council Assembly about how difficult it would be for a resident of Peckham to get to the Olympic Park compared to someone travelling from Paris.<br />
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As we have seen after the last two weeks of sporting excitement such a grudging approach was absolutely wrong. Many Southwark residents attended the Olympic venues and countless others have enjoyed the big screen at Potters Field next to Tower Bridge, or many of the other Olympic activities which have been taking place across the borough.<br />
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And when the Olympic torch passed through Southwark on the 26th of July 161,000 people - more than half the population of the borough - turned out to cheer it on.<br />
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At the end of 2011 we announced the ten projects which will each share in the £2 million of capital investment to leave improved sports facilities for Southwark residents - from the £400,000 to be invested in the historic Herne Hill Velodrome to the £490,000 for Camberwell Leisure Centre's sports hall; and from the £150,000 for a new BMX track in Burgess Park to the £375,000 to be invested in football facilities in Peckham and Nunhead, the 2012 games have provided a real opportunity to upgrade some of our sporting facilities.<br />
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But more than the capital investment, we also worked to ensure that Southwark was ready for the Olympics, bringing together organisations and individuals from across the borough to look at the cultural offer which was available; to coordinate volunteering opportunities; to encourage healthy lifestyles and to promote involvement in sport.<br />
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We took advantage of the opportunity we were given as a council to purchase Olympic and Paralympic tickets, and as a result some of the children we care for as a council and 50 other residents nominated from across the borough have been given the opportunity to attend Olympic and Paralympic events. <br />
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The motto of the London 2012 games has been "Inspire a Generation", and in Southwark we have embraced that approach in order to make sure that 2012 was not something which happened to other people in other parts of London.<br />
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And as we look to the future we will work to ensure that the progress that we have made to date, of inspiring a generation - and people of all ages - in Southwark to enjoy the Olympics and Paralympics and live happy and healthy lives in the future continues to be delivered.<br />
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<br />Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-35005990225762052972012-06-21T10:05:00.001+01:002012-06-21T10:05:17.262+01:00The Thames TunnelOn Monday the 'Save Your Riverside Campaign' will be holding a public meeting at City Hall to discuss how to take forward the campaign to save Chambers Wharf, a site which Thames Water has continued to identify as a tunnelling site for the Thames Tunnel Supersewer. Thames Water's preference for the site means that local residents and schools face the prospect of at least 7 years of 24 hour a day drilling and tunnelling works on a site just yards from their homes and schools. Some have likened the proposed works as similar to having the Channel Tunnel main site outside their bedroom windows. <br />
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Thames Water had previously undertaken a consultation with regard to their proposed use of Chambers Wharf which had been met with a really cogent and well reasoned campaign. It was incredibly disappointing that Thames Water appeared to pay absolutely no attention to that campaign or modify their proposals in any way. Whilst the Tunnel is probably a necessity, it is certainly not necessary to blight peoples homes and lives for such an extensive period. Other possibilities exist which mean that Chambers Wharf would either not have to be used at all or certainly not as a main drilling site.<br />
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Hopefully the public meeting can continue to concentrate the minds of Thames Water's bosses on finding a solution to this problem which at least demonstrates a spirit of compromise. It is unacceptable for a publicly funded monopoly to act in a way which appears to take absolutely no account of the views of the people who they purport to serve.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-41012079177634546462012-06-21T09:54:00.001+01:002012-06-21T09:54:06.227+01:00A New Chief Executive for SouthwarkIn two weeks time Southwark's Council Assembly will have the opportunity to approve the appointment of Eleanor Kelly as the new Chief Executive of the Council. Eleanor has been the Acting Chief Executive for the last 5 months and has been the Deputy Chief Executive at the Council since 2008 - an appointment by the previous council administration.<div>
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Eleanor brings real experience and knowledge to the role, with recent experience leading for the Council on some of our most important regeneration projects at the Elephant & Castle and the Aylesbury. She will continue to have responsibility for regeneration in her new role.</div>
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What is most important is that Eleanor's appointment will be good news for the people of Southwark. She has a passion and commitment for our borough which will mean that she will always go that extra mile to get the best deal and provide the best service for the borough's residents. She will be a great appointment.</div>Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-91981084594356494602012-06-21T09:42:00.003+01:002012-06-21T09:42:57.219+01:00A Development Partner for the AylesburyYesterday evening we launched our search for a development partner for the Aylesbury Estate. For a project which is due to last over 20 years, with 4,200 homes to be built - 50% of which will be affordable housing - it is crucial that we have a strong partnership which can endure and create a new and exciting part of Walworth to replace the current Aylesbury Estate.<br />
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At the time it was built in the 1960's the Aylesbury was seen as the answer to many of the problems which existed in poor quality housing in the area. Inside toilets and bathrooms were fairly revolutionary for the new residents of the estate, and the generous room sizes were in sharp contrast to the often cramped conditions in the houses that the blocks replaced. But the answers which the Aylesbury provided were soon overshadowed by the problems which were inherent in the design of the huge monolithic and brutalist blocks. The previous street pattern was replaced by long corridors and above-ground walkways, which paid little regard to the human desire to travel at ground level and have neighbours and communities within easy reach.<br />
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Since the mid-1990's the Council has sought to find a way of regenerating the Aylesbury to overcome those problems and its' negative image as a problematic crime-ridden estate.<br />
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Some of the early housing which has been built on the fringes of the Aylesbury has already begun to demonstrate how this part of Southwark can be transformed. With so many developers and Registered Social Landlords interested in joining with us I hope that we will have a strong and competitive process over the next 18 months to find a partnership which will deliver a genuinely new sense of place and community. With new outstanding schools already in the area, and with the massive investment in Burgess Park, which is due to reopen next month, I am confident that the best is definitely yet to come for the Aylesbury.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-60225269202419410622012-05-07T09:49:00.002+01:002012-05-07T09:51:46.812+01:00Mayoral and GLA ElectionsPerhaps the biggest surprise of last week's Mayoral and GLA Elections in London was the fact that Ken Livingstone came so close to victory. None of the polls that I had seen were predicting a 3% margin of victory for Boris Johnson, so Ken clearly made up some real ground against his rival during the campaign.<br />
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But on the whole I thought the Mayoral campaign was disappointing. With a city as exciting as London it was surprising that neither Ken nor Boris were able to set out a vision for what they wanted to achieve over their 4 year term of office. Boris looked completely stumped when he was asked what his "big idea" was in a BBC London interview; and it was only after a lengthy pause that he came up with 'driverless tube trains' as a response. Ken came closest with some nods towards affordable transport and improved education and employment prospects, but it was all fairly slim stuff. A mayoral contest should be about candidates setting out how London will be different after their 4 years in charge, and I was hoping and expecting some discussion about that 'vision', with ideas similar to those being espoused by Mayor Bloomberg in New York, who is looking to move the City's economy away from an over-reliance on the financial services industry.<br />
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Val Shawcross did amazingly well in the Lambeth and Southwark GLA seat, increasing her majority to over 52,000. Val has been a good and effective representative for the two boroughs and it was pleasing to see her returned so comfortably. Val has shown strength and leadership in South London over the past 12 years, and long may that continue.<br />
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The Lib Dems continued their national meltdown, although the result gave us our first glimpse of what has happened to their vote in Southwark. Remember, just 4 years ago the Lib Dems were targeting Lambeth & Southwark as a GLA constituency they believed they could win. As it was only 18,000 people voted for them and knocked them into a distant third behind the Conservatives. Brian Paddick's truly pathetic 4% in the Mayoral election must have local Lib Dems extremely worried. A lot can happen between now and 2014, but if the swings achieved on Thursday were repeated in our borough local elections Labour would win 60 of 63 seats!<br />
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Maybe, just maybe it is time for Southwark's Lib Dems to rethink their apparent strategy of opposing every single thing that we do as an Administration and convincing themselves that undiluted negativity and opposition represents an alternative vision for our borough?Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-39120538886318940992012-02-02T09:33:00.002+00:002012-02-02T09:43:58.677+00:00The Thames TunnelLast night Thames Water came to speak to the Governors of Riverside Primary School about the likely impact of the Thames Tunnel super sewer. I am the Chair of Governors at Riverside School, which has been rated the 10th best primary school in the country by the Sunday Times.<br /><br />Thames Water have purchased Chambers Wharf immediately adjacent to the school for £76.6 million and it is now their preferred site for major tunnelling works during the course of the construction of the Thames Tunnel. One tunnel will bore from the site whilst two other tunnels will arrive at the site. In short this means that an area of our borough's riverside will resemble a major industrial site for 7 years, with 24 hour tunnelling works going on for at least 3 years. 90 lorries a day are expected to rumble past the school, with thousands of millions of tons of excavated material will be transported away from the site. As the Headteachers of the school have commented, there will be generations of children attending the school who will never know a primary education without the sound of major industrial works and heavy industrial traffic just feet away from their classroom.<br /><br />The proposals from Thames Water are unacceptable. The site will be a blight on our borough and will jeopardise the success of Riverside and other local schools. I simply do not know how residents who live adjacent to the site, and who bought their homes believing that Chambers Wharf would be developed as housing, will cope with the massive disruption.<br /><br />There are alternative solutions available. The Channel Tunnel was constructed without "stopping-off" points being constructed along the way. Hybrid boring machines exist which could do the job. Thames Water admit this, although a hybrid machine is not their preferred approach. They would prefer to blight an area, schools and residents who live next to Chambers Wharf.<br /><br />There is still time to object to these proposals - please do so at www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.ukPeter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-6379791355795296492012-02-02T09:27:00.004+00:002012-02-20T12:43:04.923+00:00Charter School AdmissionsCongratulations to local parents and campaigners for their victory in ensuring that the Charter School has to take account of safe walking routes to school in determining how close children live to the School for admissions purposes. For years the Charter have argued that Greendale is not a proper walking route to the school, which has meant that the calculated distance for children living on Champion Hill and East Dulwich Estates has been much further than the most direct route. As a result lots of children from those two parts of South Camberwell have missed out on places at the school.<br /><br />The Charter School is a Southwark success story. From being an unpopular and failing school it is now regarded as one of the best state schools in our borough. So it is important that those children who actually live closest to the school should be able to benefit from and share in that success by attending Charter for their secondary education.<br /><br />This is good news for South Camberwell and I have no doubt will be good news for the Charter School.<br /><br />UPDATE - the route which Charter was failing to take account of was the road between Wanley Rd and Dylways. If Charter School had adopted a straight line approach to admissions - which is the method used in all local authority schools - this issue would never have arisen.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28205940.post-42251173171144255072012-02-02T09:11:00.002+00:002012-02-02T09:23:23.648+00:00Cycling in SouthwarkOver 2 months since I blogged, but a good time to talk about cycling in Southwark after the debate which we held at Council Assembly last week on the environment and transport.<br /><br />Curiously the Labour Administration was accused of being anti-cyclist during the course of the debate by our Lib Dem opponents - which on the basis of the facts is simply not an accurate description. Firstly, our current target of increasing cycling from 3% of journeys to 4% across the borough is merely a continuation of the previous Administration's target. So if it wasn't good enough for the Lib Dems why didn't they do something about it during the 8 years they were in power? To my mind it is not a particularly ambitious target and I would like to see us revisit it very soon.<br /><br />But I recognise that if we are going to persuade people to cycle and really increase the number of journeys made by bike, we need to make the routes for cyclists around the borough as safe as possible. That is why we met with Southwark Cyclists last week to discuss their plans for linking up parts of the borough with safe cycling routes, and why I will be meeting up with other cycling representatives in the near future to discuss their constructive proposals.<br /><br />As a borough there is some good work which we are doing for cycling. As an Administration we have spent or allocated £2.677 million on cycling in the last 20 months and plan to spend nearly another £4 million on cycling infrastructure. One third of the money allocated from TfL to us gets spent on cycling and we have recently completed 100 metres more of safe cycle route on Southwark Park Road. We have installed 174 cycle lockers on housing estates and created over 1500 new spaces for on street cycle parking. A good start - but I recognise there is a lot more to do.<br /><br />Cycling is a healthy and should be a safe form of transport around our capital city. My ambition is to see Southwark lead the way in delivering safe cycle routes and I look forward to working with cyclists to deliver on that ambition.Peter Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644833539615787839noreply@blogger.com0