Camberwell Grove Part 2

Quite a few people have been in touch with me about the continued closure of Camberwell Grove. I am afraid that despite repeated calls by both Veronica Ward and myself to the Council and Network Rail I have received no update on when the bridge repairs will be carried out and the road re-opened. So the news is there is no news!
Veronica and I are continuing to chase this matter and I will post further news, if and when I get any!

A Comment on the Lebanon

It will be extremely rare for me to use this blog to comment on international events, but together with so many others, I have been deeply moved by the tragic conflict which is once again befalling Lebanon. Although I do not think that all of the World's ills will be solved by achieving peace in this part of the Middle East, it would certainly remove many of the causes of grievance which fuel the terrorism and strife which have blighted this area for more than 50 years.
Some people argue that on too many occasions powerful Western governments have turned a blind eye to the problems of southern Lebanon, and this has been the case once again over the past two weeks. After 10 years of careful and tentative physical and political reconstruction the Lebanon is once again thrown back into a state of near-chaos. Friends who have visited Beirut over the past couple of years have commented on the vibrancy and excitement of this international city - regaining the reputation and infrastructure it had previously enjoyed.
There is a view that the recent Israeli action was disproportionate. Hezbollah have no doubt been a cause of provocation and danger to northern Israel, the long term interests of the Israeli people cannot have been well served by destabilising the Lebanese Government and strengthening the hands of Syria and Iran in the region. The loss of innocent life on all sides cannot be written off as just another one of those things that happens in the Middle East. It has been deliberate and painful, and utterly unnecessary.
Perhaps this crisis simply highlights the perceived failure of the United Nations to be regarded as having any real significance over the past fortnight. Strong and early intervention by the United Nations may have averted this crisis - but as an international body it currently lacks real credibility and will only ever be regarded as the World's policeman in future if ALL member countries support it at ALL times. The UN should not be used time and again simply to pick up the pieces after one country has acted unilaterally against another. We are constantly being told that we live in an increasingly inter-dependent World, yet at the same time some nations continue to act alone and without regard to their neighbours or to the wider effects which their actions will have. So now more than ever there must be a strategic role for the UN to play in averting conflict and crisis; to ensure that governments do not go to war without first using every possible opportunity for finding a peaceful solution.
Maybe it is also time for the US government to show some greater leadership on foreign affairs. Even the most objective assessment of recent performance would suggest that the Bush Administration does not have all the answers to some of the World's more intractable problems. So at the start of this crisis the US should have given the UN its full support in brokering a ceasefire and a resolution of this conflict. Unless the US government does begin to act in this way there will be no incentive for other nations to treat the UN or its edicts seriously.
If the Lebanese Government is unable to regulate the actions of Hezbollah they should be offered help to do so. If the Israeli Government is concerned that its northern borders are not secure, they should be offered help to strengthen those borders. But neither Hezbollah nor Israel should think that they can obliterate the other. I just hope that it does not take the loss of many more lives for that lesson to be learned.

Train Route Saved!

Great news for residents of South Camberwell who use Denmark Hill station! Word reaches me that our campaign to save the London Bridge to Victoria route has been succesful and plans to divert the trains to Clapham Junction or Battersea Park have been dropped by Network Rail. This was an issue which was picked up by former councillor Patrick Kelly who alerted Veronica and I to these proposals when he was reading a railway trade journal. Once we were alerted Veronica and I launched a petition and enlisted the support of Val Shawcross and Harriet Harman MP.
Although some other political parties joined in the campaign I can genuinely say that this was a Labour campaign!. Of course, we share the credit for its success with the hundreds of people who signed our petition and e-mailed Network Rail during the consultation period.
The formal announcement about this will not be made until August, but I have it on very good authority that the line has been saved and that it was due to our campaign! Who says you can't achieve anything in politics!

Southwark Race Equalities Council

After the local elections my main concern was that a LibDem Tory coalition would have little regard for the centre of the borough - where they have no councillors and little electoral support. Of course it is also right that Camberwell and Peckham has the highest concentration of black and minority ethnic ('BME') residents in the borough, and it is often difficult for their voice to be heard - as we have seen over the past 4 years. So I was truly amazed to find that the Tory/LibDem Executive in Southwark had failed to nominate Labour's Cllr Tayo Situ onto the board of Southwark Race Equalities Council, but had instead nominated two LibDems from Bermondsey and a Tory from Dulwich. In their amazing defence of this decision, the LibDems claim their discrimination is justified on the basis of Cllr Situ's record of attendance at SREC meetings over the past 12 months. Forget the fact that Labour polled the highest number of votes in the local elections, has the highest proportion of BME councillors, and represents the greatest number of BME voters in the borough or that Cllr Situ is an influential voice in the BME community.
I think what shocks me most about this sort of decision is the arrogance and lack of sensitivity it demonstrates. Cllr Stanton could not be bothered to attend a public meeting organised by Operation Black Vote before the elections because he had another important appointment - canvassing in Brunswick Park ward! So the LibDems have a record on this sort of insensitive behaviour.
I am relieved that the Tories have seen sense and offered their place to Cllr Situ. But the shameful decision to exclude Labour's representatives from SREC should never have been taken in the first place.
The message really needs to sink in to the current administration - no one voted for a Tory / LibDem coalition and you have no mandate to do as you please. And the borough of Southwark certainly cannot afford a further deterioration in relations between the council and the BME community which we witnessed under the last 4 years of LibDem rule.

Local Government Association Conference

This week I have been beside the seaside in Bournemouth at the Local Government Association ('LGA') conference. The LGA is the voice of all councillors in local government and is currently chaired by a Conservative, Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, as the Conservatives have the greatest number of councillors in England and Wales. I suppose that the theme of the week has been climate change, as it featured heavily in speeches by David Milliband - the Environment Secretary, and David "Dave" Cameron.
There really is a momentum behind this issue now, and after several years of rising to the top of political debate and then falling to one side I do believe that it will be an issue right through until the next general election. It is encouraging that so many politicians across the political spectrum are talking about this issue, and largely with a united voice on how urgent the need is to tackle climate change.
As was stressed at last week's Southwark Climate Change conference organised by Harriet Harman, every year which passes without radical action being taken makes the remedial action even harder. So I do hope that the political words will result in real political action in the near future.

Former Councillor Bowman

Until May 4th this year Cathy Bowman was the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of Southwark Council with particular responsibility for the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle. This is a £1.5 billion regeneration scheme which will be vitally important to Southwark and the whole of South East London.
Cathy Bowman was defeated in the local elections, but within weeks she had been employed by a lobbying firm called Media Strategy with particular responsibility for a consortium called Oceancrest - one of the three bidders for the Elephant and Castle regeneration!
To move within days from being the person responsible for making decisions about the future of the E&C to being a person lobbying to influence decisions about the E&C is amazing - and does raise serious questions. Does she have insider knowledge which will improperly assist Oceancrest? Presumably Oceancrest think they are getting some advantage over their competitors by employing Cathy Bowman - what is that advantage?
If a Cabinet minister had been involved in a similar change of roles there would rightly be a public outcry over sleaze. Fortunately, it could not happen because of the provisions of the Ministerial Code. Perhaps the case of former Cllr Bowman shows how such a similar provision is desperately needed for local government.

Climate Change Summit for Southwark

Harriet Harman MP is hosting a Southwark-wide conference on Climate Change today at the GLA building. There is much more that can be done at every level of government to tackle this vital issue, so this conference is hugely welcome as it will bring together many people with knowledge about climate change and the power to do something about it. I believe that there is a lot more that can be done at the council level to improve our energy efficiency, particularly in Southwark. With huge regeneration projects being undertaken across the borough it will be important for these projects to lead the way on energy efficient build and design. Developers should be placed under an obligation to deliver schemes with renewable energy built in.
As the largest landlord in London the Council could also lead the way on renewable energy and energy efficiency in both council buildings and council housing. But at the present time there seems to be a reluctance to really explore the benefits of alternative energy sources or combined heat and power schemes on the grounds of cost. The issue really is whether we can afford not to take these measures. So I hope that today's conference leads to some positive and measurable results for the borough.

Camberwell Community Council

The first meeting of Camberwell Community Council since the local elections took place last night at the Camberwell Leisure Centre. The meeting was very well attended and was the first since Cllr Ian Wingfield became Chair. Ben Rose led a deputation of residents from Champion Grove and Maldon Close who are anxious to have their area declared a 'Home Zone' - where pedestrians and residents have priority over vehicles and all other traffic. The two roads are perfect for such a scheme but the current problem is a total lack of availability of funding to implement the scheme either from Southwark Council or Transport for London. Veronica and I will continue to work with Ben and the residents to try and progress the scheme as quickly as possible.
The Community Council meeting suffered from some of the same structural weaknesses which we have experienced since they were established - there was too much business on the agenda including too many presentations from officers! During the 'breakout' session which we conducted many residents said that they felt that the meetings are still conducted on a 'them' and 'us' basis - with a clear division between the councillors and the community. We do need to work harder to make sure that these meetings really do feel like community meetings and that the agenda is driven by the community and not simply by councillors or council officers.
In any event the next meeting takes place on the 27th July at Camberwell Leisure Centre. Although they are not perfect they are still a good forum for local residents so I do urge people to come along!

South Camberwell Police Panel etc.

Last Wednesday the South Camberwell Safer Neighbourhood Police team held a meeting in the boardroom of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club to launch the local ward panel. Every ward in London now has a Safer Neighbourhood Team of a Police Sergeant, two Constables and two PCSOs with funding provided from Mayor Livingstone's budget, and each of those Teams will be answerable to a panel of local people who will help to set and monitor the team's priorities during the course of the year.
The meeting was well attended and the next meeting has been set for July 18th when a constitution will be adopted for the panel and officers elected. You can find out details of the South Camberwell Team by going to the Met Police Site. Sgt Smith told the meeting that it was hoped to find an office in the ward within the next few months - which will really bring policing back into our community.
A reader has complained that I haven't mentioned the World Cup! As I think about it I've realised that my complete lack of tactical insight into the England team's approach to the tournament makes me perfectly qualified to feature on the sports pages of the national newspapers! Anyway, I'm cheering our brave lads on and hoping, but not expecting, eventual victory!
And by the way I should make it clear that I won't be commenting on Big Brother - although I did share in the nation's joy at Grace's eviction!

That Block on Dog Kennel Hill!

Southwark's Planning Committee met last night to consider a report on the block of flats which is being built on Dog Kennel Hill above Sainsburys and the Adventure Playground. The Report was extremely critical of the way in which the decision to grant planning permission for the block came about, saying that the reasons behind officer's support for the application was 'unconvincing' and that there had been clear breaches of the Council's own policies. One of the breaches concerned the amount of money which the developer was required to pay to the Council as a Section 106 payment or 'planning gain' towards building affordable housing in the borough. The Council's mistake means that the developer is paying over £100,000 less than they should be!!
The contextual drawings which were relied upon by developers in an application to the Council were misleading - showing the block as being only slightly higher than the existing houses on DKH, when in fact the drawing should have shown the block as nearly twice the height of the houses.
The Committee dealt with the Report extremely thoroughly, and the Chair, Cllr James Gurling added a recommendation that the complaints which had given rise to the Report should be taken further in order that the issue of compensation for the residents of Birdsall House might be considered. It is clear that the Planning Department is anxious that lessons are learned from this episode.
But at the end of the day the Report cannot remove the building - which is inappropriate for its position on Dog Kennel Hill, and which sets a terrible precedent for other developers anxious to cash in on this prime area in Southwark. I am afraid that this really might be an example of developers getting rich whilst the residents of South Camberwell suffer.

Camberwell Grove

Last Thursday evening Camberwell Grove was closed aprroximately half way up - and has remained closed since. Apparently Network Rail discovered cracking in the cast iron bridge main structural support which runs beneath the road at that point, which risked collapsing! Having made this discovery Network Rail asked the Police to exercise their emergency powers to shut the road, and this was done. At the present time I am told by officers at Southwark Council that Network Rail have given no indication how long this closure may last. I should stress that this road closure has nothing to do with any longer term plans for Camberwell Grove and traffic management on the road - and is purely an emergency measure.
There will be some planned works to the footways in Camberwell Grove beginning this week, which will be caried out by the council.
If you would like any further information about the works please contact Network Rail on 020 7922 2100

Was it something I said?!

I seem to have ruffled some Tory feathers by my last post! So for the sake of absolute accuracy and fairness I should point out that Cllr Humphrey's unfeasibly large desk is, in fact, the official desk of the Deputy Leader. So there we are! I hope that's all cleared up. It does seem somehow appropriate that at the present time the Deputy Leader's desk should be twice the size of the Leaders!
Concern also about the changes to the Council's constitution with regard to disposals of metropolitan open land. I will keep readers updated on what steps can be taken to challenge this as it has the potential to affect some very important green spaces in the borough such as Burgess Park and Greendale.
The East Dulwich Estate Project Team met last week and discussed the revised timetable for the works on the Estate. The timetable now shows that works will not begin until the 4th of May 2007! This is a real delay on the previous estimated start date of November 2006. Veronica and I will be working with the Project Team to ensure that there is no further slippage in this timetable.
The Project Team also supported a decision to build new homes on parts of the Estate which are currently open spaces. These new builds are necessary to make the financing of the regeneration possible, although I do have some reservations about the location of these 'new builds' and the extent to which they might encroach on those open spaces.
You can find out more about the work of the Project Team by going to the EDERPT site
This weekend Veronica and I will be out in the ward with our colleagues from the Labour Party distributing a 'Thank You' leaflet which will include details of our first few Mobile Surgeries. Do say 'hello' if you see us!

That Tory/LibDem Coalition!

Well last night saw the first meeting of Council Assembly under the new Tory/LibDem coalition. And yes, the Tory Leader did look as smug as we had all expected! Although we knew about the coalition, there was something surreal in seeing Cllrs Humphreys and Eckersley on the front bench, being warmly welcomed by a 'delighted' Cllr Stanton!
But the evening's surprises did not end there. The first act of the new coalition was to cancel one of the scheduled Council Assembly meetings - due to take place in October. Council Assembly is the one occasion when we as an opposition, and members of the public, have an opportunity to hold the ruling Executive to account. Clearly the new Executive is not keen on this idea!
Virtually the next act was for the Tories and LibDems to vote to change the council constitution to ensure that any decision about the sale or change of use of metropolitan open land ('MOL') should be removed from Council Assembly and should be taken by the 10 members of the Executive instead! At a time when our green space should be valued more than ever, it seems incredible that the Tories and Liberals waved through a measure which ensured that the 53 other councillors in the borough should not have a say in what happens to that green space.
And the final surprise of the evening was Cllr Stanton's revelation that it was time for Southwark to build a new Town Hall! There are lots of priorities in our borough, but a new Town Hall at a cost of at least £50 million is not one of them! I expect that there will be an interesting debate on this issue over the coming months.
I had anticipated that the Tories might not be so keen on this idea - but it seems that office accommodation is one of their top priorities. Hard-working officers from the Council's Scrutinty Department have been thrown out of their offices on the 3rd floor at the Town Hall to make way for Cllr Humphrey's unfeasibly large desk! Oh yes, and there is just about room for the other 5 Tory councillors in their extensive suite!
Back to local South Camberwell issues in my next post with news about the new timetable for works on the East Dulwich Estate.

The Week So Far!

As the Bank holiday weekend approaches I thought it would be good to review the week so far, and in particular the Constitutional Council on Wednesday night when Southwark's Mayor for the forthcoming municipal year was elected. In the event Cllr Paul Kyriacou was elected - a Liberal Democrat councillor somewhere in Bermondsey.
Labour nominated Cllr Lorraine Lauder MBE, one of the councillor's for Faraday Ward, which covers the Aylesbury Estate and the surrounding streets. Lorraine has been an outstanding councillor and has worked for her community over many years. For example, for the past 36 years Lorraine has not spent a single Christmas Day at home but has given up her time to help organise celebrations for 500 Southwark pensioners at Dulwich College with the Peoples Care charity - people who would otherwise be on their own at Christmas. What amazing commitment to the people of this borough!

Anyway, despite Lorraine's impeccable record and her service to Southwark as Deputy Mayor over the past 12 months, the deal between the 6 Tories and the Liberal Democrats meant that Lorraine was passed over. Perhaps just one early example of the way in which this unhappy alliance will deprive Southwark of the best over the coming 4 years?

Bellenden Residents and DKH

Saturday was spent visiting two local groups and the shopkeepers in Crossthwaite Avenue. The Bellenden Residents Group ('BRG') covers an area crossing between South Camberwell and The Lane wards and is organised by Eileen Conn. On Saturday all the newly elected councillors for the wards were invited to attend the BRG at the Coplestone Centre and introduce themselves. It was great that all councillors attended including myself and Veronica Ward from South Camberwell, together with Mark Glover, Susan Elan Jones and Gordon Nardell from The Lane. It looks as if one of the major issues that the BRG will be concerned with is the proposed new tram depot for Peckham. There is a real fear that the depot may disturb the sympathetic regeneration of Peckham town centre and cause the loss of some newly built and proposed social housing. The alternative appears to be to site the depot at Kings Cross. More to come on this topic no doubt!
From BRG Veronica and I visited the Dog Kennel Hill Park Fun Day. Some dedicated local volunteers are working very hard to preserve the various characteristics of this area, which also appears to be threatened by the current proposals for the redevelopment of Greendale Playing Fields. I am sure that a solution can be found to this - but only if Southwark Council starts listening to local people! Some of the work done can be found at http://www.lynxse.net/WoodlandImagesPage2006.htm
Finally we visited Crossthwaite Avenue which has a parade of shops which are under serious threat from hugely increased rents set by the Council. The shops are a vital local amenity and unless the council's property department has an injection of reality, the shopkeepers will simply shut up and move out, leaving residents without a post office, newsagents, chemist, dry cleaners etc. Veronica and I will be meeting with the shopkeepers over the next couple of weeks to try and help them.

Lambeth & Southwark Housing Association

Yesterday I chaired a meeting of the Lambeth & Southwark Housing Association ('LSHA'), a fairly small association which has about 250 properties across both boroughs. We are shortly to take possession of 13 flats in Steedman Street, which form part of the first phase of the regeneration of the Elephant & Castle. Some of the tenants who are due to be decanted from the Heygate Estate will be moving into the flats over the next few months.

Sometimes I think that housing associations get a bad press, but given the membership and commitment of LSHA's management board and staff I believe that we provide a really good service to our tenants. Small is beautiful?!

With all the development opportunities coming up over the next few years in Lambeth and Southwark I hope that we will be able to acquire more properties and continue to provide a similarly high level of service.

Last Night's Meeting

Last night's East Dulwich Estate Project Team AGM was quorate - but still only about 20 residents out of perhaps 700 from the Estate came along. I am sure that this does reflect some of the scepticism which exists about whether any progress will ever be made on the regeneration. On more than one occasion residents commented that they 'had heard this all before' when officers began setting out proposals and details of what works would be occurring and when. Next week's regular Project Team meeting will be crucial - as officers present last night promised to have available a full timetable and details of works. I think there will be justified uproar if that information is not provided. Stephen Govier was elected as Chair of the Project Team for the year ahead. I am sure that he will ensure that council officers are reminded of the urgency of this project, and Veronica and I are looking forward to working with him.

A Comment on the Elections!

It would be wrong to start my blog without some discussion of the recent local election results. Overall Labour in Southwark did incredibly well. In the face of a poor night for Labour across London and nationally we increased our share of the vote to 40% and saw the Lib Dems collapse to just 33%. On the popular vote we achieved 11,500 more votes than them and took seats in previously the Liberal heartland of East Walworth. Sadly our significant majority in the popular vote did not translate into council seats and a stalemate of 28 seats each was the result, with the Tories collecting 6 and the Greens pinching a seat in my own ward.
It now looks certain that the Tories will form a coalition with the Liberals - in an arrangement reminiscent of the disastrous Lambeth coalition between 2002/06. With the Tories bagging the portfolios of Deputy Leader, Housing Management and Resources it really does look as if the Lib Dems have given up real power in Southwark for the sake of holding office. I have no doubt that the people who will suffer as a result of this arrangement over the next 4 years are those who continue to rely so heavily on council services, and who turned to Labour at this election.

East Dulwich Estate Project Team

Tonight the East Dulwich Estate Project Team will hold its AGM. A previous meeting was inquorate so it is hoped that enough residents will attend tonight to enable the meeting to take place. Frustration still remains high on the Estate as so many people are waiting for the long-planned regeneration to take place. Originally proposed in 1999, the regeneration project ran into objections from residents of the Estate as it involved demolition of up to 6 blocks. In 2004, after a long campaign, Southwark's Executive decided that the regeneration could proceed without demolitions and by an innovative use of void properties on the Estate for key worker affordable housing. However, over the past 18 months little progress appears to have been made on this proposal and long-promised repairs have not been carried out. Hopefully tonight's AGM will show that ther is some renewed urgency in the Council's atttiude to the scheme, following continued representations from Veronica and myself.

16th May 2006

Well at last I've decided to enter the blog age! Having seen the fantastic blog sites of some of my Labour colleagues on Southwark Council I thought that it was time to show that I could cope with this medium as well. I hope that I will be able to highlight issues of concern to residents of South Camberwell ward and keep people informed about some local campaigning issues. In the next few weeks I certainly hope to have some news on the future of the East Dulwich Estate, Greendale playing fields, Crossthwaite Avenue and threatened developments asound the St Francis Estate and Dog Kennel Hill. With my colleague Veronica Ward, I hope that we will be able to truly represent the interests of those who live in South Camberwell over the next 4 years.