Fears become Reality.

The South London Press today covers the story of 97 year old Eliza Mercer who has been hit by the 50% increase in Meals on Wheels fees imposed by the LibDem/Tory Council. Mrs Mercer contacted my colleague Cllr Lorraine Lauder because she has decided that she just cannot afford to continue having Meals on Wheels, and despite her age and obvious vulnerability will try to go out and get food at the supermarket instead. She told the newspaper "I can get some ready meals from supermarkets and I'll have to get by making sandwiches."

So, truly grotesque political decisions by the ruling coalition have condemned Eliza Mercer to the sort of incomplete diet which Meals on Wheels is designed to avoid.

The response of Cllr David Noakes, the LibDem Executive Memebr for Health and Social Care is simply jaw-dropping: "Ms Mercer does have the option of switching to the cheaper frozen meals and heating them up."

Wasn't it Marie Antoniette when faced with the mob hungry and in need of bread who said "Let them eat cake"? Doesn't Cllr Noakes' response have an echo of that remark? And doesn't it demonstrate that he is dangerously out of touch with the problems he has created?

What I still cannot believe is that not a single member of the LibDem and Tory groups on the Council spoke up about this decision to increase Meals on Wheels by 50%. So anxious are they to hold onto their own Special Responsibility Allowances that they no longer can be bothered to speak up on behalf of their constituents. Shame on them! And if I sound angry about this issue, it is because I am. And I would hope that anyone with a social conscience in Southwark would share that anger.

Budget Attacks Children and Elderly

There is no getting away from the fact that the people who suffered as a result of the LibDem and Tory decision to stand by their budget proposals last night were children and older people. What does that say about the current administration?

Despite fierce opposition and press coverage in The Times and on the BBC the coalition administration decided to press on with their decision to close the Livesey Childrens Museum. The closure will save £140,000. Let's put that into context. Next year the Council will "spend" £900,000 on consultants to advise it on how to move offices. It is simply crazy and indefensible to argue that £140,000 could not be found to save the museum.

And the Libs and Tories have continued with their plans to increase the cost of Meals on Wheels by 50%. What rate of inflation was being looked at when that decision was taken? This is a real attack on some of our most vulnerable residents and will push some of them into genuine food poverty.

These cuts are apparently justified on the basis that the Government has been unduly mean to Southwark this year. Rubbish! The Council will be getting 2% more this year from Central Government than it did last year to provide the same services. And Labour's alternative budget proposed last night avoided these cuts and proposed a below inflation council tax increase of 2.1%. And I should add our budget proposals were seen and approved by the Council's finance chiefs.

Last night's decisions were about the choices and priorities of the Tories and LibDems on Southwark Council. And they chose to attack the young and the old. Doesn't it just remind you of the worst days of Mrs Thatcher?

Post Office Closures in Southwark

The Post Office has announced the list of 169 post offices it is considering closing in London. 8 of those are in Southwark:
46 Peckham Road
654 Old Kent Road
6 Gibbon Road, Nunhead
Melbourne Grove
1 Maddock Way, Walworth
Ilderton Road
221 East Street
Dockhead

It is a huge relief that the sub-post office in Crossthwaite Avenue has not made its way onto the list - it may be that the past two years campaigning to save that particular Post Office and parade of shops have paid dividends.

But the proposed closures will mean real problems for many people in the borough. Many residents of South Camberwell use the post office in Melbourne Grove and Veronica and I will be working with local people to argue the case to stop that proposed closure.

It is disappointing that the Council as a whole will not be submitting a response to the consultation process, as evidence suggests that councils which present detailed responses supported by sounds business cases and statisitics are more likely to persuade the Post Office to withdraw closure plans.

Southwark's Budget 2008/09

Next week Council Assembly will meet to set Southwark's Council Tax for the coming year. Proposals to be considered by the Tory/LibDem Executive this evening suggest that their proposal will be for a 4% Council Tax increase, together with a 50% increase in Meals on Wheels charges; the closure of the Livesey Childrens Museum on the Old Kent Road, and huge cuts to the Community Warden programme.

For the last month the Leader of the Council has used every opportunity to scare residents about cuts to local services, from the continued regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate to the closure of Camberwell Leisure Centre. In fact, and not surprisingly, none of those threatened cuts have made it through to the final budget proposals.

But the cuts and increased charges which are proposed hit young people and older people in the borough the hardest. The LibDems talk about tackling poverty, but their budget proposals hit those in most need the hardest. And this is not a budget about prudence and tough choices - it is about cynical election planning. The reason why the Livesey Museum must close in order to save £140,000 is because the LibDems and Tories want to bank that money in reserve funds for future years - so that they can produce a lower Council Tax increase "out of the hat" in time for the 2010 local elections.

To my mind a museum staying open NOW so that it can continue to serve the 17,000 children who visit it each year is of much greater service to the people of Southwark than £140,000 sitting in a reserve fund for election purposes. And a 50% increase in Meals on Wheels, imposed upon some of our most vulnerable residents regardless of their ability to pay, is appalling and mean spirited. What inflation index are the LibDems and Tories looking at when they think that a 50% increase is reasonable?

Labour will propose an alternative budget which will mean that for the sixth year in a row, a Labour Council in Southwark would have delivered a lower Council Tax increase. And we will use the recognised Bank of England inflation index - the consumer price index, as the guide for judging what is affordable for Council Tax payers in Southwark.

And by freeing up money which would otherwise sit in reserves or go to pay consultants and agency staff our budget amendment will mean that we can keep the Livesey Childrens Museum open; that those reliant on Meals on Wheels will not have to find ANY increase this year, and which will invest more money in community safety and the services which people look to the Council to provide.

I am proud to be part of a party which is serious about tackling poverty, and whose deeds match its words. I just hope that not too many vulnerable people have to suffer food poverty and not too many children lose the opportunity to visit their local museum before we have the opportunity to deliver on our promises for the people of Southwark.

Southwark's CPA Assessment

Yesterday the Audit Commission published its latest verdict on Southwark and all other local councils in England and Wales. The verdict is contained within the Comprehensive Performance Assessment or CPA and shows Southwark as a 3 star (out of 4) authority which is improving well. This is good news but there is one striking feature about this year's scorecard - the fact that housing services have dropped from 3 stars to 2 stars and the only area of the Council where the score has fallen.

Southwark scored just 1 out of 4 on its performance indicators for managing council housing - and was judged as being below the lower threshold for rent collection and arrears; average re-let times; average weekly management costs; satisfaction of all tenants with Southwark's overall service and satisfaction with participation for all tenants.

It is clearly worrying that our housing services score has been marked down, but should not really come as a surprise to anyone who has any knowledge of the huge difficulties faced by tenants in Southwark. And it does suggest that the LibDems decision to put a Tory in charge of housing since May 2006 has been a huge mistake.

Camberwell Grove Update and Online Petition

Last Thursday Cllr Paul Noblet announced that Camberwell Grove rail bridge would re-open after works had been completed to install traffic lights and traffic barriers to regulate the flow of traffic over the weakened bridge. The announcement came after a two hour meeting where competing views were fully aired, and Andrew Downes, the Council's Traffic Officer, ruled out a scheme based on one-way traffic over the bridge due to safety fears. Andrew is in a difficult position, as he cannot sanction any scheme if he is aware of any potential safety problems - he would be opening himself and the Council up to a massive negligence claim.

I have always been opposed to a solution involving traffic lights, as it is bound to detract from the obvious merits of Camberwell Grove as an integral part of the conservation area. If we were not facing real time limits in this case I am sure that a wider review of road use in the area would enable us to come up with a solution which avoided traffic lights.

A couple of points should be made. Traffic lights will only be present until the rail bridge is replaced completely. To achieve that we have to lobby Transport for London and Network Rail. Secondly, Cllr Noblet did agree to urgently prioritise a transport review of Camberwell and neighbouring areas in order to develop a strategic answer to the current and anticipated problems of traffic congestion. Finally, there was agreement that we will have a meeting to assess the impact of the traffic light solution after about three months.

This whole episode has been incredibly difficult, and for the residents of Camberwell Grove some new problems are about to arise. Traffic lights in the middle of a beautiful street, queing polluting vehicles and a barrier which sounds like it belongs on a Formula 1 track will all be present in a few months time. These are all problems which are unacceptable for anything other than the short term. So the campaign for a new rail bridge has a new urgency. I have created an online petition - please sign it at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/CamberwellGroveBridge/

Scaring People is Bad Politics!

I am now convinced that the LibDems and Tories on Southwark Council have spent the past month deliberately scaring people about the state of the borough's finances. From conversations I have had with colleagues and Council officers it looks as if there will be no need for really major front-line service cuts this year, despite LibDem Leader Nick Stanton telling us since the start of the year that three leisure centres would have to close; there would be a halt to work regenerating the Aylesbury Estate and rumours of our museums having to shut.

This foolish scaremongering by Cllr Stanton has caused real upset to many local residents. Special meetings have had to be called with residents of the Aylesbury Estate in order to give them some reassurance, and myself and my colleagues have been bombarded with e-mails and telephone calls from many people pleading for our help in saving their local services.

It may be that the Libs and the Tories go ahead and implement some really severe cuts. But my understanding of the current proposed budget figures suggest that the services and projects highlighted by Cllr Stanton are not even on the list for cutbacks at present. So if those cuts do come, we will be arguing that they are certainly not necessary.

Only last week Cllr Stanton refused to give me any reassurance about the future of the Camberwell Leisure Centre after I had heard further rumours of its closure as a result of budget cuts.

It is all very well to create justified attention about the state of the Council's finances as a consequence of the Government's funding settlement; 70% of the Council's funding comes from Central Government; but it is another thing to frighten and panic people about basic service provision as part of a silly political game. Doesn't that sort of posturing and behaviour call to mind the antics of Derek Hatton and Liverpool Council in the 1980's? So shame on Cllr Stanton for unnecessarily frightening people about the future of their jobs and their services.

Our neighbouring borough of Lambeth have faced a similar increase in funding from the Government as Southwark, but they will be opening three new leisure centres this year; whilst Nick Stanton has made himself and his Executive colleagues look foolish with their talk of closing three leisure centres in our borough. As the title of this entry says - scaring people is bad politics!

Council Assembly Tonight

We have the first Council Assembly of 2008 tonight. Amongst the issues up for consideration are "Setting the Council Tax base" and a Labour motion on Decent Homes works in Southwark.

The Council Tax base is a decision about the percentage of Council Tax which we expect to collect in the next financial year. This informs the level of Council Tax which will be set next month. In an ideal world the Council would collect 100% of the Council Tax due from residents, but this never happens as people move away or simply will not pay. Despite orders against them, there is little that can be done in some cases. The report before us proposes a council tax collection rate of 96% - effectively writing off 4% of potential council tax revenue for next year. We think that Liberata, the company which is paid handsomely to collect our Council Tax can do better, and that we should set a target of 97%. I'll keep you posted on the result.

There have been reports in the local press in recent weeks that the Council faces a shortfall of £60 million plus in paying for works to bring our council housing up to the Government's 'Decent Homes' standard. I have even heard rumours that this figure is a gross underestimate and that the real shortfall is in excess of £300 million. This presents the Council with a huge problem, which will affect not only this administration, but the next one after the 2010 local elections.

With this in mind Labour have proposed a motion this evening to establish a cross-party working group to look at the financial problems facing Decent Homes in Southwark and to try and come up with a solution which is in the interests of all of the residents of the borough. I think that there are some issues where the public expect to see politicians working together to sort the problem out - and housing improvements in Southwark is just such an issue!

I honestly cannot see a problem with our proposal. But it will be opposed by the LibDems and Tories who have accused Labour of "playing politics" when the opposite is the truth! If our motion is being opposed because there is no funding shortfall, then I will be delighted and relieved. But I suspect that is not the case and the coalition running Southwark is simply too afraid to let us know the truth.

Anyway I hope they change their minds before this evening. Working together has to be in everyone's interests on this isssue and I am not sure that the public will understand a "yah boo" political approach from the Libs and Tories.

Death of Lambeth Cllr Liz Atkinson

I was sorry to hear last night from Lambeth Chief Whip Cllr Alex McKenna, that his Vassall Ward colleague Cllr Liz Atkinson had died last week. I met Liz on an number of occasions and she was always conscious of the need for a "whole Camberwell" approach to issues despite the fact that it is an area which is divided between Southwark and Lambeth. Liz was Mayor of Lambeth last year.

I know that Liz will be missed by her many colleagues in Lambeth, and by those residents of Camberwell who valued her good sense and friendship.

Stories of 2008 so far!

A belated start to blogging in 2008, but no shortage of things to write about! Last Tuesday I went to a meeting with John Healy, the Local Government Minister, to make the case for even greater funding for Southwark over the coming three years. The meeting was a cross-party event and I was happy to put the interests of the borough as a whole above purely partisan politics.

Central Government funds about 70% of spending in the borough, and the increase which we will be receiving in 2008/09 is 2% more than the current year. This is just on the Government's inflation target, so it does not provide any real scope for growth in spending, and could mean that the Council will have to review its expenditure in certain areas. The Leader of the Council has spoken of the need to close 3 leisure centres, or putting key regeneration projects on hold as a result of the limited increase, but I think this amounts to a degree of scare-mongering. At the end of the day the decisions about how money is spent in our borough will reflect the political choices and priorities of the ruling LibDem/Tory coalition.

I was keen to stress to John Healy that people will not understand if the Council does not deliver on our major regeneration projects, so I hope that a future meeting which we agreed to have will find some additional funding to secure the regeneration of the Aylesbury Estate and Elephant and Castle.

The LibDem's Executive member for Regeneration announced his resignation last week. Richard Thomas has served on the Executive since 2002 and been in charge of Regeneration since 2006. I am truly surprised at his decision to quit, although the local newspapers say he will be the first of many this year. With limited talent on the LibDem benches it is not obvious where his replacement is likely to come from.

Finally, the Camberwell Grove Working Party met last week to discuss plans for the re-opening of the road. There are still huge problems with any traffic light "solution" on Camberwell Grove, as it has the potential of creating real gridlock in the area. So the latest proposal involves the re-opening being limited to the south to north carriageway (the only carriageway which will be open after the repairs in any event) with north to south traffic continuing to be diverted. This is not a perfect solution, but with the severe limits resulting from the bridge repairs no solution is 100% acceptable. This proposal at least has the advantage of keeping traffic moving on Camberwell Grove, especially during the morning rush-hour. Officers have gone away to consider the proposals in greater detail, and I will update this page with any further information I get.

Staff Awards, The Year Ahead ... and Riverside Result

Two weeks ago the Southwark Team Staff awards were held at Vinopolis on the South Bank. Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey was the special guest. The awards were to those teams of workers on the Council who had achieved great results over the past year, and I was privileged to present an award to the team behind the Southwark Community Games.


There has been some negative press coverage about this event but I will not be joining in with those who have complained about it. All I saw on the evening were some brilliantly enthused staff who were excited about the event, and who were clearly motivated by being part of a great evening. It is sometimes the staff at Southwark who get caught in the political "cross-fire", so it is important to recognise the hard work they do in some really challenging circumstances.

In the year ahead I think Southwark Council will face some real difficulties over how we meet our obligation to bring out housing stock up to the Government's 'Decent Homes' standard. Current estimates are that we have a £100 million shortfall in the budget although I have heard rumours that this could rise to over £300 million. The Council simply does not have this sort of capital available - so some hard choices will have to be faced. The aggressive partisan approach taken on every issue by the current Tory/LibDem administration means that we rarely discuss issues on a cross-party basis. This is a shame - especially concerning the future of our housing stock, where I would have thought some collective thinking may be helpful. Labour's door is always open. A new approach to politics is almost the mantra of the current LibDem and Tory national party leaders, but in Southwark it has fallen on deaf ears!

After both Labour and the LibDems campaigning vigorously in the Riverside by-election, the result was virtually a 'no change' from 2006. The Libs vote increased by 34 while ours went up by 39. This has been presented as alternatively a) a swing from Labour to the LibDems and/or b) a greater increase in the Libs vote than ours. I don't understand those propositions as to me it looks like our vote increased fractionally more than theirs - albeit 5! It would have been great to have achieved a greater swing or increase in the vote, but at the end of the day we were in a LibDem stronghold, and the national picture has not been kind to Labour recently. But the parallels with the result of the East Walworth by-election in 2004 are clear, when we went on to pick up two of the Council seats in 2006. The LibDems ran an unremittingly negative campaign but at the end of the day the electorate had a good selection of candidates to choose from. Cormac Hollingsworth for Labour was a superb candidate and will make a great councillor. I do not know Anood Al-Samerai who won for the LibDems, but wish her well as an elected councillor.

And so 2007 draws to a close! May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and New Year!

Camberwell Grove - Another Update

Last night I got an e-mail from Paul Noblet, Deputy Executive Member for Transport, which was copied to all councillors in South Camberwell and Brunswick Park. Perhaps rather belatedly Paul seeks our views as to whether we share our constituents concerns with regard to traffic lights as part of the solution to the re-opening of the Camberwell Grove railway bridge.

On the basis that the overwhelming majority of those I surveyed in August/September opposed traffic lights, and given the potential for severe congestion and "clogging" which lights are likely to cause, I have told Paul that I do share my constiuents concerns!

Is it too much to hope that at last these views may be given some attention?!

Riverside Ward By-Election Update

Just over a week to go until the Riverside Ward by-election, and Labour councillors and members have been out working hard on behalf of our strong local candidate, Cormac Hollingsworth. This is an interesting election as it will be the first test of the LibDem/Tory coalition since it took office in May 2006. Riverside ward is also one of those areas where the demographics of the population continue to change significantly, so no party can take its vote for granted - although it should be a safe LibDem seat.

I have not seen as much LibDem activity as I would have expected, although they are specialists in "under the radar" campaigning, and I know that they will be working hard. What has surprised me is the fact that despite being in power for 5 1/2 years in Southwark they have not been able to offer a positive vision for the area. Every leaflet I have seen has contained numerous Labour "scare" stories about our secret plans for everything from our council housing stock to local post offices. The approach seems to be to try and throw everything at Labour and hope that some of it sticks! The problem for the LibDems is that people who meet our candidate Cormac, know that his real ambition is to work hard as a local representative for the residents of Riverside ward. And the second problem for the LibDems is that people know that this election will not change who runs the Council - so the daft scare stories are simply irrelevant!

I do know that if Riverside Ward wants the best local candidate who will serve his community and stand up for their interests they need look no further than Cormac. I hope that they will give him their support next week!

Labour Group Event!

Last Saturday night 230 Labour members and supporters attended a fund-raising event in Camberwell for the Damilola Taylor Trust. We were honoured to be joined by Damilola's parents, Richard and Gloria Taylor. Richard gave a very gracious speech and spoke of his commitment to continue the work of the Trust in Southwark. The event was also attended by Harriet Harman MP and Val Shawcross, GLA member for Lambeth & Southwark.

A great deal of work had been put into organising the event by my colleagues Althea Smith, Dora Dixon-Fyle, Mary Foulkes and Martin Seaton. Many other colleagues worked hard on the day and night to make it a success.

As well as raising funds for the Damilola Taylor Trust we were also marking the bi-centenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

The excellent news was that we raised £5,000 for the Damilola Taylor Trust.

Another Council Assembly!

Last night saw the final Council Assembly of 2007. As a meeting it has ceased to be of any real significance since the Constitutional changes introduced by the Tory/LibDem Executive last May meant that local people could no longer bring deputations to Council Assembly. But last night was reduced to a near farce as the LibDems sought to prevent Labour councillors asking questions of Executive members. A series of questions from LibDem councillors to Jeff Hook, Executive member for Community Safety, were met with lenghty replies which he read out from his pre-prepared script. At one stage he was falling about laughing as he read yet another answer to a planted question. Personally I don't think it is a laughing matter that 29 Labour Councillors are prevented from questioning the Tory/LibDem Executive. It is certainly not a proper way to be conducting the business we were elected to do.

As to the remainder of the meeting, the Council adopted the first resolution which is necessary to revise our local bye-laws, and debated Government funding to Southwark; transport links in South London and the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle. It was interesting that Cllr Stanton spoke of the need for us to argue on behalf of Southwark as a whole in securing additonal funding from the Government; citing Camberwell & Peckham as the 6th most deprived constituency in the UK; at the same time as the LibDems are distributing leaflets in the Riverside by-election which seek to pit Bermondsey against Peckham. A real inconsistency which needs some explanation! When he tried to give examples of his Executive's support for Camberwell & Peckham he could only mainly point to projects which had received non-Council funding - the Peckham City Academy (DfES funding) and Burgess Park football pitches (Sport England). The Labour Group will always support any argument which is intended to secure fair funding for Southwark, but we do need to see that fairness practiced across Southwark as well.

Remembrance Sunday and the Riverside By-Election

Yesterday I was honoured to lay a wreath at Southwark's War Memorial on the Walworth Road on behalf of the Labour Group. It was a slightly odd service, with wreath-layers called forward in a fairly random order, and far too many people carrying on with their usual business on the Walworth Road during the two minute silence. I know that people have other things to do in their lives, but standing still for two minutes as a mark of respect for all those who have given their lives in order that we can lives ours in the way we wish to today does not seem to be too much to ask.

Harriet Harman attended for what was her 25th Remembrance Day ceremony at Southwark's War Memorial - she had been pressed to attend at the Cenotaph in Whitehall but instead chose to come to the Walworth Road.

I am told that the Leader of the Council attended the West Lane ceremony. West Lane is on one of the boundaries of Riverside Ward where campaigning really got going this weekend. All of the major parties have now selected their candidates. Cormac Hollingsworth is, as predicted, Labour's candidate. He is the only truly local candidate of all those put forward by the main parties. He is a committed community activist and will make a superb councillor. Anood Al-Samerai, rejected by voters in Brunswick Park last year and most recently part of the LibDems action team in East Walworth, has dusted off her carpetbag and been selected for the Libs. Anood is clearly really desperate to be a councillor and, surprise surprise, works in Simon Hughes's office - so presumably has his blessing in the same way as Paul Baichoo did! And look what happened to Paul Baichoo!!

The Libs have already started publishing material full of half-truths. They just don't seem to care about the facts! Their latest leaflet contains pure scare stories about Labour wanting to use Bermondsey's money in Camberwell and Peckham; and our 'secret plans' for all sorts of nonsense! So secret that none of us in Labour know about them!! There is a nasty angle to these stories though - as they are designed to pit one part of our borough against another. As the Libs have been running Southwark for 5 1/2 years I would have hoped they would have got over this nasty approach and appreciate that they SHOULD be serving all of the people of the borough and not just those in the areas where they have their support.

One of the most ridiculous stories is about our 'secret plans' to raise councillors allowances as colleagues in Lambeth have done. This is plain nonsense. Firstly, we have a stated manifesto commitment to cut councillor's allowances; secondly, the LibDems are the ones who have consistently raised their own allowances year after year since taking office in 2002 and thirdly, even if we took Southwark allowances to the same level as those in Lambeth they would be far LOWER than those paid in Southwark. In short, there is not a grain of truth in their 'story'.

One issue likely to be of importance in this by-election is the future of the site adjacent to Tower Bridge, where Berkeley Homes have planning permission for a major housing development. The Town Hall is clearly getting worked up over a story which appeared in last week's Southwark News, which discussed the possibility that Southwark residents may have lost up to £50 million as a result of a decision forced through by the LibDems two years ago to transfer ownership of Potters Field Park from the Council to a separate Trust. If the story is true it is an example of shocking incompetence and huge loss to the public purse - and if I was the LibDems I would want to bury it too!

Camberwell Grove Bridge Meeting

Last night 300 residents came to Grove Chapel on Camberwell Grove for a meeting to discuss the future of the Camberwell Grove Railway Bridge. It was a superb public meeting with many thoughtful and relevant contributions - and a fair bit of applause and barracking! The meeting came about after Cllr Sandra Rhule, Chair of Camberwell Community Council, together with myself and Cllr Ian Wingfield proposed it at a recent Community Council meeting.

I had the job of trying to summarise some of the main points of the evening - not an easy task as there were some fairly polarised views! My own views are that Network Rail must bear significant responsibility for the failure to repair the bridge speedily. Readers of this blog will know that we have been promised a number of different dates for the bridge to re-open, but these have constantly slipped. We were told last night that March 2008 is now the likely time to re-open; although I wouldn't bet any money on that! Traffic signals remain an unpopular solution to the problem of how to manage traffic on a re-opened bridge. Despite some hostile views being expressed, the vast majority of residents present at the meeting and directly affected by a traffic signal solution were against them. This accords with my recent survey. I can understand the frustration of people who want to see the bridge re-opened, but I don't understand why they are angry that traffic signals are unpopular - perhaps a reader can enlighten me!?

Issues on which everyone seemed to be in agreement were - 1. the need to properly stop HGVs and lorries using Camberwell Grove; 2. the need for a sympathetic solution to managing the traffic - there is no reason why a solution needs to look like roadworks on the M6; 3. a proper traffic survey across Camberwell and Peckham in order to try and limit the number of rat-runs; 4. the need for a permanent and long-term solution to the problem. Ultimately the railway bridge needs to be replaced, and the sooner this can be done, the better.

Cllr Paul Noblet, the LibDem Executive member for transport put in a fairly woeful performance. Although he has not been in the job long he did not appear to have briefed himself on the issues and received a fairly angry reception from the residents present.

Cllr Mark Glover, my colleague from the Lane Ward, chaired the meeting excellently, and every view was fairly heard. Andrew Downes, the Council's traffic officer coped very well with some tough questions and gave a thorough presentation.

I hope that the meeting served to underline the strength of feeling which exists on this issue, and this helps guide Cllr Noblet and Andrew Downes to make the right decisions for the future of Camberwell Grove.

Riverside Ward By-election

After a very poor attendance record at Council meetings over the past six months (he attended one Community Council meeting for 10 minutes in October) Paul Baichoo has resigned as a LibDem councillor in Riverside Ward. Paul has cited health reasons for his decision to quit, although according to local newspaper Southwark News, this appears to be at odds with other reports of his attending nightclubs and partying in Ibiza. I hope that Paul's current health worries are unfounded. Paul was clearly not comfortable with his council membership, and for some time had appeared to be disillusioned with the LibDem/Tory Executive - he voted against his party at a Council Assembly meeting at the start of the year. However, he has not worked hard for his constituents for some time and he has done the right thing in resigning.

This means a by-election in Riverside Ward on December 13th. Labour's candidate is likely to be Cormac Hollingsworth. Cormac lives in the ward and has been working tirelessly for people living there for a number of years. Issues concerning anti-social behaviour on the Four Squares Estate and the prospect of lap-dancing clubs on Tooley Street have only been brought to public attention through the work which Cormac has put in. If the people of Riverside Ward want a councillor who will actually represent them, they need look no further than Cormac! They certainly deserve some full-time representation.

I have no doubt that Simon Hughes and Nick Stanton will try and parachute in some other acolyte of theirs, but the Paul Baichoo experience will surely leave Riverside Ward residents wondering whether another Hughes/Stanton stooge is the best they can do.

A Labour win on December 13th will seriously undermine the ruling Tory/LibDem coalition and put a question mark over whether the they can continue in office all the way to 2010.

Threat to Denmark Hill Service....again!

Last year a successful campaign by Cllr Veronica Ward, Val Shawcross AM, Harriet Harman MP, myself and numerous local residents led to Network Rail withdrawing plans to cut the direct train service between Denmark Hill and Victoria.

Well now Network Rail are at it again - but this time they want to cut the direct service between Denmark Hill and London Bridge, and significantly reduce services from other local stations. The consulation period is incredibly short but Veronica and I will be handing out leaflets and asking people to sign a petition at Denmark Hill station next Monday and Thursday between 8am and 9am.

My colleague Cllr Fiona Colley gives more detail on her blog. It is really important that local residents express their views - we know from last year's campaign that it does work!

UPDATE - If you want to send your comments to Network Rail on these proposals this is the e-mail address - southlondon.rus@networkrail.co.uk

Election 2007/ 8 / 9 / 10.....

So there won't be a General Election this year. Although Team Labour in Southwark was ready to go if Gordon Brown had announced a November 1st Election, many members will be relieved that we can concentrate instead on the important elections for the London Mayor and the GLA next May. The choice for the electorate in those elections is plain - more progress on developing London as the World's Capital City under Ken Livingstone; or making us a laughing stock under Boris Johnson. I can't believe that anyone is seriously considering voting for Boris - he treated the whole exercise of becoming the Tory candidate as "a bit of a laugh", and apart from making a few fatuous and inaccurate comments about bendy buses has said nothing of interest about London or Londoners.

So did Gordon Brown make the right decision? Almost certainly, yes. There were numerous reasons why a November 1st poll would have been bad for Labour. Firstly, it would have been incredibly difficult to encourage people to come out to vote after dark; the electoral register is at the end of its useful life for the year and many people would have been disenfranchised; and I am not sure that people would have understood why we were having an election now. Given that we had just passed an amendment to our Party constitution in Bournemouth which provided that any future manifesto had to be agreed by a vote of the entire Party membership, it would also have been a bit odd to throw ourselves into an election without going through that process. It would hardly have been a demonstration of support for our new-look internal party democracy!

The speculation was allowed to run on too long, and I can't help thinking that Gordon Brown has not been well served by his team of advisers. It is incredible and fairly disheartening that he has ended up getting such bad publicity for such an unnecessary reason.

So when will the next General Election be? Although the indications are that it will now be in the Spring of 2009 I have believed for some time that we may have a General Election on the same day as the next borough elections in London in 2010. This will be leaving the General Election until the last possible date, but there are recent precedents in 1992 and 1997. Now that really would make for an interesting election locally and nationally!

One footnote from the weekend of campaigning - both Labour and the Conservatives were out working in Bermondsey and Old Southwark, but there was no sign of the LibDems. I can't help thinking that Simon Hughes and his colleagues are really worn out and are just giving up on Southwark!

Labour Conference 2007

Last week was spent in Bournemouth at the Labour Party Conference. I took advantage of the opportunity to chat with the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, about the continuing problems of anti-social behaviour in the north of the borough on the Four Squares Estate, and the failure of the LibDem Council in Southwark to respond to the repeated requests of residents on the Estate to take tough action. Jacqui Smith called on the Council to respond to those requests and use all of the powers available to tackle the problems of anti-social behaviour.

I also noticed that it was reported this week that only 4 ASBO's had been issued against residents in Bermondsey over the past year, compared to 14 in Camberwell. Although there have been some historic issues concerning street drinking in Camberwell, it is surprising that so little seems to have been done in Bermondsey when this seems to have been one of the parts of Southwark which has suffered for so long from the sort of behaviour on estates which was supposed to be tackled by Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.

At another meeting at the Conference Yvette Cooper, the Housing Minister, told Southwark to get on with bringing its council housing up to the Decent Homes standard, given recent reports that the council is looking for an extension of up to two years after the 2010 deadline for the works to be completed. Southwark has dragged its feet unacceptably over the whole issue of Decent Homes, and at a time when other London Councils are completing their works it is amazing that Southwark is continuing to dither and delay.


The Conference was a good week for Labour, with excellent speeches from Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone and Harriet Harman closing the Conference. This picture shows me with Gordon Brown at the Unite Reception on Wednesday evening.

Camberwell Grove Bridge - UPDATE

I received an amazing 187 responses to my survey on views concerning the closure of the railway bridge in Camberwell Grove - representing 215 residents. This is well over 50% of those who received the survey.

Of those 187, 100 (53%) were in favour of keeping Camberwell Grove closed permanently, whilst 87 (47%) want to see the road re-opened.

80 (80%) of those residents who want to see the road stay closed live in Camberwell Grove; whilst 71 residents (81%)of those residents who want the road to re-open live in Grove Park; where much of the displaced traffic from Camberwell Grove has been diverted.

From those respondents who want to see the road re-opened, the overwhelming majority are in favour of it returning to a two-way route, albeit with some width restrictions. There were many other individual proposals concerning priority lanes and one-way traffic from other respondents. However, there was near unanimity from all respondents that they did not wish to see the introduction of traffic lights at the bridge - I also received 28 separate letters on this topic!

As some residents will know, Southwark Council's preferred "safe" option for Camberwell Grove is that it should re-open with traffic light controls.

I presented my survey results at last night's Camberwell Community Council, and secured the agreement of my Council colleagues and the relevant traffic officer that there should be (a) further consultation with affected residents about the proposals for Camberwell Grove by the Council and that (b) as part of that consultation there should be a public meeting for all affected residents of Camberwell and Peckham to explore the various options.

Watch this space for more details of the public meeting!

Cllr Blango - Not up to the Job!

Two and a half years after Lord Herman Ouseley reported on Southwark's equalities record and procedures, the Labour Group thought that it was timely to review progress in implementing the 35 recommendations which he had made, and tabled a series of questions and a motion for debate at last night's Council Assembly. We could not have been clearer in giving warning to the Executive member with responsibility for equalities of our intentions, so that he could come to the Council Chamber fully briefed and ready to deal with any queries we raised.

So it was profoundly disappointing that Cllr Columba Blango chose to simply berate the fact that Labour had raised the subject and failed to display any grasp of his portfolio responsibilities last night. And remember that he draws £43,000 of Council Tax payers money for the post he holds!

Lord Ouseley's review came about as a result of specific concerns within the Black and Minority Ethnic ('BME') community in Southwark and amongst the Council's staff and it was this area of equalities with which he was particularly concerned. For example, a disproportionate number of Southwark Council's BME staff had been subject to disciplinary proceedings, and there was no apparent plan to increase the number of BME staff in senior posts. So it was fairly shocking to find in response to written questions which we had submitted that Southwark apprarently no longer monitors the ethnic profile of those subject to disciplinary proceedings and the number of senior BME staff has decreased from 17.2% to 15.7%.

Cllr Blango's response to both of these concerns was that he was confident that there was no problem with BME staff and disciplinary proceedings (although how he knows is a complete mystery) and that we can't expect the number of senior BME staff on the Council to increase overnight. Exactly, but what action plan was he going to put in place to try and increase the percentage of BME staff was our response?

This led to contributions from Council Leader Nick Stanton and his increasingly volatile Tory Deputy Kim Humphreys about very senior staff appointments by members over the past twelve months which; deliberately or not; completely missed the point.

This was a serious attempt by the Labour Group to probe the Ouseley review and the Council's progress in apparently "mainstreaming" the report's recommendations. As it took six weeks for some fairly simple questions to be answered by various departments, and then for all those answers to come from one officer, we are far from convinced that "mainstreaming" has occurred.

The response of Cllrs Stanton and Humphreys to the debate was disappointing - but they have not often felt comfortable on previous occasions when we have debated these issues.

But the performance of Cllr Blango was simply astonishing. He had failed to prepare for the questions which were put to him or the debate that followed. He failed to exhibit any understanding of the importance of the subject or what he might do in his Executive role to promote greater action to deal with the 10 recommendations from Lord Ouseley which still require urgent attention. In short, he was not up to his job. In any other sphere of work Cllr Blango would be considering his position this morning, and others would be giving him advice on what he should do. My advice is simple - he should resign.

Cllr Capstick Resigns

After two months of pressure from Southwark's Labour Group and internal divisions within her own group on the subject, Cllr Denise Capstick, the Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, announced her resignation at the start of last night's Council Assembly following her conviction for drink driving in July. It is the right thing for her to have done and it is only disappointing that it has taken her such a long time, and the prospect of losing a vote calling on her to resign, for her to reach this inevitable decision.

Although Cllr Capstick has not been at her best with regard to this whole incident, the real failure lies with Council Leader Nick Stanton. It was he who said that he had "not considered for a minute" that she should resign, and sought to downplay her conviction on the basis that she had not crashed and no one had been injured. As I have spoken to people across Southwark about this incident, it is the words and actions of Cllr Stanton which have attracted the most anger. And I am informed that his Party Leaders at LibDem HQ have been far from impressed with his handling of Cllr Capstick's case - believing that he should have asked her to resign immediately.

It is not often that it is possible to highlight a clear decision made by a Council Leader and judge the merits of that decision. Normally decisions are taken by committees or larger bodies. But in this case we have been able to see Cllr Stanton's decision and consider his judgement. He has clearly failed to demonstrate leadership or judgement, and despite his best efforts Cllr Capstick has been forced from her job. I imagine that there are a number of LibDem councillors today who are wondering whether they are going to survive electorally in Southwark if they have to rely for much longer on the leadership and judgement of Cllr Stanton.

Southwark Labour Conference

Labour Party members from across Southwark gathered on Saturday for our first annual borough conference. It was a terrific day, with speeches from Harriet Harman, Tessa Jowell, Hazel Blears and Val Shawcross. There are not many boroughs which can organise an event like this and attract three Cabinet ministers! Harriet spoke of her work as Deputy Leader and Chair of the Labour Party; Tessa spoke of the need for a new politics to tackle the problems we face - particularly in inner-city areas like Southwark; and Hazel Blears spoke of the challenges and opportunities facing us in local government.

There was a truly positive feeling during the day, which was held at InSpire in Liverpool Grove, and there is certainly a feeling that the Labour Party has a renewed optimism about tackling the problems which we face in national and local government. The day also included six working group sessions which discussed papers which had previously been prepared, and which will begin to form the basis of our manifesto for the 2010 local elections.


Over 100 people attended the conference, which I hope will be the first of many in the years to come. The event really demonstrated that Southwark Labour Party is one of the most dynamic and progressive borough partys in the country!

Cllr Capstick - UPDATE

Southwark News reported last week that there were significant divisions within the LibDem Group on Southwark Council with regard to the way in which Cllr Capstick's drink-driving conviction had been handled. This appears to have been borne out by the LibDem Group meeting on Monday where, I am reliably informed, 4 LibDem Group members refused to support Denise.

Whilst many people that I have spoken to are still amazed that Cllr Capstick did not resign her position immediately, there is equal if not greater amazement at Cllr Stanton's comments that he would not sack her as she had not crashed.

This whole episode has a feeling of Cllr Capstick and her colleagues not choosing to do what is right, but choosing to do what they can get away with. To my mind it is so patently obvious that Cllr Capstick should have resigned her position that it hardly needs stating.

All councillors will have an opportunity to vote on a Labour motion at next week's Council Assembly about drink-driving. It will be interesting to see if any of the LibDem "rebels" are prepared to vote in public to condemn the sort of behaviour which Cllr Capstick has been convicted of, or whether they will manage to find some mealy-mouthed way of avoiding expressing any view. I do not believe that any politician should send out an ambiguous message about drink-driving, and I hope that the LibDems and their Conservative colleagues will put principle ahead of their allowances - for once.

Today's Daily Mirror!

I was shocked when I turned to page 22 of the Daily Mirror today, as it posed the question "Is this the baddest Council in Britain?". Here is the full article -

"Is this the baddest council in Britain?
EXCLUSIVE Child porn, dodgy websites, drink driving, junketing..
By Rosa Prince Political Correspondent 20/08/2007

A lib Dem-run council hit by a string of scandals has been branded the baddest in Britain.

A candidate was jailed for child porn, one councillor runs an adults-only website, and a former deputy mayor was accused of aiding terrorists - a claim she denies.

Another member of Southwark council is a convicted drink-driver.

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And the local authority was also slammed for spending £300,000 a year on food and drink at meetings.

Former candidate Karl Lindon, 26, was jailed for three years in May for having 2,500 indecent images of children on his PC.

He canvassed for the party but pulled out of the 2006 local elections at the last minute.

Councillor Paul Baichoo is a glamour photographer who runs Urbanbuddha.com featuring pictures of scantily-clad women.

He said on another site: "I've been a male escort." Baichoo did not comment last night.

Eliza Mann, an ex-Lib Dem mayor, was accused by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence of having links to a group that raises funds for the Tamil Tigers. She denied the accusation, and said: "I campaign for the independence of the Tamil people in a peaceful way." Police confirmed she was not being investigated.

Denise Capstick, the South London council's head of health services, was recently fined £500 for drink driving and given an 18-month ban. But Lib Dem council leader Nick Stanton said she did not need to resign as "she didn't crash".

One resident said: "This lot are a complete shower."

The national Liberal Democrat Party said: "We have no comment about any of this."

Could it be Kirsty?

Interesting prediction on the electoral calculus predictor today which suggests that if a General Election were held tomorrow Simon Hughes would lose and Bermondsey and Old Southwark would have a new Labour MP in my colleague Cllr Kirsty McNeill.

The figures are LibDem 34.94%; Labour 36.8% and Tories 15.14%. The predictions are based on recent opinion polls up to the 22nd of July and take account of boundary changes which come into effect for the next General Election.

Although opinion polls can be notoriously unreliable, it really does seem that we are in for an interesting battle for Bermondsey whenever the next General Election comes.

LibDems Weasel Words on Drink Driving

The LibDem group on Southwark Council seem to have battened down the hatches in the hope that the criminal drink drive conviction of Executive Member Cllr Denise Capstick will be forgotten. I still think that this is an absolutely unbelieveable response and sets the worst possible example across the borough.

Since suggesting that the Labour Group would report Cllr Capstick to the Standards Board for England I have received and seen comments from the LibDems which suggest that the Standards Board are bound to dismiss any complaint that is made against Denise as a result of the judgment of Mr Justice Collins in the Ken Livingstone v The Evening Standard case, in which the Judge ruled that anything which the Mayor did in his private life could not be regarded as bringing his public office into disrepute.

But this ignores the fact that on the 23rd of May this year Southwark Council Assembly voted to introduce a new Code of Conduct for members specifically as a consequence of Mr Justice Collins' judgment, and which specifically stated that members would bring the council into disrepute if they were guilty of criminal offences committed before the new Code took effect, but for which the member was not convicted until after the Code took effect.

So it seems to me that if all members signed up to the new Code of Conduct; as we all did - including Cllr Capstick; we should all be bound by it! It is nothing more than dishonourable and disreputable for LibDems to now say that the Code of Conduct has got nothing to do with them. This is exactly the sort of behaviour and weasel words which bring politics and politicians into disrepute.

So I repeat my plea from my last posting - Cllr Capstick should resign and resign now!

Drink Driving - Why Denise should Resign

Cllr Denise Capstick is the Health and Adult Social Care Executive member on Southwark Council. She is a former Mayor of Southwark and a Major in the Territorial Army. She has a good record of service to the public.

But last week she was convicted of drink driving, banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay a £500 fine. Apparently she was caught by the Police when she was attempting to drive home after getting drunk at this year's Mayor Making party. She had called out the AA because of a gearbox problem, who then called the Police when they realised she was drunk.

The explanation which she has sent to all councillors in an e-mail is barely credible and involves a convoluted tale of losing contact with her friends at the party, being unable to get a taxi, and taking the decision to drive home rather than walk.

This was foolish and criminal behaviour by Denise. For years governments and the Police have worked to rightly stigmatise the act of drinking and driving - not just because it is the law, but because people still get killed and seriously injured by drunk drivers.

I am absolutely stunned that Denise has not yet chosen to act honourably and resign from both her Executive position and the Council. It is right that councillors are only human, and are subject to human frailties, but her conviction shows that she has fallen well below the standard to be expected of a person in elected political office. Politicians often complain about the cynicism with which the public treat us, but is it any wonder if the public see people like Denise just "getting away with it" following a criminal conviction and being allowed to hold on to her £42,000 salary and the perks that go with it.

The reaction of the Council Leader is even more amazing. Cllr Stanton has defended Denise on the basis that "..she didn't crash". Well that's alright then. A drunk driver can motor around Southwark with the Council Leader's approval providing they don't run anyone over or collide with anything. Cllr Stanton has said some foolish things in his time, but this must rank as his most stupid.

Drink driving is a crime; society should rightly condemn those who drive when drunk. Cllr Capstick should resign immediately.

Southwark Youth Summit

Last night Southwark Labour Group launched an extensive consultation exercise with young people across the borough to find out what their priorities are and what they would like the Council and Government to do to meet those priorites.

During the Autumn we will be talking to many youth groups across Southwark in what will be essentially a listening exercise for us. Southwark Council has an extensive budget which should provide support and services for young people, but it sometimes seems that that money does not meet the aspirations of too many young people.

I have to admit that last night's event at the Town Hall was dominated by the "grown-ups", but future meetings will really be targetted at young people and only they will be invited. If you have any thoughts about youth provision in the borough, or if you would like to help organise one of our meetings please get in touch.



I was amazed by a terrific card trick at the end of the evening - as the photo shows!

Camberwell Grove Update

Here is the latest information which I received today in an e-mail from Southwark Council's Transport Department. I have reprinted it in full:

"Background
The network rail bridge was closed, under emergency powers by the police following a routine maintenance inspection, which revealed a crack in the beam.
The repairs are being implemented in two parts with the final part being undertaken in July 07. As the repairs are located under the bridge, they can only be implemented during closures of the railway.
These repairs will allow the bridge to be reopened to traffic but with limitations as follows :-
* The bridge will have a weight limit 7.5tonne, which will need to be physically enforced with a width restriction.
* Only one lane of traffic can be permitted to use the bridge due to the location of the repair.
The bridge can only be open to vehicular traffic once the above restrictions are implemented. This restriction will need to remain in place until Network Rail can gain funding for a permanent repair of the bridge, which would allow the removal of the weight limit and any associated traffic management measures.
Not surprisingly during the closure there have been opposing views regarding the closure, with some residents supporting the permanent closure of the bridge and others complaining about the additional travelling time and/or additional traffic travelling on their roads.
Proposal
To facilitate the above restriction and the opening of the bridge to limited vehicular traffic, Network Rail consultants have submitted for consideration, some options, which would achieve the partial opening of the bridge.
These options centre around two themes:
* Allowing alternative lane working on the bridge (i.e. allowing priority to either north or southbound traffic across the bridge at any one time); or
* Making the traffic flow on the bridge in one direction only.
Both of these would incorporate a width restriction across the bridge of 2.1m (6ft 6inches) and the traffic of cars and light vans would only be allowed to cross the bridge on the western half of the carriageway.
However, all the options require additional traffic management measures at the junction of Camberwell Grove and McNeil Road. This is due to various potential safety constraints/concerns and at this stage officers view are that only one option can be progressed, which will carry minimal risk in terms of safety. That option is for using traffic signals to control vehicles across the bridge and that also incorporates the junction with McNeil Road.
OPTIONS
1. Mini roundabout at jn McNeil Rd Only allows north bound traffic to use bridge, southbound traffic would still need to be diverted as present. Unbalanced traffic flow would mean roundabout would not operate efficently.
2. Single flow only Northbound Only allows north bound traffic to use bridge, southbound traffic would still need to be diverted as present. Conflict point where traffic emerges from McNeil Road.
3. Two-way flow Priority north bound Allows traffic to cross bridge in both directions but southbound would have to give way to northbound traffic. Difficult for traffic to exit McNeil Road with sub standard visibility.
4. Two-way flow signal controlled Allows both north and southbound traffic to cross bridge. Allows traffic to enter and leave McNeil Road safely. Better pedestrian safety.
All the above options were considered and the only one in our view that can allow traffic to cross the bridge in both directions safely is option 4. We have been waiting for confirmation from TfL(Signals) that the traffic signals scheme is an option and they can accommodate it within their programme of works. This has now been received and we have passed this information on to Network Rail with an indication that the overall cost is estimated at £121,000 and wait their confirmation that they will cover the costs fully.
As the bridge was closed under emergency powers it is necessary to reopen it when it is safe to do so. As we believe there is only one safe way of doing this (using traffic signals) the next issue is how this is communicated with the public as in reality we will be informing and not consulting.
Currently we have no indication when Network Rail will confirm their approval to fund the works but this maybe before the next round of Community Councils."

Please get in touch with me if you would like your views to be heard on this subject.

Elephant & Castle Development Partner

Southwark's Executive today chose Lend Lease as its major Development Partner for the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle, a project which will have repurcussions right across Southwark. Already there is the potential for more jobs and retail space from the regeneration, together with the prospect of a brand new swimming pool and even a new Town Hall!

It will be at least 12 years before the regeneration of the Elephant & Castle is complete, and in those 12 years there will be real opportunities for Southwark residents to benefit from the work in the building industry which will be generated by the regeneration taking place. But those opportunites will only come if Southwark's residents have the necessary skills for those jobs. For at least 2 years I have been arguing that Southwark desperately needs a Building Skills College to equip residents of all ages for the unprecedented opportunites which lie ahead in the borough. Such a College formed a central plank in Labour's local election manifesto last year. However, we still seem to be no further forward, and there seems to be a lack of political will within the Council to urgently address this issue.

Building trades provide opportunities for good employment and incomes for local people for at least the next decade in Southwark. It is time for the Council to take a lead on equipping reseidents with the skills they will need.

Crossthwaite Avenue

The parade of shops in Crossthwaite Avenue are a vital community resource, but at the moment they are all struggling to survive. Two of the shops are currently shuttered up while the others are facing difficulties in meeting the rent increases which Southwark Council want to impose.

So I hope that a meeting between Veronica and myself together with the Deputy Chief Executive of the Council and the Head of the Property section will result in some real help for the shopkeepers. We visited the shopping parade and spoke with Mr Patelia from the Post Office, Hugh Dawes from St Faiths Church and others who highlighted the problems Crossthwaite Avenue has been facing. With uncertainty over the future of the Post Office it is really important that everything possible is done to help the shops continue trading. Although it may be difficult to do anything directly about rents, money could be spent to regenerate the area around the parade and make it a more welcoming shopping environment. Better signage would alert people to the fact that the shops are there! The shops serve the Denmark Hill and Cleve Hall Estates, together with the residents of Sunray Avenue and surrounding roads, so it would be a disaster if they were lost.

Veronica and I are committed to fighting for the future of Crossthwaite Avenue and will continue to pursue this issue until some greater help is provided by the Council.

That 'Cash for Honours' Investigation

Am I alone in thinking that Assistant Commissioner John Yates of the Yard has been allowed to go on a hugely disruptive and expensive ego trip over the past 16 months? Month after month we have all read and seen sensational stories which have warned that charges were almost certain to be brought against Lord Levy, Ruth Turner and others who have been interviewed by John Yates. The story has led the television news on numerous occasions and Tony Blair was interviewed on three occasions. So today's news that no charges will be brought as a result of the £1 million investigation make me wonder what on earth has been going on, and how Yates has been allowed to preside over this costly investigation for so long.

I still think that the dawn raid arrest of Ruth Turner was an absolute disgrace. Why could the Police have not arranged an interview with Ms Turner at a mutually convenient time? It cannot be suggested that she was a potential fugitive from justice, and lives would certainly not have been at risk if the Police had called a few hours later. My conclusion is that the arrest occurred at 6.30am in order for Mr Yates to grab the headlines yet again, and to demonstrate the macho power of the constabulary.

The whole exercise has damaged politics enormously, but it has also certainly damaged the Metropolitan Police and the reputation of John Yates.

Congratulations to Virendra Sharma!

Congratulations are due to Virendra Sharma and Phil Wilson on winning great by-election victories for Labour. After Tony Lit was shown up as a rather shallow opportunist last weekend it seemed fairly clear that he was not going to win in Ealing Southall. But yesterday as I glanced at some of the LibDem literature proclaiming their impending victory I thought that the yellow party might have known something the rest of Ealing Southall did not! Alas, the Great Ming Cavalcade failed to make any serious impression in either by-election, despite their typical fairly grubby campaigning techniques.

So great results for Labour! David Cameron is clearly not the vote-winner that his colleagues had hoped he would be, and the dynamic Sir Menzies Campbell survives as LibDem Leader.

Campaigning in Ealing Southall

Yesterday I went with council colleagues Fiona Colley, Paul Bates and Robert Smeath over to Ealing Southall to help in Virendra Sharma's by-election campaign. The election takes place on Thursday, but the big news yesterday was the huge embarrassment for the Tory candidate of having been exposed as a Labour donor and supporter until a few days before he was chosen by David Cameron to be the Conservative candidate!

While this is an example of unashamed opportunism by the Tory candidate, it also shows absolutely hopeless judgement by David Cameron and his Old Etonian cronies. The Tory candidate may have many admirable qualities, but a guiding political philosphy is clearly not amongst them. But this type of poor judgment by a Party Leader who aspires to be Prime Minister is pathetic. So desperate are the Tories to be seen as something which they fundamentally are not - champions of diversity and equality with a membership that crosses boundaries of class, background and ethnicity - that they have selected virtually the first person who they find who can possibly pass themself off as a New Tory; for that person only to be uncovered as a Labour supporter.

So good luck to Virendra Sharma for Thursday!

Congratulations Harriet!

It is great news that Harriet Harman has been elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party! Over a year ago I spoke with Harriet and told her that she should stand and could win - so it was brilliant to see that hope come true. She has worked incredibly hard during this campaign, and articulated many of the views of Party members - so I also hope that her views will carry real weight with Gordon Brown as we prepare for the next General Election. My own view is that Gordon Brown should make Harriet Deputy Prime Minister - I think many Party members will be baffled if he promotes those deputy leadership candidates who came well below Harriet in the contest to significant positions above her. The whole deputy leadership debate has been about listening to the party membership - so Gordon can now take the opportunity to reflect the fact that he does value the views of the party membership by placing Harriet into a genuine position of authority.

In any event we know that Harriet will be back in the Cabinet after 9 years - and with her role of Deputy Leader and Labour Party Chair she will be in a superb position to champion the people of Camberwell and Peckham and Southwark.

The atmosphere in Manchester yesterday was electric. It was an election which was too close to call - but the common view seemed to be that Alan Johnson would win through. This seemed to be confirmed when the deputy leadership candidates came into the Hall, with Alan smiling broadly and the only one carrying any papers - surely this was his acceptance speech. Five minutes later mobile phones were buzzing with the news that the BBC and Sky were announcing that Harriet had won. Then the phones buzzed again with the news that the BBC had effectively 'un-announced' Harriet's victory!


So it was truly exciting as the results of the ballot were read out - and the computer graphics eventually pushed Harriet over the 50% mark. It is amazing that the result is almost identical to Denis Healey's winning margin over Tony Benn in 1981.

Harriet made a strong and thoughtful speech which was very well received. I do believe that she speaks for a section of the electorate who are too often taken for granted. Gordon Brown was also impressive as he began to lay out his vision for Britain under his premiership - I am confident that Labour can meet "the challenge of change"

Tony Blair Farewell Reception.

Yesterday evening I was lucky enough to see Tony Blair give his final speech as Labour Leader to a Labour Party meeting at West Ham Town Hall. It was fitting that the event organised by the London Labour Party was in Newham which has benefitted so much from the regeneration opportunities provided by the Labour Government, and which will be the principal host borough of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Electorally, Tony Blair has been Labour's most successful leader, and is the second longest serving Prime Minister of the last 100 years after Mrs Thatcher. Although it seems to be a popular pastime for those supposedly on the left of British politics to denegrate the achievements of Tony Blair and his Government, I have no doubt that the past ten years have shown that we can have economic stability and social justice at the same time, and banished forever the idea that Labour cannot be trusted to run the economy.

Throughout the 1970's, 1980's and early 1990's General Elections were determined laregly by economic considerations. Over the past ten years we have taken that economic prosperity for granted.

On any set of figures we do have record investment in our schools and health service. There may still be some work to do in ensuring that investment achieves real improvements, but let's not forget that we no longer talk about people waiting years for routine operations, and our schools are not in the state of physical disrepair which they were in 10 years ago. Looking around Southwark, every secondary school will have been completely renovated within the next 5 years.

Perhaps the biggest change over the past 10 years has been in our social attitudes - we are a more liberal and tolerant society. For this Tony Blair and the Labour Government must take real credit.

Faced with a Tory Party in disarray over its Grammar Schools policy, and which wants to re-introduce admission charges for our museums and galleries, I have no doubt that Tony Blair's legacy will continue to be built on for many years to come by Gordon Brown and future Labour Governments!

VOTE FOR HARRIET!

With only days to go until the deadline for voting in the Labour Deputy Leadership election, can I urge Labour Party members to vote for Harriet Harman as 1st choice. Harriet is a terrific MP for Camberwell and Peckham, and has shown throughout her political career that she is not afraid to speak up for issues which sometimes get overlooked in the mainstream of political activity - reminding us all of the importance of families and childrens rights.

I believe that Harriet would be a brilliant Deputy Leader of our party, and a perfect balance to Gordon Brown as Leader and Prime Minister.

Latest News in Brief

It's been a while since I have posted so I thought I should update on a few of the political stories in Southwark.

Despite our best efforts Cllr Bob Skelly won the vote at Southwark's Mayor-Making meeing on the 16th of May. Much has been made since then of the apologies he made for his insensitive and crass comments when he was forced to resign in disgrace as Executive member for Education in December 2004, and that he has chosen the Damilola Taylor Trust as his Charity for the year. All worthy sentiments and actions I am sure - any sensible person would applaud additional fundraising and publicity for the work of the Trust. However, I still do not understand why the LibDems and the Tories had to choose such a controversial figure as Cllr Skelly in the first place. He is the only one of Southwark's 63 councillors who has had to resign from an Executive, or any post, for making perceived racist comments. Was there really no-one else suitable to be First Citizen of our borough? Could the Lib Dems and Tories not recognise the attributes of Labour's Cllr Situ? I think this whole sorry episode says a great deal about the poor political judgment of the Lib Dem and Tory groups on the Council.

Caroline Pidgeon, the sometime Executive member for Education and Childrens Services, just keeps adding to her sparkling CV and list of positions! Not content with being a local councillor, and Executive member, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Vauxhall; she has now been placed in 3rd position on the Liberals list for next year's GLA elections. Barring political earthquakes Caroline should be elected to the GLA, which I am sure will provide her with another terrific stepping-stone to yet higher office. But two things concern me. With such a portfolio of positions has Caroline really got the time to devote to Southwark's schools? And in any of her new positions, will she be prepared to actually take decisions - in contrast to her real timidity as Executive member?

At the last Council Assembly meeting the Lib Dems and Tories voted through a change to the Constitution which effectively meant that nobody would be entitled to bring a Deputation to full meetings of the Council if they could take their Deputation somewhere else first - such as the Executive or a Community Council. One of the major supporters of this proposal was Cllr Humphreys, who seems astonished that we are not all clamouring to listen to him give Fidel Castro-length speeches and presentations on his wondrous handling of housing affairs! Labour opposed the proposal on the grounds that we argued that it would simply be used by the ruling groups to keep deputations away from Council Assembly meetings. There can sometimes be real advantages to bringing deputations to the full Council, as solutions to previously intractable problems can often be found, and a wider group of councillors made aware of the Deputation's grievances. Sadly our arguments did not win through. So I was not surprised that of the three groups who had applied to bring Deputations to Council Assembly on the 27th of June, all three had been refused! Democracy Southwark-style - you can say whatever you like, but only so long as it isn't going to embarrass the Libs and Tories!

And finally, political credibility is at last mine! In a recent and rather odd interview in Southwark News, Tory Leader Cllr Humphreys condemned me as "not fit to lead" Southwark Council! Just putting to one side the fact that he was prepared to talk to me last May after the elections about a possible coalition, and had previously invited offers from me on a Labour / Tory pact in the last Council between 2004 and 2006, I take it as truly positive that a Thatcherite Tory no longer wants to do business with me! Just in case anyone was in any doubt there are real and genuine political differences between the Labour and Conservative parties; our political philosophies are different; our core constituents are different. I make no apologies for standing up for those in our borough who are the worst off and most in need of support from the Council and other authorities; and for those who look to the Council for leadership, setting an example on how we can best live and work together in our diverse borough.

Dog Walking Chaos!

At the start of the week I couldn't understand why I was suddenly getting calls and e-mails about Southwark's dog-walking policy - until I was told that signs had gone up all over the borough instructing people to keep their dogs on leads.

A little investigation revealed that the Council, in fact, had no powers to erect the signs or require owners to keep their dogs on leads at all times! An embarrassed statement from Cllr Lisa Rajan, who is responsible for the Council's policy in this area, seems to suggest that the signs were erected in advance of a public consultation on the subject. Erm - so I wonder what the Council's views may be given that the signs have already gone up?!

In short, the episode has caused a lot of anger amongst responsible dog owners, and left the Council and Executive looking far from competent. The Executive are to consider the issue at its meeting on Tuesday 19th June - it might be one that dog owners may want to attend!

Camberwell Grove Update

The saga of Camberwell Grove's bridge closure continues. The latest news is that Phase 1 of the works has been completed by Network Rail, although the necessary second phase of the works will not be completed until July.

I am informed that a decision will then need to be taken on how traffic restrictions on the repaired bridge are implemented as the weight limit on the bridge will mean that only single lane traffic will be permitted at this point. Consultation is promised, although I know that there has been previous consultation on the issue of traffic at this point of Camberwell Grove in the past.

So no early resolution to the road closure. I will post any further information as and when I have it!

Let's have sense over Southwark's Mayor

The LibDems have nominated Cllr Bob Skelly as their Mayoral candidate for the forthcoming year. This is what the Evening Standard said about Cllr Skelly in December 2004:

Schools chief quits over 'racist' remark
By Mira Bar-hillel And Oliver Finegold, Evening Standard 06.12.04

One of London's biggest local authorities was at the centre of a race row today after a senior councillor was forced to resign as its education chief.
Bob Skelly had said that Caribbean schoolboys needed "booster lessons in English" and attacked them for a "lack of commitment to education".
Mr Kelly, who was executive member for education at Southwark, claimed his words had been taken out of context.
But race campaigners said the remarks were "outrageous" and called for him to apologise. The council is already facing allegations of institutional racism from black businesses in the borough.
Mr Skelly had been asked by opposition councillors what he was doing to address the performance of Caribbean schoolboys. He replied: "Every evening I go out in a big van and kidnap some Caribbean boys. I berate them about their lack of commitment to education and give them a booster lesson in English."
A spokesman for the National Assembly Against Racism said: "Someone in his position should know better."
Mr Skelly said his remarks were "obviously tongue in cheek and said as a joke". Asked about his resignation, he added: "I'm going into territory that I don't want to talk about."
Council leader Nick Stanton said: "Mr Skelly's comments were crass and stupid. He has been suspended from the local Liberal Democrat group."
It comes after black business owners claimed they were being "ethnically cleansed" to allow the gentrification of parts of the borough. An independent inquiry is investigating.

Just over 2 years on those comments remain "crass and stupid" and I firmly believe that Cllr Skelly is simply not a suitable person to be the First Citizen of a borough as diverse as Southwark. In this year when we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in this country, it is monstrous that the Lib Dems have chosen as their candidate for mayor a councillor who has made such insensitive remarks. The Labour Group will be nominating Cllr Tayo Situ, and I hope that the LibDems realise their gross error and support his candidacy on Wednesday.

Gordon Brown's Campaign Launch

On Friday I attended the launch of Gordon Brown's campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party. With his experience over the past 10 years and clear vision for this country in the future, I am sure that he will not only make a great Leader of the Labour Party but also a fine Prime Minister. I think that the public are looking for a different style of leadership at the present time, and Gordon Brown will provide a truly distinct choice for the electorate at the next election when compared to the "policy-lite" David Cameron.

Emphasising his commitment to listening, restoring power to Parliament, the creation of 5 Eco-Towns, and continued investment in and improvement of our public services, I believe that Gordon Brown's agenda will provide a real boost to the Government after 10 years in power.

It's been ages....

Since I last posted a blog here. Apologies to my many readers (Cllr K Humphries of College Ward!).

So what has been going on? Well we had another Council Assembly last week which was interesting for two reasons. Firstly, despite protests from Cllr Richard "Never Surrender" Thomas that East Dulwich would never be designated as 'Urban' for the purposes of Southwark's Unitary Development Plan, every member of Council Assembly (including Cllr Thomas) voted on Wednesday to designate East Dulwich and other areas including Rotherhithe and parts of Nunhead as erm, 'Urban'! It's not as bad as it sounds - Southwark has decided to adopt the Mayor of London's 'London Plan' densities for these areas which means in technical terms that whereas Southwark had been arguing with central government of densities in these "suburban" areas of 200 - 350 habitable rooms per hectare, we will now operate on an "urban" range of 200 to 450. In fact, this compromise will mean lower densities for certain areas.

This is a perfectly sensible way forward, and could have been adopted since last May. My colleague Cllr Gordon Nardell proposed such a solution a month ago, only to be told by Cllr Thomas that it was impossible. I just think that for the sake of trying to rubbish the Government and create an atmosphere of fear amongst his constituents, Cllr Thomas has ended up looking rather foolish.

Secondly, clear cracks began to appear in the LibDem group, with one member abstaining on a vote concerning additional changing facilities on Peckham Rye for the Carrib Football Club. Carrib have up to 12 teams of young people from right across Southwark playing football on Peckham Rye each weekend. But the changing facilties the Council currently provides are lamentable, and additonal temporary facilities are required. Local councillors had worked hard with officers to reach a compromise, only to have the carpet pulled out from under their feet by the Executive member for Culture and Sport, Cllr Lorraine Zuleta. At the meeting, following a brilliant deputation from several young Carrib FC players, Cllr Zuleta proposed a motion which required Nunhead and Peckham Rye to find the funding for the changing facilities. This completely misses the point that the club is serving the whole of Southwark, and that giving young people such valuable out-of-school activity meets so many of the targets which the Council should have for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour! And whereas Southwark has an overall budget of over £1 billion, Nunhead & Peckham Rye councillors administer just over £250,000 per year in their over-subscribed Cleaner, Greener and Safer budget.

Cllr Zuleta completely misjudged this issue, and it is no surprise to hear that she may be banished to the backbenches in May.

In any event, Nunhead and Peckham Rye councillors have risen to the challenge and agreed to meet the costs of the changing facilities from their very limited Cleaner, Greener and Safer budget. Together with my colleagues, Cllrs Smith and Friary, I have written to the Chairs of all the other Community Councils asking for them to make a contribution. So far we have received positive responses from five Community Council Chairs, including one Liberal Democrat. This just proves that when it is so glaringly obvious that a problem should be solved, backbench councillors will find a way, even if the highly paid Executive will not.