Every month the Peckham CRAG meeting at Peckham Library. The concept is brilliantly simple. Attendees calculate how much Carbon Dioxide their lifestyels result in and share ideas of how to reduce it. Some groups even commit to reducing by a specified amount the CO2 they produce. Very effective CO2 slimming club.

We really need to create one in East Dulwich.

Anyone interested?

The latest crime stat for London are available on the Metropolitan Police website. It shows that reported crime in East Dulwich has taken a sharp dip. Some of this is due to the Police more accurately showing East Dulwich political ward boundaries. But most of the dip can’t be explained in this way.

Much of the dip is due to the hard decisions the three Liberal Democrat councillors have taken to spend local Cleaner, Greener, Safer money in ways suggested by the local Crime Prevention Officer. Things like Alertboxes and gating alleyways. We’ve also been following up our promise to ensure all East dulwich streets have good modern street lighting levels.

So 2006 East Dulwich has 99.72 crime per thousand population. During 2007 this dropped to 86.16 crimes per thousand. This means we’ve gone from being the 3rd to 2nd best ward for lowest reported crime levels in Southwark. The next round of Cleaner, Greener, Safer applications has opened with a closing date of 31 March for applications.

Again we’ll be taking extra heed of what the evidence tells us will reduce crime when deciding between schemes. In one years time I expect to be able to say that East Dulwich is no.1 for lowest reported crime in Southwark. Watch this space….

Over 5% of global CO2 emissions from man comes from plain old contrete.

For every tonne of concrete, 1/2 tonne of CO2 is produced from the chemical reaction and another 1/3rd of a tonne of CO2 from the fossil fuels used to heating calcium carbonate to 1400 degrees C.

During the Soviet Union era they developed a concrete based on Geopolymers. This technology has been rediscovered by Australians. It raw materials are fly ash and slag waste from fossil fueled power stations - great recycling - and works at room temperatures. This technique produces 80% less CO2 than traditional concrete.

considering that in Southwark we have so many regeneration schemes that will require huge quantities of concrete - Elephant & Castle, Canada Water, Bermondsey Square, London Bridge, Blackfriars Road - we need to reduce the embedded energy of all these schemes.

So when will this technology reach our shores helping us make the 80% CO2 reduction we need to make to avoid catastrophic global warming?

I’m delighted to report that last night my ward colleagues Cllr Richard Thomas, Cllr Jonathan Mitchell and I supported a new community library at 18-22 Grove Vale. The library component is something I proposed to the developer two years ago. Last night Southwark Council’s main Planning Council GRANTED planning permission for a new Community Library at 18-22 Grove Vale replacing the current Grove Vale Library. The scheme will include 22 flats, 25% renewable energy, green roofs. The new library will have twice the current floor space for users. This will enable school classes to visit, adult education and increasing the number of days and hours of opening. The new site being next to East Dulwich station will have significantly more footfall. The current library has just over 100,000 visits per year. I’m expecting this to increase by at least 50%. Local businesses in Grove Vale and the surrounding area should benefit from this new magnet for visitors.

The Planning Committee voted: James Gurling, Eliza Mann (reserve), Gordon Nardell, Althea Smith and Aubyn Graham for the scheme, with Robin Crookshank-Hilton voting against the scheme.

The expectation is that six months of finalising planning conditions. Then 18 months to complete the build.

Getting to this position would not have been possible without the developer and agents St.Aidan’s and many council officers, council departments and councillors sharing my vision and overcoming considerable hurdles.

Many thanks for all their hard work. What stars. A really great result for the residents East Dulwich and South Camberwell. 

Currently councils are extremely limited in ensuring new developments meet the highest possible and practicable environmental standards.

A private members bill being promoted by Michael Fallon MP would allow councils, after  involving their communities, to set high energy efficiency standards for new developments and to require them to generate energy locally. This would dramatically save on CO2 emissions, create local jobs.

IF you want such a bill to happen then please contact our Dulwich & West Norwood MP Tessa Jowell and ask her to vote for it on 25 January - Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP, House of Commons, Westminster, SW1A 0AA  

Telephone number - 020 7219 3409, Fax number - 020 7219 2702, E-mail address - jowellt@parliament.uk

Southwark Council has no plans for fortnightly rubbish collections. It is in the process of signing a PFI contract with Veolia for all its rubbish collection and processing services that states weekly rubbish collections.

But I’ve read that councils that have introduced fortnightly rubbish collections have a step increase in recycling. I’ve lots of reservations about how such a fortnightly service would feel. So as an experiment our house has been trying to only put out our rubbish bin every fortnight. For the last two weeks we’ve failed dismally. The rubbish collections guys are so thorough that even when we’ve not put out our rubbish bin out they’ve fetched it from down the side of the house - thwarting our experiment so far.

This week I was horrified to read about an Energy Watch report suggesting Peak Coal is only 25 years away. I’d previously heard about Peak Oil from an East Dulwich resident, which is the point at which from then on ever decreasing amounts of oil will be available and prices will sky rocket. But along with everyone else I’d imagined that some of that problem would be ameliorated by substituting with coal. But to read that Peak Coal is potentially only 25 years away is truely frightening.

If this prediction is correct we are set up for sky rocketing energy prices. Clearly we’re not ready to continue our civilisations globally, nationally, regionally or locally with energy prices ten or more times the current prices. Or with energy becoming unreliable and intermitent.

I had been thinking about more insulation and installing renewable energy for my house. I’m going to accelerate these thoughts into plans.

What are you going to do?

Tuesday 15 January the Dulwich Community Council Planning Committee met to decide, amongst other things, a Listed Building Consent to demolish the grade 2 listed bridge outside North Dulwich railway station on Red Post Hill. Weirdly the item was submitted as a late item with less than five clear days notice. Network Rail have known they’ve required permission since 2004.

I asked whether we could hear the justification for this demolition and judge whether Network Rails stated necessity justified this apparent vandalism. The Southwark Council legal officer stated we were not allowed to consider whether the demolition was justified in our minds. What a silly law. The logical extension is that no listed building is safe. 

It was clear that all the Conservative councillors were minded to allow the demolition. We discussed the details of the replacement and how alike Network Rail plan to return the bridge to its former glory. Sadly Network Rail only offered very limited and few architectural features will be recreated in the replacement bridge.

The application to demolish this part of our architectural heritage was approved. The voting was four Conservatives for the Listed Building Consent and myself against. Democracy in action.

What next. 26 weeks of Red Post Hill being closed to through motor vehicles so that bridge no one wants strengthened for 7.5 tonnes t o44 tonnes can take place.

TWENTY SIX WEEKS.

Some time ago I highlighted my annoyance at the Labour Governments Digital TV tax - all the TV’s, video machines, etc have to be replaced at a huge cost to individuals so that the government can sell TV analogue UHF channels. That this will disproportionately affect the poor.

The UK auctions start this year.

We’re now getting an idea of what those UHF channels will be used for - new technology mobile phones and wireless broadband gadgets. Digital TV signals are weak low powered signals but mobile gadgets high powered. Without extraordinary care the mobile high powered gadgets will drown out digital TV signals. Now I watch more TV than is good for me but I hadn’t thought the government was planning a TV starvation diet for me.

The US National Association of Broadcasters has accused Microsft and Google who plan to bid for US channels of “playing Russian roulette” with digital TV quality. The European Broadcasters Union testing has shown that some of the types of wireless gadgets planned destroy digital TV pictures and sounds. 

Considering the fiasco the Labour Government has made of other high tech projects expect to have no TV in East Dulwich for 2012. Ironically one of the few TV services that probably will be o.k. will be TV on mobile phones. But do we want a whole new raft of mobile oerator masts.

Perhaps we all need to be prepared to fill our evening and make sure you have a Southwark Library card!

The latest annual report by the UK based Privacy International advocacy group tells us that an increase in survelliance and decline in privacy safeguards globally has occurred during the last year.

The UK earned top place for having the most endemic surveillance due to having the biggest network of CCTV in the world + Labour plans for a national compulsory ID card rich with personal and biometric information, and minimal comeback for citizens when the government looses this information. And you know they will loose that information.

The report states that the UK Labour government “has access to its people and technology that China doesn’t”. We seem to have runaway adoption of such technologies with little or no progress in safeguards to ensure fair play for you and me as private citizens.

The latest cost estimate by the London School of Economics of the Labour governments ID card plan is £12 to £18 billion during the next ten years. Think how many Police officers that could pay for. Or how fantastic the reabilitation of prisoners could be, dramatically reducing reoffending rates.

The Youth Justice Board, which runs the Labour flagship Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme, said the re-offending rate was “very high” or in plain english 91% re-offended within two years!

What do you think the Labour government should spend our tax money on - ID cards, more Police or getting criminals rehabilitated?

Apparently the smoking ban introduced in 2002 to Australian gambling venues has reduced gambling by 14% following its introduction. Hopefully we’ll see a similar affect in East Dulwich as a result of this years smoking ban.

Twenty years ago I spent a glorious six months training to be a betting shop manager in the west end and soho. I’d never been sworn at before then! Those six months were a real rights of passage for me. But the one thing I really vividly recall is how sad I felt seeing people blow a wage packet. As a husband and parent it makes me shiver at the potential implications of that. Hence my delight at the propsect of the smoking ban potentially reducing gambling.

A new law passed by the Labour government in 2005 came into force September 2007. In the past to obtain a betting shop licence from a magristrate an applicant had to prove a need. This meant that others could prove the existing shops had plenty of capacity. The new Labour law means an application can only be blocked if you can prove the applicant is not “fit and proper”, or is unfair to punters, a source of disorder, putting children or other vulnerable people at risk. So legally its now near impossible to block new betting shops - even if it wrecks the balance of shopping high streets.

So why the sudden demand for new betting shops - because betting shops can have upto four electronic touch-screen roulette machines. Such machines mean the average betting shop can make £2,000-£2,500 profits a week from these machines alone. The Financial Times reported that “In essence, in the past five years, the nations bookies have become fantastically lucrative slot-machine arcades”.

How does this affect East Dulwich?

A new super sized betting shop is being applied for where the old Woolwich Building Society used to be at 109 Lordship Lane. The deadline for objecting to it is 18 January.

However East Dulwich has three of the five Community Mental Health team for Southwark.

I will be objecting on the grounds that Lordship Lane has 60% of community mental health team users visiting and these patients are vulnerable.

If you want to object, and try holding back the tide of Labour caused betting shops, then send your objections to:

Tel: 020 7525 2000
Fax: 020 7525 3077
licensing@southwark.gov.uk
Licensing unit,
Chaplin Centre,
Thurlow Street,
London SE17 2DG

Sadly yesterday my ward colleague and friend Cllr Richard Thomas resigned his executive councillor Regeneration position. Richard has been on Southwark Councils executive since 2002. He led the successful charge of a step increase in recycling. He has profoundly moved the environment and regeneration agendas on. I do feel deeply saddened as he is so passionate for positive change. A sad day for any one who cares about Southwark.

I used to cynical about politicians saying they were taking a step back to spend more time with their families. Even as a back bench ouncillor with a young family I can absolutely sympathise. To also be head hunted shows what an asset Richard is and that we’re loosing. It really does highlight how we expect local politicians with incredibly big responsibilities to do the job for largely the love of it. Perhaps this is why such a disproportionate number of councillors are retired or have no family responsibilities.

However, I do know that Richard will still be a great local councillor for East Dulwich.

In the last three years Southwark has moved from being the 17th to 20th poorest part of England. 

Central government provides roughly 70% of all the money local councils spend. Central Government also passes laws on what as a minimum they expect councils to deliver. Southark Council is no different. The Labour Government has decided to adjust the formula for calculating allocations. Firstly they’ve decided to use 2004 population estimates rather than the readilly available 2006 population estimates. This penalises London but especially Southwark. Instead of receiving a grant towards 272,000 residents the calculation will be based on 2004 266,000 residents. Various other changes to the formula mean that in real terms for the next three years Southwark Council will be getting a cut in funding from the Labour Government while contending with a rapidly aging population.

You’ll be surprised to hear that Rotherham, the 50th poorest place in England, is getting 6.6% increase this year in its allocation. I’m sure this has nothing to do with having a Labour Local Government Minister John Healey as the local MP but you can see how a cynic might make such an unfounded connection.

Needless to say Southwark Counil and thE Liberal Democrats are appealing this decision. I have to remain hopeful that common sense will prevail.

This Thursday 10 January new Planning Application will go on-line. During the following six months the existing planning applications since 2003 will be data captured and added to the on-line system.

Considering that currently people who want to view a planning application have to make a special trip to the Planning Department offices at Chiltern House, Portland Street, SE17 this new on-line capability will be a real benefit. It will enable anyone to view a scheme remotely from the Planning Department from the comfort of their office, own home or local library.

I suspect many people will feel relieved to see plans for proposals and that fears they have are often not necessary. For many others, especially campaigning groups, it will give them a capability to get involved that practically they didn’t have before without taking time away from work, family or studies. Before becoming a councillor I spent many a lunch time dashing to Chiltern House to view a scheme and dash back to the office having viewed a planning application. Not something I could do more than very occassionally.

Well done to the Planning Department and the various IT suppliers for making this possible. Good luck for Thursday. Hope it all works!

Heber School is a good, increasingly successful school. During the last year it completely renovated the ground floor toilets that had been in a disgusting state for over a decade. The buildings are old so this work was extremely overdue. However, this still leaves the first floor toilets in a dire, smelly state. Not somewhere we can all be proud of.

The schools governors asked for support from the Dulwich Community Council Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding. This didn’t seem right as that funding is meant for works that make the community Safer or Greener or Cleaner.

So started over six months of discussions and badgering on how to find nearly £80,000.

Just before Christmas the finances were finally sorted out. Southwark Council Education Department will fund 50% directly and the other 50% will be funded by Heber school yearly devolved capital fund. As Heber have been busy improving the school this will have to be an advance, from Southwakr Council Education Department, on its 08_09 devolved capital allocation.

The work is so major it will need a whole summer holiday to complete.

I’m really chuffed that everyone has pulled together to be creative and flexible with the finances and make this happen at the earliest possible time.

Transport for London has asked for feedback regarding renewing the 176 bus route contract.

If you have any thoughts tell me.

The feedback the East Dulwich Liberal Democrat Councillors Jonathan Mitchell, Richard Thomas and myself have given so far is that it has to be one of the slowest bus routes around. Those sections where it runs in parallel to other bus routes such as the no.68 the 176 appears pedestrian and very slow. The other issue is that all the 176 bus stops need to have the Countdown system so passengers know how long they’ll have to wait.

What do you think?

To reach government future targets for recycling a huge £30,000,000+  investment is required in new state of the art facilities on the Old Kent Road. Apart from all our desires to minimise the waste we individually and Southwark collectively generates the government charges Southwark £12 per tonne Landfill Tax. Additionally, if Southwark doesn’t meet ever tougher recycling targets the Government will fine Southwark a lot of money. The Landfill taxes and fines are getting bigger.

So Southwark has to make a huge investment in waste services.

‘helpfully’ the Labour Government has decreed that such huge investments should occur via Private Partnerships. No Liberal Democrat likes these partnerships, better ways to do this exist, but the government has made it abundantly clear that this is the ‘only show in town’.

This month the contract with Veolia to make this huge investment and run waste services with ever tougher recycling targets is due to be signed. Now the Unison union representing all of the employees involved are considering strike action. The same Unison that gave the Labour Party £464,434.00 during July-September 2007 alone.

I think Unison needs to makes it mind up. Either it supports the Labour Party and the near imposition of Private Partnerships and all that entails or it doesn’t.

For the individual Unison members in Southwark. You don’t have to pay the political levy. You can opt out if you think this Labour government policy affecting you is crass.