Each year, Dulwich Community Council has around £370,000 to spend on improving our area through the Cleaner, Greener, Safer programme. No one likes a constitutional anorak but if ever there was a demonstration of how the way we make decisions can improve the quality of those decisions it is Community Councils. In the past all spending decisions were made in Peckham by people who may or may not have a clue about our local area. Now spending decisions are made by people who represent the area – and that means we’re more likely to invest in things the community really wants to see happen. Liberal Democracy in action.

Each year, any local person or community organisation can submit an idea for how to improve our local area. All ideas are welcome no matter how big or small and each year the applications flood in.

In the past projects have involved things like improving open spaces , small parks and playgrounds, tree planting and public art. The famous East Dulwich SNUB Say No to Unwanted Bags campaign was funded this way, as was the crime fighting alert boxes for local shops in Lordship Lane. Funding can range from just £2000 for small projects to over £150,000.

This year, we’ve funded another great range of projects. Here are a few:

· School composting scheme

· New cycle parking at Halliwell Court

· Improved fencing at Norcroft Gardens

· 25 new car club spaces – so half of East Dulwich streets will have a car club space

· More street trees

· Hanging baskets and lamp post banners promoting local shopping on Lordship Lane

· Pop-up electic points for Northcross Road market – to eliminate noisy polluting generators

· Improving the shopping parade at The Plough on Lordship Lane

· A pilot food composting scheme for our shops and restaurants

We think we’ve chosen a good range of schemes – but if you’ve got better ideas, there’s always next year!