MisAdventure

This week the Adventure Bar on Lordship Lane licensing application to remain open on Thursday nights until 2am and bank holiday Sundays until 2am was decided. They wanted to add to the current Friday and Saturday 2am closing.

The Licensing Sub Committee did not allow Thursday night opening until 2am but has allowed bank holiday Sundays until 2am which this year will happen four times.

Big thank you to everyone who objected and to Fred and Joe who attended the hearing with me. I’m really sorry for all the anti social behaviour this bar and Boho bar are causing you.

So, please whenever you experience anti social behaviour locally that is not an emergency please DO report it via the 101 non emergency number. Failure to report problems means officially they never happen and make it very hard to resist more late night licenses and longer licensed hours.

Betting on sadness

It’s as if Bookmakers are multiplying on our high streets!

Since our Labour MP Tessa Jowell brought about The Gambling Act 2005 changing the premise for granting gambling licences from an operator having to prove “un-stimulated demand” for betting in a location to NO proof of need. Effectively she created a free for all.

She also liberalised slot machines making betting shops even more profitable.

Southwark Council is a major land and shop owner in Southwark and the Labour led council hasn’t decided to stop letting shops to bookmakers.

So it is ironic that local Labour councillor Rowena Davis has started a petition against legislation of the former Labour Government.

Either Way please do tell the council Labour leader Peter.John@southwark.gov.uk asking him to ensure Labour led Southwark Council avoid letting properties to betting shops BUT especially tell your MP that you want The Gambling Act 2005 revoked and a return to the previous requirement of applicants proving a local need and asking that all existing betting shops need to reapply.

NB. Near the start of my worknig life I was a betting shop manager for 6 months. A wild experience where I learnt a great deal about me and also experienced the deep sadness of seeing people blowing wage packets. I learnt first hand how critical it is to limit Betting Shops.

Satnav insurance

The AA announced this week that they’re also going to offer Satnav  telematic insurance. Effectively a method to change insurance premiums depending on how well you drive and adhere to speed limits etc.

Initially, as with Aviva, they view this as a way to more selectively insure younger drivers. Massive 30% discounts for people driving well.

The industry views this as a trend likely to extend over time to most vehicle insurance policies. This has to be one of the most promising road safety technologies going forward. If the majority of drivers were so monitored collisions and driving standards would make a step improvement.  

Driving with more care should also mean greener driving – less frantic acceleration and braking – so good for the environment as well.

Good luck AA – I hope this new product does exceptionally well.

Perhaps something for the government to encourage – perhaps applying VAT even at the lower rate to vehicle insurance that doesn’t have such telematic encouragement of better driving.

Super broadband

BT have announced that they are looking for 1,000 blocks of flats around the UK to trial super fast broadband into such properties.

They would initially offer 100Mbit/s as part of this pilot scheme but by around April increase this to 300Mbit/s if any of the guinea pig flats wanted this during the pilot. DVD quality is 2Mit/s so 100Mbit/s is amazingly fast let alone 300MBit/s.

High broadband speeds make working from home easier and more feasible. People who work from home spend more money locally and help make the area safer through passive surveillance – keeping an eye out for neighbours homes. Homeworkers also produce less CO2 by not travelling to and from work despite keeping homes warm during the day.

I’ve highlighted this BT search for blocks to participate to my groups Housing spokesperson who has asked if Southwark Council plan to take part – fingers cross they do.

If you live in a block of flats and want super fast broadband let your management company know about this offer. If you get stuck let me know.

Cycling covenant

I’m delighted to see that The Times newspaper has today launched a campaign for a new Cycling Covenant. But saddened to see that one of their colleagues and friends grave cycle injuries were requried to inspire them.

They propose:
1. Trucks entering cities by law must have sensors, audibles alarms, extra mirrors and side bars/guards to stop cycling being thrown under them.
2. The 500 most dangerous junctions must be identified, redesigned or fitted with priority traffic lights for cyclists and Trixi mirrors allowing lorry drivers to see cyclists.
3. A national audit of cyclists to keep track of making cycling safer and more popular.
4. The Highways Agency should earmark 2% of its budget for next generation cycle routes providing £100million a year towards world-class cycling infrastructure. Each year cities being graded on the quality of cycling provision.
5. The training of cyclings and drivers must improve and cycle safety should become a core part of the driving test.
6. The default speed limit in residential areas where there are no cycle lanes should become 20mph.
7. Businesses should be invited to sponsor cycle ways and cycling super-highways.
8. Every city even those without an elected mayor should appoint a cycling commissioner to push home reforms.

These proposals if implemented well would see a step change for the better at making cycling safer and more attractive. Only number 8 seems to mis the mark – setting targets for local authorities instead would achieve more than a commissioner.

More people safely cycling would see a fitter, heathier nation spending money more locally. Huge opportunities for regeneration and community growth.

But will the coalition government listen.

But many of these we could implement here in Southwark…

Hidden Post Offices

Southwark has lost a lot of Post Offices and sub Post Offices under the last Labour Government – 19 in total! So I was delighted to hear that Lib Dems in the coalition government have secured a £1.34bn fund to rebuild and support the remaining network. Some may get to reopen.

But they still face issues. Locally we have unkown sometimes hidden sub Post Offices. The one on Crossthwaite Avenue SE5 is a great example. Southwark Council want to increase its rent by 93%. The council has also refused to allow any signage from the nearest busier road to point potential shoppers to the small parade of shops. We don’t just need fare rents but also some promotion they exist.

To find your nearest post office please use this LINK – you might find a welcome surprise of a sub Post Office you didn’t realise was there.

I’ve suggested to the council leader Cllr Peter John that he ensure council officers make a simple sign pointing to the Crossthwaite Avenue sub Post Office in his ward. I’ve suggested a future Southwark Life resident magazine feature such hidde gems. He has confirmed that he’s going to visit this small business with south Councils head of property. Hopefully some sense about rents will prevail.

In East Dulwich we also have a largely unknown sub Post Office at 369 Lordship Lane. I never understand why we have such queues at the 76 Lordship Lane Post Office when we have this sub Post Office nearby with no queues.

These sub Post Offices could also help provide access to many council services generating income for them and better access to service for residents – parking permits, council tax payments, council rent payments, etc.

Right to be forgotten

The European Union is proposing a new data protection rule – the “right to be forgotten”.

The idea is that individuals would be able to insist that data about themselves must be deleted unless it was being kept for a legitimate purpose.

I think this is a potentially great antidote to people doing daft things on the internet and not being able to escape them. It would also be useful for escaping the clutches of annoying marketing companies. This week I’ve had an appalling time stopping one company from repeatedly posting things to my dead mother. This proposal would add even greater weight to be treated with dignity when fixing such things.

The other important element would be a requirement to notifiy people within 24hours if a company loses your data, has it stolen or has it hacked. With the “right to be forgotten” it would mean only live data was available to be lost, stolen or hacked and protect many people whose data isnt actually relevant to an organisation anymore but has been kept.

Businesses are concerned at the requirement for a statutory Data Protection Officer but by harmonising these rules across European the Commission estimates a total saving of £1.9bn a year across Europe. It would also mean people could be more relaxed about providing data which could further boost internet use and the depth of internet use.

Fingers crossed these new consumer rights get approved.

London losing

London is reported by the annual Cushman & Wakefield report to be the best European city to do business. This is 22nd consecutive year its been given this accolade. London’s success is largely down to its great global connections with more international flights than Paris and Frankfurt added together. But it’s also despite its high pollution levels, 25th most polluted out of 25, and its quality of life being only 10th out of 25.

Amazingly 28% of all aircraft noise pollution in Europeis suffered by Londoners – both from Heathrow and London City flights paths. 4,300 people die prematurely from air pollution.

So if we want ot remain the clear winner in this annual beauty contest we need to fix our air and noise pollution. I don’t get the feeling yet that London or UK government are yet doing this.

For me the review of Heathrow night flights and the London City airport bigger aeroplane Planning Application are litmus tests of whether we want to remain no.1 European business city.

Cameron kills?

PM David Cameron effectively announced a war on the “great big health and Safety monster” . He said he’d “cut back rules and how their inspected” and that no health & safety rules would apply for the self employed.

I think he’s been hanging around with to many company board directors in private clubs and not spending time with people actually doing work in the field.  Has he met someone injured from work or families of employees killed at work – I very much doubt it.

The Health and Safety Executive shows that in 2010/11  171 people lost their lives through work. They got up in the morning and didn’t come home from the simple expectation of earning an honest living. In 2009/10 147 lost their lives at work and 2008/09 179.

But dreadful though these deaths are the scale of illness caused through work is epic. In 2010/11  1.15 MILLION working days were lost through illness caused from work, 2009/10 1.23 MILLION and 2008/09 1.18MILLION. The cost to society alone in 2010/11 was £14billion excluding cancers caused to employees from their work.

My day job is to ensure supplier performance. Part of that is ensuring suppliers work safely. It is not onerous. It’s good business to avoid killing or injuring employees or members of the general public.

BUT I could see a different emphasis where more trust was placed with people to do their job safely and well. That’s how Germany works. Employing German contractors in Germany is easier from my experience. But there they have 342 registered trades. Near everyone there undertakes a proper apprenticeship. In Germany you make a career from being a registered trades person and knowing deeply how to do a job well makes you safer.

So Mr.Cameron by all means reduce health and safety requirements AFTER you’ve ensured the whole British workforce and management have become skilled safer workers but please not before – or you’ll be killing people through your actions.

…and who will want to use self employed tradespeople in the UK where they don’t have to be formally registered giving assurance of training and under Cameron they wont in the future have to work safely – a future Dell boy economy?

Capital road pricing

Congestion in London can be grim – even with the Congestion Charging Zone. At this time of year, a fortnight of bliss, getting around town by bike or car with near empty roads is a cinch. But normally our roads are bulging with people travelling generating enough air pollution to kill 4,000 Londoners every year. The plans for London to grow by a million people will only make this beyond worse – calculated to be 20% worse. With precious few plans to increase public transport enough what should be done?

A study about road pricing of the capitals roads has just been produced which states “It is our view that a London-wide road pricing scheme is essential and without it congestion will worsen, air pollution will worsen” it also states “the health of Londoners will suffer, CO2 reduction targets will be missed”. Heady stuff. The study and its review has impeccable academic credentials Professors Whitelegg, Goodwin and Nash.

They suggest a fee of 20p per km (roughly 30p/mile) would cut 10% of car trips while raising £1.2bn gross a year from the remaining 90% of car trips. These sums are enough for a new tube line to be built biannually. Very appealing. They also calculate other benefits such as bus costs coming down by around 11% from less congestion – reducing bus fares by 11% would really help the poorest Londoners.

The appeal is accentuated by their statements that “International evidence is very clear that when car parking places of traffic levels are reduced the local economy thrives and grows in number of people employed and turnover. This is because large numbers of people are shopping locally and have a greater amount of disposable income available for local goods and services because they have reduced spending on vehicles”. I know my family would use its car far less with road pricing  – we’d ration it for important trips – staying more locally to spend our money.

At the same time that the case for road pricing seems like a potential solution popular feeling, as reported in the 2010 British Social Attitudes Survey, shows that only 18% agreed people should pay more to drive on roads at the busiest times.

So for road pricing to happen would take a braver politician with a big sell.

For Southwark only half our households own a car and under half the traffic on our roads starts or ends it journey in Southwark. So we probably have the most to gain from road pricing. We also suffer more from air pollution killing residents with roads like the Old Kent Road. But I’ll not hold my breath that road pricing happens soon.