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.

Cyclists don’t count

Southwark Council have had a traffic counter installed on Camberwell Road near a bike shop. It been carefully installed to not count people cycling in the cycle lane. But not so carefully installed to allow all cyclists to cycle past safely – you can see the tubes are across the road surface and proud by several inches near the kerb and are a side way slip hazard just inside the cycle lane.

Anyway else spotted such hazards? Irony is this has occurred the same week the council leader has committed Southwark to The Times cycle manifesto which includes recording cyclists and making the roads safer for them.

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.

21 school disruption

Every election day 21 schools are used as Polling Stations in Southwark. Southwark Council has just reviewed all its Polling Stations and has decided that it still wants to use those 21 schools.

This is a real missed opportunity. Hosting a Polling day sounds easy but talking to some teachers it really disrupts not just the day but the whole academic week. That can’t be good for those children’s education. And we have elections nearly every year what with local, London, UK, Europe elections as well as last years AV referendum.

Of the 21 schools two are special schools, one is on special measures, six are satisfactory and about to receive a lot of extra focus and reclassified as “requires improvement”:

Southwark school polling stations

In my own ward Heber School is used – a good school with last value added score of 99.7 – is arguably doing OK hosting Polling days but does it really help and add to the childrens education? Clearly not added to which it also disrupts parents childcare plans.

I’ve looked at many of these schools and alternative polling stations appear readily available.

Come on Southwark stop disrupting our children’s education.

Primary School places

Early last week the deadline for reception class applications passed. A difficult set of choices that always stresses out parents – it certainly stressed me.

The pressure is even higher at the moment with so many extra, until recently, unforecast extra children chasing the available places. Southwark Council has arranged extra bulge places:

  • Albion, Bellenden, Bessemer Grange and Ivydale will all take an additional 30 reception pupils
  • Charles Dickens, Grange, and Robert Browning will each take an additional 15 reception pupils

These extra 195 places will help. They have made it even more complicated for parents trying to choose a school.

Past forecasts predicted that the bulge in pupil numbers would start to diminish around 2014/2015. The latest forecast I obtained in a response to a council assembly question I wrote (submitted via the Dulwich Community Council) is that in the Dulwich area we permanently need another 60-75 school places from 2014/2015. A new primary school.

We think a new school on the vacant part of the Dulwich Hospital site is the best option. Do you agree?

If you do or don’t agree with us please complete  our survey.

Council error in your favour collect £500

From April 2011 Labour led Southwark Council increased council garage fees by a whopping 50% to £18.62 per week per garage. Ouch.

Well for 1,000 garage renters this has proven no problem. They were moved wrongly to the concessionary rate of £5 per week saving so far over £500 each.

This has only just come to light after a number of residents, scared at running up huge back bills, complained and raised the alarm. Whoever you are thank you. 

The Labour cabinet member has made it clear they wont be collecting any back rent owed and put the 1,000 mistakes down to “human error”. That’s an awful lot of errors.

Council finances run like a game of monopoly. So that means the £676,000 loss now has to be found.

Saving Council Hot Air

Southwark Council generates a lot of hot air at its Tooley Street HQ. Sadly much of it escapes through the front doors as many don’t use the revolving doors – revolving doors minimise the amount of hor air escaping and save a lot of energy.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Centrica offices in Windsor. I took a photo of their entrance where they very positively encourage people to use the revolving doors via big signs on the adjacent doors stating “Help us save energy – please use the revolving doors”. Such a simple and effective measure. I witnessed everyone using the revolving doors. Contrast that with Southwark where it appears 50:50.

Come on Southwark make it clear to everyone. Put such simple stickers up saving hot air escaping and all those tax payers pounds going out the front doors of Tooley Street and numerous other council buildings.

New Blue Badges

Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker has just introduced a new secure Blue Badge starting this week (1 Jan).

He states it’s “as secure as a banknote”. The previous Blue Badges were made from card and they were handwritten. Easy to doctor and forge. So the new ones with security features similar to latest driving licences – holograms, digital photos, etc should make stealing Blue Badges much less attractive. That’s the theory. Fingers crossed that’s the practice.

Some boroughs traffic wardens when they see a Blue Badge call the telephone number of the Blue Badge holder. Sometimes they find they’re at home while the Blue Badge is being used away from home. Sad but with ever increasing parking pressures the temptation to cheat gets higher.

Hopefully I’ll persuade Southwark Council to make such phone calls!

Olympic housing

For some the Olympics and Para Olympics holds no interest and is especially alarming taking over London this year. They plan on being away to avoid the travel chaos, hype and hassles.

Some wish to rent out their homes for Olympic fans and visitors. BUT in Southwark, to deter very short term letting and renting, you have to obtain planning permission for a change of use to offer such letting. This makes perfect sense normally to avoid areas being over run with uncaring tenants hear to day and literally gone tomorrow. But this sensible rule looks a bit silly when you have the greatest show on earth coming to town. London wont have enough hotel capacity and private letting for a week or two would really help make the Olympics go better.

I’ve asked Southwark Council’s Chief Executive how this normally simple sensible rule that looks daft for the Olympic duration can be formally suspended this summer for the Olympics.

The alternative is pushing home owners and visitors towards unscrupulous letting agencies which would be bad for everyone.

I’ll tell you how it goes.